My recent trip to the Newberry Library in Chicago redirected me to my Arnold ancestry. According to numerous sources the family is of Welsh origin.
I try to avoid the "Noble European Lineages" as much as possible since there's too much room for error. Besides, the stories of the noblility's common descendants tend to be more interesting. However, this one hooked me.
The Welsh dealt in patronymics [John's son Thomas = Thomas ap John. Thomas' son Arthur = Arthur ap Thomas, etc.] Figuring out the pronunciation of Welch names is also an adventure.
Familysearch.org has a neat feature called "Community Trees." Sources are given and conflicting information is noted on the page of the individual concerned.
This should lead to a few hours of fun research!
By the way, "Move-in Day" is approaching for the Genealogy Society of Marion County's Research Center at Memorial Park Cemetery on East Washington St./US 40. Keep checking in for updates!
Friday, June 21, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Chicago & Genealogy
Returning after another long layoff!
My maternal grandfather, Charles McHugh, moved to Chicago from Shullsburg, WI in 1904. His mother, Louisa, died there in 1906. My grandparents were married in Chicago in 1910 & one of my uncles were born there. The McHughs & Crails moved to Indy in 1911.
I finally made it to Chicago last week. My girlfriend was attending a conference & I tagged along. We attended the Wednesday Reds - Cubs game at Wrigley Field [Reds, 2-1], went to the top of the Sears [Willis] Tower, Michigan Ave., the Museum of Science & Industry & the Medieval Times [Schomburg]. On my own, I took in the Field Museum & the Newberry Library.
The people we met in Chicago were great! CTA workers for the Els & subway were extremely helpful & courteous, as were the folks at Wrigley. Cub fans? They are a special breed - numerous fans lamented that "at least we won one of four vs. the Reds." Still, really nice folks. Museum staffers were nice as well. We ate at several deli shops & met more nice folks working there.
I did a little research at the Newberry Library & was a bit disappointed. CLOSED STACKS! As a researcher, I like to browse the collections at libraries. You never know when a gem will appear on a shelf. With closed stacks, you have no chance to find the "accidental gem." The Newberry was a beautiful facility & the staff was helpful. I did make a couple of finds!
The one downer was a tour at the Museum of S&I. The guide was terrific, but there was a family with a overly inquisitive youngster, who also wanted to touch nearly everything he wasn't supposed to. He was constantly asking an assortment of questions. At some point the parents should have reeled him in out of respect for the rest of the group. The older brother was a delight, asking questions politely as we moved from stop to stop. The sister was too young to know what was going on.
This is the 2nd tour that has been hampered by families with children too young to be on the tour. We did a tour of Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati & a couple had infants in a stroller. They had to pull aside from time to time to quell crying & the tour group couldn't make a scheduled stop because of the stroller.
Parents: Use some common sense. Don't take your little ones on tours that they are too young for! Make sure that they can behave appropriately if you do.
Places that offer tours: I realize that you need to turn a profit, but please put an age limit on kids [5-7 maybe] & instruct guides to pull aside parents to politely request that they keep the kids in line.
OK, I am stepping down from my soapbox & getting back to genealogy.
By the way, the Salt Lake Institute of Genealgy has opened registration for 2014!
Chicago - you were great!!
My maternal grandfather, Charles McHugh, moved to Chicago from Shullsburg, WI in 1904. His mother, Louisa, died there in 1906. My grandparents were married in Chicago in 1910 & one of my uncles were born there. The McHughs & Crails moved to Indy in 1911.
I finally made it to Chicago last week. My girlfriend was attending a conference & I tagged along. We attended the Wednesday Reds - Cubs game at Wrigley Field [Reds, 2-1], went to the top of the Sears [Willis] Tower, Michigan Ave., the Museum of Science & Industry & the Medieval Times [Schomburg]. On my own, I took in the Field Museum & the Newberry Library.
