A Blessing for the New Year

All children have the Blessing surname.
All children were born in Schlat, Goppingen, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany unless otherwise indicated.
Comments after the jump.

 JOHANNES BLESSING
 B: 1 Nov 1646 in Schlat, Goppingen, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
 D: 6 Sep 1706 in Schlat, Goppingen, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany

 SPOUSE
 Agatha Blessing (1538-1616)
 Married 1560 in Schlat, Goppingen, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
 CHILDREN
 Johannes, B: 27 Aug 1565
 Johannes, B: 29 Sep 1566
 Barbara, B: 26 Aug 1567
 Georg, B: 19 Feb 1570
 Bartholomäus, B: 24 Aug 1572
 Barbara, B: 20 Jul 1574
 Margaretha, B: 28 Oct 1576
 Agatha, B: 8 May 1578
 Johann Georg, B: 27 Sep 1579

 SPOUSE
 Maria Reissinger (1561-1637)
 Married 1583 in Nellingen, Alb-Donau-Kreis, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
 CHILDREN
 Johann Georg, B: 27 Sep 1579

 SPOUSE
 Margarethe Rapp (1651-1725)
 Married 1671 in Schlat, Goppingen, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
 CHILDREN
 Georg, B: 16 Jan 1674
 Johann Michael, B: 13 Mar 1677
 Leonhard, B: 15 Sep 1678
 Andreas, B: 15 Feb 1680
 Andreas, B: 26 Mar 1681
 Peter, B: 3 Dec 1682
 Bartholomäus, B: 19 Aug 1684
 Joseph, B: 30 Sep 1688
 Anna Margaretha, B: 2 Jun 1690
 Ulrich, B: 29 Feb 1692

 SPOUSE
 Margarethe Schmid (1644-1679)
 Married 1678 in Schlat, Goppingen, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
 No children

 SPOUSE
 Margarethe Hauser (1661-????)
 Married 1679 in Schlat, Goppingen, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
 CHILDREN
 Margarethe, B: 3 Aug 1681
 Johann Ulrich, B: 26 Jan 1684
 Georg, B: 12 Jan 1688
 Bartholomäus, B: 27 Jan 1690
 Waldburga, B: 25 May 1692
 Michael, B: 20 Feb 1694
 Maria, B: 11 May 1698
 Anna Catharine, B: 15 Dec 1699

 SPOUSE
 Dorothea Müller (1650-????)
 Married 1706 in Schlat, Goppingen, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
 No children

 SPOUSE
 Helena Blessing (1753-1796)
 Married 1774 in Kleineislingen, Donaukreis, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
 No children

 SPOUSE
 Anna Catharina Häderle (1752-1813)
 Married 1777 in Sparwiessen, Donaukreis, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
 CHILDREN
 Anna Maria, B: 18 Mar 1789 in Sparwiesen, Goppingen, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
 Johann Georg, B: 6 Apr 1791 in Sparwiesen, Donaukreis, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany

 SPOUSE
 Anna Maria Widmann (1763-1837)
 Married 1787
 CHILDREN
 Christina, B: 13 Nov 1790
 Maria Barbara, B: 26 Aug 1796
 Johann Georg, B: 27 Dec 1803

 SPOUSE
 Anna Marie Wust (1651-1725)
 No marriage date
 No children

Fixing What's Not Broken 2

The threads on Ancestry.com's Facebook page have changed to "What can Ancestry.com do better?" but they are still posted once a week. Most people who comment never look at the thread again so replying over there seems rather pointless. At least here I can entertain myself and hopefully some of you too.
You know what's after the jump. As always the comments are cut and pasted with no corrections and my comments are in red.

Jesus of Connecticut

Comments after the jump.

 Joseph ( Father Of Jesus)
 B: Bethelehem,Palestine
 D: Nazareth,Palestine

 FATHER
 Heli Ben Matthat
 B: Luke, Allegany, Maryland, United States
 D: July, Ad Abbey Glais, Glastonbury, Wales

 SPOUSE
 Mary The Virgin
 B: Nazareth, Northampton, Pennsylvania, United States
 D: France
 CHILDREN
 James Arimathea Brother the Lord
 B: Arimathea, Judea, Israel
 D: Glastonbury, Somerset, England
 Jesus Christ
 B: Bethlehem, Litchfield, Connecticut, United States
 D: Golgatha, Yerushalayim, Israel
 Joseph Of Arimathaea
 B: Bc Arimathea, Judea, Israel
 D: Abbey Glais, Glastonbury, Wales
 Joseph Of Arimathaea
 B: 0001 in Arimathea, Judea, Israel
 D: 0101 in Abbey Glais, Glastonbury, Wales

 SPOUSE
 Unknown
 CHILDREN
 Jesus Christ
 B: Israel
 D: Israel

Top Ten

This is my 100th post! Thank you all for reading my blog! In the first few months there were a couple times I considered quitting but because I had a few subscribers and some encouraging friends I kept going. I'm having a lot of fun, despite the head banging, and hope to keep going for at least 100 more :-)
These have been the most popular posts so far:

10. Learning New Tricks

 9. One Wrong Move

 8. The Time Travelers

 7. Do You See What I See?

 6. This Time It's Personal

 5. You did WHAT?!!?

 4. Public vs. Private

 3. Find A Grave

 2. My DNA Results

 1. Free Gen Websites

Here are a few of my favorites that didn't make the top ten:

  You've Got It All Wrong

  My Mother, The Zombie 

  So I Have a Few Duplicates  

  DNA Will Solve Everything

  Multiple Birth World Record  

If you have a favorite post I hope you'll share it with your genie friends. Thanks!


PREVIOUS POST: Love Yourself
NEXT POST: Jesus of Connecticut

Love Yourself

Comments after the jump.

 Barsheba McGee (1796-1867)
   Father: Bernard Clements (1770-1807)
   Mother: ???
   Spouse: Barsheba McGee (1808-1871)
 Child's name, sex, birth year
 Benjamin N Clements, M, 1823
 Benjamin Clements, M, 1823
 David Clemens Clements, M, 1826
 Mary A Clements, F, 1828
 Clemens Clements, F, 1831
 Thomas Clements, M, 1831
 A Maning Clements, M, 1833
 Manen Clements, M, 1833
 Frances Clements, F, 1836
 Frances D Clements, F, 1836
 Wiltha Wealthy Ann Clements, F, 1838
 W A Clemens, M, 1838
 Solomon Clements, M, 1840
 Sarah M Clements, F, 1842
 Joel J Clements, M, 1844
 Flora Clements, F, 1848

Oh My Gods!

The first name on each row is the child of the couple above them.
For the first two entries the info in parentheses is part of the name. After that anything in parentheses is birth and/or death info.
Comments after the jump.

