Another Shipwreck Found in Lake Ontario ...

I just happened to notice an article on Yahoo about another shipwreck found in Lake Ontario. You can read the article here. Enjoy!

Searching For Joseph Stout's Parents, Part One - What I Know So Far

Earlier this week I promised to write a post about my speculations on who were Joseph Stout's parents. At the moment, I do not have any documentation to link my ancestor to the couple, but I hope that by writing this post, I might receive some advice or help in linking my ancestor to the suspected couple. The best way to start this post is to list what I know about Joseph Stout. So, here is what I know about my ancestor:

• Joseph Stout was born sometime between 1803 and 1806, most likely in 1805, in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. (Joseph's son Reuben stated, in his biography, that Joseph was born in 1800 in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, but census records suggest a later date. His death records states that he was about 70 years old at his age of death.)
  
• Joseph Stout married Susan Kelley in Northampton County, Pennsylvania on 3 March 1829. (See here for my post on their marriage information.)
• Joseph and Susan would have seven children. Six of their children would outlive them.
  
• By 1850, Joseph Stout had moved his family to Saint Joseph County, Michigan. Reuben claims in his biography that the family moved to Michigan around 1846, but I have yet to confirm or disprove Reuben's claim. An examination of tax records for Saint Joseph County, Michigan should indicate when the Stouts moved to the county.
• In 1858, Joseph Stout bought a farm in Florence Township, Saint Joseph County, Michigan. Two years later, in the 1860 census, Joseph Stout and his family are listed as living in Florence Township. (This census as puts a letter G in front of Joseph's name. This is the only time I have come across the G in primary sources so far in my research.)
  
• In 1864, Joseph Stout sold the farm to his son, Peter.
  
• In 1865, Joseph Stout was taxed by the federal government for the amount of peppermint oil he produced or sold. (The tax suggests he was still in charge of the farm even though he had sold it to his son.)
  
• In the 1870 census, Joseph Stout is still living in Florence Township, but now, he is listed as a retired farmer. His household is directly below Peter's household on the census, and that suggests to me that he lived nearby Peter's family.)
• Joseph Stout died on 11 February 1875 in Florence Township, and is buried in Calhoun Cemetery in Florence Township. Susan dies later that month, on the 25th, and is buried near him. (Reuben incorrectly states in his biography that they died in February of 1872, but contemporary records, such as their death records and Joseph's probate packet, give their death year as 1875. Joseph and Susan share a tombstone since they died the same month. The tombstone gives his death date as the 9th of February, but I eventually found his death record in the Saint Joseph County death records which listed the date as the 11th. I had difficulty finding his and Susan's deaths since they were incorrectly indexed in the county and state indexes. A look at the actual county death records clearly showed the last name to be Stout and not Stant or Stent as was listed in the indexes.)

As you can see, I do not know a lot about Joseph Stout. I know when he died, where he lived in Michigan, who he married, and that he came from Northampton County, Pennsylvania. I know that he was engaged in farming (at least in Michigan), but outside of these facts, I do not know much more about Joseph other than what is in Reuben's biography. Reuben claims that he father worked as a gunsmith in Northampton County, but I do not have any proof yet outside of Reuben's biography. Reuben also claims that Joseph and his family lived in Centre County, Pennsylvania, but I have not been able to confirm Reuben's statement. I have been unable to locate Joseph Stout and his family in the 1840 census. (I should also state that I am slightly wary of the information in Reuben's biography because Reuben was incorrect on some of the dates of deaths he gave for his parents and wife.)

So, who do I suspect are Joseph's parents? I believe his parents may be Peter Stout/Staut and Eva Hoch. Why? Well, besides knowing that my ancestor, Joseph Stout, came from Northampton County, Pennsylvania where Peter and Eva Stout resided in the earlier 1800s, a couple of published genealogies and online family trees list a Joseph Stout born in 1805 to Peter and Eva. (As I stated earlier, my ancestor was born close to that time period of Peter and Eva's son.) Unfortunately, none of the books or online trees actually provide any primary sources, so I am still speculating. According to these genealogies the Stout that lived in Northampton County originated from the Palatinate region of what is now Germany. Interestingly, oral traditions passed down in my family claim that my Stout ancestors were German, and although, an oral tradition is not enough proof to link my ancestor to Peter and Eva.

So, far I haven't been able to find any primary sources in Michigan to link my Joseph with the Joseph of Peter and Eva (Hoch) Stout. All I have to connect them are online family trees. As for sources in Pennsylvania, I haven't had very much time to order microfilms to further my research or find the original marriage record for Joseph and Susan (Kelley) Stout. Does anyone have an documentation linking my Joseph to Peter and Eva Stout, or any suggestions as to where I should direct my research? Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

Does Anyone Study History Anymore? - Or, Why Studying History is Important ...

Well, the question is supposed to be rhetorical, but sometimes I just want to shake my head when I read articles on supposed shocking finds in history. Within the past couple of weeks, I just read an article online about an archaeological finding. (I realize the article is a couple of weeks old now, but I'm only commenting on it now since I finally have some time to write about it now.) I'm apologizing now, in advance, because my thoughts about this article will probably turn into a rant.

The Geneanet.org blog posted a link to an article about DNA testing on the ancestry of the British peoples. (Well, to be more accurate, the findings really only pertain to those who have English ancestry.) The article, through the examination of DNA, concludes that about 50 percent of English people have Germanic (The article says German, but Germanic would be more correct as I'll explain in a moment.) ancestry, and that the finding was a surprise to the researchers. Shocking? Well, not quite, if one examines a history book on the United Kingdom, he or she would learn about invasions of the British Isles that occurred in the past. In the early Middle Ages, England was invaded by the Germanic tribes of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes, and these tribes pushed the native Britons into what are now present-day Wales and Cornwall. A couple of centuries after the invasion of the Anglo-Saxons, as the Germanic tribes have become called in textbooks, the Vikings (who also came from Germanic tribes) raided and eventually settled in England and other places in the United Kingdom.

The information I presented in the above paragraph shows that the article's purported findings are not new. Any general history of the United Kingdom would mention the invasions of the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings and describe effects of the invasions. The only thing that is remotely new in the article would be the use of DNA testing, and the testing only confirms what is already known. For someone to suggest or claim otherwise would be false.

So, why am I frustrated? Well, if someone is going to claim in an article that a historical discovery has been made, he or she should examine the historical literature first. The author of the article implies that this is a new discovery which is false. An examination of a general history of England or the United Kingdom would have noted the invasions. Sometimes I just wonder in frustration: Does anyone study or care about history?

So, what do you think? As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome.

31st Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

Welcome to the 31st edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy! The topic for this edition is carousel, and includes articles that originally been submitted to other editions that never occurred as a result of time constraints that prevented me from posting editions more frequently. (I am sorry for the delays.) So, here are the articles:

First, we have an article from Romeo Vitelli of Providentia. In "The Kaspar Hauser Mystery (Part 1)," he writes about the mysterious case of Kaspar Hauser, a boy who had mysterious and unknown origins.


Last, but not least, we have an article from Greta Koehl of Greta's Genealogy Blog. In "Advent Calender Day 24: Christmas Eve - Holy Supper," she describes her family's tradition of celebrating Holy Supper on Christmas Eve.

Well, that is it for this edition. The topic for the next edition will be on Personal Research, Research Experiences, and Tips, and the edition will be hosted here. The deadline for submissions will be August 14th, and the edition will be posted on August 19th. You can submit your entry here. Enjoy!