The people we met in Chicago were great! CTA workers for the Els & subway were extremely helpful & courteous, as were the folks at Wrigley. Cub fans? They are a special breed - numerous fans lamented that "at least we won one of four vs. the Reds." Still, really nice folks. Museum staffers were nice as well. We ate at several deli shops & met more nice folks working there.
I did a little research at the Newberry Library & was a bit disappointed. CLOSED STACKS! As a researcher, I like to browse the collections at libraries. You never know when a gem will appear on a shelf. With closed stacks, you have no chance to find the "accidental gem." The Newberry was a beautiful facility & the staff was helpful. I did make a couple of finds!
The one downer was a tour at the Museum of S&I. The guide was terrific, but there was a family with a overly inquisitive youngster, who also wanted to touch nearly everything he wasn't supposed to. He was constantly asking an assortment of questions. At some point the parents should have reeled him in out of respect for the rest of the group. The older brother was a delight, asking questions politely as we moved from stop to stop. The sister was too young to know what was going on.
This is the 2nd tour that has been hampered by families with children too young to be on the tour. We did a tour of Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati & a couple had infants in a stroller. They had to pull aside from time to time to quell crying & the tour group couldn't make a scheduled stop because of the stroller.
Parents: Use some common sense. Don't take your little ones on tours that they are too young for! Make sure that they can behave appropriately if you do.
Places that offer tours: I realize that you need to turn a profit, but please put an age limit on kids [5-7 maybe] & instruct guides to pull aside parents to politely request that they keep the kids in line.
OK, I am stepping down from my soapbox & getting back to genealogy.
By the way, the Salt Lake Institute of Genealgy has opened registration for 2014!
Chicago - you were great!!
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Updating Long-ignored Files: The St. John Family
The publication of the Mathias St. John/Sension article mentioned in a recent post has resulted in a new contact. [More on that in a later post.]
It was pointed out that I missed a son of Job St. John in the Family Group Record. I had Josiah listed as a son in Job's bio, but missed him when recording the kids. [If you can, get someone to read your material before you finalize it!] So, I need to go through my four St. John folders to piece together a profile for Josiah.
I also need to record the two new generations [Mathias' parents & grandparents] into my RootsMagic program.
My new contact has requested the deeds & other documents I used to reassign Samuel St. John to [I believe] his correct parents, Mathias II St. John & Elizabeth _______. [He was originally determined to be the son of Mathias III & Rachel Bouton.]
The lesson/suggestion here? When you have some down time in your research, pick a family & check to see what you may have missed or what new research has been conducted. If all is accurate & up to date, at least you have reacquainted yourself with ancestors you haven't visited in awhile!
It was pointed out that I missed a son of Job St. John in the Family Group Record. I had Josiah listed as a son in Job's bio, but missed him when recording the kids. [If you can, get someone to read your material before you finalize it!] So, I need to go through my four St. John folders to piece together a profile for Josiah.
I also need to record the two new generations [Mathias' parents & grandparents] into my RootsMagic program.
My new contact has requested the deeds & other documents I used to reassign Samuel St. John to [I believe] his correct parents, Mathias II St. John & Elizabeth _______. [He was originally determined to be the son of Mathias III & Rachel Bouton.]
The lesson/suggestion here? When you have some down time in your research, pick a family & check to see what you may have missed or what new research has been conducted. If all is accurate & up to date, at least you have reacquainted yourself with ancestors you haven't visited in awhile!
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Family History & the Indy 500, the Greatest Spectacle in Racing
I finally made it to the Indy 500, thanks to my girlfriend! So what's that got to do with genealogy, you ask? Well, here goes!
My maternal grandfather had the first TV in the neighborhood in, I believe, 1946. It had a 6" or 8" screen. Family & friends showed up to watch the race at the McHugh household. My folks last attended the 1948 race. As a kid, during the '60s, we regularly attended Bump Day. Back then it was really Bump Day! There were always a half-dozen or so drivers & car owners scurrying around Pit Road trying to get a deal together for a chance to qualify.