 Poseidon (Greek God) m. Libya (Mythology)
 King Belus (Mythology) Egypt m. Achiroe
 Danaus Argos m. Pieria
 Queen Hypermnestra of Argos m. King Lynceus of Argos
 King Abas of Argos m. Queen Aglaia of Argos
 King Proetus of Tiryns m. Princess Danae of Argos
 King Perseus of Mycene (B: Zeus was real father) m. Queen Andromeda of Mycene
 Prince Alcaeus of Mycene m. Hipponome of Thebes
 Prince Amphiktryon of Mycene m. Princess Alkmene of Argos
 Prince Heracles of Thebes and Argos (B: Son of Zeus) m. Princess Astyoche of Ephyra
 Prince Antiochus of Thebes and Argos*
 Phylas of Corinth m. Leipephilene of Thebes
 King Hippotes of Corinth*
 King Aletes of Corinth*
 King Ixion of Corinth*
 King Agelas of Corinth*
 King Prymnis of Corinth*
 King Bacchis of Corinth*
 King Agelas II of Corinth*
 King Eudemus of Corinth*
 King Aristomedes of Corinth*
 King Arrabaios of Lynkos and Sirras*
 Prince Irrhus of Lyngos*
 Queen Eurydice m. King Amyntas III of Macedonia
 King Philip II of Macedonia m. Olympias of the Molossians
 King Alexander the Great m. Roxana Baktria
 Princess Aesopia Macedonia m. Prince Achaeus I of Syria
 Andromachus of Syria*
 Laodice of Syria m. Seleucus Syria
 Antiochus Megas Syria*
 Cleopatra I of Syria (D: Oct) m King Ptolemy V Epiphanes of Egypt
 Ptolemy VIII Euergetis II King of Egypt m. Cleopatra III Euergetis Queen of Egypt
 Pharoah Ptolemy IX Soter of Egypt*
 Pharoah Ptolemy XII Auletes of Egypt m. Eupatra
 Arisone De Egypt m. King Hyrcanus II of Judea
 Alexandria Regent m. Ptolemy Bar Menneus
 Mariamne I of Judea m. Herod the Great
 Aristobulus Arria m. Berenice of Judea
 Mariamne Arria m. Titus Flavius Sabinus
 Mariamne Caecina Arria m. Gaius Calpernius Piso
 Arrius Antoninus Piso m. Boionia Procilla Servilia
 Pompeia Plotina Piso m. Marcus Ulpius Trajan
 Julianus Calpernius Piso m. Domitia Lucila Tranjanus
 Marcus Aurelius (B: 26 Apr, D: 17 Mar) m. Annia Galeria Faustina
 Crispus Commodus (B: 31 Aug, D: 31 Dec) m. Bruttia Crispina
 Claudia Crispina m. Flavius Eutropius
 Eutropia Crispina Crispus m. Marcus Aurelias Maximian
 Flavia Maximiana Fausta m. Emperor Constantine the Great
 Flavius Julius Constantius II Roman Emperor (B: 7 Aug, D: 3 Nov) m. Fausta Rome
 Constantia Verch Constantine m. Gratianus de Panonia
 Valentinian I Rome m. Justina
 Galla Justina Valentinia m. Theodosius
 Galla Placidia (D: 27 Nov) m. Weldelphus of Thuringia
 Basina de Thuringia m. Wedelphus Von Saxe
 Wedelphe de Saxe m. Clodoweg Le Franc
 Amalaberge Von Saxe m. Childebert I Von Koln
 Sigebert I De Cologne*
 Basin De Thuringe m. Menia Thuringe
 Berthaire Roi De Thuringe*
 Ingolde De Thuringia m. Clothaire I De France
 Blithidis De France m. Ausbert De Moselle
 Erchenaud De Alsace m. Gertruda
 Ega Major Domus m. Gergerga of Franconia
 Erchembaldus Major Domus m. Leudefindis
 Lendisius Major Domo*
 Duke Eticho Ethic Alsace I m. Berswinde Bersvinda Alsace
 Adalbert D' Alsace (D: 5 Dec) m. Gerlinde of Alsace
 Luitfrid Von Nordgau m. Edith (Von Nordgau)
 Luitfrid Von Nordgau m. Hiltrude (Von Nordgau)
 Count Hugh of Tours (D: Sep) m. Aba of Tours
 Bertha De Tours (D: 11 Aug) m. Gerard De Roussillon
 Eve Roussillon m. Guerri I Morvois
 Bertha De Morvois (D: 15 Jun) m. Herbert I De Vermandois
 Esprota De Senlis (D: 1003) m. John Fryeth (1555-1590)
 Richard Norman (1580-1682) m. Margaret Alford (1595-1645)
 John Norman (1613-1672) m. Arabella Baldwin (1612-1679)
 John Norman (1637-1713) m. Mary Ropes (1644-1713)
 Clement Norman (B: 1680, D: 14 Feb 1709) m. (14 Feb 1709) Abigail Mulberry (1680-1721)
 Clement Norman (B: 19 Dec 1712, D: 19 Dec 1712) m. Sarah Martin (1715-????)
 Clement Norman (1738-1817) m. Jemima Shumate (1742-1813)
 Tabitha Norman (1780-1845) m. Ephraim Jefferies (1775-1845)
 Charlotte Jefferies (1804-1847) m. (10 May 1817) Charles A Queen (1800-1870)


    *no spouse

Rise Up Lights

When I first started the blog I covered the spelling of names but I saw something on Facebook last month that may get the point across better than any blog post. Many of us probably have a mental list, if not a physical one, of letters that are most commonly transcribed wrong - L and S; a, e and o; M, N and W. Still we may have trouble finding a record because we didn't consider the y or g or f hanging from the line above changing the look of a letter in the name we're searching for. On top of all that we have to factor in accents and pronunciation because, in the case of census records, the person writing the record would write what they heard. Correct spelling was not a high priority.

Okay, so the Facebook posting that triggered this post: Say "rise up lights" a few times quickly. Out loud. Now slow it down. Do you hear it?
If you don't I'll tell you after the jump.

On the Wings of a Dove

You didn't think I was going to ignore Mourning Dove from Monday's post did you? There are approximately fifty trees that have her name with the added "SHE WAS 1/2 CHEROKEE" and another 200+ for just Mourning Dove Callaway.
The records listed below are a compilation of various trees with a profile for Mourning Dove. No tree, as far as I can tell, has all the records attached. Of course most have no records whatsoever just "sources," a.k.a. Ancestry Member Trees.
Comments after the jump.

 Mourning Dove Callaway "SHE WAS 1/2 CHEROKEE " (1774-1840)
 Father: Benjamin Callaway (1754-1830)
 Mother: Red Wing "A Cherokee Indian " (1756- )
 Spouse: Solomon Baker (1770-1847) married 1800 in North Carolina
 Children: All have the surname Baker.
   James Walter, B: 27 Jan 1782 in Virginia
   John P, B: 15 Aug 1784 in Virginia
   Joseph Solomon, B: 4 Feb 1801 in North Carolina
   Johanna, B: 1804 in North Carolina
   Andrew Jackson, B: 1807 in North Carolina
   Henry, B: 11 Aug 1809 in North Carolina
   Caleb, B: 23 Mar 1813 in North Carolina
   Andrew Jackson, B: 13 Jun 1813 in Kentucky
   Sabrina, B: 1815 in North Carolina
   Rhoda, B: 1817
   John, B: 1818
   Russell Leroy, B: 23 Aug 1823 in North Carolina
   James, B: 1823 in North Carolina
   Nelson, B: 1823 in North Carolina
   Joseph, B: 1825 in North Carolina

 RECORDS
 ✿ 1820 US Federal Census - Name: Caleb W Calloway; Home: Carteret, North Carolina; Household: 1 male age 26-44, 1 female age 26-44, 1 male under 10, 1 slave
 ✿ 1850 US Federal Census - Name: M Calloway; Born: abt 1782, VA; sole member of household
 ✿ 1870 US Federal Census - Name: Mourning Baker; Born: abt 1813, NC; Race: Black; Head of household: Jacob, age 75; Also in household: 8 others born between 1834 and 1870
 ✿ Nash County, North Carolina Vital Records Abstracts - Name: Milbrey Kent; Mother: D. Summer Mourning 1851; Spouse: Mr. Bottoms; Children: William, John, Others
 ✿ US and International Marriage Records - Name: Andrew B Baker, born 1749, Virginia; Spouse: Elizabeth Avant, born 1811; Marriage year: 1770
 ✿ United States Obituary Collection - Name: Beth Baker; Obituary Date 12 Mar 2010; Spouse's name: Thomas P. Baker; Newspaper: Gaston Gazette (North Carolina)
 ✿ One World Tree

Civil War Zombie Corps

Numerous trees have this same information though most don't bother with records.
Comments after the jump.

