My husband is blessed with probably hundreds of old family photos through one of his grandparent’s lines: his Payton family. Many of these photos are labeled. But, his mom, dad, and I worked on labeling more of these this weekend. I was intrigued by one photo that was sent as a postcard. The picture was of an unknown mother and baby. The back was written to “Aunt Ella” and signed “Maud Vassar.” Three other people were mentioned: Myrtle, Ben, and Leona. I had three questions: Who were the people in the photo? What year was the photo taken? And who...
When I need to find wills or probate records, I usually start at FamilySearch to see what is available. I go to their online catalog, enter the place name, and see what is available under the “probate records” category. Seeking the Probate of James B. Leeds Recently, I was seeking the probate of James B. Leeds who appeared to have died in Ripley County, Indiana, between the 1840 and 1850 censuses. The FamilySearch result page showed two items under probate records: Probate for Nov. 1818 to Feb. 1837 – too early for James Will records for 1839 to 1922 –...
As I continue to share family stories for the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge, this week’s theme is “Favorite Photo.” Sadly, while looking for this photo I realized I have misplaced hundreds of scanned family photos! I am trying not to panic, but it’s a great reminder to share your photos while you can! Thankfully, I can rescan these photos from a relative, but it will take many hours of work. Grandmother Evelyn (Dickson) Kaechle This is the only photo we have of my grandmother as a little girl. When Evelyn was less than 8 months old, her mother...
Family history is about more than dates and places; it’s about the stories we remember or discover. And sharing these stories is a wonderful way to remember our ancestors. Amy Johnson Crow has started another year of challenges for each of us to tell the stories of “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.” Each week also has an optional theme, with the theme for this first week of 2020 being “fresh start.” A Fresh Start for the Peters Family Map of immigration route created by JRS Sr In 1859, my 3x great grandparents, Joachim and Henriette (Bünger) Peters, and their six...
I am taking my 9th course with The National Institute for Genealogical Studies. (Yes, I recommend them!) This course is “Forensic Genealogy” authored by my friend, Cari Taplin, CG. ArchiveGrid Module two of the course covers finding sources such as “interviews, letters, published genealogies, and family histories.” And one of the sites discussed for locating some of these records was ArchiveGrid. Cari explains that “ArchiveGrid focuses on archival materials such as historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and other original sources.” Although I’ve visited ArchiveGrid before, last night was the first time I really did some searching – and had...
Last month after GRIP, I spent time with some of my Pennsylvania cousins. On Saturday, we drove to Lock Haven and visited the genealogy room of the Ross Library. As I looked at newspaper articles on microfilm, my dad’s first cousin, Tom, worked with maps. Marriage Records After finishing with the maps, he asked if there was anything else he could do. I had noticed a sign hanging on the end of a bookshelf that said: “Marriage Records.” There was also a list of letters and years and a note saying to ask the librarian for further help. I told...
ThruLines can provide valuable hints, but these “hints” must be proven! This morning, I was working on one of my more unusual surnames: Coppenbarger. My 3x great grandfather, Peter Coppenbarger (1817-1847), had a brother, George Coppenbarger (1804-1853). I only had 2 children listed for George: Elizabeth (b 1830) and Hugh (b 1834). But this ThruLine match was a descendant of a David Coppenbarger (b 1843). The match did not show David’s father as George, but ThruLines was suggesting this based on both FindaGrave and 61 member trees which listed David as a son of George. To try to verify this...
We own some thoroughbred racing horses and naming these horses has been a lot of fun. We have chosen to honor family members with several of them. One of our newest is Fighting Seabee in honor of our grandfather, Fred C. Hunter (who is biologically my husband’s grandfather, but I definitely claim him!). Fred Hunter, Navy photo Fred, who was born in 1920, proudly served in the 42nd Naval Construction Battalion in the Aleutians and Philippines during WWII. The sailors who serve in naval construction building necessary runways, roads, and bridges, are called Seabees. (By the way, I only recently...
If you have a tree on MyHeritage, you probably get periodic emails saying they have found new Record Matches. This week, I was thrilled to get a new record: a newspaper clipping from 1920. The record is an obituary of my great, great grandfather, Augustus L. Merrill. It is only the second photo I’ve seen of him, and it is a lot better quality than the other one which I wrote about here. Obituary Transcription DEATH RECORD Merrill – After being ill about seven weeks with a complication of ailments Augustus L. Merrill, one of the best known and most...
Yesterday, I shared the 1810 will of my 5th great grandfather, Peter Close of Armagh, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. Peter’s wife, Catharine Elizabeth Close, wrote her will in 1828. Who were the people listed in her will? Armagh, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, Will of Catharine Elizabeth Close dated 1828. Probate packet retrieved by a friend in Sep 2015 from Pennsylvania Archives in Harrisburg. Entire Probate Packet is attached to FamilySearch Family Tree. Search for “Peter Close Sr” who died 1810 in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, then look at “memories”for his wife, Catharine Elizabteh Close. Peter Close – Peter & Catharine’s son Henry Close...
