Notary Public

I'm considering becoming a notary public.  According to the Civil Law Notary article on Wikipedia:

Scribes have existed since recorded history, but the notary's authentication tools were first invented in the Fertile Crescent where in Babylon the use of signatures and distinct signs in clay tablets was required. Egypt innovated the use of papyrus and the calame, added legalistic formalism to document preparation, and had specialized notary-scribes, called sesh n pero' "pharaoh's scribe" or sesh n po "scribe of the nome"[19]—agoranomos in Ptolemaic times—who gave authenticity to instruments without the need for witnesses. In Ancient Israel there existed a similar institution of the notary-scribe known as the sofér. Greek city-states lacked uniformity, but, universally, public instruments, usually deeds and conveyances, were kept in official registers and drafted by scribal mnemone (or basiliki ipographi "king's scribes") who were tied to a certain district and whose written acts trumped oral testimony.[20] These innovations would be combined and adopted under the Roman empire.

The notary public article on Wikipedia makes a distinction between notary public and civil law notary:

A notary public (or notary or public notary) of the common law is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business. A notary's main functions are to administer oaths and affirmations, take affidavits and statutory declarations, witness and authenticate the execution of certain classes of documents, take acknowledgments of deeds and other conveyances, protest notes and bills of exchange, provide notice of foreign drafts, prepare marine or ship's protests in cases of damage, provide exemplifications and notarial copies, and perform certain other official acts depending on the jurisdiction.[1] Any such act is known as a notarization. The term notary public only refers to common-law notaries and should not be confused with civil-law notaries.

In genealogy I constantly use documents, like estates and deeds, which were created by people in some sort of official capacity to make those documents official.  I think it will be interesting to play a small part in creating documents which might be used by future genealogists!

Since I'm in California I will go through the Secretary of State as that is the office which "may appoint and commission notaries public in such number as the Secretary of State deems necessary for the public convenience. Notaries public may act as such notaries in any part of this state" (Government Code 8200).

I also found this brief helpful discussion by Vicky LaCelle through a workshop from Fremont College on becoming a notary public in California.



© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday: Harry, Fina, and Opal Slater

This is a picture of my great grandfather Harry Slater (1888-1956), his mother Rufina "Fina" (Tomlinson) Slater (1863-1943), and his sister Opal Slater (1890-1973).  Probably in Severy, Greenwood, Kansas about 1910.  Since I received this photograph from one of Harry's descendants I suspect the pen "doodling" on the faces was Harry's doing.  

His mother does not look amused.



© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Fantastic Find: Three Islands Press

If it's ever been your ambition to write like a Texas Hero, Abigail Adams, Frederick Douglass or Timothy Matlack, the man whose handwriting we see in the Declaration of Independence, Three Islands Press is the place to go. (There's no guarantee that using one of their fonts will make you eloquent or famous, however.)

Font: American Scribe

Source: Old Fonts Press

They have quite a few fonts inspired by 17th-19th century penmanship, old maps, and other old styles. As they say on their website, "Write like they used to."

Brian Willson, a font designer and one of the founders of Three Islands Press, was interviewed by The History Blog today.

If only some of our ancestors-and the census takers who recorded them-had handwriting as clear as these!

© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Fantastic Find: National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC)

Included among Randy Seaver's Best of the Genea-Blogs roundup last week was a great post by Paula Stuart-Warren on the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC):

Did you ever wonder if a family bible might be in a historical society somewhere? Maybe that missing set of Justice of the Peace records is in an archive in a distant state. Where are the records of the fraternal organization that Uncle Sylvester joined? Might the records of the local midwife still be in existence? 

These are manuscripts. These are original records. You may be scratching your head trying to find such items. Of course you check the historical society and archives websites of the counties and states where the person or family resided. Yet, any of these records could be in a distant state. We are fortunate to have several finding aids that assist us in locating these records no matter where they might be housed. 

Paula describes NUCMC:

An important finding aid is the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC), a cooperative cataloging program via the Library of Congress. In 1959, repositories all across the U.S. that held manuscript collections began providing the LOC with the descriptions of ones they held.

She spends the rest of the blog describing how to access and search NUCMC "and its Cousins."  A must read for anyone looking to delve more deeply in their genealogical or historical research.




© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Madness Monday: Thomas Lynchard

Thomas Lynchard (about 1780-before 1820), my 5th great grandfather, drives me mad.  Where was he born?  Who were his parents?  Why do I not find a single other person in the United States with the last name Lynchard before 1800?  Was his last name Lynchard, or Linchard, or Lencher?

The few things that I do know come from a very nice family history, "My Virginia kin : comprising the Hamlett, Witt, Giles, Wills, Eubank-Fortune, Mullenix, Lynchard, Talbot, and Kight families" by Blanche Hamlett Baldridge (available to Ancestry.com users here), a marriage bond for him and his wife Prudence Talbert/Talbot in West Virginia, and a Stoner Township, Bourbon, Kentucky 1810 Census entry.

