Who Was Your First Canadian or American Born Ancestor?

I was curious as to who my first Canadian and American born ancestors were. It was fun looking in my database to find out. 

My first Canadian ancestor was Leonard-Tremi (Jonas) Le Roy baptised 1674 in what is now Quebec. 

My first Ontario born ancestor was Levi Peer who was born 1807 in what was then Upper Canada.

My first born American ancestor was Styntje Jans Snediker born 1641 in New Amsterdam (now New York City)

Caveat: I've omitted my Mohawk ancestor Ots-Toch (wife of Cornelis Van Slyke) because I have no idea of her ancestry going back in time but it certainly was hundreds of years before Styntje. 

My husband has no American ancestry. His first born Canadian ancestor was Ellen Montgomery born in 1822 in Quebec. Johannes Alexander Allen Butler, son of his black ancestor, was a close second being born in 1824 in York County Ontario. 

Who was your first North American ancestor?

 

SPECIAL: Free Genealogy Records on Ancestry

The 75th anniversary of VE Day is this week. From May 4th - 8th, Ancestry Canada will be providing free access to all 10M Canadian military records on the site.

In addition, Canadians can access for free all content on online newspaper archive Newspapers.com, as well as all records on Fold3 – a site that provides access to military records, stories and photos.

Think Outside the Box When Looking for a Ship's Passenger List

Charlene G. sent Olive Tree Genealogy an email asking about Ships Passenger Lists from Ireland in the 1840s. I think my answer to her question (below) may be of interest to other genealogists

I am specifically looking for Irish passenger ship records from 1845-1847, the probably year(s) that my great-great grandparents immigrated to the United States.  For many years I have been searching  Irish passenger ships arriving at the port of New York.  Because Ellis Island was not yet established, I assume my Irish great-great grandparents entered the U.S. via Castle Garden.  Can you tell me if ALL ship passenger records for the years 1845-1847 have been transcribed? 

Lorine's Answer: First let me clear up some possible confusion. Ellis Island and Castle Garden were processing centers. The port of arrival was New York and that is the arrival port you want to look for if you are positive your ancestor arrived via New York. You will not find ships lists giving a port of arrival as "Ellis Island" or "Castle Garden" since they were simply the processing areas used at different time periods for arrivals in the port of New York.

The short answer to your last question is YES. All known ships passenger lists arriving in New York have been transcribed, indexed and are found on Ancestry . If you are searching the Castle Garden website be aware that it includes arrivals in  ports other than New York and as far as I know, it is not complete for the port of New York.

If you are unable to find your ancestors, be sure you search other ports of arrival. Also you might wish to look for ships arriving in Canada as it was much cheaper to come in that way than go directly to America. Just be aware that before 1865 ships arriving in Canadian ports did not have to keep their passenger lists. But there are alternate lists you can search. See Filling in The Gaps for help.

You should also be sure you are using wildcards if you are searching on Ancestry  . The early ships passenger lists are often difficult to read and your ancestor's surname might be badly mangled or misread. Try widening your search parameters too. Leave out first names. Use only a surname (with wildcards to pick up variant spellings such as SM*TH* which would get results for SMITH, SMYTH, SMYTHE etc. ) and an approximate year of birth.

Where to Find Explanations of Abbreviations in Genealogy Books

Lauren asked Olive Tree Genealogy a question: "I found my Great-Grandfather, Harold Applegren, in this illinois city directory and noticed the number one in parentheses next to his name. What would that mean? I know that he lived with his parents, but I don't know if that symbol is related to that or not."

She included a screenshot:


My Answer

It would be very unusual for a book to not have an explanation of the abbreviations and terms used in the book. It is usually found at the front of the book. So in this case, you should scroll back to the start of the city directory and look for that explanation.

It is always a good idea to check out explanations or details that are provided at the start (preface or introduction) or end of any set of records.  Don't overlook doing a little bit of reading to help you understand what you are looking at - the time frame, the location, abbreviations, a glossary or more might be included.

