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How do You Determine the Associates of Your Ancestor?

28 Dec By

On the recent Salt Lake Christmas Tour, I had the chance to consult a few times with a very knowledgeable woman trying to identify her ancestor’s associates in Augusta County, Virginia prior to 1790. This was no small task. She needed this original cluster of people so she could see who was from Ulster and if her ancestor may have known them there. However, she needed to first move the pack from Augusta County back into some unknown county in Pennsylvania. Remember, this is frontier and very dangerous. Families did not travel alone.

It was in Pennsylvania, she was most likely to identify the original group from Ulster. So we put our heads together and began brainstorming what we could use to reconstruct her ancestor’s neighborhood and associates from Virginia to Pennsylvania.

We came up with land records. Whose land did her ancestor’s land adjoin in Augusta County? That is accomplished by studying the county deeds. Court cases were discovered. With whom was her ancestor involved in court cases? That could help. Then I looked at the published tax lists and realized that the years we needed were divided by district. This in effect divided the county by geographic areas, preserving the theoretical “neighborhood” in which her ancestor lived.

Our solution for her continued efforts was to see where her surname was found in Pennsylvania in the land grant and published tax lists. Then those lists were compared with the residents being taxed in her ancestor’s Augusta County, Virginia tax district. During that time period, was there a common pattern of people coming into Augusta County, Virginia from a particular county in Pennsylvania? That would solve the Virginia to Pennsylvania part of the research.

Once the Pennsylvania county was identified, then she would have townships in which to work. That would automatically help identify her ancestors “neighborhood” and theoretical associates from Ulster geographically within the county. Then she would start the entire process over again. However, this time looking for the original cluster of families who arrived from Ulster along with her ancestor. To identify where some of the group came from would in effect identify from where her ancestor hailed. That’s a good day in frontier American research!

If you would like help with your genealogy please call 385-214-0925.

 

 

When to Jump Over the Water in Your Research

21 Dec By

I just finished consulting with the participants of the wonderful Salt Lake Christmas Tour that comes every year to the Family History Library. It’s been a wonderful experience for more than 20 years.

This year, from teaching classes and consulting non-stop all week, I found myself giving the same advice: “Don’t be so quick to jump over the water in your research.” This principle applies to Catholic and Protestant immigrant research. By way of illustration, I will focus on an early Scots-Irish example.

If tracing a family from Ohio back to Ulster, one must realize that there were possibly stops along the way. The people in the 1700s and early 1800s were on the frontier and traveled in clusters or packs, as I like to call them. It was dangerous times, and families did not travel alone. To eventually find a place of origin in Ulster, research needs to consider the entire pack. To find out where one in the pack was from would be to discover where your ancestor originated. This is great if groups of Ulster Scots families traveled together; however, the stops along the way must be considered.

The theoretical Ohio family in 1810 may have been in East Tennessee by 1800, North Carolina by 1780 and only then back to Ulster sometime in the 1760s. In this case, the original Ulster pack of associates breaks down along the way. If you do not know where in East Tennessee, then trace the frontier group (the pack) from Ohio back to East Tennessee first. Then identify that same or somewhat different group of people, including your ancestor, back from East Tennessee to North Carolina. If that is where the original group settled from Ulster, then it is in North Carolina where you begin to reconstruct the original Ulster pack of immigrants.

If you do not already have a place in Ulster already, then you need to refrain from trying to jumping from Ohio directly back to Ulster. Customarily, the straight jump over the water approach will not work. Identifying the original group of immigrants in North Carolina, and then tracing them back to Ulster is typically how it works.

If you would like help with your genealogy please call 385-214-0925.

 

What Can You Expect from Professional Research?

13 Nov By

Perhaps the main question asked about professional research is the cost and what can be expected. It is important to understand when you hire a professional, you are purchasing time and expertise – not results! Genealogy is knowledge based. You are seeking an answer to some question, so the results are intangible. There are no guarantees, unless the line has already been researched and the information is available. Otherwise, the answer to your question only avails itself if records exist, ancestors appear in those records, and the researcher is skilled in their craft. There is no crystal ball in this profession, only hard work.

How much does it cost to hire a professional genealogist? There is no uniform pay scale and professional rates vary from around $25 to $100+ per hour. What a professional charges does not necessarily translate into the skill level of that researcher.

