Free Genealogy Sites -- Follow Friday

Often, I come across great genealogy sites and don't know where to keep the links, usually, I just store them in a miscellaneous file, where they get forgotten or just hard to locate when I need them. Recently, I've discovered some really good, free blogs or free pages, and decided to make it easy on myself by posting here. These aren't just for me, but for others to see and use as well. Only the areas where I have ancestors will be posted, and I intend to leave comments about them.


From the Weekly Genealogist, New England Historic Genealogical Society's free newsletter of July 11, 2012, two very useful sites:


Genealogy Book Links  http://genealogybooklinks.com/*
Wisconsin County Histories  
http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/wch/**


Vital Records of Simsbury, CT  Cemetery Records***


A History of Rochester and Monroe county, New York, Volume 2 by William Farley Peck (google book)
-----
*Mollie Lynch of Clarkston, Michigan: 
As a retired librarian, I needed a hobby and wanted to assist people doing genealogical research so I started genealogybooklinks.com. I began locating and providing links to freely available digital books, focusing on American biographies, genealogies, and history books. Today there are over 30,000 links from more than 35 sources (only the top sources are listed on the site). The current focus is on surnames, directories, vital records, and identifying smaller sites with local area-specific books." What a great site!


**Dee Grimsrud, a retired Wisconsin Historical Society archivist from Madison, Wisconsin: 
"The Wisconsin Historical Society has numerous county histories scanned, searchable, and free." My 3rd great-grandfather, Maj. George Anderson died in Madison, Wisconsin.


***"This record has been compiled using the following resources: Simsbury Cemetery Gravestone Inscriptions, Simsbury, CT. 1688-2000 compiled by Joyce Cahill (names and dates only, these are not the exact transcriptions." I used this site quite a bit prior to my visit to this cemetery. I have 151 names who have lived in Simsbury.


****My 2nd great-grandfather, William Frederick Poole was married in Rochester, New York.

One Will Equal Two and The Great Migration -- Follow Friday

Thomas Scott, who migrated 1634 from England and settled in Massachusetts, gave me a lot of problems. I used several references and some of the data didn't mesh. One source had Thomas as having four children, another had him having seven. His birth was off by three years, and the death by 10 years. The Scott family went into my tree, and online on RootsWeb, and I knew it was wrong. I was Just waiting for somebody to correct me. Finally, the best of the best books was published by Robert C. Anderson, The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Vol. 6, R-S in 2006. I just recently got around to looking at it, because the last of the series, Vol. 7, was released a few months ago, and I went through both books. (See below for more information about the books.)


Imagine, there two Thomas Scotts, both coming to America in 1634, both having children named: Elizabeth, Mary, Sarah and Thomas! And they both lived for a time in Cambridge, MA. A merge and corrections were made, and just as quickly I uploaded it into my RootsWeb, and nobody ever knew of my error!

One of the more popular sources for doing early New England research are a series of books called, The Great Migration : Immigrants to New England. The first series comes in three volumes with the title, The Great Migration Begins : Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633, published in 1995 and contains more than nine hundred sketches. The second series, The Great Migration : Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, consists of seven volumes, the last volume published recently. Robert Charles Anderson, of the New England Historic Genealogical Society is the main author, and NEHGS is the publisher.

What can you do, if you can't purchase a volume? There are two options, the first is to go to www.worldcat.org (well-known library catalogue) and you should see that 320 libraries own a copy of the first series (1620-1633). Perhaps a library is near you.

The second option is to use Ancestry.com, if you are a subscriber. The first series is on their site, so in a way, it is free for you, since you already subscribe.

Want to Read about Executions for Follow Friday?

While looking for some background information on somebody in my family, a google search brought me to an interesting site called An NYCHS Timeline on Executions by Hanging in New York State. The NYCHS stands for New York Correction History Society. Not only did I find information on my guy, but a lot on others who committed crimes. The timeline covers 1779 to 1824, and many listed were convicted for being spies, robbers or murderers. A few of the names will be recognizable by some of you. Sure made for some interesting reading.


The NYCHS also has a webpage New York Correction History Society which is a "resource for NY correction history --- 7000+ files of text & images totaling 460+ Mbs."


Any idea who I am going to write about? His wife was my 4th great-grandaunt.

Follow Friday -- Massachusetts Meanderings and More

For my first Follow Friday of a genealogy blog, I felt I couldn't go wrong with choosing, "Massachusetts Meanderings and More...Seeking Ancestors in Connecticut and Massachusetts" by Bonnie MacDonald, a professional genealogist from Washington state. She began her blog in February outlining her plans for a three-week research trip to three New England states and attending the New England Regional Genealogical Conference (NERGC). Fortunately, I found out about her blog when she was at the conference, and decided to Follow her, and she didn't disappoint.

