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April 30, 2007

Lists Of Stockholders Canada & USA 1890

"Report of the Superintendent of Insurance of the Dominion of Canada for the Year Ending 31st December 1890" was published in 1891 and included are approximately 60 pages of names of shareholders and guarantors for various Insurance and Assurance Companies across Canada & USA.

The date for the list of names is 1890 and ncludes people from all over Canada, USA and Europe.

Each individual has a residence listed, in some cases, an actual street address. The shareholders' residences include such places as:

Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Scotland, New York, Quebec, Vermont, Pennsylvania, NWT, England, Illinois, India, Newfoundland, Manitoba, Cape Breton, Jamaica, Ireland, Kentucky, Tennessee, Massachussets, Minnesota, Ohio, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Channel Islands, France and Wales.

These lists can be used simply to verify that an individual lived in a certain place in 1890. They also contain quite a bit of detail for some entries, which are terrific clues for further research. Here's a few examples:

One listing is for

"Edward Rawlings, Montreal" and under his name, labelled as "in trust" are the names Miss A L Rawlings, Miss E M Rawlings, Miss KNB Rawlings, George W Rawlings, HEA Rawlings, and WT Rawlings

Beside Edward's name is his number of shares in the Guarantee Company of North America - 4645, amount subscribed for 232,250, paid in cash 52,610. His children are noted as to their number of shares, amount subscribed for and amount paid up in cash - each child except Miss AL has 5 shares, 250 subscribed for and 250 paid in cash. Miss AL has 6 shares, 300 subscribed for and 300 paid in cash.

It occurred to me that this entry meant that Edward had died, and the rest of the names were his heirs, most likely his children, given the words "in trust". So I checked the online 1881 census at http://familysearch.org/ and found Edward and his family living in Montreal (Ste Antoine Ward)

This gives you some idea of the usefulness of this book. It can be consulted online at http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/canada/shareholders.htm

April 27, 2007

Death Record Finder - Finding an Ancestor in Death Records

Most genealogists search death records such as Cemetery records, Obituaries and Vital Stats (Death Registrations or Certificates). If we don't find our ancestor in one of those death records, we're stuck! Where to search next? The ADF (Ancestor Death Finder) can help. You can purchase my E-Book Ancestor Death Record Finder: Tips on Finding a Death Record When You've Hit a Brick Wall at Amazon for only $1.15
What happens when a loved one dies? What events take place around the death of a family member? What kind of death record paper trail is created on the death of an individual? The answers to these questions will lead you to other sources of death records and hopefully end that brick-wall.

When an ancestor dies, many records of that death might be created. Let's talk about records kept before an ancestor death and those created after a death. Get the full list of suggestions in my E-Book


Purchase the Kindle E-Book full version on Amazon

April 24, 2007

New One-Step Search Engine from Steve Morse

Steve Morse has created another one-step search form for family researchers on his website.

Steve's latest One Step is for the Montreal City Directories . . . "Annuaires Lovell de Montreal et sa banlieue" a free online database located at the National Library of Quebec "Bibliothèque National du Québec," containing digitized copies of Montreal city directories from 1842 to 1977, and criss-cross directories from 1974-1992.

Go to the "Births, Deaths, and other Vital Records" section of Steve's website and scroll down to the fourth entry from the end.

The advantage of the One-Step is that you can search for your ancestors name,
year by year, without having to do all the navigating and clicking that you have to do when doing such a search from the website directly.

April 21, 2007

Dating Ancestor Photographs Before 1900

If you are lucky enough to have an ancestor photograph or family photograph album, you can date it according to the type of photograph.

Daguerreotypes (ca 1839)
Photography in USA began circa 1839 but not many are found before 1854.

Ambrotypes (circa 1854)
The ambrotype was a glass negative backed with black material so it appeared as a positive image

Tintypes (ca 1855)
The Ferrotype process (tintypes) was introduced in the United States in 1855. It substituted an iron plate for glass and is one of a kind. No copies could be made from a tintype.

Carte de Visite or CDVs (ca 1859)
CDV stands for carte de visite. CDVs replaced ambrotypes, producing a card 2.5 by 4" CDVs arrived in the United States around 1859, on the eve of the Civil War (1861- 1865). On June 30, 1864 a tax on photographs, ambrotypes, daguerreotypes and other "sun-pictures" went into effect. Tax Revenue Stamps had to be placed on the backs of photographs from that date (1864) until August 1, 1866. This helps date CDVs taken in this time period.

Cabinet Cards (circa 1870)
CDV´s were replaced in the 1870s by Cabinet Cards which were on a larger 4 by 6" card.

Lost Faces - Ancestor Photos
I am pleased to now offer individual quality photographic reproductions for sale! You can purchase a photographic reproduction of any ancestor photo from my Civil War era photo albums. I have rescued over 3000 one-of-a-kind identified family photos taken 1850 to 1900. See http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/faces/

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Article by Lorine McGinnis Schulze. Permission is granted to reproduce this article in its entirety including this footer. All URLs must remain intact

April 20, 2007

1819 - 1820 U.S. Passenger Lists Now Online

GenealogyBank.com has put a FREE digital copy of the complete 1819 to 1820 U.S . Passenger Lists online

Search other records on GenealogyBank such as Historical Newspapers 1690 - 1977, Historical Books 1801 - 1900, Historical Documents 1789 - 1980, America's Obituaries 1977 to current, and Social Security Death Index 1937 to current

This is an exact digital copy of the original document that was published by the Federal Government in 1821. It covers the arrivals in 35 ports in 14 states and the District of Columbia.

