PollyBlog

Caps for Sale - the State of My Life

2012-01-23T18:00:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of http://books.google.com

Someone on my Facebook page asked how many hats I currently wear. Quite a few, as it turns out. Here on my blog I write about things readers might find interesting. To me, my own activities don't fall into that category, but I've had a few people chastise me about that, so here it is.

There is a lot of negative buzz in the genealogical community lately about people overselling themselves, and I certainly don't want to come across that way because in reality I don't think anything I'm doing is all that spectacular. I myself am happy with it, but I'm not out to impress anyone. Then again, it seems kind of dumb that you can read my blog and have no idea what I'm doing. I always say that if you carry modesty too far it becomes an egotistical thing. A person who purposefully does not share anything about him/herself can seem closed-off, and for what purpose?

Courtesy of http://www.networkoffood.com/pies

So, yes, I've got my finger in countless pies these days. It goes in cycles. I take on lots of projects, work really hard for two-three years, nearly burn out, then take a year off to recover. Right now I'm in a heavy work phase and will be for another two years. I have already decided that from then on I will only accept one major volunteer position at a time. Remind me at the end of 2013 somebody!

Love
Being a wife and mother is my favorite thing in the whole world. With two kids in college and one in high school the responsibilities have eased up over the years, but I always put family first.* Home is where I relax, feel centered and can gaze lovingly at my sons and husband when not yelling at them about socks in the middle of the room or toilet seats in the wrong position. My boys are what sustain me. And my friends brighten my days and I am blessed to have so many that I love.

Courtesy www.dtic.mil/dpmo

Job
I work for the American History Company, under contract with the US Army, and have posted about this before. This takes up the bulk of my working time. It is extremely rewarding and my co-workers are the best! I wake up in the morning and start thinking about the cases I'm working on and next thing you know I'm at the computer. Whoosh! Not bad for someone who has trouble getting started in the morning. I also take on various genealogical research projects, most of which are Massachusetts immigration/emigration jobs.

Volunteering
It may be voluntary for some people, but I feel obliged to give back to a very generous and nurturing genealogical community that welcomed me when I was a n00Bish genealogist. I count myself among the most fortunate people on the planet, having a big warm house, the aforementioned well beloved family, a job I adore, fuzzy cat, dear friends, and several ongoing knitting projects beckoning. Most people on this earth don't know where their next meal is coming from. I never forget about those people. Millions of them, all over the place, suffering in ways I can't even imagine. Is it guilt that makes me volunteer then? Or is it a way to return some of my good fortune to the universe? I don't know. I just know I feel compelled to give my time in some way that benefits others.

That's how I got talked into accepting the position of president of the Massachusetts Genealogical Society (MGC). I have a most spectacular executive board who greatly assist me in the work MGC is trying accomplish--educating the public about legislation that threatens to limit the access to public records. We put on an annual genealogy seminar each year and this year promises to be the best yet.

I've also been working for the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) for a year or so, and as of January 1st joined the FGS Board of Directors. Being on the board means added responsibilities, so I'm also the head of the Nominating Committee, on the Conference Planning Committee and editor of the FGS Voice Newsletter. I just published the first issue in the new format yesterday and am hoping subsequent issues won't have so many, umm, issues, as this first one did.

Lest I not neglect the New England Chapter of APG, I should mention that I am currently in charge of publicity for them. I should not be doing this, don't do it well, and am looking for someone else to take it over. Anyone?

Speaking Engagements
I reluctantly accept offers to speak, and have done so a few times in the past few months. I've been a guest on GeneaBloggers Radio on Veteran's Day talking about my military research, and on FGS Radio-MySociety on January 7th, about transitioning new boards with grace and aplomb. I hate listening to myself since it appears that the only word I've ever fully mastered was "ahhh," but I also like to push myself to do things that make me feel uncomfortable, and that definitely qualifies. I also gave what might have been a fine PowerPoint presentation to the Shrewsbury Women's Club, but the projector experienced technical difficulties, so I ended up just talking and gesticulating grandly for a very bored audience! Remind me to tell you about the lady who was stalked by a genealogist that wanted to harvest one of her kidneys.

Publications
I've had a couple of articles printed about me: one in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette and the other in the APG Quarterly, but as for publishing something myself, I still haven't managed it. I've got a little piece I'm going to submit to the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists 2012 Writing Competition that I hope will get published, even if it doesn't win. Some day I'm hoping to actually write up my own family instead of only shoving things into folders and updating the genealogy database. Well, there is this blog, of course. I guess that counts as a publication.

Transferware Collectors Club Seminar
Baltimore, MD, October 2011

Fun Things
Lest I give the impression that I never have fun, I should mention that I belong to a very good community chorus. I also adore knitting, being particularly excited about the colors and textures of the yarn, not so much about the finished garment. I try to do things that are good for me, so I have an appointment to walk with a friend every Mon-Weds/Fri, and go to the gym on Tues/Thurs/Sat. I enjoy kayaking immensely. And so I can play dress-up without bankrupting the household I also sell Mary Kay products. I play word games on my iPhone, do crossword puzzles, love to travel, and am intending to create scrapbooks for all three sons one fine day (before they have kids of their own). I also collect blue and white Staffordshire pottery and go to a yearly Transferware Collectors Club conference with my dear sister. Part or all of the family goes on an annual week-long camping trip in New Hampshire where we meet up with old friends and enjoy the simple life. I love to take family vacations in exotic locations. See? I have fun!

Things I Don't Do Anymore

Re-Dedication of the Col. Timothy Bigelow Monument
Worcester Common, Massachusetts, May, 2008

I did not renew my commission as a Notary Public. I no longer walk 30 miles a week. I won't train for an Avon Walk for Breast Cancer again because it ruined my feet. I don't sew any more. I have a hard time reading non-genealogical books because my time is stretched too thin. I don't have many dinner parties. I haven't cross-country skied in two years. I've given up on home decorating until the last son is out of the house. In fact, the housework, in general, has slid a bit. I haven't done a thing with the DAR since my "reign" as regent of the Worcester chapter ended. I don't sing in the church choir, nor do I make it to church very often. I'm no longer the Church Historian or on the Church Council. I am no longer on any school councils or committees. I do not currently volunteer for APG. My garden is sadly neglected, to our neighbors' chagrin.

Priorities
When you have this much on your plate, you have to constantly try and trim it down. You end up drilling down to the essence of everything you do. If you aren't careful it can be to the detriment of relationships and productivity. You notice the first subheading I listed was Love. You could take all of the other subheadings combined and they wouldn't equal that one. Love is the meaning of life. If anything were to threaten that, I would readily eliminate something else to compensate. I'm so lucky to also love my work, and those that I work with. I'm one lucky lady, that's for sure.

Feedback
Do you think this post is boastful, arrogant or publicity-based? Does it seem self-serving? I'm curious what people think about this one because it is different from my others. Let me know your thoughts!

* Except the time I went cross-country skiing with Jude and left 12-year old Nathan at home sleeping feverishly. God forgive me!

With my boys at the top of Mt. Washington, during a camping trip in 2003.

Open-Mindedness and Compromise Not Dirty Words

2012-01-16T13:07:00.000-05:00

Author's children, learning to compromise.

Play Nice!
It's not just true in politics: you see it everywhere you turn. It's a cultural thing. It even rears its ugly head in the genealogy world. It is not fashionable to be tolerant and patient. Somehow people have decided that they must not listen to anyone with a different view, and in fact, must condemn them. Is it for fear of weakening their own opinions? If so, it means that their view is founded on emotion, not facts. I've got nothing against emotion. But first I want to make sure that what I'm getting whooped up about is actually true. Only then can I truly express indignation. Nothing burns me up more than watching someone rant about something that is true only in the ranter's own mind. What a waste of energy. I think fear causes most of this, and fear can be alleviated through gathering more information about an issue.

Some people think they are being objective because they do seek others' opinions. They talk to people (their friends), watch the news (on one channel) or check things out on the web, usually starting with a Google search. It was recently reported in the news that Google searches don't return purely objective results. Google is learning about you by how you act online, what sites you visit, what you search for. So Google brings you what IT thinks you would like to see. This makes it tougher to seek out other points of view. Just as I get my news from multiple sources, including but not limited to various media outlets, so would I like to have a completely unbiased-in-my favor search result. I'm looking for truth, not stroking of my ego. Add to that the fact that Google has their own reasons for skewing the results, based on advertising dollars, and you have a cloudy vision of reality.

So what, you may rightly ask, does this have to do with genealogy? Open-mindedness and compromise are what lead us to continue learning even when we think we know it all, as many seem to these days. In particular, I'm thinking of genealogical societies. There is a crisis in genealogical circles today: a massive clash of the old and new style genealogist. Two vastly different demographic groups are intersecting after years of remaining isolated from one other, and creating what appears to be a rift.

We Can Fix This!
Many societies were founded in the 1980s, before computers, before the internet, when genealogy was unknown to most people. They were a great place to gather with like-minded souls, laugh about loving cemeteries and go on research trips together. The pace of research, and life in general, was exponentially slower. Most societies' members were limited to those able to travel to a convenient meeting place and who had local genealogical interests in common. Sharing surnames was a great ice-breaker and many people learned a lot from their peers. The members considered themselves experienced, well-rounded genealogists.

Once the internet catapulted many of us into warp speed, we found the web to be an increasingly fruitful way to research, organize and communicate with other genealogists. Many, many newer genealogists have never belonged to a genealogical society though, because the drive to network is not as strong nowadays, not at first. Online communities provide so much support that it takes a while for people to realize that there is nothing like live interaction to deepen the connection with others, enhance learning and create friendships with like-minded people. When developing genealogists reach this point in their experience it is natural to refer them to local societies.

No need to resort to fighting.

Lots of genealogical societies are still being run by the folks who founded them. It is a noble and healthy ideal to want to preserve tradition, and any institution is naturally resistant to massive change. But what has transpired with the introduction of the web is that every aspect of daily life has changed radically for the vast majority of the population. If societies do not start finding a way to welcome both younger and newer (not always the same) genealogists, they will simply fade out and finally fold once the older generation passes on.

The open-mindedness needs to go both ways, however. We repeatedly see the techno-genealogists join a society and their first instinct is naturally to help (whip) them into the 21st century. Because they have no need for it themselves, newer members might want to eliminate costly hard copy traditions and slower ways of the well ensconced members. This is generally met with a planted-foot stance and reluctance, if not absolute refusal to cooperate. This is because the two groups have not previously co-existed. So patience on all sides is warranted! There is, after all, a shared goal which can be explored and developed.

What will happen to these two groups? I find myself smack dab in between and I can see that both sides need tolerance and patience for a few years. Do societies want to continue to survive? If so, they must find a way to welcome these changes without fear of losing the society's identity. The experienced leaders need to nurture and pass the baton to the newer ones. Fresh blood enriches any organization, pumping it with new ideas that create enthusiasm and pride in new accomplishments. They need to happily embrace technology and view it not as a threat, but as an enhancement to everything they have done and are doing. On the other hand, newer members need to understand that not everything can be accomplished electronically. The must listen between the lines and realize that some members are completely threatened by technology for a variety of reasons. They fear that the internet and computers will completely replace telephone calls and letters and paper newsletters, as sometimes they do. Surely there is a way to reassure them that they will still be valued members.

I would like to suggest that deliberate thought be given to connecting these two groups and all societies implement a bridging mechanism.

Hold on to the Past While Reaching into the Future

Cars can use covered bridges, too.

Designate a member to communicate by mail or phone with those who are not tech savvy. Yes, it is a major disruption to the way we conduct business in the 21st century. It interrupts the flow of communication and slows everything to a snail's pace. But generally those not on the computer simply want to be kept in the loop, and it is in the society's best interest to do so, given that they hold within them the institutional memory and have a perspective that we do not.

We can also work with those non-techie genealogists to introduce them to aspects of the web that could help them. Perhaps they do not have a computer. This could be due to financial constraints. Or it could be disinterest or even disdain. Then again, may it is just because they don't know where to start. There are computers in libraries where we can access Ancestry.com and other databases, even set up email accounts. We can have a ten-minute mini-lesson by laptop at the beginning of every meeting, where we offer explanations of jargon, perhaps something like, "What Exactly is a Blog, for Goodness' Sake," or introduce a new website. A little demonstration of how to send email to more than one person, or include an attachment could be very helpful. Seemingly simple things can empower those not familiar with them. Sometimes people just don't know the questions to ask, and once you start explaining you will receive a flood of questions, and see the relief on their faces when they realize it isn't as daunting as they had feared.

Look for ways to record the history of your society and put it up on your website. New members can interview experienced members and write down their memories and highlights from the past.

Alert the membership to the fact that digital publications cost very little to store, nothing to mail, and take up no space. Inventories can be reduced, not eliminated. Assure them that you will still mail out paper copies to those that need them, but that there will be a great savings in cost if publications go digital. With this reduction in printing costs you may be able to reduce or even eliminate dues. There is nothing to lose for those who still require hard copy, and everything to be gained for those that don't.

Lay the Groundwork for the Future
At the same time, the newer genealogists can be tutored in offline record groups, local repositories, and well established methodology. Members with 25 years of experience probably know who the local clerks and librarians are and can share handy research tips. And again, learning the history of your society means you will not repeat errors of the past. So often newer people assume that things have never been done, then find they have. Isn't it best to learn what happened before plowing into it all over again?

Nobody is saying it is easy. Societies are folding all over the country. The only way we are going to prevent that is if we can get these two previously isolated groups to co-mingle. Be open-minded, patient, reassuring and instructive, and with some compromise on both sides we will make it happen!

Brotherhood

[Thank you to Ryan and Nathan for allowing me to use your images royalty-free!]

How I Can Live With Myself, Being Both a GeneaBlogger and Board-Certified Genealogist

2012-01-06T17:42:00.000-05:00

The Rules

OK, everybody back to your corners. Here are the rules to polite behavior. Are you engaging in them?

1. Do not insult anyone.
2. Do not generalize.
3. Do not stereotype.
4. Pay attention to who is saying what and how many times s/he repeats it.
5. Count to one hundred before posting. (I know, I know, I didn't follow this with my bow tie comment on Facebook, and I'm very sorry. I'll make it up to you bow tie people.)

The Problem
The online genealogical community is in an uproar over ever-more heated comments in the debate on citing sources on blogs. I don't want to go into detail about the comments. One person in the genealogical community is proselytizing--telling bloggers how to blog. As far as I can tell, just one associate of the Board for Certification for Genealogists, commonly called Certified Genealogists(SM) or CGs. I am one of those AND a blogger, and I'm writing to defend both.

Snarkiness on the list has been dragged out and repeated endlessly by people who are not certified because they do not agree that those principles define professional genealogy. They can't seem to tell us what does, but I don't care what they think and I'm ignoring them. Can you? They have nothing to do with this discussion.

My Credentials Should Not Be Threatening to You
I pursued certification because I wanted to know how well I measured up against professional standards in the field. I'm just that kind of person. I wanted to know if I was doing it "right." I have never been the most confident of people, but I wanted to be assessed. I thought the standards made good sense, would make me more productive and please my clients. I measured up just fine, thank you very much. That's between me and BCG®. It's an assurance to my clients that at least I had the guts to let someone else look at my work and tell me what they thought of it. It's not assurance that I'm going to write fantastic reports every time, just that I want to do so. I do not want to lord my credentials over anyone. I do not think I am better than anyone else. But I worked really, really hard, learned a lot and am not going to apologize for that. I am well aware that a lot of the best genealogists in the country do not have credentials. Just because you never took an IQ test doesn't mean you're not intelligent. And some people who managed to get credentials create some lousy work.

But when are we supposed to follow the standards, including citing sources? In client reports? Of course. In writing articles (though some publications strip them out anyway)? Of course. In writing up our own research? Sure helps if you ever want to find it again. But how about blog posts?

It's My Blog and I'll Cite If I Want To
How about we leave it up to the individual? Yes, vast, angry, oh-so-sensitive GeneaBlogger community, it's up to you, personally, to make that decision. One guy trying to change the world really shouldn't be such a threat. Everyone engaging in genealogy does not have to follow professional standards. It depends on the post. It depends on what you want people to take away from the post. I've got credentials, colleagues who read my work and will judge me on it, potential clients who will be evaluating my posts, and still, only very rarely do I cite my sources in footnote form. I mention the record groups, and anything out of the ordinary or hard to find I include in the body of my post. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS, EVEN FOR PROFESSIONALS AND THOSE WITH CREDENTIALS. There is room for everyone in the sandbox as long as you don't throw sand.

The nature of blogging is casual, transient and in my opinion only one step away from email or writing in a diary. Formal ESM-style citations are overkill there, especially for the happy casual genie. The spirit of citing your sources is to make it clear where you info comes from, and bloggers just naturally do that.

It's Not Compromise, It's Inclusivity

I think it ought to be clear by now that there are two extremes. But that's the point: they are extreme ends of the spectrum of human nature. Those who need every comma in the precise spot and those who talk/write without knowing much. Neither of these is balanced. By taking what one man says and accusing 2,000 other people of subscribing to his theories you stir up trouble. It doesn't have to do with credentials. It's too easy to paint everybody in two camps. Bloggers vs. Credentialed. Everyman vs. Elitists. Democratic vs. Fascist. I have some very good friends who are persnickety about typos, commas and the like, but I am not. I care about bad information, bad manners and bad feeling in public forums. The point is to get the information out where we can access it ourselves and judge for ourselves whether it needs more research or not. The vast amount of information I've only touched on in the blog posts I've read make it clear what a genuinely valuable resource they are. The bloggers will decide on their own format. If you want a precise citation, ask the blogger.

Some of the absolute best GeneaBloggers have now declared themselves against professional genealogy and started to show disdain for what I worked so hard to achieve. All because one guy is advocating citing sources on blogs? Really? Their voices are pervasive and important to me, and I'm sad that something I was proud of having achieved is now being mocked and equated with bad character.

If you've insulted someone, apologize. If you're feeling persecuted, relax! Can we all please take the weekend off and come back with smiles on our faces, ready to do some real genealogy? It's time!

Keeping the Promise

2011-12-01T15:03:00.001-05:00

Author Sleeping on the Job
Dreaming of Soldiers Returning Alive

Awake, Ye Blogger!!

Poor PollyBlog. I've failed you miserably. I've been sleeping on the job: so busy working on genealogy that I've neglected to tell you what I'm actually doing, which, after all, was the point of blogging. So in honor of New Year 2012, I will try to pay more attention to you.

You may have heard of genealogists working for the military but wonder exactly what they do. About fifteen months ago I started researching on behalf of the US Army. Since so many people ask me about what I do I thought I'd share a bit of what goes on. I am a case worker, directly employed by The American History Company. They in turn contract with various branches of the United States military to perform research into families of missing soldiers to aid in the repatriation effort. Case workers must be either accredited by ICAPGEN (International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists) or certified by BCG (the Board for Certification of Genealogists). I did not apply for this job: I was recommended by a colleague. My area of specialization is New England.

Courtesy JPAC Press Center

An Honor Guard from JPAC secures the American Flag over a disinterred coffin during a ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. The unidentified Korean War service member was transferred to the Central Identification Laboratory where JPAC scientists will attempt to make the identification.

You've heard mottos like, "Keeping the Promise," "Fulfill their Trust," and "No One Left Behind." Well, in recent years, legislation has been passed to make sure this happens after the fact as well as in battle. So in 2009 Congress sent a mandate to the Department of Defense to redouble their efforts to find and bring home personnel killed or missing in action in previous conflicts, back to and including World War II. Both military and civilians work on recovery, identification and repatriation of missing military personnel.

The terms of our contract prohibit us from sharing information that is proprietary to the Department of Defense, but there is plenty of public information about the process.

Repatriation from Korea

Punch Bowl Crater, near Downtown Honolulu, Hawaii
Courtesy Hawaii For Visitors website

During Operation GLORY in 1954, North Korea returned the remains of more than 2,000 Americans. At the same, the US recovered remains on South Korean battlefields.

The US identified thousands of these remains. The 848 that could not be identified were buried in 1956 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, the "Punchbowl."

So between 1954 and 1990, the US was not successful in convincing North Korea to search for and return additional US remains. However, from 1990 to 1994, North Korea exhumed and returned what they claimed were 208 sets of remains. And then North Korea was once again closed off to the US.

In late October 2011, the US and North Korea reached a new agreement to resume recovery operations in North Korea.

Courtesy JPAC

The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command - JPAC, was activated in 2003, in Oahu, Hawaii. The mission of JPAC is "to achieve the fullest possible accounting of all Americans missing as a result of the nation’s past conflicts." The highest priority of the organization is the return of any living Americans that remain prisoners of war.*

Additional info is available on the website of the Department of Defense's Defense Prisoner of War - Missing Personnel Office (DPMO)

*To date, the U.S. Government has not found any evidence that there are still American POW's in captivity from past U.S. conflicts.