I have searched US records for anyone with the last name Lynchard in 1800 and before.  The only result I came across is Revolutionary War soldier  Amasa Lynchard who served for Rhode Island.  Further investigation in Fold3.com revealed that this was most certainly an erroneous transcription of Amasa Linchorn/Lincoln.  I doubt that Lincher/Lencher/Lynchard is a corruption of Lincoln, but I am not totally sure.

[Ancestry.com. My Virginia kin : comprising the Hamlett, Witt, Giles, Wills, Eubank-Fortune, Mullenix, Lynchard, Talbot, and Kight families : [database on-line]. Provo, UT: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005.
Original data: Baldridge, Blanche Hamlett,. My Virginia kin : comprising the Hamlett, Witt, Giles, Wills, Eubank-Fortune, Mullenix, Lynchard, Talbot, and Kight families : with a short treatise on the Loving family. Strawberry Point, Iowa: Press-Journal Pub. Co., 1958.]

There are some problems with above biography.  If Thomas and wife Prudence got to know each other in Bourbon County, Kentucky, then why they would go about 289 miles east to Harrison County, West Virginia (then part of Virginia) to get this marriage bond recorded?

["West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970," index, FamilySearch ( https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FR6S-64M : accessed 08 Jul 2014), Thomas Leuchard and Prudence Talbert, Harrison, West Virginia; citing v 2 p 68; FHL microfilm 847274.]

Harrison County, West Virginia, was created from Monongalia County, West Virginia (Virginia) in 1784.  I suspect that Thomas Lynchard was possibly born in that area, but his surviving children gave Ireland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Kentucky as his place of birth in their 1880 Census.  What I glean from this is that they thought he was:

• of Irish ancestry
• possibly born in what was Virginia  (and in an area was that was very close to Pennsylvania along the Monongahela River), 
• possibly from Kentucky, as it was still a part of Virginia around the time he was born (Kentucky was formed from Virginia in 1776).

It has been assumed by the "My Virginia Kin" work that Prudence was the daughter of Bourbon County, Kentucky resident Henry Talbot and his first wife, Hannah King.  For a number of reasons that I will cover on another day, I believe that Prudence was more likely the daughter (or at least relation) of Cottrell Talbot and Elizabeth Reger, who lived in the same area as where the marriage bond was created, and were known to have had a daughter named Prudence.  I don't think Thomas Lynchard and Prudence came to Bourbon County, Kentucky until 1806, based on known children's birthplaces.

[Year: 1810; Census Place: Stoner, Bourbon, Kentucky; Roll: 5; Page: 248; Image: 00136; Family History Library Film: 0181350. Ancestry.com. 1810 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
Original data: Third Census of the United States, 1810. (NARA microfilm publication M252, 71 rolls). Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.]

The household of Thos Linchard indicates 1 boy under 10, 1 man 26-44, 2 girls under 10, 1 woman 26-44.  The census list is alphabetical, so it is unknown who his immediate neighbors were.  There are no other Linchards/Lynchards in the area.  There IS a Hamilton Lincher about 40 miles south in Estill County, Kentucky (formed from Madison and Clark counties in 1808).  I need to investigate who this is.

The story goes that Thomas Lynchard served in the War of 1812 and died sometime afterwards from the effects of exposure during his service.  I do not know his dates of service or date of death.  His wife Prudence appears in the 1820 Census as the head of household in Owen County, Kentucky.  She married 2 years later  to Jacob Bowman and moved to Cincinnati, where she died about 1834, so it is unlikely she ever filed a widow's claim for Thomas Lynchard's 1812 service.


© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Monday is for Mothers: Katherine Gookin

If we have it right, Katherine Gookin is my 9th great grandmother and the mother of the Thomas Warren who settled in Virginia in the early 1640s. She was baptized in Kent, England, in October of 1599 and is believed to be the daughter of Thomas Gookin and his wife Jane Thurston.

According to a transcription in the notes made by Frank Watt Tyler, Katherine married William Warren on 1 June 1619 in Ripple, Kent. Both of them came from established landholding families in the county.

Ancestry.com. Kent, England, Tyler Index to Parish Registers, 1538-1874 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors.

Original data: Frank Watt Tyler. The Tyler Collection. Canterbury, Kent, England: The Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies.

The couple had four children that we know of, three sons (Thomas being the youngest of them) and a daughter. Their oldest boy died when still an infant.

After William died in 1631, Katherine married again and died in Kent in 1640.

Katherine was a niece of Daniel Gookin and cousin to his son Daniel, both of whom were actively promoting settlement in Virginia at the time. When the teenaged Thomas Warren arrived there in the early 1640s, Daniel Gookin the younger claimed the headright for him.

Since Thomas quickly became a landowner and respected member of the community it's clear that he didn't arrive in the colony as an indentured servant. The money and status the son and heir of William Warren of Ripple, Kent, had could explain how that happened and there are no further records for Thomas Warren in England after the time of Thomas's arrival in Virginia.

© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Book Shelf: Anne Orthwood's Bastard

The opening sentence in L.P. Hartley's* novel "The Go-Between" reads: “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.”

Not only did people in the past act differently but they also had entirely different ways of thinking about things--ways that we might never imagine. I'm always looking for ways to gain insights into the world as my ancestors experienced it.

