First Friday Folder: David Bascom & Lydia Palmer

David Bascom and Lydia are third great-grandparents on my mother's side.  I selected this folder for review because, if I decide to participate in NEHGS' new database project  Early Vermont Settlers to 1784, Lydia's father, Zenas Palmer, is a viable candidate.  Before working on Zenas, I better make sure the more recent generation is in good shape….   (Read the very first one here to review what I mean by First Friday Folder.)

The Couple
Lydia PALMER was born in 1789 in Fairfax, Franklin, Vermont, the daughter of Zenas Palmer and Lydia Marshall.   David BASCOM, son of Thomas Bascom and Martha Field, was born 8 Aug 1780 in Amherst, Hampshire, Massachusetts.  David was in Fairfax by 5 Dec 1805 when he married Lydia.  They lived there the rest of their lives and had nine children.  David died 21 May 1859 and Lydia died just three months later, 29 Aug 1859. They, and many members of their families, are buried in Sanderson Corners Cemetery in Fairfax and most are listed at Find A Grave.

The Folder
The folder's contents were is relatively good shape, organized and nicely grouped.  There were even three unnecessary duplicate pages to remove and file in the trash!  I was feeling pretty good until I reviewed the family group sheet. While my citations were thorough enough to find the related source, I could not tell what-in-the-world I had been thinking…what did that page have to do with the event to which I had linked it?!  I probably thought the link was obvious…something I'd "never" forget...

The Plan

• FHL #28213 has been on my to-do list for some time: Now is the time to order these early Fairfax Town Records and write really thorough citations and proof statements as appropriate!
• Review all citations for this couple and re-research and/or rewrite as needed.
• Investigate two very promising DNA match in this line at Ancestry.com and another at FTDNA

Conclusions

•  I need to remember that I am writing citations not for me today, but for me later when I am not in the midst of solving that problem and I no longer remember what I was thinking at the time.  My  new dream is to someday review a folder that does not embarrass me….
• I have to figure out a rationale or procedure on how to prioritize and rank which DNA matches to pursue.  There are just too many to do them all justice.

First Friday Folder: Patrick Keating & Catherine Dooley

Patrick and Catherine are two of my maternal great-grandparents.  It took me over 10 years to find them and prove it.  There was a lot of research with three independent serendipitous events involved and, someday, I should blog about it all….

I selected this folder for review this week because recent atDNA matches show promise and have re-energized my research on this line.  Maybe I can find out where my Irish roots are….

The Couple

In the 1880 US Census, Patrick Keating is 32, born in Ireland of parents born in Ireland, wife Catherine is 26, born in Canada of parents born in Ireland.  Their son, Fillamin T., is 4 years old and born in Ohio.  In later records, he is referred to as "Thomas" or "Tom" with a middle initial "F." They were living in Benton, Ottawa, Ohio.  Both a marriage certificate and state register show they were married in Ottawa County on 28 November 1873; Catherine's surname was given as Dooley. There was also a son, John, who died young with no children. My brother and I are their only daughter's only grandchildren.

The Folder
Much more than half of this one-inch-thick folder was loose pages of clues or ideas of what, where, and how to find the origins and ancestors of this couple.  I spent this morning organizing the folder and now I have bundles with sequenced contents:

• vital records
• census info (including a possible 1870 census listing for Patrick)
• deeds and land info & clues
• info on the linguistic origin and geographic likelihood  of both "Keating" and "Dooley" in Ireland 
• a very sizable bundle of censuses, family group sheets, and other info on Tom's 7 children and their descendants. 

I was able to either consolidate or discard a very few duplicates…I'd hoped for more.  Mostly, I was struck by how many solid clues or possible record types I have to follow.  The two biggest may be the possible atDNA matches I have: one for a Dooley and the one for a descendant of Ellen (Keating) Earl  (discussed in an earlier post).

The Plan
I have all of Thomas Keating's children and 13 grandchildren.  I have some of the great grandchildren.  I need to bring all of the grandchildren as far forward as possible.  Then, I need to consider paying for one of them to do a Y-DNA test and perhaps find one of them who's interested in an atDNA test.  Triangulation might help the analysis of my existing matches.

I have some of Patrick's deeds, but I need to find the earliest ones.  I'm pretty confident that I have the right Patrick in a 1870 census in Ottawa County, but it says he has land and I can't find any deeds for him prior to 1874.

I need to find a primary birth/baptism source for Thomas F. (Fillamin).  I'm going to have to get a system and just go through the Toledo Diocese records image by image…. Hmm, maybe I could even find Catherine's death record, circa 1887.

Perhaps the biggest thing my review today recovered is that I have a baptism record for Patrick & Catherine Keating's second child, John Keating, that gives Bellevue, Huron, Ohio as the location.  I knew I had the baptism (since 2009, no less) but I had no recollection that it's in a county where I have never looked for the family.  That's embarrassing!

Conclusions

• For research problems, review what I already have and then review it again.  I know I've written that before but here I've gone and proven it again!
• DNA results may not immediately solve a major research problem, but they can certainly reenergize a search.
• Having spent a day with this folder spread all over the breakfast table, what I really need is a whole wall like the ones in Homeland or Criminal Minds or Blacklist where the whole entire wall is covered with documents, images, maps, dates, with boldly colored yarn connecting some points.  It would stay up all the time, never having to be put away until the problem is solved.  Yeah, I know I could sorta do that with mind mapping software, but it's just not the same. 

Photos by MHD.  All rights reserved.

First Friday Folder: Davison & Phelps

Paul DAVISONand Abiel PHELPS are two of my 5th great-grandparents on my Porter grandfather's side.  I picked this folder this month because it has not been touched in 9 years.  I'm afraid my sources won't meet my current standards!  (Read the very first one here to review what I mean by First Friday Folder.)

The Couple
Both Paul and Abiel spent their short lives in Mansfield, Tolland, Connecticut.  Paul Davison, son of Peter Davison and Anna Morgan, was born 5 April 1711 and died 20 August 1751.  Abiel Phelps, daughter of Benjamin Phelps and Deborah Temple, was born 12 March 1711/1712 and died before May 1747.  They were married 30 Aug 1733 and had at least three children: Oliver (1734-1769), Dan (1736-1821), and Phineas (b. 1740).

After Abiel died, Paul married second Deborah Wright 7 May 1747; they had Abial (b. 1748) and Deborah (b. 1750).   After Paul died, Deborah married second Aaron Younglove.

The Folder
The folder had 15 items in it, mostly family group sheets or printouts from online trees with a date indicating I printed them out in 2004 & 2005.  I removed some unneeded duplicates and two misfiled items were refiled…Yeah, now I have a thinner folder!

Upon review, I see that my sources are compiled genealogies and published transcriptions or extractions from town vital records.  Everything seems to be consistent and there is no sight of genealogical problem with this couple.  Of course, it would be better to verify everything myself with primary sources as I have with son Dan.  Given that I have serious doubts about the ancestry of Paul's grandfather, the Daniel Davison who married Margaret Low in 1657, I would have to start by verifying Paul and then his father Peter before I ever return to research Daniel.

The Plan
I've annotated both the family group sheet and my master To-Do list that I need to start with verifying Paul and work my way back from there if I ever decide to return to researching Daniel Davison.  This folder will be all ready for me then!

Conclusions
This was a pretty easy folder to review and there aren't any major things to do.  It should be easy to find primary sources, given that I know where and when to look.  This line would be a good one to work on the next time I get to Salt Lake City!