Current Mission

A column of the U.S. 1st Marine Divisionmove through Chinese lines
during their breakout from the Chosin Reservoir.
Courtesy Wikipedia.com : 2 Jan 2012

Today the Army is pursuing a two-pronged effort. On the one hand, they are going out into the field on excavation expeditions to retrieve remains of any sericement they can find. They go to battlefields, sites of previous prison camps, crash sites and anywhere an American serviceman is reported to have been seen. They bring the remains back to Hawaii, extract DNA, and keep it on file in a huge database.

On the other hand, each MIA serviceman's case is assigned to a genealogist who is then tasked with locating current day family members in order to find the soldier's official next of kin. In addition, because DNA is essential in identifying remains, the genealogist must determine family members eligible to donate DNA samples. DNA of family members is added to the database and when there is a match, bingo! The remains are returned to the family and closure is finally achieved.

There are lots of considerations when doing this kind of research: privacy, for one thing. Sensitivity to family dynamics is another. The repercussions of the death of a young man can still be discerned in these families, even after sixty years. Family members must be approached with delicacy and empathy. Researchers must learn how to read between the lines when hearing conflicting accounts from family members. Some people are angry that they have never been contacted, and others are delighted that some is still searching for their loved one's remains.

It is extremely rewarding work, if somewhat complicated by the inability to access vital records in many states. And from about 1950 to 1990 there is a great hole in information, be it due to privacy acts or a failure of some institutions to keep up with their filing/storage. I find great satisfaction in this work, however, and only hope that some of the solider's whose cases I have worked on will be returned to their families one day.

Giving Thanks for Some Mayflower Roots

2011-11-22T13:26:00.001-05:00

Courtesy Salem History Online

When I was little I played in the woods ALL the time. We built huts, climbed trees, navigated streams and played hide and seek. I'm sure the scenarios we created were far from authentic, but we always loved to imagine what it was like before the Pilgrims arrived. I wondered how the Native Americans lived, how they survived the long, frigid winters. What did they eat? How did they keep newborns warm and snug? We'd blaze trails, paint rocks with swampy water and search for arrowheads amongst the scrubby bushes. The Pilgrims did enter our play world, but they were more incidental. We re-enacted the meeting of the two cultures. How did they communicate; what did they trade, that sort of thing.

Pequot War
Courtesy of Wikipedia

In my teens, just around the time I was learning that the facts were not quite as idyllic as we had been taught, my genealogist mother, Priscilla (Barnes) FitzGerald, was wildly searching for a family link back to the Mayflower. I could have cared less. Lineage societies to me, in the early seventies at least, were nothing more than elitist clubs, their members all trying to out-impress each other. Eventually she and my aunt, Abbie (Barnes) Thompson, discovered that we are descended from Stephen Hopkins. Yeah! File it away for the future when I care or need to impress someone. I rejected the inherent snobbism out of hand.

Years later, the sisters were informed that the Stephen Hopkins line had been discounted by a later Mayflower historian. They could remain members of the Mayflower Society, but no one else could be admitted on that line. So they redoubled their efforts, and by collaborating across the North American continent, eventually found another Pilgrim ancestor: Degory Priest, through their father, William Otis Humphrey Barnes.

By this time I had become a genealogist myself and wanted the experience of submitting lineage papers, so I happily volunteered to unearth the proof. A few years later, Aunt Abbie discovered yet another Pilgrim, George Soule, this time connecting through their mother, Vernetta Gertrude (Jones) Barnes. I submitted this one as well, so we now all have two official Mayflower lines.

Courtesy of gutenberg.org

As a practicing genealogist I had come to realize that the excitement my mother and aunt felt was not because they wanted to distinguish themselves as blue bloods or ennoble the family name. No, they just loved that visceral link to history. Those were our relatives that came over here on that terrifying, dark, dirty, freezing, stinking ship. And when they got here they needed the wise counsel of the Native Americans to survive. With their help they managed to live long enough to produce children who also survived and had children, until eventually I came along to play in the woods twenty miles from where they landed. It is exciting because we've heard the stories told so many times and have already envisioned what life must have been like for them. It is a great way to open up the world of history to everyone, because we all have ancestors.

It doesn't matter who your ancestors were. The joy we derive from studying history and genealogy is in witnessing the reassuring lesson that although life on this planet has been incredibly difficult for ages, it can also bring great joy. Life springs from death: something of each of our ancestors is alive today in us. We are who and where we are partly because of who our ancestors were. This is true biologically and psychologically––by nature and nurture. They are part of us. Every generation feels the same emotions. It is just the circumstances that change. The Pilgrims had their obstacles, as did my father's ancestors who lived through the Irish Famine, and if they could thrive, then so can we.

Courtesy iSucceed

Descent from Pilgrim Degory Priest*

Degory Priest (ca 1579 - 1 Jan 1620/1) and Sarah Allerton ( - bef. 24 Oct 1633)

John Coombs ( - 15 Oct 1646) and Sarah Priest (ca 1615 - aft. 1 Aug 1648)

Francis Coombs (ca 1635 - 31 Dec 1682) and Mary Barker (ca 1647 - aft. 15 May 1711)

Ebenezer Bennett (19 May 1678 - 13 Jan 1750/1) and Ruth Coombs (12 Mar 1680/1 - 11 Mar 1717/8)

Ignatius Elmes [Sr] (8 Apr 1706 - 8 Feb 1762/3) and Sarah Bennett (27 Mar 1707 - 30 Jul 1789)

John Elmes (23 May 1733 - 13 Jun 1811) and Lydia Ryder (5 Feb 1736/7 - 13 Nov 1830)

Reuben Damon (13 Feb 1759 - 26 Dec 1837) and Lydia Elmes/Ellms (14 Sep 1761 - 1826)

Joseph Clapp [2d] (1 Jun 1809 - 13 Jan 1878) and Lydia Damon (13 Jul 1799 - 1884)

William Otis Clapp (10 Jun 1840 - 7 Apr 1901) and Mary Gage Colby (14 Mar 1842 - 29 Apr 1903)

Israel Merritt Barnes [Jr] (11 Sep 1861 - 18 Jul 1920) and Bethia Augusta Clapp (13 Apr 1861 - 6 Feb 1928)

William Otis Humphrey Barnes (16 May 1886) and Vernetta Gertrude Jones (13 Jun 1892 - 1 Aug 1892)

My mother

Descent from George Soule*

George Soule (bef. 1600 - aft. 20 Sep 1677) and Mary Bucket/Becket ( - Dec 1676)

Francis West ( - aft. 6 Sep 1687) and Susannah Soule (ca 1642 - aft. 1684)

Jeremiah Fones (1664 - 29 Apr 1747) and Martha West (ca 1676 - 2 Dec 1764)

Capt. Ebenezer Hill (1703 - 31 Oct 1753) and Mary Fones (20 Sep 1711 - ) [needs work...]

William Boone (22 Aug 1743 - 28 Apr 1829) and Ruth Hill (25 Feb 1744 - 12 May 1833)

Richard Jones (ca 1758 - 29 Jan 1842) and Mary Boone (26 Apr 1770 - 9 Mar 1840)

James Jones (27 Nov 1787 - 4 Dec 1877) and Sarah Crouse (30 May 1792 - 3 Mar 1876)

Darius Jones (30 Dec 1811 - 22 Mar 1887) and Rhoda Tripp (1827 - aft 1894)

Jared Smith Jones (3 Oct 1860 - 21 Jun 1943) and Georgianna Hagerman (3 Feb 1868 - 3 Jun 1932)

William Otis Humphrey Barnes (16 May 1886) and Vernetta Gertrude Jones (13 Jun 1892 - 1 Aug 1892)

My mother

*Not recently verified. Guess I should work on these a bit!

A Weigher and Inspector of Bundled Hay: Job Description

2011-08-25T23:40:00.002-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

Service on the Old Colony Railroad began in November 1845 with a route from Boston to Plymouth, Massachusetts. The South Shore Railroad opened a line to Cohasset on January 1, 1849, bringing it very close to my ancestors' hometown of Scituate. Initially there were three round trips a day, running through from Cohasset to Boston, making for a very easy commute. The trains opened up a whole new world to people who had for generations been farmers and mariners.

My great great grandfather, Israel Merritt Barnes, was the first in the family to take advantage of the proliferation of industry and commerce, coupled with the convenience of train transport, to seek out white collar work in Boston. His experience on the farm stood him well, as he was appointed Inspector and Weigher of Bundle Hay in Boston for many years running, from at least 1847 to 1884.

“The Boston and Lowell, the Eastern and the Fitchburg Railroad Company passenger depot on Causeway Street, ca. 1860-75,” digital photograph collection of the Boston Historical Society, web archive, The Bostonian Society (http://rfi.bostonhistory.org [search terms “Fitchburg Railroad”] : accessed 3 August 2008).

Here is a contemporaneous job description that brings to life the duties Israel bore. The position of Inspector and Weigher of Bundle Hay is described in The General Statutes of Massachusetts of 1859, below. [William A. Richardson and George P. Sanger, ed., The General Statues of the Commonwealth of Mass enacted December 28, 1859 to take effect June 1, 1860, second ed. (Boston: Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1873); Googlebooks (http://books.google.com/books using search terms inspector+hay+aldermen : accessed 18 July 2008); See under “1847, 246, § 6. HAY.”]

SECT. 72.... The mayor and aldermen and selectmen may from time to time appoint, for a term not exceeding one year, some person or persons to have the superintendence of the hay scales belonging to their place, who shall weigh hay offered for sale therein, and any other article offered to be weighed. ...

SECT. 76. Pressed hay offered for sale shall be branded upon the crate enclosing it with the first letter of the Christian name and the whole of the surname of the person packing and screwing or otherwise pressing said hay, and with the name of the city or town and state where the hay is pressed.

SECT. 77. Pressed hay offered for sale without being so branded shall be forfeited, one-half to the person or persons prosecuting therefor and the other half to the use of the city or town where the same is so offered for sale, and may be seized and libeled...

SECT. 80. Bales or bundles of hay so inspected which are found to be sweet, of good quality, and free from damage or improper mixture, shall be branded or marked No. 1. Bales or bundles found to be sweet, and free from damage or improper mixture, but consisting of hay of a secondary quality, shall be branded or marked No. 2. Bales or bundles found to be wet, or in any way damaged, or which shall contain straw or other substances not valuable as hay, shall be branded or marked bad. Each bale or bundle so inspected shall be branded or marked with the first letter of the Christian name and the whole of the surname of the inspector, and the name of the place for which he is inspector, together with the month and year when inspected, and also the net weight of the bundle.

SECT. 81. Each inspector shall furnish himself with proper scales, weights, seals, and other suitable instruments, for the purposes aforesaid.

“Big Hay Baler” [Jean Campbell Winchell (http://www.cardington-ohio-heritage.com/ cardington.html : accessed 25 August 2008); Jean kindly granted me permission to reproduce this photo in an email of 26 August 2008. It depicts some of her ancestors in early 1900 Ohio.]

The Boston Daily Atlas Local Intelligence column mentions, on 11 August, 1847, under Municipal Affairs, a “Remonstrance of Nathaniel Vinal and others, against the appointment of dealers in bundle hay, as inspectors and weighers thereof.” [“Local Intelligence, Municipal Affairs,” The Boston [Massachusetts] Daily Atlas, 11 August 1847, vol. XVI; iss. 35, p. 2; Readex, a division of Newsbank, “America’s Historical Newspapers,”online database linked to original images (accessible at public libraries : accessed June 2008).] Nathaniel Vinal was Israel's uncle, and I wonder if he was perhaps working at that time to get his nephew Israel appointed by trying to eliminate some of the competition?

A notice dated 2 November that same year, also in the Boston Daily Atlas announces: “At a meeting of the Board of Aldermen... Appointments – Israel M. Barnes, weigher and inspector of bundle hay.” A clue to his potential earnings is contained earlier in the same notice where it states: “John R. Bardford, Hay Weigher of the Northern District, submitted his report, that he had received, during the quarter ending Oct. 31, as fees for weighing hay, straw, &c., $586.75, fifty per cent, of which ($293.37) has been paid to the City Treasurer.” [“Local Intelligence,” Boston Daily Atlas , 2 November 1847, issue 106, col. D, online subscription database linked to original images, NEHGS, “19th Century U. S. Newspapers,” (http://www.newenglandancestors.org : accessed 22 August 2008).]

Some papers I inherited [I call them the Barnes Family Papers] contain a note dated March 17, 1852, City Hall, that is addressed to Israel M. Barnes, Esq., Causeway off Endicott Street, [Boston], in which he has “been appointed by the Mayor and Aldermen as Inspector and Weigher of Bundle Hay.” [Aldermen, City of Boston to Israel M. Barnes, Esq., letter announcing appointment to Inspector of Hay 1852; Barnes Family Papers.] The note was sent to his work address, near the train stations where the hay was being transported to from the rural areas. Today that area is the home of Boston’s TD Banknorth sporting arena.

Map Of Boston, 1872, After The Latest Surveys With All The Improvements In Progress (Boston: L. Prang & Co, 1872); digitized map; David Rumsey Map Collection (http://www.davidrumsey.com/maps770059-22765.html : accessed 2 August 2008); plan of East Boston, detail of Causeway Street.

Israel continued to serve as Inspector of Bundle Hay for many years, at least to 1884. He consistently appears in city directories, census, and vital records as Inspector or Inspector of Hay up to and including his death. He was a colorful character and I love to imagine him wielding his influence in the loud and dusty city.

This is the Face of Genealogy

2011-06-05T20:51:00.000-04:00

William Otis Humphrey Barnes
16 May 1886 - 16 June 1942

Congratulations to all of the GeneaBlogger community on their quick response to Thomas MacEntee's call to action (http://www.geneabloggers.com/face-genealogy/) in which he asks bloggers to post a favorite photo of an ancestor with the title "This Is The Face of Genealogy." This in response to an utterly tasteless photo accompanying a short article about the Southern California Jamboree in the online version of the LA Weekly. To their credit, the newspaper quickly changed the photo after lots of criticism from the genealogy blogging community. You can read the amended article at http://www.laweekly.com/events/42nd-annual-genealogy-jamboree-1289875/ .

Here is my late but heartfelt contribution-- a photo scanned by my Aunt Abbie of her father, my grandfather, William Otis Humphrey Barnes. He died before I was born, but everyone only has nice things to say about him and I've always been sorry I wasn't able to know him.

New to Genealogy? Attend NERGC 2011!

2011-04-05T21:36:00.000-04:00

Exploring New Paths to Your Roots

11th New England Regional Genealogical Conference (NERGC)

comes to Springfield, MA, 6-10 April

Lucky New Englanders! This week is NERGC, The New England Regional Genealogical Conference! It is only held every two years, but is every bit as fine a conference as any of the national ones. It's within commuting distance for lots of New Englanders, and for a very low registration fee you'll get instruction and presentations by some of the best genealogists in the country. Read all about it and pre-register here: http://www.nergc.org/NERGC2011/index.html. Or, just show up and sample the lectures. Entrance to the Exhibit Hall is free, and you'll be able to see demonstrations of all of the major genealogy software vendors. You can visit the booths of local societies, buy books & charts, learn how to make your web searches more productive and win some great raffle prizes. I promise you, if you are even slightly interested in genealogy, you'll be like a kid in ye olde candy shoppe at NERGC!

Lots of people are curious about genealogy but don't know where to begin. Of course you start by looking at your own family information, whether written or passed down to you by word of mouth. But once you have gathered that you'll want to move on to the great wide world.

Nowadays most people usually get their feet wet on the internet. It can be completely overwhelming at first, and Ancestry.com doesn't help beginners much with their exhortation to "just start" researching without knowing what you are looking for! Yet in a way that is good advice. Just jumping in will show you how much is out there. And you'll learn simultaneously that you need some way to weed through all of that information. How do you know what is valid? You certainly don't want to accept everything you find, because one wrong connection guarantees that you'll be offtrack for the rest of that line. For instance, if you make a mistake on your great-grandmother, it means that everyone you find after her is incorrect! You can waste years of your life following bogus lines, so you want to make sure you establish solid links between parents and children.

If you're going to take up genealogy as a hobby you need to learn about the best ways to prove those links. A large genealogy conference like NERGC will give you plenty of opportunity to learn, with multiple simultaneous tracks. Here are just a few: Immigration and Migration, English and Irish Research, DNA & Technology, Records and Sources, New England Research, Treasures, and hands-on Workshops.

On Friday and Saturday there is an Ancestors Roadshow sponsored by the New England Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists where you can sign up for a free 20-minute consultation with a professional. You can ask the professional anything you wish, how to decipher some old handwriting, where to find certain records, how to break through a brick wall in your research. Anything!

What sort of a record trail did your ancestors leave? What can you expect to find for 19th Massachusetts, or 17th century Connecticut, for instance? What is considered reliable evidence? Or maybe you have broader questions, such as: How do you get into the Mayflower Society? How can you find your ancestors' homeland? Why does my family think I'm weird because I love old cemeteries? You'll find the answers to these questions and others you haven't even thought of yet in Springfield this week Thursday to Saturday.

This is a great time to take up genealogy! NBC's Who Do You Think You Are is in its second season and getting better with every episode. Universities, libraries, archives, governmental agencies and private individuals are frantically uploading original documentation. Googlebooks is making thousands and thousands of out of copyright books available (and searchable!). Even so, everything does not magically come into our homes. We still need to go to repositories and dig out original documents sometime. Find out what you have right at home, and what you need to hunt down at NERGC this week. I hope to see you there!

He's not American. Is he Kenyan, English or Irish?

2011-04-02T18:45:00.000-04:00

How can one man be eligible for citizenship in four countries? Birthright, permanent residence, having a grandparent born in another country, or changes in governmental jurisdiction over the place you were born can all qualify you for citizenship. But proving that you qualify and applying can sometimes be a long and confusing process.

My husband is an English citizen with a UK passport and permanent US Resident Alien status. I am American, and our children were all born in the US and are also American citizens. Because children of British citizens are eligible to apply for a British passport, one of our sons asked me to help him complete a UK passport application. A US citizen may obtain a foreign passport without putting his American citizenship into jeopardy. It is not against US law to do so, as long as taking on the foreign citizenship does not require you to renounce the United States in any way (and it rarely does). A UK passport will allow him to travel and work freely anywhere in the European Community (EC) without first having to obtain a visa. This will be a great asset to him when he wants to visit his English relatives for a long period, or even work abroad.

In Ireland, Italy and elsewhere, obtaining a foreign passport is a two-pronged process. First you must prove your right to citizenship in the foreign country (and register the birth), then you apply for the passport. In the case of the United Kingdom, however, it can all be rolled into one step. There are usually a few ways in which you can qualify for citizenship. Most of the foreign passports I have obtained for clients are done by proving that they had a grandparent born in the foreign land. As long as that grandparent was not naturalized in America before the applicant's father was born, the applicant is qualified "by descent."

When our eldest son was born, I tried to have his birth registered in England. If I had been successful he could have just applied for the passport today as any English citizen would. Although my husband is English, he wasn't born in England: he was born in Kenya! At the time of his birth in 1960, Kenya was a Protectorate of the UK, which is why he was granted UK citizenship. All children born in Kenya at that time are eligible for UK citizenship themselves, but not all are able to pass eligibility down to their children. The only way he could pass down his UK citizenship status to our children was if he were a UK citizen "otherwise than by descent," and that pretty much means either a natural-born citizen or someone allowed to qualify as such because of some special exceptions written into the law. The UK did not accept the application to register our son's birth because my husband was not born on UK soil, and thus they concluded he was a citizen "by descent."

But we got lucky and qualified under one of the exceptions. My father-in-law was sent to Kenya by the UK government to work in schools there, so my husband's birth is treated as though he were born in the UK, therefore he actually can pass down his citizenship status. When I originally tried to register our son's birth, I had not known this, but we now have a letter issued by the UK government which states that at the time of my husband's birth his father was in Kenya working for the UK government, so all I need to do is send that letter plus the original birth certificate.

The next obstacle is that I don't have an original birth certificate: all I have is a photocopy. I wanted to see how difficult it is to obtain a Kenyan birth certificate so I went to the central website for civil registration in Kenya. It looked promising –– under the proper district I got a name and email address (info@births.go.ke) and sent a request off to them. Sadly, my email was returned as "unsendable" a few days later. I also checked the catalog of the Family History Library in SLC, and not surprisingly, they had no civil registration or church records for Kenya.

Yet I knew that the British have been diligent about registering overseas births for many years, and on the Kenyan Consulate's website I found a very clear explanation of how the whole process works. I was then able to order two copies of his birth certificate (Certificate of Overseas Birth) from the UK General Records Office (GRO). I'm fairly sure they will not look at all like the photocopy of the one issued in Kenya. Once those arrive I can attach them to the forms, send photos, son's birth certificate, my birth certificate, our marriage certificate, and a big fat check to the British Embassy in Washington DC, and he should be good to go!

The funny thing is, my husband is English, but could have applied to become a Kenyan since he was born there. He could become an American too, and may yet. And in addition, since he has a grandparent (three out of four, actually) born in Ireland, he could also apply for Irish citizenship! So he could have four passports if he wanted! He's a simple kind of guy, though, and I suspect he'll stick with just the one.