Subtitled "Sex and Law in Early Virginia," this award winning book is a scholarly (but far from dry) examination of how society and the law operated in 17th century Virginia.

"A mapp of Virginia discovered to ye Hills" by John Farrer, London, 1651

Source: University of Virginia

John Ruston Pagan is a legal historian specializing on the ways that English law changed with its transportation to the colonies. He happened upon Anne Orthwood's story and the court cases that started in 1664 and didn't end until 21 years later when her surviving child sued for his freedom.

This is the world my 8th great grandfather Thomas Warren knew; both he and Willliam Kendall, the head of the household where Anne first met the man who later got her pregnant, served in the House of Burgesses. Several of their terms coincided so it's almost certain that they knew each other. Even though they lived in different parts of the colony, the scandal caused by Anne's situation very likely spread throughout the region.

I highly recommend this book whether or not you have ancestors in colonial Virginia. In 150 pages, Professor Pagan re-creates a lost world.

*There's no known connection to the Hartley family I married into.

© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 1: Minnie Nosler, (1883-1969)

I'm a little late for "The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" challenge, but hey, better late than never!  My weeks will be numbered differently than those who started in January.

Minnie was one of my great grandmothers.

Minnie Etta Nosler was born January 10, 1883, in Healdsburg, Sonoma, California, to William Henry Harrison Nosler (1840-1914), a Union veteran of the Civil War, and Esther Loretta Rittgers (1844-1887).

Her mother Esther died November 15, 1887, in San Diego, when Minnie was just 4 years old.  I'm not quite sure what father William was up to, as he seemed to spend time between his Iowa Slough residence in Coos County, Oregon, and work as a carpenter and expressman in San Diego (he also became an Oregon representative two separate times for Coos County, 1878 and 1897, as a Populist).  In 1894, when Minnie was 11, he married Amanda Simmons and lived in "Jamacha" which seems likely to be in the Dehesa area, or maybe Spring Valley?

It is unknown to me what her relationship with her father and stepmother was like.  She had no relationship with any of her grandparents (paternal grandparents John Nosler and Nancy Hibbs, and maternal grandparents Jacob "Jake" Rittgers and Hester/Esther Patterson) as they all died well before her birth, and I do not know what she knew of them.  She was the second youngest child of William and Esther, with Eugene "Gene" Elmer Nosler and half-brother William Nosler as younger siblings.  Her oldest sibling, Alva Asbury Nosler, was 16 years older than Minnie.  I think Minnie was likely closest to her middle siblings, especially Israel "Iz", Alberta "Birdie", and Sarah Anna, but in the end it is only speculation on my part.  Edited to add:  I have gone back to her mother's siblings and remembered that Esther Loretta had a sister Sarah Rittgers who married Samuel M. Good, and Aunt Sarah lived in San Diego as early as 1900 (possibly a bit earlier) after she and her husband left Iowa.  Minnie is mentioned in Sarah's obit in 1919.

[Minnie, lower right.  I believe these are likely her sisters Mary, Birdie, and Sarah (I don't know who is who, though). Probably about 1900 or so. From my personal collection.]

In the 1900 Census Minnie was 17 and living in "Mission", San Diego, with her married sister, Sarah Anna (Nosler) Morrison and her husband, Arthur Thomas Morrison.  I'm not sure where Mission was but it seems likely that it was either in Lakeside or Dehesa, or in the Grantville area/Mission Valley.

I am unsure what Minnie did between 1900 and 1906.  It doesn't appear that she went to college as she gave the 1940 Census the info that she had only completed her second year of high school.

[Minnie Nosler, 1906.  From my personal collection]

The family story is that Minnie met her future husband, George Henry Hartley, through his sister Mary.  Mary was a graduate of State Normal School (later California State University, Los Angeles) in 1893, and taught in the Dehesa area between 1897 and 1901.  At some point during that period Minnie was a student of Mary.  George had married Jennie Denby in 1901, but she died in 1903, leaving George a widower with a 3 month old son, James Denby Hartley.

Minnie and George married in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California, on May 9, 1906.  Minnie was 23.  Mary Hartley (George's sister and Minnie's former teacher) was a witness, as well as Iz Nosler, one of Minnie's older brothers.  It is unclear to me why they married here, but they immediately moved up to Riverton, Coos, Oregon.   I am not sure where her little stepson James Hartley was, but assume he was being brought up by his grandmother, Mary Jane (Tibbetts) Hartley and various aunts and uncles, where he was found in the 1910 Census.  My grandfather, George Hartley Jr, was born in Coquille (or perhaps Riverton) on September 1, 1907, when Minnie was 24.

[Minnie and her son George Hartley, Jr, my grandfather, about 1907.  From my personal collection]

In the 1910 Census Minnie was 27, and they were living in a rented house at Johnson's Mill, where George worked as a bookkeeper.  I think this was land owned by Minnie's father William, as Bureau of Land Management records show that his land was right in that area.