 BENJAMIN CALLAWAY
 Born: 1754 in North Carolina
 Death: 1830 in North Carolina

 PARENTS
 Thomas Calloway (1712-1759)
 Mary Baker (1715-1800)

 SPOUSES & CHILDREN
 Red Wing "A Cherokee Indian " (1756- )
    Mourning Dove Callaway "SHE WAS 1/2 CHEROKEE " (1774-1840)
 Sarah Bramlett (1760- )
    Fanny Callaway (1798-1836)
 Jane Unknown (1760- )
    Betsy Callaway (1802-1900)

 SOURCES
 ✿ 1830 US Census: Benjamin Calloway; Lowndes, Alabama;
     10 free (1 male in his 40s, 1 female in her 30s, 8 children under 14), 5 slaves
 ✿ 1830 US Census: B Callaway; Autauga, Alabama; 5 free, 1 slave
     5 free (a couple in their 20s, 3 children under 5), 1 slave
 ✿ US Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles: Benjamin Lewis Callaway; Private in Texas Cavalry
 ✿ US General Land Office Records: Benjamin Calloway; Alabama; 8 Jul 1829
 ✿ Descendants of Mordecai Cooke (digitized book) 
 ✿ Story attached (originally submitted by another Ancestry.com member)
     The story contains the information from this web page.
 ✿ A photo

WHY?!?!?! The Photo Edition

Before we get to the WHY?!!? part of the post (after the jump) I thought I'd share some of the creative ways people have come up with to mark their trees.

On family trees we all know that the photo area is not limited to pictures of people. We might have photos of gravestones and scans of any paperwork regarding our ancestors: vital records, newspaper articles, wills, pension records... The list is endless. Looking through other trees to see if someone else has found that record we're missing or a photo of the great-grandparent we've never seen before there is sometimes a photo that seems a bit random. Here are a few I've found that are unusual but useful.

Items in bold are quoted directly from the person who originally submitted the image.
My apologies if the formatting is jumbled because of all the photos. It looks great in Firefox on a Mac. No idea what it will look like to everyone else.

Name of photo:   Confusing or Questionable Data

Description:   STOP: Significant Unresolved Questions! The documentation for this individual reflect significant unresolved questions that challenge the validity (accuracy) of some of the information contained within. Further research is deemed necessary for some items.

It should come as no surprise that I would like this automatically added to every profile on a clickophile's tree.

The number of tree images is endless. Most of the time they're used to designate the direct line of the home person.









 Whether our ancestors immigrated to North America or Australia we always want to find the first.

Photo Title: End of the line
Used to mark the spouse of a relative or anyone on your tree whose line you don't intend to research further. I may need to use this, or something similar, considering how many messages I get saying, "I have more on [name] if you're interested." Sometimes the messages are long and detailed and I feel bad that the person wasted their time. Maybe adding something like this could save their time and mine.

This could be used as
an "end of the line" photo
or for a brick wall.








Or for those who prefer a literal take:

While I like some of these I hope that they are uploaded to a tree only once with multiple profiles attached. Uploading the photo to each appropriate profile adds to the space your (free) tree takes up. In fact it's a good idea with all your photos. Have a group photo from a past reunion? Don't upload the photo 50 times, attach everyone to the same photo. Please have some consideration for the entire Ancestry.com community. Next time there's a site slow down think about how much space that one flag photo that you uploaded 100 times is taking. Some people may think, "No one would do that!" Well, I looked through countless media galleries preparing this post and can say, "Yes people do that." All the photos had the same title and usually no description at all.

I can also tell you that if you find a lot of flags or COAs, especially the latter, on a tree there's a much higher probability that it is a fantasy tree (Roman emperors, Adam & Eve, etc.) and most likely has no reliable sources. I did find some potential posts in those but after the jump you'll find no flags or family crests. Most are posted with no comment because my only comment would be WHY?!!?

Fixing What's Not Broken

About every other week the Ancestry.com Facebook fan page will post a "How are we doing?" thread. There's a link to a survey to respond but of course a number of people ignore the link and just comment on the thread. The comments seem to fall into a few categories.

• Complaints about the price.
• Requests to fix the search engine. 
• Suggestions for a feature that already exists.
• Suggestions for something only newbies want.
• Good ideas that Ancestry should consider.

The first two could be entire posts unto themselves. This post will address the others. For the last, hopefully the people commenting with good ideas will submit them through the survey link as well as commenting on the thread. If you see a good idea on one of those threads or have one of your own I encourage you to submit it through the survey or on the Ancestry website. The best idea submitted by one person may fall through the cracks but if it's submitted by 100 different people it will get noticed.
A mixture of answers and snark after the jump. I've split some of the comments up when they cover different topics but other than that they are unedited.

Gathering Moss

Comments after the jump.

 NATHANIEL MOSS (1730-1807) and NANCY ANN COCKRELL (1732-1807)
 Married 1757 in Loudoun, Virginia

 CHILDREN

 Aquilla  B: 1751 - D: 1756
 Daniel  B: 1751 - D: 1756
 Mary  B: 1751 - D: 1756
 Sarah  B: 1751 - D: 1756
 Stephen  B: 1751 - D: 1756
 Vincent  B: 1751 - D: 1756
 John  B: 1753
 Zeally  B: 6 Mar 1755
 Nathaniel  B: 1757
 Moses  B: 24 May 1758
 John B.  B: Aug 1762
 Zealey  B: 6 Mar 1765
 Elijah B.  B: 1765
 Vincent  B: 1770
 Steven  B: 1773
 Sarah  B: 1774
 Mary  B: 1777
 Sarah  B: 1777
 Vincent  B: 1782  Mother is 50 years old.
 Aquilla  B: 1794   Mother is 62 years old.

Learning New Tricks

Updated 27 Apr 2013

Ancestry.com has been putting out really informative tutorials on the regular basis. Unfortunately their YouTube channel is a bit of a maze if you're trying to find a past one. If you can remember a word in the title you can just use their channel's search box but if you can't, well...
I've created a YouTube channel and organized playlists so we can easily find what we need. Another reason I did this is because Ancestry.com's videos are not the only genealogy videos on YouTube. I'm adding others as I find them. Playlist topics are:

 ✿ African-American Genealogy
 ✿ American Indian Genealogy
 ✿ Apps & Technology for Genealogy
 ✿ Archives, Libraries & Museums
 ✿ Becoming a Genealogist
 ✿ BMD: Birth & Baptism
 ✿ BMD: Marriage & Divorce
 ✿ BMD: Death & Burial
 ✿ Brick Wall Busters
 ✿ Census: U.S.
 ✿ Census: Non-U.S.
 ✿ Countries: Australia & New Zealand
 ✿ Countries Canada
 ✿ Countries: Central & South America
 ✿ Countries: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden
 ✿ Countries: Eastern Europe
 ✿ Countries: Great Britain
 ✿ Countries: Ireland
 ✿ Countries: Western Europe
 ✿ Countries: Other
 ✿ Digitization and Indexing
 ✿ DNA
 ✿ FamilySearch
 ✿ Genealogy 101
 ✿ Genealogical Societies & Conferences
 ✿ Google for Genealogy
 ✿ Immigration, Naturalization & Travel
 ✿ Interviews & Interviewing
 ✿ Jewish Genealogy
 ✿ Land Records, Maps and Location Research
 ✿ Military: Personnel - U.S.
 ✿ Military: Personnel - Other
 ✿ Military: Revolutionary War
 ✿ Military: American Civil War
 ✿ Military: Spanish-American War
 ✿ Military: World War I
 ✿ Military: World War II
 ✿ Military: Other Wars & Conflicts
 ✿ Miscellaneous
 ✿ Names (maiden, common, ethnic, etc.)
 ✿ News and Newspapers
 ✿ Organizing Your Genealogy Research
 ✿ Photos, Photography & Preservation
 ✿ Search Tips for Genealogy
 ✿ Software for Genealogy: Family Tree Maker 2012
 ✿ Software for Genealogy: Other
 ✿ States: Midwest
 ✿ States: Northeast
 ✿ States: Southeast
 ✿ States: Southwest
 ✿ States: West
 ✿ Websites other than Ancestry
 ✿ WDYTYA? and Other Fun Stuff

FamilySearch has a few tutorials but most of theirs are slideshows that are only available through their website's Learning Center. The wonderful thing about the FamilySearch tutorials is the number of countries, languages, and subjects they cover. Everything from lessons in Spanish about German research to learning how to read Scandinavian Gothic handwritten records. You can find tutorials by country, language, skill level, subject or format (audio, video, interactive slides or video and slides). There are some 5 minute tutorials on their YouTube channel as well as some short videos about different archives around the country. I've added some of those to the playlists.
The company that sells Legacy Family Tree software also provides video lectures. Their videos on YouTube are usually just 15 minute previews of videos that are available to purchase. Most Legacy Family Tree webinars are free for 10 days after the live event. I've included some of the previews for more popular topics in the playlists. Details about purchasing are below the video. Even if you don't purchase the video the preview can be helpful in other ways. It can help you decide between speakers at an upcoming conference or you may want to sign up for the next Legacy event that includes that speaker.
These are just a few of the channels represented in my playlists:

 ✿ AncestryAU
 ✿ AncestryCa
 ✿ AncestryCom
 ✿ ancestryuk
 ✿ Archivescom
 ✿ FamilySearch
 ✿ Genealogy Gems
 ✿ legacyfamilytree
 ✿ LibraryOfCongress
 ✿ NGSGenealogy
 ✿ SIArchives
 ✿ usnationalarchives

If you come across a channel I haven't found yet please post a link to one of their videos in the comments. Thanks!