The Ancestral Chalybeate Spa

2011-03-29T13:17:00.000-04:00

Ann FitzGerald, Priscilla (Barnes) FitzGerald and Polly (FitzGerald) Kimmitt
at the original FitzGerald cottage, Farnes, Kerry, Ireland, June 1989

My people should never have left Ireland. In so doing they deprived the family forevermore of the healing powers of ferruginous water. I know this because of one tiny phrase in a book with a very long title.

Reading contemporaneous accounts of Ireland helps us to envision ancestral townlands as they were before our families left. A mainstay in every Irish researcher's library is Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, comprising the several counties, cities, boroughs, corporate, market, and post towns, parishes, and villages, with historical and statistical descriptions; embellished with engravings of the arms of the cities, bishopricks, corporate towns, and boroughs; and of the seals of the several municipal corporations: with an Appendix, describing the electoral boundaries of the several boroughs, as defined by the act of the 2d and 3d of William IV, 2 vols., (London: 1837).

County Kerry, Ireland

Written about ten years before the Great Famine (1845-1852), it gives the history and lay of the land of every little townland in Ireland. My father (James Patrick/Edmund FitzGerald 1910-1988) always said his father's FitzGerald line were from Castlemaine (Caislean na Mainge) in county Kerry. Castlemaine lies on a harbor at the junction of the Dingle Peninsula and the Ring of Kerry, or just under the first peninsula on the map. It was a market town and the site of a castle built jointly by two Irish chiefs, the Earl of Desmond and MacCarthy More, in order to defend the crossing of the River Maine. Each chief was to alternately protect the castle, but at one point MacCarthy decided he didn't want to give it up. It eventually fell into ruins. Today there is nothing remarkable about the town. A few pubs and bed and breakfast establishments and some fine views are all that distinguish it.

What my father didn't know was the name of the area in which his family had lived: a little part of Castlemaine called Farnes. He and my mother went over to Ireland in 1978 to visit some of his cousins, and I'm quite sure they went to the house his father was born in, below. By asking the local residents, they managed to find the FitzGerald homestead. Compared to the adjacent older cottage, this was quite a step up for the family. I do wonder how accurate our information was, though. I would imagine that my grandfather, Patrick John FitzGerald (1867-1949) was born in the little cottage and thanks to money he and his siblings sent back to Ireland from the US, the family was able to build this once fine edifice.

Ann FitzGerald, Myles Kimmitt, Priscilla FitzGerald
FitzGerald Homestead, Farnes, Kerry, Ireland, June 1989

My mother, sister and I discovered the name when we visited the local parish to view their records in 1989. All of the related FitzGeralds we found lived in Farnes. More like a village or a neighborhood, Farnes is smaller than a townland and never gets any press. This is understandable. There isn't much there except gorse-covered hills dotted with the occasional cottage.

View of the Slieve Mish (Sliabh Mish) range from FitzGerald home,
Farnes, Kerry, Ireland, named after a mythological Celtic princess
who was famed for being cruel.

So there is no historical detail about the actual land my ancestors lived on anywhere, except in one tiny mention in Samuel Lewis' Topographical Dictionary in which he states: "Three miles to the west of the town are the ruins of Castledrum, erected by the sept of Moriarty; and on the lands of Farnass is a good chalybeate spa." What? Peasant farmers living by a spa? Well, this is exciting! Something, at long last to distinguish them from the hordes of peasants the world over. MY ancestors lived near a chalybeate spa. So what is it, then?

"The Calybeate Spring Tunbridge Wells"

The word chalybeate derives originally from the Latin word for steel, "chalybs" which in turn is taken from the Greek "khalups" after those who had invented iron working in Greek mythology. It is simply mineral water that contains iron. Wikipedia has this to say about Chalybeate: "Early in the 17th century, chalybeate water was said to have health-giving properties and many people have promoted its qualities. Dudley North, 3rd Baron North discovered the chalybeate spring at Tunbridge Wells in 1606. Dudley North’s physician claimed that the waters contained ‘vitriol’ and the waters of Tunbridge Wells could cure: the colic, the melancholy, and the vapours; it made the lean fat, the fat lean; it killed flat worms in the belly, loosened the clammy humours of the body, and dried the over-moist brain." It was also said to cure hysteria.

And therein lies the heart of the trouble. By leaving the chalybeatic spa in Farnes (Farnass) my ancestors opened the door to all manner of physiological ills. No wonder some of us are melancholy, some too fat, some too thin. I see it clearly now! This is why my clammy humours are not loosened and my brain remains over-moist. (I do wonder if the roof on the old cottage had anything to do with an abundance of iron in the local water--see first photo.) It is apparent that we must now make an annual trek to the homeland to restore our shattered tissues. I look forward to asking the locals all about it!

Priscilla (Barnes) FitzGerald
Farnes, Kerry, Ireland, June 1989

One Lovely Blog Award to 15 of My Favorites

2011-03-14T20:28:00.002-04:00

Well, I'm honored to have been awarded the One Lovely Blog award from Lisa Swanson Ellam at The Faces of My Family blog! I'm not sure why because lately I've hardly posted much, but I very much appreciate the mention! This is always a great way to get introduced to new bloggers and I've enjoyed reading Lisa's blog. So much good writing out there!!

The rules of acceptance are :

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who granted the award and their blog link.

2. Pass the award on to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered or just love so much.

3. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Here are the lovely blogs I have selected. Some are new to me, others are like old friends. Please take a minute to browse through them!

A Linguist's Guide to Genealogy by Andrew Simpson

Adventures in Genealogy by Deb Ruth

Circlemending by Jean Hibben

Cyndi's List by Cyndi Howells

Family Cherished by Valerie

Find My Ancestor Blog by A. C. Ivory

FGS Conference News Blog by Thomas MacEntee

GeneaWebinars also by Thomas MacEntee

Keeping the Story Alive by Mark Lowe

Long Lost Relatives.net by Susan Petersen

Marian's Roots and Rambles by Marian Pierre-Louis

NARAtions by John

NERGC 2011 Exploring New Paths to Your Roots also by Marian Pierre-Louis

Paula's Genealogical Eclectica by Paula Stuart-Warren

The Family Recorder by Audrey Collins

Enjoy!

RootsTech Two Weeks After

2011-02-25T13:07:00.001-05:00

RootsTech from a Distance

I want to follow up with some thoughts about RootsTech after two weeks of beating my skull against the wall as to why it unexpectedly blew me away. There's nothing like stepping back to give you a different perspective.

Movement of Information

Massive tree from very close up

As I keep saying, it's not about the gadgets, but more about a slow but massive shift in how information is processed and disseminated. This is on two fronts: first, it marks the beginning of a stronger demarcation between the amateur and professional genealogist. And second, it is the start of a merging between those who use the information (genealogists) and those who connect it to us (software developers). And let me just clarify that it is not actually the start of these shifts, but just my own awareness of them. That's what blew me away. It has been happening and I wasn't looking beyond the trees to see the forest.

The Newbies are Coming, The Newbies are Coming!

We're all in the same boat

Whilst networking I asked a lot of questions about the process of filming the Who Do You Think You Are episodes, and the responses forced me to rethink some of my previous statements. Last year I mistakenly assumed that the actors were acting. I've been told, however, that they were led along during filming in a manner similar to a true research process (if somewhat facilitated). What I now understand is that most of them actually were quite interested in the process itself, and the details along the way, and were just as vulnerable to the genealogy virus as the rest of humankind. What we saw on film was their first reaction to information, not something contrived. They took notes, even if the final edit didn't show them doing so. They may be famous but they are just as vulnerable on the inside as the rest of us. WDYTYA is helping people understand the mystery of their ancestry and the excitement of the hunt, and it's going to create a huge influx of newbies. Newbies, by the way, only consider themselves "beginners" BEFORE they log on to Ancestry. Once they've messed around on the internet for a bit, most of them promote themselves to intermediate. And that's okay, but they need to realize that they will naturally have gaps in the information they have acquired. I'll leave that to the educators in the field to sort out!

What is Good Enough?

Step back to gain perspective

As the interest in genealogy starts to permeate the culture we can see that it is time to make a pronounced break between amateur and professional genealogists. People are attracted to genealogy because they want to know about their families: they don't want to write academic papers! Rather than dread this and fear the fate of standards, we can simplify the process, possibly with the use of well crafted programs like RootsMagic. Amateurs should not have to maintain the same standards as professionals, rather they can work towards professional citations and proof standards on a continuum. Not everyone is going to be able, or even want to produce the same kind of work as a professional. This does not mean that it cannot be valid research. As long as some kind of minimal source citation is given, it may just have to be up to the professional to validate it. There has to be an acceptable lowest common denominator of source citation. This is very freeing because I always feel like the lone defender of citations. I don't harp on proper format with neophytes, but it's always in the back of my mind that someday they will learn to love them. I do try and make everyone see that they will be a lot happier if they manage to jot down where their information is from. Now I can encourage people to just start in, be aware of the where their information is coming from, and trust that in time they will come to understand how helpful it is to have accurate source citations. That's how I learned the lesson: I hadn't noted where I got a certain document, went back to find it, and realized that it existed in many forms and all iterations were not equal. After you spend a day looking for one tiny lost bit of information you finally realize it's worth writing it down when you first find it. And the more you research, the more you feel the repercussions of not doing so. Let's just help everyone understand a simple way to keep track of their research.

I Loves Me a Good Techie!

Extreme nerdiness incarnate

The most critical issue confronting genealogists and technologists at this time is the gedcom standard. I am currently suffering badly from using one genealogy program on one platform and trying to export it, citations and all, to another program on another platform. Citations don't like this method of travel and are rebelling against it. Come to find out (and I sort of knew this, but conveniently forgot), each genie software program makes enhancements to their programs that allow the user to add much useful data. What we users aren't always aware of is where the line between information and exportable information is drawn. Since genealogy is to be disseminated and shared amongst family members and other interested parties, this presents an enormous obstacle. RootsTech gave us an opportunity to open a critical dialogue between genealogists and programmers which will end decades of frustration of people on both sides of the divide. Boundaries will melt away and that will encourage us all to explore new, shared territory, and in the process become more creative.

New genealogists have a world of information to share with us, so let's welcome them with open arms, help them learn effective techniques and teach them to love software developers! Bring on RootsTech 2012 (v. 2.0)!

Cyndi's List Turns 15 on March 4th, 2011!

2011-02-18T17:49:00.002-05:00

Quick, where is the first place you go when confronted with a new locality or time period in your genealogical research? (OK, maybe I gave it away.) Oh sure, you could try Google or Wikipedia, but where can you get at all things genealogical in one fell swoop? Everyone knows it's CyndisList.com. Cyndi will point us to the vital records, county histories, maps, yearbooks, diaries, photos, and ever so much more. That's where you go when you don't know what your're looking for. Really!

It's not easy managing information. Personally, I think it is one of the biggest obstacles to our research in the internet era. We've all been so excited to see records being digitized and uploaded that we often neglect the awesome responsibility of making them accessible in a clean and efficient way. How can you use them if you can't find them? Thankfully, Cyndi is here to show us the way. I'm just realizing it as I write, but my own bookmarks are arranged in a manner similar to Cyndi's website, on a much smaller scale, bien sûr, but I believe I've been unconsciously modeling after her setup!

Cyndi's List has been online since March 4, 1996! I find this amazing. I remember thinking how young she was at the time. What a remarkable feat! It's probably the oldest bookmark in my browser. In 1996 half of my friends didn't have a clue what the internet even was! Just now I was browsing through the site looking at things I don't usually consult and found her business timeline. It's fascinating to witness how Cyndi took what was originally a 6-page list of websites and turned it into the ultimate genealogist's research finding aid. By 1998 she was being featured in The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, well on her way to giving Cyndi's List a solid footing in the American vernacular.

And she's still around, more valuable than ever. Every genealogist who uses the web MUST use Cyndi's List. Do you ever question if you've actually checked every single thing available on the web? I do it all the time! And when I get that nagging self-doubt welling up in my bosom, it is Cyndi that either reassures me I have, or leads me to one more resource. If I have a client who wants to help with the research, or learn more, I sent him to Cyndi's List first thing, just to explore. It's amazing how much you can learn there.

Here are a few facts about Cyndi's List by modest Cyndi herself, with my brash comments after them in purple:

Why Donate Money to Cyndi's List?

• In the beginning there were 1,025 links. Today there are more than 290,000. And who do you think has to keep those 290,000 links current? One person: Cyndi! That is a LOT of links to correct, because we all know how frequently they change. It's a gruelling, Sisyphean task that she cheerily embraces day after day.

• This site continues to be one of the top research spots online for genealogy. It really is. This isn't hype. It's free, it's super easy to navigate, extremely thorough, up-to-date, and it teaches you as you navigate! Oh, did I mention that it's free?

• Cyndi's List has always been free for everyone to use. I love how Cyndi is adamant about not charging money for her website. Very noble. But hard to maintain in today's economy, and especially in today's market where genealogy has hit the big time. How has a one-woman show managed to still maintain that top spot for so many years?

• To date, Cyndi's List has been supported solely by advertisements. And we are so lucky for that. Are you the type that uses shareware until the free trial period is over and drops it? Do you ignore when programmers ask you for a mere $15 in return for using their brilliant piece of software? Well, it's easy to gloss over Cyndi's tiny little donate button, too, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't all just throw something her way now and then. I don't know what I'd do if her site weren't there.

• This site is in the process of a major upgrade, the first since 1998. Yes! Coming fresh off the first RootsTech ever, I am delighted that Cyndi is looking toward the future! This is great news.

• Goals for upgrading would include easier use for both the administrator and site visitors, making adding and updating links a quicker process for everyone. Improved navigation and other features are also on the to-do list. Yesssss! More links, more links!

• Cyndi's List is a one-woman business. Upgrading is very expensive. Your donations would help the site to grow and expand, thus making your searching much easier and more productive. She's so polite! the woman obviously loves what she does, is dedicated and has made our world a better place.

I appreciate all the support and encouragement users of Cyndi's List continue to give me each day. Thank you! And thank you, Miss Cyndi. You provide us with a great resource!

Happy Birthday, Cyndi's List, and many Happy Returns of the Day! And to the rest of the genealogical community, get on out there and donate! Let's see how much we can raise for the site before the big day!

http://www.cyndislist.com/

The Week My Outlook on Genealogy Changed: RootsTech 2011

2011-02-13T16:59:00.001-05:00

The first annual RootsTech conference came to a screeching halt yesterday afternoon at 4:00 pm and left 4,000 people wondering where we go from here. As I keep broadcasting on Twitter and Facebook, this conference marks the start of a shift in perspective in the genealogical world. I'll describe my own experience and hope it helps explain my bold assertion.

Image via CrunchBase

I usually visit Salt Lake City every January during the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy but this year I couldn't, so instead booked my week to coincide with RootsTech. I figured there would still be lots of people I know and I could visit the Exhibit Hall to network. I didn't plan to attend many sessions. I wasn't coming to play: I had real work to do. Besides, I'm already a techy, so I didn't need to be convinced to enter the 21st century. I love the latest gadgets, monitor new developments and keep up to date. I'm already in constant reach via the internet, being a sad, pathetic geek who actually goes to sleep cradling her iPhone whilst listening to audiobooks, and awakens bleary-eyed (sometimes with the cord wrapped around my neck) to check email, FB status and tweets. What could I possibly learn about technology and genealogy? I'm already all over it. HAH! Wrong! Just goes to show, you don't know what you don't know. It's not about the gadgets.

Before the conference even began there was a soft hum developing. The organizers stayed in touch with attendees, keeping us informed of late-breaking developments. Tuesday we heard there were 2,000 attendees. Compare that to the two major national conferences, sponsored by NGS and FGS, which usually attract about 1,500. The night before it began the number ballooned to 3,000!

We could have lounged in bed and watched the keynote online instead of stepping across the street, but the buzz was calling us, so we went. Because of so many last-minute sign-ups, registration was jammed, so I just skipped it and went to the hall to witness the keynote, given by Shane Robison, Executive VP and Chief Strategy and Tech Officer at Hewlett–Packard and Jay Verkler, President and CEO of FamilySearch. It was held in an enormous room, with rock music playing, four huge screens, photographers everywhere and an announcer who counted down the minutes to blast-off in a smooth-as-silk polished media "voice of God." "This ain't your father's genealogy conference," was the phrase being circulated. OK, fine, so it's jazzier, in a slightly comical, corporate kind of way. Alarming to the elderly, and amusing but not earth-shattering to the techie crowd.

Myles Kimmitt
Patent-Worthy Circuit Design Engineer,
Enabler of Moore's Law

Shane Robison came on to put into perspective the vastness of the internet and the potential for growth. He reminded us of Moore's Law which asserts that the amount of computing power they can squish onto a microprocessing chip doubles every 18 months, thanks to my husband and other genius engineers of his ilk. Moore formulated this in 1965 and it has consistently been proved correct. We never can believe it will still happen, but it does. Yes, yes, I know, technology is grand and getting more and more efficient. The amount of data online also doubles every 18 months which I could feel, if not give specific statistics about. Ho hum. The immensity of potential is great, but not surprising, and definitely not inspiring.

Just hearing Jay Verkler's bio recited was enough to mark him as someone to whom I need to pay particular attention: obvious software genius, having been with several Silicon Valley companies, the most familiar of which to me was Oracle. But here's the sentence that got me: "Mr. Verkler studied electrical engineering, computer science and chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as Japanese and Asian studies at Harvard University." Except I swear they said Japanese and Chinese... Not your average geek. And he pulled this conference together in the maniacally short period of seven months. Unheard of! He bounced onto the stage and won us over with his passion for spreading knowledge.

FamilySearch Mini-Lab
Have your cake and eat it, too!

This is the crux of the conference. It can't be easily explained, or at least I haven't yet extracted the essence of what is making everyone so slightly crazy. We don't even have a clue what we're in for. Remember ten years ago? Many people didn't have cell phones. Professional genealogists didn't use the web. People were suspicious of Ancestry.com because they made us pay for access! Then FamilySearch came along and we got the IGI online, but the IGI is based on two things: member submissions and extracts. Many people did not understand the difference. Remember those that said you can't trust anything you find on the web? That wasn't very long ago. They said this because all they had found was personal family trees with no documentation, and facts such as born 2 July 1603, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA. They threw out the baby with the bathwater. Eventually, the baby was resuscitated as people began to realize that valid original documents were being scanned and uploaded, careful (often volunteer) indexers were donating their time to give us access to these documents, and today you'd be considered horribly inefficient if you did not start most research projects with an overview of the internet. Things change quickly.

RootsTech 2011
Randy Whited consults the Unconferencing Board

Jay outlined the goals of the organizers. For old genealogy dogs like me, it was exciting to have a different model. The focus here was on connectivity, collaboration and community. Many sessions were to be interactive. They introduced the concept of Unconferencing, where you sign up on a white board for a time spot by entering your brilliant idea, others gather and energetic collaboration ensues! People emerged from these with eyes sparkling and I overhead several people describing conversations between developers and genealogists that left both feeling validated and motivated. Microsoft provided a fun "Playground" with pool tables and air hockey, XBox games, chess, ping-pong etc., which encouraged the programmers to get creative and the genealogists to let down their white hair a little. It was hysterical. I even wished my kids were with me! The organizers created a collaboration zone with couches for relaxing and knocking heads together. They served popcorn at the software demonstrations. Little additions like this keep everyone on their toes and help us accept new paradigm.

So I keep talking about how everything is changing, but what, exactly?? Curt Witcher, Historical Genealogy Department Manager at the Allen County Public Library was instrumental in forcing me to undergo a fundamental shift in perspective. His keynote moved many of us to tears, over and over again. This is not normal for me, to gently weep during keynotes. Curt's message was "just get the story out there." Instead of harping on WDYTYA producers for not ensuring that white gloves be required, for instance, be delighted that our passion is being introduced to more and more people. Find ways to welcome them, encourage them and help them. And that doesn't mean you start by quoting ESM on source citations. Everyone deserves the chance to know the story of their ancestors. It's about our humanity, the essence of life, our shared journey. We can help them to understand professional concepts later––just connect up with then first, and help them connect with others. And above all, share the results of your own research! Don't be afraid of people stealing your work, just disseminate it!

Nathan FitzGerald Kimmitt
Official Welcoming Committee
Barnes Family Reunion
June 2010, Scituate, Massachusetts

Genealogy used to be practiced by individuals working at home or in libraries. They were removed from one another. Unless the researcher wrote a book for his family, they usually never saw the results of his hard work unless it was displayed in a pedigree or fan chart on the wall. In fact, that's just what I did last summer to introduce some of my own relatives to our ancestors. People were interested, but it was very static and dry. A bigger hit were the photo albums, but what we all loved the most was recognizing shared family traits, or hearing stories we had somehow missed before. Just being together was the fun of it. We made a video which will be so precious to my children's children, when they see my sons (their dads) at 19 and 17 with their Great Uncle Eben who was 80+. The key to this conference is the counterintuitive realization that technology will bring us closer. In fact, our own reunion took place because of my blog, which brought a long lost branch of our tree back to the fold. The excitement of finding each other online, first via the blog, then telephone, then Facebook, led to the face-to-face reunion.

