Wordless Wednesday – 12/30/09

I Think She’s Related

In October 2008, I went to various cemeteries to take photos of family gravestones.  I came across an unusual arrangement of three stones, two of which were for sure family.

The first photo shows the stones for Henry August Leppin and his wife Ann.  Seeing that there was a stone butted up against Ann’s I went around to investigate.  I found the stone for Minnie Zimmermann, who I had not yet run across, but photographed it wondering if there was a connection.  I wondered if Minnie was perhaps a sister of Ann, since I do not have Ann’s maiden name.  Unable to make a connection, I filed it in my “Possible Family” folder and moved on.

Over the last few days, I’ve been exploring other people with the same surnames in the areas where know family lived.  I stumbled across a possible sister for my second great-grandmother, Minnie HEMFLER/HAMFLER (who married Herman LEPPIN in 1894).  Finding a marriage record for Augusta HEMFLER and Phillip Zimmermann, I went on to explore them.   In the 1900 census, it indicated that Augusta immigrated in 1892, which is the same as Minnie’s immigration in the 1910 census.  Augusta was born about 1869 in Germany; Minnie was born in 1872 in Germany.  In the 1900 census, their residences were about a mile apart in Chicago.

What’s interesting is that the marriage record for Augusta and Phillip was in 1899, but the 1900 census lists them as being marriage seven years and having three children.  I suppose it’s possible that Phillip was married before and the children were from a previous marriage; this is still not clear to me.  I have not been able to locate the birth records for the three children living in the 1900 household.

I did however find a birth certificate for a Minnie Zimmermann, born to Phillip Zimmerman and Augusta Hemffler on 22 November 1904.  As I’m entering this information in my “Possible Family” database, it occurs to me I’ve seen this name before…and I knew where to look to find it.  I hopped over to my “Possible Family” folder and found the image of the Minnie Zimmermann gravestone.  The bonus?  The birth date on the stone matches the date on the birth certificate.  There is no doubt that this is the same person.

With what I’ve uncovered so far, I am now pretty certain that Minnie HEMFLER Leppin and Augusta HEMFLER Zimmermann are in fact sisters.  I have not been able to find the death certificate for Minnie HEMFLER Leppin, so I am hoping to find the one for Augusta and learn who their parents are.

Boy, I sure am glad I took a photo of that gravestone!!  Without it, I may not have made this connection.  I would have suspected that Minnie and Augusta were sisters until I found other proof.  But having this stone, in the same section as my Leppins (and right next to Leppin stones) makes me pretty darn certain of this relationship.  More research is needed, of course, but right now I’m content with what I’ve found so far.

Diigo Bookmarks (weekly)

• New York State Department of Health

  Order vital records for NY state (other than NYC).

  tags: no_tag

• Search Free New York State Vital Records 1847, 1848, 1849 Online | Genealogy

  tags: new york

• New York State Archives - Research

  tags: new york

• GenDisasters

  Genealogy in Tragedy, Disasters, Fires, Floods | Events That Touched Our Ancestors' Lives

  tags: genealogy research

• American History Timelines - Wars with American Involvement

  tags: military

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

GeneaSanta Was Here!

GeneaSanta was kind enough to leave four new genealogy books under the tree this year.  Here’s what he left:

• Tracing Your Irish Ancestors, Third Edition, by John Grenham
  
• Land & Property Research in the United States, by E. Wade Hone
  
• Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County & Town Sources, Third Revised Edition, edited by Alice Eichholz
  
• Producing a Quality Family History, by Patricia Law Hatcher

Happy Holidays!!

 

Wishing you and yours a happy holiday and best wishes for a wonderful new year!

Wordless Wednesday – 12/23/09

2009 Achievements & 2010 Resolutions

It’s that time of the year again.  The time we reflect on the past and plan for the future.  Rightfully so, the topic for the 87th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is New Year’s Resolutions.

This year is almost over and a new decade is knocking on the door. This is the perfect time to make your New Year resolutions, goals, aims, declarations, intentions, aspirations, objectives, plans, targets, schemes, wishes, or whatever you want to call them! Figure out how you're going to approach your family history research next year, write it up, and share it with us in the COG.

Before I dive into 2010 resolutions, I want to take a look at what I’ve accomplished based on my 2009 resolutions.  Back in June, I posted an update, which you are welcome to take a look at.  Following is my year-end report.

2009 Achievements

Accept that try as I might, I cannot always find the answer.

This is something I will always struggle with, however, I continue learning as I go and hope that my increased knowledge will lead me to the answers, someday.

Learn more about the lives of my ancestors, focusing more on the how and why, not just the who, what, when, and where.

