Limited Time Free Legacy Family Tree Webinar: "Understanding Alabama" presented by Rorey Cathcart

Modern day image taken from Google Earth.

My 5th great grandfather Henry Avery Esq (1753-1836) appeared on a list of letters in Huntsville, Alabama Territory in 1819.  He lived in Chesterfield, Chesterfield, South Carolina in 1810, so something happened after that date to spur him to move westward.  I have not yet worked out the specifics of why and when.  From Ancestry's U.S. Colonial Census Reconstruction Records, 1660-1820 database--this info is listed as coming from Territorial Papers of the US; Volume Number: Vol 18; Page Number: 517; Family Number: 2.

I have some direct ancestors who lived in Alabama between 1810 and 1869 (when the last of them moved out) so I was excited when I read about this webinar, "Understanding Alabama" presented by Rorey Cathcart:

Alabama presents the budding genealogist with both unique challenges and unique opportunities. Explore the records and repositories you'll need to consider. Learn Alabama's place in classic southern migratory patterns, and the reasons for it. Discover opportunities for African American research not found in other southern states.

Runs 1 hour 26 minutes
Free for non-subscribers through December 6, 2017


© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Working on Wednesday: William Coale in Maryland, 1676

This extract is from the Minutes of a Mens Meeting at the Third Haven Friends Meeting House* in Talbot County, Maryland. I've transcribed the final sentence which contains the only mention of this maternal 8th great grandfather.**

[Ancestry.com. U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA. Original data: Swarthmore College; Swarthmore, Pennsylvania; Men's Minutes, 1676-1746; Collection: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Minutes; Call Number: MR-Ph 607]

The Meeting Ordered that William Coale Should have Two (or possibly Five) hogshead
of tobacco.

[Old Third Haven Meeting House. Credit: Photograph by James Rosenthal, HABS]

[Detail from A New Map of New England New York New Iarsey Pensilvania Maryland and Virginia, 1685.

Source: David Rumsey Historical Map Collection.]

I don't know why my ancestor was given tobacco which served as currency at the time*** but looking at several other meeting notes, I found other grants made from "our Stock".


*You can read what the Society of Architectural Historians have to say about this building here.
**William Coale is the father of William Coale Junior whose marriage to Elizabeth Sparrow is covered here.
***Was the tobacco a gift, a loan, a reward or payment?


© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

i4GG (Internation Genetic Genealogy) Conference is in 10 Days!

More info here

They've finally updated the list of the speakers this year--it's quite a line up:
CeCe Moore
Blaine Bettinger Ph.D., J.D.
Kitty Cooper
Schelly Talalay Dardashti
Carol Isbister Rolnick
Angie Bush, MS (AncestryProGenealogists)
Lara Diamond
Michelle Trostler
Kathleen Fernandes, Ph.D.
Katherine Borges (ISOGG)
Rob Warthen (DNAGedcom)
Leah Larkin, Ph.D.
Oron Navon (MyHeritage)
Jim Brewster (FTDNA)
Ben Wilson, Ph.D. (AncestryDNA)
Hilary Vance (23andMe)
Katie Welka (LivingDNA)



© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

An Alta Mae Slater Who Isn't my Mother

 In search of a topic for today's post I came across this woman who definitely isn't my mother although her (married) name is the same.

From Social Security records we learn that her maiden surname was Laux and she was born in California in 1892. She was married to Ivan Ernest Slater by the 1920 U.S. Census* and the couple had an infant daughter named Leota Fay.

According to California records Ivan died in 1942 so Alta's injury would have been a serious economic blow to her.

[Santa Cruz Sentinel 19 Nov 1946. Source: Newspapers.com]

[Santa Cruz Sentinel 20 April 1947. Source Newspapers.com]

So far I haven't been able to determine whether Alta collected any damages from the Amayas however 16 years later I found another mention of her...

[Santa Cruz Sentinel 31 Oct 1962. Source Newspapers.com]

*And possibly as early as 1917-18 because Ivan stated he was married on the World War I draft form, although he didn't give his wife's name.


© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Sunday Drive: Shipwreck, 1927 - Descanso Point, Baja California

The caption to these two undated photos from the Currey family album, written in barely legible white ink on black paper, turned out to be somewhat accurate, although the name of the freighter was misspelled: "Cincunius on the rocks 50 miles from home* in Mexico[.]"