4th of July Flash Sale Ancestry DNA & Membership!

Don't miss this 4th of July Flash Sale in the US on Ancestry® Memberships and AncestryDNA®.

4th of July Flash Sale:

Ancestry Family History Memberships will be on sale for 50% off. Terms apply.

AncestryDNA® will also be on sale for $59.

The 4th of July Flash Sale will start at 9:00pm PST on Tuesday, July 2nd and will end at 9:00pm PST on Thursday, July 4th.

4 Genealogy Qestions and Answers

Sue B. wrote to Olive Tree Genealogy with several questions:

How do you know who to include in a tree?  Should I just include blood relatives?  I currently have 2500 people in my tree and it is growing daily.  I am using mostly ancestry and lan-opc.org.uk and sometimes familysearch.org to search for information.  My tree is in ancestry because I can move anything I find there to my tree.  I am not sure if I should transfer my tree from ancestry to somewhere else in case I opt out of ancestry.  Can I transfer all pictures, ancestry records, parish records and documents if I move my tree?

These are great questions and hopefully my answers will help not only Sue but any other genealogists who are struggling or floundering slightly. So let's take them one question at a time.

Q: How do you know who to include in a tree?  Should I just include blood relatives? 

A: There is no right or wrong way to research your ancestry. Each genealogist must decide on what suits them, or how much time and energy they want to put into their genealogy. But there are some things to remember before you make your decision. For example it is often the case that when you are stuck on finding an ancestor's parents or some other information, searching another son or daughter may provide the solution to your brickwall.

Q: I am using mostly ancestry and lan-opc.org.uk and sometimes familysearch.org to search for information. 

A: This isn't a question but I'm going to respond anyway. It seems you are searching mainly in Lancashire England. I would also suggest your branch out and use Find My Past and British Newspapers sites. They have excellent UK records.


Q: I am not sure if I should transfer my tree from ancestry to somewhere else in case I opt out of ancestry. 

A: I would have a backup copy of my tree on my computer even if you never opt out of Ancestry. My suggestion would be for you to find a genealogy program you like and keep your tree there. I like Family Tree Maker but you may prefer a different program such as Legacy Family Tree, Roots Magic, etc. If you google "genealogy programs for family tree" you will see many results and can read up about each of them.

Q: Can I transfer all pictures, ancestry records, parish records and documents if I move my tree?

A: If you are moving your tree from Ancestry, the answer is "no". You will have to save (download) each document manually to your computer and save it on your hard drive. Be sure to label each file so you can easily find it again. I suggest creating a folder for each surname and putting the appropriate files in there. If you are using Family Tree Maker on your computer you can add Media Files easily to each ancestor.

Here is an example of how I create my Genealogy Folders on my computer drive:

I like to name my files as Surname_First Name_Year_Type of Record. That way the documents fall into alphabetical order and chronologically for each individual. Every genealogist has their own method that suits them.

 I've given you my suggestions. Now it's time for my readers to weigh in with theirs. I'm sure there will be many different ideas and answers and I'm looking forward to reading them.

Don't Overlook the Online Ontario Land Records

When you think you've hit a dead end or a brick wall, believe me, there's always more out there!

Case in point: On a genealogy group on Facebook, someone posted about the Pettit family, saying they could not find "much on their father Richard Pettit.... or their mother Nancy Lamon"

So I had a look. There is actually a lot that can be found on this specific family through a simple Google search. One site has sourced details on Richard, his wife and family, and his parents and siblings. The few online trees on Ancestry have errors but they might be used for clues.

But a little known site for those seeking Ontario ancestors is the Ontario Land Registry site. There you can look for Abstract Indexes to Deeds which are the indexed record of every transaction on a plot of land from Crown ownership to the present day. You can often find a record of a will there, or a wife's maiden name.