My first vivid memory of the 500 was the 1958 race & the tragic crash that took Pat O'Connor's life. I listened to the radio broadcast every year [even while watching the TV broadcast while living in Florida]. I was glued to the radio when A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Jr., & Rick Mears won their four 500s. The '64 crash that took Eddie Sachs & Dave McDonald is still vividly implanted in my memory.
In 1962, one of the drivers was supposed to make an appearance at the Walgreen's in Irvington. With a store full of enraged mothers & disappoined kids, the manager called the track after a two hour wait. Rodger Ward was within earshot of the desperate call & volunteered to drive across town to fill-in. He made sure every postcard, racecar & slip of paper was autographed. During the late stages of the race that year, Ward took over the lead & won the 500. He had plenty of bonus fan support!
Sid Collins, Paul Page & others served as the "Voice of the 500."
Finally, my chance to see the race live came, with a call, "We're going to the race."
Wow! Little did I know what I was in for! Jim Nabors returned to sing "Back Home Again in Indiana" after being to ill to make the trip last year. 11 American drivers, 4 women in the field, a home-grown polesitter in Ed Carpenter, two 3-time winners in the field.....
Our seats were across from the last four pits on the main straight away.
We witnessed a record number of lead changes from 2012 double, a third of the field lead the race & a new average speed record was set. And to top it off, the sentimental, hard-luck favorite manuevered his way back into the lead just before the final caution & won the race under yellow. The crowd roared as Tony Kanaan crossed the yard of bricks to take the checkered flag.
What a wild & wacky debut for me at the Brickyard! [Speaking of the Brickyard - I'm attending my 1st NASCAR race this summer as well.]
So the 500 transcends the generations, my grandfather hosting the first televised 500, my parents taking me to Bump Day for 6-7 years running & me finally attending my first 500, a multi-record-breaker with a fan favorite taking the win. Oh, there was a gentleman sitting next to my girlfriend who had brought his granndchildren - he too was sharing his memories of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
P.S. Contrats to Tony Kanaan!!
My maternal grandfather had the first TV in the neighborhood in, I believe, 1946. It had a 6" or 8" screen. Family & friends showed up to watch the race at the McHugh household. My folks last attended the 1948 race. As a kid, during the '60s, we regularly attended Bump Day. Back then it was really Bump Day! There were always a half-dozen or so drivers & car owners scurrying around Pit Road trying to get a deal together for a chance to qualify.
My first vivid memory of the 500 was the 1958 race & the tragic crash that took Pat O'Connor's life. I listened to the radio broadcast every year [even while watching the TV broadcast while living in Florida]. I was glued to the radio when A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Jr., & Rick Mears won their four 500s. The '64 crash that took Eddie Sachs & Dave McDonald is still vividly implanted in my memory.
In 1962, one of the drivers was supposed to make an appearance at the Walgreen's in Irvington. With a store full of enraged mothers & disappoined kids, the manager called the track after a two hour wait. Rodger Ward was within earshot of the desperate call & volunteered to drive across town to fill-in. He made sure every postcard, racecar & slip of paper was autographed. During the late stages of the race that year, Ward took over the lead & won the 500. He had plenty of bonus fan support!
Sid Collins, Paul Page & others served as the "Voice of the 500."
Finally, my chance to see the race live came, with a call, "We're going to the race."
Wow! Little did I know what I was in for! Jim Nabors returned to sing "Back Home Again in Indiana" after being to ill to make the trip last year. 11 American drivers, 4 women in the field, a home-grown polesitter in Ed Carpenter, two 3-time winners in the field.....
Our seats were across from the last four pits on the main straight away.
We witnessed a record number of lead changes from 2012 double, a third of the field lead the race & a new average speed record was set. And to top it off, the sentimental, hard-luck favorite manuevered his way back into the lead just before the final caution & won the race under yellow. The crowd roared as Tony Kanaan crossed the yard of bricks to take the checkered flag.