[From the Currey family album in my personal collection]

Since a search for the ship by name wasn't successful, the next thing was to establish the date of the photos. Fortunately the snapshots weren't glued on the page and when carefully extracted I found this on the back:

[From my personal collection]

Examining the photos it was clear that the freighter's grounding was recent as all the rigging was still in place--in fact, close inspection showed that there was a barge alongside it.

So next I turned to the newspapers and found this in the Albuquerque Journal for September 26, 1927:

[Newspapers.com]

[Baja California. Secretaria de Agricultura y Fomento : Direccion de Estadios Geograficos y Climatologicos ... Mexico. 2a. Edicion, 1922

Source: David Rumsey Historical Map Collection]

The San Diego Union had more about the Circinus.

[Thursday, September 29, 1927   Paper: San Diego Union (San Diego, California)   Page: 5  

© This entire service and/or content portions thereof are copyrighted by NewsBank and/or its content providers

Source: GenealogyBank.com]

The Circinus eventually was towed to San Francisco, after a stop in San Pedro where the damage was assessed and bids taken for repairs, which turned out to be more expensive than first thought. Her captain had his license suspended for a while.

[Monday, October 24, 1927   Paper: Evening Tribune (San Diego, California)   Page: 7  

© This entire service and/or content portions thereof are copyrighted by NewsBank and/or its content providers

Source: GenealogyBank.com]

When her repairs were completed, the Circinus resumed service and, after a sale and name change (SS Vermar) several years later, ended up as the Russian steam ship Karaganda. Built in 1919, she was scrapped in 1967.

You can read her history here.



*Since San Diego wasn't her home port I assume the reference was made to the Currey home in Encanto.



© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

My Observation While Standardizing US Locations: "Wherever there’s a Newton, there’s a Jasper"

A number of my Hibbs relations ended up here from Tennessee/Indiana. Newton is the county seat of Jasper County, Iowa (here shaded in pink).  Image from Google Maps.

I didn't grow up with the Newton/Jasper thing out here in San Diego, but I have noticed that when counties and townships were being named throughout the United States in the 1800s the Newton/Jasper occurrence in place names was surprisingly common:

Newton Counties (from Ancestry's location box search)

Jasper Counties (from Ancestry's location box search)

My Turners and Hendersons were here in Newton and Jasper County, Georgia in the earlier 1800s.  Closeup from FamilySearch Wiki on Georgia.

Back in 1958, Lou Ann Everett tried to figure out the origin:

Sometimes they were associated as counties, sometimes as county and county seat; often a town or county of Marion was nearby. Maps showed more than sixty Newtons and Jaspers in all, half of them juxtaposed in an almost conjugal relationship. They were about as much a part of the American scene as Lincoln Avenue, Washington Street, and Courthouse Square," she wrote. "But why?
"My own investigation of state histories reveals that they commemorate heroes of an incident that may never have happened, that they are linked together because of a dialogue that never was spoken."
In fact, one of the duo may not have even existed.

This quote, and the rest of Ariel Cooley's 2016 article "Across country Jasper, Newton paired together because of American Revolution story" is here.


© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Thanksgiving Day - San Diego, 1928

Looking through the old photo albums this is the only Thanksgiving picture I found--and it doesn't feature a turkey. Dad (Currey) was taking the opportunity to get some work done on his rowboat somewhere along San Diego Bay.

[From my personal collection]

When I was growing up, Thanksgiving wasn't a big family dinner kind of day for us--I don't remember there ever being a gathering of all the Curreys for any occasion.



© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Celebrations: Thanksgiving Day

[Art and Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. "Best wishes for a good Thanksgiving." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e3-6467-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99]

The New York Public Library's digital collections are a great resource. This year I deliberately chose a postcard (mailed in 1908) which doesn't feature a turkey but there are plenty available, including this one which seems to show a young girl fleeing from the turkey; another where several children chase after a running bird; and one with a smiling boy grasps the turkey's neck while they sit near an axe. Most commonly though, the image is of  a fully fledged tom in all his glory although one or two depict happy turkey families before the fatal day.




© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Gone for Soldiers? Richard Richardson, Senior & Richard Richardson, Junior

While in search of more information about my Tomlinson upline I came across this paragraph about my 6X great grandfather Richard Richardson and one of his sons, also named Richard.* It appeared in a 1912 reference book (which has been reprinted several times) and, although I can find evidence for Junior's support of the American Revolution, so far I haven't been able to locate anything about my ancestor's expulsion from by the Quakers because of an involvement in the earlier war.

[Ancestry.com. Colonial Families of the USA, 1607-1775 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. Original data: Mackenzie, George Norbury, and Nelson Osgood Rhoades, editors. Colonial Families of the United States of America: in Which is Given the History, Genealogy and Armorial Bearings of Colonial Families Who Settled in the American Colonies From the Time of the Settlement of  Jamestown, 13th May, 1607, to the Battle of Lexington, 19th April, 1775. 7 volumes. 1912. Reprinted, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1966, 1995.]

I'm going to see what I can discover about this and report back in a later post.




*Richard, Junior, seems to have undertaken the administration of his father's 1761 will after the named executors refused to act in that capacity.


© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Limited Time Free Webinar: Malissa Ruffner presents "Research in Federal Records: Some Assembly Required"

A few years ago I discovered Prologue Magazine, which showcases how records at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) can be used.  You can peruse selected article titles to get an idea of what kinds of topics can be addressed with these records.  I highly recommend periodically checking out what they are covering as it can be very inspirational for new research directions in your genealogy.  I've only been to the nearby NARA branch once (back when it was in Laguna Niguel, it is now in Riverside, California) and have not yet begun to tap into this enormous resource.

Earlier today Malissa Ruffner presented "Research in Federal Records: Some Assembly Required":

Federal records offer genealogical gold with both direct references to our ancestors and rich contextual background information. But it can be daunting to explore record groups that are not readily available online. The wide array of tools includes paper finding aids, preliminary inventories, online indexes, web guides, and published articles, as well as the National Archives Catalog. Malissa will offer a framework and several case studies that highlight the integration of multiple research tools.

Runs 1 hour 28 minutes.  Free to non-subscribers through November 28, 2017
Part of the BCG (Board for Certification of Genealogists) Webinar Series at Legacy Family Tree Webinars.


© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

William Coale Junior and Elizabeth Sparrow Get Married in 1689

Last week I posted the 1730 marriage record for a pair of maternal 6X great grandparents, Margaret Coale and Richard Richardson. Now I'm going back another generation to Margaret's parents William Cole Junior and Elizabeth Sparrow.

[U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1994. Ancestry.com. Original Data: Swarthmore College; Swarthmore, Pennsylvania; Marriage 1682-1824; Collection: Baltimore Yearly Meeting Minutes; Call Number: RG2/B/S361 3.3]

Wheras William Cole Jun of Ann arundell
County in the province of Maryland Planter
And Eliz'a Sparrow of the Clifts in Calvert County
in the Said Province haveing Declared their Intent-
=ions of marriage two Sundry times at Sev'll meetings
of the people of God called Quakers at West River
in the County of ann arund'll afs"d w'ch was approved
on by the Said Meetings
Now these are to Certifie all people whom it may
Concern that for the full accomplishing of ye Intention
afs"d this Thirtieth day of ye fifth Month commonly
called July in the Year one thousand Six hundred Eighty
and Nine in an assembly of the people of God afs'd at
their Meeting place at the house of Richard Johns at
Clifts afs"d The Sd Wm Coale did stand up & takeing
the Sd Eliz'a Sparrow by the hand did Declare viz t
Frds in the presence of God & before this Congregation I take
Eliz'a Sparrow to be my wife and do promise to be a
Loving & faithfull husband unto her during both our Lives
And the Sd Eliz'a Sparrow did Declare viz t Frds
In the presence of God and before this Congregation I do
take Wm Coale to be my husband and do promise to be
unto him a Loving and faithfull Wife during both our
Lives  - - - And We who were present at ye Said
Meeting have hereunto Sett our hands as Wittnesses
the day and Year abovesaid
Rich'd Johns            Christ'n Harris            William Coale
Solom Sparrow        John Pardo                  Elizabeth Sparrow
Wm Coale                Rich'd Gibes                & now Coale
Rich'd Galloway       John Talbott                _______________
Edw'd Talbott           Frn's Hutchins
Wm Richardson       Marg't Richardson       Eliz'a Johns
Phil Coale                Eliz'a Hutchins             Eliz'a Coale
Tho's Sparrow         Wm Holyday
Abra Johns               Wm Chew
Sam'll Coale             Hanah Everest
Sam'll Constable      John Cutting
George Royston       Tho's Everest
John Austin              Wm Edmondson                          
Hoa's Bilingsly         Mary Webb
Rob't Johnson           Marg't Kidd 
Rob't Harper            Eliz'a Mears
                                 Hesther Pardo
                                 Tho's S___________
                                              Jasho                   