Henry Petit, also his son Richard (and other family members) are found here

Abstract/Parcel Register Book

MIDDLESEX COUNTY (33), CARADOC, Book 15

CONCESSION 6

We can see that Henry Pettit received a patent for land from the Crown on 26 February 1858. This means he was the first owner of this land and he should also be found in the CLRI (Ontario Land Record Index) which records first time owners. He received 100 acres in the North half of Lot 3, Concession 6.

Continuing to read each line you can see when Henry sold  part of the land, and to whom. You also find that his son Richard is shown as selling some of the land in 1916. There are many Pettit names on these 2 pages for this parcel of land and you can see which Pettit gained possession over the years. This also can indicate relationships. As well you should look for spousal surnames. In this particular case we would want to look for Lamon and Smeath (Henry Pettit married Nancy Smeath)

Richard Pettit is also found here

Abstract/Parcel Register Book

MIDDLESEX COUNTY (33), METCALFE, Book 3

CONCESSION 13

Finding a name of interest in these abstracts means you can obtain the full record by referring to the instrument number beside the name. Remember, as helpful as these are, they are INDEXES.

Sometimes the full record is a lengthy, and often somewhat boring description of the boundaries of the specific parcel of land. Other times it is chock full of amazing details that we genealogists drool over. I once found the name of my husband's long-lost great aunt, her husband's name and more in the full instrument. We had lost all trace of her once she was no longer found with her parents on census records. The instrument details paved the way and led us to many more interesting facts about her life.

Halifax, Canada, Halifax Explosion Remembrance Book, 1917-1918

December 6, 2017 marks the 100th Anniversary of the Halifax Explosion. To commemorate this occasion, Ancestry has released a collection of records online, the Halifax Explosion Remembrance Book — a definitive listing and searchable database of those killed in the 1917 disaster. The collection is available to all Canadians for free on Ancestry.ca and contains records of courage and tragedy from those who lost their lives in the disaster.

Those commemorated in the records include:

    Halifax Protestant Orphanage Memorial Records: Among the youngest causalities of the explosion were children from the Halifax Protestant Orphanage.
    Vincent J.P. Coleman, Memorial Record: The 41-year old Intercolonial Railway Dispatcher was responsible for bringing all incoming trains around Halifax to a halt pre-explosion. Coleman saved the lives of about 300 railway passengers. Born in 1876, Coleman lost his life at his post of duty. 
    Captain Horatio H. Brannen, Memorial Record: As the Capt. of Stella Maris, Capt. Brannen and crew fought the fire caused by the collision of Imo and Mont Blanc. During his efforts to tow Mont Blanc away from the Halifax shore, the ship burst into flames. His tugboat, Stella Maris, was left crippled and tossed aside by the blast. Born in 1872, the Capt. lost his life at the age of 45 years old.
    Captain Haakon From, Memorial Record: As the Capt. of Imo, Capt. From oversaw the ship that collided with Mont Blanc. Born in 1870, From lost his life in the Halifax Explosion at the age of 47 years old.
    Pilot William Hayes, Memorial Record: Pilot and crewmember aboard Imo. Born in 1877, the pilot and crewmember of Imo worked amongst 41 French sailors. He lost his life at the age of 40 years old during the explosion.

In addition to the Halifax Explosion Remembrance Book, Ancestry will be releasing new East Coast collections in December. These include:

    Nova Scotia, Canada, Antigonish Catholic Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1823-1905

    Newfoundland, Canada, Census, 1945
    Newfoundland, Canada, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1840-1949
    Newfoundland, Canada, Census, 1921
    Prince Edward Island, Canada, Marriage Registers, 1832-1888
    Prince Edward Island, Canada, Death Card Index, 1810-1913

Surnames A-Z: G Names

There's a new meme going around Facebook right now. Genealogists are listing their mother's maiden name, father's surname, maternal and paternal grandparents' surnames and a few more generations back.

It's a cute idea but I don't think it's wise to be providing such detail, especially your mother's maiden name, as it is often the secret question asked on sites where you require a password to log in.

So I'm revising the meme to suit me and I hope others will follow suit, either here as a comment on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, or on their own blog.