First Friday Folder: Benjamin Richardson & Ellen Holt

My First Friday Folder feature has been silent for over two years. Given that this year's mega-goal is organization, it's time to start it up again! (Read the very first one here to review what I mean by First Friday Folder.)  I picked this particular folder this month because I knew it would be an easy one to do and would help ease back into the First Friday Folder habit.

The Couple
Benjamin RICHARDSON and Ellen HOLT are two of my 4th-great-grandparents on my dad's side.  This is the public debut of my officially claiming them as ancestors.  Prior to this week, I have had them in my database with the middle names of "UNPROVEN."  No, I haven't written my proof statement yet, but I really think there's enough to go on finally… and having a folder in which to put it all while I work on the statement is a good thing, right?  Then, the proof statement can be a new post!

The Folder
This folder is in pretty good shape because there were only a few things in it:

• two maps of the Estill County area of Kentucky
• a FHL film note for a film on Estill County wills
• copies of 3 email conversations with Richardson expert, cousin DR on Benjamin
• placeholder copies of p.1 of about six websites with pedigrees including early Richardsons.

I put an official new label on the folder.  I removed the UNKNOWN middle names from Benjamin & Ellen in my database and printed out a family group sheet.  It has virtually nothing more than son Amos' info and notes.

The Plan 

• Write proof statement, including DNA evidence, on Benjamin & Ellen being the parents of the Amos Richardson who married Elizabeth (Betsey) HICKS.
• Review evidence/sources DR already has collected on the couple and enter into my database.
• Figure out what other early records exist that might help document Benjamin and Ellen.
• Track all of their children for at least 2 generations of descendants, which should further strengthen the DNA evidence.

Line of Descent
Benjamin RICHARDSON = Ellen HOLT
Amos RICHARDSON = Elizabeth (Betsey) HICKS
John D. RICHARDSON = Isabella SHAW
Charles HEGWER = Margaret Lavinia RICHARDSON
Benjamin Theodore HEGWER = Bertha Maud CARR, my paternal grandparents

Conclusions
I still think it's important to revisit folders/couples every so often, if only to see if there's anything to be done to make more room in the file drawer.  I hope my renewed resolve lasts…!  I know I cheated a bit by picking this folder, but it stills feels good to be posting again.

First Friday Folder: Lt. Nicholas Shaw & Ruth Beal

Lt. Nicholas SHAW and Ruth BEAL are two of my 6th-great-grandparents.  I selected this folder because, after my Unexpected Gift from a Great Blogger post last month, I played around a bit more in one of Bill West's blogs and Findagrave, which led me to another printout from Findagrave on Ruth (Beal) Shaw to file and no folder in which to place it! 

The Couple
Nicholas Shaw was born 28 January 1712/1713 in Abington, Plymouth, Massachusetts and died there 7 June 1780.  Ruth Beal was born about 1717 and died 15 December 1808 in Abington.  They were married 6 February 1735 also in Abington.  According to the page at Findagrave, she is buried at the Mount Vernon Cemetery in Abington. Her Findagrave page give a date and inscription, but no photo.  I wonder if Nicholas is also buried there?

The Folder
Ah, great news: this folder is in wonderful shape!  Of course, it's brand new today and only has two things in it ....

The Plan
I shouldn't do any more on this couple until I finished tying up loose ends in my research on the paternity of Norton Bates. I'm confident that I have the right parents (as shown here), but I need to finish resolving some mild contradictions and I need to formally write-up my theory and conclusions.  Then, I can work back couple by couple in more detail and with a clean conscience.

Line of Descent
I have started printing the line of descent for each of my direct-line couple folders as I use the folders.  With my new printer/scanner, I was able to make this image of the chart and, then, insert it here!  I have impressed myself!


Conclusions
I had hoped that my First Friday Folder reviews would always result in saving lots of room in the file cabinet by my finding and removing unnecessary duplicates and other unneeded goodies.  Unfortunately, this week resulted only in adding material to the drawer.  But, I guess better organization is a higher goal anyway.... 

I would probably have more time for my serious research if I were able to quit reading other blogs and quit "playing" in the places they lead me and stay focused on a current targeted problem/topic/couple....  But, where's the great fun in that?!

First Friday Folder: Causier & Tolley

I selected this folder for review this month because it is the thickest one in my English line.  I was hoping I could thin it out a bit.  But, it looks like the big result of this review is that I found a huge error outside the folder!

After pulling the folder, the first thing I did was to check past posts and make sure I hadn't reviewed this couple before. Actually, there hasn't ever been a First Friday Folder on a Causier and no Causier posts at all in the past 12 months.  The yucky part was seeing that the last Causier post was titled 'William CARR in Dodderhill.'  I had written a whole post about William Causier and titled it 'CARR.'  That's terribly embarrassing....

The Couple
William Causier and his second wife, Ann Tolley, are my great-great-great-grandparents.  William was born about 1793 in Droitwich, Worcestershire, England, the son of Sacheverell Causier and Sarah Hunt.  He died 31 Jul 1873 in Whitwood Mere, (West Riding )Yorkshire, England; a snip from his death certificate appears above.  He and Ann were married 24 May 1829 in Dodderhill, Worcestershire.  Ann Tolley was born about 1809 in Droitwich.  She died about October, 1891, in Whitwood Mere.

 
The Causier's lived in this vicinity in Whitwood circa early 1870s, but on the 2006 personal tour Cousin Val gave us, she said none of the buildings they actually lived in remained.

The Folder
The folder is almost an inch thick.  I don't know Ann's parents, so I've been keeping Tolley clues and unknown Tolley's in this folder, but now I've moved them to their own folder.

There was a family group sheet from 2007 and one from 2009.  On one hand, I was surprised to see I hadn't printed a new one for 2 years, but it was also nice to see how far I've come in 4 years.  Otherwise, there weren't any duplicates or any papers misfiled.  Darn, the folder is still thick.

The Plan

1. I need to review maps of Dodderhill & Droitwich and the locations of other nearby parishes from the GENUKI database.
2. I need to review my extractions from1813-1874 the Dodderhill Parish Records to be sure I've entered all the appropriate info in my database.  Then, I need to go back further and find William's baptism and first marriage for myself.
3. Who is the Thomas Tolley who witnessed William and Ann's marriage?  Perhaps he will be a clue to her ancestry?  Judging from how rare Tolley is in the Dodderhill records, I'm expecting her family to have been from a nearby parish.
4. Who is the "niece" Elizabeth Bernat, age 6, living with William and Ann in the 1851 census?

Conclusions
Every month, I tell myself I am NOT going to continue the First Friday Folder blogposts.  But once again, the process has turned up a gross error.  So, I guess I better keep doing it....  Either that or stop making mistakes!

First Friday Folder: Grice & Gibb

I chose this folder for review this month because I knew it would be pretty quick to check!  After all, I have to get back to analyzing and inputting all the new Richardson & Shaw data I got on my recent trip to Missouri....  On the other hand, Grice & Gib will be the ones I return to after I get all of Missouri sorted out.

The Couple
John GRICE and Sarah GIBB are my 4th-great-grandparents on the paternal side of my Carr line.  I have posted before about these surnames and geography and specifically about their marriage. [1]

There is a nice sequence of baptisms in the West Lutton / Weaverthorpe area for children of John & Sally GRICE, including my 3rd-great-grandmother Rachel (Grice) Ethell.  Two trees from solid family researchers had given me the marriage of John Grice and Sarah Gigs as 1808 in Yorkshire, with unsourced, online trees giving John's birth as 1754.

