Tuesday Tip: Remember to Give Credit

I've been chatting with a distant (aren't they all?) cousin over the last few days. It's really gotten me energized to dig more into the family. From time to time, we must all go back and review the data and look around to see if anything new has been posted.

Imagine my surprise this morning when I found my hard long research from several years ago, along with photos that I think I'm the only one to have, copied word for word on Find a Grave.

Think, fellow genealogy researchers, of others' research when posting their information online. Be sure to give them the credit for their words and pictures!

I quickly emailed the contributor of the information taken from my site and asked her to correct the entry. I just want the credit, and of course, the way for other cousins to find me.

The contributor quickly emailed back and profusely apologized. I figured they just didn't think when they copied and pasted the information and pictures.

Use it. Just use it properly by giving credit where the credit is due. Or better yet-- contact the owner of the site to see how the work should be credited, or if you should just use one line with a link to the site of the original information.

Oh - the contributor was kind enough to go back and edit the entries showing the source of the information posted. One chore down for this really cold day!

And the Gift Keeps On Coming

I sort of fell into genealogy about 15 years ago and admittedly have a strong addiction. Just ask my family- close or distant blood!

I've been working with a gent for about four years now on my blood. He's been a real gem in my quest to learn, and to learn more about my blood. Click here to read a previous post on my buddy.

Well, today, he offered another gift. Oops, I should back up a few months.

My buddy and I have been searching for the proof that his blood runs in my veins. Finally, we found a living breathing male with the correct surname in both our families who were willing to take the DNA test. This would tell the tale.

The tale, or rather fact, of the matter is to our knowledge we share not one itty bitty drop of blood.

He has finally decided he didn't need to run the online tree of the family, so today, he offered it to me. I accepted. In a day or so, the newly owned tree will be available on ancestry for all to see. Of course, it's been there the whole time. It's just now going to be updated by a common gene seeker.

As for my buddy? He's gained a place in my heart and I will continue to refer to him as my "kinda cousin." After all, he's the one who was able to lead me in the right direction in my personal quest of Wall Street John.

Thanks, Bill, for the gifts of knowledge, time, and friendship. I look forward to continuing our "kinda cousin" relationship.

Start the New Year on Fire!

Tis the new year and time to revisit some old stumbling blocks to see what new information has been placed online.

Since the beginning of the new year, I've been deep into genealogy.

On one of the groups on which I lurk and comment, the big news right before Christmas was the addition of some more old newspapers from Pittsburgh. So, I've been searching the Pittsburgh Press through Google Archives just to see what I can find.

Every now and then, shouts of glee have bubbled right out of my mouth. So far, I have been able to view some new (or rather, old) obits of my family. I found my great grandma's obit. The obit itself wasn't new as a copy of it had been placed in the family Bible. What was new was the newspaper it came from and the date it was published. I also found the obit of some cousins and of my great grandma's sister.

Feeling like I'm on fire on this extremely cold winter day, I even found a fire. The fire was at the James RITCHIE Lumber Yard in Mt. Washington, Allegheny, PA on April 17, 1909. The fire was reported to be" one of the most spectacular ever seen in Pittsburg" with flames almost 20 feet high. Although an engine (fire) house was adjacent to the property, lack of water pressure made it impossible to fight. The home of James RITCHIE was also adjacent to the property. It was badly scorched and smoking.

By the way, James (1840-1922) was married to a cousin of mine, Anna Elizabeth NEELY (1842-1912) and both are buried in my "family cemetery" known as the St Clair Cemetery in Mt Lebanon, PA. James was born in Ireland but spent most of his life in Allegheny Co, PA. After marrying Anna in 1861, he mustered into the Union Army and served in Co. K of the 49th Regiment, PA Volunteers.

It was cool to see both his obit and the article of the fire. I also have sent them on to his great grandson. I suspect I'll hear from him soon. After all, it's been some time since we were to talk all day in the cold. Click here to read more of our last visit.

Guess I'll stop looking for fires and just use some hand warmers.

Dreaming of Jeanne Who Knows Henry Family

What a great comment some kind Jeanne left for me on a previous post from 2007 on Ashmen Cooke HENRY. Click here to read more of "Gotcha" from October 2007.

Jeanne tells me who Ashmen married and who his kids were. Ok. You've got my attention now. Yes, he did have five children with Anna and one more with Susan.

Since I wrote the "Gotcha", I have received grave photos of Ashmen and his family as well as some more info on him. Ashmen was the mayor of Oakland, CA, in 1884.