My 2011 Genealogy Resolutions - Seven Months Later

Well, it has been about seven months since I posted my genealogy research resolutions for 2011, and I thought I would update everyone on my progress (or lack of it) on accomplishing my goals. So, here are the results so far:

1. Order William Oswalt's Civil War pension file. Results as of July 4th: I still haven't ordered the pension file yet. I still hope I can find the time to do so this summer.
2. Obtain Anton's naturalization papers. Results as of July 4th: I still haven't ordered his naturalization papers yet, and I don't know if I will get a chance to so later this year.
3. Contact the Church where my ancestors, Carl and Anna, married (if the church still exists) to see if the church's records list the names or birthplace of Carl. Results as of July 4th: I still have not contacted the church. Now that I have a little more time, I might be able to look and see if the church still exists. Stay tuned for an update in the future.
4. Visit the State Archives of Michigan to see if I can obtain any further naturalization documents on Carl, or see if Fred Klippel became a naturalized citizen. Results as of July 4th: I have not visited the Archives of Michigan lately. I do not know if I will get a chance to visit the Archives this summer.
5. Order microfilms of various Lancashire, England parish records to continue my research. Results as of July 4th: I have not had a chance to order any microfilms. Although I now have a little time to do research, I do not believe I will have enough time to view the microfilms before school begins again if I order them now.
6. Make or strengthen the connection between Joseph Stout and the couple I believe to be his parents. Results as of July 4th: I haven't strengthen the connection, although I did contact someone who might help me. I think I should write a post about who I believe to be Joseph Stout's parents. Stay tuned for a future post.
7. Order more microfilms of records from Trippstadt, Gelnhausen and Bobenheim am Berg, Germany. Results as of July 4th: I haven't ordered any microfilms from Germany, and I probably will not get a chance to do so this year.
8. Order more microfilms of records from Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. Results as of July 4th: As in the case for goals five and seven, I haven't had a chance to order any microfilms. I am afraid I will not have to time to order any microfilms this year.
9. Visit Saint Joseph County, Michigan to do additional research on my lines from that area. Results as of July 4th: I haven't visited Saint Joseph County, Michigan yet, and I do not know if I will get a chance to go this year.
10. Look for the marriage record for John's third marriage. Results as of July 4th: I haven't found John's third marriage yet. I don't know if he married in Michigan or somewhere else, although I haven't exhausted Michigan as a possibility yet.

So, as you can see, I haven't had much success so far. I don't know if I will be able to accomplish any of my goals, but it looks as though I might be writing a couple of posts on two of the goals. Stay tuned for more .... Enjoy!

107th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 107th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on

"Food! We haven't focused on food in the COG in quite a while so we're asking you to bring us your family recipes, stories of picnics, food fights, food allergies, favorite summertime foods you remember, and best of all, photos of family favorite foods. Let's make a great mouth-watering edition of the COG! The deadline for submissions will be August 1st. Bring your appetite!"

Enjoy!

Belated Saturday Night Fun - My Genea-Bucket List

For this week's Saturday Night Fun, Randy has challenged other genea-bloggers to describe their genealogy bucket list. Although I'm late in participating in this meme again, I still want to post my goals. I think I wrote about this topic before, but it has been awhile. I don't think it would hurt to write an updated version. So, here is my genea-bucket list:

1. I would like to be able to travel to Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, so that I could uncover more information on my ancestors and their families who lived in the region. Although I have ordered microfilms of Huntingdon County records from the LDS in the past, I still haven't been able to uncover much on my ancestors in the ordered microfilms. I think I will have to go and visit the county to find out more.
2. Another region (okay, it is more than one) I would like to visit is the Alsace and Palatinate regions of France and Germany. The majority of my German ancestors resided in those areas. I would probably also try to make stops in Gelnhausen (which is in the Hesse region of Germany) and Stuttgart as well.
3. I would also like to visit the county of Lancashire in the U. K. since I had ancestors living in those areas. (I would also like to visit the other counties my ancestors resided in as well.)
   

Well, those are my three main regions that I would like to visit. I hope some day that I will be able to visit those places and continue my research into my ancestors. Enjoy!

Happy 4th of July!

I just want to wish everyone a happy Independence Day! Enjoy!

My Apologies ...

I just want to apologize to everyone as I forgot to post the 31st edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. I've been busy lately, and I completely forgot that the edition should have been posted several days ago. I will try to post the edition as soon as I get a chance. Stay tuned ...

Reminder: Submission Deadline for the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy is Near!

I just wanted to remind everyone that the deadline for submitting articles for the upcoming edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy is in two days! I will post the edition on the 20th. You can submit your articles here. Enjoy!

Update to the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

It is has been a long time since an edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy has been posted. I have been extremely busy with school work since the last edition was published, and therefore, have been unable to keep with posting new editions or coordinate handing over carnival editions to other bloggers. I am extremely sorry about that. I was supposed to post an edition around Christmas break, but I never got a chance to do so. In addition, there are other articles that were supposed to be listed in other editions that never occurred because of my work load.

So, here is what I am going to do: I am calling for a new edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. The topic for that edition will be a carousel, and in addition to any newly submitted articles, those articles that did not get posted in other editions will be posted in this edition. The deadline for submissions will be June 17th, and the edition will be published on June 20th. You can submit your article here. Thanks!

Bas-Rhin, France Church Records and Early Civil Records Online

As everyone has noticed, I haven't posted in several months because I was busy with school work, but I just wanted to let everyone know about some church and civil records that have been put online within the past month or so. The Archive of Bas-Rhin, France has posted images of parish records (both Protestant and Catholic) and vital records from 1792 to 1902 online. Although the website is only in French, the images can be browsed by locality and viewed for free. You can view the records here. (I should also note that the Protestant parish records are primarily in German.)

I am excited about the website because I have some ancestors who resided in Strasbourg before and during the French Revolution, and this website will definitely make my research into those families much easier. I hope others will find this website to beneficial as well. Enjoy!

My 2011 Genealogy Resolutions

Although I have missed the deadline to submit my genealogy resolutions for the upcoming edition of the Carnival of Genealogy, I've decided to still post my resolutions for 2011. So, here are my goals:

1. Order William Oswalt's Civil War pension file. (Well, his widow's pension file, to be exact.) Yes, this is a repeat from last year's resolutions, but I still want to obtain the file in order to strengthen the connection between him and my ancestor, Adam.
2. Obtain Anton's naturalization papers. (Yes, this is another repeat, but I can't move any farther back without uncovering the information in the papers.)
3. Contact the Church where my ancestors, Carl and Anna, married (if the church still exists) to see if the church's records list the names or birthplace of Carl.
4. Visit the State Archives of Michigan to see if I can obtain any further naturalization documents on Carl, or see if Fred Klippel became a naturalized citizen.
5. Order microfilms of various Lancashire, England parish records to continue my research.
6. Make or strengthen the connection between Joseph Stout and the couple I believe to be his parents.
7. Order more microfilms of records from Trippstadt, Gelnhausen and Bobenheim am Berg, Germany.
8. Order more microfilms of records from Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.
9. Visit Saint Joseph County, Michigan to do additional research on my lines from that area. There are still some records in the county that I haven't gone through, and I am hoping I might find more information on my ancestors who lived in that county.
10. Look for the marriage record for John's third marriage. I haven't been able to find the marriage record yet, and I want to see if I can find any information on John's third wife.

Well, I think ten goals are enough. I'll be quite busy this upcoming semester, so I probably will not be able to do any research before the summer. If I can fulfill even one or two of my goals, I think it would be an accomplishment. Stay tuned for my progress later this year, and until then, enjoy!

Update on the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

I realize that I was supposed to post the upcoming holiday edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy, but I haven't posted it because I've been busy for over the past week. Additionally, I've only received one submission for this edition, so I've decided to extend the deadline. Submissions will now be due January 3, and I will post the edition on January 5. You can submit your article here. Enjoy!

Happy New Year's Day!

I just want to wish everyone a happy New Year's Day! Enjoy!