My early research found an 1823 Baine's Directory for Yorkshire with both a John Grice senior (farmer & grocer) and John Grice junior (wheelwright & farmer).  This and John's calculated age at the marriage worried me and made me think I should at least consider the idea that Sarah had married Junior or even that "Sally" and "Sarah" were two different women.

But, now having followed both Bishop's Transcripts and Parish Records [3] in the area for a whole lot of years, I agree that

• Sarah/Sally is one person,
• she married John Grice senior, and
• the Rachel Grice who marries Joseph Ethell is their daughter.

The tricky part is that Senior was a widower when they married!  Junior was one of at least seven children of Senior and Ann Simpson, who was buried 27 Dec 1807.

Senior was buried in 1833, after he and Sarah had another seven children.  Then, widow Sarah Grice married widower George IRELAND in 1834.  They had no children together.  They appear together in the 1841 census District 6, Weaverthorpe, Yorkshire [2].  Conveniently, Jane GRICE, the youngest daughter of Senior and Sally is with them, cementing the family groups I've formed:

The Folder
Given the time span, the folder is not swollen with census extracts.  But, it does need three family group sheets: Grice/Gibb, Grice/Simpson, and Ireland/Gibb.  I had only printed out one of those previously, so I fixed that omission today.

The folder also holds several sheets of info on "unknown" Grice's.  I think I will be able to label several of those after I finish with the parish records and sorting all the kids and grandkids.  I also have a few printouts from online family trees with clearly incorrect and/or incomplete info on this couple. 

The Plan

• after I "finish" all the work left from my wonderful Missouri research trip, I have to go back and finish reading/analyzing the parish records, land tax records, and church wardens' accounts for this area
• input all the data from that analysis
• try to see what I can find on the kids in the 1841 and later censuses
• verify Senior's birth/baptism and parents as much as possible
• look for Sarah Gibbs' birth and parents; I have a clue that leads me to Acklan and I'm excited to start looking there!

Conclusions
It really pays to use multiple sources.  I'm pretty proud of the research I've done on this couple.  I wonder if I should try to contact some of the owners of those online trees?

Watch out, "Missouri pile," here I come!  I've got a thing or two to show you!

Sources & Disclaimer

[1] see those posts for additional source citations

[2] census image cropped from that at ancestry.com

[3] Weaverthorpe, Yorkshire, England.  Parish register 1682-1862, FHL # 1,068,415, Item 14-19

I do not and have never worked for nor received any special consideration for any of the entities listed above.

First Friday Folder: Dr. Daniel Porter, Immigrant

The ancestry of my Porter grandparent is easily my largest database with almost 4,000 names.  [See my 'Surnames' blog page for a list of the direct-line surnames of that grandparent's ancestry.]  However, I've written relatively few blog posts about my Porter line, and never a First Friday Folder analysis of any of my PORTER surname'd ancestors.

I selected this folder for review this month because of a new (only 16 posts so far) blog dedicated to Porter's: Porter Family Genealogy.  Perhaps most interestingly, it talks about a Porter Surname Genealogy website.  It seems to have begun in 2002, but it's certainly new to me!  It's fairly extensive and I need to spend more time there going over all the info.  I'm thinking of contacting the blog and/or the website, so I best review my info first! 

The Couple
Daniel Porter was probably born in England perhaps around 1630.  The earliest colonial record for him is 1644 in Waterbury, Connecticut. He was a 'bonesetter' (doctor) in Farmington with a yearly salary in 1661 of 6 pounds.  His will, 15 August 1688, appears in Manwaring's Early Probate Records of Connecticut, and was probated in 1690.

Little is known about his wife, Mary.  She was alive at the time of the will.  The couple had seven children between 1653 and 1665; at least 6 of whom married. 

The Folder
A relatively thin folder, there were only 7 items besides two old versions of the family group sheet.  Of the seven items, only one really belongs in this folder!  The other six items have now been moved to the folder of son Daniel Porter & Deborah Holcomb.

I printed out a new family group sheet.  Comparing it to the previous one shows I have done a good deal of work on the family, but I don't remember targeting them at all. The newest one:

• is the first I've printed in 5 years
• is 2 full pages longer
• has 12 new sources
• has 28 additional footnotes
• has comments on all 7 children (vs. only 3 previously)

Problems

• How many more folders do I have where 85% of the contents are misfiled???
• I don't have full, info let alone good sources, on the marriages of most of their children.
• I need to map the towns on the family group sheet to get a better idea of movements.  I think many new towns listed may really be newly created towns rather than the Porters moving.
• My notes refer to a Memorial History of Hartford County, 1886, Vol. 2, p. 166, but it is not listed in the sources.
• I haven't looked at any land records for Daniel.  That's depressing....

Conclusions
Yet again, I've shown myself that First Friday Folder review is worthwhile.   In this case, it can also be pretty upsetting.  Perhaps I should add a day a week where all I do I check folders and immediately fix any misfiled info?!

I've added the problems listed above to my master genealogy to-do list.  There will be no shortage of tasks to tackle when I rotate back to working on my Porter line.  But, first there's the Richardsons, and then the Keatings, and there's all my recent finds for the Carr line and where they may lead ...  So much genealogy ... so little time!

First Friday Folder: Amos Richardson & Elizabeth Hicks

I selected this folder for review this month, again, in preparation for my trip to Missouri in June, although I am becoming apprehensive that life will get in the way and keep me at home.  Amos and Elizabeth are the parents of John Richardson of last month's post. 

The Couple
Amos Greene Richardson was probably born about 1792 in Virginia or a part of Virginia about to become Kentucky.  His ancestry is one of my biggest problems in my Hegwer line.  Elizabeth Hicks was probably born about 1796 in Kentucky.  Her ancestry is also unproven. 

They married 4 October 1810 in Estill County, Kentucky.  Amos died in 1853 in Morgan County, Missouri.  Elizabeth was still alive for the 1870 US census of Haugh Creek, Morgan, Missouri.  They had at least 10 children, three or four of whom were born after the family moved to Missouri.  Their lives in Missouri are fairly well documented.

Yes, there are numerous online pedigrees attributing ancestors to both of them, but I have seen no verifiable sources or logical proof statements, nor have Cousin Donald or I yet found solid evidence or drawn a conclusion we feel good about. 

The Folder
This folder is 7/8 of an inch thick, mostly because it includes all my leads and possibilities to consider for their ancestry.  It was fairly well organized; I've been working on it off and on the last year.  I think that for review this week, I'll look at all the problems and questions I have, and perhaps pick a few to work on before the trip to Missouri. 

Problems / Questions
If Benjamin Richardson and Ellen Holt are the parents of this Amos, why are none of his children or grandchildren named "Benjamin" or "Ellen?"  It is very tempting to adopt this couple as Amos' parents, especially since their own ancestries are well-documented and it means an immediate jump back for lots of generations ....  But, at least for me, there are too many problems and not enough alternative proof/logic yet.

Is the Sara/Sallie Richardson who marries Bemjamin Franklin McFarland a provable daughter of  Amos and Elizabeth? 

I don't have sources indicated for the births of Amos & Elizabeth's children.  I know I have at least census indications for most of them. 

Breaking News: Cousin Donald has just proven the husband of Amos & Elizabeth's youngest daughter, Amanda.  I have to get that info into my database and see where else it leads us.  I think that deserves its own blog entry!

Have I tried to locate or pinpoint my Amos in the 1800-1810 censuses?  I think I have him in 1820-30.  Does it all line up reasonably with known children?