After her NERGC write-ups, her real trip began. Bonnie visited archives, libraries, societies, town halls, many, many cemeteries (many off a well-traveled road), and was fortunate to stay at a lot of B&B's. Even though she was less than three hours from me, she went to many places I've never heard of. But there were some places I've been, and we have ancestors buried in the same cemetery in Lancaster and Hartford. She even took a photo of a memorial stone of my ancestor, Rowland Stebbins. (Thanks Bonnie.)

I eagerly looked for her post to see how she was managing during our cold, wet spring. Like a trooper, she was out there hunting for her ancestor's gravestones or trying to find a place to eat. At one point, when she was really close to me, I wrote to see about meeting, but it didn't work out for us. In one of her more recent posts, she was surprised the had two followers, I had hoped she would have 100 or more.

There are good hints as to how to prepare a research trip, lots of reference materials and many photos. Regarding the preparing for a trip, Bonnie did not know about the two  holidays in one week, for Massachusetts. Patriots Day (on Monday), and Good Friday (on Friday) changed her plans because many town and state buildings were closed. If you like travelogues with lots of information, you will love this.

Even if you don't have ancestors in Massachusetts or Connecticut, I hope you take a look at her blog, and follow her.

Wish My Ancstors Went to Hawaii -- Follow Friday

My 6th Lowrey cousin in Hawaii.

We all love receiving messages from distant cousins, but hearing from one who lives in Hawaii was extra  special. She and three generations of her Lowrey ancestors have lived there! In the past, I have written about my Lowrey line, one article was, Follow Reunions --  One of Mine Started in 1875.  My entire Lowrey line remained in Connecticut. All that made for pretty easy research, and sometimes not so interesting either. So, it was a real surprise to hear that we share the same ancestor, an ancestor who came from Ireland and married in Boston, then moved to Connecticut.

Her Lowrey great-grandfather left Massachusetts and traveled to Hawaii in 1879. There is a lot of information on her family on the internet, and one article illustrates why:

"Merchant, Honolulu; born Oct. 18, 1858, at Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Mass.; son of Frederick Canfield and Alice L. (Moore) Lowrey; descendant of long line of military officers of the War of Revolution, including Col. Samuel Canfield, Captains Daniel Jewett, Abijah Moore and Joseph Higley; educated in public schools of Pittsfield, Mass., and California, and business college; married Cherilla L. Storrs in Honolulu, Jan. 17, 1884; four children: Frederick Dwight, Sherwood Moore, Helen Storrs (deceased), Alan Jewett. Began business career in San Francisco, Cal., and in Honolulu with Lewers and Dickson, in 1879; later with Lewers & Cooke, hardware and lumber merchants; became president of Lewers & Cooke, Ltd., when incorporated Jan. 1, 1901; president of Oahu Sugar Co., Ltd.; president of Waiahole Water Co., Ltd.; vice-president, Honolulu Gas Co., Ltd. Was chairman, Board of Prison Inspectors; member, Board of Health during plague epidemic; sergeant and later captain, Citizens' Guard; ex-president, Queen's Hospital; president, Oahu Cemetery Assn.; president. Hawaiian Board; president, Trustees Central Union Church; trustee and ex-president, Y. M. C. A.; member and ex-president, Social Science Assn.; trustee and ex-president, Cham, of Com. Member Pacific, Commercial and Country Clubs."

During our emails, I discovered that she has New England roots on her mother's side, Boston to be exact. One little tidbit she shared with me was, "If you've ever been to the Plimouth Plantation, the land it sits on was donated to the plantation by my mom's families." Now that impressed me. If you have ever been Plymouth, Massachusetts, you probably went to the Plimouth Plantation. Below is a photo taken ages ago, when my husband and I first went there. It was so faded, I took most of the color out, and made it black and white.

Marilu Henner of "Taxi" Fame -- Follow Friday

Why would I want to follow the actress, Marilu Henner? If you are a news junkie, you already know, but if not, let me explain. Ms. Henner has a condition, I want. It is called Superior Autobiographical Memory, or hyperthymesia. Marilu has appeared recently on "60 Minutes" and just the other day on "The Today Show" and spoke about her rare condition. Although, has spoken of it in the past, those two recent shows were the first times I'd heard of it. I don't know a whole lot about her, other than watching her on "Taxi" and "The Apprentice" of which she didn't win, and a few movies. There are a lot of photos of her through Google images, I'm certain most of you will recognize her.