My 2010 Genealogy Resolutions - One Year Later

Well, it has almost been a year to the day since I wrote my genealogy resolutions for 2010 and six months since I posted my update on my resolutions. I thought I would update everyone on my progress (or lack of progress) in completing my goals. So, here are my results:

1. Order William Oswalt's pension file. I ordered Benjamin's pension file, but I didn't do so for William. Hopefully, I'll be able to do that in the upcoming year, and I hope I will be able to determine if my ancestor is related to William. As of June 5: I have not ordered William's pension file, and I don't know if I will be ordering the records any time this year. As of December 26: I never ordered the pension file due to the fact that I have been so busy with school this year.
2. Research the tax records of Saint Joseph County, Michigan to obtain more information on my Oswalt, Detwiler, Stout and Havens-Mandigo families. As of June 5: I have not done any research into the tax records of Saint Joseph County, Michigan. Hopefully, I will get a chance to do so later this summer. As of December 26: I never got the chance to look through the tax records. I may have to put this goal off until next year.
3. Order a microfilm of Manchester, England church records for a marriage record of an ancestor. As of June 5: I haven't ordered any microfilms yet. I hope to get a chance to do so later this year. As of December 26: I didn't order any microfilms of church records, but I still did obtain the information contained in my ancestors' marriage record. I posted a look-up request on the RootsChat forum, and another researcher graciously looked up the record for me. (I've also posted two more marriage look-up requests, but so far, those requests have not been completed.)
4. Locate the German birthplace or home town for my ancestor, Carl. As of June 5: I haven't done any further research on my ancestor, Carl. As of December 26: I still have not determined Carl's birthplace. I probably will have to contact the church where Carl married to see if records from the time period survived in order to either determine who his parents were or where he was born.
5. Obtain Anton's naturalization record. As of June 5: I haven't ordered Anton's naturalization records. As of December 26: I haven't made any attempt yet to order Anton's papers. Hopefully, I will have the opportunity to do so next year.
6. Determine who are the parents of my great-grandfather. As of June 5: I haven't done any research into this great-grandparent. I have always had a suspicion to at least who his mother was in the past, but I haven't been able to conclusively link determine who were his biological parents. As of December 26: I have not made any progress with this goal since my last update. It appears as though I will have to wait until I am out of school to make any additional progress on this brick wall.
7. Uncover Adam's religious affiliation. I do not know what church Adam attended except that it was a Protestant church, but I'll need to figure out what church he or his family attended so that I can continue researching my Oswalt ancestors. As of June 5: Sometime late last year or earlier this year (I can't remember when exactly, except that it occurred after Benjamin's pension file came), I happened to find a book (through Google books) that Benjamin Oswalt listed as donating some money to the Methodist Church of Three Rivers, Michigan. Of course, I still not sure if Benjamin is Adam's brother (I have yet to write about why I think he is related), but this could be a possible lead. I did not see Adam's name listed, but is it possible Adam belonged to the Methodist Church? As of December 26: I haven't worked on determining Adam's religious affiliation since my last update. I'll probably have to wait until I have more time.
8. Obtain or order more records from Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania to continue researching my ancestors from those counties. As of June 5: I haven't ordered any records from Huntingdon County. Hopefully, I will still be able to do so this summer. As of December 26: I haven't ordered any records. Hopefully, I will be able to do so next year.

Well, that is what I have accomplished this year. Obviously, I haven't accomplished very much, but I've completed one goal. I guess you could consider that progress. Stay tuned for my 2011 resolutions, and until then, enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

I just want to wish everyone a wonderful and merry Christmas! Enjoy!

Don't Forget! Submission Deadline for the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy Will Be Here Soon!

I just want to remind everyone that the deadline for submissions to the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy is December 28. The topic for this edition is on Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year's traditions, and you can submit your entry here. Enjoy!

101st Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Topic Update

The topic for the 101st edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! The topic is "My genealogy research/writing plan for 2011," and you can read more about it here. Enjoy!

Blog Caroling 2010: Away in a Manger

FootnoteMaven has again challenged other genea-bloggers to post the lyrics to his or her favorite Christmas Carol. This is the third time that I've decided to join this challenge (here are the links to the first and second times), and this time, I've decided to post the lyrics to another one of my favorite carols, Away in a Manger. (Again, I have to confess that I did not even know all of the lyrics to this song before I posted this song.) Here are the lyrics, courtesy of Christmas Carols:

Away in a Manger

Away in a manger,
No crib for His bed
The little Lord Jesus
Laid down His sweet head

The stars in the bright sky
Looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus
Asleep on the hay

The cattle are lowing
The poor Baby wakes
But little Lord Jesus
No crying He makes

I love Thee, Lord Jesus
Look down from the sky
And stay by my side,
'Til morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus,
I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever
And love me I pray

Bless all the dear children
In Thy tender care
And take us to heaven
To live with Thee there

I hope you enjoyed this carol like I did. Enjoy!

100th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 100th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! The edition is broken down into four parts, and you can read parts 1, 2 3 and 4 by clicking the numbers. The topic for the next edition will be posted next week. Enjoy!

Surname Saturday: Oswalt Family Siblings Mystery Series List

I've finally finished earlier today my Surname Saturday series that chronicles my personal research into my ancestor's, Adam Oswalt, sibling. In order to make the series easier for other genealogists to find and comment, I've decided to post a lists all three articles together. Here are the articles and their sources:

1. Surname Saturday - Can I Conclude These Oswalts Are Related? - Part One
2. Surname Saturday - Can I Conclude These Oswalts Are Related? - Part Two
3. Surname Saturday - Can I Conclude These Oswalts Are Related? - Part Three

If you have any comments or suggestions about my research, please feel free to leave a comment. I appreciate all feedback, and certainly would like some suggestions as to what other records I should examine. Thanks, and enjoy!

Surname Saturday - Can I Conclude These Oswalts Are Related? - Part Three

In my previous post, I continued my analysis of the possible children of Benjamin and Mary Oswalt, but I stopped before I got to William. For this post, I plan to complete the series, and I would appreciate everyone's feedback on whether or not I can reasonably conclude that my ancestor, Adam Oswalt, was related to the Benjamin and William Oswalt living in the Saint Joseph and Barry Counties, respectively, of Michigan.

So why do I believe that the William and Benjamin Oswalt are brothers to my ancestor, Adam Oswalt? How do I even know that this William and Benjamin Oswalt are the same ones as the William and Benjamin Oswalt listed as living in the household of Benjamin Oswalt in the 1850 census? Well, the information that tells me that the William and Benjamin Oswalt of Michigan are the same as the ones in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania comes from the Civil War records of William and Benjamin, who both served in Michigan infantries. William Oswalt enlisted in the E company of the reorganized Eleventh Michigan, and in the muster-in roll for company E, the birthplaces of the enlistees are listed. William's birthplace is given as Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. The birthplaces for Benjamin Oswalt and his fellow soldiers, who served in company G of the 25th Michigan Infantry, are not listed; however, from Benjamin's Civil War Pension file, I know that he was also born in Huntingdon County. (1) While I haven't yet obtained a copy of William's Civil War Pension file (Or to be more accurate, his widow's file), I can make that conclusion from examining Michigan's Civil War records. Of course, the Civil War records are not the only records that I have to connect William and Benjamin Oswalt.