What a wild & wacky debut for me at the Brickyard! [Speaking of the Brickyard - I'm attending my 1st NASCAR race this summer as well.]
So the 500 transcends the generations, my grandfather hosting the first televised 500, my parents taking me to Bump Day for 6-7 years running & me finally attending my first 500, a multi-record-breaker with a fan favorite taking the win. Oh, there was a gentleman sitting next to my girlfriend who had brought his granndchildren - he too was sharing his memories of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
P.S. Contrats to Tony Kanaan!!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
A Good Genealogy Moment!!!
I feel like I've been suffering from research-block for a few days. The family that I need to get my data sorted out on is the Reels. The data is somewhat of a jumbled mess. Dates from various sources don't work [parents born about 1740, 1st child born about 1750] & other details don't sort out well.
What I needed was a bit of good genealogy news. It came with the online publication of the April 2013 issue of the NE Historical & Genealogical Register. There was an article by Jerome Lafayette Santken entitled Origins of Mathias and Nicholas Sension Determined. Oh boy! Family!
I had worked on my St. John/Sension line during the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy a few years ago. A fellow St. John researcher felt that Samuel St. John, who was identified as the son of Mathias III in the St. John Genealogy by Orline St. John Alexander [1907], should rightfully be the son of Mathias II. I conducted the "reasonably exhaustive search" required & came to agree that Samuel was assigned to the wrong parents.
The Santken article was my first reunion with my St. John ancestors. Early research tried to tie them to English or Welsh nobility or even Norman origins. Nothing could be further from the truth! Santken came across about 110 variations of the St. John name. As it turned out the family was of Dutch origin.
The family was taken back another two generations & expanded considerably.
Just when you need it, a bit of new info magically appears!!
What I needed was a bit of good genealogy news. It came with the online publication of the April 2013 issue of the NE Historical & Genealogical Register. There was an article by Jerome Lafayette Santken entitled Origins of Mathias and Nicholas Sension Determined. Oh boy! Family!
I had worked on my St. John/Sension line during the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy a few years ago. A fellow St. John researcher felt that Samuel St. John, who was identified as the son of Mathias III in the St. John Genealogy by Orline St. John Alexander [1907], should rightfully be the son of Mathias II. I conducted the "reasonably exhaustive search" required & came to agree that Samuel was assigned to the wrong parents.
The Santken article was my first reunion with my St. John ancestors. Early research tried to tie them to English or Welsh nobility or even Norman origins. Nothing could be further from the truth! Santken came across about 110 variations of the St. John name. As it turned out the family was of Dutch origin.
The family was taken back another two generations & expanded considerably.
Just when you need it, a bit of new info magically appears!!
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Online Family Trees & Documentation
I have held off posting my family tree online ever since it was possible to do so. Many people seem to have jumped at the opportunity. Unfortunately, many of the many miss out on a few fundamental items that I wish were corrected.
(1) Documentation! It seems like 90% of online trees are undocumented. If they are, census records [helpful] and citing someone else's tree are the main sources. Those other trees are frequently in error and lack citation as well. Rsearch your data and post the documentation. If you have a marriage date - give the source!!
(2) Piggy-backing [latching onto another posted tree] and assuming the other tree is well-researched.
(3) Unreliable trees with reliable sources. An unwitting researcher will post a tree with sources and goof-up! Say they have an abstract of a will attached to the tree. The will of "James Brown" [wriiten Jan. 20, 1845, proved Mar. 10, 1845] names his wife Wanda and children James Jr., Robert, Sidney, Ella [wife of Garrett Davis], Victoria and Louise. It also names, Walter Watson, "my wife's brother. The tree shows James Brown [born 1790, died after 1850], wife - unknown, children - James, Robert, Simeon, Elmer, Victoria and Louise. C'MON! You have a nice range for James' death, Jan.-Mar. 1845. No Robert in the will. Two kids misnamed, one the wrong sex! The Mrs. is also identified, even her maiden name! Check 'em when you post 'em!
