Have You Listened to Extreme Genes? It's Fascinating!

This week I stumbled upon the Extreme Genes podcasts. It's a radio show that's heard on stations across the country. But, I've NEVER heard of it. And, it's terrific!

Each episode runs 52 minutes and starts with some interesting news items. Then Fisher, the host, does a couple of interviews with experts in the field of genealogy.

I've listened to four episodes which each have two longer interviews. These are 3 of my favorite stories so far:

"Registering Immigrants at Castle Garden in 1866"
(image from Wikipedia)

Episode #43: Pat Mulso's family had passed down a heart-breaking story. In 1860, at the time of their immigration, her ancestors had to leave behind a two year old boy with a priest. But, when the father returned to get the little boy, the priest and the boy were gone. The family never saw their youngest son again! Pat finally tracked down this missing son. An incredible story!

Episode #45: Daniel Swalm discovered that, even though his grandmother spent her entire life in the United States, she died without her American citizenship! The story of how this happened is pretty incredible. And, you might have a grandmother who fell under this same crazy law. An incredible story that eventually led Swalm to the floor of Congress!

Gail Halvorsen (image from Wikipedia)

Episode #70: Col. Gail Halvorsen is better known as "The Berlin Candy Bomber" and "Uncle Wiggly Wings." He's the pilot who, during the Berlin Airlift, started dropping little parachuted packages of chocolate and gum to the children who were starving in West Berlin. He turned 94 in October and is still flies as a co-pilot. He tells the story of why he started the candy drop and talks about his continued friendship with some of the children of West Berlin. Another amazing story!

I can't wait to listen to another episode. I'm loading them onto my iPad and listening to them as I work around the house or do laundry. They're fascinating!

"One Lovely Blog" Award!

I was pleasantly surprised to receive two nominations today for the "One Lovely Blog" Award! A big thank you to both Carla Lee at Sassygenealogist and Elise Ann Wormuth at Living in the Past for these nominations! My genealogy blog is still quite new and this award means a lot!

Here are the 'rules' for this award:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and link to that blog
2. Share seven things about yourself
3. Nominate 15 bloggers you admire (or as many as you can think of!)
4. Contact your bloggers to let them know that you've tagged them for the One Lovely Blog Award

So, again, thanks again to Carla Lee and Elise Ann Wormuth! (See links above.)

7 things about me:

1. I have a degree in Biology Education and worked in a research laboratory as an undergraduate student.
2. I have played the piano since I was very young and was an accompanist both at school and at church.
3. I love to travel and have (so far) visited 9 countries: Ireland, Scotland, Japan, France, Estonia, Sweden, Finland, Mexico, & the Bahamas.
4. I started doing genealogy in 1998 when you still had to use a microfilm reader to view the censuses.
5. I just moved from the house we lived in for over 17 years! I've also lived in two other houses for about 10 years each. I don't move around much!
6. I've been married for over 20 years to my high school sweetheart.
7. I'm an avid reader and just finished reading my 60th book of the year.

Nominate 15 bloggers.... So, in no particular order...

1.  Midge Frazel of Granite in My Blood
2.  Michael Lacopo of Hoosier Daddy?
3.  Diane Hall of Michigan Family Trails
4.  Harold Henderson of Midwestern Microhistory
5.  Lorine McGinnis Schulze of The Olive Tree Genealogy
6.  Kenneth R. Marks of The Ancestor Hunt
7.  Elizabeth Handler of From Maine to Kentucky
8.  Jill at Genealogy Certification: My Personal Journey
9.  Karen Blackmore at Karen's Genealogy Oasis
10. Kris Stewart at My Link to the Past
11. Sheri Fenley at The Educated Genealogist
12. Lynn Palermo at The Armchair Genealogist
13. Judy G. Russell at The Legal Genealogist
14. Miriam J. Robbins of Ancestories: The Stories of My Ancestors
15. Debi Austen at Who Knew?

Contact the Bloggers you nominated... I'm heading off to do that now!

Discovering Civil War Questionnaires & Reunions

I mentioned on my "inmates" post that I had an ancestors who was an inmate in an "old soldier's home" but I couldn't remember which ancestors. So, to find out more about these types of homes, I randomly looked at the Arkansas "Confederate Home Records" site. They have a search engine where you can look for ancestors who might have lived here. And, if you find a match, you can fill out a form and send off for their records!

Pretty neat, right? Except I don't have confederate soldiers from Arkansas. However, I was playing around and typed in three family names I did have who served as Confederate soldiers from Perry County, Tennessee. I didn't find any names I recognized.

But, then I noticed some of the other military records. One is titled "1911 Confederate Veterans Questionnaires." Well, that sounds interesting! (I now realize these questionnaires were just for Arkansas, but I thought they were for all Confederates at first.) I tried the same three surnames: Whitwell, Ward & Dickson.

public domain - image from wikipedia

When I typed in Dickson, I got a match! William Porter DICKSON who served in Company D of the 12th Tennessee Infantry Regiment. He's a brother to my James B DICKSON who served in the same company. Wow! I went to my family tree and saw that he did live in Arkansas later in his life. Wonderful!