So, what are my other sources? In the 1860 census, William Oswalt is listed as living the household of Daniel Black. Also living in Daniel's household were a Margaret and Mary Black. (2) While mentioning that William lived in the household of Daniel Black may not seem significant, but it is. In fact, this Daniel Black was also listed as a witness to Benjamin Oswalt's marriage to Elizabeth Freelove. Additionally, after Daniel died in 1901, Daniel's wife, Margaret, remarried to a David Elsey, and on the marriage record, Margaret listed the names of her parents as Benjamin Oswalt and Mary Robb. (Margaret's death certificate does not list the first name of her father or her mother's name, but does list her father's surname as Oswald.) (3) Margaret and Daniel provide the link between William and Benjamin. This link is especially important in that neither Benjamin or William's death records list the names of their parents. (Benjamin's Civil War Pension file does included testimony from Adam's brother and-sister-in-laws about Benjamin's early life.) (4)

So, how is Adam connected to William, Benjamin and Margaret? As I mentioned in my first post, Adam mentioned in his Civil War Pension file that he was born in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania and his death certificate listed his parents as Benjamin Oswalt and Mary Rough. (5) Except for the maiden name, Adam's certificate and Margaret's second marriage give the same names for their parents. While this my greatest link between Adam, Margaret, William and Benjamin, it is not my only link. In 1871, Adam and his wife, Ann, sold the property they had bought the year before, and the witnesses to the sell listed on the deed were an Elizabeth Oswalt and John Dowlin/Dowling (I forget which was the actual spelling at the moment.) As I mentioned above, Benjamin married a woman named Elizabeth, and I believe that the Elizabeth Oswalt who witnessed the transaction was her. Of course, it could also possibly be William's wife, but I suspect it was Benjamin's wife since William's wife's name was Eliza. (Eliza's maiden name was Mosier/Moshier, and she remarried after William's death in 1876. I have not yet found a marriage record for them.) (6)

The last possible sibling I have for Adam is Nancy Oswalt. In the 1850 and 1860 censuses, she is living in the household of Benjamin Oswalt; however, after Benjamin (the father) died in 1861, I don't know what happened to her or to Benjamin's wife Mary. (7) I have not been able to find them in the 1870 census.

So, that is the information that I have so far on the proven and possible siblings of Adam Oswalt. Do I have enough information or evidence to conclude that William and Benjamin are Adam's brothers? What do you think? Any comments or suggestions are welcome. Thanks, and enjoy!
____________________________________________________________________

Sources

1. Michigan Adjutant General, "59-14 Ovs 16 Folder 02 Eleventh Michigan Infantry (Reorganized): Muster-In Rolls of Draft Rendezvous," Civil War Service Records, document 11, Seeking Michigan, http://seekingmichigan.org; Michigan Adjutant General, "59-14 Ovs 39 Folder 02 Twenty-fifth Michigan Infantry: Muster-In Rolls," Civil War Service Records, document 16, Seeking Michigan, http://seekingmichigan.org; Civil War Widow's Pension File of Elizabeth Oswalt (Benjamin Oswalt).
2. U. S. 1860 Federal Census, Michigan, St. Joseph County, Fabius Township, household of Daniel Black.
3. Marriage of Benjamin Oswalt to Elizabeth Freelove, Saint Joseph County, Michigan marriages, FamilySearch Record Search; Death Certificate of Daniel Black, Cass County, Michigan death records, Seeking Michigan, http://seekingmichigan.org; Marriage of David Elsey to Maggie Oswald Black, Van Buren County, Michigan marriages, FamilySearch Record Search; Death Certificate of Margaret Elsy, Van Buren County, Michigan death records, Seeking Michigan, http://seekingmichigan.org.
4. Death of Benjamin Oswalt, Saint Joseph County, Michigan deaths, FamilySearch Record Search; death of William Oswalt, Barry County, Michigan deaths, FamilySearch Record Search; Benjamin Oswalt's Civil War Pension file.
5. Civil War Pension File of Adam Oswalt; death certificate of Adam Oswalt, Kent County, Michigan death records, Seeking Michigan, http://seekingmichigan.org.
6. "Deed from Adam and Ann Oswalt to ? (I can't remember the men's names at the moment since I don't have the record at school with me), Saint Joseph County, Michigan land records. (I would list the volume and page number for the deed if I had my notes with me, but I do not at the moment; marriage of Eliza Mosier Oswalt to Reuben Pierce, Barry County, Michigan marriages, FamilySearch Record Search.
7. U. S. 1850 Federal Census, Pennsylvania, Huntingdon County, Walker Township, household of Benjamin Oswald; U.S. 1860 Federal Census, Pennsylvania, Huntingdon County, Juanita Township, household of Benjamin Oswalt.
   

Looking For Hosts: 2011 - Update

As you may remember from a previous post, I am looking for hosts 2011 editions of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy, and wanted to update everyone on the months still available. The remaining months are:

• January
• March
• April
• May
• June
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December

If you are interested in hosting one of these months, please contact me at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

Happy Hanukkah!

I just want to wish everyone a happy Hanukkah! Enjoy!

(I apologize for the belated announcement; I've just been very busy.)

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories Day Two: Holiday Foods

When I last participated in the Advent Calendar three years ago, the topic for day three was on holiday foods, but this year it is on day two. I always love the food around Christmas, and thus, I can't resist writing another post on this topic.

So, does my family have any traditional dishes that are served at Christmas? While I really can't think of any dishes that are unique to my family, per se, the main dish for dinner in past years has varied between turkey, prime rib, ham or a combination of the two. Many of the side dishes, such as mashed potatoes, salad or stuffing, are dishes that we also eat at Thanksgiving. (The dishes are freshly made for each holiday, of course.) So, I don't think our Christmas dinner is much different from other American families' Christmas dinners, but I could be wrong.

My most favorite part of the Christmas dinner, though, is the desserts. Usually we have different types of cookies (of which I'll write about in a future post) and pies. If the Christmas dinner is held by my parents, we either buy the cookies, make them or a combination of both, although it seems that in that past few years that we have bought the cookies.

As for breakfast on Christmas morning, my family doesn't have a traditional dish. In the past few years my mom has made a couple of different breakfast meals, but I wouldn't consider those dishes to be traditional because we have had different meals for breakfast in the past few years.

In short, my family doesn't have a dish that is unique or traditional when it comes to Christmas meals.

(Note: This post was finally published on December 15, 2010.)

Advent Calender of Christmas Memories Day One: Christmas Trees

When the Advent Calender Memories began three years ago, I wrote a brief article about Christmas trees in my family. In that article I mentioned the types of Christmas trees that my family usually puts up each year.

Traditionally, my grandparents would get a real Christmas tree, but in the past few years, I don't know if they've had a tree since I haven't over at their house during Christmas in the past few years. As for my family, we have always had a fake Christmas tree, and we put the same tree up every year. About ten years ago, we replace that tree with a newer tree, and since then I don't think that tree has been replaced.

Either way, I don't know anymore because I am usually away at school when the tree is put up by my parents. I don't know if the tree has been put up yet, but if it hasn't, I'm sure I'll helping putting up and taking down the tree this year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just want to wish everyone a happy and wonderful Thanksgiving! Enjoy!

Call For Submissions: Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

I just want to let everyone know that I will host the next edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. The topic for this edition will be on Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year's. Submissions can be on anything that has do with those holidays, especially if they are connected to Central or Eastern Europe (like family traditions, for example). I am not going to define the topic any further, so I am leaving the interpretation to up to you, the submitter and reader. The deadline for submissions will be on December 28, and I will post the edition on December 30. Submissions can be submitted here. Enjoy!

(As a side note, I am also accepting offers for hosting future 2011 editions as well. Currently, all month are open. If you are interested in hosting an edition, please contact me at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!)

Surname Saturday - Can I Conclude That These Oswalts Are Related? - Part Two

In my previous post, I started to write about who I believe Adam's siblings were and why, but I ended the post before finishing because I realized that the post had become too long. Therefore, I decided to split up this Surname Saturday on the Oswalt Family to make it more readable. (This Surname Saturday will probably end up as multiple posts due to the length of the analysis needed to explain everything.) But before I go any further, I think I should list how many people were living in the household of Benjamin and Mary Oswalt (Adam's parents, according to his death certificate) during the 1830 and 1840 censuses.