A typical entry gives the passenger's name, age, where they were coming from, and their destination, the name of the ship, ship's captain and the port. Some entries also include additional notes.

This published passenger list gives the names of all passengers arriving in the US between October 1819 and September 1820. It includes not only immigrants coming to
the U.S. but also a large number of U.S. citizens who were traveling by ship from one part of the country to another.

April 17, 2007

Census Tables for the French Colony of Louisiana from 1699 Through 1732 online

See Census News for details on how to search the online Census Tables for the French Colony of Louisiana from 1699 Through 1732

This is a compilation of the twenty-eight earliest census records of Louisiana. These census records cover Fort Maurepas, Biloxi, Mobile, Natchez, New Orleans, and other locations. The records are both civilian and military and they cover from 1699 through 1732.

Besides census records, there are lists of 1,704 marriageable girls, a 1726 list of persons requesting negroes, landowner lists, and a list of persons massacred at Fort Rosalie in 1729.

Other features include a synopsis of Louisiana's colonial history, tips on French colonial naming practices, and a comprehensive index of 5,000 names.

Also find ancestors on Ships Passenger Lists to Louisiana in this early period.

April 15, 2007

Free Credits for ScotlandsPeople Site

The Scottish Sunday Mail is giving away to their readers 20 free credits for the ScotlandsPeople site.

1. Go to www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk and click on the register button if you're a new user, or log in using your username and password if you already have an account.


2. New users will be required to complete a registration form before they can access the ScotlandsPeople site.


3. Once logged in, click on NEED MORE? on the top right hand side of the page.


4. You will be taken to a page where you should enter the voucher code sundaymail to access the great genealogy giveaway.

April 14, 2007

Free Search of Titantic Images of Passenger List

Titanic Passenger List Online and Free


Free and Online for the First Time to Mark 95th Anniversary


Fully digitised images of the RMS Titanic's original 34-page passenger list are now available for the very first time online.

Its addition completes the set of passengers lists for the ships leaving the UK furing the decade 1910-1919, recently added to the ancestorsonboard.com collection. These images are available only at Find My Past dot com, and are presented in association with The National Archives.

The original Titanic passenger list records the names, port of departure, occupation, nationality, age, class of travel, destination and country of intended future permanent residence of all who sailed on its ill-fated maiden voyage in 1912. For a limited time only visitors will be available to view, print, save and download the Titanic passenger list free of charge.

Marking the 95th anniversary of the ship's tragic loss, the online release brings the original documents together for the first time online and in print, as there are no images of the originals published in any media elsewhere. Read more and start searching More passenger lists are found on Olive Tree Genealogy pages

April 13, 2007

Scotland Census Collection, 1841-1901 online

Americans and Canadians with Scottish ancestry can now search for their Scottish ancestors among the more than 24 million names in the complete Scotland Census Collection, 1841-1901, on Ancestry.com.

These censuses include names, occupations, places of birth and residence of our Scottish ancestors. U.S. passenger list records also include Scottish immigration during this period, making it easier for individuals to trace their ancestors

The complete Scotland Census Collection adds to Ancestry.com's growing international census collection, which already includes the only complete online collections of fully-indexed and digitized U.S. Federal Censuses from 1790 to 1930, England and Wales censuses from 1841 to 1901, and the 1851, 1901, 1906 and 1911 Canadian census.

Use census links at CENSUS RECORDS and passenger lists at SHIPS PASSENGER RECORDS

April 12, 2007

FREE Access to Ancestry's Immigration Collection!

To celebrate the 100 anniversary of 1907 - the largest year of immigration through Ellis Island - Ancestry is giving all researchers FREE ACCESS to their Immigration Collection until April 30, 2007

Discover your ancestors in the largest collection of passenger lists available online. Search more than 100 million names from more than 100 U.S. ports.

See details and link to Ancestry's FREE Immigration Records Collection (Free Until April 30, 2007) Includes arrivals in New York (Castle Garden, Ellis Island), Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans and more

April 9, 2007

Utah Death Certificates Now Online

FamilySearch, in conjunction with the Genealogical Society of Utah and the Utah State Archives and Records Service, announced that the state's free online index to death certificates is now linked to original images of the historic documents.

The integration of the index with free digital pictures of the death certificates issued from 1905 to 1954 by the state will open doors to additional information for family historians and genealogists with Utah ties.

The online index to 250,000+ Utah deaths was created by the State Office of Vital Records and Statistics and has searchable information limited to the name of the deceased person, their date of death, sex, and where they died.

April 7, 2007

Ellis Island Immigration Hearings

From 1892 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island. Last Friday, March 30, the processing station once again opened its doors to immigrants .