Minnie's second child, Mary Esther Hartley, was born January 12, 1911, 2 days after Minnie's 28th birthday.  George bought a small ranch in Lakeside, San Diego, Callifornia.  In 1914 they were living at 161 Second street, Lakeside/Santee (a ranch).  By 1915, when Minnie was 32, they were living back in the city, at 4204 10th street (a small house on the west edge of University Heights, that has a view to what is now the 163), after he decided that he wouldn't be able to sustain himself and family on the ranch.

From 1916 to 1919, they were living at 3819 Herman St.  That house has been replaced by a parking lot for CVS, and is across from North Park Self Storage.  This was in the Hartley's North Park area.  After living here for a few years they moved about every year, fixing up homes.

[Minnie, center, with her brother-in-law Paul Hartley, mother-in-law Mary Jane (Tibbetts) Hartley (seated in car), stepson James Denby Hartley (at right), and children George Hartley, Jr and Mary Esther Hartley.]

In the 1920 Census, when Minnie was 37, they were living in a rented house at 1372 7th st (now most certainly 7th avenue, as Ash st was very close).  The house has been replaced by the Red Roof Inn, and is across from the El Cortez hotel (which was built 1926-1927).  According to wikipedia Ulyssess S Grant Jr's (the son of the general) home had been where El Cortez now stands.

1921 they were living at 2241 4th St, about 9 blocks north of their 7th street home.  The address is still valid, although it looks like a modified apartment complex now.

1922 they were at 3942 Alameda Dr, in Mission Hills.  That house is now gone and was replaced in 1935 by the current home.

1923-1924, when Minnie was 40, they were at 2903 28th St, where they could overlook what is now part of the Balboa Park golf course, just north of Switzer Canyon.  It was replaced in 1945 with the current home.

1924-1926 they were at 3730 Villa Terrace, in North Park.  By July 1925 they were selling it, as evidenced by this ad in the classifieds:

San Diego Union
5 Jul 1925
page 38
Owner's Sacrifice
Bungalow at 3730 Villa Terrace for sale.  Living room and dining room combined, 3 bedrooms, nice kitchen and breakfast room:  furnished or unfurnished, and will make the price attractive.  If interested see Geo. Hartley at 1028 Second street, or any realtor.

While still at Villa Terrace, Minnie threw a bridal shower for her sister Birdie's daughter, niece Marvel Skeels:

San Diego Union
29 Jul 1929
page 9
Miscellaneous Shower Brings Many Presents
A miscellaneous shower was given by Mrs. George Hartley, Villa Terrace, yesterday afternoon, in honor of her niece, Miss Marvel Skeels, bride-elect, who is to be married early in August upon her return to her home in Coquille, Ore.
The bride-elect received many beautiful gifts, after which refreshments were served.
Among the invited guests were: Misses Marvel Skeels, honoree; Marian Hartley, Dorothy Dee Stevens, Virginia Reed, Mary Esther Hartley and Thelma Reichert.
Mrs. I. R. Nosler, Mrs. A. A. Nosler, Mrs. J. C. Hartley, Mrs. W. J. Stevens, Mrs. Harry Nosler, Mrs. Jeff Hite, Mrs. Arthur Nosler, Mrs. Fay Jones, Mrs. O. L. Nossler(sic), Mrs. Arba Nosler, Jr., Mrs. Eugene Scharr, Mrs. M. J. Hartley, and the hostess Mrs. George Hartley.

The Mrs. M. J. Hartley mentioned above was Minnie's mother-in-law, Mary Jane "Jennie" (Tibbetts) Hartley.

[Minnie with daughter Mary Esther, probably late 1920's.  From the Beckley/St Clair Family Tree on Ancestry.com]

1928-1930, when Minnie was 45, they were living at 3765 Herman St.  Only a block away from their first Herman home, this one still stands today.

By 1932 they were living at 2542 Third.  The Ohr Shalom Synagogue now stands there.

By 1934 they were living at 2424 C St, in Golden Hill.  An apartment complex now stands there.

In 1935 Minnie and George leased an estate on 4th and Nutmeg st (2720 4th Ave), which they converted into a restaurant, called "The Hartley House" (this small area is now called Cambridge Square, an apartment complex, on Google maps).

[Minnie with son George.  This is  his 1937 graduation from the University of Chicago.  From my personal collection.]

In 1937, when Minnie was 54, she and George divorced, although they appeared a number of years together in the city directory and through the 1940 Census.  Daughter Mary Esther and her husband Graydon Treadgold were living with them in the 1940 Census, as well as Graydon's brother Robert Manton Treadgold, and several roomers, including Edith H Britain (school teacher), Florence Nachtsheiger(sp?) (secretary), Florence Bradley (piano teacher), and Mary S Sundy (widow).  Certainly they were no longer living together by the time George remarried in November 1943.  Minnie took in borders.

[Minnie, about 1940, likely in San Diego.]

In 1943 the restaurant was force to close due to WWII food rationing.  Minnie was 62.

In 1948 Minnie was living at 2051 West California St in Mission Hills, which was built in 1930 and still stands.  My father has taken me to see this several times, as he has some memories of the place.