Once I heard Curt, I gave myself over and just stayed at the conference. Luckily, I had exhausted most of my research leads, so being in SLC and not at the FHL was tolerable. The nagging guilt was soon overcome by the rush of ideas that flowed for the next two days. The floodgates were opened and our imaginations are finally able to go there. Just as Facebook keeps me connected to family, friends and colleagues in a most intimate way, so will technology enhance my ability to serve my clients. I will provide them with a better service because my product will not just be a written report with charts and a gedcom, but I will attempt to bring the passion I feel for their families to them as well. I will encourage newbies and not cringe (much) when they say, "I'll remember where I found that, I don't need to cite my sources." I won't talk about ESM until the third date. And I will be tireless in advocating to local societies the need for them to take their mission online. Otherwise, they will fail. I will help them find a way to bridge the gap between computerless members and the rest, and I will show them that the only way to attract new members, and members in large quantity, is via the internet,

RootsTech 2011

Media Hub

Many initially worry that putting information and webinars online will kill societies (and society!) because members won't bother to leave their homes. Again, counterintuitive! The technology does not replace our humanity, it brings it alive and serves to connect us to one another, be aware of one another, and causes us to want to gather. The Official Bloggers, shown above hard at work, managed to get the word out to the community, not just by blogging, but also via Facebook and Twitter and probably stuff I haven't even heard of! Many other non-official participants also tweeted constantly about the amazing sessions we attend, and drove those not in attendance into a jealous, but happy frenzy. It's not about the technology, it's about how the technology draws us together.

RootsTech 2011 was an amazing accomplishment. The organizers dared to patch this together in a mere seven months, and there were some issues. As I mentioned, registration was jammed. It was hard to find individual lecture notes in the syllabus. They could have used a few traffic monitors. But hese are minor considerations and inconveniences that were easily tolerated by attendees because the reward to being present was so great. Organizers are going to have their hands full preparing for next year's RootsTech. I can't imagine how they will pull it off again, given the exponential nature of the power of technology to atttract attendees apparently, but the innovation in the minds of those planning this event is impressive. I can't wait for RootsTech 2012 (v. 2.0!) and I hope to see you there 2-4 February 2012. We'll have fun!

RootsTech 2011
Microsoft Playground

Honeymoon in the Philippine Islands

2011-02-10T21:08:00.002-05:00

Today I was going through microfilmed marriage certificates from the Philippines. It was slow going since each certificate had a whole page to itself, not like scanning an index (no index!) or register, even. So I paged through, one at a time, in search of the marriage of a young solider named Perez. I noticed that some of the names are creative and evocative of character traits, so I got to thinking how each of these grooms would behave on his honeymoon. Then I just made up a story where they were all the same guy.

Consider the blushing groom as he signs his marriage contract. He is so in love with his bride-to-be and ready to:

Mr. Go Go

The wedding reception is a little wild. Feeling on top of the world, he enjoys the festivities, indulging in food and wine perhaps a bit too much.

Mr. Dionisio Green

All that wine takes its toll. Though he tries his best, the wedding night doesn't quite meet the bride's expectations.

Mr. Imprescion Ordinario

It's so bad, in fact, that she gets a fit of the giggles.

Mr. Pedro Hilario

He doesn't take it well.

Mr. Severino Defuntorum

See where your mind can go when you're cranking microfilm all day?

NERGC Presenter Interview: John Philip Colletta

2011-02-08T20:38:00.001-05:00

11th New England Regional Genealogical Conference

Exploring New Paths to Your Roots

6-10 April 2011

Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place and Springfield Marriott

Springfield, Massachusetts

John Philip Colletta
Keynote Speaker, NERGC
http://www.genealogyjohn.com/index.html

John is a nationally known and well loved genealogist, having been teaching and presenting at conferences for many years now. He has published numerous articles and three books: They Came on Ships, Finding Italian Roots, and Only a Few Bones. For 21 years he taught workshops at NARA and the Smithsonian, and today he lectures and teaches at Samford (IGHR) and SLIG, as well as at other venues across the country. I've always been impressed by the high quality of his writing, and hearing him in person, a warm and thoughtful personality shines through. Here are some excerpts from the interview.

Polly: You begin Only a Few Bones with yourself at fourteen years old interviewing your Grandmother about family history. I know that the story your grandmother told about Barbara Ring spurred your research, but what sparked this initial interest at such a tender age?
John: My mother! One summer when I was home from school and not knowing what to do and moping around the house, my mother came across an article in a women's magazine about illustrating a family tree. So she sat me down with a piece of paper and a pen and said, "Here, you can draw me a family tree. Ask me the questions." Of course, she had no idea what it would lead to, and she has told me so several times since.

Polly: I'd like to hear about your transition from doctorate in Medieval French studies to genealogy because I was a French major in college and have also moved into genealogy. What is your story?
John: It was by necessity. When I finished my doctorate in the 1980s PhDs were a dime a dozen: there was a huge shift in demography. Baby boomers were out of college, tenured faculty was laid off, and so I taught only part time. I had a big decision to make in the mid-1980s. Was I going to be bounced around from university to university teaching beginning grammar and French or would I shift into a whole different field which was growing and for which I had the skills? So I made the shift into genealogy. Everything I was interested in––history, language, paleography, old records, foreign countries––could pretty comfortably be transferred over. Besides I was a teacher. By the 1980s genealogy was no longer the domain of the blue bloods and Mayflower descendants. Genealogists of African-American descent, Jewish, Irish, Italian, Greek, Polish, Slovakian, everyone was doing genealogy. But for most Americans the stumbling block was transitioning to the foreign records and languages, and that's where I fit in beautifully.

Polly: Have you ever worked in other professions besides teaching and genealogy?
John: Oh yes, I worked half time at the Library of Congress for nearly twenty years to pay the bills. I worked in the US Copyright Office while I was building up a repertoire, and I also taught at the National Archives and the Smithsonian. I really worked at it to get into self employment. I don't know if I'd recommend it to young people as a way to make a living. Today it requires a lot of business sense.

Polly: I’m interested in the process you went through when writing Only a Few Bones. I love how you were initially astonished at your own preconceived notions about the South. Did you feel disappointed that history is not taught more accurately?
John: I wasn't so disappointed as I was made aware of the fact that when you take 12-week history courses in college, by their very nature they are filled with generalizations. They talk about The Deep South, not distinguishing between the Florida peninsular, the Mississippi Bayou or Texas, for instance. Studying in school you learn generalizations which hold true for most situations, but in genealogy you deal with the specific. Your ancestors take you into corners of American history that just don't fit the generalization. In that particular place, at that particular time, no, it wasn't this way. And we as genealogists learn this and appreciate it because we go down to specific families and countries and we learn on a small scale what the events were at the time and that's often not what the history books say. It simplifies it to zero in specifically on the county of the ancestors. I tried to be as fair and unbiased as I could be in telling the story. I always say, "Look at the records, let the records tell the story."

Polly: How did you keep track of the vast amount of data you collected for the book?
John: The way they did it in the 18th century, I guess. I have file folders by subject. I have a Context folder for hairdoes, shoes, clothes; a Place folder; and each main character, major family, and major topics also get a folder. I'm writing a book now about a man who was a founder of bronze statues in the 1850s, so I've got folders on New York foundries, bronze castings, and the Washington Navy Yard where he worked for a while casting canons.

I do not digitize every doc or source or record that I find. I'm still one of the few people that will go around with a pad and paper. After I compose an article or a chapter, I take out each folder and review the documentation page by page to make sure I have incorporated all of the pertinent information. It's time consuming but then I can check it off and know my work is complete.

Polly: I assume that you use some technology in your work. Technology has come a long way from word processing, email, online databases, through Powerpoint, social networking, and Skype, to today's virtual meetings and web presentations. Do you use technology reluctantly or are you on the cutting edge?
John: I whine and complain and rave and rant. I hide, I cry. I find change difficult. My colleagues would recount horror stories of being before an audience of 300 people with no slides appearing, but today there is better compatibility in equipment so I am taking the plunge. Knowing that NGS and FGS both require electronic presentations, as do the New York Public Library and NERGC, brings it home. Nobody under 30 knows what an overhead project is. Archives, universities, just can't accomodate. I've been kicked into the 21st century, but it's magnificent when it all works well. That's just the way it goes. My ancestors probably had trouble shifting from a fountain pen to the typewriter, I guess.

This morning I'm working on a talk I'm giving at NGS in Charleston to a group of genealogical speakers and I'm going to be speaking on the changes over the last 40 years. I have found it extremely difficult to get into the technology. It's not a matter of intelligence or ability. We all have different gifts. I know what I can do well, what I've honed over the years. Technology I am finding extremely challenging. You've caught me at a crucial turning point in my life. I made a decision a few years ago that if I'm going to continue to teach, which I love to do, I absolutely must get with the technology and so I have been transfering my hundreds and hundreds of overheads to Powerpoint, and by the end of 2011 my goal is to be totally transferred over. Fortunately I have Christine Rose. She is a dear friend of many years, and my mentor. She (software) and her husband (hardware) have been very gracious in giving me time when needed and they have offered to help me buy a projector this spring.

Polly: Do you plan to attend Roots Tech?
John: I seriously considered attending, unfortunately because of other commitments I can't, but that's what I need. I need to get into a classroom and learn about new technologies. A young colleague of mine from the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Joshua Taylor, is going to do a whole presentation on using technology in teaching genealogy. I'm going to be there! But as a self-employed individual I haven't had any institution behind me. And no family geeks. We have to be self motivated and keep up our education on our own and that's hard to do.

Polly: You wrote a very useful handbook on doing Italian Research called Finding Italian Roots. How often to you visit Italy?
John: Not much. I do go biking in Tuscany. Haven't worked much on my father's family in years. The paternal relatives now want a book like Only a Few Bones, but for the Italian side. I'd love to do more research about my Italian ancestors, one or two branches in particular that fascinate me. I've not really done much with Italian research. I do a lot more with my mother's background and my American ancestors simply because the records are here. I am making it known now as a revamping of my career that I can read old Italian very well. I made many trips in the 1970s and 1980s to Sicily in particular, where my father's people are from. But we have to work with what is more readily available, so I mainly stick with American research.

Polly: What sort of things to you do to relax?
John: I enjoy my work tremendously. I do love publishing, and I love to see my words in print, but I also know how to relax. I make time for a full life apart from genealogy. I have very dear friends of many years. I have a home that I maintain and "entertain in" which Washington DC is famous for. I do theatre, I love opera, and the National Symphony is spectatular. Biking is a major thing. I maintain quite a serious regimen of biking up and down the Potomac River and out into Virginia. I find that physical fitness goes hand in hand with creative juices. I work better, think more clearly, enjoy everything much more, when I feel fit. On my last couple of trips to France I went biking in Normandy and Brittany, and did no genealogy or historical research!

I also have a great family of four brothers, a sister and Mom up in Buffalo. If you come from a big family, a lot of your social life is already built-in and dictated, so to speak. I've got a great family, we're very close.

Polly: Is there anything you want to say about your NERGC sessions?
John: I hope people will enjoy them!

F-212 – Friday, 10am – Federal Court Records, 1789-1920s

F-221 – Friday, 1:45pm – Erie Canal Genealogy: The Peopling of Upstate New York and the Midwest: Really an eye-opener. Everybody enjoys this talk.

S-313 – Saturday, 10am – The Library of Congress: An Introduction and Overview: I've been at the LOC since 1971. It's an astounding, astounding great treasure in this country for research. My only problem is whittling the session down from two hours to one. There is so much to say about resources for genealogists.

S-341 – KEYNOTE Sat. Banquet, 7pm – Hacks and Hookers and Putting Up Pickles: Snares of Yesteryear’s English. This is a wonderful talk and very important for genealogists to understand how language changes: how the meanings of words are different in different parts of the country at different times. There's an imporant message there.

End of Interview

What It's Like to Research at the Family History Library

2011-02-07T01:49:00.001-05:00

Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah

Fun!
I'm on a flight enroute to Salt Lake City and am thinking about the first time I went to the Family History Library, not all that long ago. I was so happy I thought I'd pop. I felt like a five-year old on Christmas Eve. I was very excited about what I might find, but also a little nervous that it would be so overwhelming that it would take me days to get up to speed. Instead, I read up on it ahead of time and followed what so many sage authors told me to do. I'm not going to reinvent the wheel and go through everything you need to know, but I can point you to others who have already done so.

Prepare Ahead!

My fellow Genea-Blogger, Randy Seaver published a post, Preparing to Visit the Family History Library back in January of 2009 that was very helpful. And just as helpful are the comments left by his readers.

Kimberly Powell, About.com's genealogy guru, has a great introductory article, Research at the Family History Library, for new researchers.

EHow.com has an article, too including info on how to download the FHL's special bookmark collection onto your own computer which can be helpful before you go.

The old FamilySearch.org has a FAQ page which might answer some of your questions as well.

Take Advantage of the Tremendous Website

In order to use the library effectively, you should be familiar with the website at familysearch.org. It's layout is deceivingly simply. What first catches your eye is a search form. This is the home page, and where you do searches for information the FHL has uploaded to the website. You may have already used this, and will continue to use it while at the library as you update your information.

But let's look first to the bar at the top of that page.

While researching you will be concerned with the first two on the left. Click on FamilySearch to get back to the home page from wherever you are on the site.

If you click on Learn it will bring you to the FamilySearch Wiki. A wiki is like an encyclopedia, with the entries constantly being updated. This is where you go when you have a question and wish you had a live person to ask. It's the next best thing! For instance, I'll be doing some research in the Philippines, so I immediately went to the FamilySearch wiki page on the Philippines to find out what records have been created (and by whom), which ones have been filmed by the FHL, and which ones are available on familysearch.org. This is a tremendous asset to the researcher! So, of course I went to the wiki to learn tips and techniques for researching at the FHL.

Back at the home page you see this:

Look at the line with Historical Records, Family Trees and Library Catalog. Historial records are what have been uploaded and can be found on the FamilySearch website. Family Trees are submissions from all sorts of people and can be useful, but can have errors and should be verified. And finally, this is how you access the card catalog.

The Card Catalog is Your Best Friend

I'm going to assume you have done most of your preliminary research, though. Before you go you'll need to have your notes in order, with lists of things you intend to research. In order to do this, and to save precious research time, you should go into the Family History Library catalog. I don't want to give step-by-step instructions of anything here because the entire website is changing a lot these days, as they upload more and more information for lucky genies. But if you go to the wiki you'll find Introduction to the Family History Library Catalog which will help you get organized before you go. While you're doing your advance research, you'll be improving your skills and speed, and that will save you even more time at the library itself.

But what does it feel like to research at the Family History Library?
Like the website, the library itself is deceptively simply in its layout. Upon entering you are greeted by friendly missionaries who are happy to direct you to the correct floor. Do not be concerned that the missionaries will try and convert you on the spot. On the whole I have found them to be extremely courteous and helpful in non-complex genealogical questions, and I think they understand that people are there to work. No one has ever discussed religion with me there. For more complicated questions you can ask someone at the central help desks.

Orientation
They do have an actual orientation, which can give you a better feel for the layout. Unlike most research facilities, there is no sign-in, no ID required, no research fee. It feels very open and free. So I usually wheel in my briefcase quite early (it opens at 8:00am) and find a good cubicle on the floor I want that day (3-US and Canada books, 2-US and Canada microfilm, 1-Family History books, B1-International and B2-British Isles). The only floor I don't use much is the first floor. My ideal cubicle is dark, has a fine microfilm reader, and enough room for my laptop and a notebook. I lock my computer to the furniture and off I go. You need to buy a copy card if you want to make photocopies, or even better, bring a flash drive and you can download your images directly to that!

Researchers at the Family History Library's microfilm readers

You are allowed to walk up and fetch your own microfilm or books, as many as you want (within reason, I'm sure) and again, no check-out, no watchful eye. It's very relaxing, and nice to feel you're trusted. There's always a quiet hum of pages turning, microfilm machines being cranked, people helping others, missionaries chatting with each other or helping, and photocopy machines running. OK, maybe not so quiet, but it all fades into white noise once you wind that microfilm up.

Cabinets full of microfilm documents from all over the world

The Thrill
The vast quantity of information contained under that one roof never ceases to amaze me. I frequently think to myself, "Well, I got more Massachusetts research done in Salt Lake City today than I could have in Massachusetts in three days." Why? Because there is no driving time. No waiting while clerks retrieve registers, or order volumes from an off-site location. It makes me feel so efficient! And then, not only can I research in Massachusetts and New England records, but I can go across the world. It's truly amazing. When doing Irish research, the mantra is always, "Do the bulk of your research here in the US, then cross the ocean." When you're in SLC you can do both! You feel like a world traveler. It's a great feeling!

Who Do You Think You Are? (WDYTYA?) Slowly Improving

2011-02-05T10:34:00.000-05:00

Last night season two of "Who Do You Think You Are?" premiered on NBC. I was anxious to see if the producers had listened to feedback from the genealogical community. Last year we were all excited at the announcement of the show. To see genealogy featured in a prime time network television show was and still is exciting because it introduces our field to the general community. A lot of people have a vague awareness of what we do, but that's where it remains––vague.

I don't have a lot of patience with television in general because of the commercials. I don't need people shouting at me telling me what to buy or how to be cool and desirable when I'm just trying to relax. I can handle the PBS type of advertisements, but that's about it. When you're not a habitual TV watcher and you tune in for something, it is just amazing how little substance there is. Most people have just gradually become accustomed to it, but I am not. So, I have very little patience with the fluff of recaps and previews, five minutes of programming and five minutes of commercials. On the other hand, I accept that that's how it is, and made allowances for it.

Image via Wikipedia

Last year it was so bad it was laughable. It was as if the producers assumed the general population functions with only half a brain. People aren't as dumb as they think! To make things worse, Ancestry.com had long commercials which seemed to blend into the show as if it were one long infomercial. There was a bit of overacting on the part of some (Sarah Jessica Parker for one, and her mother, too!), and it seemed as if they had missed the boat on finding just the right combination of entertainment and education.

Professional genealogists, including me, squawked and offered feedback. Our research method is thoughtful, methodical, multifaceted and careful––180º away from the TV format. Most of us were just glad that genealogy had made it prime time and tried not to watch too closely. Besides, some of our colleagues were in the spotlight and we wanted to support them. We offered our constructive criticisms and were glad when a season 2 was announced.

As last season progressed, though, many of us were dismayed at the dumbing down of the actual research process. Celebrities were presented with the results of long hours of research as if it were to be easily found in any library. Professionals know that it is not. Most people don't have any idea of what we do, so they need to learn about it in order to appreciate it, whether on the show or in our work. We're familiar with the concept of people starting from scratch. Many clients are in just that situation. They know very little about their family and want to present an aging parent with the family history, for instance. Part of what the professional does while negotiating with the client for the contract and then writing up a report is to instruct him or her on what we are doing. Ten hours spent searching for records is still ten hours of a researcher's time, whether the records exist or not. Courthouse fires, lack of indexes, unhelpful staff, decreased funding, ancestors who avoided the census taker and tax man, all mean that we don't always find what we're looking for. This had been totally ignored on WDYTYA. People got the impression that the records and artifacts exist for every ancestor. They don't.

Cover of Vanessa Williams

So we all sat down last night, ready to micro-analyze the show, still excited, but jaded. In my humble opinion it is much improved over last year! The focus seemed to move away from the celebrity herself to her ancestors. While it is not the purpose of this show to teach genealogy, they nevertheless need to make the audience aware of issues that crop up. This time we saw them examine lots of records: military, land, census, cemetery, government documents and more. This is the essence of genealogical research: examining records, extracting information, and correlating it to provide proof of kinship. Vanessa Williams got excited at each tiny new discovery, which, after all, is how it works, and she even took notes. This heightened the sense of journey, as we felt more of the actual discovery process.

When Vanessa was lucky enough to have found a tintype of her ancestor, the archivist clearly pointed out that in twenty years of research she had never seen such a thing. It is extremely rare. So don't expect it! But that's why the Vanessa Williams segment made the show: it's unusual and dramatic. By putting that into perspective they accomplish three things: 1) they enhance the drama; 2) they educate the public; 3) they satisfy the professionals' wish to be clear about the research process. So, well done, producers!

There's one issue which hasn't been addressed overtly and that is proper care and preservation of original materials. We routinely rely on original and unique records, sometimes hundreds of years old. It is imperative that we stop and consider how best to care for each document. Even professionals can't agree about whether or not gloves should be worn. The very latest advice from state of the art institutions and repositories shies away from gloves because they make the user more clumsy and likely to damage delicate documents. Clean hands and page-turning spatulas, or rubber fingertips are becoming de rigueur. In either case, it is totally unnecessary for the celebrity to run her fingers across the ink in ancient registers, deeds and the like. If they think it's too dull for us to just read along, then use some snappy digital overlay or something. Ix-nay on the ingers-fay! The same holds true for holding a red pen a millimeter away from same. Not necessary and enough to get any researcher booted out of a repository. What's the harm in teaching these things? They come up naturally and to the producers' advantage, they enhance the mystery and rarity of the find. Doesn't take a genius, people. Fix this!