All genealogist typically work in blocks of time; usually, 10, 20, 30, 40, etc. With difficult cases, I tell prospective clients to consider 20 or 30 hours at a time. That way, both the client, and the researcher are protected. If more time is needed, that can be discussed once the initial time is exhausted and everybody knows what he or she are up against.

A genealogist should provide you with some type of a calendar of sources consulted and whether the results were positive or negative. A footnoted research report is standard. The calendar and report provides you with proof as to how your funds were utilized. This also allows the researcher to pick up efforts again if you as the client decide to reorder.

It is also standard for the genealogist to provide you with copies of pertinent documents. These are usually linked into the footnoted report by way of a document or reference number.

Genealogy can be a very intimate experience and you want to make sure you form a business relationship with someone you trust. As long as the researcher informs you what to expect, then you as the client will not have unrealistic expectations. For example, if the Irish Catholic parish register you need only begins in the 1820s, then don’t expect the lineage to be extended back into the Middle Ages. Not going to happen! As long as you, as the consumer, know what to expect, then there should be no surprises.

If you would like help with your genealogy please call 385-214-0925.

How Do You Find a Qualified Professional Genealogist?

5 Nov By

As a professional genealogist, I have to hire other professionals in the field. So the advice I’m giving you is from personal experience. How do I find researchers with whom I can trust?

I find that if a library refers a list of researchers to me, I then do some research of my own. I look at the researcher’s website, credentials if applicable, and areas in which they feel comfortable working. I send e-mails with my initial inquiry and then I judge how the genealogist responds to me.

A professional may come back and decide not to take on your case. That is to be respected if it is outside their area of comfort. However, in your initial letter of inquiry, always mention that if they were unable to take on the case would they recommend someone.

If a professional tells me what realistically can and cannot be done, I am most appreciative. If the researcher shares with me local sources that I was unaware of; then I am practically sold. If they assure me they will not duplicate my research already done, then I’m ready to write the check out.

There are organizations, which will certify genealogists. Among them are the Board for Certification of Genealogists and The International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists . As stated above, archives and local genealogy societies typically have lists of researchers, even if they are not allowed to recommend anyone specific. These can all be excellent resources.

It is important to remember, just because a researcher has received credentials through a reputable organization, like the ones mentioned above, this does not guarantee that person has a regular caseload of clients or the experience to do your research. These types of organizations do not provide work, only credentials to those who pass their rigorous tests. The amount of work a professional actually does, hone their skills and provide them with valuable experience.

Sometimes, I find “word of mouth” is the best way to find a trustworthy genealogist. If I need something in England, for example, I ask other professionals who they use working out of a particular record office. That method has worked well for me. I don’t have to worry about the qualifications of that researcher as they have already been tried and tested on another colleague of mine.

If I cannot find a trusted researcher by “word of mouth” then I’m left with the list of researchers furnished by an archive, library or genealogy society. Still not a bad option as I would doubt respectable libraries and archives would want people on their list who are less than professional.

If you would like help with your genealogy please call 385-214-0925.

 

Who Joined New Religions?

21 Aug By

Who Joined New Religions?

Sometimes we forget that every newly created church or religion had to start somewhere, at some time, with some group of people. It is the group of people I would like to explore to demonstrate some genealogy principles. I want to detail who the early memberships were for some historically important movements.

Throughout history, new religious movements rise to reform, revitalize, or even replace older ones. Putting dissatisfied people in the right place at the right time, under the right social conditions and entirely new movements are created.

Below you will find a very short discussion of some key movements. From a genealogy perspective, knowing what kind of people merged into a new movement, clues you into what records you should be exploring to uncover more about these earliest converts.

Adventists: The Millerites would spread from the last revival fires in Upstate New York. Millerites would separate from local Baptist, Christian Connexion, Congregational, Methodist and other denominations in 1843/44 in expectation of Christ’s Second Coming. After the “Great Disappointment” of 1844, the post-Millerite Adventists would separate into Sunday and Sabbath keeping denominations. The emerging Seventh-day Adventist Church, organized in 1863, would attract many post-Millerite Adventists who had already transitioned, and stabilized, with the Shakers and Spiritualism.