But-- what more can Jeanne tell me? Can I say "howdy, cuz"? Is she a descendant? If so, I reckon she comes from either Anna or Walter.

As for me, Ashmen's father, Samuel, was the older brother of my 3g grandfather who was born, lived and died in Allegheny Co, PA, at the old family homestead.

Dreamin' that Jeanne will contact me again so we can chat genealogy and shared blood. In the meantime, she will most likely enjoy reading many of my blogs as they are about the HENRY family.

Happy New Year!

Update: Old Fayette County Records

This morning, I posted a comment on the news that old records of Fayette County are currently being scanned. Click here to read the post. Now before you get excited, these records of old are in Fayette County, Kentucky.

I also contacted one of my favorite genealogy guru types to tell him the good news as his family did settle in early Mason County. We swapped emails and then decided to see how we could find these records in the areas of the country we reside.

After dashing emails to both the Kentucky Archives and to the Fayette County Clerk, I received a reply from David at the Archives.

David says in his email that "The Fayette County books will be available for viewing on microfilm by the end of January. I do not believe any scanned copies will be available. Unfortunately, we do not interlibrary loan microfilm but a copy can be purchased from our micrographics department if you have access to a reader."

So, if you have a hankering to find your roots in early Kentucky, you may want to contact the Archives at the end of January.

Happy Hunting!

My Old Kentucky Home

May be it is my old Kentucky home. Or maybe not.

The history buffs in Fayette County, Kentucky, are currently in the process of scanning old land, census, and marriage records. It is anticipated the documents will be available through the Kentucky Archives sometime in January. This could be a gold mine for some genealogy buffs if your family was in Mason County early on, as Mason County was part of Fayette County at one time. There is no mention if those of us who are not in Kentucky will be able to search for these nuggets online.

It is reported the books are being indexed by the Archives. Maybe an online master index should be undertaken by a group of volunteers in the area?

The following article is from Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. Information about the newsletter is available at http://www.eogn.com.

Old Kentucky Records Resurface
http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2009/12/old-kentucky-records-resurface.html

Looking for Traces of Me

Just today, I received a lovely present in the form of a painting. Now, I didn't get the original painting; however, I did get something even better. A digital copy!

This picture of the painting allows me to really zoom in on the features of the subject. The subject in the pictures is none other than the brother of my 4g grandfather, of whose surname I was born with. There have been so many generations of male blood passed down that I am looking intently at the photo to see if I can find any feminine traces of me.

Do I see any trace of me? Why, I think I do in the shape of the mouth. Cool.

Of course, I think my left side is my better side for pics and the subject chose his right. No matter. We're kin.

Genealogy. Ya just gotta love it! And copies of the documents or photos are just fantastic!

Don't Just Stay at Home - View the World

Ho, ho, ho!

Just announced by World Vital Records is free access from December 23 (yep, today) until December 28.

Take a trip around the world in genealogy fun! Although I guess we history buffs should take some time to bake, wrap and generally spend some time with our kids.

Here is the site to check: http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/

See ya somewhere in Sweden or Ireland! Maybe we'll meet up at the North Pole!

Oh, Those Glorious High Cheek Bones Live

Several months ago, I found a living, breathing first cousin of my mom's. This was a feat as the cousin is the only one of that generation to still be among us. Click here to read about Henrietta.

My mom's aunt died really young leaving a small child behind. Her husband took the small child out of Charleston and to his aunts' house where she was raised. He visited her often and took her back to Charleston every summer to see her mama's kin.

Well, I recently stumbled across her and so I did what every excited family seeker of genealogy would do. I called her.

At first, she was skeptic until I told her who I was. She spent the next hour on the phone with me telling stories about my grandparents, whom she loved dearly, and of her grandmother. She laughed out loud when I told her a story that my mom had told me.

I almost dropped the phone. Her laugh was the laugh of my mother. With tears in my eyes, I wanted to keep this delightful old cousin on the phone. After we hung up, I made copies of some pictures for her (including one of her grandmother) and sent them to her.

She called back and thanked me. She said the picture had captured the essence of her grandmother exactly.

Time passed. Today, the postman delivered a card to me from this cousin. Inside was a picture of her. Once again, I had to sit down in a hurry as the tears formed in my eyes.

For this delightful first cousin of my mom has her look. Yep, those wonderful high cheek bones and smile were there.

I miss my mom and have been spending a lot of time looking at a picture of her taken at Christmas time a couple of years before she died. I've been needing her, and today, I saw a little hint of her still alive in a picture.

I must go and call this cousin and hear my mom's laughter once again. What a wonderful kiss from heaven this was.