Bookmark this page for the BUWTBlog channel playlists:
http://www.youtube.com/user/BUWTBlog/videos?flow=grid&view=1


PREVIOUS POST: WHY?!?!?! Part 2
NEXT POST: Gathering Moss

WHY?!?!?! Part 2

For the original WHY?!?!?! post click here. 
All but two sources on this profile are entered manually, not attached from Ancestry.com records. The two that do link to Ancestry records are in italics and do look to be correct.
Comments after the jump.

 JAMES MATARESE
 B: APR 1892 in Fontana, Avellino, Campania, Italy
 D: ABT 1965

 24 Source Citations
 Census; Birth info; Residence info
 1850 US Census; abt 1847 New Jersey; East Windsor, Mercer, New Jersey
 1870 US Census; abt 1864 Oregon; Silverton, Marion, Oregon
 1880 US Census; abt 1864 Oregon; Whitman, Washington
 1900 US Census; Dec 1851 New Jersey; Moon, Allegheny, Pennsylvania
 1910 US Census; abt 1846 New Jersey; Florence, Burlington, New Jersey
 1920 US Census; abt 1875 New Jersey; Florence, Burlington, New Jersey
 1930 US Census; ????; Burlington, Burlington, New Jersey
 1930 US Census; abt 1896; Brooklyn, Kings, New York
 1930 US Census; abt 1892 Italy; Burlington, Burlington, New Jersey
   Note: 14 residence events for 1930 the timeline
 US Public Records Index, Volume 2; n/a; Burlington, New Jersey
 US WWII Draft Card; 5 Apr 1892 Italy; Burlington, New Jersey
 US WWII Draft Card; 5 Apr 1892 Italy; Burlington, New Jersey
 US WWII Draft Card; no info
 US WWII Draft Card; 5 Apr 1892 Fontana, Italy; Burlington, New Jersey
 Washington State Census; abt 1874 Oregon; 1883 Whitman, Washington
 Washington State Census; abt 1875 Oregon; 1887 Stevens, Washington
 8 Ancestry Family Trees

DNA Will Solve Everything - Part 2

I didn't think I would be doing a Part 2 to DNA Will Solve Everything so quickly. Even more shocking is that all of the comments after the jump come from a single thread! Ancestry.com has been offering a chance to win their new DNA test about once a month. No matter how much information they release people still have unrealistic expectations about what this test will reveal. This thread began with the prompt, "Just tell us what you’re hoping to find about your origins for a chance to win." Of course you're then supposed to click a link to take you to the contest. I wonder, how many of those who commented on the thread actually entered the contest?
As always, I have not edited the comments for spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc. and my comments are in red.

One Wrong Move

Comments after the jump. 

 TREE #1
 CHARLES WIGGINS FOSTER
 B: 28 Nov 1883 in St. Louis, MO
 Parents
 William Livingston Foster, B: 1850
 Mary M Wiggins (1856-????)
 Spouse
 Married in 1919 to Annie B. [Last name unknown] (1899-????)

 TREE #2
 CHARLES WIGGINS FOSTER
 B: 28 Nov 1883 in St. Louis, MO
 D: 29 Sep 1962 in Bexar, TX
 Parents
 Turner Saunders Foster, Jr. (1849-1886)
 Mary Wiggins (1858-1886)
 Spouses
 Married in 1918 to Anne Belle Bradley (1898-1989)
 Married to Mollie Pearl Foster (1890-????)

My Two Dads

Comments after the jump.

 TOKANNE MARY CROW
 Birth: 1789 in Kaposia, Minnesota
 Marriage: 12 Jun 1829 in Prairie Du Chien, Illinois to Joseph Renville
 Marriage: 12 Jun 1829 in Prairie Du Chien, Illinois to Joseph Renville
 Death: 16 Feb 1840 in Lac qui Parle, Lac qui Parle, Minnesota

 PARENTS
 Little Crow Corbeau (1758-1830)
 Sister Wakoyantanke (1720-????)

 SPOUSES AND CHILDREN

 Joseph Renville (1804-1856)
 Francois Joseph Renville, B: 1807
 Antoine Renville, B: 1810
 Angelique Renville, B: 1815
 Michael Renville, B: 1822
 Rosalie Renville, B: 1823
 Gabriel Renville, B: 1825
 Marguerite Hail RENVILLE, B: 1825
 John Baptiste Renville, B: 1831

 Joseph Renville (1779-1846)
 Francois Joseph Renville, B: 1807
 Antoine Renville, B: 1810
 Angelique Renville, B: 1815
 Michael Renville, B: 1822
 Rosalie Renville, B: 1823
 Mary Madeleine Renville, B: 1824
 Gabriel Renville, B: 1825
 Marguerite Hail RENVILLE, B: 1825
 Mary Madeleine RENVILLE, B: 1825
 John Baptiste Renville, B: 1831

Thunder and Lightning

Comments after the jump.

 BIG THUNDER
 B: 1610, Delaware
 D: 1846, Maine

 PARENTS
 Cetanwakanmani (1763-1825)
 Indian Maidan (1595-????)

 SPOUSES & CHILDREN

 Wife Three (1605-????)
 Her Black Tasinasapawin (????-1890)
 Little Dog Sunkacistinna (????-1862)
 Moses Wakeman (????-1896)
 Passing Daylight Anpahiyaye (????-1896)
 Sunkacistinna Little Dog (????-1862)
 Tasinasapawin Her Shawl (????-1890)
 Bright Lightning (1635-1703)
 Bright Lightning (1635-1703)
 Sarah Little Fawn (1740-1810)
 Miniyue (1760-1840)
 Miniyue Rainville (1760-1840)
 Little Crow Taoyateduta His Nation (1811-????)

 Wikusauwin (????-1890)
 Her Black Tasinasapawin (????-1890)
 Little Dog (????-1870)
 Little Dog Sunkacistinna (????-1862)
 Moses Wakeman (????-1896)
 Passing Daylight Anpahiyaye (????-1896)
 Sunkacistinna Little Dog (????-1862)
 Tasinasapawin Her Shawl (????-1890)
 Bright Lightning (1635-1703)
 Bright Lightning (1635-1703)
 Sarah Little Fawn (1740-1810)
 Sarah Little Fawn (1740-1810)
 White Spider Unktomiska (1831-1902)

 Unknown Spouse
 Little Crow Taoyateduta His Nation (1811-????)

That Explains Everything!

I've spent the last couple of days combing through
lines of HTML on all of my past blog posts.
Hating Blogger at the moment but glad I had the
opportunity to view my blog on a different browser
(IE9, I'm on Firefox)
and find out it did not look the way I wanted.
So that's my excuse for not having a crazy tree today.
Instead enjoy a few funnies!
This one explains every crazy tree we've ever seen: 

I didn't create the graphic but it's too funny to ignore because of poor spelling.
UPDATE: The spelling is correct except in the US.
Why do we have to complicate things? :-P

ⓑⓐⓡⓚⓘⓝⓖ  ⓤⓟ  ⓣⓗⓔ  ⓦⓡⓞⓝⓖ  ⓣⓡⓔⓔ

The images after the jump are from the

Twisted Twigs on Gnarled Branches page

on Facebook. If you're on Facebook check it out.