Disciples or Christians: Although rooted in the Cane Creek, Kentucky Great Revival of 1801, the Disciples and Christians of the movement would unite as one force in 1832. Scholars refer to them as the Stone-Campbell Movement. Their message of restoring the ancient church as described in the pages of the New Testament found fertile ground on the American Frontier of the Mid-West and South. It drew from all Protestant denominations, especially the Baptists. In the 1830s, a good percentage of the Baptist congregations in Kentucky and many in Tennessee would switch over to become a congregation known as the Disciples of Christ, Christian Church or Church of Christ. The name was more of a description than a church name.

Latter Day Saints: Founded in 1830 in Upstate New York, the early membership was drawn from seekers caught up in the last revival fires of the Second Great Awakening. Early Mormon membership would attract former Baptists, Universalists, Unitarians, Methodists, Quakers, Presbyterian and Congregationalists. They would also attract those involved in frontier folk-religion and folk-magic from the period. Although there were Mormon missions in Ireland since 1840, most Irish converts would join in Scotland and England, where they had already immigrated. They were of Protestant background.

Methodists: The Methodist would officially emerge out of the Church of England in 1795 and Church of Ireland in 1817. They had been functioning as study groups. In Ireland, some study groups had also been functioning within the Presbyterian Church. The first independent Irish Methodist congregations were in North America.

Plymouth Brethren: More appropriately called the Christian Brethren, Gospel Hall Brethren or just Christians, this Irish-born movement, provided a systematic approach to doctrines which are now associated with fundamentalist Protestantism. Their earliest membership, from the 1830s would draw from the Church of Ireland. They would later draw from conservative Protestants of all denominations, especially in Ulster.

Society of Friends: Drawing its early membership from the Church of England, Quakerism would spread to Ireland by the 1650s. There, English settlers would convert to the new radical faith. While strongly English, the Irish Quaker records do have many Gaelic and Scottish names on the membership rolls. The Quakers have a long history of immigration to North America.

Spiritualists: Officially recognized as a new religion in 1848, this new Upstate New York faith would draw from the reform minded people. In this aspect, they were similar to the early Millerites. This would include New England Transcendentalists, Congregationalist, Universalists, Shakers, post-Millerite Adventists, dissident Quakers, Suffrage and Abolitionist, and later reform-minded Utah Mormons.

If you would like help with your genealogy please call 385-214-0925.

Always Check FamilySearch

6 Aug By

I read a blog recently that was discussing some old records at an archive, which were being restored so researchers can continue to use them. I was puzzled. Then I read the responses to the blog from subscribers stating how wonderful it would be to have these records available. Some stated the records might help them solve difficult research problems. I was puzzled again.

I was Puzzled

Why was I puzzled? The reason was these records have been on microfilm at the Family History Library, in Salt Lake City, since 1976! Always, consult the FamilySearch Catalog to see if the records you want are there. Often blogs touting a new index or records are now available, have missed the fact that these documents have been accessible for decades.

Perhaps the reason for this is many people do not use or even know about FamilySearch. As a non-profit, it is not commercially advertised nor in the public’s awareness. Yet, it is the second largest online genealogy collection. The Family History Library, as a research center, remains the world’s largest genealogy repository of books, periodicals, microfilm, microfiche and digitized images.

Always Question Blogs

If you ever have a question as to whether something is available, look at the FamilySearch Catalog. You can consult the various record keeping jurisdictions for a locality such as country, state/province, county, town and parish level. If you still don’t find what you are searching for use the Keyword Search or Title Search. This library’s collections are so vast, that often maneuvering through the FamilySearch Catalog becomes part of the research process itself.

So next time something is posted as being new and wonderful, second guess it and go straight to FamilySearch. You may find that the blog could be incorrect, but you have just been handed information about a record source that is already available to you.

If you would like help with your genealogy please call 385-214-0925.

The Syndicated Newspaper Article

19 Jun By

We are blessed to live in a time when newspapers are being scanned and, within reason, indexed. Although sometimes the indexing capacity is not as accurate or clear-cut as we would like, we still have to keep in mind the way we did research a decade ago!

I was working on a case where a murder was involved. This was in the late nineteenth century. It was a pretty bad one where the husband kills his wife and then disappears. When caught, he was tried and convicted. In my mind, that entire process from murder to conviction, spoke of a news worthy drama which would certainly make the local newspaper.