Here;s a reminder of how I'm related to this couple:

[Ancestry.com]

© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Sunday Drive: Automobile Parade - Manhattan, New York, 1899

If you follow this link you'll be able to watch a short Thomas Edison produced film from 1899, the content of which is summarized by the Library of Congress this way:

This may be the first annual automobile parade, held on November 4, 1899 in downtown Manhattan. At least ten different makes and models are seen, including electric and steam powered machines. Only three years earlier, in 1896, Henry Ford, Charles Brady King, Alexander Winton and Ransom Eli Olds had each introduced their gasoline cars. In 1900, the first National Auto Show was held at Madison Square Garden and the favorites were the electrics and the steamers. In 1901, new oil fields in Texas made gasoline affordable. That same year, mass production techniques were introduced into car manufacturing. These two factors would prove to be key developments in the rapid growth of the American automobile industry.

[Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division Washington, D.C.]

The horse in the third image above certainly wasn't happy to find himself in that crowd.

© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Planning to Plan: What to do Before Going to the Courthouse, Family History Center, or other Ancestral Location

The courthouse in Washington County, Iowa.  I hope a future visit here will help me gain a better understanding of my Taylor ancestors, but I'd better plan well so the trip is worth it!  By Farragutful (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

I'm putting this together for my own use, but I figured others could use these free tips as well:

Planning and Implementing a Research Trip (Video: Presenter: Tim Bingaman, AG) at FamilySearch:

Don’t be surprised on your next research trip. Learn how to prepare and what to take and do on your next trip.

U.S. Courthouse Research (Video: Presenter: Christine Rose, CG, CGL, FASG) at FamilySearch:

Courthouses are places where you can find answers to genealogical problems. They are a rich source of written records created as a result of the laws, the time period, and personal activities of your ancestors. The steps delineated throughout this course will assist you to be more effective as you visit courthouses in your search for genealogical information.∗∗∗Note: To view this video please use Internet Explorer or Firefox as your web browser.

And a two-part blog post from Linda Stufflebean ("12 Tips: Preparing for the Family History Library and Rootstech 2018.  There is an emphasis on Rootstech in Salt Lake City but really these are great tips any time you venture out of your house into a family history library:
Part 1
Part 2


© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

From the Probate Files: Richard Richardson - Frederick County, Maryland, 1761

As promised in Monday's post about my maternal ancestor Milcah Richardson, here is the 1761 Will of her father Richard Richardson, a Quaker. Although he bequeathed enslaved people to each of his children, shortly after his death the Society of Friends universally banned the ownership of slaves and expelled anyone who didn't conform so that transfer wouldn't have taken place.  

In the Name of God Amen Richard Richardson of Frederick County,
& Province of Maryland Farmer being Sick of Body but of but of Sound and disposing mind and
memory and knowing that it is appointed for all men to die do make and Ordain this ^to be my
last Will and Testament in manner and form following, recomending my Soul to God.
hoping through the Mercy to Obtain ^eternal Salvation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First that my body be decently buried at ye descretion of my Executors hereafter Named~~
2.ly. that all my Just Debts be honestly paid_ _ _ _ _ _______________________________
3.l.y I will and Ordain that all my Lands and xxxx Appurtenances thereunto
belonging Except what is hereafter Excepted to be sold at a Convenient time after my
Decease to ye highest Bidder my Executors first giving Notice by Advertisements in ye
Pennsylvania and Maryland Gazettes of ye time of Sales to be by them Appointed & I 
hereby Impowers them, my Executors to Convey and make over by Proper Deeds to such
Bidder or Bidders & put him or them into Immediate Possession of ye Said Lands after
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _______________________________________