My discoveries over the past year have led to more of the how and why, but not necessarily to the degree that I would have liked.  This is an ongoing process and as I continue to put the pieces together, it will inevitably lead to more hows and whys.

Blog more, by sharing my ancestors' stories and helping fellow family historians.

Definitely accomplished this.  I’ve posted how-to articles to help others, as well as research '”reports” that help not only me, but others as well.  Some of those articles include:

• An Update on Emil
• Finding WWI Service Among Probate Files
• Using the City Directories at Footnote
• Finding Sarah Jane WARD’s Parents

Transcribe more records than I did in 2008.

I’ve done a little this year for FamilySearch, but probably not as much as 2008.  My focus has been on the indexing project that the DAR is working on.  They are working on providing an every-name index for all of the DAR genealogy books.  I’ve indexed one book, and am just about finished with a second (about 30 pages left, which will be done by the end of the year).  I also work on the DAR descendants projects, where the goal is the enter all DAR applications information into a database.  You can read more about the projects, and view the databases, which were just recently made public.

Make a decision as to what level I want to take genealogy to (the family historian? a professional? another direction?) and make a plan for how to get there.

I’m not sure I have the answer as of yet, but I am making some progress here.  First, I joined the ProGen Study Group this year.  The exercises we’ve done so far are helping me focus on what I know, what I need to learn, where I want to go, and how to get there.  These discoveries will be part of my 2010 resolutions.  The decision I made is to focus on the writing aspect of genealogy as a profession, as opposed to research.  It may expand to research some day, but there is still so much I need to learn, it’s not something I will be ready for in the immediate future.  But in the meantime, I can help others write their family histories or articles for publication.  I’m also leaning toward completing the American Records Certificate offered through the National Institute for Genealogical Studies.  And lastly, I became a board member of the Illinois State Genealogical Society.

2010 Resolutions

The following are my general goals for genealogy.  Most are long-range, but making them resolutions helps me start somewhere.

Become more familiar with genealogy research methods and resources overall. 

Essentially, the goal here is to continue learning.  I want to learn more about various record types so I can start using them in my research.  Already, I’ve read Courthouse Research for Family Historians, by Christine Rose, which has opened my eyes to many different records available, where to find them, and how to use them.  Additionally, my Christmas wish list included several genealogy books, which I can’t wait to get my hands on.  And, I subscribed to Casefile Clues, a weekly newsletter produced by Michael John Neill.  I read it faithfully every week.  It’s nice to see research problems in action, as it helps you to see how others approach a problem, interpret information, and eventually (hopefully) solve the problem.  This newsletter is a great learning tool.

Learn about various land records and maps. 

This is one area I’ve avoided in my research, simply because I didn’t know enough to use these valuable resources.  I attended a lecture on maps at the 2009 Illinois State Genealogical Society conference and was fascinated with the array of maps and what potential clues they hold.  So I finally dug out the book Walking With Your Ancestors: A Genealogist’s Guide to Using Maps and Geography, by Melinda Kashuba, and read it cover to cover.  The information in this book, and Rose’s book (mentioned above) has been invaluable.  I even started dabbling in land records and maps last week (see blog post Diving Into Land Records, With a Splash of Webster & Parks).  With the information I collected, my next step is to acquire courthouse records (land and estate/probate) to further explore these folks.  Fortunately the Family History Library has deeds and probate files on microfilm for these Oakland County, Michigan folks, so my journey will start there.  A trip to Oakland County may be in the works for 2010 for further courthouse research.

Learn the standards for writing family histories and genealogies.

Since I am leaning toward writing in the field of genealogy as a profession, I need to learn more about the standards associated with genealogical writing.  I plan to join the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors this year.  I will continue to read current and past issues of NGS Quarterly and The New England Historical and Genealogical Register as part of the learning process.

There you have it, my 2010 resolutions!

Diigo Bookmarks (weekly)

• Oakland County Pioneer and Historical Society

  tags: michigan, oakland county

• Oakland County (MI) Historical Resources (ArchivalWare)

  Various sources available

  tags: michigan

• Copies of 19th Century Pontiac, Michigan Newspapers

  A way to obtain copies of 19th century newspapers for Pontiac, Oakland, Michigan.\n\nAlso includes: Death Notice Index, Probate Notice Index, and Marriage Notice Index.

  tags: michigan

• How To Germany - Searching for Your German Ancestors

  tags: Germany

• 1928 Chicago City Directory

  Street guide only.

  tags: Chicago genealogy, Chicago, Chicago directory

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Diving Into Land Records, With a Splash of Webster & Parks

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately on my Oakland County, Michigan clan.  And I’ve been studying up on land records, so I thought I’d put my learnings to the test.