In 1950, at age 67, Minnie opened a children's shop, "The Dee Anne Shop" in honor of her granddaughter, Mary Esther's daughter.  The first "Dee Anne's Children Shop" was located on Mission Blvd., in Mission Beach. In order to accomodate all her stock, clothing as well as dolls, she moved her shop to Hornblend St., in Pacific Beach.  Minnie lived on Randolph St, across the street from Francis Parker school during that time (until 1959).  She retired and closed the successful shop in 1958, at age 75.

About 1959, Mary Esther, Dee Anne, and Minnie moved to La Jolla at 339 Coast Blvd South.  Her daughter Mary Esther and her granddaughter came to live with her in 1960.

At age 78, Minnie married widower Cyrus Jacob "Cy" Fuhrman on April 18, 1961 in San Diego, after "having survived a heart attack and mastectomy" (per Dick Dunlop, family historian).  Minnie and George had known Cy and his wife Josie when they lived in Oregon.  Cy was a pharmacist and owned 2 stores, one in Bandon and one in Coquille.  Minnie had met up with Cy during a visit to Oregon shortly after his wife had died in 1960.  According to Dee Anne, "They had quite the romantic courtship, albeit long distance, and after a few months Cyrus flew down to meet the family, and ask permission to marry "dear Minette" (which she preferred to her given name of Minnie Etta)."  They married at the house of Minnie's son George, in La Jolla.  After marriage they drove up to live in Coquille, Coos, Oregon.  Again, Dee Anne: "Namo missed her family, and they her, so it was decided that they would rent an apartment in La Jolla during the coldest part of the year (Nov.-March), and return to Oregon for the remainder of the year.  This happened for two years until they decided to make a permanent move to San Diego.  Cy sold their house and bought a brand new home in newly developed "Rancho Bernardo", where they lived until 1969."

[Cy, Paul Hartley (Minnie's brother-in-law), and Minnie, likely at my parents' wedding in 1966.]

Minnie died January 7, 1969, in San Diego, 3 days before her 86th birthday.  Cy died January 20 of the next year.



© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Thankful Thursday: Adoption

I am not closely related to this woman, but she is my Grandma.

I've always known that my mom had been adopted, but her adopted parents, Bernice Grenfell and Harold Currey, are my true maternal grandparents.

About 15 years ago I tracked down mom's biological parents.  I talked to her (very surprised) biological father on the phone a few times, and although Mom's biological mother died in 1986 we're now close to her niece and sister-in-law.  But as much as I research their genealogy Mom's biological parents always seem like semi-mythical characters.  They are not real to me.

[Me and my grandma, Bernice (Grenfell) Currey (1902-1980), about 1974 in Encanto, San Diego, California.]

This lady, on the other had, is very real to me, even though she is long gone now.  Her only biological child was Harold "Junior" Currey, who as it turns out was practically the same age as my biological grandfather.  He died flying over Japan in March 1945 during World War II.  Grandma and Grandpa adopted my mom only 2 years after Junior died.  I think before they adopted they must have been in a terrible state.  I think raising my mom really helped them deal with their tragic loss.




© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Tired Carpenter Takes Wrong Car Home

Judging by the following article about my great grandfather George Hartley (1878-1949) and a carpenter F. M. Umbarger, car keys in the early 1920's must have been universal.

[George Henry Hartley, probably about 1900.  I don't have a pic from the 1920's of him.  
From my personal collection]

From: Saturday, September 17, 1921, San Diego Union (San Diego, California), page 1.  Accessed from GenealogyBank.com, 22 Oct 2014.
(Transcription)

Rides Home in Wrong Auto, Cop Wakes Him
F. M. Umbarger, a carpenter living at 2985 Logan avenue, and George Hartley, 2241 Fourth street, parked their Overland cars almost identically the same, at Seventh street and Broadway, yesterday afternoon.  Umbarger was the first to go back for his automobile.  Without paying much attention to the license number of the car, which he thought to be his, he jumped into the driver's seat, put his key in the switch and drove the car home.  He ran the automobile into the garage and went to bed.
In the meantime, Hartley had gone to get his car.  An Overland car, license number 170-727, was standing at the curb, but there was no trace of Hartley's auto, and he notified police that it had been stolen.
About 7 o'clock the attention of the police was called to the fact that an Overland car had been parked at Seventh street and Broadway for several hours.  Sergt. Henry Churchman traced the ownership of the car to Umbarger through its license number and had Patrolman Parrott investigate the case.
When he discovered his mistake Umbarger was dumbfounded.  He said he had noticed the windshield of the auto was a little loose and the cushions did not seem just right, but he had not paid any attention to it.  That just shows.

[Postcard photo of Overland Automobile's Model 83, likely similar to the one in the above story.  Uploaded to Wiki Commons by user "We hope": http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Overland_Automobile_Model_83.JPG]

I wonder. Is this the same car that is seen in the picture of my great grandfather's family in 1919?

[Adults from left to right: Paul Hartley (brother of George), Mary Jane (Tibbetts) Hartley (mother), Minnie (Nosler) Hartley (wife of George), & James Denby Hartley (son of George with Jennie Denby).  The two kids are my grandfather George Hartley Jr and great grand aunt Mary Esther Hartley.]

© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Working on Wednesday: Peter Worden, Hatter

My 11th great grandfather Peter Worden I ("Old Worden" as he's referred to in early Plymouth Colony records) arrived in the New World more than 375 years ago with his only son, also named Peter, and his grandson. He settled in Yarmouth (now East Dennis) on Cape Cod, probably without permission of the Colony and was the first "English" to die there in 1638/9. His will, made on the 9th of February of that year was proved at court in Plymouth the following month and is the first one entered in their records. In it he bequeaths to his son "all my lands, leases, tenements with goods moveable and unmoveable in the town of Clayton in the county of Lankester" as well as his property in New England. (He also makes provision for his grandson, John Lewis, who disappears from history after this point.)

"Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-31878-2725-41?cc=2018320&wc=M6BX-F29:338083801 : accessed 22 Oct 2014), Wills 1633-1686 vol 1-4 > image 43 of 616; citing State Archives, Boston.

Clayton-le-Woods is a town in Lancashire about five miles south of Preston, where Peter Worden was a "Foreign (Outside) Burgess" beginning in 1610 and leased a hat shop in the Guild Hall there at least as early as 1617. He even lent eight shillings to the Borough of Preston in 1629 which is the last date we have for him in the area.

Preston Borough Coat of Arms, painted flag; Photo taken by me in 2013 at the Museum of Lancashire

His name is found in the  record book of the proceedings of the Town Council known as "The White Book of Orders" which included the signatures of the Mayor and all the Council. The signature below is from an order dated August 1612 and exactly matches one in 1610.

This signature sent to Waite W. Worden under letter of 22 May 1987 by Mr. George L. Bolton, of Clayton, Leyland, Preston, Lancashire.

Source: http://www.shaweb.net/worden/31%20%20Worden.htm

The Plague, which had been ravaging London, struck Preston in 1630 and nearly one-third of its inhabitants died within a year. It's probably what caused Peter to leave but we don't have any further information about him until his arrival in New England.

It's often difficult to trace our earliest ancestors back to their European roots, but Peter Worden's will makes the connection unmistakable. I changed trains in Preston during a visit to England in 2013 and spent a bit of time walking about the city. Nothing I saw during the few hours I was there would have been in existence when my ancestor was there but I hope to make another trip to there and Clayton soon.

I'm not the only Worden descendant of course, far from it. A great source of further information about the lineage is to be found at Worden Family Association.


© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Tuesday Tip: Use City Directories

I use city directories extensively.  Here are at least 6 things (.pdf) you can search for in them.  A blog post by Phillip Sutton goes over the history of English and American city directories and lists many more uses for them.  The Board for Certification of Genealogists includes this skill building exercise. I have found city directories a great source in finding the first name or initials of widow's husbands.

If you are really lucky you can even find a death date:  "Moonie James died July 1 1952 age 70".

[Page 705, from the directory "Springfield, Massachusetts 1953."  Accessed Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.  Accessed 21 Oct 2014.]

© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Playing Around with GEDmatch and Ancient DNA

Roberta Estes and her readers at DNAeXplained are having wild fun comparing their DNA to ancient DNA samples uploaded to GEDmatch* by Felix Chandrakamur.  I couldn't resist joining in the fun.

Following her example, I tweaked the Minimum Threshold and the Minimum segment cM sizes (down to 1cM unless otherwise stated) to see if I matched any of the samples.  Those numbers are tweaked to see if there are any DNA matches.  I don't usually mess with GEDmatch's default 700 SNP/7cM, but this DNA is so old there would be no other way to compare.

No one knows yet if these results are meaningful or not, but if people who write about this stuff during the day and lay awake at night obsessing about it are going to compare their DNA to ancient remains, so shall I.

I will compare each ancient DNA sample with me and my parents only at the highest values found (we share much more on each ancient DNA sample at values below).  I just did autosomal comparisons, not X-chromosome.


Clovis Anzick-1 refers to the remains of a toddler who died and was buried in Wilsall, Park, Montana about 12,600 years ago.  This child was a member of the population from which all modern Native Americans descend, particularly those from Mexico and south of Mexico.  NOTE: Since first posting this, the kit number changed to F999919.

Comparing (Christine) and F999913 (Clovis Anzick-1)
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 400 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 200 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 1.0 cM
Chr Start Location            End Location  Centimorgans (cM)                   SNPs
1 159281892               161769805                   4.1                                     406
10 103388824             106662110                   1.6                                     419
Largest segment = 4.1 cM
Total of segments > 1 cM = 5.7 cM

Comparing (Dad) and F999913 (Clovis Anzick-1)
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 350 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 175 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 1.0 cM
Chr Start Location End Location Centimorgans (cM)          SNPs
6 104470668 107607740                    4.7                                 354
10 111327250 114051969                    2.6                                 362
Largest segment = 4.7 cM
Total of segments > 1 cM = 7.3 cM

Comparing (Mom) and F999913 (Clovis Anzick-1)
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 350 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 175 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 1.0 cM
Chr Start Location End Location Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
1 153063519 155385045 2.3 384
2 88322784 99543207 1.6 374
Largest segment = 2.3 cM
Total of segments > 1 cM = 3.9 cM

My Chromosome 1 match is similar to my mom, and my Chromosome 10 match is similar to my dad. Does this point to us being part Native American?  Who knows.