I have a 'research log' from 2006/7 with 34 items on it for further research.  I need to go over that list and incorporate still-resolved issues into this list.

I have to go back and revisit the fine Morgan County Genealogy website.  I've learned a lot since I was last there, and they've probably added new info, too!

I need to work on the HIX/HICKS of Morgan County, Missouri.  Perhaps there is a link there to Kentucky that will help with finding Amos & Elizabeth's ancestors.

There are Estill County, Kentucky, land records that I have not seen and need to comb.  The big problem there is that with all the changes in boundaries, I'll really be looking at at least Bourbon, Fayette, Clark, Madison, Clay, Montgomery, Lincoln, Floyd, Knox, AND Estill counties in Kentucky.  And, then there's the issue of Kentucky County, Virginia, before Kentucky statehood.  In my dreams, a Kentucky expert comes to my aide....

I must write-up / blog the whole rationale proving that this is NOT the Amos Richardson who marries Nancy San(d)ford.  The county history mugbook is wrong and so there!

I need to do the GoogleEarth thing as I did for John on all of my Amos' land!

Donald has reviewed all the Kentucky tax lists and sent me his findings.  I need to buckle down and try to make sense of it.  There's just so many Richardsons in the area and they all have the same few forenames....@#$%#!

I need to reread all the probate info on Amos & Elizabeth and the first couple to die of their children. 

DNA
This may be the biggest to-do of them all!  We've got the 67-marker Y-DNA of this line and I must sit down and make a huge spreadsheet with it and that of the Richardson group at FamilyTreeDNA, etc.  I'm afraid that all the possible candidates for the father of this Amos are closely related themselves.  I think we're also going to need to find mtDNA candidates for Elizabeth's line, and possibly the Hix line and see if we can rule anyone out that way.  That's all I need: another field to study.  So much to do, so little time .... 

Conclusions
Obviously, there's a lot I should do before doing anything really new with this couple.   I'll start in this order: Morgan County genweb site, the Amanda news, census and other records for kids' birthplaces, the Sanford issue, the land records, and the DNA.

This is a complex problem.  I have to face the "facts" (or the lack thereof!) and look at more of the collateral kin and neighbors and use cluster methodology, ala Chapter 4 of Marsha Hoffman Rising's The FamilyTree Problem Solver.  Many of the surnames in Kentucky and Missouri are the same and there are many similar surnames among the children's spouses.

June is going to be here before I know it!  Hmm...do I blog or work on research?  I need a resolution to focus, focus, focus...

First Friday Folder: John Richardson & Isabella Shaw

I've been wondering if this monthly post is worth my time since it is often totally NOT what I'm really working on at the time.  I've even been thinking about dropping the project.  But, recently, Randy Seaver posted about checking his files, and I am now reassured and re-motivated!

This month I picked great-great-grandparents John D. RICHARDSON and  Isabella SHAW because I have to start getting ready for my next big genealogy trip: Hubby and I are going all the way to Morgan County, Missouri to the Richardson Family reunion hosted by Cousin Donald in June!  This is the first First Friday Folder I've done from my Hegwer line.

Third-cousin Donald found me online a few years ago through some comments I'd left at ancestry.com.  We've communicated quite a bit including several long phone calls.  Donald has very graciously offered to show us historic Richardson family sights!  He said there won't be too much genealogy at the reunion itself, but I assured him that I will be very happy to finally meet him in person, see the area, and feel the Missouri earth between my toes!

The Couple
I've written about John D. a bit before and there's even a photo of him here.  The eighth child of Amos Richardson and Elizabeth Hicks/Hix, John D. was born in 1829 in Cooper County, Missouri, just before that area became Morgan County.  Isabella, born in 1828 in Ohio (probably Knox County in an area that later became Morrow County), was the fifth child of Robert Shaw and Sarah Miller.

They married in Morgan County in 1849 and had 7 children before Isabella died in 1877.  John remarried 1880 to Mary Jane Krues.  John D. died in 1908, just shy of 80, and having outlived both wives and two of his children.

The Folder
This folder is about 1/2 inch thick, mostly because of all the census printout for all the kids.  Its organization is in pretty good shape: just 2 pages to reposition.  I did a little census work on son John Franklin Richardson, and then printed a new family group sheet.  I have full, well sourced data on all the kids except for daughter Anna Bell Richardson who married Wallace Mattox/Maddox in 1885.  I don't know what happened to either of them, but she apparently died before 1908 without heirs.

I reviewed my copy (courtesy of Cousin Donald) of John D's 1908 obituary.  While it has many errors in info of his early life, it does give details of his last few years which would have been more likely to be accurate anyway.  I reviewed a photocopy of a 1908 probate document [1], which names youngest son Amos as administrator and names the heirs: the five surviving children and two sons of deceased son James.

Something New to Try
Last weekend, I attended a full day seminar at the local genealogy association.  Lisa Louise Cooke was a wonderful presenter and covered all sorts of tips for Google stuff in genealogy.  I used her directions for using Google Earth with the Bureau of Land Management's General Federal Land Records website and EarthPoint  to get a view of where one of John D.'s original land patents would appear.

The orange line towards the top of this snip is the north side of 43N Township in Morgan County, Missouri.  The purple square is Sec 5.  Both of those came up on Google Earth after following Lisa's directions.  I added the yellow rectangle (again, following her directions) to show John's W1/2NW1/4, about 40 acres, issued in 1853.  I can't wait to try this on other ancestral patents!!

The Plan
I don't think that I need a plan per se for this couple right now.  Info and sources are pretty solid.  I think this review helped with a little tidying up and as a chance to try a new skill with Google Earth.  I think I achieved my main goal of reviewing all info before moving to John D.'s parents next month.

Conclusions

• It's mandatory to review all the data I have on one generation before I tackle earlier generations.  I want all my Richardson data to be as clear as possible in my head for the trip in June!
• Local societies have lots to offer and this seminar was especially useful.  And, as soon as Ms. Cooke started the Google Earth portion of her presentation, I knew I could use that info right away for illustrating John D.'s land patents here. 
• I'm so excited about this trip! I just hope I have time to be fully prepared....

Sources

[1] Morgan County, Missouri, Probate Court.  Will Record, Vol. 3, 1892-1919.  FHL # 983,550; p. 96.

Full Disclosure

I am not employed by nor do I receive any special consideration from any of the entities named above.  Lisa Louise Cooke follows this blog, we share middle names, I subscribe to her podcast, and I bought her new book package with the very nice seminar discount available to everyone who was there.

First Friday Folder: Cary & Godfrey

I'm backdating this post a bit, but I did start it before January's first Friday...!  These are two of my eighth-great-grandparents: John CARY and Elizabeth GODFREY.  I picked this folder for this month because I haven't worked on them for a very long time, no one in the line of descent has been a FirstFridayFolder yet, and the folder looked awfully large.  I was hoping there would be lots to weed out, leaving more room in the file drawer!

Organization
Yes, I hadn't studied this couple for a long time: the family group sheet was six years old!  There were several printouts from 2003 of online, unsourced family trees--clearly from my name collecting days--and I discarded them.  Yeah! The file drawer has a little more room!

Updates
I ran the Cary/Godfrey names in searches in the NEHGS databases, printed out a few sheets, and updated the sources in my database.  Darn, now the folder is back to the size it was before I started....

Planning
Reviewing my notes in the family group sheet, I see that there is a good deal of controversy/uncertainty about John Cary's ancestry and early years.  I checked the Great Migration series at NEHGS and see that there is still no Cary sketch.  I checked Hollick's (2006) New Englanders in the 1600s and recorded the sources for Cary in my To Do file.