ye Receipt of ye Money & to ^Give discharge ye purchaser or purchasers for such Lands so purchased as Afsd. and I will that ye moneys arising from such Sale shall be divided amongst my
Children hereafter named in manner and form following, First that Twenty pounds amount
Money shall be deducted out of ye Money Arising from ye Sales of ye Land Afsd. which sum of 
Twenty pounds I give and bequeath to my Loving daughter Sophia Mathews, her heirs and
assigns & ye remaining sum to be Equally divided amongst my five Sons Viz. Samuel
Richard Thomas John & William Richardson to them their Heirs and Assigns. & it is my Will
and desire that if any of my Sons ^aforesaid Should die before such Sale can be made as Afsd. sons not to Receive their proportions arising from such Sale or before ye Attain ye Age of Twenty One
years, then and ^in Such case my Will and Desire is that ye Money shall be Equally divided amongst ye Surviving brothers and as two of my Sons are young it is my Will and desire that their
Proportions Arising from ye Sales of ye Lands Afsd. be put out to Interest upon good and
Sufficient Security such Interest is to be applied to ye Maintenance of Afsd. Two young Sons
till they arrive at ye Age of Twenty One years ~~~
4.ly. I will and Ordain that my Executors sell with all Convenient Speed after my decease
that part or Parcel of Land which my which my [sic] Son in Law Edward Mathews now lives on
commonly Computed to be one Hundred acres of Land Called part of Sofiah and formerly
purchased by me from Henry Claqett and thereby Invest my Executors with such power to Convey
the same & I will that ye money arising from ye Sale of ye afsd. being one Hundred acres
of Land be immediately applied to discharge of my debts As to ye Remaining part of my
Estate with which I am now Possessed I give and bequeath in manner and form following Viz
I give and bequeath to my Son Samuel his heirs and assigns a Negro Boy Called Elluk ____
to my Son Richard and his heirs and Assigns a Negro Boy Called Watt Burr Tom To my Son Thomas
his heirs and Assigns a Negro Boy Called Boo To my Son William his heirs and Assigns a
Negro Boy Called Nat. I give to my Son John his heirs and Assigns a Negro Boy Called Sam_____
To my Daughter Milcah her heirs and Assigns a Negro Woman Called Sall a black Walnutt
Cupboard and all my China and Silver pint Cup & a Cotten Counterpin*  _________________
To my Daughter Lucretia her heirs and Assigns a little Negro Girl Called Phebe a set of Silver
                               and Thain??? and three Large Silver Spoons.  
Teaspoons Tongs ^To my Daughter Sophiah Mathews her heirs and Assigns a Negro Girl named Jenny and if she dies without heirs of her Body Lawfully begotten then I give ye Said Negro Girl
to my Daughter Lucretia her heirs and Assigns, I give to my daughter Margaret Peddycourt
her heirs and Assigns a Negro Girl Named Esther nd if she dies without heirs of her Body
Lawfully begotten then I give ye Said Negor Girl to my xxxx Son William his heirs and Assigns
I also give my daughter Margaret Peddycourt as many Feathers as will make a Bed
Boulster and two Pillows, three Ewes & one Sow and Pigs __  ____ _____________
And I Will that all ye remaining part of my Estate after my Just Debts are paid___
shall be Equally divided amongst my Six youngest Children Viz Richard Thomas
Milcah John William and Lucretia. Lastly I Appoint and Constitute my Loving 

[Ancestry.com. Maryland, Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1777 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.

Original data: Maryland County, District and Probate Courts.]