Image via Wikipedia

I notice that some people object to the use of celebrities at all as subjects of the research. TV being what it is, I can understand why they started it this way, but they should consider doing it for "the little people." With celebrities you start off with a certain number of people already prejudiced again them, as is the case with poor Rosie O'Donnell. When the producers understand that the subject is the ancestors, not the celebrity, the show will improve. I wondered if they might consider having people send in requests for research into their family history, such as is done with reality shows like Extreme Makeover, arguing why they want to discover their roots.

All in all, I was very pleased with the improvements made so far. I concede that they will not change the amount of commercial time, not some of the fluff. They still have a long way to go in creating the sense of mystery and drive to find that next piece of information lurking in a rare and elusive document. They aren't listening to their professionals who know the drama involved in each project. When they figure out how to portray that they will have a real hit on their hands.

Touch as little as possible!

Remembering Past Homes

2011-02-01T20:09:00.001-05:00

Have you ever sat down and counted up all of the places you've lived in? As I write this, the list grows and grows! I've called lots of places home in my life even though I'm not really the moving type. Here's a rather long autobiographical post about places I've rested my head at night.

When I was born my parents lived with my mother's mother in the 200-year old Barnes family homestead, a big colonial in Scituate, Massachusetts. The house, at 48 Booth Hill Road, was built by my sea captain ancestor Israel Vinal Sr. and given by his grandson Nathaniel to his daughter Polly Vinal at the time of her wedding to Joseph Barnes of Hingham. This house is the basis of my logo, shown above and on my business cards.

Oldest photo I know of:
48 Booth Hill Road, North Scituate, Massachusetts

Grandma had raised her five children there and when I was born my parents and three siblings were living with her. We moved from Grandma's house when I was a little less than three, but I still have a few hazy memories of being upstairs in a crib watching the shadows playing on the wall while I waited for my mother to retrieve me. The difference in age between my older siblings and me is so great that my eldest brother graduated from high school in Scituate before we moved away, and my sister stayed with Grandma so she could graduate that year. And then they were off to college, and my parents and brother and I moved to Marshfield.

After we moved to Marshfield we visited my grandmother in Scituate on Saturdays until she passed away when I was just seven. I loved my grandmother wildly. She was the only living grandparent I ever knew and she played card games with me every Sunday when she came to have dinner at our house. I thought she was very funny because when I'd need to pause for a potty break, she'd say, "Go for me, too, while you're in there, will ya?" Grandma was intelligent and civic-minded and extremely well-read. I wonder what we talked about? One of my fondest memories was the old stone wall in front of her house. I just loved walking along on top of the stone wall and holding her or my mother's hand. It made me tall, granted me a new perspective on my small world and gave me a sense of power. This is where my love of history began.

48 Booth Hill Road
Stone wall in foreground has been cemented over
Taken sometime in 2009

Our next house is the one I think of as my childhood home, where I "grew up." I played outside in the woods, climbed trees, played house, got my first cat, Pansy, and learned to read, ride a bike, cook, swim, play the flute, hula-hoop, and on and on! It was a small ranch on an unpaved road only a quarter of a mile from the Atlantic Ocean in Marshfield, one town away from Scituate. We lived there for eleven years and I loved it. I knew every nook and cranny of the neighborhood and felt confident there. I had friends a few doors down who treated me like family, and to this day, when I smell certain smells or something triggers a memory, they always come to mind.

Growing up

My parents moved back to Scituate when I was in the middle of 8th grade. Lots of people seemed to know and remember me, but they were all strangers to me since we had moved away when I was so young. We lived just three houses down from 48 Booth Hill Road, at 84 Booth Hill Road. It was an old house, built before the Civil War. The people who had lived there hadn't renovated it ever, except to add a bathroom. My parents had to install a heating system, even! This is the house I lived in from about age 13 until college, with the occasional stays until 1990. If I had to choose one house to call home, this would be it. My parents lived here from 1968 until 1990 or so. My brother inherited the house from my mother and lives there with his family.

84 Booth Hill Road
Painted for our wedding, in 1988

Updated 84 Booth Hill Road in 2008

Once I went to college things started to pick up. I lived in two different college dorms at UMass, Knowlton (all female––synchronized periods!) and Lewis. I worked at the Cape in the summers and lived in a rooming house (!) and a motel. The latter was distressing to my mother because I brought home "water bugs" aka cocroaches!!! in our minifridge at the end of the summer. Nasty.

UMass, Northeast area, circa 1977

As an exchange student in France, I rented a room from a very old woman and her daughter who invited me to dinner every Sunday night. The daughter, Therèse, had quite a beard going, and she would slurp her potage, fall asleep and snore loudly, leaving Madame Habeault and I to chat about World War II and other niceties. Again on exchange, this time for a summer in Quebec, I stayed in a house with several other students. All I remember is sparse. Then after college, I lived briefly in a double decker in Watertown until I moved to Italy.

In Rome I lived in lots of different abodes, including: a couple of different pensiones; a tiny, grubby, garret studio apartment; a nice apartment that I shared with two Iranian cellists (?); my office in Piazza Barberini; a horrible room in a horrible apartment rented to me by a horrible man (beard stubble in soap--shortlived); my temporary fiancé's mother's house, and a few other forgettable places. At that time I was living out of a huge suitcase, so the trauma of moving was minimal, but I hated not being able to put down solid roots. The fiancé thing didn't work out, so I returned home.

Piazza Barberini
Rome

Image via Wikipedia

After staying for a few months with my parents I moved into an apartment in Watertown, sharing a double decker with a different roommate. The place was okay, but the landlord was a creep and wouldn't fix things, so I moved to more cockroaches in Cleveland Circle, Brighton. Of course I didn't know it when I moved in, but a lady down the hall had extreme squalid conditions in her apartment and oh, never mind. Bad memories of wearing a hoodie to bed at night tightly ensconced under the bedclothes. As soon as I could I moved to a fine studio apartment in Central Square in Cambridge, walking distance from work. I loved that little place. So easy to clean, as opposed to the 10-room monster I now live in. No roaches, but you could hear the people in the next apartment via the oven vents and they sounded as though they were in the same room. Final working girl apartment was again in Watertown. Nice place, clean, one-bedroom, easy commute to work, easy parking. Loved it but finally moved when we married.

Me, my niece Aimee and my mother, Priscilla FitzGerald
Moving me from Watertown to Cambridge
1984

For someone who liked to feel settled, things weren't going well. Myles and I packed up our respective apartments and put it all in storage because we moved to England for a year so that he could get his Master's (Mahstah's) degree in electronic chip design at the University of Southampton. We lived in international student housing in a dear dwelling I referred to as the "Hell-Hole." Talk of sparse! There was a coin-operated machine in a closet via which we purchased electricity, and it took us three months just to get a telephone. The walls were moldy, despite the under-floor heating which just served to bring all of the hidden bacteria from countless past students to the optimal temperature to spread disease. Eww.

I made a scrapbook of our time there. Forgot all about this!

Back to live with my mother at 84 Booth Hill while we shopped around carefully for our first home. I was psyched! We ended up in Shrewsbury, just past Boston's Metrowest, because the cost of living was great, schools had a fine reputation and it was good commuting for Myles. We bought a little brown cape we nicknamed "The Snuggy Brown House." This is the house where I finally got to unpack my wedding presents two years after we married! Its where we brought all three newborn sons home, where they puked and pooped and drooled and ripped and scribbled their way through their early years.

Snuggy Brown House ca 1995

When we reached the point of having three kids share one bedroom, we decided to move, and finally came to our present home, still in Shrewsbury. It's big and comfortable and was brand new when we bought it. It doesn't have the character of an antique home, but new construction is so much easier to maintain. This is where my babies have grown up, gone off to college and where I've honed my genealogical skills. After this I don't think we'll live in more than one more place. Or I would have said that before writing this post, but seeing how easy it seems to have been for me to move, maybe I'll be proved wrong.

Current Dwelling Place

It's funny how quickly someplace can feel comfortable, become the spot where you unwind, the spot you crave when you are tired. Big or small, new or old, I remember that about all of my homes.

Goodbye Cotton Kimball!

2011-01-24T09:04:00.001-05:00

Circa 1906 Postcard of Haverhill, Massachusetts

I really miss having old Cotton Kimball in my tree. I've got this group of elusive ancestors in the Haverhill, Massachusetts area, and for the longest time, I've had a bad link to Cotton. He has been lurking in my genealogical database since the early 1990s, when I was only just grappling with citing sources, never mind working on getting down to the reliability thereof! I like his name, I must admit, and have not been too anxious to knock him off, but I have been gently collecting evidence to do so for years.

It all started innocently enough with Elizabeth Kimball, whose intention to marry Nicholas Colby on 6 March 1796 appears in the published vital records of Haverhill. The intention does not identify Elizabeth's father, and because of this, confusion abounds, Kimball being a very common name in Essex County.

The genealogy I inherited identifies Elizabeth as daughter of Cotton Kimball and Rhoda Sargeant. They have some interesting ancestors, including the Hon. Nathaniel Peaslee Sargeant, Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, for one; and Hannah Dustin for another. We don't often hear much detail on female ancestors, but Hannah has a thrilling and horrifying story (click on her name to read more about her). I really hate sawing that branch off my family tree.

Escape of Thomas & children.
Source: Some Indian Stories of Early New England, 1922
Courtesy of www.hannahdustin.com

But alas, Hannah is not my ancestor because her great grandson Cotton Kimball's daughter, aka Wrong Elizabeth Kimball, was born too late and died too early to have been my Nicholas Colby's wife. Instead, Wrong Elizabeth is shown in the vital records to have been born 6 July 1784. Her birth fits in nicely between two of her siblings: George, born 1782, and Susanna, born 1786, so not a lot of space to push around there. This birthdate would have made her an impossible eleven+ years old at the time of Nicholas Colby's marriage. That was enough to start me on the case.

Nicholas was only 18 when he married Elizabeth Kimball, and their first child (that I have found) is Mary King Colby, born 12 Dec 1796. If Wrong Elizabeth were her mother, she'd still be only 12 at the birth–again, not something we see often in these parts. Elizabeth and Nicholas went on to have at least four more children. The family is treated in Frederick Lewis Weis' The Colby Family in Early America, but he omits two children (including my ancestor, of course) and attributes two children of a different Nicholas to this family unit. This is where my information originated. Quite a little muddle to untangle. It would make a lovely family to sort out in an article, but for today, I'll simply mourn Cotton, Rhoda and their ancestors, including this little lost soul.

Gravestone of Nathanael Sargeant, son of the Rev. Mr. Sargeant
(not to be confused with his younger brother, Nathaniel Peaslee Sargeant)
Pentucket Cemetery, Haverhill, Massachusetts
Courtesty of FindAGrave

Consulting the Haverhill vital records again we find a death: "Kimball, Elisabeth, d. Cotton and Rhoda (Sargeant), Nov. 24, 1817." I did consider that Cotton and Rhoda may have had two daughters named Elizabeth. Though rare, it did occasionally happen. One reason I ruled that out was because Cotton's 1824 will does not mention a daughter Elizabeth. Another more convincing reason is that Nicholas Colby and his wife Elizabeth are buried in Linwood Cemetery in Haverhill. Elizabeth didn't die until 1862.

Index to Essex County Probate

I could go on, but I won't. You'll have to read the article which, at this rate, will appear in about 2015... Cotton's not my ancestor. I've known this for a while and have drifted around examining likely Essex County candidates, but turning up no one worth following. I have finally attached her somewhat solidly (thanks to the NH vital records at familysearch.org) to a John and Mary Kimball of Weare, NH. Exciting stuff. She fits in nicely with a birthdate of 1780 (matches date on gravestone, matches age in 1850 and 1860 censuses). She was young at marriage, but there's a world of difference between 11 and 15!

So, I'm bidding adieu to Cotton, but a little excited that I have a theme for my article.

I'm Ancestor Approved!

2011-01-01T17:53:00.001-05:00

A pleasant way to finish up the year 2010 was being notified that I've received the “Ancestor Approved" award from Kelly (Coghan) Holderbaum, author of Sunny Ancestry (http://sunnyancestry.blogspot.com/). Thank you, Kelly! I hadn't read Kelly's blog before, and am glad to have discovered it, it's really good!

The “Ancestor Approved Award” was created by Leslie Ann of "Ancestors Live Here" in March 2010, and has been passed along to many genealogical bloggers. Recipients are asked to make a list of ten things they have learned about their ancestors that have humbled, surprised, or enlightened them. Then they are to pass on the award to ten other bloggers who are doing their ancestors proud.

Being a professional genie and all, I'd like to extend the criteria for the "Things I've Learned" list to include clients' ancestors as well!

1. I had a hard time letting go of Cotton Kimball as the father of Elizabeth Kimball wife of Nicholas Colby of Haverhill. Cotton has some great people in his line, especially fearless Hannah Duston, of scalping fame. But this year I replaced him with John and Mary (Kimball) Kimball, so now I have twice as many Kimballs as I thought.

Hannah Dustin/Duston of Haverhill
Photo Courtesy: Prof. Joseph Modugno (Hawthorneinsalem.org)

2. I've learned how to say no when asked to help with volunteer activities. I already do too much and though I want to help all of the societies to which I belong, there just ain't enough of me to go around! To remedy this dilemma I just switch around from society to society. This is good for networking, also.

3. When working as a consulting genealogist at Ancestors Roadshows, etc., I've learned that most people don't have questions they want to ask me. Almost everyone simply wants to tell me what they've done and who their ancestors were. A little validation of their research techniques goes a long way!

4. Tom Jones (Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL) taught me that just because you write as you go along doesn't mean you're not going to have to write the whole danged thing over again because of something you discover towards the end of your journey. One little piece of evidence can make you have to reorganize the presentation of your data, and if you don't do it, you're not able to prove your point effectively. Thank you, Tom!

5. I keep thinking of a trip we took to England when I was 6 months pregnant and my eldest child was 18 months old. The flight was delayed, he got completely hyped from being overtired and cried (screamed) his way across the Atlantic Ocean. We were mortified at the horrible experience we were providing for our dagger-eyed fellow passengers. We were seated in the middle of the 5-seat row and the hostesses totally ignored us, even when he threw up while we were landing. This took all of 18 hours from start to finish, I had my husband and good friend to help, and still I think of the trauma! Recently, I was researching a lady from the Azores who came over with her 2-year old and a 9-month old in 1907 by ship. Who knows if she may have been pregnant? I keep thinking of her now and being awfully glad we were able to fly to England rather than take a ship! What a whiner I am!

SS Peninsular
Courtesy The Guiod Family Website

6. I've learned that it is much better to just hand over a not-quite ready gedcom file to a friend than to make her wait another ten years because I've almost discovered something else. This is humbling.

7. It makes me feel centered and calm to study the past. Researching ancestors and reading about the history of countless localities has an effect on you after a while. You see patterns in behavior, in the ways that people react to certain situations and it makes you feel like the past is not so distant. You feel like you can predict the outcome of so many events based on whether or not people are paying attention to the past.

8. Plenty of people know very, very little about their ancestors, even as close as their own grandparents. Most people cannot name their eight great-grandparents. While not beneficial to those people, it is good for the professional genealogist because it brings more clients our way, but more important, gives us the gift of telling people about their own families and seeing their happiness as a result. I love this!

9. Having a family reunion is a great way to get the entire extended family interested in genealogy. It brings out photos (Essie, I haven't forgotten your album!), introduces people with different political beliefs, or from different parts of the country to the concept that they have much in common with each other, starting with 99 percent of their ancestors, and makes for great deviled egg consumption!

My nephew John Kemmett, cousin, Esther (page) Klaiber
and brother Tim FitzGerald
Barnes Family Reunion 2010

10. Twentieth century research is tough! The completely new dimension of dealing with live people is introduced and suddenly we have to be conscious of people's feelings and sensitivities! This is scary, but worthwhile in that we get to bring families together!

Blogger awards are a great way to get to know my fellow bloggers because they usually have a requirement that you pass along the admiration, so below you will find my top ten favorite blogs. The challenge lies in winnowing down my list to just ten. I just can't believe how many great writers there are out there! And how fascinating the variation in people's approaches to genealogy. Some of them encourage me by their own dogged research, others keep me up to date on technological issues, a few make me want to call them and enjoy a loooooong cup of coffee together discussing life and ancestors, and the rest are just plain entertaining! I hope you enjoy them all as much as I do! I hereby pass the "Ancestors Approved" award to the following geneabloggers (in no particular order)!

1. Heather Rojo's Nutfield Genealogy

2. Bill West's West in New England

3. Marian Pierre-Louis's Marian's Root & Rambles

4. Anne Morddel's The French Genealogy Blog

5. Paula Stuart-Warren's Paula's Genealogical Eclectica

6. Mel Wolfgang's Mnemosyne's Magic

7. Stefania [unknown]'s L'origine della famiglia Basaba

8. Miriam Robbins' AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors

9. Susan Petersen's Long Lost Relatives

10. Caitlin GD Hopkins' Vast Public Indifference

Lost Souls of Children

2010-12-14T21:40:00.001-05:00

Yesterday my historian pal, Harry, called to tell me his cousin had discovered a previously unknown baby buried in their family plot. Little Betty Richardson apparently lived about three years (1931-1934), had no gravestone and was not known to the family. She was born, died and disappeared. Harry and I discussed how this makes us want to visit her little grave and acknowledge her existence. Somehow we want to mark the fact that she ever walked the earth. It makes death seem a little less harsh if we imagine our memory outliving us, but how long can the memory of a three-year old live on? Once her parents are gone, who is there to perpetuate her memory? So today I await the outcome of a search for her parents in the Worcester City Clerk's office. But I don't even really need to know who her parents were. I just want to lay a Christmas rose upon her grave and mark the fact that she spent time on this earth, poor little soul.

My own family has a similar lost soul. My grandmother and mother, both genealogists, passed down to me that Israel Merritt Barnes (Senior) and his wife Olive Litchfield suffered a wait of 16 years after their daughters’ deaths before they welcomed another child –– Israel Jr. This was the reason that Israel Jr. was grew up to be so spoiled and squandered any money the family had managed to accumulate––he was just overly loved.

Israel and Olive had married in 1840. They first had Hannah E. Barnes on 7 June 1841. Then on on 18 October 1843 they welcomed another girl, Mandana Clapp Barnes. Both little girls died within eight days of one another in July of 1844, when they were 3 (of dysentery) and less than 1 (of bowel complaint). No further known children were born to this couple until 1861, when my great grandfather, Israel Merritt Barnes II (Junior), was born. This was twenty years after the birth of his parents' first child, and seventeen since they had lost their only children. They must have been elated at his birth! Israel Junior grew up in privilege, went on to speculate with the family fortune, and earned the moniker of "spoiled." At least there was a reason for his being pampered. One can understand his parents' grief and longing for more children, and commiserate a bit with their propensity to spoil a long-awaited child.

Israel Merritt Barnes II (Junior), only surviving child of
Israel Merrit Barnes I (Senior) and Olive (Litchfield) Barnes

Israel Junior, the spoiled one, was the father-in-law of our first known family genealogist––my grandmother, Vernetta. She passed her hobby and passion down to my mother, who, in turn passed it down to me. Many years passed and it came time for me to write a kinship determination project for my certification portfolio. I re-examined every family unit, in fact, every individual in my family tree, and while doing so, came across something I used to routinely ignore.

Online family trees, which rarely cite sources, can contain many errors. They should be used, if at all, only as a springboard for potential research. But occasionally they can open up a new avenue and provide insight into an undiscovered gem. Because of an online family tree I discovered another child of Israel and Olive. Ancestry World Tree (AWT) shows the birth of Webster, son of Israel M. and Olive (Litchfield) Barnes in Scituate on 12 January 1855, and a death in January 1855.

What????? They had another child? What made her say that? How many years after the deaths of the girls was this? Eleven. How old was Olive? Thirty-five. Why had we not heard of this???? Unknown. And this is six years before Israel Junior was born!

I was quite sure it was some strange kind of error. However, I checked the source, and it was from the daughter of a woman who had grown up on the same street as my mother, the street I lived on until I was two. How on earth did she know this when my mother and grandmother hadn't? So I contacted her. She told me she had found the information in her mother's notes and that her mother was now suffering from senility. [Robin Hayes, redwhittrobin@aol.com, family tree submission, Ancestry World Tree (http://www.ancestry.com : August 12 2007), citing GEDCOM file : 2800260.ged, 10 May 2004; gives a birthdate of 12 January 1855 in Scituate, and death there January 1855. When contacted, the submitter, revealed that the information was from notes written by her mother, Polly (Sylvester) Whittaker, a Scituate genealogist suffering now from senility. She was a friend of the Barnes family, though born much later than the birth of Webster, probably about 1920 or so. There could be reasons for a friend of the family to note the birth, as valid as any reasons for the Barnes family not to note it.]