I need to study more on the best or standard format for locations in the Massachusetts area in the 1600s.  Should I be using colony names?  What was Bridgewater part of in 1644?  It seems to me that there should be a published,  industry standard for all those early towns for specific date ranges.

Line of Descent

John Cary  =  Elizabeth Godfrey

Joseph Cary  =  Maretia Mercie Bushnell

Elizabeth Cary  =  Seth Palmer

Joseph Palmer  =  Abigail Lasell

Zenas Palmer  =  Lydia Marshall

Lydia Palmer  =  David Bascom

Hannah Field Bascom  =  Titus Davison

Clara Eveline Davidson  =  Celim Homer Porter

L Willis Porter

First Friday Folder: Goodale & Clough

With all my agony over changing templates last month, I completely forgot to do a First Friday Folder.  Did anyone miss it?

This month, I picked a folder of which I had absolutely no idea what it needed.  It was labeled "Goodale ... Clough," which in my system means that it is a catch-all folder for those surnames and their ancestors: I haven't made folders for the couples and haven't printed out any family group sheets. 

The Goodale/Clough folder has about 23 sheets in it: excerpts from some un-sourced online pedigrees, some book excerpts from Heritage Quest, and some database printouts from New England Historical Genealogical Society.  This seems to be some of the info I used to add the names to my database, but it has no organization and I did not leave myself any notes let anlone anything resembling a plan.  My goal for today is to make folders, print family group sheets, examine sources, and make a general plan for each couple.

So, first, I printed out Mehitable Clough's portion of the pedigree chart:

Then, I checked the file drawer and found that I had followed my system: I don't have a folder for any of these couples.  That means that these names were entered into by database when I was more of a name collector than a genealogist, so there's no telling what these family group sheets will look like....

I've made 9 folders now and printed out the corresponding 9 family group sheets. Most were only 2-3 pages long and have source lists looking like this excerpt:

I guess it could have been worse. It looks as though it's been about 5 years since I've looked at any of these names.  There are very few primary sources but some reputable secondary sources and definitely a good lead for further solid research.

The General Plan
I need to start with Mehitable Clough and Thomas Goodell, finding primary sources for all events for them and their children.  (I believe they are my fifth-great-grandparents.)  Then, I can work back through their ancestors, one couple at a time.

Martin Hollick's New Englanders in the 1600s [1] shows several good sources available for most of these names.  The first thing that strickes me is that 'Goodale' is a varient for 'Goodell.'  I don't think I knew that before. 

Conclusion
This has been a secretarial, housekeeping week: making organized folders so I will have a place ready for filing the new research I need to do.  These lines seem to have a good deal of established research attached to them.  I think I just need to verify and document it.  I think research will be easier now, if only because I didn't have the Hollick book five years ago.

Sources

Pedigree and source excerpts cropped from my personal database, which uses Ancestral Quest software. [I am very proud of finally figuring out a way to easily get a nice looking pedigree chart into this blog!]

[1]  Martin E. Hollick, New Englanders in the 1600s: A Guide to Genealogical Research Published Betwee 1980 and 2005.  Boston: New England Historical Genealogical Society, 2006.

First Friday Folder: Joseph ETHELL & Rachel GRICE

I selected the folder of this set of great-great-great-grandparents because a film of Bishop's transcripts for Weaverthorpe in East Yorkshire, England has arrived for me at my local Family History Center and I need to get ready for starting this research project next week! 
 
The Couple
Joseph ETHELL was probably born 7 April 1816 in Huttons Ambo, North Yorkshire, and probably died 18 Jan 1889 in North Yorkshire.  Rachel GRICE was probably born 2 June 1816 in West Lutten, Weaverthorpe, North Yorkshire, and died about March 1895 in Castleford, West Yorkshire.  They were perhaps married 16 July 1835 in Weaverthorpe and at least 2 of their 10 children were probably born there, too.  These dates/places are from two, usually very thorough, family researchers who were kind enough to share with me. Unfortunately, I have no record of the exact sources they used, nor do they agree exactly with their details.

I have Joseph and Rachel together in the following censuses, all in Yorkshire:

1841  -  South Elmsall, South Kirkby
1851  -  Glass Houghton
1861  -  HIghtown, Castleford
1871  -  Gow Close, Glover's Row, Whitwood
1881  -  Discomb Row, Welbeck Street, Castleford

Obviously, there should be a good deal of information about this family in the Bishop's transcripts of Weaverthorpe.  On the other hand, the family could have really been in one of the little, adjacent parishes and not have used the Weaverthorpe church itself.  Another caution is that I know they were members of a Primitive Methodist Chapel by 1849.  Their marriage should still be recorded in the parish church, but the early baptisms might not.  At any rate, I need to see this film and I am hoping it will give me some "real" sources!  And, if they are not there, at least I'll know to start looking in neighboring parishes.

The Folder
The organization of the folder is in pretty good shape.  It includes a family group sheet, census summary and images, and a few other copies of records.  (I am missing a few censuses for some of the children, but I think four of them may have died young.  Perhaps I can find death info in the film next week.)

There was just one 3-page printout from GENUKI in 2006 on "The Ancient Parish of Weaverthorpe" that my current system files under the location rather than in a couple's folder.  Reviewing the three pages before moving it to my Yorkshire notebook, I saw that the website included a link to the 1834 Electoral Roll for Weaverthorpe and I don't remember having tried it before.  Unfortunately, a quick visit there showed no Ethell, Grice, or anything close in the surnames.  But, I did see that they have more maps and have added 8 church photos.  Clicking on the link to the Methodist Chapel leads to a nice photo and a database search for other nearby churches that very quickly showed me that there are 6 churches within three miles of the chapel.  GENUKI is a wonderful thing!!


The Biggest Problem: Geography
Is it just me or does anyone else have trouble keeping Yorkshire place names straight?  It may be 'English' but it usually feels like some language I have never, ever seen....


There is a Huttons Ambo (High Hutton & Low Hutton) only about 16 miles from Luttons Ambo (East Lutton, West Lutton, Lutton).  There is also a Sutton in North Yorkshire.  With different scripts in that time period, I think these locations could be mixed-up.  Also, sometimes they seem to be giving a local neighborhood name but the larger city sometimes.  For instance, I have one notation that Rachel was born in West Lutten and one that she was baptized about two miles away in Weaverthorpe.  And, I also have that daughter Jane may have been born in Elmsall or in South Kirkby, which are only about a mile apart from each other (and only about 60 miles from Weaverthorpe).  Where these seem to be different places, it could just be someone referring to a larger or smaller neighborhood name for one location.  I need to keep a map handy and to keep an open mind!


Conclusions

• GENUKI is a wonderful resource for anyone researching in England.  The aids to finding nearby parishes are outstanding.  The site is continually adding info: I need to check back more often!
• I must pay continual attention to place names and geography, especially in Yorkshire.  Keeping civil and ecclesiastical parishes sorted is hard enough, but when the names themselves are so similar, it is even worse.
•  I still need real sources for the basic events in this couple's life.  I hope that my having reviewed this folder before starting to work on the microfilm will help me focus my search and keep the locations straight.

Line of Descent

Joseph Ethell = Rachel Grice

Jane Ethell = William Carr

John Henry Carr = Ann Matilda Causier

Bertha Carr

First Friday Folder: Job Bates & Sarah Martin

I selected the Bates/Martin folder, my 4th-great-grandparents on my mother's side, for First Friday review because I am having so much trouble with their parents.  Given that researching this Job's parents has only led to bigger problems, back I go to making sure I do everything here that I can.

