May I present, Doctor Franklin Boyers? He’s only 10 years old, so this is quite an unusual given name. I guess this is one way to make sure your child grows up to be a doctor! 1870 U.S. Census, Prentiss County, Mississippi, pop. sch., Booneville, page 423 [printed], dwelling 47, family 47, Mary Boyers household; microfilm publication M593, 1,761 rolls, roll 746; (Washington: National Archives and Records Administration), digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 June 2016). P.S. Summer is almost over and my intense genealogy course is, too. I hope to be blogging regularly in just a couple of weeks!
While researching my great, great grandfather, Reuben Houston Ward (aka Rev. R. H. Ward), I came across this short, sweet newspaper article today: LINDEN, Sept. 22.-(Special.)- James W. Lewis, Circuit Court Clerk, and Miss Dickson were married by Rev. R. H. Ward at his residence on March Creek Sunday afternoon. The couple came to his residence in a buggy, and stopping under the cool shade of a beech tree they called for the minister. He went out and while seated in the buggy they were united in the bonds of humanity. The newly married couple started at once for Linden. Lewis-Dickson Marriage,...
A few months ago, I shared how I had some success finding wrongly transcribed names in census records by searching for neighbors instead of the people I was actually researching. I am also having success finding people by using “exact” searches without a last name. Here’s an example: The family of John M. and Matilda Boyers was located in Sumner County, Tennessee in 1830. In 1840 and 1850, they were found in Tishomingo County, Mississippi. The 1850 household included the parents, who were listed as ages 49 and 44, and eight of their younger children with ages ranging from 3...
Two weeks ago, I visited Clinton County, Pennsylvania with three of my dad’s first cousins. We spent some time at the Ross Library in Lock Haven briefly researching our Stewart, Merrill, McClintock/McClintick, and Close families. Entering Ross Library, Lock Haven, Clinton Co, PA Ross Library has a wonderful card catalog. Each card indexes a specific person and record. The records I saw included the Clinton County marriage license docket 1894-1897, the library’s “local history/memorabilia” albums and photograph collection, and various newspapers including: the Clinton County Times, the Clinton Republican, the Clinton Democrat, and the Lock Haven Express. I believe the library...
Before heading to Clinton County, Pennsylvania for a quick research trip two weeks ago, some cousins and I hired a researcher to pull some court files regarding our Stewart family. Upon our arrival, we drove to her house, paid her for her work, and received over 200 pages of copies. How exciting! I doubt I will ever go “paperless” as I love being able to spread papers out and work on them side by side and rearrange them. However, I also need to have digital copies of these documents both for my own research and to share with my cousins....
Before heading to GRIP (Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh), I organized an informal outing to nearby North Park. I’d went last year with some friends and we had walked around the lake. This year, I was hoping to go kayaking. The day started out quite chilly, but thankfully the wind died down and the sun peeked out and Zola and I had a wonderful time on the lake. Five other GRIP attendees also headed to the park. We all enjoyed some much needed outdoor time… a little nature and a little exercise. Last year, I’d fallen in love with the...
This past week, I had an amazing week at GRIP: Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh! I took “Fundamentals of Forensic Genealogy” which was primarily taught by Michael Ramage, J.D., CG; Kelvin Meyers; and Catherine B. W. Desmarais. Besides these three, Bethany Waterbury also taught two lectures. All four instructors were wonderful and I am already applying things I learned during the course. GRIP offers three evening lectures each week to the public. This photo is from Thursday night’s lecture by F. Warren Bittner, CG, titled “Understanding Illegitimacy: The Bittner Bastards of Bavaria.” (Bittner is still being introduced at this point.)...
We just finished our first day of classes at GRIP… (& I’m thankful for air-conditioning that works this year!) An “enthusiastic” quote for the “enthusiastic” genealogist One of my favorite parts of GRIP is being with my genealogy friends – both old and new. I have been pleasantly surprised to have four different ladies come up and tell me they have been reading and enjoying my blog. You don’t know how much this means to me, so thank you! One of these ladies told me she’d thought of me when she saw the above quote and handed it to me....
Yesterday, I drove to Clinton County, Pennsylvania with three of my dad’s first cousins. One of them, Tom, I had met last year. But, his two sisters, Sally and Ellen, I had just met. We spent part of the day at the Ross Library in Lock Haven, and also ‘toured’ three cemeteries looking for our ancestors headstones. Robert & Frances (Quigley) Stewart’s headstones at Dunnstown Cemetery in Clinton Co, PA While I’d seen a photo of the headstone for my 4th great grandparents, Robert and Frances (Quigley) Stewart, I was surprised at the size of it! Laid to rest in...
Next week I’ll be attending GRIP (Genealogical Research Institute in Pittsburgh) for the third year in a row. This year I’m taking “Fundamentals of Forensic Genealogy for the 21st Century.” Room at GRIP (La Roche College in Pittsburgh) Unfortunately, the past two years when I’ve checked in to my room the air conditioning was broken. Both times, they moved me, but the first year I didn’t get moved until the second day. So, I’m hoping for a cold room on the first try this year! North Park – minutes away from GRIP I’m also organizing one or two trips to...