Can you imagine what it would be like, as a genealogist, to remember everything your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles or any other member of the family ever told you about their lives? Does she even know what genealogy is? Here, I couldn't even remember how to spell her name, or what I needed at the grocery store.


I wonder if she has traced her lineage to see if anybody else in her tree had the same condition.  Could it be heredity? I don't know, but she did mention that her son also has the ability to recall what happened on such and such a date. Imagine that you would never be wrong with dates, events, and who said what. I could live with that.

Follow Friday -- My Free Hour, Genealogy Related Of Course

In yesterday's edition of USA Today, there was a small article about how people are going to use their gained hour this weekend. In their survey of 1,000 people, the top replies were sleep, followed by chores (say what?), read, and a lot didn't know or didn't answer.  Obviously, they didn't ask genealogists. We always have better things to do than chores.


So, in thinking about this, I decided to list the many possibilities I can do with my hour. Actually, I would like to pretend my hour begins tomorrow, Saturday. If you are spending your day, like me, you could either be at a library or conference, which is not open or taking place on Sunday. Doesn't it make sense to use your hour then, on Saturday. Can't the New England Historic and Genealogical Library (NEHGS) stay open one extra hour for me? I could even give them two extra hours on Sunday in exchange.


In reality, that isn't going to happen. So, I've decided to make another list, this being my options of possibilities for Sunday. As yet, I don't know when I'll take my hour, but I have a feeling it will be a lot more than 60 minutes.


Using Find and Replace on my genealogy software, I will change all state abbreviations to the name  spelled out. I hate it when people think CA means California, wow, to me it means Canada. So both will be corrected.


Write several blogs, not for next week or the week after, but for the last weeks in December. Then I can relax a bit and enjoy the season, worry-less about posting at that time. It will probably be some cemetery photos or a listing of surnames, but still, the work will be done. It could even be my Looking Back post for the month, but in reality, all I can do is just the title and date. How am I supposed to know what is going to happen in December? If you know, please let me know.


I could continue checking and possibly checking my links, that is a big job, and I'm only a 1/5 of the way through.


Reading blogs is something I enjoy, maybe I'll make a few additional comments especially to the newer bloggers.


If any of you have similar genealogy related plans for your hour, please post to the comment section. I think we all could use some good ideas.

Follow Friday -- Rock of Ages Resource...A Genealogy Booklet!

Some of you may have heard of the company, Rock of Ages. It is a company that had been in business since 1885, and they specialize in headstones, mausoleums, and memorials. The company is based in Vermont, and even provides a factory tour of their facility. All this might not be interesting but, they apparently believe in the slogan, "Families Are Forever..."


About six years ago, when I first began teaching beginning genealogy at a local library, I used to hand out the Rock of Ages wonderful 16 page booklet, The Rock of Ages Family Genealogy Workbook to the students. The company sent me about 24 heavy cover and think paper booklets to hand out. Now, you can download it to your computer. The picture above is from the booklet I used, but the information is the same now, with the exception of several updated pages covering genealogy websites, and software to use. All you need to do is provide them with your email address and zip code, and then they allow you to use the download link immediately.


What is covered?  All the basics and it is perfect for beginners. There is a Research Log, Work Sheet, Pedigree Chart, Family Name Register and a Family Tree chart (fan design). You can copy or print out as many pages as you need.


My copy was printed in 2002, and even then their advice was relevant in their Ten Basic Research Rules. For example:
"Never assume. Prove it instead.
Do not rely solely on computer databases.
Do not rush the research or jump to hasty conclusions.
Work with facts; not guesses.
Keep an open mind.
Accept the fact that some people cannot be found."

Follow Friday -- Follow the Right Book and a Genea-Blogger Friend

When I posted my Surname Saturday on the Fitch Family in March, I was having some problems with the documentation taken from the book, Descendants of the Rev. James Fitch 1622-1702, Vol. 1, by John T. Fitch, published in 1997. I originally got the book from the New England Historic Genealogical Library (NEHGS) in Boston and was just now entering data obtained about seven years ago. But of course, I needed to see the book again, and that is when the problem came to light. There now was a Revised Volume I, in place of the original Volume 1 that I used!