Physically, the folder was pretty well organized.  The family group sheet was old, so I printed a new one: the new one is 4 pages longer than before!  I like to work from a new print out because things look different to me on paper than they do on the screen.

I worked briefly on filling in gaps in the US census data for their 12 children and was able to find those for 3 more of the children in 1850-1880!  Now I only have gaps for 4, three of whom I cannot prove even lived to 1850. 

Job Bates and his wife, Sarah C. Martin

Job BATES and Sarah/Sallie MARTIN were the parents of the Abigail Bates  [1] who married Thomas Porter in  1813, probably in Chittenden County, Vermont [2]. Sarah died 19 August 1851 and Job died 4 (or perhaps 7) February 1863, both in Essex, Chittenden, Vermont.  They are both buried in the Essex Center Cemetery [3 & 4].  And, that appears to be as far as my certainty goes.... 

PROBLEMS BEGIN...

Sarah C. Martin was born about 1763-1770 and probably in Connecticut [3].  She is often referred to in undocumented, online trees as Sarah Childs Martin, but I have not found any solid documentation of a middle name nor any tie to a Childs family.

Job Bates was possibly born 22 November 1768 in Attleborough, Bristol, Massachusetts to Simeon Bates and his first cousin, Abigail Bates [4]. I have more info linking my Job to these parents. My concern is whether or not that Job Bates is the Job Bates who is the father of the Abigail Bates who marries Thomas Porter: his entries in the 1850 and 1860 censuses, his children's censuses for 1880, and the History of Chittenden County [5] all give Connecticut as his birthplace. I think his children were probably the informants for all of those sources so they are not independent evidence, but it is still enough to make me hesitate.

Unsourced online family trees consistently have a marriage date for Job and Sarah of 1793 in Thompson, Windham, Connecticut, which is only about 40 miles from Job's supposed birthplace in Attleborough, Massachusetts.  But I have not found this record in Barbour, Bailey, or in Thompson town records. 

12 children, but who died when?

A publication from 1882 says that Job & Sarah had 12 children (8 boys and 4 girls), "...all of whom arrived at maturity, and six of whom are now living"  [6].  Another, from 1886, also says there were 12 children and 5 were living at that time [5] .  Unfortunately, neither names the children.  A grandson, Luther, is discussed and I am thinking he may have been the informant.

I have 12 children (split 8 & 4), but  I only have death dates for 9.  I can account for 6 dying before 1880 and 3 died in 1889.  That leaves the deaths of John, Hosea, and Elnathan unknown to me.  It does, however, seem to say that the three of them were alive in 1882 and one of them died before 1886.  That's the kind of unknown data that bothers me, even though it wouldn't really add anything to my direct line.

The PLAN

• Go through the Vermont State index cards on microfilm for full details on all the children, especially their birthplaces and being on the look out for 'new' children.  Perhaps I can determine the five who were living in 1885.  Also, look again for Job and Sarah.
• While I'm solid on land records for Job in Chittenden County, I should review/find all probate info for both Job and Sarah in Chittenden County and perhaps in other counties where he might have owned or inherited property.
• Try the Connecticut state index as mentioned at the SCGS Jamboree in June 2010 by Christopher Child in his presentation on Connecticut resources.  As I remember it, he said it is perhaps more complete and easier to use than the Barbour collection books.  (I have specific notes about that source somewhere in the ToFile Pile.)
• Review  my notes for the town records for Essex and Westford in Chittenden County, Vermont.  Perhaps I missed some or perhaps I should just plain go back and do them again?!
• Find probates for sons Clark in Michigan and Welcome in Vermont since they might refer to siblings.
• Review everything I have on Sarah's parents so that I can make a plan to find her birthdate and birth place.

Conclusions

Review is good and I'm glad I'm doing this formally at least once a month.  Writing it out formally this time led to my cleaning up about six little problems I didn't even list above!

Given all that I have on Job and having such things as dates, location, siblings, and land records, I'm fairly confident he is indeed the son of Simeon.  It's just all the Connecticut birthplace stuff that makes me hesitate.  On the other hand, I have good evidence for Massachusetts and while the Connecticut sources are numerous, they are probably not independent of each other.

SOURCES

[1] Vermont General Index to Vital Records, 1871-1908, FHL #540,106; Abigail (Bates) Johnson's card: Abigail (Bates) Johnson, born Connecticut, age 94y 6 (or 8)m 3d; died 11 Mar 1889 of lung fever, recorded in Colchester; widow; father Job, mother Sallie Martin

[2] Hamilton Child, Gazetteer and Business Directory of Chittenden County, Vermont for 1882-1883  (Syracuse, New York: Journal Office, August, 1882), available at Heritage Quest Online; p. 190: "Thomas Porter, son of Ashbel Porter, born September 17, 1773, came to Colchester from Grand Isle, Vt., in 1806, and bought the Amos farm, then owned by Moses Catlin.  Mr. Amos built the house now standing on the place.  January 24, 1813, he married Abigail, daughter of Job Bates."

[3] The 1770 date is calculated from her entry in the 1850 census for Westford, Chittenden, Vermont at age 80 and born Connecticut.  Her surviving children all gave their mother's birthplace as Connecticut in the 1880 census.  The 1763 date is calculated from her headstone's death date of 19 August 1851 at age 88 years.  See Findagrave for a photo.

[4] Massachusetts, Attleboro: Vital Records, 1694-1900, FHL # 1,987,017; Item 1, p. 26.  However, in the 1850 census of Westford, Chittenden, Vermont, my Job is 80, which would yield a birth year of about 1770, and born in Connecticut.  Also, his Essex Common Burial Ground headstone inscription of 4 February 1863 at age 93y 2m 13 d leads to a calculated birthdate of about 21 November 1769.  See Findagrave for photos.  

[5] History of Chittenden County, Vermont. Syracuse: D. Mason & Co., 1886; p. 698. Available at Heritage Quest. 

[6] Hamilton Child (comp.), Gazetteer and Business Directory of Chittenden County, Vermont for 1882-83.  Syracuse: Journal Office, 1882; p. 256.

First Friday Folder: Asahel Davison & Lucy Wait

Asahel DAVISON and Lucy WAIT are my great-great-great-grandparents in my Porter line.  I selected this folder this month because Lucy is my 'most recent' brickwall in this line; I mean that my Porter pedigree is solid until I reach Lucy.  Actually, Lucy is more of a 'climbing wall' than a  brickwall: there seem to be many clues as to her ancestry and I'm fairly confident that I just need to find the right combination of 'handholds and footholds' to climb my way to her....

The organization of the folder was in pretty good shape.  There was just one duplicate to discard and a family group sheet to print out for (collateral) son Wait's family.  The most glaring problem is that I really, really need a detailed, specific research plan!

Asahel Davison

Asahel was born 4 June 1769 in Pomfret, Windham, Connecticut, the fourth child of Dea. Dan Davison and Martha Goodell [2].  He died in April 1813 during his first month of service in the 11th regiment of an infantry company in the War of 1812 at or on Lake Champlain [3].  I think it was a state militia group, rather than US forces.  I have not yet found any record of any pension for his family. Perhaps the very short duration of his service did not qualify him for any benefits?