Consulting Historic Newspaper Websites

To say the least, I was disappointed when I discovered the newspaper I needed was not yet added to the collections on GenealogyBank or NewspaperArchive. However, I reasoned, there was potentially enough drama involved perhaps it was syndicated to other newspapers around the country.

I was exactly right. So taking those two main newspaper websites, I began plugging in familiar names and places as keywords in the search engines for the websites. Bingo! I found references to the murder, the manhunt and the eventual trail and conviction. It was syndicated in many newspapers around the country. Some of the states did not even border the one where the crime was committed.

Filling in the Gaps Through Syndicated Articles

Now with all the newspaper facts at my fingertips, I could begin to fill in and clarify the family lore. The information also opened up a broad range of sources. Did anybody hear me say “prison records?” Yes, one source leading to another.

Although I did not have access online to the newspaper I actually wanted; I was able to successfully substitute it with syndicated articles from other newspapers around the country. That makes for a good day in family history research!

If you would like help with your genealogy please call 385-214-0925.

Unveiling the Secret Society

13 Jun By

Sometimes we give up looking for records especially if they are not easily accessible on the computer. Below I will present how understanding the context of an organization can lead to all kinds of amazing finds. Once the context is understood then the records seems to fall into place. The example chosen is the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (HOGD), which included some very powerful and influential Irish members.

In the late nineteenth century, the HOGD arose as the most influential Western Occult organization in Great Britain. During this period, it was common for people to explore mysticism and occultism through various lodge-type organizations. Occult during this period simply meant hidden as opposed to apocalypse which meant revealed. The modern popular usage of “occult” as satanic or evil was not how members of these organizations understood their activities. They were simply seeking secret (hidden) knowledge.

The Context of the HOGD

Founded in 1888, the HOGD emerged out of the late nineteenth century occult revival. They were a secretive society. Their influence can still be felt under the surface of any number of New Age, and metaphysical groups.

Some of the more notable Irish members include Sarah Allgood (1879-1950), Irish stage actress and later film actress in America; Maud Gonne (1866-1853), revolutionary and actress; Bram Stoker (1847-1912), author of Dracula; John Todhunter (1839-1916), Irish poet and playwright; and W.B. Yeates (1865-1939), Irish poet and writer. Another, of Irish descent, was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), author of Sherlock Holmes, doctor, scientist and Spiritualist.

To understand the philosophies rooted in the old HOGD would be to indirectly understand more about your ancestors.

The HOGD as a Secret Society

HOGD was founded by three men who were Freemasons and members of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia. They created the Golden Dawn system. This magical lodge had initiations. Women were admitted as equals with men. Its foundation document was the Cipher Manuscripts which outlined the rituals and teachings merging Hermetic Qabalah, astrology, occult tarot, geomancy and alchemy. Members would progress through orders based upon the teachings they had completed.

The founders claimed to be in contact with the Secret Chiefs, who formed a cosmic spiritual hierarchy and oversaw the affairs of humanity. Thoughts about whether these Secret Chiefs were human, supernatural personages or simply symbolic representations seems to have varied among the membership.

Lodges were established in England, Scotland, France and the United States. Its high point was the mid-1890s when the HOGD was well established in Great Britain, drawing several hundred members from all classes in Victorian society. However, by the end of 1899, dissatisfaction with leadership arose, and in 1901 the original Isis-Urania Temple in London, founded in 1888, withdrew and became independent. Others would follow and splinter groups would be formed with the original HOGD imploding. No temples from the original chartered lineage survived past the 1970s. Several organizations have since revived the Golden Dawn teachings and rituals.

Early Membership

Because the HOGD attracted such influential people; researchers and historians have been fascinated with the organization. This is where academics have done the foundational research for the genealogist. There is no shortage of articles online or published about the HOGD, all of which will mention names.

Sally Davis is compiling biographies on the members of the HOGD. She draws from and expands on R.A. Gilbert’s The Golden Dawn Companion (Northampton: The Aquarian Press, 1986).