Memories of Jim in a Letter From 1942

December 15 is the birthday of a cousin of mine. A cousin I never met. But live he did, and so I wish him a happy restful 96th birthday as Jim, the father, the patriot, rests in peace.

However, I do know his daughter and with her permission, I am placing a very special letter written by Jim to his darling wife and baby girl while he was off fighting for America during World War II.

It's a great letter and serves to kinda put everything in perspective as we near Christmas and time of birth of our Savior.

By the way, the dig at the Marines is actually a joke meant for his brother in law who served in the Marines during WWII.

Without further ado----

Somewhere in England
25 December 1942


Dear Babs, Dear Ellen and all,

Christmas morning. This year I have really made my Christmas Day like any other day in the year. I’ve found that it is home and family, not time of year that makes that lovely, friendly, human atmosphere of the days before Christmas. I saw the English equivalent of it there in a town I visited several Saturdays ago. I wish I could tell you what town it was—it was about as charming a spot as I’ve ever seen. Anyhow, as I was saying, on Saturday afternoon the streets were crowded like under Kaufmann’s Clock with pedestrians overflowing off the sidewalks and practically meeting in the middle of the street. The hustle was almost like home, but the percentage of khaki was almost 60%, which is higher than I’ve ever seen in a street scene at home.

Holly is an important part of the Christmas spirit over here. I think I’ve told you how much holly there is over here. In hedges and trees, both green and green with white edges on the leaves. And such a plethora of berries that if you saw it for sale at home, you’d swear that they were tied on. Well, every person I’ve seen for weeks (or so it seems) has had an arm full of holly, and every hedge or tree has had scars and wounds here and there.

Last evening was rather hard to get through. I kept thinking of the candle light ceremony in your room last year; wondering if it was repeated this year and if so, if it was done without tears as it should have been. Every time I’d think, “Now Babs is doing this or that,” I’d remember the five hour difference in time and console myself that this was only a rehearsal over here. The real Christmas Eve, my Christmas Eve, would not come for five hours yet. Did you have the big pink candle burning? I hope so because I kept seeing you in its glow. But if you decided to save it, that’s all right too, because then I’ll see you oftener in its light when I get home.

I tried to get them to fire a 21 gun salute on Wednesday when it was 5 o’clock over there to celebrate Young Stuff’s anniversary, but it seems that she hasn’t received her “federal recognition” yet, and so rates no salutes with the army.

We had a rapid succession of services of various faiths last night. The somewhat involved prayer offered by one chaplain asked blessing for:

(1) All soldiers both here and elsewhere,
(2) All sailors,

(3) All marines,

(4) All allies

(5) Our enemies.



At the end of the prayer I said, quote, “I don’t mind praying for our enemies but let’s leave the marines out of this,” unquote. John will want to settle that when we meet again.

Did the flowers arrive in time or at all? After I spent about 3 quid to send them (the native who sent them through said “whew” when he looked up the price) I heard that all cables were being held up so I don’t know if you got them or not.

Goodbye for now,

Love Jim

The Saints Vs. the Strangers

Every year, we Americans celebrate the feast held by the Pilgrims. So, tis fitting I revisit this stroll down memory lane. This is a repost from 2006.

Sounds like the perfect football game for the season. But wait, just who are these players?

Back in the early 1600s, a group of people born in the Elizabethan age in England wanted to practice their faith as they saw fit. They were led by a man named William Brewster, who organized and then became the ruling elder of the Pilgrim Church, in Scrooby, England. King James demanded that all of his land be members of his church and give him absolute obedience. The Pilgrim Community insisted on passive obedience. So, the saga begins.

Around the 1608 to 1609 time period, Rev. Brewster moved from England to Amsterdam and finally to Leyden. Many of his people left England under the cover of night as the King's men were making it harder for these people to worship and live. Leyden was a natural place for the Pilgrims to go as the Dutch were much more tolerant of differences between religions and cultures. The Pilgrim Church flourished well until the Pilgrims felt it was time to leave, as King James was putting pressure on the Dutch to crack down on the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims arranged for passage to America and received a grant for land to be called "Pilgrim Plantation" at the mouth of the Hudson River in the Virginia territory.

The Pilgrims arrived to find they indeed had two boats for their voyage, the Mayflower and the Speedwell. Unknown to the Pilgrims, the investors in this crossing of the Atlantic also sold passage to a group of tradesmen, hence the origins of the term "The Saints and the Strangers". The Saints, also known as the Pilgrims, were infuriated with this change of plans but there was nothing to do at this point. The two ships set sail for America in 1620. Constant leaking of the Speedwell resulted in the ships returning to port. After some considerable time and effort, it was decided that the Mayflower would sail alone, carrying both the Saints and the Strangers.

