Watching the Family Tree Bloom

Have you noticed the pollen counts lately?  Where I live, the trees and early spring flowers are blooming their little heads off and sending those of us with (and without) pollen allergies running for our boxes of kleenex. 

I so marvel at the wonder of spring as the trees awaken from their deep winter slumber and everything comes to life once more. Branches you thought were dead spring to life with new leaves,  just like my genealogy trees.

A cousin just popped up as a result of reading some of my earlier posts.  How fun is that?  It's always interesting to be able to share the information as you know it to be with other family members who are just beginning their search for their roots.  Of course, it is even more fun for me to be able to solve some mysteries of the past and verify what I think I know.

A good source to research is that of old obituaries.  They can be hard to locate, but sometimes, they can really send you into screaming fits of joy.

Take, for example, the obit of Austin McClain BRENDEL.  His May 1935 obit confirms the name of his wife and their two children.  The surprise of the obit came in two parts:  "...Mr. Brendel leaves.....and a daughter, Mrs Floyd TAYLOR of Akron, OH......."  and "He was buried in the Southside Cemetery beside his mother."

Really? Another daughter?  Does that mean an earlier marriage?

The obit led us on a goose chase for Mrs. Floyd TAYLOR.  We found evidence of her and, then we lost her.  The name was just too common and she appeared to have left the area.  That was several years ago. 

We've just found her daughter alive and well.  Or rather, she found us with the able assistance of her son.  This is so cool.  Emails are flying and more tidbits of information are coming in.  Now we have more leads to follow to try and nail down some of the past that we think we know.  Will we have moments of "aha" waiting for us?

We knew where Austin was buried as I have been to the site and my father's cousins had told me.  This had also been confirmed by the cemetery.  What we didn't know was that his mother, Henrietta Renton McCLAIN BRENDEL, was also buried there.  Surprise.  There are no headstones for either of them.

The newly found cousin was able to supply the name of the first wife, so now it's off to see what supporting documentation will show up on her family.  A local history book has identified the family names, so the search is on.  A local hysterical society :) in the area has confirmed they have information on her family and I am patiently waiting for them to identify what the information is. 

I have also been able to find when his first wife filed for divorce by finding it in a 1910 Pittsburgh newspaper.  Now I wait for my "sweet tea" buddy to make his monthly trek to the Allegheny County courthouse to find the hard evidence for me.

Old obituaries are really great.  They can provide the names of those grieving for the deceased.  Those names, in turn, can sometimes be traced to a living descendant.  If you are lucky enough to locate an old obituary, you can then start the hunt for a living, breathing kinsman who may be able to fill in some gaps.  Even the smallest tidbit can lead you to finding a pot of gold. 

You can also compare the names with some of the early censuses to see if you are following the correct family.  Censuses can be difficult as they are not always accurate.  The early ones were done by folks in the neighborhood who sometimes were known to make educated guesses.  Just remember, a census is secondary evidence when trying to find your roots.  If possible, go by the death, marriage, land, wills, probate, church, draft registration, SSDI or other records.  Look for patterns and a preponderance of evidence to support your theories.

If you've got roots in the Pittsburgh area, my merry little band of 47 volunteers is still busy digging them up out of old newspapers.  The list blooms each day and we strive to send a new upload to the web about once a month or so.  To date, we have almost 70,000 death entries, over 16,000 (so 32,000 names) marriage entries, and 1103 divorces.  The dates of the newspapers range from 1806-1997. 

You can check out the dates here:  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~njm1/Daily-Update-Submitted-Newspapers.html

And the names here: http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/allegheny/death-index.htm

We also have been hard at work on a military service personnel index for WWI.  This information is also coming from the old Pittsburgh newspapers.  We currently have almost 70,000 entires uploaded on this index and I have more waiting to go.  Check it out here:  http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/allegheny/death-index.htm

Ahh, genealogy.  Sometimes, it's not the pollen that has you running for the kleenex, it's the new branches on the family tree.

©2011 AS Eldredge

Old Pittsburgh Newspaper Marriage and Divorce Indices

The awesome all volunteer group from the Rootsweb Mailing Group that I am associated with has done it again.  We've recently celebrated our one year anniversary for the death index we've been compiling from old newspapers in the Pittsburgh area.  Yep, we've been combing the old newspapers from the last 200 years and the entries just keep on coming.

What would we do without the wonderful volunteers?  (Did I mention these 46 super folks are fantastic in their commitment to the project?)

Just in case you missed it, our little project now has marriage and divorce sections, as well as our new military index with names from World War I.

Latest index numbers for marriages online (and available to all for free- well, maybe an occasional shout out from other researchers):  16,520

Latest index numbers for the divorce:  1083

Latest index numbers for the World War I military personnel index: 37, 324


Click here to go to the pages to see if you will shout for joy in your Pittsburgh area research:
http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/allegheny/death-index.htm

Ahh, genealogy.  The old marriages and happy times come alive just in time for Valentine's Day.  After all, we needed them for our generation.

©2011 AS Eldredge

Filling in the Blanks of WWI Heroes on Treasure Chest Thursday

The not-so-little-anymore project that I am involved with from the old Pittsburgh newspapers has expanded yet again.

Last month, just in time for the holidays, we unveiled a new section for Military Service listed in the 1918 newspapers of Pittsburgh.  In little over a month's time, super volunteer Lynn B. has SINGLEHANDEDLY transcribed over 27,000 entries for this one of a kind index.  (Super kudos, Lynn!)