Over 150 immigrants, including 30 members of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR), attended a hearing organized by the House immigration subcommittee to discuss the issue of 12 million undocumented immigrants presently in the USA.

The statue of Annie Moore, the 15-year old from Cork Ireland who was the first immigrant through Ellis Island in 1892, stands nearby.

Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, the California Democrat who is chairperson of the subcommittee, thought it apt to hold the first of several planned hearings at Ellis Island, where over 40 percent of Americans can trace their roots.

April 5, 2007

Finding American Naturalization Records

Many Declarations (not the Petitions) have an exact date of immigration. Be careful to look for all records in the Naturalization Process: Declarations of Intent, Petitions and so on... for each contains different information.

There is an explanation and Resource Guide to Naturalization
Records at Naturalization Records

Before 1906, the declaration of intent generally contains more genealogically useful information than the petition. Petitions before 1906 usually show only a name, former
allegiance, and date of naturalization. The declaration may include the alien's exact date of immigration into the United States

An immigrant who arrived after June 29, 1906 could not naturalize until the government located their immigration record (a passenger list). Petitions (not the Declarations) after 1906 have information that has been verified and matched to an immigration record. In fact a a certification of the immigrant's arrival record was a required part of the process

The easy way to remember is to think of opposites: BEFORE 1906, the Declaration has more useful genealogical info than the Petition (usually) and AFTER 1906 it's the opposite - the Petition is more useful and accurate than the Declaration

For a Resource Guide to the records, what you can expect to find, where to find them, and alternate sources of finding those important years (immigration and naturalization) at USA Naturalization Records Read the intro then choose your state of interest.

There are also many online records and links to searchable online records at Naturalization Records

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Permission granted to republish this article provided all links remain intact and credit is given to the author Lorine McGinnis Schulze and the website http://naturalizationrecords.com

April 3, 2007

Finding Ancestors in American Passport Applications

Passport applications are often a valuable source of genealogical information. NARA has passport applications from October 1795 to March 1925. The U. S. Department of State has passport applications from April 1925 to the present. You can also consult passports online at Naturalization Records. There are some large projects as well as individual passport records on the site.

Passport Records on Naturalization Records Website

Register of Passports from 14 November 1834 to 1843 an Index for all states in USA

Index to Special Passports 1829-1887 an Index for all states in USA

Index to Special Passports 1887-1894 an Index for all states in USA

Register of Passport Applications 1809-1817

Index to Emergency & Special Passport Applications 1830-1831

American Ancestor Passports

(Includes passports on the Naturalization Records Website as well as other sites)

William Clinton Jessup of Connecticut 14 May 1920 Passport & Photo

Josef Spolek Passport 1883

Passport for Anna Epping (late Cole) and son William from Germany to United States 1923 - Cuyahoga Ohio

Passport of Robert Spanton Benfell Washington USA

Passports issued from Sep 1918-Jan 1919 in Philadelphia, PA

Italian passport of Andrea DeJana, 1927 one of the group of Italian immigrants and workers who settled in Port Washington New York

Italian Passport of Al Marino’s mother Maria, 1916 one of the group of Italian immigrants and workers who settled in Port Washington New York

1920 Italian passport of Angelina Giordano wife of Philip Lovetere of New Jersey including photo of Angelina born 1895 in Italy

1927 Italian passport of Leonardo Giordano father of Angelina Giordano including photo of Leonardo born 1864 in Italy

Dutch Passport of Johanna Bosselaar issued 24-05-1955. Johanna Bosselaar Kloosterman born 1892 Holland immigrated to America

Passport of Herbert B. Khaury aka Tiny Tim of New York

April 2, 2007

Peter Robinson Settlers Ireland to Canada 1825 online

Peter Robinson Settlers sailing in 1825 from Ireland to Canada are online

Scroll down near the bottom of the page - there are links to 8 ships passenger lists with the names of settlers brought over by Peter Robinson. These immigrants settled near Peterborough Ontario

  • Ship Fortitude May 1825 Cork Ireland to Peterborough Ontario
  • Ship Resolution May 1825 Cork Ireland to Peterborough Ontario
  • Ship Star May 1825 Cork Ireland to Peterborough Ontario
  • Ship Elizabeth May 1825 Cork Ireland to Peterborough Ontario
  • Ship Albion May 1825 Cork Ireland to Peterborough Ontario
  • Ship Brunswick May 1825 Cork Ireland to Peterborough Ontario
  • Ship Amity May 1825 Cork Ireland to Peterborough Ontario
  • Ship Regulus May 1825 Cork Ireland to Peterborough Ontario

April 1, 2007

Irish Ships to N. America

Between the years 1847 and 1851 over 5,000 people left County Down, to escape the ravages of the Famine and to seek out a better life for themselves and their family.

Brigitte Marmion has transcribed and donated Passenger Lists for ships sailing out of Newry. These provide a census substitute for the time period.

For more Irish Ships to USA and Canada see the J. J. Cooke Shipping Records This set of records are passenger sailings from Londonderry to Philadelphia Pennsylvania, Quebec, St. John New Brunswick and New Orleans Lousisiana from 1847 to 1871