Cousins Samuel Richardson and Richard Thomas of Frederick County whole and
Sole Executors & I Trustees of this my last Will and Testament hereby revoking and
making Void all former Wills by me made In Testimony whereof I have
hereunto Set my hand & Seal. this Seventh day of January in ye year of Our Lord
1761 _______
Signed Sealed and published to ^be his Last Will and } Richard Richardson [Seal}
Testament in y3 presence of -----------------------------  }
John Darnall              }  On ye 7th Day February 1761 the Above Appointed
Henry Darnall Junr.   }  Samuel Richardson & Richard Thomas of Frederick
Edward Tansey          }   County came before me ye Subscriber and declared that
they and Each of them Do Renounce ye Executorship aforesaid and they will not
take upon themselves ye Burthen of ye Execution of this Testamant In Witness
whereof they have hereunto Set their hands respectively, In my presence
The above Renunciation taken ye Said  }  Saml Richardson
Day and year by Danl Dulany                }   Rich Thomas
                 Commissary Genl.                }      -------------
May 7th 1761 then 
Came Mr. Henry Darnall Junr & Edward Tansey two
of ye Subscribing Witnesses to ye within Will of Mr. Richard Richardson Deceased
and made Oath on ye Holy evangells of Almighty God that they and each of them saw
ye said Testator Richard Richard Richardson sign and Seal ye foregoing Will &
Codicil and also heard him publish ^pronounce & declare ye same to be his last Will and Testament 
and that at ye time of his so doing, he was to ye best of these Deponents' apprehension
and belief of a sound and disposing mind and memory & that the Subscribed
their ^respective Names as Witnesses to ye Said Will & Codicil in the presence of said Testator
and at his Request and that they also say John Darnall ye other Subscribing Witness
to the within Will Sign hi Name and Witness thereto in ye presence of ye said Testator
and also at his Request  

Although his "Loving Cousins" declined to act as executors, Richard Richardson's estate was probated and his son and namesake Richard placed this advertisement in (at least) the Maryland Gazette the following year:

[Date: Thursday, February 25, 1762   Paper: Maryland Gazette (Annapolis, Maryland)   Issue: 877   Page: 4 . This entire product and/or portions thereof are copyrighted by NewsBank and/or the American Antiquarian Society. 2004.Source: GenealogyBank.com]

*A coverlet.

© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Limited Time Free Webinar: "Using Non-Population Schedules for Context and Evidence" by Jill Morelli

A few years ago I extracted information from my 3rd great grandfather Henry Hill Freeman (1815-1887)'s federal non-population agricultural census in 1880 (he was in Johnson County, Texas):

Owner
130 acres of land improved, including fallow and grass in rotation (whether pasture or meadow)
40 acres of woodland and forest
$4000, of farm, including land, fences, and buildings
$200 of farming implements and machinery
$600 of live stock
$40 fences, cost of building and repairing in 1879
$??? (in the hundreds, could be 200-600), cost of fertilizers purchased in 1879
$400 amount paid for wages for farm labor during 1879, including value of board
?? (28?) weeks hired labor in 1879 upon farm (and dairy), excluding housework (only hired whites)
$1700, estimated value of all farm productions (sold, consumed, or on hand) for 1879)
2 acres grass lands 1879, mown
2 tons hay harvested in 1879
2 horses of all ages on hand June 1, 1880
4 mules and asses, all ages, on hand June 1, 1880
4 milch cows on hand June 1, 1880
16 other cattle on hand June 1, 1880
4 calves dropped, 1879
6 cattle sold living, all ages, 1879
1 cattle died, strayed, and stolen, and not recovered, 1879
175 lbs butter made on the farm in 1879
20 sheep on hand June 1, 1880
15 lambs dropped 1879
2 sheep died of disease 1879
20 sheep clipped, spring 1880, shorn and to be shorn
80 lbs wool
55 swine on hand June 1, 1880
60 barnyard poultry on hand June 1, 1880, exclusive of spring hatching
70 other poultry on hand June 1, 1880, exclusive of spring hatching
700 eggs produced in 1879
30 acres Indian corn, 1879
800 bushels, crop, Indian corn, 1879
6 acres oats, 1879
300 bushels, crop, oats, 1879
40(?) acres wheat, 1879
416 bushels, crop, wheat 1879
4 acres potatoes (sweet), 1879
25 bushels, crop, potatoes (sweet), 1879 

This is obviously an amazing treasure trove of information on our 19th century farming ancestors in the United States!  If you have these kinds of ancestors, too, you won't want to miss Jill Morelli's webinar "Using Non-Population Schedules for Context and Evidence":

We are familiar with the decennial censuses, but the non-population schedules can also provide evidence and context for your family history. Using basic analytical skills and correlating tools, we will investigate five different records sets which shed light on many aspects of our ancestors lives and enrich our stories of them.