Although Benjamin Oswalt isn't listed in Ancestry's index for the 1830 census, I did find him listed in the census living in Hopewell Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. (Correction: At least that was true prior to June 5, when I happened to look through the index again.) According to the census, 6 people were living in Benjamin's household at that time: 1 white male under 5, 1 white male between 5 and 10 years old, a white male between 30 and 40 years old, a white female under 5, a white female between 5 and 10 years old, and a white female between 30 and 40 years old. (1)

So, who might the people be living in Benjamin's household? Well, the 30-something year old man is Benjamin and the 30-something year old woman is Benjamin's wife, Mary. The male between the ages of 5 and 10 is more than likely, Benjamin and Mary's son, John. (Other census records indicate that John was born in either 1820 or 1821.) The male under 5 is probably Benjamin and Mary's son, Solomon (of whom, you may remember, I wrote about in the previous post). As for the two young females in the same age group as the boys, I can only guess although I believe the two to be Benjamin and Mary's daughters. One of females might be the Eliza Oswalt, who is listed in a 1848 marriage announcement as marrying a Thomas King. (I strongly believe Eliza is a sister of Adam for two reasons: In the 1870 census, Adam is listed as living in Three Rivers, Michigan and in addition to his wife and children being listed, a 20 year old Clara King is also listed as living in his household. In 1876, this Clara King married a George P. Mosher, and when she died in 1886, her parents are listed as Thomas King and Eliza King. From the marriage announcement, I know that Eliza's maiden name was Oswalt. Of course, my suspicion could be wrong, but that is how I have interpreted the records so far.) I later found Eliza and Thomas in the 1850 census living in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania with two young children: a two-year old Mary and a 4-month old Clara. (2) As for the younger female, I'm uncertain as to who she might be.

In 1840, Benjamin Oswalt is residing in Walker Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. According to the census, 9 people lived in Benjamin's household: 2 white males under 5, 1 white male between 5 and 10 years old, 1 white male between 10 and 15 years old, 1 male between 20 and 30 years old, 1 male between 30 and 40 years old, 1 white female under 5, 1 female between 10 and 15 years old, and 1 female between 30 and 40 years old. (3)

So, who might have been living in Benjamin's household in 1840? Well, the 30-something year old man and woman are most likely Benjamin and Mary Oswalt, even though they were listed as the same age in the 1830 census. The two males under 5 are probably Adam and Benjamin. The male between 5 and 10 is probably William. The male between the ages of 10 and 15 is most likely Solomon. As for the male between the ages of 20 and 30, I'm not sure who it is. Benjamin and Mary's son, John, had married earlier that year in March, and his household is listed separately from Benjamin's. (4) Although it is still possible that it is John, it is probably either a relative or a farm hand. I will have to do more research to determine who he is. The female under 5 is probably Margaret, and the female between the ages of 10 and 15 is most likely Eliza. (This list of possible names for the two censuses comes from the 1850 census I mentioned in the previous post and the sources I list for Eliza. The 1850 census for Benjamin Oswalt's household listed the names and ages of him and his family: Benjamin Oswalt, age 52; Mary Oswalt, age 50; Solomon Oswalt, age 24; William Oswalt, age 18; Margaret Oswalt, age 13; Benjamin Oswalt, age 11; and Nancy Oswalt, age 8. (5) )

In my next post in this series, I will continue my analysis, and explain why I believe William is Adam's brother. I will also include proof on how I know that Margaret is Adam's sister. Until then, have I made a good enough case to say that Eliza (Oswalt) King is a sister to my ancestor, Adam Oswalt? Please let me know what you think. Thanks, and enjoy!
_____________________________________________________________________

Sources

1. 1830 U. S. Federal Census, Pennsylvania, Huntingdon County, Hopewell Township, household of Benjamin Oswalt.
2. "Married," Huntingdon Journal, 21 November 1848, 3, http://205.247.101.31/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/ajuncnews&CISOPTR=3916&REC=5; 1870 U. S. Federal Census, Michigan, Three Rivers, household of Adam Oswalt; Marriage of Clara King to George P. Mosher, Saint Joseph County, Michigan marriages, FamilySearch Record Search; Death of Clara Mosher, Barry County, Michigan Deaths, FamilySearch Record Search.
3. 1840 U. S. Federal Census, Pennsylvania, Huntingdon County, Walker Township, household of Benjamin Oswald.
4. 1840 U. S. Federal Census, Pennsylvania, Huntingdon County, Walker Township, household of John Oswald; "Married," Huntingdon Journal, 1 April 1840, 3, http://205.247.101.31/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/ajuncnews&CISOPTR=5320&REC=1.
5. 1850 U. S. Federal Census, Pennsylvania, Huntingdon County, Walker Township, household of Benjamin Oswalt.
   

A Belated Acknowledgement - The Ancestor Approved Award

Back in early April, Miriam awarded me the Ancestor Approved Award, but I wasn't able to acknowledge the award at the time because I was extremely busy with school work. Thank you, Miriam, for the award! (I am really sorry and embarrassed for the delay!)

The requirements for this award are that I list ten surprising, humbling or enlightening things that I've learned about my ancestors and that I then give this award to ten other people.

Here are ten things I have learned about my ancestors so far:

1. Surprising - Family tradition stated that my great-grandfather (the one who served in World War One) lost both of his parents at a young age; however, the tradition did not mention the names of his parents or how they died. Until I discovered the names of his parents in his birth record and the name of his father in his marriage record, I did not know anything about them other than what was passed down in the family, and with the information that I obtained, I discovered that someone had posted some information on my great-great-grandparents on the Family Search website. (Obviously, I've been confirming the information I found.) Once I had the death dates for my great-grandfather's parents, I was able to get someone to look up the records for me, and later I was able to view the documents for myself on Scotland's People. From the death record, I learned that my great-great-grandfather had died in a freak accident. Of course, that was quite shocking to me, especially since the death record gave some details as how my ancestor had died. (I haven't looked yet, but I think I should look and see if there was an inquest on his death as the death record was updated a year after the original entry. Does anyone know if inquest records from the 1890s in Scotland still exist?)
2. Surprising - Discovering that one of great-great-grandfathers had been married at least three times. When I first started my research, I learned that this ancestor had been married twice, but until I actually did research at the St. Joseph County, Michigan's Clerk office, neither my grandpa or I knew that he had been married to another woman prior to our female ancestor. Additionally, the discovery of that first wife's death after two months of marriage and the cause of death was a bit of shock as well. (Of course, I still haven't found the marriage record for the third marriage, although census records and family stories point to my ancestor's remarriage after his second wife's death.)
   
3. Surprising - Discovering that my ancestor, Christoph Friedrich Cotta (Jr.), participated in the French Revolution. The family tree that had been done on the Cotta line did not mention anything about the French Revolution, from what I can remember. Of course, the tree is in German, so I could have missed something, but I am still slowly confirming everything on that family tree.
4. Surprising - Learning from secondary sources, the names of Christoph Cotta's maternal grandparents, and that his maternal grandmother had been a famous opera singer in her time. Even more surprising, that she was thrown in jail for eight years by the Duke of Würrtemberg.
5. Surprising - Finding the World War One military records for another one of my great-grandfathers. Well, what was surprising was the information in the records, but I'll leave the findings for another post.
6. Humbling - Uncovering and learning about the hardships that some of my ancestors experienced in their lives.
7. Enlightening - Discovering that Gelnhausen, Germany's church records are online, and being able to find and confirm information that I have on my Kees ancestors.
8. Surprising and Enlightening - Ordering Benjamin Oswalt's Civil War Pension file, and reading some of the information in the testimonies.
9. Surprising - Finding a deed for a piece land in St. Joseph County, Michigan that my ancestor, Peter Stout, had bought while in California.
10. Surprising and Enlightening - Finding the naturalization records for one of my ancestor's brothers, and then finding the declaration of intention for his father, my ancestor. I wrote about those discoveries here.