Over the coming weeks I'll be listing my surnames starting with "A" and going through the alphabet until I reach "Z".

I'll preface this with a caveat - most surnames are more common than you might think, so sharing a surname doesn't mean we're related. To be completely useful any surname list should have a geographic location and a time period. But this is just a fun little exercise and if you spot a name of interest, just let me know and we'll compare dates and locations.

G SURNAMES: Gerrits, Gingrich, Goodson, Grant, Greenlees, Gurnee

Join me - maybe we connect! Find previous surnames on Surnames A-Z

Surnames A-Z: I Names

There's a new meme going around Facebook right now. Genealogists are listing their mother's maiden name, father's surname, maternal and paternal grandparents' surnames and a few more generations back.

It's a cute idea but I don't think it's wise to be providing such detail, especially your mother's maiden name, as it is often the secret question asked on sites where you require a password to log in.

So I'm revising the meme to suit me and I hope others will follow suit, either here as a comment on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, or on their own blog.

Over the coming weeks I'll be listing my surnames starting with "A" and going through the alphabet until I reach "Z".

I'll preface this with a caveat - most surnames are more common than you might think, so sharing a surname doesn't mean we're related. To be completely useful any surname list should have a geographic location and a time period. But this is just a fun little exercise and if you spot a name of interest, just let me know and we'll compare dates and locations.

I SURNAMES:Iden

Join me - maybe we connect! Find previous surnames on Surnames A-Z

Surnames A-Z: H Names

There's a new meme going around Facebook right now. Genealogists are listing their mother's maiden name, father's surname, maternal and paternal grandparents' surnames and a few more generations back.

It's a cute idea but I don't think it's wise to be providing such detail, especially your mother's maiden name, as it is often the secret question asked on sites where you require a password to log in.

So I'm revising the meme to suit me and I hope others will follow suit, either here as a comment on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, or on their own blog.

Over the coming weeks I'll be listing my surnames starting with "A" and going through the alphabet until I reach "Z".

I'll preface this with a caveat - most surnames are more common than you might think, so sharing a surname doesn't mean we're related. To be completely useful any surname list should have a geographic location and a time period. But this is just a fun little exercise and if you spot a name of interest, just let me know and we'll compare dates and locations.

H SURNAMES: Haldi, Hansen, Harman, Harrison, Haull, Hellman, Hendricksdr., Herbert, Herschi, Hertel, Hervagault, Heuser, Higginson, Hinds, Hogben, Holden, Holford, Hommel, Hooper, Hougham, Howell, Hubbard, Hummel, Hunsicker, Hutchford

Join me - maybe we connect! Find previous surnames on Surnames A-Z

Surnames A-Z: L Names

There's a new meme going around Facebook right now. Genealogists are listing their mother's maiden name, father's surname, maternal and paternal grandparents' surnames and a few more generations back.

It's a cute idea but I don't think it's wise to be providing such detail, especially your mother's maiden name, as it is often the secret question asked on sites where you require a password to log in.

So I'm revising the meme to suit me and I hope others will follow suit, either here as a comment on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, or on their own blog.

Over the coming weeks I'll be listing my surnames starting with "A" and going through the alphabet until I reach "Z".

I'll preface this with a caveat - most surnames are more common than you might think, so sharing a surname doesn't mean we're related. To be completely useful any surname list should have a geographic location and a time period. But this is just a fun little exercise and if you spot a name of interest, just let me know and we'll compare dates and locations.

L SURNAMES: Lambshead, Laming, Larroway, Latcham, Lauw, Le Roy, Le Roy-dit-Audy, Limbrey, Linnen, Longe, Lucas, Ludewigs, Lydecker, Lymacher

Join me - maybe we connect! Find previous surnames on Surnames A-Z

Surnames A-Z: F Names

There's a new meme going around Facebook right now. Genealogists are listing their mother's maiden name, father's surname, maternal and paternal grandparents' surnames and a few more generations back.

It's a cute idea but I don't think it's wise to be providing such detail, especially your mother's maiden name, as it is often the secret question asked on sites where you require a password to log in.