Palaeo-Eskimo 2000 BC is the DNA from a man (now dubbed "Inuk") who died about 4,000 years ago along the shore of Disco Bay in Greenland.

Comparing (Christine) and F999906 (Palaeo-Eskimo 2000 BC)
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 200 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 100 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 1.0 cM
Chr Start Location End Location Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
2 218789542 219868474 1.8 239
Largest segment = 1.8 cM
Total of segments > 1 cM = 1.8 cM

Comparing (Dad) and F999906 (Palaeo-Eskimo 2000 BC)
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 200 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 100 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 1.0 cM
Chr Start Location End Location Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
6 42773468 43799851 2.5 229
12 112727416 113301703 1.1 208
19 15027162 15712229 1.1 265
22 20458678 21923051 3.9 215
Largest segment = 3.9 cM
Total of segments > 1 cM = 8.5 cM

Comparing (Mom) and F999906 (Palaeo-Eskimo 2000 BC)
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 200 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 100 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 1.0 cM
Chr Start Location End Location Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
1 53539560 54409565 1.5 233
6 42721822 43792975 2.5 234
16 1791149 2728282 1.7 206
Largest segment = 2.5 cM
Total of segments > 1 cM = 5.7 cM

I don't appear to match either of my parents' DNA at the highest matching values, although they appear to match each other on their Chromosome 6.


Altai Neanderthal is the DNA that was extracted from a Neanderthal woman's toe bone.  She died in the Altai Mountains in Siberia at least 50,000 years ago.

Comparing (Christine) and F999902 (Altai Neanderthal)
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 200 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 100 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 1.0 cM
Chr Start Location End Location Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
8 20182757 20819443 1.1 236
Largest segment = 1.1 cM
Total of segments > 1 cM = 1.1 cM

Comparing (Dad) and F999902 (Altai Neanderthal)
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 100 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 50 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 1.0 cM
Chr Start Location End Location Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
2 47888491 48685435 1.3 133
2 125902914 126798780 1.0 140
3 20411153 20945046 1.1 139
11 32474646 33371727 1.1 138
21 35719891 36198939 1.1 100
Largest segment = 1.3 cM
Total of segments > 1 cM = 5.6 cM

Comparing (Mom) and F999902 (Altai Neanderthal)
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 200 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 100 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 1.0 cM
Chr Start Location End Location Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
6 31529276 32743927 1.1 222
11 32249953 33344121 1.1 210
Largest segment = 1.1 cM
Total of segments > 1 cM = 2.2 cM

Like Palaeo-Eskimo above, I don't match my parents at the highest values, but they match each other on Chromosome 11.


Denosova is the DNA extracted from a little girl who died at least 30,000 years ago and died and/or was buried in the Denosova Cave in the Altai Mountains in Siberia.

Comparing (Christine) and F999903 (Denisova)
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 100 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 50 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 1.0 cM
Chr Start Location End Location Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
2 155356065 156155492 1.1 109
7 68512715 69604128 1.3 112
8 20182757 20815206 1.0 233
Largest segment = 1.3 cM
Total of segments > 1 cM = 3.4 cM

Comparing (Dad) and F999903 (Denisova)
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 100 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 50 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 1.0 cM
Chr Start Location End Location Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
11 32474646 33347123 1.0 131
Largest segment = 1.0 cM
Total of segments > 1 cM = 1.0 cM

Comparing (Mom) and F999903 (Denisova)
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 200 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 100 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 1.0 cM
Chr Start Location End Location Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
6 31569945 32702306 1.0 213
Largest segment = 1.0 cM
Total of segments > 1 cM = 1.0 cM

None of us seemed to match each other on our highest values.


Linearbandkeramik (LBK) is a sample taken from the remains of a farmer (presumably a man, I can't get more detail) who died in the Stuttgart region about 7,500 years ago.  The German name refers to the Linear Band pottery culture.

Comparing (Christine) and F999916 (Linearbandkeramik)
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 500 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 250 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 3.0 cM
Chr Start Location End Location Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
1 20882387 22912496 3.2 519
1 30050780 31476920 3.3 523
2 217867317 219949518 4.0 519
21 37042588 39041800 3.4 547
Largest segment = 4.0 cM
Total of segments > 3 cM = 13.8 cM

Comparing (Dad) and F999916 (Linearbandkeramik)
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 500 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 250 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 3.0 cM
Chr Start Location End Location Centimorgans (cM)          SNPs
2 217643676 219934637 4.5 555
Largest segment = 4.5 cM
Total of segments > 3 cM = 4.5 cM

Comparing (Mom) and F999916 (Linearbandkeramik)
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 700 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 350 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 3.0 cM
Chr Start Location End Location Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
13 79743931 85588528 3.5 1197
Largest segment = 3.5 cM
Total of segments > 3 cM = 3.5 cM

Since we're predominantly descended from people in Western Europe, it was no surprise that my parents and I are much closer to this ancient person.  I share some this match with my dad on our Chromosome 2.