He appears in town records of Bethyl, Windsor, Vermont from 1794 through October 1897. [4] (His father was in nearby Hartland from the 1780s to his own death in 1821.)    But, Asahel's second and third children may have been born in Waterford, Caledonia, Vermont during that time period.  Later children were more certainly born in Waterford, Caledonia, Vermont [5].  For the 1810 census, Asahel is in Milton, Chittenden, Vermont with a listing of males and females that matches his expected family composition.

A compiled genealogy lists his wife as Lucy WAIT, but I have not found a marriage record or location.  There are also several unsourced, online family trees that say WAIT.  But, I believe I need to be open to her having a different surname.

Lucy Wait

Lucy appears only in the 1850 census of Fairfax, Franklin, Vermont as Lucy Stoddard, giving an age of 81 and birthplace of Massachusetts.  Son Titus is the only child who I've found who lived to the 1880 census, where he listed both parents as born in Vermont.  Given that Asahel definitely was born in Connecticut, Vermont could also be an error for Lucy. 

It's a bit hard to read here, but her gravestone gives 1769 as a birthdate, matching the 1850 census data [1].  The stone shows Lucy with her second husband, Benjamin Stoddard.  This engraving is actually on the back side of the stone for her son Wait Davison in the Fairfax Plains Cemetery in Fairfax, Franklin, Vermont.

Clues to Lucy's Ancestry

Son Wait Davison married an Almira Wait of Highgate, Vermont [6].  WAIT is a somewhat common surname in Vermont, so this could be a coincidence, but I think tracing Almira could be the missing foothold.

Vermont State Index Cards include a card of a Lucy Wait, born 27 Apr 1769 in Rockingham, Vermont, with parents John & Sarah.  However, reviewing original Rockingham records, there are a number of records that seem to preclude this Lucy being the one who marries Asahel.  Also, none of Lucy & Asahel's children were named John or Sarah.

A John Wait of Milton was appointed as one of the administrators of Asahel's probate [3].  This John has left precious few records in Milton and I really don't know anything about him.  Clearly, this lead has the be more fully investigated!

There is a record of a Lucy Wait born to Moses & Hannah WAIT  3 April 1769 in Springfield, Massachusetts [7]. I've done a bit of looking in Springfield records, but I have seen nothing that allows me to accept or discount this record.  Lucy and Asahel did not name any sons 'Moses' but there is a daughter 'Harriet.'  I wonder if this Moses had a son John who could be the administrator of Asahel's estate?

There are several Lucy Davisons in this time period.  However, it seems too much of a coincidence that Hartford, Vermont has a "warning out" issued 4 Nov 1817 for "Lucy Davison and family" [8].  Could the young widow, with 7 children under 17, have moved to a new, nearby town and received the notice?  If so, did she have family there?  I need to check original Hartford, Windsor, Vermont records. 

And, there should be a long trail of guardianship records somewhere for all of Asahel and Lucy's young children.  Perhaps the relationship to John Wait is explained there.

Research Plans

In addition to following each of the clues above, I need to:

• track more fully all of Asahel's 5 siblings to see more places where his marriage might be recorded.  The marriages of 3 of his siblings were recorded in 1790, 1793, and 1795 in Hartland, Windsor, Vermont.  There were WAITs in adjacent Braintree & Tunbridge in the 1790 census.  So, Hartland seems like a good place to start.
• track more fully all 11 of their children & spouses, with Almira Wait being a priority
• map all of the known 1760-1810 locations for Asahel, his father, and known WAIT census listings to identify surrounding towns/counties that I might otherwise miss
• make a formal, specific research plan

Conclusions

Again, at first glance, the folder and family group sheets look pretty good, but then I see that I need some critical primary sources.  The most glaring problem is lacking a marriage record for the couple.

I think I have several very solid, potentially rewarding clues to follow.  There are certainly clusters here to follow.  I think that using different formats (maps, charts, tables, etc.) than I commonly use may help give me a new perspective so that something wonderful will jump out at me!

I need a specific plan.  I need to concentrate on following the plan and not let my self be distracted by research on other lines or in other places.  [But what fun is that?!  I have to think that I am after success and that being more organized here will be the fun!]

Any and all suggestions will be gratefully considered! Have a great day!

Sources

[1] Photo by MHD in 2004.  Parts of another image at findagrave.com by Bev Destromp are a bit better.  Her image of Wait's side is far superior to my photos of that side.

I have additional and more complete source citations for most of the data above, and they are available upon request.  Briefly:

[2] Connecticut, Pomfret: Vital Records of Pomfret, Windham County, Connecticut, (at SLC FHL), p. 93.

[3] (among others) Chittenden District Probate Court, Vermont, FHL# 28,033; Vol. 5, pp. 38-39

[4] Eldest son Cyrus' birth record -- Vermont, Bethyl: Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1769-1997, (at SLC FHL). FHL# 27,911; Item 3, Bethyl VR Vol I - 1785-1857; p. 4.  Asahel in town records --  Bethyl, Vermont. Town Records, 1782-1886, p. 7 & p. 46, (at SLC FHL), FHL # 0982506.

[5] Vermont, Waterford: Vital Records of Waterford, Vermont, p. 11 & etc., (at SLC FHL), FHL # 29,053. Dated: 1809-1931.

[6] Vermont General Index to Vital Records, Office of the Secretary of State, (at SLC FHL). Films are of cards alpha order. All are very clearly written.  FHL# 27,528

[7] Springfield MA VR @ NEHGS online, p. 310.

[8] Alden Rollins, Vermont Warnings Out, Vol. 1: Northern Vermont  (Camden, Maine: Picton Press, 1995), p. 337.

First Friday Folder: Catlin, Baldwin, & the 1704 Deerfield Raid

 I took this photo of the Old Deerfield Cemetery in 2004.  I only wish I had been more careful and had taken far more photos.  I just remember that so many of the stones were seemingly impossible to read.  There are many good shots with transcriptions at other websites; here's an especially good one by "Cyndy."

This month's First Friday Folder was selected because I found TCasteel's  Tangled Trees blog.  I have already forgotten how I recently stumbled on it (probably something from a Geneablogger), but it gave me new info to add to this folder, so here we are!

8th Great-Grandparents John Catlin and Mary Baldwin

John Catlin was born 1643, possibly in Wethersfield, Hartford, Connecticut, the son of John Catlin and Isabella Ward [1].  He was killed 29 February 1704 [2] during the Deerfield, Hampshire (now Franklin county), Massachusetts raid.

Mary Baldwin was probably baptized 23 June 1644 in Milford, Hartford, Connecticut, daughter of Joseph Baldwin and his wife Hannah (Whitlocke) [3].  Mary died 9 April 1704 [2], at least in part from the trauma and stress of the death and abduction of so many of her family in the raid.

They were married 23 September 1662 in Wethersfield, Hartford, Connecticut [1].  Their children were John, Mary, Elizabeth, Hannah, Esther, Sarah, Joseph, and possibly 3 others.

What the Folder Needed

The most fun was adding printouts of a blog post from TCasteel on Mary and another about John, and adding the info to my database.   I knew there was a monument honoring John Catlin's status as the first school teacher in Newark, New Jersey, but I had never seen it.  TCasteel posted a photo and transcription!  It's so nice to finally have a photo of the monument!  Thank you, Tangled Trees!

The database family group sheet was from 2004 and my old software, so I printed out a new one.  There were about 6 things in the folder to discard: old undocumented website printouts, a 26 Nov 2004 Los Angeles Times article (p. A33) about George Catlin (not my line), old handwritten family group sheets from before I had a computer database, and so on.  I am forcing myself to be less compulsive and not hoard everything: I am NOT responsible for archiving the world!  I also made a new folder and family group sheet for John's parents.