PREVIOUS POST: Apologies and Bigamy
NEXT POST: Thunder and Lightning 

Apologies and Bigamy

This week I found out that all the work I do to format the green boxes is for naught. Anyone not viewing the blog in Firefox is probably seeing a mess. Sorry! I'll try to keep the attempts to create columns to a minimum from now on. Now back to our regularly scheduled post.
Comments after the jump.

 JAMES MADISON ROBERTS
 (1834-1915)

 MARRIAGES and Children

 1852  MARRIAGE to Mary E ???? (1836-1852)
 1859  MARRIAGE in Texas to Mary Frances Baker (1836-1914)
 1861  Josiah Roberts born in Alabama to Mary A (B: 1848)
 1861  William Hays Roberts in Texas to Mary Frances Baker
 1861  Evan Roberts in Texas to Sarah Elizabeth Tally
 1866  MARRIAGE to Nancy Roberts (1847-1912)
 1868  Ada Roberts in Mississippi to Nancy Roberts
 1869  MARRIAGE in Texas to Sarah Elizabeth Tally (1849-1929)
 1870  Eugenia Roberts in ???? to Sarah Elizabeth Tally
 1870  Eugene Roberts in Texas to unknown mother
 1872  Walter Prewitt Roberts in Texas to Nancy Roberts
 1872  Walton Roberts in Texas to Sarah Elizabeth Tally
 1873  Albert Talley Roberts in Texas to Sarah Elizabeth Tally
 1874  Willie Roberts in ???? to Nancy Roberts
 1874  Albert Roberts in Texas to Sarah Elizabeth Tally
 1876  Edna Roberts in Texas to Sarah Elizabeth Tally
 1877  D. W. Robert in Texas to Sarah Elizabeth Tally
 1879  Allie Roberts in ???? to Nancy Roberts
 1887  MARRIAGE to Levonia (B: 1848)

My DNA Results II

You can read about my initial results here. Since that post I've had time to look through all the matches and new ones have been added almost daily.
Here are the stats so far:

1144   total matches
    18   are in the 4th to 6th cousin range with 95% confidence or higher
    67   of the public trees have fewer than 30 people on them
  157   do not have a tree on Ancestry.com
  184   have private trees

Because of the large number of results I'm setting aside the matches that have no tree and those that have private trees. My tree is public so they are free to look and if they find a match I hope they will contact me. One person already has because she read my previous blog post! She invited me to view her private tree. No luck finding our connection (4th - 6th cousin with 95% confidence) but we'll continue to search.

After the jump: Surnames and DNA matches

I Can't Stop Myself!

You may recognize the name below from last week's post. 

There was just too much disastrous clicking 

going on in this tree to just walk away. 

Comments after the jump.

 WILLIAM BRIDELL
 B: 1843, Indiana
 D: 1893, France

 Spouses and children

 Elizabeth Bridwell, B: 1829
 8 children born between 1859 and 1873 in LA                              

 Elizabeth J Bridwell, B: 1829
 7 children born between 1864 and 1894 in LA

 Marie Elenore Barthelemy, B: 1852
 11 children born between 1870 and 1909 in LA

 Sarah Sally C Clarissa Reppy, B: 1850
 4 children born between 1872 and 1879 in MO

 Delphin Barthelemy, B: 1870
 13 children born between 1885 and 1899, 11 in LA, 2 in England

 Mary Olivia Barthelemy, B: 1863
 15 children born between 1889 and 1906 in LA

 Mollie Bridwell, B: 1862 
 1 child born in 1904 in LA

 Sarah J Bridwel'L, B: ????
 no children

 ATTACHED RECORDS

 BMDs

 NOLA = New Orleans, Louisiana
 P&V = Paris & Vicinity

 1777 Apr 21  Oise, France Marriages, Jean Pierre Barthelemy to Anne Marie Sipriot
 1845 Aug 14 Marseilles, France Marriages, Honoré Jean Barthelemy to Elizabeth Marie Amiel
 1858 Dec 18 P&V Marriages, Jean Pierre Barthélemy to Louise Charlotte Dieudonnée Titre
 1868 Dec 2   NOLA Birth Index, Louis Xavier Barthelemy to Henrietti Hortense & Alexandre Louis
 1869 Jul 18   NOLA Birth Index, Alfred Barthelemy to Suzanne & Felix
 1874 Sep 27  P&V Marriage Banns, Jean Pierre Barthelemy with Eugenie Sylvie Dubois
 1886 Feb 2    NOLA Marriage Index, Catherine Rebecca Cousley to Louis J Barthelemy
 1893 Sep 24  P&V Death Notices, Emile Barthelemy, age 32
 1935 Dec 16  NOLA Death Index, Louis X Barthelemy, B: abt 1869

 CENSUS & IMMIGRATION

 1850 US Census, William Bridell, age 2, B: 1848, LA
 1870 US Census, William W Bridell, White, age 9, B: 1861, LA
 1870 US Census, Jean Paul Barthelemy, Black, age 2, B: 1868, LA
 1870 US Census, Jean Barthelemy, Black, age 2, B: 1868, LA
 1870 US Census, Julian Barthelemy, Black, age 1, B: 1869, LA
 1870 US Census, Louis Barthelemy, White, age 1, B: 1869, LA
 1870 US Census, Louis J Barthelemy, White, age 10, B: 1860, LA
 1880 US Census, William Bridell, White, age 37, B: 1843, IN
 1880 US Census, William Bridwell, White, age 21, B: 1859, LA
 1880 US Census, Wesley Bridwell, White, age 60, B: 1820, SC
 1880 US Census, Albert Barthelemy, Mulatto, age 5, B: 1875, LA
 1880 US Census, Alex Barthelemy, Mulatto, age 11, B: 1869, LA
 1880 US Census, Alfred Barthelemy, Mulatto, age 10, B: 1870, LA
 1880 US Census, Jean Barthelemy, Mulatto, age 11, B: 1869, LA
 1880 US Census, Louis Barthelemy, White, age 11, B: 1869 LA
 1880 US Census, M. D. Bertele, White, age 32, B: 1848, LA
 1881 England Census, William Bradwell, age 23, B: 1858, England
 1891 England Census, William Bradwell, age 32, B: 1859, England
 New South Wales, Australia Passenger Lists, Emile Barthelemy, B: 1859, arrival 3 Apr 1897 from France
 1900 US Census, [illegible] Bridwell, White, age 42, B: 1858, LA
 1900 US Census, Alfred Barthelemy, Black, age 30, B: 1869, LA
 1900 US Census, Louis Barthelemy, White, age 31, B: 1868, LA
 1901 US City Directories, Wm M Bridwel'L with wife Sarah J, living in Indianapolis
 1901 England Census, William Bradwell, age 43, B: 1858, England
 1910 US Census, William Bridwell, White, age 52, B: 1858, LA
 1910 US Census, Gustave Barthel, White, age 35, B: 1875, LA
 1910 US Census, John Barthelemy, Black, age 42, B: 1868, LA
 1910 US Census, Paul Barthelemy, Mulatto, age 35, B: 1875, LA
 1910 US Census, Alfred Bartholemon, Black, age 57, B: 1858, LA
 1920 US Census, Alfred Barthelemy, Black, age 47, B: 1873, LA
 1920 US Census, William W Bridwell, White, age 61, B: 1859, LA
 1920 US Census, Gustave Barthel, White, age 45, B: 1875, LA
 1920 US Census, Louis J Barthelemy, White, age 60, B: 1860, LA
 1920 US Census, Louis X Barthelemy, White, age 50, B: 1870, LA
 1930 US Census, William W Bridwell, White, age 71, B: 1859, LA
 1930 US Census, L J Barthelemy, White, age 70, B: 1860, LA
 1930 US Census, Louis X Barthelemy, White, age 60, B: 1870, LA
 1930 US Census, Alfred Bartholomy, Black, age 60, B: 1870, LA

Do You See What I See? Part 2

Continued from Friday's post.

ALL of the records after the jump are attached to ONE profile for Marie Eleonore Barthelemy.

For the census records I've listed the following information:

Census year
Family surname
County & state of residence
Head of household & spouse (assumed for 1850 & 1870 censuses)
Children
Name in bold is the name on the record attached to Marie's profile.