I needed corroboration, so off to genealogybank.com I went. A newspaper announcement indirectly confirmed Webster's birth through a death notice. Sadly, he too, like his sisters before him, had died young and left his parents to grieve once more.

“Deaths,” Boston Press and Post, 4 June 1855, online subscription database linked to original images; GenealogyBank.com (http://www.GenealogyBank.com : accessed 1 March 2008).

There is no trace of either the birth or death of this baby in Boston City, Town of Scituate or Massachusetts state vital records. I searched for all Barnes babies born in 1855 across the state; all unnamed Barnes boys in 1855, all children named Webster. He has never been mentioned in the family genealogies. There is no gravestone for him at Mt. Hope Cemetery where his parents are buried. However, at the time of his death there was a Barnes/Vinal family tomb in which he could have been interred. To date, no records have been discovered for that tomb which is located directly across the street from the homestead. The Scituate Town Archives has a recent survey of cemeteries that mentions this tomb, but does not list who is buried there. When my 62-year old brother played there as a child the bodies had already been carried off, whether by animals or grave-robbers, we'll never know.

The newspaper announcement led in turn to a search of the records of the Unitarian Church in Scituate, which say: “June 1st, Infant child of Israel M. Barnes, 8 days.” [“Records of the First Church of Christ in Scituate, Mass.,” p. 97, Deaths, 1855; Scituate Town Archives.]

So now we have a conflict in dates. Two June 1855 sources, and a much later source. I go with the contemporaneous source (almost) every time, so I'm placing my money on little Webster dying on 1 June at eight days, and thus having a birth date of 24 May 1855. It is easy enough to mis-copy Jan. for Jun. The only place where he is named is in the newspaper article and the Ancestry World Tree entry, not in the family or church records.

These sources cannot be refuted, even though the birth and death never appear in official town or state records. There was no other couple named Israel M. and Olive L. Barnes in Massachusetts, especially in Scituate, at that time. There would be no other reason for this notice to be printed, no incentive to lie about such a sad event. Yet there are a multitude of reasons not to have the birth and death registered. If the child had been frail, they may have waited to report his birth. Since he passed away at only eight days, then the birth and death could in a way negate each other and the grief-stricken family may not have had the energy or inclination to bother with a simultaneous registration of birth and death. On the other hand, justification can be made for the minister and neighbors taking note of the events, as they were more subjective.

Scituate was a small town, a tight community where everyone knew everyone else's business. Thankfully, one of those neighbors took note of the birth of little Webster. If I could only locate his grave, I'd visit him with a Christmas rose, but in the meantime, I'll focus my energies on Betty Richardson.

Woman's Missionary Society, First Congregational Church, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts

2010-11-19T21:57:00.000-05:00

Here's a little excerpt from a register of the minutes of the Women's Missionary Society of the Shrewsbury Congregational Church. It's quite interesting in how it reveals the women of 1915 dealing with women's issues. Just a few of the things they discussed were childrearing, immigration, education of women, missionary work overseas, and of course, religion. They sang, discussed issues of the day, held fundraisers, did crafts together, prayed and did all they could to learn about the world outside of Shrewsbury.

The very neatly written register. A joy to transcribe!

March 18, 1915

On Thursday afternoon, March 18th, the
regular meeting of the Woman’s Missionary Society
was held in the Vestry. The meeting was opened
by the president, Mrs. Cook, who read the account
of Christ’s being found in the Temple in serious
conversation with the learned doctors of the Law.
Prayer was offered and the secretary’s report
was read and approved. The usual offering
was taken.

Miss Grace Marion Holland, one of the many young ladies who went abroad to serve as a missionary, in India. Her sister, Ruth, died of typhoid fever in Ceylon after she had served there for a little over a year, on 11 January 1921.

Letters from our missionary, Miss Abbie G.
Chapin, of Tungchou, North China, and her
friend, Miss Phelps, were read. They wrote
of their Christmas celebrations and told what
was done with the bags and handkerchiefs
we sent them (about 100 of each).

Mrs Willis Knowlton then took charge
of the meeting. A Gospel hymn was sung
and the last chapter of the study book was
considered––The child at work for Christ.
One or two selections were read from
the book, following which Mrs. Shepard
expressed her feeling as to what the children
of Shrewsbury need to have done for them,
and the importance of having a parish
house.

Miss Marble, our kindergarten teacher, spoke
of ways in which we may be of service to the
French and Italian children and mothers
at the Lake. Miss Marble has made a
thorough canvas of that district and has
found there one hundred children of
kindergarten age. The mothers are eager
to learn how to do things in the American
way; and Miss Marble thinks that after
the kindergarten at the Lake is started
and the teacher has won the confidence
of these mothers, there will be an op-
portunity for us to teach them cooking,
sewing, care of children, and care of their
homes.

The music consisted of singing by the
Sunshine Club, accompanied by Miss Doris
Donaldson.

The attendance was eleven members,
four adults visitors, and eight children––
total 23.

Postcard found in the Shrewsbury Congregational Church Archives.
Float created by members of St. Mary's and St. Anne's parishes,
also in Shrewsbury.

Decorations of flags were furnished by
the flower committee, and a begonia in
full bloom.

Since our last meeting, one of our
members, Miss Mary L. Norcross, has been
taken from us by death, after a long and
painful illness. Her name first appears
in our records in October, 1901, when she
was chosen secretary of the society.
From that time until her last illness,
so far as her health permitted, Mrs. Norcross
was always ready to do her part in the work
of the society.

Ida L. Bement Sec’y.

An early view of the First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts

Diary of a Medium, Georgianne (Hagerman) Jones, 1928

2010-10-19T12:17:00.000-04:00

Georgianna Hagerman, 1888, Fredericton, New Brunswick.
My mother's mother's mother, before life got to her, already looking a bit glum.
She was variously called Georgia, Georgia Ann, Georgie, Georgianne, Georgie Ann, and Georgianna

My sister Ann Vernetta “Vernie” and I went to visit my mother’s cousin, Jackie (Jones) Towler in July of 1998. I was taking the National Genealogical Society’s Basic American Genealogy home study course and one of the early assignments was to interview a relative. My mother had passed away two years earlier, and since Jackie was in the older generation and from a side of the family I knew little about (Jones), I had decided to call her. She was so responsive! We hit it off immediately. Jackie had successfully researched my great-uncles’ births in Lawrence for my mother, but my grandmother’s birth was nowhere to be found––by her, my mother, my aunt, or even Grandma herself, who was an ardent genealogist! So she had genealogical experience and understood my interest in family history. Though there was a 17 year age gap between Jackie and my mother, they had always been very fond of each other.

Imagine my delight when we arrived at the home of Jackie and her husband, Herbert ("Red") in Lawrence. Jackie had also invited her sister, Barbara, and together they had gathered some old photos and assorted memorabilia. One item in particular just blew me away, and that was a typescript of Georgianne’s diary! Jackie had given the original to her son Jared, and he transcribed and typed it. It looks like he transcribed it verbatim, but sometimes I can’t tell if he has made typos or if Georgianne did! So in my transcription of the transcription, I fixed the obvious ones (i.e. uncerstand, mornign, etc.). I surely would love to see the original, though! Apart from the obvious need to get down to the original for accuracy purposes, the diary is in Georgie's handwriting, which adds so much depth to something as poignant as this.

Georgianna was a spiritualist, and communicated regularly with the Great Beyond. She held dinner séances where guests paid a fee to dine and then chat with their dearly departed over coffee. Georgie’s granddaughter, Priscilla (Barnes) FitzGerald, was my mother, and I can still see the childlike excitement on her face as she recounted visiting her grandmother and being allowed to collect money at these dinners, starting at the impressionable age of six.

Georgianna’s son, Frank Dewey Jones, died at the age of 29 on 4 December 1927. His death certificate gives lobar pneumonia as the cause of death, but family lore says he suffered from alcoholism. The diary mentions his legs giving him trouble, but I do not know what that refers to. It is not mentioned on his death certificate. Georgie was obviously heartbroken, and used her diary as a way to comfort herself and make sense out of her painful world by channelling her son and documenting her own feelings.

Jones/Barnes Gathering circa 1925, location unknown,
perhaps the Barnes summer cottage at Rivermoor, Scituate, Mass.
Back Row: Cecil Jones, Bill Barnes, Ernest Jones, Bethia Barnes, Priscilla Barnes
Front Row: Louise Barnes, Frank Jones holding twin Anne Barnes,
Billy Barnes turned away, Jared Smith Jones holding twin Abbie Barnes.
The central character around whom everyone revolves is Vernetta (Jones) Barnes,
probably the one taking the photo, which has her parents, siblings, husband and children.

Georgianna mentions other family members:

• Her husband, Jared Smith Jones, “Pa”;

• Sons Ernest Jared, born 1895; Clowes Warren, born 1900; and Cecil Roy born 1907. Cecil was Jackie and Barbara’s father.

• Daughter Vernetta Gertrude (Jones) Barnes, “Vernie” (my sister's namesake), and her husband “Bill” or William Otis Barnes (my grandparents);

• Vernie’s mother in law, “Mrs. Barnes”, Bethia Augusta (Clapp) Barnes, who had died on 6 February 1928--only five days before Georgianne started the diary;

• Vernie and Bill’s children, Priscilla (my mother), Louise, Billy, and twins Abbie and Anne, whose ages ranged from three to thirteen;

So far I have not been able to ascertain the identity of “Nolan.”

Jones family photos are rare. I have one that could be of Frank, but all it says, in my grandmother's handwriting, is "Uncle Frank 1920". He looks older than 22 to me, and is dressed in a fine suit, which seems exaggerated given his occupation as clerk. She usually labelled people by how they related to her, so it's odd that she'd call him "Uncle Frank." As far as I know she didn't have an Uncle Frank, though, so perhaps it is, indeed, him.

The diary is almost a stream of consciousness, which is why I love it. I’m including a few of her entries below to give you a feel for it. It is too long to include in its entirety, but when I get my act together, I will upload it to my website.

Detail of above, Georgianne (Hagerman) Jones
Born 3 Feb 1868, Queensbury, York, New Brunswick
Died 3 June 1932, Lawrence, Essex, Massachusetts
Exhibiting the family trait of "letting herself go"...

-------

Saturday

Feb. 11th 1928

Mrs. Barnes

you have gone to your beautiful home over there. I have been thinking of you ever since you passed on

First you was always good, sweet and good to everybody. Always wore a smile and dear Frank liked you and you was good to him and all the boys and to all of us.

I know you are happy
Just gone on before
Through the open door
Where all the love ones met
you and I hear the soft
Murmur. Ah so happy so happy

-------

Feb. 11th 1928

Ah spirit of light that has
guided you right
be though of good cheer
knowing we are here
sending rays of light
Around you day and night
ah though spirits we arte
to be attuned with the great divine
spirit until we shall rise above

all the trying and grey condirations. Each day may we ask guidance for that day. When the day is done give thanks for something good that has been done.

Knowing that God is lone power and strength sufficient for all needs. For all times and places. giving thanks at the end of the day

call all the wise spirits that you can each day at your command. Then soar in heights unknown until you are healed in mind soul and spirit heading back to earth that you have received in the silence when you ask and then receive, give thanks. Ah, though great divine spirit and loved ones that come close to me I give thank for the prayer that you answered when I said save my boy, the loved one of earth now in spirit. Who am I, so small, that

you heard the call and answered. Again I bow my head in thanks trying and believing that I will see that. I remain good and true always guided by truth love and have faith in thee.

Georgie

-------

march 12th 1928

a letter from Frank was shown to me this morning. This is what it appeared to me.

[cue Halloween music]

Dear Ma

I am alright and happy. Think of me just away doing well and that you will hear from time to time from me. Always thinking of home and love for all, hoping you will be as happy as you can be feeling in the space and time on rejoicing that I have gained a new place; not a stranger in a strange land but many faces. I see that seem to know me. And they lead me and guide me, with the thought always before me that I will be able to come into the home and you will know. And then I can help you. So don’t think it was a great sorrow that you have to dwell in but a great gain for you and me. Listen, Ma Dear the best place yep. Keep on thinking that yes, I see you. I went with you to see his mother. Keep on. Don’t turn to the right or left. Keep straight ahead. They would harm shall stand just where they are. Yes, poor Pa, I see him. I know when he thinks about me. I will (----) again like Clousy [Clowes] from Florida. Cecil heard me. Ernest thinks about me. I with he was happy now. He will soon be working. Better days are showing ahead

love oh love love

Frank

P.S. Bill, Vernie and all of them, I think of them and all the old times. Tell Vernie don’t cry, Vernie everything is all right. Good night.

Frank

-------

March 13th 1928

Dear Ma

No time, no place, just a great big place, always on the move. Always something new. I was glad everyone received my message. All but Clousy. It seems like collecting all your thought on one big whole. I am beginning to know and understand. I am not sorry it all happened as it did. It seemed like floating. Now I know. Don’t be sorry for anything. Just listen and I will be around. I wouldn’t want to be back in the old way. But glad I know that I can come into the home. The circle will never be broken. I am and will be one of you. That will be seen later. Of all the wonders that I passed through sometimes it seemed like being on a great wave that was always on the move. There came times when I could see through. Sometimes I would see you all--Sad- And I wished you could see it as it was, not with doubts and downcast. You heared me saying, Of course not. I could vibrate that and thought if I could of that I would be able to get something more through. I have heard ringing. something like this: The winds and waves, they shall all obey thy will. Peace. Be still. It sounded great. Something like the radio. There is a great wave that will wash over you. Then all old things will be washed away. Everything will be new. Remember I am alright. Just keep on to the end of the way. I will come nearly every day. Will go with you someday. I have no fear. Good ahead.

Love, Ah love

Frank

From out of the Silent throng

-------

March 14th 1928

Dear Mother

I come on the wave of the morning. You know I am not so far away. We don’t stand still. I haven’t got so very far but what I have learned is very clear and I am happy expecting something to be shown to me. I sense that I will see clearer and be able to get just a little farther. I was weary and my feet and legs bothered me so much that sometimes I go through again, but have been placed in the healing power class. I wonder sometimes how you learned it of knowing those things. There was no beginning you just tuned in. And I am going to find out a lot and tell you. Sometimes it’s light and sometimes clouded and shaky, but no grief. Know I think of you all, then I look and wonder, but will soon be so I will get it clear; the soldiers on the fields and the great white Pope that walked beside. You will get well and stand before the people as you have been told you would. I have a lot to work out yet but am happy you know. Yes love oh love

Frank

from a land that knows no sorrow

-------

Now, how 'bout THAT? I love it for how close it brings me to her. I can feel her pain right in the pit of my stomach. The poor woman, though, managed to calm herself this way, and at the same time, give us an extremely personal peek into her heart. It's so touching.

I videotaped the visit with Jackie, and took some photos, but can't take time to look for them right now, as they weren't digital. Will post along with the diary when I get to it.

My Mother's Genealogy Research Log/Travel Diary from May 1981

2010-09-28T19:27:00.002-04:00

Three of four sisters and five siblings
Abbie (Barnes) Thompson, Priscilla (Barnes) FitzGerald
and Louise (Barnes) Sullivan, later Dodds
circa 1980, Scituate, Mass.

I miss my mother every day. She was so alive with curiosity and humor and integrity and love. Above all, she was really, really bright. Had a great memory and could, inter alia, calculate math problems in her head, knit argyle socks on size 0 needles, do the NY Times crossword in pen if she wanted (she was too humble to do so), tend a mean vegetable and flower garden, cane chairs, and she loved history and genealogy. She was patient and worked hard at everything and didn't get many official vacations, so she used everyday opportunities to have fun. I keep wishing she were around to experience genealogy on the web, and the big conferences, and all of the fun and rewarding things I get to do.

Happily, my mother, Priscilla, or "Ma," as I called her, kept the a few diaries in her lifetime. On this occasion, she and my Aunt Abbie managed to get away from their domestic duties long enough to go on genealogy tour! And happily again, she kept a diary of the trip. I just love this more than I can explain. I was flitting around in college at the time, totally NOT interested in genealogy, glad that my mother and aunt could have a grand time together, but thinking their research and interest in genealogy was, well, quaint. Now I'd forfeit a limb to have been on that trip with them. Such is life, I guess. "Don't it always seem to go," yada yada...

So, here it is, I know I have some photos of their trip in my office somewhere, but it will have to remain for another time that I unearth and post them. I added a few follow-up emails from my darling and equally brilliant Aunt Abbie which she wrote after I sent her the transcription.

Notes from Priscilla FitzGerald’s Diary,

"Trip to Frederickton, New Brunswick with sister Abbie Thompson, for Purpose of Ancestor Hunting"

May, 1981

Wednesday, May 20, 1981

Left home at 9:45am. Take off at 11:20. Lovely seat, companion from Phoenix Arizona - said, "Don't make me look out the window or the plane will fall." Had to put down and go through customs in Yarmouth. Arrived in Halifax 2:30 or so. Had to wait for Provincial Air lines flight to Fredericton until 6:30. Arr. in Fredericton 7:25. Abbie already familiar with the city. Had late supper of seafood chowder which was yummy. Late to bed – long after 12. (In parenthesis in margin, "Called Jim.")

Thursday, May 21, 1981

Had breakfast at hotel (Hotel Beaverbrook). To the Archives at 8:30. Had lunch at Keddy Motel. To Archives until 5:00pm. Bought book at Archives autographed by author Rob't Fellows. Found that John Hagerman owned land where the Legislative buildings are (and Hotel Beaverbrook) and died on the way back to St. John after a trip to Fredericton. Shopped for food and booze, came back to hotel to sample same. Had a late supper and went to bed late. (In margin, "Called Hagermans to tell Doris we would be out Sunday.")

Friday May 22, 1981

Slept until 7:20. Five minutes late getting to the Archives. Found Peleg Tripp's parents were Peleg Tripp and Jane Ogden. Lovely late dinner – fish dinner. Sitting around relaxing and Abbie says, "One nice thing about this trip, no phones are ringing." Phone rang. Paul Brewer called and arranged to travel with us Saturday. Played 2-handed bridge. To bed late.

Saturday, May 23, 1981

Up at 6:00am - breakfasted on cheese omelet. Picked up Paul Brewer across the river and went to Tripp Settlement, Burtt's Corners. Jones Forks examining cemetaries. Saw where the Mactaquac Dam has risen and filled up the valley with water. Paul talked to a Harry Gilbey and he says that prob. Peleg Tripp (the first – Loyalist) was prob. buried on a ridge near Keswick Ridge on his own property. Said Peleg was supposed to be a wheeler-dealer. Had lunch at the lovely Mactaquac Country Club. Went shopping for booze for Jim, present for Polly and slippers. Raw and very windy out. Walked a long way looking for a book store – which was closed. Late supper and late to bed.

Sunday, May 24, 1981

Rose early enough, but didn't get under weigh until 7:20. Motored up to Hartland to see and drive over and back on the longest wooden bridge in the world. Came back down #2 highway and crossed the river at Nackawic. Had a little difficulty finding our Hagermans, but found them. First, we went to church and there was Neil Hagerman. (Passed a church with the steeple lying on the ground.) Doris and Neil Hagerman not very interested in our visit, but Donnie was there and we both loved him. He took us down to show us how high the river had risen – their house would be about one third of the way across the river – showed us all the pictures of the family and went with us to see the Bear Island Cemetery – where his father and mother, grandfather and mother and great grandfather and mother and Aunt Maud and Cousin Alma Lint are buried.* Beautiful cemetery on a high hill. Donald is a lovely man. Weather fine. People boating on the river. Found that "Captain J. Hagerman d. 1838 aged LVI also May his wife died Dec. 26, 1849 aged 72 years." were bd. there. Mary was born in Long Island. Also buried, but with no stones were Isaac and Louisa and Jacob and Mehitabel. Myles Hagerman was buried in B. I. Cemetery also. (Donnie's brother.) Major domo at church presented Ab and me with a pen and key ring. All kinds of birds to be seen. Donnie stated matter-of-factly that Doris is "senile now." No apologies. No glossing.

Happy hour.

Had a fisherman's platter for dinner. (Ate junk food and nothing else all day.) Wrote cards. To bed late.

*Probably Cornelius, father of Jacob, and his wife are there, too, but nobody knows. Because of the Mactaquac Dam, Church, cemetery, inhabitants, live inhabitants and all were moved uphill. Interesting. Cornelius was son of Captain John. Donnie gave Abbie a piece of yellow brick for her fireplace. (In margin, "Called Jim, Louise and Anne.")