Well, those are my ten surprising, humbling and enlightening things that I have learned about my ancestors over the course of my research. At this point, I am supposed to nominate ten other genealogy bloggers for this award, but since it has been several months since I was given this award, I've decided not to do that. Here is what I will do instead: If you haven't received this award before and are reading this post, I am awarding this award to you. Enjoy!

My Apologies ....

As everyone has noticed by now, I haven't posted anything on my blog for months, and I just want to apologize for the lack of activity on my blog. The reason why I haven't posted in so long is that I have so been busy (and am still busy) with school work that I haven't had the time to post or read any updates on genealogy news in months. What has been happening in the past several months?

I also want to apologize for not keeping up with the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. I still want to keep the carnival going, but since I have been so busy, I've forgotten to contact those who were supposed to host the carnivals for the past several months. I am extremely sorry for that, and I would like to eventually resume the posting of carnival editions. Unless, someone else wants to host the edition in December, I might post that edition. I will also accept requests for hosting next year's editions, if anyone is interested. You can contact me about hosting at jess_history at yahoo dot com.

I don't know how often I will be able to post on my blog in the upcoming months due to the fact that I will be busy with school work, but I hope to be able to do so. Therefore, posting on this blog may be light until May or June of next year.

I also want to give my thanks to those who have served, and I apologize for the belated Veteran's Day thank you. Enjoy!

95th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 95th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on

"Scrapbooking Your Family History! Here's a real challenge for you... Who's up to the task? Create a scrapbook page on any theme that suits one or more of your vintage photos. If you don't feel very artistic, lay a few photos down on a piece of colored paper, add a few captions, take a snapshot of it, and voila! You have yourself a digital scrapbook page! If you enjoy creating traditional scrapbook pages, take a picture of one you've done, and that works too. If you're up for creating something more artsy, buy a kit or make your own. Go for it! If you've never done scrapbooking before, this is the opportunity you've been waiting for! If you're an experienced scrapbooker, dig in and enjoy the creative process! The deadline for submissions is August 1st."

Enjoy!

Happy Fourth of July!

I just want to wish everyone a happy and safe Independence Day! Enjoy!

20th Edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture Posted!

The 20th edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on Irish Stories, and you can read more about it here. Enjoy!

30th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy Posted!

The 30th edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy has been posted! (Thank you, Al, for the wonderful edition!) You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on work or occupation, and the edition will be hosted by J. M. of Tracing My Roots. Submissions for the edition are due on July 16th, and the edition will be posted on the 19th. You can submit your articles here. Enjoy!

(Note: I just want to apologize for the delay in posting the announcement for the next edition. I've been very busy lately with school work.)

Happy Father's Day!

I just want to wish everyone a happy and wonderful Father's Day. Enjoy!

Reminder: Submissions Due In Two Weeks!

I just want to remind everyone that submissions are due in about two weeks. Al is hosting the edition, and you can read more about the topic here. Enjoy!

My 2010 Genealogy Resolutions - Six Months Later

Well, it has been six months since I posted my genealogy resolutions for 2010, and I thought I would update everyone on my progress (or lack of it) so far. Here are the results:

1. Order William Oswalt's Civil War pension file. I ordered Benjamin's pension file, but I didn't do so for William. Hopefully, I'll be able to that in the upcoming year, and I hope I will be able to determine if my ancestor is related to William. As of June 5: I have not ordered William's pension file, and I don't know if I will be ordering the records any time this year.
2. Research the tax records of Saint Joseph County, Michigan to obtain more information on my Oswalt, Detwiler, Stout and Havens-Mandigo families. As of June 5: I have not done any research into the tax records of Saint Joseph County, Michigan. Hopefully, I get a chance to do so later this summer.
3. Order a microfilm of a Manchester, England church records for a marriage record of an ancestor. As of June 5: I haven't ordered any microfilms yet. I hope to get a chance to do so later this year.
4. Locate the German birthplace or home town for my ancestor, Carl. As of June 5: I haven't done any further research on my ancestor, Carl.
5. Obtain Anton's naturalization record. As of June 5: I haven't ordered Anton's naturalization records.
6. Determine who are the parents of my great-grandfather. As of June 5: I haven't done any research into this great-grandparent. I have always had a suspicion to at least who his mother was in the past, but I haven't been able to conclusively link determine who were his biological parents.
7. Uncover Adam's religious affiliation. I do not know what church Adam attended except that it was a Protestant church, but I'll need to figure out what church he or his family attended so that I can continue researching my Oswalt ancestors. As of June 5: Sometime late last year or earlier this year (I can't remember when exactly, except that it occurred after Benjamin's pension file came), I happened to find a book (through Google books) that Benjamin Oswalt listed as donating some money to the Methodist Church of Three Rivers, Michigan. Of course, I still not sure if Benjamin is Adam's brother (I have yet to write about why I think he is related), but this could be a possible lead. I did not see Adam's name listed, but is it possible Adam belonged to the Methodist Church?
8. Obtain or order more records from Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania to continue researching my ancestors from those counties. As of June 5: I haven't ordered any records from Huntingdon County. Hopefully, I will still be able to do so this summer.

Well, that is where I stand so far in accomplishing this year's resolutions. As you can see, I really haven't been able to fulfill any of my goals yet because I've been busy with school. Will I be able to complete one of the resolutions? I don't know yet, but I hope to be able to complete one before the year ends. Enjoy!

94th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 94th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be

"The Annual Swimsuit Edition! Yes folks, it's that time again... time to look over your photo collection of bathing beauties and select one to share. Bring us your pin-up girls, guys in Speedos, or kids building sand castles. Summer is here and it's time to show us how your family members have enjoyed the water and the summertime heat! The deadline for submissions is July 1st."

Enjoy!

May 2010 Issue of the Shades Of The Departed Magazine Posted!

The May 2010 issue of the Shades of the Departed Magazine has been posted! You can read it here. Enjoy!

Google Analytics Report For May 2010

Well, another month has gone by, and that means that is is time for another Google Analytics report! Here are the results for May 2010:

The top ten countries, in number of visits, are:

1. United States - 243 visits
2. Canada - 23 visits
3. Australia - 9 visits
4. United Kingdom - 8 visits
5. Germany - 7 visits
6. India - 4 visits
7. Israel - 2 visits
8. Russia - 1 visit
9. South Korea - 1 visit
10. Philippines - 1 visit

The top ten states in the United States, in number of visits, are:

1. Ohio - 31 visits
2. California - 31 visits
3. Indiana - 29 visits
4. Illinois - 25 visits
5. New York - 13 visits
6. Florida - 12 visits
7. Wisconsin - 11 visits
8. Pennsylvania - 8 visits
9. Michigan - 7 visits
10. Georgia - 6 visits

The top ten articles, in number of views, are:

1. My Heritage's Top 100 Genealogy Sites - 33 views
2. Saturday Night Fun - The Wayback Machine: A Walk Down Jessica's Genejournal Memory Lane - 19 views
3. 29th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy Posted! - 16 views
4. 28th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy Posted! - 13 views
5. Tombstone Maker Website - 9 views
6. Looking For Hosts Update - Again! - 8 views
7. Memorial Day ... - 8 views
8. 93rd Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted! - 6 views
9. 26th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy - 5 views
10. Google Analytics Report For April 2010 - 5 views

Well, that is it for this month's report. To my readers, I just want to say, "Thank you for reading!" Stay tuned for next month' s report, and until then, enjoy!

Memorial Day ...

I just want to wish everyone a wonderful Memorial Day, and I just want to say thank to this who have and are serving. Thanks!

Looking For Hosts Update - Again!

I haven't posted one of these updates in awhile, but I still have a few months open that need hosts for the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. Here are the months still open:

• July
• November
• December - (If no one wants to do December, I will host that month.)