Runs 1 hour 39 minutes.  Free for non-subscribers through November 17, 2017.

© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Richard Richardson & Margaret Coale Get Married in 1730

As a result of the realization that enough attention hasn't been paid to my ancestors from the Mid-Atlantic states, I've been looking into my maternal Tomlinson upline in Maryland which includes my 5X great grandfather Jesse Tomlinson's wife Milcah Richardson. And I found the Quaker marriage record from West River* for Milcah's parents Richard Richardson and Margaret Coale.

Maryland
                            Whereas Richard Richardson
Son of W"m Richardson and Marg"tt his Wife, 
and Marg"tt Coale Daughter of W"m Coale and Eliz"a his
Wife, Deceased, both of Ann arundel County in
the Province Afs"d Having publickly declared
their Intentions of Marriage with each other
in two Several monthly Meatings of the people
called Quakers which after Just deliberation
thereon no Impedement being found to their
Said Intentions they were approved of by the
Said Meatings and Left to their liberty to
Appoint Convenient time and place for the
Consumation thereof ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now these are therefore to Certifie whome it
may Concern, that on the twenty sixth day of
the third month Commonly Called May, Anno
one thousand Seven hundred and thirty____
Appeared the Afore Said Richd Richardson and
Marg"tt Coale, at the publick Meating house of
the people Called Quakers at West River in the
County afs"d and in a free and open Assembly
of the Said people and others there meet together
did take Each other in Marriage mutually and
Solemnly, promising in the presence of God
and the Afsd Assembly true and faithful fidelity
Each to other as Husband and Wife till Death
Should Seperate, and as a further Confirmation
thereof they the Said Rich"d and Marg"tt She
according to the Custome of marriage assuming
the Name of her Husband have hereunto
Subscribed their names and wee who were
present at the above Said Solemnization
as Wittnesses thereto the day and
year above Said

[Ancestry.com. U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: Swarthmore, Quaker Meeting Records. Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.North Carolina Yearly Meeting Minutes. Hege Friends Historical Library, Guilford College, Greensboro, North Carolina.Indiana Yearly Meeting Minutes. Earlham College Friends Collection & College Archives, Richmond, Indiana.Haverford, Quaker Meeting Records. Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania.]

Ann Thomas                                   Natn Rigbie                               
Margaret Thomas                           Casandra Rigbie                      Rich Richardson[?]
Elizabeth Galloway                        Gerrard Hopkins                     Wm Richardson
Anna Thomas                                 Margaret Hopkins                   Margaret Richardson
Eliza Richardson                            Solomon Sparrow                    Richard Galloway
Mary Galloway                              Sarah Coale                              Joseph Richardson Junr  
Samuel Galloway                           Rebecca Richardson                Thomas Richardson
Ann Galloway                                Henery Child                           Sarah Galloway
Samuel Smith                                 Elizabeth Galloway Junr         William Coale
Philip Hopkins                               Elizabeth Wooden                    Daniel Richardson
Joseph Yates                                  Hannah Foard                           Richard Galloway Junr
J Richardson Junr                          Mary Richardson                      Joseph Richardson
John Coulston                               Mary Thomas                            Joseph Hill
Sophia Galloway                          Allridge Frankling                     Sarah Hill
James Elderton                             Peter Galloway                         Nathan Richardson
                                                      Joseph Cowman                       W"m Richardson



Richard Richardson's parents' marriage record from 1689 also survives and I'll be sharing it next time.


*Here's a 19th century description of location of the West River Meeting House:

[The early Friends (or Quakers) in Maryland (1862) by Norris, J. Saurin (John Saurin), 1813-1882
Source: The Internet Archive]



© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Getting There

It used to be over 57,000 people.  I've eliminated almost 6,000 since the beginning of this year.