The ship's crossing was not an easy one and much has been written on this. They saw the land we now know as Cape Cod. Their intent was to follow the coastline down to the mouth of the Hudson River. However, an tricky area around Cape Cod and the winds blew them back to Cape Cod. They went ashore and well, the rest is history. Some of the most fascinating accounts of their lives were written by a member of the group named William Bradford.

This story has much to teach us. For my family, it is the story of my children's ancestors. Yes, my children had two grandpas on the Mayflower voyages, a William Lumpkin and a Richard de Warren. And naturally, it is from the side of my beloved spouse. So, here I am, descended from poor farmers from Sweden and Ireland, while my spouse's family history has a decidedly much more colorful tale to tell in the settling of our great nation.

After much gnashing of teeth over my spouse's apparent illustrious lineage, I finally realized that my poor Irish and Swedish farmers offered as much to the founding of this wonderful nation of ours. The Saints and the Strangers may be the story told around this time of year, but all of our ancestors had a vital part in shaping this great land of ours.

Happy Holidays.

Wordless Wednesday: Clyde Mine Remembered

The old main entrance to the Clyde Mine in Fredericktown, Washington Co, PA, as seen in 2003.

This mine originally opened around 1900. My greatgrandfather was the stable boss and one of his sons worked as a miner.

The mine tunnels ran for quite a ways and were deep underground near the house of my great aunt. One day the house shook with all the blasting and cracked the sidewalk. Guess she was lucky it didn't destroy the house!

Rare Finds at Georgia Archives This Weekend

Now, this may just be the ticket to encourage some genealogy buffs to trek over to Morrow to the Georgia Archives. Will there be some great treasures to find?

The following article is from Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. Information about the newsletter is available at http://www.eogn.com.

Rare Books for Sale at Georgia Archives

You never know what treasures may be buried among the 25,000 books that go on sale Thursday at the Georgia Archives in Morrow. Volunteers at the state’s repository for historic documents have amassed an assortment of volumes from around the country that just may include a few hidden gems.

Volunteer coordinator Dee Thompson described the genealogy books: “They are a very small percentage of the 25,000 books we’ll sell,” she said. “They may take up two full shelves. But there are some good ones, even a few rare genealogy books. And they’re not expensive, between $10 and $20. Everything this year is priced much lower than it’s been in the past.”
Hours for the Friends of Georgia Archives and History book sale are Thursday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. for members only. (New members who join that evening are also welcome.) Public hours are 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Details may be found at http://foga.pbworks.com and at http://www.ajc.com/news/henry/rare-books-a-top-203235.html.

Search at the DAR Library from the Comfort of Home

Just thought I'd pass this on.

In case you haven't dug in the Daughters of the American Revolution online library lately, genealogy buffs really should. Now you can search for Patriots (while keeping in mind this is not an all inclusive list) and for descendants who have joined under the known patriots.

New patriots are always being added to the DAR files as new members prove patriotic service of a beloved ancestor.

Check it out here: http://www.dar.org/library/online_research.cfm

And, yeppers, my fingers have logged in many an hour working as a volunteer on parts of this project!

Wordless Wednesday: Memory of a Revolutionary War Dedication

The family of Revolutionary War Patriots James Glenn and John Henry gathered at the site of their final resting places in the old St. Clair Cemetery in Mt Lebanon, PA, in August 2005 for a dedication of new headstones. Five generations of descendants honored the contributions of these men in the quest to win freedom.

How fitting to have our Scot Irish roots honored after so many years. The bagpipe music was soulful and so very fitting.

Tombstone Tuesday: Not Just any Grass, but a Snodgrass

Found in the Mt. Pisgah Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Allegheny Co, PA, is this little group of family tombstones.

While time and the elements have all but erased the names, the following names have survived-- in our hearts, our memories and the stones of the final resting place.

From left to right, we see Robert Snodgrass, the younger, (1794-1863) and his wife, Hannah Glenn (abt 1797- abt 1862). Their unmarried daughter, Sarah (1829-1853) and a son, John, are also found here.

The sister of Robert, Achsah (1792-1875), is also found here. Illegible headstones in the group most likely include Robert's son, James (1833-1841).

Several years ago, I had the pleasure of publishing the early Civil War era diary of Robert and Hannah's daughter. What a great genealogy trip that was for my Snodgrass cousins and me as we worked on it together for several months.

Feeling the Old Country in Your Bones?