Since my Michigan clan had located there when it was still a territory, I figured I’d find some federal land patents for at least some of them.  So my first step was to check out the Bureau of Land Management’s General Land Office records online.  While my clan was located in other areas of Michigan, my focus was on the surnames of Webster and Parks in Oakland County, Michigan.  I found several records (with images) for those I know are related, as well as a few others that I’m not sure about at the moment.

Following the advise of Christine Rose in her book, Courthouse Research for Family Historians, I made a list of all the people I found with the surnames I was seeking, and then placed them in context on a section map.

There are 36 entries on my list.  I included the following headings:

• Document #
• Name(s)
• Aliquot Parts
• Section
• Township
• Range
• Meridian
• Issue Date

Once I had them entered, I sorted the items first by township, then by range, so I could visually see them grouped together.

Figure 1 – Screenshot of my land listing for Oakland County, Michigan.

I then took my list and placed the names in the corresponding section on a township map.  My biggest group, with each of the two surnames, was for Township 2N, Range 11E.  It includes Robert Parks, Aaron Webster, and Luther Webster.

Figure 2 – Township 2N, Range 11E, Oakland County, Michigan

The close proximity of Aaron Webster and Robert Parks could explain how Aaron’s son, Calvin, and Robert’s daughter, Betsey, came together and married in Oakland County in 1825.

Next, I hand-drew the six sections that are clustered together, to see what pieces of land were owned by whom, based on the descriptions.  This gives me a better idea of how close these families were location-wise.

 
Figure 3 – Hand-drawn map of Sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 17, 18 in Township 2N, Range 11E, Oakland County, Michigan

Here I can see that Robert Parks and Aaron Webster did not share property lines.  However, Robert did share property lines with Luther Webster, who was Aaron’s son. 

Next Steps

Most of the names on my list I recognize.  Some are common in my tree and will require further investigation as to whether or not they are related (e.g., I have several William Websters and some John Parks that could have been in the area during this time period).  There are some names I am not familiar with, but given that they are related surnames and in the same general vicinity, it’s worth looking into them.

Here’s what I plan to do next:

• Investigate who else owned land in Township 2N, Range 11E (especially in Section 5 between Aaron Webster’s two pieces of land).  Then devise a plan to investigate local land records for these people in hopes of determining if they are related.
  
• Devise a plan to investigate local land records for the people I’ve already identified in order to determine a trail of ownership.  In the case of those unknown to me, it should also help determine whether they are related, and if so, how they are related.
  
• Right now, my list contains 10 different townships in Oakland County.  I’d like to see how they all fit together in the larger picture, as opposed to just the individual township. 

Wordless Wednesday – 12/16/09

Diigo Bookmarks (weekly)

• Linn Coounty, IAGenWeb Project

  tags: Iowa, Linn County

• Iowa WPA Graves

  Iowa Works Project Administration Graves Registration Survey

  tags: Iowa, Iowa cemeteries

• Atlas of Historical County Boundaries

  From the Newberry Library

  tags: historic maps, historic counties, U.S. maps

• Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States

  tags: federal records, U.S. federal records, U.S. archives

• Measuring America: The Decennial Censuses From 1790 to 2000

  From the U.S. Census Bureau

  tags: census, U.S. census

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Wordless Wednesday – 12/09/09

An Update on Emil

This is a follow-up to my Finding Emil post from last month.

I haven’t really be able to figure out much since that post, but I’ve found some more information that may eventually help, including a real photo postcard in the box of photos from my aunt.

While I was at the Illinois Archives a few weeks ago, I pulled a few death certificates.  One was for John SEVERING, who was Hulda WACH Miller’s second husband.  And working on a hunch, I pulled one for Hermina Severing.  See, I find a Charles, Hermina, and Lilian in McHenry County, Illinois in 1920, and John and Hermina in 1930, also in McHenry County.  Now, I don’t think Hermina is Hulda (although anything is possible), but I am wondering if he possibly married again.

I’m fairly certain that I have the correct death certificate for John.  Since it lists his wife’s name as Hermina, I’m pretty sure the census records I found for 1920 and 1930 are for him as well.  I’m not certain of the death certificate for Hermina.  First, she was living in Chicago at the time of her death in 1943, and died in Kane County.  This doesn’t necessarily mean anything.  The other information provided, widow of John, born in 1858, seems to correspond to the Hermina found with John in the censuses.  However, it lists her birthplace (and mother’s birthplace) as Hungry, but in the 1920 and 1930 census, it’s listed as Germany.   What I do feel certain about is that this is not Hulda; the birth date is about 10 years off and the birthplace and mother’s name/birthplace do not match.

My new hypothesis is that Hulda may have died between 1910 and 1920, and John remarried.  I suppose they could have also divorced.