I clicked on his name and got additional information which I can use to send off for his file. His file is marked "average" rather than "poor" or "excellent" which means that "most of the information requested was provided". Great!

So, what might I expect in this file? There is a Biographical Memoranda Form which asks for full name, mailing address, date and place of birth, and family information. And, there is a Confederate Military Service Memoranda. I'm particularly interested in the Biographical Form as I don't know the maiden name of William P (& James B) Dickson's mother, Sarah!

image from Wikipedia

I thought I'd look at more military records on this site, Arkansas History Commission. The other place I found William Porter Dickson was on the 1911 Confederate Veterans Reunion Registration Forms! (By the way, when you click on these military links it takes you to another site: Arkansas Civil War.)

What was this reunion and what might I find in these records? This was the 21st annual Civil War union which was held in Little Rock, Arkansas, fifty years after the start of the Civil War. Approximately 15,000 veterans attended! Most of the veterans filled out the questionnaires; but other people filled them out, too! Who knows who you might find in these forms?

I'm excited to learn more about my Dickson family & their Civil War service. But, this also opens up another research possibility for other Civil War veterans. I need to look for both questionnaires & reunions in whatever state they lived in! And also check out the national reunions!

Do we share common ancestors? I'd love to talk! Please write me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Survey of Genealogical Activities

It's Saturday night and time for Randy's weekly challenge at Genea-Musings. This week's challenge is to discuss some of your genealogical activities. So let's get started!

1. Which genealogy software programs for your computer do you use (e.g., Family Tree Maker, Reunion, GRAMPS, etc.)? I use RootsMagic, though I used Family Tree when I started years ago.
2. Which online family trees have information submitted by you - in either a separate online tree (e.g., Ancestry Member Tree) or a universal (collaborative) online tree (e.g., WikiTree)? I've only submitted to Ancestry.
3. For which subscription genealogy record providers (e.g., Ancestry) do you have a subscription? Ancestry, Mocavo, Newspapers.com, Genealogy Bank, HistoryGeo, FindMyPast (bought credits, not an actual subscription), Fold3
4. Which FREE genealogy record providers (e.g., FamilySearch) do you use regularly? Family Search, FindAGrave, Google
5. How much time do you spend each week doing actual genealogy research online? [Note: not reading, or social networking, but actual searching in a record provider]. Estimate an average number of hours per week. 14 hours per week
6. How much time do you spend each week doing actual genealogy research in a repository (e.g., library, archive, courthouse, etc.)? Estimate an average number of hours per month over, say, a one year period. 4 hours per week
7. How much time do you spend each week adding information to your genealogy software program (either on your computer or online)? Estimate an average number of hours per week over, say, a one month period. 4 hours per week
8. How much time do you spend each month at a genealogical society meeting, program or event (not a seminar or conference)? Estimate an average number of hours per month over, say, a one year period. 1 hour per month
9. How much time do you spend each month on genealogy education (e.g., reading books and periodicals, attending seminars, conferences, workshops, webinars, etc.)? Estimate an average number of hours per month over, say, a one year period. 3-4 hours per month
10. How much time do you spend each week reading, writing and commenting on genealogy blogs, websites, and social media? Estimate an average number of hours per week over, say, a one month period. 4 hours per week

Do we share common ancestors? I'd love to talk! Please write me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net

Newspaper Article Lists 32 Family Members! (Learning about Lena, Part 1)

In my GRIP Intermediate Genealogy course last week, Debbie Mieszala discussed Chronicling America in her class about newspaper research. I decided to do a search for one of my more unusual surnames, Coppenbarger, and I got an interesting hit. I found an article that listed not only my Coppenbarger's, but also some Randolph's and other names I recognized. I still haven't tracked down all of the names, but I have done enough to realize that they are children and grandchildren of my fourth great grandparents, William Randolph (1792 in VA - 1867 in IL) & Matilda Kearns/Keeran (1796 in NC - 1863 in IL).

Weekly Graphic, 14 Dec 1888

The article was a "Sheriff's Sale in Partition" as a result of an Adair County, Missouri court case. It described the land that was to be sold and then stated the proceeds would be divided among the parties. But, whose land was this? The parents/grandparents, William & Matilda Randolph, had died over 20 years before this. And, why are four of their children plaintiffs against the rest of the family?

Weekly Graphic, 09 Mar 1888

I was able to answer these questions when I looked at a second article I found on Chronicling America. This article was an "Order of Publication" and it states that it is being published to notify the defendants, a long list of whom live out of state, that the "Plaintiffs have commenced a suit against them and others in this court, the object and general nature of which is to obtain a decree to partition in the following described real estate situated in the city of St. Louis, state of Missouri, and the county of Adair, state of Missouri to wit..." So, some of the family members wanted to sale the land and divide the profits.