Gilbert lists members in the original HOGD or its many daughter Orders between 1888 and 1914. His HOGD membership list is taken from the administrative records and its Members’ Rolls. Basically it is a large parchment on which all new members signed their names when they were initiated. This information is now in the Freemasons’ Library at the United Grand Lodge of England. Records were kept by this secretive society and they are deposited in a major London repository. Davis’ additions tap into many records used by the average genealogist.

Conclusions about Secret Society Research

The HOGD seems to have been founded in the right place and at the right time. It collected the currents of late nineteenth century Victorian society. HOGD, academics and researchers have completed the legwork for the genealogist. The family historian, with a context for what the organization was all about, will be able to intelligently finish biographical sketches. Being able to document the HOGD early membership proves it wasn’t so secretive after all!

If you would like help with your genealogy please call 385-214-0925.

 

 

 

The Blended Family

26 May By

When studying a family unit in the census, it can be easy to miss a “blended family.” A blended family denotes his children, her children and, possibly, their children. Blended families can be obscure if civil or church marriages are incomplete,destroyed or non-existent in an area. They also may be uncertain when death records and tombstones are absent. Here are some tried and tested clues to consider:

  •  Among the Irish, a man could marry three times and all of his wives may be named Mary. Noting the ages of the various Marys or gaps in the children’s ages can provide more evidence.
  • Gaps in the ages of the children are a giveaway. However, historically there was a high rate of infant mortality, this can also explain gaps with no blended families involved.
  • Common-law marriages can conceal the presence of a blended marriage. This occurred with some regularity in bygone times. When it is not obvious, how do you know if you are looking at a blended family when the paper trail makes it look otherwise? Which children belong to whom?
  •  In the case of children from blended families, with what surname do you see them listed in the census schedules? They may all be under the stepfather’s surname, making it look like they are his biological children. If the father dies and the stepmother remarries, then his children may be under the name of her new husband. Be careful and never assume anything.
  •  If two children in the same family have the same first name, (ex. two Thomases or two Catherines) but a few years apart in age, this may be a clue to a blended family. One of the Thomas children may be a stepson.

While these principles may appear as common sense, it’s important to remember blended families can be complex. This is especially true when civil or church marriages are not evident. Happy hunting!

If you would like help with your genealogy please call 385-214-0925.

 

 

 

 

Genealogy in Black and White

17 Feb By

In researching a mixed-race nineteenth century family in Barbados, my goal was to trace the Afro-Caribbean and European lines. My difficulty was in determining the race of the people in the Anglican (Church of England) parish registers.

The church registers are indexed and scanned. Using the online indexes exclusively actually confused my understanding of the records. After reviewing the Anglican parish registers page-by-page and doing some historical research, I developed a context of the society and its records.

The Historical Context

The slaves were freed in Barbados in 1834. The Anglican registers did not list race. A transitional apprenticeship program for a few years was introduced at that time. In 1838 it became illegal to discriminate against people of color.

The Complexities of the Records

From 1834, many adults, who had been slaves, were baptized into this particular parish. No parents were listed. Prior to 1834 there were special Slave Registers of parish members. My assumption would be the main register was reserved for all free persons, white or black.

From 1834 former slaves were having children baptized. Surnames of these children, if there were any, were not mentioned. Afro-Caribbeans families had to be traced by first name only. These were recorded on the same pages as people with first and last names. My assumption was if there was no last name then they were former slaves. If surnames were given, then the family could be white or black. I further narrowed this by assuming those who signed with an “X” were either poor illiterate blacks or whites. That helped separate families further by economics. If they signed, then I assumed they were more educated whites.

After emancipation, the number of mothers having children christened with no fathers listed was staggering. Were these illegitimate births without surnames? My conclusion was not necessarily. I noticed that around 1842, most families listed last names and the name of the father was recorded. Perhaps the Anglican priest did not consider the father’s name or surname important. Perhaps he simply didn’t care. Possibly by around 1842 the priest was conforming to the new anti-discrimination law (1838).

Lessons Learned

The lesson learned was, had I relied only on the index to the parish registers I would have missed a great deal of important information. I would have confused the white, poor white, free person of color, emancipated slave and those without surnames from at least 1834 to about 1842. My conclusion was that there was a several year process that merged the Afro-Caribbean membership and the white membership into one parish. The process was so complex, that an accurate online index could not do the subject justice.

If you are seeking professional assistance with your genealogical research you may call us at 385-214-0925.

 

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