Sunday Drive: The Boat - San Diego, 1928

Looking through the old photo albums I came across this series of pictures of a boat the Curreys bought in 1928.* 

[All photos from my personal collection]

I decided to see if I could learn anything about the man who sold the boat to them, Percy Eldridge, and located him in the 1928 San Diego City Directory. Like Dad he was an electrician.

[San Diego, California, City Directory, 1928. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line].

Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.]

*I'm not sure if this is the same boat that's in later pictures. I'm inclined to think it isn't but I know that Dad made improvements to that one too.


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Limited Time Free Webinar: "Legacy 9 Unlocked (part 1): Your First Few Legacy Tips" by Geoff Rasmussen

On days like today, when I'm struggling all the side effects of my chronic kidney failure, I am very grateful that there are fellow obsessed genealogists who put their knowledge online in the form of webinars, like this one, "Legacy 9 Unlocked (part 1): Your First Few Legacy Tips" by Geoff Rasmussen.  It's not only a great diversion, but it helps me renew my enthusiasm:

In this series, Legacy’s Geoff Rasmussen will guide you through the step-by-steps of properly adding genealogy documents, citations, and digital media to your Legacy Family Tree 9 software. Each class is based on a different chapter in his popular book, Legacy 9 Unlocked: Techniques, Tips and Step-By-Steps for Using Legacy Family Tree to Record Your Genealogy. Watch them in order if you want to  follow the mystery or jump around to capture the instructions.

In this class, “Your First Few Legacy Tips,” you will learn about the Forms Center (helpful for enlarging those hard-to-read census record headings), the Chronology View (Legacy’s most powerful tool), and how to record and print alternate names.

1 hour 23 minutes
Free to nonsubscribers through January 12, 2018


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

From the Probate Files: Hugh Kennedy - Allegheny County, Pennsylvania - 1814

Last week we looked at the will of William Kenedy who is believed to be the father of my ancestor Hugh Kennedy and I promised to examine Hugh's will. Somehow the day got away from me and I just realized that it's my turn to post. Fortunately Hugh Kennedy's 1814 will is relatively short and the clerk who copied it into the records had legible handwriting.

[Will Books, 1789-1917; Author: Allegheny County (Pennsylvania). Register of Wills; Probate Place: Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, Wills and Probate Records, 1683-1993 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.

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

In the Name of God Amen. I Hugh Kennedy of the County of
Allegheny and the Township of Mifflin being weak in body but of sound &
perfect mind and memory Blessed be Almighty God for the same do make
and publish this my last will and Testament in manner and form foll-
owing that (is to say) first I give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Eli-
zabeth Kennedy a good deacent mentenence together with all the bedd-
ing and household furniture endurring her life or widowhood. I do also
-------
give and bequeath unto my Eldest Son William one dollar. Also I give and
bequeath unto my Daughter Rebecca one dollar. I also give and bequeath un
to my Daughter Mary one dollar. I also give and bequeath unto my son Martin
one Dollar. I also give and bequeath unto my daughter Jennet one dollar.
I also give and bequeath unto my son Henry one dollar. I also give and
bequeath unto my daughter Catherine one dollar. I also give and bequeath
unto my son James one Dollar. I also give and bequeath unto my daughter
Isabella one Dollar. I also and bequeath unto my two sons Hugh & D-
avid their heirs and assigns all that my messuage or Tenement situated
lying and being in the Township and County aforesaid. Together with all my
other free hold Estate whatsoever to hold to them the said Hugh and David
their heirs and assigns forever. And lastly I give and bequeath unto my
beloved wife all the rest and residue and remainder of my personal prop-
erty estate goods and chattels of what kind and nature soever enduring 
her widow hood, and at her death to be divided betwixt my two sons Hugh
& David each the one half together with each paying the half of my Lawfull
debts, and I do hereby appoint my sons David and my trusty friend William
Canel my whole sole Executors of this my Last will and Testament hereby re-
voking all former wills by me made. In Witness whereof I have heretofo-
re set my hand and seal this second day of February in the year of our Lo-
rd one thousand eight hundred & fourteen. Signed Sealed published a-
nd declared by the above named Hugh Kennedy to be his last will and
Testament in the presence of us who have hereunto subscribed our names
as Witnesses in the presence of the Testator.                    his
Geo. McMillen. Adam Boyd. Jeremiah Ferree.       Hugh X Kennedy {Seal}
                                                                                          mark.

Allegheny County Ss. On the 9th day of March A.D. 1814. Personally came Ge-
orge McMillen, Adam Boyd and Jeremiah Ferree, the Subscribing witnesses
to the within will before Saml Jones Register for the probate of wills & for said
County. and being duly Sworn they did depose and say that they were pres-
ent and did see Hugh Kennedy make his mark to this instrument of wri-
ting and published pronounced & declared the same to be his last will an-
d Testament, and that he was of sound mind and memory at the ti-
me of so doing to the best of their Knowledge. Given under my hand the
day & year aforesaid
                                    Recorded 9th March 1814           Saml Jones Register.


Hugh names eleven children in his will, leaving only token bequests to all but two of his sons, Hugh and David. He had two wives, Catherine Hughes and Elizabeth Scullion but it's not clear to me which one was the mother of which children including my direct ancestor Jennet (Jane) who married Isaac Webb.







© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Limited Free Time Webinar: "Did I Get Everything? Creating a Checklist for Genealogy Research" by Thomas MacEntee

If one of your New Years' resolutions is to research your genealogy in a more orderly and comprehensive way, you might enjoy Thomas MacEntee's presentation "Did I Get Everything? Creating a Checklist for Genealogy Research" yesterday:

Are you really done with researching that ancestor? Many genealogists think they have a brick wall when, in fact, they just haven't done a reasonably exhaustive search. Learn how to assemble a genealogy research checklist to take your genealogy to the next level.

1 hour 28 minutes
Free through January 10, 2018


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Working on Wednesday: Tharold Conner (1903 - 1970)

I've noticed some interest in one of my earlier posts that included members of the Conner family so here's a page from Dad's photo album with pictures he took before his family left Oregon a year or two before 1920.

[From my personal collection]

Here's the Conner family in the 1920 U.S. Census, residents of the house located on Kentuck Slough across the bay from Marshfield (now Coos Bay). It appears that Tharold was a year or two younger than Dad.

[Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. ]

[Detail of Plate CXXVII. Coos Bay Quadrangle, Oregon, Land Classification and Density of Standing Timber. Twenty-first Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey to the Secretary of the Interior. 1899-1900. Government Printing Office.

Source: David Rumsey Historical Map Collection]

I don't think I ever met Tharold who was living in Fresno, California, by 1930 but we visited the Conner family every year so the house was familiar to me. They still had dairy cows--I helped make butter in their kitchen one year.

[Curreys' truck and trailer in front of the Conner's house - 1948]

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Happy New Year, Dear Readers and Cousins!

An example of my corrected places, in this case the only known place is Mississippi.  The ", ," is to leave the fields of place (precinct/beat/borough/village/hamlet/town/city), and county/parish, empty for when I transfer my Ancestry tree info to Legacy 9. 

Some personal health issues related to dialysis I have had today have made it difficult to concentrate on a write up, but I am looking forward to spending an hour or so tonight working to fix my locations on my Ancestry tree. 

Once I finally complete the locations (in a few more months, unfortunately!) I will be able to do some pretty cool reports and lists in Legacy 9 (Legacy Family Tree has many free webinars with examples).



© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Celebrations: New Year's Day

[Found online from a defunct blog--Original source unknown]

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.