Seems, the author decided, eight years after his first book, he needed a revised Volume 1.  I am not sure when NEHGS purchased the revised edition, but it has thrown my genealogy sourced page numbers out of whack. Is a reader going to notice that I used the original book or the revision, and if they do, and want to look at the book, are they going to be able to find it? When the author wrote in his Preface to the Second Edition that alert readers had, "pointed out numerous corrections in the original text." I thought, that doesn't sit well with me. He also wrote he"would not wait until this genealogy was perfected--that when I came to the conclusion that the manuscript was in reasonable and useful condition, I would commit it to print."


My Fitch records are now sourced with the original 1997 edition, and  I can't locate the "old" book I used anywhere near Massachusetts. But, it is at the Allen County Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I need to compare the old with the new to get an idea of how some pages match up. My original source for Theodosia Fitch was on page 199 and now she is on page 221 in the revised 2003 book. Unfortunately, redoing page numbers for the entire Fitch line, consisting of over 100 names, will be a project for another time. Anybody trying to locate my noted pages had better be using version I, if they can find it.


Some of the additional sources the author used for page 218 were: "[6] IGI-5.0, Barbour Collection. [7] IGI-5.0, submitted record. [8] IGI-5.0, extracted marriage record. [9] LDS Pedigree Resource File, CD No. 36." What a disappointment, he did a revision to add these sources, what are they, where are they?


I knew Carol Bowen Stevens of Reflections from the Fence was at the Allen County Library and I "used" her services.  She pulled out the old version from the stacks, answered several questions as well as saying it had 548 pages. To compare, the new book at NEHGS has 667 pages. Big difference to a researcher.   If you ever get to "work" with Carol, you are in for a treat, as she is so funny.  Even during the heat of August, she managed to make me forget how miserable I was with this problem and the heat. Thank you Carol, and when are you going back?

Follow Friday -- Follow The Easy Way

Ever since I began posting my surnames on Saturday, there have been a lot, 32 to be exact, and I've never liked my format. But, I thought I was being rather cleaver in that, I got my descendant  outlines from my RootsWeb tree. Copying it was simple, but the spacing and fixing it up took a lot of time. If you select the first report below (in green), you will see the hidden lines and links that will take you to my RootsWeb page.  The second example in red is quite uniform and I didn't have to make any adjustments at all.


Recently, while working on something else, my mind wondered over to the topic, should I purchase the new Family Tree Maker (FTM) software? From my readings, I saw that most people were not going to buy it, but I thought, what new thing would it need to have before I bought it? Within seconds, I thought of the utility that would make me jump up and purchase it. It was copying a descendant FTM report onto a Word document, so I can make changes. For more years than I care to remember, I have used their tab File then; Export Family View to Acrobat (PDF) and attached the PDF to an email, then sent it off. The recipient was usually happy. But, that isn't fair!  Because all they can do is just print it and view it, and can't make changes.  If they want a long paragraph for themselves from my PDF, they needed to retype it, as there was no way for them to insert the PDF into their files when it came from me!


As I was pondering the above, a descendant genealogy report was on the screen and I took a hard look at it, thinking why not see what a Right Click, then copy the report would do. Quickly, while the data was in the clipboard, I went to a Word document and pasted it. Goodness, there it was, and I could make changes. And a friend could make changes on my work. Simple to the end.


I am not quick to try new things; if it works I am happy. Yesterday, I challenged myself on how to copy a personal photo onto a facebook page. Another blogger and I both wondered about trying to figure out how to do it. By the evening, we had both done it and we felt quite proud of ourselves. Gini Webb must have spent a good hour or more with me last winter on trying to teach me how to upload a blog on facebook, I think I gave up way before she did. But now I know how to do it, it is a snap.  Sometimes these technical things are far easier than we realize!




Descendant Register, Generation No. 1

1.

HENRY SKERRY was born ABT 1606 in Yarmouth, Co. Norfolk, England, and died 30 DEC 1691 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts. He married ELIZABETH MOULTON ABT 1633 in Ormesby, Norfolk, England, daughter of ROBERT MOULTON and MARY SMYTH. She was born ABT 1610 in Ormesby, Norfolkshire, England, and died 6 MAR 1692/93 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.