As to the question of whose land was being sold, the property had belonged to Lena R. Tremlett. There are four pieces of land which were "the same land conveyed to said Lena R. Tremlett (alias Line R. Tremlett) by Agnes P. Queen and Benj. F. Queen July 28th 1879." And, there's a fifth piece of land which was "the same land conveyed to Lena R. Tremlett, alias Lina R. Tremlett, by Benjamin Hammett and wife, June 14th, 1879..."

I've never heard of Lena R. Tremlett; Benj. F & Agnes P. Queen; and Benjamin Hammett & his wife. Who are these people? And, why are the proceeds of this land going to my family members? I begin to find some answers in "Lena, Part 2."

Sources:

• "Sheriff's Sale in Partition," Weekly Graphic, Kirksville, Missouri, 14 December 1888, page 2, column 5. Chronicling America. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn89066097/1888-12-14/ed-1/seq-2/>, accessed 30 July 2014.
• "Order of Publication," Weekly Graphic, Kirksville, Missouri, 09 March 1888, page 1, column 6. Chronicling America. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn89066097/1888-03-09/ed-1/seq-1/>, accessed 30 July 2014.

Do we share common ancestors? I'd love to talk! Please write me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net

The Notorious Brawdy Family, Part 2 (Accused of Larceny)

This is a series of posts about the startling discoveries we made at GRIP  (July 2014) in the Intermediate Genealogy class. Our head instructor, Paula Stuart-Warren, chose a random Pittsburgh will for us to research and see what we could uncover about the family. She had no idea of the amazing stories we would find...

I already posted about how we tracked down the original will on FamilySearch. With quite a bit of effort, we eventually found the census records for 1850 (Baldwin Twp - surname transcribed as "Brandy" on Ancestry), 1860 (Pittsburgh, Ward 5 - father transcribed as "W Brandy" on Ancestry - all family members listed by first initial ) & 1870 (Borough of East Birmingham - mother transcribed as "Barbara Brady" on Ancestry) where Martha was living with her parents, Martin & Barbara, & her siblings. She also has her 8-year-old daughter, Jenny Cornita living with her. Remember, her name was listed as Jennie C Brawdy in the will, but here it is Jenny Cornita.

Photo posted by Liz Freeman on FindAGrave

We never found any other information about Martha's daughter, Jenny. But, we were able to find quite a bit more about the rest of the Brawdy family including:

• more census records for various family members
• a will for her brother, Martin
• two city directory listing for her mother, Barbara, listing her as a widow in 1865 & 1866
• a marriage record for sister Maria Jane who married Walter E Barnett before marrying Valentine Green (probable first marriage)
• a marriage record for brother Thomas M who married Catharine R Fitch
• a death certificate for sister Maria Jane who married Valentine Green (I believe this is a second marriage)
• tombstones for her mother, Barbara, & her brother, Martin
• possible death record for her mother, Barbara, at FamilySearch - however it says her parents are born in Ireland where others state Germany & it says she's only lived there 6 months & her previous residence was Chicago

But, the most interesting 'finds' were the newspaper records! Unfortunately, I can't take credit for these finds. But, another group found some incredible articles using a site I wasn't familiar with: Elephind.

Elephind states it's purpose: to make it possible to search all of the world's digital newspapers from one place and at one time. Elephind.com allows you to simultaneously search across thousands of articles using key words and phrases. 

The first article I'll share is from the Pittsburgh Gazette Gazette and Advertiser dated Monday, April 6, 1868. It is titled "Alleged Larceny of $200 - The Accused Committed for Trial."

Catherine Salzmen, the proprietress of  tavern in East Birmingham, made information before Justice Ammon on Saturday, charging John Schafer and Tom Brawdy with larceny. She alleges that the accused, who frequented her house, and were well acquainted with its arrangement, came in to the bar-room Saturday morning, and remained until she was called out, when they entered an adjoining room and took two hundred dollars from a bureau drawer. Brawdy and Schafer were arrested, and after hearing, were committed for trial in default of five hundred dollars each for their appearance at Court. The Brawdy family are becoming quite notorious in criminal affairs. The mother was, a short time since, convicted on a charge of keeping a bawdy house, for which she is serving a term of imprisonment. Subsequently a son was arrested and committed to jail to away trial on a similar charge, and now the third one of the family is committed on a charge of larceny.

Two months later, in a paper dated June 10, 1868, we find the results of the trial:

The Jury in the case of the Commonwealth vs. Thomas Brawdy, Jno Bell, and John Shaffer, indicted for the larceny of $185 from Mrs. Salzman of East Birmingham, reported yesterday, returned a verdict of not guilty and the accused were discharged.