I don't know what an ideal amount of people on a tree is, but I don't think it is anywhere near 57,000+.  I've been doing an overhaul of my tree, taking off people who don't seem to be relevant to my lines and updating, correcting, and otherwise upgrading all of the profiles on my tree.  It has taken a lot of time, but it was very necessary.  I was originally inspired to do this so that I could standardize my locations, making my tree more functional for the Legacy 9 software I purchased.  Now I'm hoping to finish this upgrade by the end of the year.  We'll see if it happens that soon.


© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Monday Is for Mothers: Milcah Richardson (1748 - 1823)

Milcah* (a maternal fifth great grandmother) was born into a Quaker family in Frederick County, Maryland. Her mother Margaret Coale predeceased her father Richard Richardson who died in 1761, leaving a will** which names his children, including 13-year old Milcah.

As shown in this abstract from Hinshaw's U.S. Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy it was her parents' wish that their children would be raised as Quakers.

[Ancestry.com. U.S., Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, Vol I–VI, 1607-1943 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Original data: Hinshaw, William Wade, et al., compilers. Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy. 6 vols. 1936–1950. Reprint, Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1991–1994. Hinshaw, William Wade. Marshall, Thomas Worth, comp. Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy. Supplement to Volume 1. Washington, D.C.: n.p. 1948.]

But it seems that Milcah had other ideas.

[Ancestry.com. U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: Swarthmore, Quaker Meeting Records. Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.North Carolina Yearly Meeting Minutes. Hege Friends Historical Library, Guilford College, Greensboro, North Carolina.Indiana Yearly Meeting Minutes. Earlham College Friends Collection & College Archives, Richmond, Indiana.Haverford, Quaker Meeting Records. Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania.]

Milcah Richardson who has had her Education among
Friends but of a light and airy conversation, has strayed
from that which would have preserved her if given heed unto
has gone out from among us in marriage with a man not
of our Society. This meeting therefore appoints Jane Hayes
and Rachel Hollingsworth to draw up a Testimony against
her and produce it to next mo's meeting ----------

The Quaker Encyclopedia's entry explains a bit more, including the surname of her husband:

Consulting my copy of Thee & Me, this is what's being said:

Milcah (daughter of Richard & Margaret deceased) reported married out of unity October 31, 1767, to TOMLINSON; disowned November 28, 1767; paper to be read at Bush Creek Meeting Maryland

The Tomlinson referred to is my 5X great grandfather Jesse.***

Since the notice of her dismissal was to be read at Bush Creek near Monrovia in Fredericks County, I assume that's near where the abandoned hussy was living at the time. We know from the first federal census in 1790 that Milcah and Jesse were still residing in the area along with nine of their eventual ten children (including my ancestor Hugh).

They moved to Ohio by 1803 although I haven't been able to locate the Tomlinson family in either the 1800 or 1810 U.S. Census. Milcah Richardson Tomlinson is buried in Chenoweth Cemetery in Pleasant Township in Franklin County, Ohio, in 1823. She was 75.

[Chenoweth Cemetery . Photo by Gene #47100930; Findagrave.com]

*Milcah is a common transliteration of the Hebrew name מִלְכָּה (meaning "queen" or "ruler").
**Which I'll be covering on Friday.
***He and Milcah were the grandparents of the Jesse Tomlinson in last week's posts here and here.


© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Sunday Drive: A Calèche in Olargues - 2011

We passed by this equipage* in the town square during a visit to Olargues** in 2011. We were there for their annual Fête Médiévale, one of the many events throughout France celebrating European Heritage Days.

[Les Calèche de Monsherie; from my personal collection]

*Close inspection of the sign on the carriage reveals the name of the company Les Calèches de Monshérie but I wasn't able to find them on the internet. A calèche is a light vehicle pulled by one or two horses and seating two or four passengers.
**Officially one of the most beautiful villages in France.


© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Marc's Results from AncestryDNA Came Back Last Week

No surprise, my son is a DNA match to me!  The entire turnaround time for this DNA test took about 4 weeks, from spitting in the vial to the online results.  That is the fastest I've experienced.  They must be clearing the decks for the holiday season, when Ancestry tends to offer reduced prices on their autosomal tests.

You can see Steve and my DNA ethnicity estimates here.  Marc's results are totally consistent with what I expected:

He got my Migrations (Norway and settlers of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana).  He has a ton of German ancestors when you take both my and my husband's ancestry.

© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.