Once in awhile I will contact someone to correct an error. Frequently, the person will make the correction. I finally located the wife and marriage record for one of my ancestors. About 25 trees had the wife incorrectly identified. I contacted many of the posters and a couple corrected the error. Still, the majority have the incorrect, undocumented spouse. The kicker in this is that the census records are partly to blame. The letter 'm' was transcribed as a double 'n' every year [1850-1870].
Come on folks! Stop collecting names and post accurate data with accurate sources.
(1) Documentation! It seems like 90% of online trees are undocumented. If they are, census records [helpful] and citing someone else's tree are the main sources. Those other trees are frequently in error and lack citation as well. Rsearch your data and post the documentation. If you have a marriage date - give the source!!
(2) Piggy-backing [latching onto another posted tree] and assuming the other tree is well-researched.
(3) Unreliable trees with reliable sources. An unwitting researcher will post a tree with sources and goof-up! Say they have an abstract of a will attached to the tree. The will of "James Brown" [wriiten Jan. 20, 1845, proved Mar. 10, 1845] names his wife Wanda and children James Jr., Robert, Sidney, Ella [wife of Garrett Davis], Victoria and Louise. It also names, Walter Watson, "my wife's brother. The tree shows James Brown [born 1790, died after 1850], wife - unknown, children - James, Robert, Simeon, Elmer, Victoria and Louise. C'MON! You have a nice range for James' death, Jan.-Mar. 1845. No Robert in the will. Two kids misnamed, one the wrong sex! The Mrs. is also identified, even her maiden name! Check 'em when you post 'em!
Once in awhile I will contact someone to correct an error. Frequently, the person will make the correction. I finally located the wife and marriage record for one of my ancestors. About 25 trees had the wife incorrectly identified. I contacted many of the posters and a couple corrected the error. Still, the majority have the incorrect, undocumented spouse. The kicker in this is that the census records are partly to blame. The letter 'm' was transcribed as a double 'n' every year [1850-1870].
Come on folks! Stop collecting names and post accurate data with accurate sources.
Friday, May 17, 2013
When the Ancestors Arrived
After compiling my list of "National origins," I got to thinking about the arrival of my ancestors. The vast majority came over early.
The majority of my Massachusetts, Connecticut & Rhode Island ancestors landed on American shores between 1620 & 1699. The New Netherland arrivals were during the 1650s & 1660s. Welsh Quakers came over shortly after the establishment of Pennsylvania. I'm fairly sure that most of my "mystery families" arrived by the early 1700s. The latest arrivals were Germans & Irish in the 1830s & one Irish straggler about 1852.
I'm almost jealous of researchers anxiously awaiting 19th & 20th century immigration, naturalization & similar records to appear on Ancestry.com, familysearch & other sites. In the meantime, I'm hoping to track down records from the 1650s!
Then again, the "recent arrivals" have to battle constantly changing European borders & records destroyed during WWI & before. Me? I can qualify for about a dozen lineage societies!
The majority of my Massachusetts, Connecticut & Rhode Island ancestors landed on American shores between 1620 & 1699. The New Netherland arrivals were during the 1650s & 1660s. Welsh Quakers came over shortly after the establishment of Pennsylvania. I'm fairly sure that most of my "mystery families" arrived by the early 1700s. The latest arrivals were Germans & Irish in the 1830s & one Irish straggler about 1852.
I'm almost jealous of researchers anxiously awaiting 19th & 20th century immigration, naturalization & similar records to appear on Ancestry.com, familysearch & other sites. In the meantime, I'm hoping to track down records from the 1650s!
Then again, the "recent arrivals" have to battle constantly changing European borders & records destroyed during WWI & before. Me? I can qualify for about a dozen lineage societies!
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