Just a reminder, here's the basic info for Marie as shown on her profile.

 MARIE ELEONORE BARTHELEMY
 B: 8 Jun 1852, New Orleans, LA
 D: 4 Jan 1932, Fulton, GA
 PARENTS
 Barthelemy Ragas (1840-1909) and Eleanor Barthelemy (no info)

Do You See What I See?

Saving the crazy for after the jump today.
This time I'm going to ask you...
What's the first thing you notice?
Which error makes your jaw drop?
Which error or errors defy all logic and common sense?
So much nonsense on this profile that there will be two parts to cover it all.
Monday's post will cover the numerous records attached.

Cradle Robber

Comments after the jump.

 THOMAS KITSON     Married to     ELIZABETH CAWTHORN
 B: 1780, England                             B: 1834, Epworth, Lincolnshire, England
 D: 1850                                          D: 4 1913, Scarborough, Yorkshire, England
                      
  Their Daughter
  MARTHA KITSON
  B: 28 Apr 1822, Yorkshire County, England
  D: 1905, Campbellstown, Preble, Ohio

Immortal Saint

Comments after the jump.
Spouses are in bold with children listed below each.

 SIGRADE DE ALSACE
 Born: Moselle, Lorraine, France
 Death: Metz, Moselle, Lorraine, France

 Bodilon De Bourgogne
 Adele deTreves
 Count Warinus
 Gunza Treves
 Gunza Kunza Metz
 Kunza Metz
 Warinus Guerin Bourgogne
 WARINUS, W G DE BOURGOGNE, DE POITIERS, B: 638
 Guerin Warin Warinus Poitiers, B: 1853

 Bodilon DeTreves
 Adele DePoitiers
 Guerin DePoitiers
 Kunza DeTreves
 Warinus Franks Burgundy
 Guerin Warin, B: 1150
 Guerin Warin Warinus Poitiers, B: 1853

 Bodilon de Pointers, D: 2000
 Guerin de Autun
 Warinus de Autun Poitiers
 Guerin Warin Warinus Poitiers, B: 1853

 Chlodulf StCloud Bishop Metz
 Alberic d Aquitaine
 Guerin de Autun
 GUNZA DeTREVES
 Kunza DeTreves DeMetz Countess Paris
 Kunza Gunza de Metz
 Kunza Gunza deTreves
 Guerin Warin Warinus Poitiers, B: 1853

 Bodilon Boditon Franks Burgundy
 Adele deTreves
 Immachilde Hymnegilde
 Imnichilde DeSwabia
 Leger Bishop
 Guerin Warin Warinus Poitiers, B: 1853

Downward Spiral

Even the so-called professionals have jumped on the royalty bandwagon. To hell with records and verification, let's take money from those who don't know any better and annoy those who do, all in one fell swoop!
Recently The Daily Mail (for those in the US think 'supermarket tabloid') published My Ancestor - The Queen. The article claims to be "the final part of [their] genealogy series" but I could only find one other genealogy related article, How to Trace Your Family Tree. Two articles is a series? Comments are still open on the tracing your tree article but are closed on "My Ancestor - The Queen" which is more recent. Odd. Could it be because people found flaws in the article's premise? Read the comments, check out Diane Gow's research, and judge for yourself. My guess is that these articles clothed as human interest pieces are actually adverts for Find My Past. This is a social network promotion that came out at about the same time:

Earlier this year Ancestry.com posted a link to this story (link goes to YouTube) on their Facebook page. It's about a man, Mr. Tucker, who "traces" his tree back to Charlemagne. Ancestry.com also added it to their YouTube channel. Mr. Tucker trusted Ancestry.com to be a "reliable source" and then the video shows him connecting to other trees. This could have been a great opportunity for Ancestry to discuss the reliability of other trees or to talk about the chances you have of actually connecting to Charlemagne. Instead they look like the huckster selling a cure-all tonic. "Come one, come all! Trace your family to Charlemagne!"
These companies seem to be going for the short term sell rather than cultivating long term customers. Maybe they know that the long term customers are dedicated researchers, see the value of their product, and aren't going anywhere. We aren't going anywhere until they drive us off which they seem to be attempting. They are actively luring people who will click away during the 14 day free trial in an attempt to get back to royalty or Biblical figures as quickly as possible. Those same people will then abandon their tree, which is just another copy of other polluted trees, all of which should be thrown onto the trash heap.
I am curious to know what percentage of these quick to click newbies stay on to become serious hobbyists and/or researchers. It must be a significant percentage if these companies continue to encourage this behavior.
What do you think? Is this what these companies need to do to survive? Are there options for preventing these trees from becoming a dense forest? Right now it seems like they're bamboo - fast growth spurt early on and impossible to get rid of - and they're taking over our forest.


PREVIOUS POST: In Three Places at Once
NEXT POST: Immortal Saint

In Three Places at Once

Comments after the jump.

 Mary Jane Madison Johnson
 Born: 13 May 1836

 1880 Census
 (date, residence, family surname; head of household, spouse, and children)
    
 June 7, Polk GA, Johnson; William 40, Mary J 43, Andrew J 15, Mattie 14, Lou Ella 11, Lara 9, Rosa 5

 June 18, Paulding GA, Walker; William 53, Mary 46, Margaret 24, Hillyard 13, Robert G 6

 June 28, Lincoln LA, Walker; Mary J 44, Wid. or Div., John R 22, Drucilla 14, Nannie L 12, Mary E 10, William M 8

My Father, My Husband

The next time you think you’re having a bad day, image how Valerie Spruill felt when she discovered that her husband and her father are the same person.

That is the beginning of an article [link below] about one woman's real life. 
On this blog I make fun of those trees that unintentionally turn their ancestors into zombies, bigamists and victims/perpetrators of incest. Except for the zombies those things happen in real life. It is never my intent to make light of those situations but to reinforce the idea that our ancestors should be respected. You will most likely find skeletons in the family closet. There is no need to make them up.
With distant ancestors it may be easier to be accepting or forgiving of their faults and actions. The times they lived in were drastically different and we didn't know them personally. For older generations we may have known, even briefly, digging up those skeletons can give us a better perspective on their personalities and maybe help us empathize. In a few cases we won't find a reason for their actions and will just have to live with the fact that the person was a horrible human being. Whatever the case, if it weren't for them we wouldn't be here so our goal should be to find the truth.
The bravery it took for Valerie Spruill to search out the truth should be applauded. She knew this outcome was a possibility and went forward anyway. Many others would have ignored their suspicions or swept the results under the rug. May she continue to be strong for her entire family.   

One Twisted Family Tree - woman finds out late husband was also her father  
by Beacon Journal Columnist Bob Dyer

Valerie Spruill, Ohio Woman, Finds Out Husband Was Her Father  
by Cazan Sieczkowski at The Huffington Post


PREVIOUS POST: Not Dead Yet
NEXT POST: In Three Places at Once

Not Dead Yet

Spouses are listed at the top. All children are color coded to their mother,
have the Walker surname and are listed by their birth year.

Comments after the jump.

 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WALKER

 Maria Pennie Hickman (1840-1910) Children born in Illinois
 Harriet (1830-????) Children born in Tennessee
 Mary Elizabeth Fulwood (1864-1947) Children born in Florida
 Ollie Mae Carr (1878-1956) Children born in Illinois
 Emily Clemence Buchman (1886-1958) Children born in Texas
 Emily McGill (1887-????) Children born in Texas
 Lillie Viola Murvin (1888-1962) Children born in Idaho and Utah
 Sallie J (1861-1885) No children

 TIMELINE
  
 1860  BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WALKER is born.
 1860  Viola
 1860  Viola
 1863  James Daniel
 1864  Sherman, Henry
 1864  Sherman
 1866  Wyley
 1867  George Hickman
 1868  Frank
 1869  Maggie
 1869  Maggie
 1870  Susie
 1871  Cora D
 1871  Cora D
 1872  William
 1873  John R
 1873  John R
 1878  Mary E
 1878  Mary E
 1879  Ella
 1883  MARRIAGE to MARY ELIZABETH FULWOOD
 1885  Bertha Edith
 1886  William Albert
 1886  Nora Edna
 1889  Robert Archibald
 1893  Mattie Rose
 1896  Grace Myrtle
 1896  BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WALKER DIES.
 1898  MARRIAGE to Ollie Mae Carr
 1900  Glen, Clyne
 1902  Bonnie Mae, MARRIAGE to Emily Clemence Buchman
 1902  Mary Julie Ann
 1903  Mary
 1906  Beryl
 1907  Lucile
 1908  James
 1909  Hilda Beth
 1910  Benjamin
 1911  Roxy LouDean
 1912  Lydia
 1913  Theadore Franklin
 1915  William Reagan
 1921  Steve Abraham

My Mother, The Zombie II

The first My Mother, The Zombie post is here.
Comments after the jump.