Feel like doing some genealogy digging in the old country? You're in luck today if your old country is Sweden. Today, it's free.

Go try out Arkhiv Digital. You do have to register first-- and then download a program-- but then you get to go and look at some old estate records in living (or rather, dead) color! In addition, AD is also trying to photograph all the church records thru 1894.

As genealogy buffs, we know how valuable it can be to see a digital photograph of records, and as Swedish descendants, we know how valuable the Swedish Parish records are to our research.

AD is even running a special from now until the end of the year. I do suggest you check out their records to see if now is the time for you to hop on the Swedish train or to wait until more records are digitized.

Check out their site: http://www.arkivdigital.net/

As for me, I'll be staying up late tonight to try and put some meat on my bones of the past.

Treasure Chest Thursday: New Additions to Digital Library of Georgia

Have you been to the Digital Library of Georgia lately? If not, then you may be in for a nice treat.

Old newspapers from Millegdeville, Columbus and Macon have just been released for the digital library through the Georgia HomePLACE. The Georgia HomePLACE is a collaboration of the Georgia Public Library Service, GALILEO and the Digital Library to help ensure Georgia history is not lost.

Check it out here to see a full list of recent databases added. And then, let the genealogy fun begin!

This could be a great find for you history buffs that have early 1800s Georgia family to find.

Remember Charlie of Company C on Veterans Day

This is a repost from 2007. Tis fitting that I share this genealogy tidbit again today, on Veteran's Day. Again I say, "Thanks Charlie."
Again, the tears flow.

Veterans Day is almost here. It's time to remember America's heroes. It's time to honor Charlie of Co. C.

Charlie of Co. C was my grandfather, Charles Edward Simmons. Born in Dec. 1888 in Washington Co, PA, he was descended from those men who fought for the beginning of America, the War of 1812 and the War of the Recent Unpleasantness. As was true to the family line, he fulfilled his patriotic service in the Infantry. Charlie's draft registration card tells us he signed up in June 1917. The 11th Infantry men were shipped overseas in June 1918 to face an opponent who was skilled in chemical warfare. America was unprepared for this type of war, and her soldiers suffered the consequences. Charlie was one of the many who suffered from the effect of mustard gas exposure.

The United States joined the war to end all wars in 1917. In reading more about the time while Charlie was in France, I learned that in mid-July 1917, over 12,000 doughboys were within 30 miles of the front, all without gas masks or training in chemical warfare¹. The 11th Infantry saw 43 days of combat with casualties of 386. Of these, 348 were wounded in action. The unit returned to US soil in June 1919.

Poor Charlie. Not only did he suffer the effects of mustard gas while in France, he was also wounded. A picture I have in my possession shows his bandage on his left leg right below the knee. In this picture, he is sitting on a bench outside of what appears to be Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh. He wears his uniform and his crutches and my grandmother are at his side. On another picture of Charlie proudly wearing his doughboy uniform, my father had written the following on the back: "He was exposed to mustard gas in WWI and injured in the leg. One inch of bone had to be removed from his left leg."

I have written to the Army to try and find Charlie's records. All I received was the confirmation he was in the Army in the unit I thought. Apparently, his records were in the big fire they had way back when.

Mustard gas. The weapon of choice in World War I which still produces shivers down my spine. It was extremely caustic and penetrated everything- even clothing. While I do not know the extent of Charlie's short term exposure, I have heard family lore of the long term effects. The exposure was said to have changed him. He did marry, he did have three sons, and he died young. The death certificate suggests he had renal failure and sepsis. His widow and small children were left to carry on. Unfortunately, they had to leave their home on Bosses Alley in Crucible, PA. Yes, Bosses Alley was the street on the hill above the Crucible Mine. The housing was company owned and was for the managers. Charlie was the chief clerk for the mine. I've heard from others that Charlie and his brother-in-law who owned the bank walked around town surrounded by coal and iron policemen-- especially on pay day. Charlie was also the local mine baseball team manager and was a member of the school board which had a new high school built. This high school was dedicated in June 1929.

So Charlie - with tears in my eyes, thank you. Thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for your life. Thank you for your smile. Thank you for my dad.

Thank you for protecting your unborn grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We remember you - everyday.
_______________
¹http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/download/csipubs/chemical/chem_pt3.pdf

Ancestry Offers Free US Military Collection

In honor of our veterans, ancestry.com is offering free access to their US Military Collection until November 13.

Here's the link in case you want to do some genealogy surfing:
http://landing.ancestry.com/military/collections.aspx?html=main&URL=military%2fcollections.aspx%3fhtml%3dmain&o_iid=31731&o_lid=31731