May 25, 1981 Monday

Up early and to Archives. Found that Betsey Smith's parents were Stephen Smith and Elizabeth Golden. A good find. Had lunch at the Keddy – onion soup and a poor drink. Back to Archives until 4:00pm or so and then to Harriet Irving Library and then to Geary to see the Carr Cemetery and then around Grand Lake to see Cumberland Point where John Stillwell was at one time – Sparsely settled. Looked in all the church yards but couldn't find any Stillwells. Crossed the St. John River on a ferry boat and came home the scenic way. Arrived at hotel 8:30 had a quick sherry and braised beef for supper. All the apple orchards are in bloom. Very pretty. Also found Grandmother Jones (Isaac Hagerman's family), and Jared Jones (Darius Jones' family) in the 1881 census list. He was 20 and she was 12.

Tuesday, May 26, 1981

Up early – breakfasted at hotel and got to Archives at 8:30. Didn't find anything new but tied up loose ends of a couple of things. Had to get stamps and get my money out of hotel safe, so we came back to hotel to have lunch. Returned to Archives and spent an hour or more and then took a tour up around Kewsick Ridge and Burtt's Corner and looked at 3 or 4 more cemeteries. Rain off and on. Returned to hotel about 7:30. Had happy hour and ate an enormous and delicious and expensive dinner across the street at the Victoria and Albert restaurant. Had 2 sherries, a tossed salad, lamp chops and braised tomatoes, and tasty mushrooms and then half a piece of fresh strawberry cheesecake and coffee. Saw beautiful scenes on our trip today and yesterday and Sunday and Saturday. Came upon 2 young men stranded in the wilderness but as I had a lot of money on me, we passed them by. But stopped at the first house we saw to report that they should be helped. Hope they were. (In parenthesis in margin, "Called Jim.")

E-mail from Ab. Oct. 1997

My Loyalist number is----MC 2041- 80, and I think it was through John Stillwell. They wanted me to go through Hagerman because it was closer to my generation. But I knew that would then go through Vernetta, and we had no birth for her. Stillwell came down through Jared Jones so was easier to prove. Maybe I can send you my line. If I can find it. Lots of Loyalists we have--Hagerman, Ogden, maybe Tripp, Smith, Stillwell, Boone, Burtt, Golden, Foreman, Carr, Whelpley, but not the Joneses. They were pre-Loyalist.

E-mail from

Ab. 11/7/97

Thank you for the diary of your Ma's re that week in Fredericton, N.B. Except when I was a little girl and sick a lot in winter & your Ma would read lovely books to me that week was the nicest time I ever had with Priscilla. We were doing what we both loved and had a peachy time besides.

Justice of the Peace Records and Silvanus "Who's Your Daddy" Savage, Part 3

2010-09-17T18:34:00.008-04:00

Continued from previous two posts... This is Part Three of a Three-Part Post.

Click here for Post One

Click here for Post Two.

...in which we've seen the originals and transcriptions of two separate complaints of paternity sworn against one man, Silvanus Savage. The two complaints were sworn on the same day, 27 May 1802, in Princeton, Worcester County, Massachusetts, to a Justice of the Peace name Michael Gill. First, Debby Smith fesses up on the same day she delivers a baby girl. She was very likely interrogated during her labor. Next thing you know, Polly Clark chimes in, accusing Silvanus of fathering a son she had borne on the 22 February previous. Both women give the date of conception: Polly was first, on 20 June 1801, and Debby on 9 October 1801, both in Princeton.

So, Silvanus and Polly conceived a boy on 20 June 1801 who was born 22 February 1802 (about 9 months gestation). Silvanus and Debby conceived a girl on 9 October 1801 who was born 27 May 1802 (only 7.5 months gestation). Polly did not mention Silvanus' name during her labor and waited until the day Debby gave birth to make her complaint.

RESEARCH FOCUS
What was the impact of these two births upon Silvanus Savage and his descendants? What constraints did the law place upon Silvanus? Was he whipped, fined, imprisoned? How old were the women at the time, were they under age? Contemporaneous sources should be consulted to ascertain whether the births were correctly registered, and whether any of these four people (Debby Smith and her daughter, and Polly Clark and her son) reappeared in Silvanus Savage’s life at any later time.

ANALYSIS
Princeton’s Boundaries and Jurisdiction
1759, set off from Rutland
1771 Incorporated as a town
1810 Part of Hubbardston annexed
1838 Part of unincorporated lands known as “No Town” annexed
1870 Part of Westminster annexed

Justices of the Peace
In Massachusetts the Justice of the Peace was the official to whom minor complaints were made. He was entitled to take depositions, impose fines, order property seizures, perform marriages, and try small cases (no jury). Since this lowest court was usually held in the justice’s home, the resultant records are scattered about in repositories and private collections, and are extremely difficult to locate. These complaints would initiate a subsequent court case, so a search in the Worcester County Courthouse may prove fruitful.

Excellent Resource
An excellent resource to consult on illegitimacy and fornication cases in early Massachusetts is: Melinde Lutz Sanborn, Lost Babes: Fornication Abstracts from Court Records, Essex County, Massachusetts 1692 to 1745 (Derry, New Hampshire: Melinda Lutz Sanborn, 1992).

Sanborn’s book covers Essex Co. 1692-1744 and contains hundreds of unrecorded marriages. Though the county is different, and time period earlier, the law did not change substantially. She also has a useful discussion on Massachusetts law on illegitimate births in which she reveals, for example, that a disproportionate number of servants, African-Americans and Indians are represented in these types of cases. In addition, she states:
"In the case of an unmarried woman, the law required that she state when, where, and with whom she conceived the child, and whether she had any other partners. The midwife and another witness were to repeatedly question the mother during her labor, asking her to name the father. It was believed that while facing death in labor, the mother would not lie. Even if the accused father denied he was such, he would be convicted..."

"People found guilty of fornication could be fined, or whipped, or both. The fines varied... but were generally higher if the unmarried man named was from some other jurisdiction, or if the woman refused to name her partner. The assumption in the latter case might be that her partner was married and she was protecting him from the much more serious charge of adultery. Repeat offenders were sometimes not given the option of a fine, but simply whipped."

"Unmarried fathers were ordered to pay maintenance charges on a child through its sixth birthday. At that time, the child was eligible to be put out into service and would no longer be a charge on the town if the mother could not support it."

Legal Considerations
According to Blackstone, a "bastard" in the legal sense of the word is a person not only begotten, but born out of lawful matrimony. Bastard children are entitled to maintenance from their parents. To protect the public from their support, the law compels the putative father to maintain his children. We would want to search for some evidence of both Silvanus’ payments to his children and whether or not he was sentenced.

Considered as nullius filius, a "bastard" has no inheritable blood in him, and therefore no estate can descend to him; but he may take by testment, if properly described, after he has obtained a name by reputation. But this hard rule has been somewhat mitigated in some of the states where, by statute, various inheritable qualities have been conferred upon bastards.

"Bastards" can acquire the rights of legitimate children only by an act of the legislature, therefore legislative records should be consulted, perhaps twenty or so years after the births until approximate period of parents’ deaths.

Children born out of marriage may be legitimated by the subsequent marriage of their father and mother. Legitimation may even be extended to deceased children who have left issue, and in that ease, it enures to the benefit of that issue. Children legitimated by a subsequent marriage, have the same rights as if born during the marriage.

The illegitimacy of these children makes genealogical research more complicated and it would be essential to check the court records for further proceedings against Silvanus and/or the mothers. Did either of these children ever try to establish heritable rights with either parent? A search of probate and guardianship records could indicate the succession of any land Silvanus might have possessed. Did he ever marry? Was his will contested by either of these children?

More Questions
Was Silvanus a Native American, servant or African-American? What names were the babies given? Did they grow to adulthood and produce families? Did they try to claim on property or probate? Did the mother’s go on to marry other men, have other children? It would be essential to follow the census records and see if the name Savage appears in Princeton. Vital records are essential as well.

Quality of Data
The data in this record is of varying reliability. It was given contemporaneously with the events, by women who most definitely would have known the truth, and therefore it would be considered of high quality. We make an assumption that people are telling the truth when analzing documents. However, these women were in a highly vulnerable state. It would be in their interest to accuse any man of fathering a child so that they would not be alone in the support of the child. Whether they named the correct father or not would depend upon their state of mind at the time. There are at least two reasons for naming the correct father: hope of coercing him into marriage, and basic honesty (fear of Divine retribution). Yet there are incentives to naming another man as father: revenge for some past act, hope of cornering a more desirable man into marriage, possible drunkeness at the time of the conception, and perhaps even hysteria.

The two records would therefore vary in reliability. Debby Smith swore on the day she gave birth, probably whilst in labor, that Silvanus Savage was the father of her child. Midwives were encouraged to drag the name of the father out a laboring unwed mother’s pained lips. So Debby could have just succumbed and told the truth, she could have blurted out the name of some man she didn’t care for or she could have named one she coveted. There is really no way to ascertain the level of truthfulness, so we just assume truth.

Polly, on the other hand, swore out her complaint two months after having given birth. And she swore it on the same day that Debby had her baby and Silvanus was named as father. Polly, in essence, jumped on the Silvanus bandwagon. Further research into court records may or may not reveal Polly’s real motivations.

Evidence
This is an original source containing primary information and providing direct evidence of the fact that these mothers claimed Savage as the father of their babies. It is also direct evidence of the birth dates of the babies, and the names of the babies’ mothers. It tells us that Silvanus Savage was a Princeton blacksmith in 1802 and that he had been in Princeton on at least 20 June 1801 and 9 October 1801, if the women were telling the truth, and we assume they were. It also places the women in Princeton on the dates in their depositions.

It does not provide enough evidence to state that Silvanus was the father of either child, however. A search for court records might reveal whether Silvanus was ever sentenced, whether he paid support for his two babies and whether he ever married either of the women, but we will never really know. We can only assume, based on the weight of the evidence.

RESEARCH PLAN
Ascertain town boundaries and dates of annexation, using: William Francis Galvin, Historical Data Relating to Counties, Cities, and Towns in Massachusetts (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1997).

Check for previous studies in the literature on Silvanus Savage. Start with, Jeremiah Lyford Hanaford, History of Princeton, Worcester County, Massachusetts; Civil and Ecclesiastical; from its first settlement in 1739, to April 1852 (Worcester: C. Buckingham Webb, 1852).

Search online catalogs at NewEnglandAncestors.org, FamilySearch.org, bpl.org, worldcat.org, PERSI, and AmericanAntiquarian.org.

Locate all relevant censuses from earliest to last one of children (1790-1880) on Ancestry.com, HeritageQuest (accessible at participating libraries), and at NARA Waltham facility.

Consult for implications of illegitimacy in the culture: Melinde Lutz Sanborn, Lost Babes: Fornication Abstracts from Court Records, Essex County, Massachusetts 1692 to 1745 (Derry, New Hampshire: Melinda Lutz Sanborn, 1992).

Were the births properly registered at the time, specifically listing both parents? What surnames were the babies given? Did they live to adulthood? Did either one name a child after him? Whom did he eventually marry? Did he have other children? What did he name them? Search for births, marriages, and deaths in MAVital Records to 1850 online, and in VR Tan Books series for Savage, Smith, and Clark. Search in the “Massachusetts Vital Records1841-1910” online database at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, NEHGS (http://www.newenglandancestors.org).

Were there any court cases filed against Silvanus for these two illegitimate births? Did he get charged with a crime, serve punishment and/or go on to support them? Was he accused of the same or any other crime by anyone else? Were either of the mothers accused of a crime or obliged to pay support? What are the implications for land and probate: did the babies later contest Silvanus' will, even though they were not eligible to inherit? A trip to the Worcester County Courthouse, is definitely in order!

Examine newspapers of the time. The American Antiquarian Society holds a wealth of original newspapers. Also check online databases such as GenealogyBank.com and Newsbank, 19th Century Newspapers at NEHGS.

Look into church records. See if there was a permanent minister in Princeton. Did he keep a diary? Is there a diary from anyone in town at that time? The Congregational Library in Boston has a wealth of documentation on early churches. Examine cemeteries, look for their graves and note how their burial plots are laid out.

You can see there is plenty to do-- I've generated a huge research plan with just these two documents. Justice of the Peace records reveal the most intimate details of people's lives. These three young people lived over two centuries ago, yet their troubles are timeless. In any case, let us hope that babies, mothers and even Silvanus, managed to pull together a happy life, despite the setbacks.

Justice of the Peace Records and Silvanus "Who's Your Daddy" Savage, Part 2

2010-09-17T16:53:00.002-04:00

Continued from previous post. This is the second of two paternity complaints sworn again the aptly named Silvanus Savage. Analysis will follow in yet another post.

This is Part Two of a Three-Part Post.

Click here for Post One.

Click here for Post Three.

-----------------
Polly Clark vs. Silvanus Savage¹

“To Michael Gill Esq one of the Justices of the Peace
within and for the County of Worcester ––

Complains Polly Clark of Princeton in said County
single woman that on the twentysecond day of february last she was
delivered of a Male Bastard Child and that Silvanus
Savage of Princeton aforesaid Blacksmith is the Father of
said Child She therefore desires a prosecution against the
said Silvanus Savage and that he may be held to Answer
this accusation as the Law in such cases directs ––
Princeton May 27, 1802 [original signature] Polly Clark

Worcester ss. May 2[ ] [sic] 1802 The above named Polly Clark ––
personally appeared and made Oath to the truth of the
above accusation by her signed. ––
before me [original signature] Michael Gill Just Pacis

The examination of Polly Clark of Princeton in the County of Worcester Single Woman
who saith upon Oath that on the twentysecond day of february
last she was delivered of a Male bastard Child and that
Silvanus Savage of Princeton aforesaid is the Father of said
Child he having begotten the same on the twentieth day
of June last at Princeton aforesaid
[original signature] Polly Clark

Worcester ss Taken and Sworn to before me this twentyseventh
day of May AD 1802
[original signature] Michael Gill Just Pacis

Transcribed verbatim, 13 October 2006, by Polly Kimmitt

1. Princeton, Worcester, Massachusetts, complaint of paternity, Polly Clark vs. Silvanus Savage, executed and acknowledged 27 May 1802, Michael Gill, Justice of the Peace. From the manuscript collection of Harry Richardson (private address withheld), Shrewsbury, Massachusetts; unlabelled 9” x 15” blue vinyl 3-ring binder, second page (unnumbered). Provenance prior to Richardson Manuscript Collection is unknown.

------------
To be continued!

Justice of the Peace Records and Silvanus "Who's Your Daddy" Savage, Part 1

2010-09-17T16:46:00.008-04:00

This is Part One of a Three-Part Post.
Click here for Post Two.
Click here for Post Three.

Justices of the Peace
In Massachusetts the Justice of the Peace was the official to whom minor complaints were made. He was entitled to take depositions, impose fines, order property seizures, perform marriages, and try small cases (no jury). Since this lowest court was usually held in the justice’s home, the resultant records are scattered about in repositories and private collections, and are extremely difficult to locate. These complaints would initiate a subsequent court case, so a search in the county courthouse may prove fruitful.

I'm lucky enough to have a good friend who has been collecting ephemera since his boyhood. He's got a house full of precious records of every imaginable ilk. He is a historian, has an encyclopedic mind and a collection that is the envy of every repository in the state! When it came time for me to prepare the "applicant-supplied document" in my certification portfolio, he came up with two delicious documents for me to analyze. I will blog about them separately so as not to make my posts too long, but they are interrelated. I love them for the genealogical questions they bring up and because you can almost feel the emotions they generate.

They concern two distinct complaints of paternity sworn by two women against the same man on the same day! And the man has the self-fulfilling name of Silvanus Savage. Being a respectable woman and all, I can't tell you the translation from Latin form into Anglo-Saxon, but it makes me laugh.

A Complaint of Paternity: Debby Smith vs. Silvanus Savage¹

"Τo Michael Gill Esq. one of the Justices of the Peace
within and for the County of Worcester––

Complains Debbyah Smith of Princeton in said
County Singlewoman That on this twenty seventh day
of May AD 1802 she was delivered of a Female Bastard
Child and that Silvanus Savage of the same Princeton Blacksmith
is the father of said child She therefore desires a prosecution
against the said Silvanus Savage and that he may be held
to answer this accusation as the Law in such cases
directs.
Princeton May 27th 1802 – [original signature] Debby Smith

Worcester ss. May 27. 1802. Debbyah Smith above named
made oath to the truth of the above Accusation by
her signed –– before me [original signature] Michael Gill

The Examination of Debbyah Smith of Princeton in the
County of Worcester Single woman who saith upon
oath that on this twenty seventh day of May AD 1802
she was delivered of a female Bastard Child and that
Silvanus Savage of said Princeton Blacksmith . is the father of said
child, he having begotten the same on the Ninth day
of October Last at Princeton aforesaid.
[original signature] Debby Smith

Worcester ss. Taken and Sworn to before me the Subscriber one
of the Justices of the Peace for the said County of
Worcester this twentyseventh day of May AD 1802
[original signature] Michael Gill”

Transcribed verbatim, 12 October 2006, by Polly Kimmitt.

1. Princeton, Worcester, Massachusetts, complaint of paternity, Debby Smith vs. Silvanus Savage, executed and acknowledged 27 May 1802, Michael Gill, Justice of the Peace. From the manuscript collection of Harry Richardson (private address withheld), Shrewsbury, Massachusetts; unlabelled 9” x 15” blue vinyl 3-ring binder, first page (unnumbered). Provenance prior to Richardson Manuscript Collection is unknown.

To be continued!

Treasures from a Church Fair

2010-09-16T21:00:00.000-04:00

Sweet little church, Kings Landing Historical Settlement, New Brunswick

I was the Church Historian at the First Congregational Church in Shrewsbury for about six years. In 1998 I met my predecessor, Barbara Santon, when I was taking the National Genealogical Society's Basic Course in American Genealogy. One assignment was to go to a church and learn about their archives. Barbara was the Church Historian and was so friendly and welcoming I loved her instantly! We must have talked and laughed for three hours that day, and before I left she was already grooming me to take over, as I happened along just as her term was ending. Lucky me!

Barbara called herself "The Hat Lady" because she loved to wear fancy hats: not the Red Hat Society kind of hats, but classy, British wedding-type hats. Gloves, too! She was smart as a whip, a very snappy dresser, had a bawdy sense of humor and was a dedicated worker. Anyway, one of the many talents Barbara shared with the church was her ability to organize a church fair. She had a favorite poem which she had unearthed in the archives. Though it describes a springtime fair, I thought it appropriate for the season, as in New England, we tend to have lots of fairs in the Fall due to our gorgeous yearly pageantry of color.

The poem had no source attributed, but seemed to be written by the ladies in the congregation who were organizing the fair.

“LINES" ON AN EARLY FAIR 1838

Thrice welcome are ye all, kind friends,
To meet us here today,
Ye’ve called to see our fairy things
This twenty-fourth of May.

We welcome thee, for here thine eyes
With pleasure shall behold
A multitude of pretty things
All ready to be sold.

Here is a beau for some fair lass,
All dressed in sailor’s clothes,
He will ne’er give thee one cross look,
Nor will he come to blows.

Here is a lady gay and prim,
Say, will you buy her too?
Her clothes are fine, and then her cheeks
Are of the reddest hue.

Here’s pin-balls, cheats, and needle-books,
Of various form and size,
And hearts rejoice with Scripture lines
To make you truly wise.

Here’s dickeys, ruffled bosoms too,
For gentlemen to wear,
And for the ladies, turbans, nets
Which will preserve the hair.

Here’s tulips, cherries, flowers, to sell,
With baskets, boxes fine.
And racks to hold the ladies’ cards,
And useful in their line.

Come buy; the object’s truly good;
The poor and needy claim
A portion of your liberal hand;
They’ll thank you for the same.

It is more blessed, as we read,
To give than to receive,
And we shall feel the promise sure,
If we this truth believe.

And now we proffer you our thanks,
And ask you for a share,
And hope you never will repent
Of coming to our Fair.

First Congregational Church, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts

I can't find access info on this year's fair, but here's a newspaper announcement from a couple of years ago.

SATURDAY, OCT. 25, 2008

Church Fair — The First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury plans a Church Fair from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition to the “gems” at the always-popular Jewelry Table, there will be jams and jellies, baked goods, knit and craft goods and plants for sale. There will also be a Silent Auction, Flea Market and Cookie Walk. The First Congregational Church is the Church on the Green in the center of Shrewsbury at Main Street and Route 140. All are welcome.

Honoring Col. Timothy Bigelow

2010-09-14T23:02:00.000-04:00

A few years ago our DAR chapter organized a ceremony to celebrate the restoration of a monument erected to our chapter namesake, Col. Timothy Bigelow. One of our members, Kay Kingsbury had worked for years to bring the project to fruition and for her preservation work she was recognized by the National Society as tops in New England.

A postcard of the monument
from a turn of the century postcard

Timothy Bigelow was a blacksmith in Worcester who raised a company of Worcester men and fought long and hard in the American Revolution. He died penniless in a Worcester jail. I won't say much about him now, but thought I'd include the few words I was asked to say on that occasion, as Regent of the Col. Timothy Bigelow Chapter.

Invocation
Let Us Pray.