 Genevieve Lefebvre dit BOULANGER
 Birth: Feb 1838, Canada
 Baptism: 1834, St-Gervais, Quèbec
 Marriage: 26 Oct 1851, Burlington, Vermont to John King (1828-1900)
 Death: 1855, Yamachiche, Quebec, Canada

 CHILDREN with John King
 NAME                            BIRTH DATE
 Cyprien LECLAIR             05 May 1853
 Cyprien LECLAIR             05 May 1853
 Cyprien LECLAIR             05 May 1853
 Ellen LECLAIR                 13 Nov 1856
 Ellen LECLAIR                 13 Nov 1856
 Ellen LECLAIR                 13 Nov 1856
 Ellen LECLAIR                 13 Nov 1856
 Genevieve LECLAIR         29 Jan 1857
 Genevieve LECLAIR         29 Jan 1857
 Genevieve LECLAIR         29 Jan 1857
 Marie Helene LECLAIR     13 Nov 1859
 Marie Helene LECLAIR     13 Nov 1859
 Marie Helene LECLAIR     13 Nov 1859
 Celina LECLAIR               03 Jul  1861
 Celina LECLAIR               03 Jul  1861
 Celina LECLAIR               03 Jul  1861
 Tutfield King                        abt 1862
 Tutfield King                        abt 1862
 Tutfield King                        abt 1862
 Mary LECLAIR                 04 Apr 1865
 Mary LECLAIR                 04 Apr 1865
 Mary LECLAIR                 04 Apr 1865
 Philomene LECLAIR        10 Aug 1866
 Philomene LECLAIR        10 Aug 1866
 Philomene LECLAIR        10 Aug 1866
 Henry LECLAIR               10 Jan 1868
 Henry LECLAIR               10 Jan 1868
 Henry LECLAIR               10 Jan 1868
 Emma LECLAIR               14 Mar 1869
 Emma LECLAIR               14 Mar 1869
 Emma LECLAIR               14 Mar 1869
 Juellie LECLAIR               28 Apr 1871
 Juellie LECLAIR               28 Apr 1871
 Juellie LECLAIR               28 Apr 1871
 Julia LECLAIR                 20 OCT 1874
 Julia LECLAIR                 20 OCT 1874
 Julia LECLAIR                 20 OCT 1874
 mary leclair                               1877

 CHILDREN with Unknown Spouse
 NAME                            BIRTH DATE
 Napoleon LECLAIR            1 Jun 1858
 Ellen King                                 1860
 Sufrone King                             1866
 Emma King                               1870
 Julie King                                  1872
 Marie Agnes LECLAIR      18 Aug 1877
 Agness King                              1878

 SOURCES
 Quebec, Vital Church Records
    - Burial in 1855 for Genevieve Lefebvre Boulanger

 3 Ancestry Member Trees
    - 2 of the trees have her married to Cyprien Leclair (1828-1886)
    - The same 2 trees have no death date for her, the 3rd has 1867.
    - The 3rd also has most of the above nonsense.

 1902 Burlington (VT) Business Directory page (attached photo from another tree)

Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.

Below are census details for records attached to one profile.

Comments after the jump.

CHARLES SWEENY

B: abt 1885, Canada

D: 3 Dec 1964, Vermont

1900  

>Sweeney Family in Montpelier, VT
 Charles 28 (Fr Canada), Mary 25, Charley 8, Mary 7, Jennie 5, Mabel 3, Paul 2, Robert 10/12
>Sweeny Family in Cleveland, OH
 Charles S 44, Dorcas 44, Charles 15 (OH), Harold 12
>Sweeney Family in Brooklyn, NY
 Charles B 53, Blanche R 46, Charles T 23 (NY)

1920   

>Sweeney Family in Worcester, MA
 Charles 52 (MA), Jennie L 49, Charles A 14, Eleanor G 12
>Sweeny Family in Manhattan, NY
 Chas 33 (NY), Edna M 29, Charles 3
>Sweeny Family in Dover, NH
 Charles 35 (NH), Mary 32

1930              
>Sweeney Family in Philadelphia, PA

 Charles 56 (Ireland), Mary 56, John 28, Robert 23, Herman 22, Anna 18, Thomas 15, Eugene 13
>Sweeney Family in Buffalo, NY

 Charles 44, NY, Mary 45

It's Online So It Must Be True

This week I ran into someone who had Roman emperors on his tree. He invited others to look at his tree and when people pointed out a few of the numerous errors he claimed it was "all from Ancestry" and "I didn't make that stuff up." No, other people made stuff up and you mindlessly copied it. 
I had initially started this post with the 900+ Nefertiti trees found while writing last Friday's post. But after this run in I decided to switch to Roman emperors instead. The point is the same: It's all online so it must be true. 
So here's the profile that started this. Of course there's more after the jump ;-)

AUGUSTUS GAIUS OCTAVIUS V CAESAR Roman Emperor

B: 23 Sep 1963

D: 19 Aug 1914

Spouse: Scribonia Libo Octavian Augustus 

              B: 25 Jul 1968

Child:     Julia Augusta 

              B: 39 - D: 15

Father:  GAIUS IV, Praetor of Rome, Governor of Macedonia, OCTAVIUS Rufus

              B: 25 JUN 85 BC - D: 27 JUL 59 BC

Mother:  Atia Balba, of Rome, Caesonia

               B: 85 BC - Aug-Sept 43 BC

Coming or Going

Comments after the jump.

 Relationship to NEFERTITI                                           BIRTH                 DEATH

 FATHER             Amenhotep III Nubmaatre               ABT 1425 BC        ABT 1367 BC

 MOTHER            Gilukhipa                                       ABT 1415 BC
 SISTER              Mery-Khiba Mery-Amon                   ABT 1560 BC

 SPOUSE             Moses Ben Amram                                1597 BC         ABT 1451 BC

 CHILD                Merytaten Bas Moses                            1743 BC

 OCCUPATION    "Queen or Egypt" [sic]

Too Many Cookes

All three profiles are from the same tree.
Comments after the jump.

 Susannah Cooke (7 Dec 1693 - 21 Nov 1749)
    Father: ????
    Mother: Frances Ironmonger (1654 - 1695)

 Susannah Cooke (7 Dec 1693 - 21 Nov 1749)
    Father: Mordecai Cooke (1623 - 1667)
    Mother: ????

 susannah Cooke (7 Dec 1693 - 21 Nov 1749)
    Father: Mordecai Cook II (1649 - 1718)
    Mother: JOAN Constable (1458 - ????)

My DNA Results

I considered writing an overview of Ancestry.com's new autosomal DNA test but the Legal Genealogist already has an excellent write up. I highly recommend reading her post if you're interested in the autosomal test.

As of March 2012 the categories for Ancestry.com's results were as follows:

  British Isles
  Central European
  East Asia (includes Siberia, China & Southeast Asia)
  Eastern European
  Finnish/Volga-Ural
  French/Swiss
  German
  Jewish
  Middle Eastern
  Native North American
  Native South American
  North African
  Russian/Persian/Turkish
  Scandinavian
  Southern European

As you'll see from my results at least one of those categories, Russian/Persian/Turkish, has changed since March. Also, I have yet to hear of anyone having "German" as a result. That may have been a result that was not as clearly defined as they initially thought. As Ancestry gets more input during this BETA phase of testing the categories, and thus everyone's results, may change a bit.  
One thing to keep in mind is that a country's borders are the results of politics not biology and they vary widely over the course of history. If you have any ancestors from "Bohemia" I'm sure you are already keenly aware of this.
My results after the jump.