Of course, reviewing the folder led to a bit of new research.  TCasteel had slightly different info than I do for some of the details and, as new genealogy cousins, we are in the process of analyzing it all.  It's so exciting!  I did find an article from New England Historical and Genealogical Register (NEHGR), today, that is new to me [4].  It fits well with a comment Gary Boyd Roberts made to me that 'John Whitlock' is not the father of the Hannah who married Joseph Baldwin.  So, I have just removed 'John Whitlock' as Hannah's father in my database. 

I see that, yet again, my sources for some of the BMD data are not what they should be: mostly compiled genealogies.  I also see that I have only 7 children listed for John and Mary and it appears that there may be 10.  I will definitely look at that issue first!

Great Resources on the 1704 Deerfield Raid

I admit that I had never heard of the "Deerfield Massacre" before I learned of my relationship to the Catlin family.  I remember asking myself why had all these people died on the same day....  This post is not the place to go into details, but the following book, magazine, and website are filled with info about the 1704 raid on Deerfield:

Evan Haefeli & Kevin Sweeney, Captors and Captives: The 1704 French and Indian Raid on Deerfield.  Boston: University of Massachusetts Press, 2003.  This book is very thorough and well written while remaining enjoyable reading. The endnotes, appendices and bibliography are excellent.

Historic Deerfield.  A nice website and a great place to visit.  There is a general newsletter and a group for descendants. 

Historic Deerfield Magazine.  Vol 4 (1), Spring 2004  .  The magazine is published by Historic Deerfield, Inc., and this issue is still available through their online museum store.  The description there says 64pp, but my copy is only 40pp.  The whole issue was dedicated to the raid, given that it was the 300th anniversary.  I especially like the article by Philip Zea, which includes a map and photos by Allison Williams Bell from along the trail the captives were forced along north into Canada.  Since the photos were taken about the same time of the year, it gives a much better idea of what the captives faced than when I was there in late summer.

Conclusions
I feel a good bit of closure now having seen at least a photo of the Catlin monument in New Jersey.  And, I have a new cousin!

This was my third First Friday Folder, and I think that's a good thing.  But, I am now 3 for 3 at finding family group sheets with sources that are far less than what they should be.  Yuck!  These three folders are now in better shape than they were, but I shudder at the thought of what else is lurking in that file cabinet!

Sources & Disclaimer
I receive no special consideration from any of the companys or groups mentioned here.  I purchased my copies of the Deerfield book and magazine.  I am a member of NEHGS.  Photo by MHD.

[1] George Sheldon, George.  History of Deerfield, Massachusetts (2 volumes).  Greenfield, Massachusetts: Press of EA Hal & Co.,1895. (available at Heritage Quest Online)

[2]Thomas W. Baldwin (comp.). Vital Records of Deerfield, Massachusetts to the Year 1850. Boston: 1920.  p. 271. (available at both HeritageQuest & Ancestry.com)

[3] Eugenie Fellows, "How One Descendant of Baldwin, Catlin and Ward Became a Canadian." Connecticut Nutmegger, 30:370.  [May 2014 update: better sources are a) "Ancestry of the Children of Robert Croll Stevens and Jane Eleanor (Knauss) Stevens," vols. 4 &6, by Robert Croll Stevens; and 2) Connecticut VR to 1870 {Barbour Collection} at NEHGS--Milford p. 12]...year only for Mary's baptism.

[4] David Kendall Martin, "Joseph2 Baldwin, Jr. of Milford, Connecticut, and Hadley, Massachusetts." NEHGR, 156:103-111.  Joseph of the title is a brother of my Mary Baldwin.  A good deal of info and some exciting leads on other sources to pursue about his parents is included!

First Friday Folder: Joshua Lassell & Mary Burnap

This is the second in (hopefully) a habit of regularly picking a folder that I have not seen for a while and giving it a once over.  I thought last month's folder cleaning went well!  With any luck, this process will eventually lead to either more room in the file drawer &/or better plans on what to do next!

Seventh-Great-Grandparents Joshua Lassell and Mary Burnap

Both Joshua and Mary were descendants  of Great Migration immigrants.  Joshua was born 18 February 1688/1689 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and died 11 April 1767 in Kent, Litchfield, Connecticut.  Mary was born 6 January 1686/1687 in Reading, Middlesex, Massachusetts, and died before 1740, probably in Connceticut.  They were married 14 Dec 1714 in Windham, Windham, Connecticut.

I picked this particular folder because I haven't worked on these lines for a while but had a nagging feeling that something was pending, and I was right!  Organizing the contents of this folder was easy since there were only 2 items in it about Joshua and Mary, but there were several things for Mary's ancestors.  I had verified her lines, but had not made the folders and had just stuck info in with Joshua & Mary.

So, I made 5 new folders and printed out new family group sheets for everyone.  I saw that while I had cited it for his ancestors, I had neglected to site one of the main sources for the LASSELL line in any of Joshua's events:  Massachusetts and Maine Families in the Ancestry of Walter Goodwin Davis [1].  A three volume set, this book is considered to be a reliable source for early New England information.  I was led to its Lassell info by Hollick's New Englanders in the 1600s [2], which is a wonderful index to recent, quality research.  I've had the book for 3 years now, and still haven't finished following up all the excellent citations it gives.

As for a plan for further research, there are no big controversies around this couple.  The only big thing I'm missing is death information for Mary (and I will keep an eye out for it), but if greater greater minds than I have not found it yet, I will put it toward the bottom of the research list.

While filing the new folders for BURNAP ancestors, I saw that I had not yet removed the folders for the  Martha Swift line, which I believe is NOT part of my ancestry.  So, in removing Swift, Hatch, Wing, Dillinham, etc., this FirstFridayFolder effort still resulted in having more room in the file drawer even though I added 5 folders!  Hurray!

Conclusions 

There are still many early New Englanders with entries in Hollick for me to find, read, and synthesize.  What I really need is a plan to more efficiently use my time!

It's only 2 months old, but First Friday Folder is working for me so far.  I feel a sense of accomplishment from today's efforts! 

Surname Line of Descent:  Mary Burnap

Thomas Burnap = Johanna Norrys  (my 14th-great-grandparents)

Thomas Burnap = Alice Cramphorne

Thomas Burnap = unknown

Tobert Burnap = Ann/Agnes Miller

Robert Burnap = Ann

John Burnap = Mary Rice

Mary Burnap = Joshua Lassell

Surname Line of Descent: John Lazell

John Lazell = Elizabeth Gates (my 9th-great-grandparents)

Thomas Lassell = Mary Allen

Joshua Lassell = Mary Burnap

Isaac Lasell = Bethiah Woodward

Abigail Lasell = Joseph Palmer

Zenas Palmer = Lydia Marshall

Lydia Palmer = David Bascom

Hannah Field Bascom = Titus Davison

Clara Eveline Davidson = Celim Homer Porter

L Willis Porter (my grandfather)

References

[1] Walter Goodwin Davis, Massachusetts and Maine Families in the Ancestry of Walter Goodwin Davis (1885-1966): A Reprinting, in Alphabetical Order by Surname, of the Sixteen Multi-Ancestor Compendia (Three volumes).  Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1996. The Lassell entry is in Vol. 2, pp. 412-415+.

[2]  Martin E. Hollick, New Englanders in the 1600s: A Guide to Genealogical Research Published Between 1980 and 2005.  Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2006.

Disclaimers

I receive no special consideration from these publishers.  I bought my own copy of Hollick; I access Davis at a local Regional Family History Center.