If you are interested in hosting an edition, please contact me at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

29th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy Posted!

The 29th edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. (Thank you J. M. for hosting the edition!) The topic for the next edition will on "Arrival in New Lands dealing with the who, where, and why our ancestors may have left their homelands and settled in new countries," and will hosted by Al of Polish-American Genealogy Research. Submissions will be due on June 27, and the edition will be posted on June 30th. Articles can be submitted here. Enjoy!

Saturday Night Fun - The Wayback Machine: A Walk Down Jessica's Genejournal Memory Lane

It has been awhile since I participated in a Saturday Night Fun challenge due to the fact that school work has kept me quite busy until now, but since I have a little time, I've decided to participate again. For this challenge, Randy has challenged other genealogy bloggers to look up their blog in the Wayback Machine, and write about their findings. I've decided to participate in the challenge.

I tried to save a picture of the page, but I was unsuccessful. So, instead, I've decided to post the link for the page.

The interesting thing about the Wayback Machine's image of my blog is that the site did not capture an image of my blog until late June 2007. I started posting back in March of 2007, but the blog probably wasn't recorded by the Wayback Machine until probably June when I think I started to participate in the genealogy blog carnivals.

Well, the old web page is pretty close to what the blog looked like in the very beginning. I used to use different colored fonts until one my readers informed me that it was easier to read my posts in black, so I switched to just using black. Of course, I think this was prior to the time when I started making changes to the background and template of the blog in an attempt to give this blog a unique appearance. I think I finally succeed in that attempt.

Well, I never imagined at that time that I would still be blogging after three years, but here I am still blogging years later. I hope you enjoyed that walk down memory lane.

MyHeritage's Top 100 Genealogy Sites

I just happened to take a look at My Heritage's Top 100 Genealogy Sites list, and I discovered that this blog was listed! I am honored, and thank you to MyHeritage for putting my blog on the list. Also, I want to say, "Congrats!" to everyone else on the list.

Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day!

I just want to wish everyone a happy Mother's Day. Enjoy!

What I've Been Up To Lately and Other Things ...

Well, as you all have probably noticed, I haven't posted very much in a long time. Up until a couple of days ago, I had been extremely with school work, and therefore, I didn't have very much time to keep up with what has been going on in genealogy lately. Unfortunately, I am unsure as to when I will be resuming my normal posting schedule since I will still be taking a couple of classes this summer, and I will only have a few weeks break before I begin the next school year. Thus, blogging is probably going to be pretty light into the foreseeable future.

On a lighter note, I've noticed as everyone else has that FamilySearch's Record Search has added or updated quite a few databases, and I've done a little searching in some of the databases. I believe I have found some useful information on a few of my ancestors, and so, I have a few new leads to look up. Of course, I don't know if I'll be able to follow up on them this summer, but sometime in the future, I will pursue them.

I also wanted to list a few links that might help other people in their research. The first link is for some digitized parish books from Austria and Germany, which I learned about when I happened to be looking the website for the historical society of Gelnhausen, Germany for ways to further my research into my Kees ancestors. Only some of the parish books for the locations listed have been posted, but at the moment, it is free to view the images online. If you want to download any of the images, though, you would have to pay.

The other two links deal with genealogy research in Lancashire, England. The first link has transcriptions of parish records for churches in Lancashire, and are free to view. Transcriptions are added frequently, so if you don't happen to find transcriptions for the churches you are looking for, they might be posted eventually. The other link is for an index to the Birth, Marriages and Death records recorded in Lancashire county in 1837 and later. The index is also free to view, and the site lists information on how a person can order a certificate for the record. This site also frequently updates the index as well.

I hope these records might be useful and helpful for others in their research. Enjoy!

93rd Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 93rd edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on

"The Changing Role of Women. In honor of Mother's Day, which is just around the corner, we're going to reflect on the changing roles of the women on our family trees. Do you have a "Rosie the Riveter" in the family? What about a "Suzy Homemaker"? Is there a woman who has made her way in a field traditionally dominated by men... a doctor, engineer, scientist, astronaut, police or military officer, etc? Or maybe you come from a long line of domestically oriented women. Discuss the changing roles of women in your family and share them with us in the next edition of the COG. The deadline for submissions is June 1st."

Enjoy!

Google Analytics Report For April 2010

Well, another month has gone by, and that means that it is time for another Google Analytics Report! Here are the results for April 2010:

The top ten countries, in number of visits, are:

1. United States - 150 visits
2. Canada - 16 visits
3. United Kingdom - 8 visits
4. Germany - 6 visits
5. Australia - 3 visits
6. Malaysia - 2 visits
7. Sweden - 1 visit
8. Ireland - 1 visit
9. Puerto Rico - 1 visit
10. France - 1 visit

The top ten states in the United States, in number of visits, are:

1. Wisconsin - 18 visits
2. Indiana - 16 visits
3. New York - 13 visits
4. Texas - 9 visits
5. Illinois - 8 visits
6. California - 7 visits
7. Ohio - 7 visits
8. Florida - 6 visits
9. North Carolina - 6 visits
10. Utah - 5 visits

The top ten articles, in number of views, are:

1. Genealogy and History Thoughts Column One - 18 views
2. 92nd Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted! - 17 views
3. Tombstone Maker Website - 13 views
4. Don't Forget! Submissions Are Due Today! - 10 views
5. Happy Easter! - 9 views
6. Google Analytics Report For March 2010 - 8 views
7. 2nd Edition of the Carnival of African American Genealogy Posted! - 7 views
8. Looking For Hosts - Update - Again! - 7 views
9. Looking For Hosts - Update - 4 views
10. Genealogy and History Thoughts - Column 8: Or Why I Prefer to Not Use Online Translators - 3 views

Well, that is it for this month's report. To my readers, I just want to say, "Thank you for reading!" Stay tuned for next month's report, and Enjoy!

28th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genalogy Posted!

The 28th edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. (Thank you Antra for hosting!) The topic for the next edition will be on religion, and will be hosted by J. M. of Tracing My Roots. Submissions are due May 14, and the edition will be posted on May 17. You can submit your articles here. Enjoy!

April 2010 Issue of the Shades Of The Departed Magazine Posted!

The April 2010 issue of the Shades of the Departed Magazine has been posted! You can read it here. Enjoy!

19th Edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture Posted!

The 19th edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on "I speak from experience," and you can read more about it here. Enjoy!

Don't Forget! Submissions Are Due Today!

I just want to remind everyone that submissions for the upcoming edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy are due today. The topic for this edition is war stories, and you can submit entries here. Enjoy!

2nd Edition of the Carnival of African American Genealogy Posted!

The 2nd edition of the Carnival of African American Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on

"They Served With Honor ~ In Memoriam, African-Americans In The Military 1914-1953

Host: Amy Cain of Reconnected Roots

Military research can yield important genealogical information. Yet, many overlook this valuable resource. Have you researched military records for your African American ancestors? In your research, what did you find out about their service? If you have not done any research in military records, this CoAAG presents the perfect opportunity to get started.

For the 3rd Edition of the CoAAG, tell us about your African American ancestor(s) who served in the military and write a post to honor them. If you don’t have an African American ancestor with military service, but know of one who served honorably make this an occasion to honor that person.

Submissions deadline: 12 May 2010"

Enjoy!

Happy Easter!

I just want to wish everyone a happy Easter! Enjoy!

92nd Edition of Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 92nd edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on

"Write a 'how to' series of articles! Choose a topic that you can give helpful advice on and write a series of articles (3+) about it. Series articles require a little more planning and a lot more writing so this next edition will have a deadline of May 1st."

Enjoy!

Looking For Hosts - Update - Again!