So I'm revising the meme to suit me and I hope others will follow suit, either here as a comment on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, or on their own blog.

Over the coming weeks I'll be listing my surnames starting with "A" and going through the alphabet until I reach "Z".

I'll preface this with a caveat - most surnames are more common than you might think, so sharing a surname doesn't mean we're related. To be completely useful any surname list should have a geographic location and a time period. But this is just a fun little exercise and if you spot a name of interest, just let me know and we'll compare dates and locations.

F SURNAMES: Faierman, Flood, Fox, Frances, Freende, Friar, Fuller

Join me - maybe we connect! Find previous surnames on Surnames A-Z

Surnames A-Z: J Names

There's a new meme going around Facebook right now. Genealogists are listing their mother's maiden name, father's surname, maternal and paternal grandparents' surnames and a few more generations back.

It's a cute idea but I don't think it's wise to be providing such detail, especially your mother's maiden name, as it is often the secret question asked on sites where you require a password to log in.

So I'm revising the meme to suit me and I hope others will follow suit, either here as a comment on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, or on their own blog.

Over the coming weeks I'll be listing my surnames starting with "A" and going through the alphabet until I reach "Z".

I'll preface this with a caveat - most surnames are more common than you might think, so sharing a surname doesn't mean we're related. To be completely useful any surname list should have a geographic location and a time period. But this is just a fun little exercise and if you spot a name of interest, just let me know and we'll compare dates and locations.

J SURNAMES: Jackson, Jacobs, Jacquet, Jaeckel, Jamieson, Johnston

Join me - maybe we connect! Find previous surnames on Surnames A-Z

Surnames A-Z: K Names

There's a new meme going around Facebook right now. Genealogists are listing their mother's maiden name, father's surname, maternal and paternal grandparents' surnames and a few more generations back.

It's a cute idea but I don't think it's wise to be providing such detail, especially your mother's maiden name, as it is often the secret question asked on sites where you require a password to log in.

So I'm revising the meme to suit me and I hope others will follow suit, either here as a comment on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, or on their own blog.

Over the coming weeks I'll be listing my surnames starting with "A" and going through the alphabet until I reach "Z".

I'll preface this with a caveat - most surnames are more common than you might think, so sharing a surname doesn't mean we're related. To be completely useful any surname list should have a geographic location and a time period. But this is just a fun little exercise and if you spot a name of interest, just let me know and we'll compare dates and locations.

K SURNAMES: Kehl, Kell, Kennard, Kennett, Kerstantsz, King, Koberger, Kuhn

Join me - maybe we connect! Find previous surnames on Surnames A-Z

Surnames A-Z: D Names

There's a new meme going around Facebook right now. Genealogists are listing their mother's maiden name, father's surname, maternal and paternal grandparents' surnames and a few more generations back.

It's a cute idea but I don't think it's wise to be providing such detail, especially your mother's maiden name, as it is often the secret question asked on sites where you require a password to log in.

So I'm revising the meme to suit me and I hope others will follow suit, either here as a comment on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, or on their own blog.

Over the coming weeks I'll be listing my surnames starting with "A" and going through the alphabet until I reach "Z".

I'll preface this with a caveat - most surnames are more common than you might think, so sharing a surname doesn't mean we're related. To be completely useful any surname list should have a geographic location and a time period. But this is just a fun little exercise and if you spot a name of interest, just let me know and we'll compare dates and locations.

D SURNAMES: Damen, Dawson, De Grauw, De Groot, De Roche, De Ruine, de Toine, Deane, Deckmann, Demarest, Des Chalets, Dewes, Doust, Down, Downey, Drury, Duty

Join me - maybe we connect! Find previous surnames on Surnames A-Z

Surnames A-Z: E Names

There's a new meme going around Facebook right now. Genealogists are listing their mother's maiden name, father's surname, maternal and paternal grandparents' surnames and a few more generations back.

