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!