As everyone knows, I'm still looking for hosts for future editions of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy, but I have to update the list again. Here are the months still available:

• July
• August
• November
• December

If you are interested in hosting an edition, please feel free to contact me at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

Google Analytics Report For March 2010

Well, another month has gone by, and that means that it is time for another Google Analytics report! Here are the results for March 2010:

The top ten countries, in number of visits, are:

1. United States - 240 visits
2. Canada - 37 visits
3. Germany - 11 visits
4. United Kingdom - 8 visits
5. Netherlands - 6 visits
6. Poland - 4 visits
7. Philippines - 2 visits
8. Sweden - 1 visit
9. Czech Republic - 1 visit
10. Austria - 1 visit

The top ten states in the United States, in number of visits, are:

1. California - 30 visits
2. Indiana - 17 visits
3. Wisconsin - 15 visits
4. New York - 14 visits
5. Texas - 12 visits
6. Illinois - 12 visits
7. Michigan - 10 visits
8. Georgia - 10 visits
9. Florida - 9 visits
10. Arizona - 9 visits

The top ten articles, in number of views, are:

1. 26th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy - 31 views
2. 1st Edition of the Carnival of Genealogical Societies Posted! - 30 views
3. Google Analytics Report For February 2010 - 24 views
4. 3 Years Ago Today ... - 19 views
5. 27th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy Posted! - 17 views
6. Genealogy and History Thoughts Column One - 16 views
7. Looking For Hosts - Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy - 15 views
   
8. Tombstone Maker Website - 13 views
9. Cemetery Thoughts ... - 7 views
10. Trippstadt, Germany Civil Death Records, Part One: 1806-1829 - 7 views

Well, that is it for this month's report. To my readers, I just want to say, "Thank you for reading!" Stay tuned for next month's report, and enjoy!

Looking For Hosts - Update

Although I am still looking for additional future hosts, another month has been taken. Here are the months still available:

• July
• August
• October
• November
• December

If you are interested in hosting an edition, please contact me at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

27th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy Posted!

The 27th edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. (Thank you, Al, for a wonderful edition!) The topic for the next edition will be on war stories, and the deadline for submissions will be April 25. The edition will be posted on April 28th, and you can submit your articles here. Enjoy!

Looking For Hosts - Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

I just wanted to let everyone know that I still have some openings for future Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy editions, if anyone is interested. The months still available are:

• May
• July
• August
• October
• November
• December

I let the person hosting the edition choose the topic, submission date and publication date of the edition. If you are interested in hosting an edition, please contact me at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

1st Edition of the Carnival of African-American Genealogy Posted!

The 1st edition of the Carnival of African-American Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on

" Grandma’s Hand: Grandmothers and Their Influence On The Family

Host: Sandra Taliaferro of I Never Knew My Father

Grandmothers are often the matriarchs of the family. In fact, truth be told, many of us were raised by our grandmother; if not, she was definitely a constant in our lives.

For the 2nd Edition of CoAAG: Grandma’s Hand, write a post about your memories of your grandmother and be sure to include a picture of Grandma if you have one!

Submissions deadline: 12 April 2010"

Enjoy!

91st Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 91st edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on

"Dance! Did you take dance lessons as a child? Did your parents go out dancing every Friday at the Elks Hall? Do you enjoy taking in a good ballet at the theater? Care to share a memory from your high school prom? What role does dancing play in your family history? Come on, let's cut a rug! Deadline for submissions is April 1st, 30 submissions will be accepted."

Enjoy!

3 Years Ago, Today ...

It's really hard for me to believe, but I started this blog exactly three years ago on this day. At the time, I never imagined that I would still be writing this long, nor did I ever imagine that I would post over 1,150 posts by now. It has been an interesting three years so far, and I can only imagine what the next several years will be like for this blog. Enjoy!

Don't Forget! Submissions Due Tomorrow!

I just want to remind everyone that submissions for the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy are due tomorrow! You can read more about the edition's topic here. Enjoy!

(I apologize for not posting a reminder earlier. I've been busy with school work lately, and I forgot to post a reminder. I am really sorry about that.)

18th Edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture Posted!

The 18th edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on poetry, and you can read more about it here. Enjoy!

March 2010 Issue of the Shades Of The Departed Magazine Posted!

The March 2010 issue of the Shades Of The Departed Magazine has been posted! You can read it here. Enjoy!

(I'm very sorry for the delay in posting this. I've just been very busy over the past several weeks.)

1st Edition of the Carnival of Genealogical Societies Posted!

The 1st edition of the Carnival of Genealogical Societies has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on

"Collaboration.

Does your society collaborate with other societies?

(genealogical, historical, lineage, etc.)

Or groups? (local library, family history center)

Why or why not?

What works or needs improvement?"

Enjoy!

Google Analytics Report For February 2010

Well, another month has gone by, and that means that it is time for another Google Analytics report! Here are the results for February 2010:

The top ten countries, in number of visits, are:

1. United States - 277 visits
2. Canada - 41 visits
3. Poland - 11 visits
4. United Kingdom - 11 visits
5. Russia - 7 visits
6. Germany - 4 visits
7. Australia - 4 visits
8. India - 2 visits
9. Japan - 2 visits
10. Pakistan - 2 visits

The top ten states in the United States, in number of visits, are:

1. Indiana - 46 visits
2. California - 24 visits
3. New York - 23 visits
4. Illinois - 17 visits
5. Georgia - 16 visits
6. Michigan - 13 visits
7. Wisconsin - 11 visits
8. Ohio - 10 visits
9. Florida - 9 visits
10. Oregon - 8 visits

The top ten articles, in number of views, are:

1. 26th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy - 57 views
2. 2009 iGene Awards: The Best of the Best of Jessica's Genejournal -29 views
3. 89th Carnival of Genealogy Posted! - 20 views
4. Looking For My German Ancestors, Part 8 - 17 views
5. A New Carnival! - 17 views
6. Another New Genealogy Carnival! - 15 views
7. What I've Been Up To Since Mid-December ... - 13 views
8. February 2010 Issue of the Shades Of The Departed Magazine Posted! - 13 views
9. Don't Forget! Submissions Due Thursday! - 11 views
10. 25th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy - 9 views

Well, that is it for this month's report. I just want to say to my readers, "Thank you for reading!" Stay tuned for next month's report, and enjoy!

Another Award!

Last month, Amanda of A Tale of Two Ancestors left a comment notifying me that she had nominated me for the Happy 101 award. I wasn't able to post my response until now, and I just want to say, "Thank you Amanda for the award!"

For this award, I have to list ten things that make me happy. Here are my ten things, in no particular order:

1. My faith
2. My family
3. My friends
4. My two dogs, Ben and Casey
5. Completing a paper/school work
6. Genealogy research
7. Historical research
8. Listening to Christian music
9. Writing posts for this blog
10. Doing something creative, like drawing or writing a story

Well, those are my ten things. For this award, I'm supposed to nominate ten other people, but since it has been so long since I was nominated for the award, I don't remember who received or didn't receive this award. So, instead of nominating anyone, here is what I'll do: If you haven't received this award yet and are reading this post, consider yourself tagged. Enjoy!

That Reminds Me ... The Archives and Regional History Library at Western Michigan University

I happened to notice Harold's post on the Archives and Regional History Library at Western Michigan University earlier this week, but I hadn't had a chance to write anything about the library until now.

As I mentioned in my comment to Harold's article, Western Michigan's Archives and Regional History Library holds documents and records relating to the Southwestern part of Michigan. So, if you have ancestors from the region of Michigan, it might be a place to look into to see if there are any records that might assist you in your research. Since I have ancestors from Saint Joseph County, I definitely want to go there to do research, although I haven't had a chance to do so yet. I hope I am able to go there one of these days.

You can look at their catalog here to see if there are any records you may be interested in, and the archives is located in the older section of Western's campus. You can read more about the archives here. Enjoy!