The list has been sent to the webmaster for uploading and I suspect it will be available to everyone shortly for their viewing pleasure.  I was looking at the list today and wondering about all these brave men who fought for America back in World War I.  Did my family members know any of them?  While I will most likely never answer that question, the pondering sparked yet another wild thought.

What if we could identify more of the units these great veterans served in?  The index has a column for the branch and a separate one for the units.  So many of the unit spaces are empty.

Do you know any of these men?  If you do, and can identify the unit in which they served, please let me know.  I will be happy to add the units to their names.

In the meantime, keep on checking out the awesome all volunteer death, marriage, divorce and military indices from old Pittsburgh newspapers.  We update them all on a fairly regular basis.  Here is the link: http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/allegheny/death-index.htm

It may just warm you up on these cold winter days.

Ahh, genealogy. More than just names.


©2011 AS Eldredge

Tis the Season: Making the List and Dabbing Our Eyes

How many times have you cried when reading of a death or while attending a marriage? Early newspapers can be a great source for us genealogy buffs.  Just think. Our ancestors used the printed press as a great way to communicate items of importance.

It's just so rewarding in today's world to find those old notices.  Of course, sometimes those old notices leave a lot to be desired.  As a friend reminded me recently, our loved ones didn't move around that much in the old days and so detailed obituaries weren't necessary.  If one could read and knew the family, then the reader would most likely have known the details that today's genealogy buffs are digging for.

The all volunteer group that is diligently working on indexing Pittsburgh and Allegheny Co, Pennsylvania deaths, marriages, divorces and photos from early Pittsburgh area newspapers is still digging in the newspapers to find them.

I just can't believe this little project I suggested and spearhead is now close to being one year old.  Our actual anniversary is in January, but now is the perfect season for me to give thanks to the wonderful volunteers who are involved with me on this list.

The last update for deaths now includes 56, 599 names while the marriage index now has 14, 440 happy couples.

Be sure to check it out at  http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/allegheny/death-index.htm

The project was noted in recent editions of Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter,Georgia Front Page, and the Western PA Genealogy Society.  Here is the press on our little index project:

Early Pittsburgh Marriages and Deaths Indices are Online and Growing

In January 2010, a small band of genealogy seekers embarked on a project to make anyone who has roots in the Pittsburgh area jump for joy.  43 volunteers have been indexing marriages, deaths, and divorces from early Allegheny County newspapers and putting it all online at no cost.  Over 52,000 death entries and over 11,000 marriages have been indexed and put online through August.  The dates of the newspapers range from 1806-1987.

Project coordinator Ann S Eldredge says the idea of an index came to her as she regularly keeps in touch with other Pittsburgh researchers on the popular mailing list of Allegheny County sponsored by RootsWeb.com.  An avid genealogy researcher, Eldredge remarked, "I saw on the list that Google had put images of several old newspapers online and Pittsburgh was on it. After spending many hours of looking for my family and investing in Visine for the eye strain, I realized I couldn't be the only one who had uncovered a few golden nuggets of information. It seemed so simple.  If anyone was looking at any of the dates, they could write down all the names of that day.  After all, how many of your ancestors do you not know when they married or died?"

With that simple question posed to the group, an index was born.  Eldredge volunteered to capture the names the volunteers put on the list. List member Norm Minert quickly set up a page for the newspapers submitted so there would be no duplication of efforts.  USGenWeb Allegheny County Archives File Manager Ellis Michaels volunteered to get the the submitted indices online.

The daily newspaper lists began to pore in.  "It didn't take long for the sheer volume of names being submitted to become overwhelming," said Eldredge.  "I quickly realized I needed help.  I put a call out for volunteers to assist on my end, and they came. The enthusiasm and dedication of the volunteers are inspiring.  The work they are doing for family researchers and genealogy buffs is just fantastic.  What a gift to give."

"It's been an amazing journey over the last eight months as the volunteers have graciously given their time to read the old newspapers.  We have so many death and marriage entries from 1889 and 1890.  Since the census was lost for 1890, this almost serves as a substitute. I've found my relatives through this project.  Some of the death entries have even led to connections with living cousins.  It's been worth it."

"Stop on by and see what our volunteers have done," Eldredge said as a smile came across her face. "After all, the good folks of Pittsburgh are just dying to get in."

To view the death, marriage and divorce indices, go to http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/allegheny/death-index.htm .

Permission was sought from other groups to reprint the press release while kudos poured in.

Here are some of the comments sent.  While the comments came in my mailbox, the words are for all of the fantastic volunteers on this project.

"Thank you again and you have done a wonderful job.  A tip of the hat to you."
JR Jamieson, Project Volunteer

"Thank you for taking the time to index these newspaper articles.  They are wonderful for any Allegheny Co., PA researcher."
Melinda Pennington, Editor, Pennington Pedigrees

"Congrats on taking on the Pittsburgh newspaper indexing project. It is well-appreciated. Although some of the newspapers were indexed on microfilm, there was a huge gap."
Elissa Scalise Powell, CG

"I saw the article in Eastman's newsletter about your indexing project.  It's a great project.  Would you grant me permission to use the article or excerpts from the article in the North Hills Genealogists newsletter?"
Amy Arner, Co Editor, North Hills Genealogists Newsletter

Ahhh, genealogy.  Sometimes you just got to have a box of tissue nearby.

Update 11/16/2010:  Another great comment on our work:
"In 1905 there were 5 Buckley children placed in St Joseph's orphanage. No one in today's generation knew about them. Because of your efforts and the additional scraps of information made available we were able to find descendants of each of the 4 who had children. We are building the bridge back. Thank you for your fine work.'
John S

©2010 AS Eldredge