Switching over to Emil MILLER, Hulda’s first husband and the topic of this post, I may have stumbled onto something.  I’m working with the hypothesis that the Emil, Henry, Emil I found in the 1900 census is in fact my family, and that Hulda and Emil divorced (as opposed to Emil dying leaving Hulda a widow as indicated in her 1900 census record).  That said, their son’s marriage record in Chicago indicates that he resided in Harvard, McHenry, Illinois in 1909.  This is the only reference I have placing him in the same town/county as his mother.

New Clue

When son Emil was married in 1915, he was living in Chicago.  But, I stumbled across a photo postcard from Henry to brother Emil (living in Harvard) in 1912.  (Side note:  This photo also gives me a clue as to where Henry worked, as he was a blacksmith.  Heck, that could be him in the photo!)  So now I have a reference placing Emil in the same town/county as his mother.  So now I’m wondering if father Emil died prior to 1909 and Henry and Emil went to live with their mother in McHenry County.

I have yet to find son Emil in the 1910 census, but plan to go back and look in McHenry County instead of Cook County.  According to the census record for his mother, he is not living in the same residence as her in 1910.

Unfortunately, I haven’t solved the mystery yet, but new hypotheses have emerged.

• Hulda died between 1910 and 1920 or Hulda and John divorced during that timeframe.
• Emil died between 1900 and 1909.

Next Steps

• Focus death certificate search for Emil during the period of 1900 and 1909.
• Focus death certificate search for Hulda during the period of 1910-1920.  If that comes up empty, look for divorce records during that period.
• Continue working on the to-do list from the last post.

Photo Confirms 1920 Census Location

If you’ve read any of my recent posts, then you know that I finally started going through the box of photos my aunt gave me earlier this year.

Among them, I found this photo of my great-grandfather, George ROTTMAN and his son Edward.

Why is this significant?  Well it confirms the 1920 census I found for this family.  Why is that important?  The residence seemed out-of-place to me, and here’s why.

Although George was born in Linn County, Iowa, he lived in Chicago as early as 1914 (possible earlier).  When he married Anna E STOFFEL in February of 1914, his residence was listed as Chicago.  In 1915, their first child, Edward, was born, also indicating a residence of Chicago.  In 1918, daughter Margaret was born, again indicating Chicago (as does his WWI draft card in September 1918).  Then when my grandma, Marie, was born in April 1920, again, Chicago was the place of residence.

So it seemed a little odd to find the only plausible 1920 census record indicating that George, Anna, Edward, and Margaret lived in Villa Park (a far west suburb of Chicago).  This was even more intriguing because about four months later, they were back in Chicago.

I didn’t really question the census too much.  It was the only one that had the family makeup I was seeking and everything matched.  I just thought it a little odd.

But this photograph confirms that they lived in Villa Park in 1919, coinciding with the 1920 census (taken in January 1920).

I have no idea why they lived there for that short period of time.  But nonetheless, I have a rare picture of my great-grandfather and granduncle.

Wordless Wednesday – 12/02/09

ISU graduation, December 2000.

Saturday Nigh Genealogy Fun on Tuesday – Celebrity Look-Alikes

Randy’s challenge this go-around is a celebrity look-alike collage available through My Heritage.

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to find which celebrities that have the same facial features that you (or someone else you choose) have. Here are the directions:

Go to http://www.myheritage.com/ - you don't have to be a registered member to use this feature. Click on the "Celebrities and Fun" tab.

1. Click on the "Celebrity Collage" tab, and then on the "Create my Collage" button.
2. Upload a photograph with your face (or another person's face) to the site (the face must be at least 100 x 100 pixels) and click on the "Run face recognition" button.
3. Select a collage template, and the faces (up to 8) to go into the collage template. Click on "Next" and "Preview" your template, which should bring up the template for you to review. You could click on "Save" and it would go off to your selected social networking site.
4. Figure out how to show your collage on your blog or social network site (I have my own process defined below).
5. Tell us which celebrities that you (or your selected person) look alike - write your own blog post, make a comment to this post or on Facebook.
6. Think about how you could use something like this as a Christmas gift.

Here’s mine.  Kinda surprising…I thought for sure Soleil Moon Frye (a.k.a. Punky Brewster) would be one of them.  I guess she aged more gracefully than I did!

DAR Genealogical Research Databases Now Public

As a member of the DAR, I’ve had access to these databases, but now they are available to the public.  I actually work on two of the projects: Descendants (entering DAR application data) and GRC (indexing all names in DAR genealogy books). 

You can access the databases using the following link:  http://www.dar.org/library/online_research.cfm

For detailed information about the databases, refer to Miriam Robbins Midkiff’s post DAR Databases Now Available Online.