La Brana-Arintero aka La Brana-1 is from a man who died or was buried about 7,000 years ago in Valdelugueros, León, Spain.  Unlike LBK, La Brana-1 was pre-agricultural, even though he was slightly later.

Comparing (Christine) and F999915 (La Brana-Arintero)
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 200 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 100 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 1.0 cM
Chr Start Location End Location Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
1 63279983 64482048 1.8 205
2 52083107 53498109 1.2 231
2 190278589 192072958 1.9 214
4 89384761 92048466 3.4 276
8 50215053 52688107 1.5 213
9 9347877 10743557 2.5 291
10 109396783 110766205 1.0 205
10 112855667 114042907 1.1 218
12 20867979 21552775 1.2 250
Largest segment = 3.4 cM
Total of segments > 1 cM = 15.6 cM

Comparing (Dad) and F999915 (La Brana-Arintero)
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 250 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 125 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 1.0 cM
Chr Start Location End Location Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
10 22557524 24487606 1.8 256
10 73379996 76482747 1.4 280
12 109031545 111722776 1.3 273
19 43427453 44691915 1.4 257
Largest segment = 1.8 cM
Total of segments > 1 cM = 6.0 cM

Comparing (Mom) and F999915 (La Brana-Arintero)
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 250 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 125 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 1.0 cM
Chr Start Location End Location Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
10 112836288 114332785 1.7 273
12 20766653 21754801 1.6 284
16 1461746 2820106 2.8 265
19 43449630 44951182 1.9 291
Largest segment = 2.8 cM
Total of segments > 1 cM = 8.1 cM

Again, since we are all of Western European ancestry, I expected to have a closer match like this than the first few ancient DNA samples.  My mom had the highest match.  Her ethnicity tests have always revealed a higher than expected amount of Iberian DNA, even though she has no recent Spanish ancestor (I suspect her French Huguenots from the 1600's).  I match her on Chromosome 10.  My dad has Chromosome 10 as well, but on a slightly different span.  Mom and I also share on Chromosome 12.


Mal'ta MA-1 is taken from the arm bone of a 4-year-old boy who died and was buried about 24,000 years ago near the village of Mal'ta, Siberia (near Lake Baikal).  It is considered a link between Europeans and Native Americans.

Comparing (Christine) and F999914 (Malta MA-1)
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 350 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 175 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 1.0 cM
Chr Start Location End Location Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
10 95396719 97209165 1.4 386
Largest segment = 1.4 cM
Total of segments > 1 cM = 1.4 cM

Comparing (Dad) and F999914 (Malta MA-1)
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 250 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 125 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 1.0 cM
Chr Start Location End Location Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
12 20776581 21463245 1.2 289
Largest segment = 1.2 cM
Total of segments > 1 cM = 1.2 cM

Comparing (Mom) and F999914 (Malta MA-1)
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 300 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 150 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 1.0 cM
Chr Start Location End Location Centimorgans (cM) SNPs
2 81275213 84230757 1.3 303
10 95493749 97209165 1.3 367
12 21064601 21931308 1.3 318
Largest segment = 1.3 cM
Total of segments > 1 cM = 3.9 cM

I share Mal'ta on Chromosome 10 with my mother.  My parents share Chromosome 12, which I don't have at my highest level.






*GEDmatch is free to join and their basic utilities far outstrip what you get with Ancestry or Family Tree DNA.  If you join as a paid customer ($10/month) you get some additional fabulous utilities to play with (like Matching Segment Search and Triangulation).  An amazing deal!


© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Monday is for Mothers: Elnora May Worden

It's through my maternal great grandmother, Elnora "Nora" May Worden, that I connect to what has become my favorite lineage, the Wordens. She was born in Iowa in 1867; this tinted photograph of Nora and her cousin Jennie probably dates from the early 1880s.

Courtesy of Olive Kennedy

She was 17 and living with her family in Anamosa, Jones County, when she married Jesse David Webb in December of 1884 and about two years later the young couple moved to Nebraska, finally settling in Knox County in 1899.

"Ell Nora Worden / Jesse David Webb, Wedding 1884"; courtesy of Olive Kennedy

The 1900 U.S. Census found them living in a rented house with six of their children in Logan Township. After a year's stay in Boulder, Colorado, Jesse and Nora moved back to Nebraska and built a house there in Miller Township.

From http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/county/knox/whs/photos/good_old_days/index.htm (Webb, Jesse Home)

In 1910 U.S. Census records Nora Webb is listed as having had twelve children of whom nine were still living in that year. We know of Clarence Paul Webb who died as a baby in 1888, but the other two children she lost must have been born in the first decade of the the 20th century and we haven't found any record of them beyond the census.

According to family records, Nora succumbed to pneumonia while visiting her oldest son Herbert in Ewing, Nebraska, on May 9, 1928.

Jesse survived her by seven years, dying in 1935. They are both buried in Winnetoon Cemetery.

Source: findagrave.com; photo by Gayle Neuhaus (#47075564)

© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.