DNA Will Solve Everything

Ancestry.com has a contest running on their Facebook page. The prize being their new autosomal DNA test. Every time they start a thread encouraging people to enter the prompt is something along the lines of, "What are you looking to discover with an AncestryDNA test?" The comments are, um,...unrealistic. There are a few people who post who, though careless with grammar, have some common sense.

seeing everyones answer reminds me of Henry Louis Gates Jr. and how he jokes about everyones claim to be Indian/Native American. Someone asked earlier how many people are actually likely to be Native American. 1/3 of caucasians in the USA claim Native ancestry, but less than 5% actaully have it.

My DNA may help sort out various family stories and narrow the search to a smaller area. I really do not want to say my heritage until after the test results. I am really not expecting it will help solve my impossible brick wall. This brick wall has been attempted by many in the family since 1900. Not expecting any miracles. Just blessed I am able to get the kit and give it a try.

Of course the rational is not what this blog focuses on. So after the jump you know what you'll find ;-)

Multiple Birth World Record Part 2

This is a continuation of Tuesday's post.

US census records attached to profile for SARAH ELLEN WINTERS.

Surnames on all are "Green." Information listed:

Year
Place of residence
Race
Names, ages, birthplaces of household members
In bold is the record attached to Sarah's profile.

Comments after the jump.

 1880 
 Barber, KS
 White
 Norman 31, AR; Sarah E 21, MO
 Martin L 2, KS; Elmer 1, KS

 1900 
 Wood, OK
 White 
 Sarah 41, MO
 John R 19, KS; Alice A 17, KS; Freddie F 15, KS; William O 13, KS;
 Lattie E 10, KS; Iva M 8, KS; Nellie E 6, KS; Oliver N 5, KS; Giles C 3, KS

 1900 
 Choctaw Indian Territory
 White 
 Walter P 28, AL; Annie E 27, TN
 Jeanett 8, TX; Homer P 6, TX; Grace V 4, TX; Lattie R 2, TX; Willie L 8/12, TX

 1900 
 Bastrop, TX
 Black
 Saul 40, TX; Sarah 29, TX 
 Edgar 9, TX; Claud 8, TX; Bulez 3, TX; Latie 2, TX

 1910 
 Major, OK
 White
 Sarah E 51, MO
 John R 29, KS; Fred F 25, KS; Lattie E 20, KS; Iva M 18, KS;
 Nellie E 16, KS; Oliver N 15, KS; Giles C 12, KS;

 1910 
 Bastrop, TX
 Black
 Dub 47, TX; Sarah 40, TX
 Edgar 19, TX; Claud 18, TX; Ruby 13, TX; Lattie 12, TX; Godfrey 10, TX;
 Dub Jr 8, TX; Charlie 7, TX; Rivers 4, TX; Otho 1, TX

 1920 
 Baca, CO
 White
 Sarah E 61, MO
 John R 30, KS; Oliver 24, KS; Giles 22, KS; Nellie 26, KS

 1920 
 Bastrop, TX
 Mulatto
 Dub 61, TX
 Sarah 29, TX; Lattie 22, TX; Dub Jr 17, TX; Charles 15, TX;
 William H 13, TX; Other 11, TX; Roscorn 7, TX; Irene 7/12, TX

Multiple Birth World Record

 SARAH ELLEN WINTERS

 B: 11 Sep 1858 in Barton, Missouri

 M: 23 Nov 1875 to Norman Franklin Green

 D: 19 Aug 1937 in Amtrix, Colorado

 Children with Norman Franklin Green (1848-1898)

 Mark Lee Green, B. 1876

 Mark Lee Green, B. 1876

 Elmer Cison or Olson or Cleon Green, B. 1878

 Martin L. "Mark" Green, B. 1878

 Mark Green, B. 1880

 Mark Green, B. 1880

 John Ross Green, B. 1881

 John Ross Green, B. 1881

 John Ross "johnnie" Green, B. 1881

 Anna Alice Green, B. 1882

 Alice Green, B. 1884

 Fred Franklin Green, B. 1885

 Fred Franklin "Freddie" Green, B. 1885                 

 Nellie Green, B. 1886

 Nellie Green, B. 1886

 William Otto Green, B. 1887

 Lattie Elbert Green, B. 1889

 Lottie Elebert Green, B. 1889

 Fred Green, B. 1890

 Edgar Green, B. 1891

 Iva Mabel Green, B. 1891

 Iva/Eva Mabel Green, B. 1891

 Edgar Green, B. 1891

 Claude Green, B. 1892

 Lottie Green, B. 1892

 Lottie Green, B. 1892
 Nellie Ellen Green, B. 1893
 Nellie Ellen Green, B. 1893
 Nellie Ellen Green, B. 1893
 Ivy Green, B. 1894
 Ivy Green, B. 1894
 Oliver Nickerson/Norman Green, B. 1895
 Oliver Nickerson/Norman Green, B. 1895
 Oliver Nickerson/Norman Green, B. 1895
 Oliver Nickerson/Norman Green, B. 1895
 Nellie Green, B. 1896
 Buley Green, B. 1897
 Giles Clarence Green, B. 1897
 Ruby Green, B. 1897
 Latie Green, B. 1898
 Lattie Green, B. 1898
 Oliver Green, B. 1898
 Godfrey Green, B. 1900
 Dub Green, B. 1902
 Duff Green, B. 1902
 Charlie Green, B. 1903
 Charles Green, B. 1905
 Rino Green, B. 1906
 William H Green, B. 1907
 Ethel Green, B. 1909
 Giles Green, B. 1909

Comments and MORE children after the jump.

Force Fit

The information is from US census records attached only to Henrich's profile.
Comments after the jump.

 FAMILY INFORMATION from profiles

 Henrich Elicker      B. 15 Sep 1791

 Katerine Hoffman  B. 6 Feb 1809  

 Margaret Eliker     B. 1835 

 Caatherine Eliker   B. 13 Jul 1837   

 Solomon Eliker      B. 24 Oct 1837

 George Eliker        B. 1843

 RECORDS
 1850 York, PA  Eliker Family: Henry 58, Catherine 41, Margaret 15,  Catherine 1, Solomon 14, George 7
 1860 Fairfield, OH  Elliker Family: Henry 67, Sarah 59, Lydia 22, Christiana 17, John 16, Diana 14     
 1870 York, PA  Ellicker Family: Henry 79, Catharine 62, Margaret 36, Catherine 20, George 27

Clickophile

Comments after the jump.

ANN WILMOT

B. 1614, Evesham, Worcestershire, England

D. 1654, New Haven, New Haven, Connecticut

SPOUSES &

     CHILDREN

Joseph Sperry (1709-1788)

Joseph Sperry (1709-1788)

William Bonnell (1600-1654) married 1640 in Connecticut

William Bonnell/Bunnell (1600-1654) married 1640 in Connecticut

     Samuel Bunnell Bonnel (1637-1708)

     Nathaniel Bonnel (1640-1696)

     Benjamin Bonnel (1642-1696)

     Mary Bonnel (1650-1724)

     Ebenezer Bunnell Bonnel (1653-1654)

     Elizabeth Bunnell Bonnel (1653-????)

William Bunnell (1610-1669) married 1640 in Connecticut

     Lydia Bonnell (1629-1666)

     Benjamin Bunnell (1631-1690)

     Nathaniel Bunnell (1633-1711)

     Nathaniel Bunnell (1633-1711)

     Samuel Bunnell (1637-1708)

     Nathaniel Bunnell (1640-1711)

     Benjamin Bunnell (1642-1697)

     Lydia Bunnell (1644-1708)

     Lydia (1644-1708)

     Lydia (1644-1708) 

     Mary Bunnell (1650-1724)

     Nathaniel Bunnell (1650-1696)

     Ebenezer Bunnell (1653-1654)

     Elizabeth Bunnell (1653-1654)

     Hezekiah Bunnell (1658-1659)

     Judith Bunnell (1672-1746)

     Nathaniel Bunnell (1692-????)

     Mary Bonnell (1840-????)