Children of HENRY SKERRY and ELIZABETH MOULTON were: + 2   i. Henry SKERRY was born ABT 18 MAR 1633/34 in Yarmouth, Co. Norfolk, England, and died 12 APR 1697 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts. + 3   ii. ELIZABETH SKERRY was born ABT 4 MAR 1637/38 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts, and died 17 AUG 1697 in Reading, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. + 4   iii. Mary SKERRY was born ABT 8 SEP 1640 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts, and died 28 AUG 1688 in Newbury, Essex Co., Massachusetts. + 5   iv. Ephraim SKERRY was born ABT 26 MAR 1643 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts, and died 11 OCT 1676 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts. 6   v. John SKERRY REVISED VERSION Descendants of HENRY SKERRY Generation No. 1 1.  HENRY SKERRY was born Abt. 1606 in Yarmouth, Co. Norfolk, England, and died December 30, 1691 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.  He married ELIZABETH MOULTON Abt. 1633 in Ormesby, Norfolk, England, daughter of ROBERT MOULTON and MARY SMYTH.  She was born Abt. 1610 in Ormesby, Norfolkshire, England, and died March 06, 1692/93 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.       Children of HENRY SKERRY and ELIZABETH MOULTON were: 2.                i.    HENRY SKERRY, b. Abt. March 18, 1633/34, Yarmouth, Co. Norfolk, England; d. April 12, 1697, Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts. 3.               ii.    ELIZABETH SKERRY, b. Abt. March 04, 1637/38, Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts; d. August 17, 1697, Reading, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. 4.              iii.    MARY SKERRY, b. Abt. September 08, 1640, Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts; d. August 28, 1688, Newbury, Essex Co., Massachusetts. 5.              iv.    EPHRAIM SKERRY, b. Abt. March 26, 1643, Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts; d. October 11, 1676, Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.                   v.    JOHN SKERRY, b. Abt. June 03, 1649, Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.

Follow Friday -- Follow the Surname

When I received the marriage certificate with the big ugly red stamp, and copied off-center I was a little upset. But then I read it. Darn, this wasn't to my liking, my great-grandparents had the same 

surname!

I probably stewed about it, then went on to other things, all the while angry for the mistake.  But, there was no mistake.  A good deal later, I discovered that Charles Clarence Poole and Anna "Annie" Poole were related, they were second cousins once removed!  That discovery made for a quick lineage for Annie, as I only had to add a few lines, then merge her file into her husband's.  Even when I used FamilyTreeMaker to calculate their relationship, they don't show up as husband and wife, but as second cousins once removed.

If you ever come across something like this, you might be luckier than unlucky.  And, don't always assume the certificate is wrong!

Many years later, I now can see the record online at Family Search through their Records Search Pilot option (the link isn't exact for some reason, but the name is #3, so click on that).  If I had waited 13 years, I wouldn't have had to wait for the snail mail, pay for the copy or receive a copy with the red stamp. However, this one is also off center as well.  Can't do anything about that...

Follow Friday -- I Don't Want to Follow Them

Why I ever decided to subscribe to World Vital Records, I wish I knew.  It was just about a year ago, and I assumed I would use it along with several other subscriptions for aiding in my genealogy research.  I've nothing against the company, it was just that blogging got in the way.  My research time was cut way back.


Last week, I received a call from the company, and was asked if I wanted to renew.  When I replied, "no" that is when I was asked a number of questions.  I held my breath and even offered the bit of information, I hoped was true. I said, I hadn't used it in almost a year.  Well, I was right, she had the exact date!  No secrets there. So, with my "no thank you," I think that means a "maybe we can change her mind."  For the past week, I've received the following emails from them.   (I realize the dates don't show below, but they are daily, and two for today.)

Is there anybody who thinks I should reconsider?

		WorldVitalRecords		World Vital Records SPECIAL OFFER: 7 Days to Search GenealogyBank for FREE!‎ - Having trouble viewing the images in this email? View our online version. Become a Fan Follow us …		10:41 am
		WorldVitalRecords Newsle.		World Vital Records Five Ways to Document a Death‎ - If you would like to view the newsletter in your browser, click here. In This Issue …		8:51 am
		WorldVitalRecords		World Vital Records LAST CHANCE for Buy 1 Year Get 1 Year for Penny‎ - If you are already a member, you may use the special to extend your subscription.) Having trouble …		Aug 9
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		WorldVitalRecords		World Vital Records FREE Access to Yearbooks + FREE Month + 50% OFF Collections‎ - Having trouble viewing the images in this email? View our online version. Become a Fan Follow us …		Aug 7
		WorldVitalRecords		World Vital Records Discover Your Ancestors in the Newspaper Archive‎ - Having trouble viewing the images in this email? View our online version. Discover Your Ancestors …		Aug 6
		WorldVitalRecords		World Vital Records 45% OFF! 2 Genealogy Subscriptions For 1 Low Price‎ - Having trouble viewing the images in this email? View our online version. Become a Fan Follow us …		Aug 5