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!