It's a cute idea but I don't think it's wise to be providing such detail, especially your mother's maiden name, as it is often the secret question asked on sites where you require a password to log in.

So I'm revising the meme to suit me and I hope others will follow suit, either here as a comment on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, or on their own blog.

Over the coming weeks I'll be listing my surnames starting with "A" and going through the alphabet until I reach "Z".

I'll preface this with a caveat - most surnames are more common than you might think, so sharing a surname doesn't mean we're related. To be completely useful any surname list should have a geographic location and a time period. But this is just a fun little exercise and if you spot a name of interest, just let me know and we'll compare dates and locations.

E SURNAMES: Earl, Ecker, Ellington, Elvery

Join me - maybe we connect! Find previous surnames on Surnames A-Z

Surnames A-Z: B Names

There's a new meme going around Facebook right now. Genealogists are listing their mother's maiden name, father's surname, maternal and paternal grandparents' surnames and a few more generations back.

It's a cute idea but I don't think it's wise to be providing such detail, especially your mother's maiden name, as it is often the secret question asked on sites where you require a password to log in.

So I'm revising the meme to suit me and I hope others will follow suit, either here as a comment on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, or on their own blog.

Over the coming weeks I'll be listing my surnames starting with "A" and going through the alphabet until I reach "Z".

I'll preface this with a caveat - most surnames are more common than you might think, so sharing a surname doesn't mean we're related. To be completely useful any surname list should have a geographic location and a time period. But this is just a fun little exercise and if you spot a name of interest, just let me know and we'll compare dates and locations.

B SURNAMES: Badcock, Baertie, Baker, Barentsdr. Baylie, Beery/Bieri, Bell, Bellinger, Bellingham, Best, Bex, Blanden, Boertgen, Boughton, Bradt, Brooke, Brown, Browning, Bruchhausen, Brunger, Burgh, Burkholder, Burrey,Buss

Join me - maybe we connect! Find previous surnames on Surnames A-Z

Surnames A-Z: C Names

There's a new meme going around Facebook right now. Genealogists are listing their mother's maiden name, father's surname, maternal and paternal grandparents' surnames and a few more generations back.

It's a cute idea but I don't think it's wise to be providing such detail, especially your mother's maiden name, as it is often the secret question asked on sites where you require a password to log in.

So I'm revising the meme to suit me and I hope others will follow suit, either here as a comment on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, or on their own blog.

Over the coming weeks I'll be listing my surnames starting with "A" and going through the alphabet until I reach "Z".

I'll preface this with a caveat - most surnames are more common than you might think, so sharing a surname doesn't mean we're related. To be completely useful any surname list should have a geographic location and a time period. But this is just a fun little exercise and if you spot a name of interest, just let me know and we'll compare dates and locations.

C SURNAMES: Caplin, Carr, Casier, Caspall, Chevallereau, Clark, Clauss, Clement, Clopper, Coburger, Cockling, Coerte, Cole, Concklin, Cooke, Coppin, Covell, Creest, Cresson, Crunden, Cullmer, Curling

Join me - maybe we connect! Find previous surnames on Surnames A-Z

Hundreds of Irish Famine Graves Discovered in Massachusetts

A Rhode Island woman researching her husband's Irish ancestors found approximately 600-900 gravestones marking the second resting place of bodies previously disinterred from the Irish Catholic Cemetery in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Discovering that her husband's ancestor was no longer buried in the Catholic Cemetery but had been moved, along with hundreds of others, to a new location, she set out to pay a visit. To her surprise only 4 headstones were seen in that new location. She knew from her research that the stones had been laid flat on top of the coffins when the bodies were moved, so she began scraping away dirt and grass. And there she found the stones, hidden under dirt and grass since 1947.

Along with Archie Bennett, Waltham historic preservationist; Sheila Fitzpatrick of the Waltham Historical Society; and The Irish Ancestral Research Association, they decided to begin a restoration project to uncover all the stones.

Continue reading Irish Central's story Rhode Island woman's quest uncovers hundreds of Irish Famine graves