Heavenly Father,
Grant us the wisdom to consider our past. In every age, You call upon us to defend the human family from oppression, tyranny, and evil. Since our founding as a nation "conceived in liberty," countless Americans have stepped forward to defend these principles.

We gather today to remember Col. Timothy Bigelow, Worcester’s greatest soldier... It is good to commemorate brave deeds. It is an homage due to our heroic dead, and it reminds the living of the courage and self-sacrifice of earlier champions of our freedom and independence... Monuments are silent monitors, richly eloquent in the teachings of a bygone age... By honoring Col. Timothy Bigelow, Worcester honors herself. Help us to remember that what great Americans have achieved, we are expected to guard and maintain.

We ask Your blessing on all veterans past and present, and we pray for our troops and their families, and for the peace we all seek. Amen.

Thanks to Kay
On behalf of the Colonel Timothy Bigelow Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, I would like to thank Kay Kingsbury for her tireless efforts in the enormous project of the restoring this monument. She has been relentless in her pursuit of recognition of Colonel Bigelow, and is a great friend to the city of Worcester. Thank you, Kay!

Newly restored with a magnolia wreath

This monument was first erected 147 years ago. It was dedicated, 86 years after the Battle of Lexington started the Revolutionary War, on April 19, 1861. The dedication was not a small affair. Buildings throughout the city were festooned with red, white and blue bunting. Spectators thronged the streets. It was more than a ceremony to them. It was a remembrance of the sacrifices made by their ancestors to secure their freedom. And it was a patriotic rally, since at that moment, Worcester’s troops were enroute to the South, eager to do battle for their country’s imperilled rights in the Civil War. Sentiments were strong, and the air was thick with patriotic fervor. They did not take freedom for granted.

A cortege of carriages paraded through the streets, carrying honored guests such as present and past Mayors, ex-Governor Lincoln, Stephen Salisbury, Col. Lawrence Bigelow, and countless other dignitaries. They were accompanied by Captain Waldo Lincoln’s Company D, fire engines, hose companies, several bands, and Father Mathew of the Temperance Society. There must have been a lot of noise and activity on that April day as all were cheered on by the citizens of Worcester.

Today, our gathering is more modest, but we are here because we do not forget the sacrifices made for our benefit.

Benediction
Let Us Pray

Lord, protect us each and every one.
Inspire us to be peaceful on this planet we call home,
for all the world is our family.

We give our heartfelt thanks for America's independence
So courageously fought for and won, because of the bravery and strength shown by men like the one we honor here, Col. Timothy Bigelow.

With appreciation for others having cleared the way, ...
for a land of opportunity where freedom is a given for all...
We give our humble thanks.

Finally, we again ask Your blessing on all veterans past and present and we pray for our troops and their families. Amen.

Some members of the Col. William Henshaw Chapter of the SAR and
the Col. Timothy Bigelow Chapter of the DAR. Kay Kingsbury is front and center.

Back to School in 1867

2010-09-04T17:28:00.000-04:00

The smell of schoolbooks and new shoes is in the air and that can only mean "Back to School!" I imagine there was just as much September excitement 150 years ago as there is today. My great-grandfather, Israel Merritt Barnes Jr., or II (there would eventually be four IMBs), was born in 1861 and I am lucky enough to be the caretaker of some of his school papers.

Little Israel attended school in Boston and his doting parents saved some of his papers. One card, dated only Saturday, 1867, and addressed to Issi Barns, is from a Boston Primary School: “A card of approbation awarded to Issi Barns for Industry, Good Conduct, and Punctuality, during the past week,” and signed by A. J. Baker. Israel would have been 6 years old in September of that year––a first grader. I'm glad to see that even that long ago teachers recognized that approval is a wonderful motivator.

Another card reads; “Reward Card, Maxim: Patience is a remedy for every affliction,” and on the reverse the teacher has written, “To Issie Barnes, A persevering boy, May 22nd, 1869. C. A. Robbins.” All I can say to that is "Awwwww!"

A series of weekly reports show Israel's grades at the Chauncy-Hall School, a boys school founded in 1828, which eventually merged with two other schools and is still in existence. It was originally located on what is now the site of Macy's in Boston's Downtown Crossing. The school's website says that it "trained the children of wealthy Bostonians for careers in business, and later prepared students to attend Harvard, MIT and other prestigious colleges. Chauncy Hall was known for its many innovations in education, including using literature for reading lessons..."

His 1872 report cards reflect a well behaved young man who attended regularly and scored above average in most classes, usually receiving a 5.5-6.0 on a scale of 7, which was given “only for extraordinary merit.” A grade of 4 was “merely passable.” Some of the subjects he was graded on when he was still ten years old: Reading, Spelling, Writing, Grammar, Geography, History, French, Latin, Arithmetic, Natural History, Defining, Declamation, Deportment, and Attendance. Four reports from 1873, spanning the entire year, show more variation. What a difference a year makes in the life of a child. He received many more 7’s: in arithmetic, defining, geometry, and algebra; but also one 3 in deportment, about which the teacher noted on the back, “If no other low mark is incurred this shall be excluded.” I wonder what he was up to? This sort of report is all-too familiar to this mother of three boys. "I didn't do anything!"

In 1875 he participated in Chauncy Hall’s 47th Annual Exhibition at the Boston Music Hall. Better students were asked to participate in a show of readings, declamations and singing, and Israel Jr. was chosen to read “Man as a Processionist.” It is hard to imagine the children enjoying this exhibition, as among other things, they were required to sit through both the triumphal march and the finale from Wagner’s opera, Lohengrin. I'm sure they at least learned patience, if not a love of opera. I found a timeline of the school which tells us that it was one of the first to provide "apparatus for physical exercise." In addition, around the start of the Civil War they organized school companies for martial drill and parade. Israel was not yet a student.

Israel completed his schooling by graduating from Boston English High School in 1877, a few months shy of his sixteenth birthday. Wikipedia says that it was founded in 1821, the first public high school in America, to provide an education for working class boys, giving them training in business, mechanics, and trades. At that time the school was located right next door to Boston Latin High School, which, on the other hand, prepared boys for college, the ministry and other scholarly pursuits. The two schools have a healthy rivalry, and their boys have competed in football against one another every Thanksgiving since 1887! Israel was a big fellow, but I don't know if he played football for them.

It is comforting to me at this time of year to think about all of the students returning to school, just as their parents and grandparents did. One thing I'm sure of is that if I could travel in time, the kids would seem the most familiar aspect of anything I could find. Human nature hasn't changed much. I bet half of the mothers cried, half did a happy dance when their little scholars went off in September, just as they do now!

Tombstone Tuesday - Animals!

2010-08-31T20:31:00.000-04:00

Browsing around in my husband's photos folder tonight, I came across this photo. We took it in June of 1989 when we were newlyweds touring across Ireland. We were at Powerscourt Estate near Enniskerry, County Wicklow, Ireland. It is an absolutely stunning estate, dating back to the 13th century, and though they had had a fire a few years before we visited, it was still lovely in its opulence. This whole cemetery was for pets. I remember being annoyed at the time that animals would have an entire cemetery to themselves while my own ancestors were lost in a maze of unmarked graves covered by brambles.

EUGENIE

Jersey Cow

Died 1967 aged 17 years

She had 17 calves and produced

over 100,000 gallons of milk

PRINCESS

Aberdeen Angus Cow

Died 1972 aged 11 years

3 times Dublin Champion

I browsed the web a bit and found this more recent photo which shows just how much moss and dirt it has gathered in the 21 years since we photographed it.

Killed

March 16th 1905.

JYP & TIM

Irish Terriers

Faithful friends for

12 years.

Yup, I know it's a class thing, but it still rankles to have my "bog Irish" great-grandparents lying in some unknown spot whilst Jyp & Tim get the timeless memorial.

Revolutionary War Pension Application File, Reuben Damon / Daman

2010-08-29T15:21:00.004-04:00

So many ancestors, so VERY little time!! I was just cleaning up my hard drive when I came across a Revolutionary War Pension file for my 4th great grandfather, Reuben Damon. I had downloaded it from Heritage Quest several years ago. At the time I was thrilled with the fact that it was available online. I downloaded all 6 pages of it and haven't thought of it again until today.

You may not be aware of it, but Heritage Quest, which is accessible through many libraries, has a database of "selected" Revolutionary War pension application files. They are taken from the National Archives and Records Administration "selected" series, which means NARA went through and picked out those files they thought genealogists might want to see, and filmed them. Heritage Quest put them online, which seemed altogether miraculous at the time. BUT they only contain the pages of the selected series. The other, more complete microfilm series contains all pension and bounty land records, but was probably much too large for Heritage Quest to tackle at the time. As a result this database is woefully incomplete, something that might be overlooked by a new researcher. Not only that but the images are shot at a low resolution and very grainy, as you'd expect for earlier technology. Here is one page, plus a detailed shot.

In the years since I downloaded the HQ file, Footnote.com has come online, and bless them, they have complete Revolutionary War pension files (along with hundreds of other records types). So off I rushed to check their version. I used to have a stand-alone subscription to their site, but my subscription ran out on 28 July of this year. I knew that NEHGS had an agreement with Footnote and we were supposed to be able to get a discount on it through our membership with them, so I went hunting for that information.

From what I can tell, NEHGS and Footnote no longer have this agreement. I found an old link to the offer being the brazen beast I am, clicked on it. Though it was supposed to have expired in February, my transaction went through. So I'm okay for another year!

Here is the much easier to read version. This one has 23 pages.

Reuben Daman's file is a moderate 27 pages long. Exactly which of these pages did the HQ people select? One was the index card, so that left only 5 pages of information. Suffice to say, lots was left out of the HQ file.The clerk had extremely neat handwriting and his spelling was impeccable, even by today' standards, though punctuation is a bit wobbly at times. Our pensioner's memory is very good, and he has witnesses to most of his service, including, wondrously enough, Samuel Deane, author of the History of Scituate! I feel I must run to that book now and see if he speaks of his buddy Reuben, knowing that anything he said about him was likely first-hand information.

To transcribe the file I created a document in my Mac word processing program, Pages. It has facing pages so that I can insert the pension page on the left and transcribe it on the right side. This makes it easy to compare and contrast.

Pension files contain a wealth of information about the pensioner, his family, his war service, his buddies and his era. The absolute best part is that we get it in the pensioner's own words. Below is the first part of his file, not in Reuben's words, but tells what he was up to during the Revolution. I like to think I got my interest in the flute from Reuben, Fifer! I started here with Footnote.com's page 4 of the file, just because I thought was the most interesting and concise portion. I will do the rest later and probably upload it to my new website (in progress). Don't look for it soon, but I plan to put up transcriptions and little histories, etc.

This is what it will look like.

Here is the Footnote.com version. So much easier on the eyes.

State of Massachusetts }

County of Plymouth } ss.

On this twenty second day of August A.D. 1832 personally

appeared in open Court, before the Hon^lWilkes Wood Judge of the

Court of Probate for the said County of Plymouth, now sitting

at Hanover in said County, Reuben Damon a Resident of

Scituate in the said County of Plymouth & State of Massachusetts

aged seventy three years, who being first duly sworn according

to law, doth on his oath make the following delaration in

order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7^th 1832.

That he entered the service of the United States under

the following named officers and served as herein stated to wit:

1^st In August or Sep^r of 1776 he entered said service as a

private and did the duty of Fifer in the Company commanded by

Joseph Stetson, Lieut. Bemjamin Studley and Ensign Benj Holmes,

marched to Roxbury was stationed there a short time, then marched

to Boston, and was stationed near [Acmoody’s] lane, there was one

other Company there at the same time. his duty to guard the town

and public stores. he served three months, was then discharged

and returned home to Scituate. He can prove this service by

Charles Turner, who served with him and his deposition is annexed.

2^d In the month of May A.D. 1777. He volunteerd and went

to Castle William in Boston harbour, was employed in repairing

and rebuilding the fortifications which the Brittish troops had de=

molished on their leaving Boston, the Engineer under whom he

served was Col^lBurbeck. he served three months was then

discharged and returned hom to Scituate, he knows of no one

living by whom he can prove this service and his deposition is

ann

3^d In the month of July as he thinks A.D. 1778 he

entered said service as a private in the Company commanded

by Joseph Cliff of Marshfield, the other Officers not recollected

he with two other soldiers went directly to Howland’s Ferry, and

there joined said Company, in August crossed the Ferry to Rhode

Island. his Company was attached to Col Thayers’ Regiment as he

thinks. Gen^l Sullivan was commander in chief. The American

troops remained on the Island about three weeks after he joined

them, then they all retreated before the British troops, and his

Regiment retreated over Howland’s Ferry to Tiverton, then marched

to Providence, then to Patuxett and there continued to the end

of his term he having served, one month & 19 days he was then dis=

charged and returned home to Scituate the last of October as he

thinks. he can prove this service by Francis Litchfield who

served with him and his deposition is hereto annexed. Also see

the Certificate of the Secretary of the State of Massachusetts annexed, in which

he is who stated to have served four days more in the Lexington Alarm

4^th In April A.D. 1779. he entered said service as a private

in the Company commanded by Captain Wilder, the other Officers ⁽not⁾

[new page]

recollected, went to Nantaskett, joined said Company was there

stationed and served to the end of his term, he having served three

months, was then discharged and returned home to Scituate, there

was a Company of Artillery commanded by Peter Nichols stationed

there at the same time. he knows of no one living by whom

he can prove this service.

5^th In July as he thinks A.D. 1780 he entered said service

as a private in Cap Amos Turner’s Company, Lieut Benjn Stetson

Ensign Nathl Brooks, marched to Howland’s Ferry and crossed over

to Newport on Rhode Island. his Company was attached to Coll John

Jacob’s Regiment, Lieut Col John Clapp, After serving with said Regt.

four or five weeks, he with three others of his Company was detached to

tend Howland’s Ferry and so continued untill the end of his term, and

having served four months. he was discharged and returned home.

Elisha Briggs who served in the same Company with him can prove

this service, his disposition is annexed.

He served in all as aforesaid fourteen months & 19 days, he never

received a written discharge, nor has he any documentary evidence

of his service.

He was born in Scituate the 13^th day of February 1759.

His birth is recorded in the town Records of Scituate. He lived in

Scituate when he entered said service and has always lived there,

He volunteered or enlisted into each tern of service aforesaid

he was in no instance drafted, nor was he a substitute. He

has named all the officers under whom he served that now recollects

also all the important circumstances of his service.

He is known in his present neighborhood to Samuel Deane

Samuel A. Turner and others who can testify as to his character

for veracity and their belief of his services as a soldier of the

Revolution

Reuben Daman (signature)

He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension

or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the

pension roll of the agency of any State.

Reuben Daman (signature)

Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.

Attest Jacob H. Loud Register

We Samuel Deane a clery man residing in the town

of Scituate in the County of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts

and Samuel A. Turner residing in the same town hereby

certify that we are well acquainted with Reuben Damon who

has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration, that we believe

[new page]

him to be seventy three years of age, that he is reputed and believed

in the neighbourhood where he resides, to have been a soldier of the

Revolution, and that we concur in that opinion_

Samuel Deane (signature)

Samuel A. Turner (signature)

Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid,

Attest Jacob H. Loud Register

And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion after

the investigation of the matter and after putting the interrogatories

prescribed by the War Department, that the above named applicant

was a revolutionary soldier and served as he states, And the Court

further certifies that it appears to them that Samuel Deane who

has signed the preceding certificate is a clergyman resident in the

said town of Scituate and that Samuel A. Turner who has

also signed the same is a resident in the same town and is a

credible person and that their statement is entitled to credit.

By the Court attest Jacob H. Loud Register

I Jacob H. Loud Register of the said Court of

Probate do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original

proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of

Reuben Damon for a pension.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and

seal of said Court this twenty second day of August in the year of

our Lord one thousand eight hundred & thirty two,

Jacob H. Loud

Here is a lovely record of his birth, something commonly found in Revolutionary War pension files.

Looking Ahead on My One-Year Blogoversary

2010-08-27T16:00:00.000-04:00

Photo on Display at the Museum of Appalachia

I've been blogging for a whole year! I'm glad I've been able to stick with it because it has introduced me to new friends, relatives and concepts, and it's a wonderful way to jot down fleeting thoughts. I will continue to blog because it spurs me to think outside the box and it gives me an outlet to express my views.

I've been thinking about my recent "media blitz": I'm quite uncomfortable with it! At the annual Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) conference in Knoxville, Tennessee I was honored to receive a certificate of appreciation from the Assocation of Professional Genealogists (APG) for my leadership of the New England chapter last year. After having attended so many talks on marketing I felt obliged to announce to the four corners of the earth my humble achievement. So why do I feel uneasy?

The problem is my achievement is not genealogical in nature. Rather it lies in more of an organizational/motivational arena. It has virtually nothing to do with my skills as a genealogist. Instead it called heavily upon talents first learned in my days as an executive secretary long ago, and later finely tuned as a mother. Oh sure, some of the skills overlap with genealogy, but so do some of my skills as a knitter, chorus singer, blogger, and graphic designer. All it proves is that I was able to take advantage of being in the right place at the right time. My predecessors had prepared a solid groundwork and chapter members were instrumental in carrying out the tasks. I just facilitated.

Immediately upon receiving my award I intensified my thinking about writing an article. I've been contemplating this for quite a while, but just never seem to focus long enough to do it. As of yesterday, my blog is a year old. While I enjoy writing it, the style is off-the-cuff, casual in nature, inconsistent and fun. But because of this I don't feel it reveals much about my abilities as a genealogist. Though I make a point to mention my sources in narrative format while blogging, I do not use formal citations. I don't have to assemble vast amounts of information. No complicated analysis or corroboration is necessary. There is a lot of nostalgia and talk of my own opinions about things. It's like looking at the world through a magnifying glass, up close and personal, but with no perspective.

But an article! An article published in one of our field's top journals would make me feel very proud of myself. About that I would gloat! With an article I would stand high on a hill and survey the horizon. My eye would scan the view, and perform a reasonably exhaustive search of my surroundings. I wouldn't be able to leave out inconvenient conflicting evidence. I'd have to search for things I couldn't see. I'd have to tell a story, convincing readers that they had all the information necessary on the subject. I'd have to go somewhere no one has been or revisit a spot where the first visitor was blinded by something, and correct the story. I'd be contributing something to the community. And most frightening/exhilarating of all, I'd be edited by the best genealogists in the country. I'd receive their precious feedback, and that would enhance my skills. Investing a lot of energy into creating a logo, brochure, website and conference booth presence is helpful, but doesn't improve the genealogical community in quite the same way.

Blogging has been so rewarding! I've met a whole line of family that had been invisible to many of us for fifty years! We held a family reunion in the summer and my kin seemed really excited about genealogy for the first time. I've made lots of geneablogger friends, and read others' fascinating and entertaining blogs. I have even gained a few clients this way. So while I will continue to blog, I am content knowing I have a New Year's resolution ready to go.

2011––Year of the Article! Now, anyone got any good ideas?

A Press Release!

2010-08-26T11:24:00.001-04:00

SHREWSBURY GENEALOGIST HONORED AT NATIONAL CONFERENCE

SHREWSBURY, MA, August 26, 2010 –––

The Association of Professional Genealogists (APG®) last week honored five members for their outstanding achievements in the field of genealogy at the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) Conference in Knoxville, TN.

Among those awarded certificates of appreciation in recognition of outstanding contributions to APG was Polly FitzGerald Kimmitt, CG of Shrewsbury, MA. Kimmitt was was honored for her activities as president of the New England Chapter of APG in 2009. During her tenure, Kimmitt was responsible for spurring an increase in meeting attendance and chapter memberships and motivated the organization to design a chapter logo, brochure and new interactive website. Under her leadership, the chapter created a booth and presence at the New England Regional Genealogical Conference and its featured Ancestors Road Show. The chapter credits Kimmitt's energy and guidance in helping gain its recognition as "Golden Chapter" at the APG Gathering of the Chapters at the 2009 National Genealogical Society Family History Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina.

"We congratulate today's award recipients," said APG President Laura Prescott. "As the world's leading professional organization of family history and related professionals, the APG celebrates excellence and ethics in the genealogy profession. These recipients have distinguished themselves in many ways and have strengthened APG as a result. They are models for what it means to be a professional genealogist."

Kimmitt owns Kimmitt Genealogical Research in Shrewsbury, MA. She is a certified genealogist, and has been an associate of the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) since 2009. She currently serves on the Professional Issues Committee of the APG, and was president of the New England Chapter of APG (2009). Among other professional associations, she was regent of the Col. Timothy Bigelow Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in Worcester, MA (2007-2009). She has attended the National Institute on Genealogical Research in Washington, DC (2006), and the Institute of Genealogy & Historical Research at Samford University in Birmingham, AL (2007). A native of Scituate, MA, her specializations are: Massachusetts, immigration, and lineage society applications. She speaks Italian and French, as well as her native English. She is a 1978 graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is currently accepting clients and can be reached through her website at www.kimmittgenealogy.com.