Maps!

I Love Maps!

My parents taught me how to read a road map when I was young. They would let me tell them where our next turn was on trips to my grandparents, a road they both knew very well. It was a good way to learn because I couldn't get us lost, since they knew how to get there without a map.

I love all kinds of maps--antique maps, road maps, topographic maps, informational maps and on and on...

I use them in my research and they are helpful. One of my favorite set of maps are the maps available at the Bureau of Land Management, which you can read about in "Land Records You May Have Missed."

Robert Benjamin Ross, Jr. and Sarah Caroline Derrick

One set of my 2 gr-grandparents are Robert Benjamin Ross, Jr. and Sarah Caroline Derrick. Robert and Sarah were born the same year--1850. Robert, most likely in McDonald Co, Missouri, since that is where his parents can be found in the 1850 census. Sarah was probably born in Benton Co, Missouri, since that is where her parents are found in the 1850 census.

If you have been studying your family history you know that our ancestors moved a lot. Or at least mine did. So it is no surprise that two people born in different counties could meet and marry. But in this case, there were a couple of facts that looking at maps helped me solve quickly.

According to the Robert's family Bible, he and Sarah were married in Benton Co, Arkansas. So two questions arose:

1. Since Sarah was most likely born in Benton Co, Missouri, was the Bible in error?

2. How did these two meet and marry?

Initially my mother and I thought there might be an error in the recording of the marriage. We thought it was a little odd that Sarah was born in and married in counties with the same name, but in different states.

I decided to look at maps of Missouri and Arkansas. What I discovered was quite helpful and answered both of my questions in just the few minutes it took to find the maps and review them.

1879 Arkansas-Missouri Border

Benton Co, Missouri is in central Missouri, while McDonald Co, Missouri is in the Southwest corner of the state, bordering both Oklahoma and Arkansas. The county in Arkansas that borders McDonald Co, Missouri is Benton Co, Arkansas.

McDonald Co, Missouri
History

This map information led me to review the 1860 and 1870 censuses to determine exactly how the two families migrated, if they did and when. It also provided me with the communities that they lived in or lived closest to.

Robert's family was in the same community from 1850 through to 1870. Sarah's family can be found in the Benton Co, Missouri censuses from 1830 to 1860. In 1870, her family is living in Benton Co, Arkansas. So the seeming "error" was not an error. They lived in counties with the same name in different states. That answers question #1.

But how did they meet? Even though they lived in neighboring counties and young men did leave home in search of adventure, I was curious. While they married in Benton Co, Arkansas in February 1870, in June 1870, they are living with Robert's parents in McDonald Co, Missouri.

Again the maps answered my question. Robert's family lived near Buffalo Creek and Pineville, Missouri in McDonald County. Sarah's family lived near Sulphur Springs, Benton Co, Arkansas. The distance is a little over 5 miles. So even though they lived in different counties and different states, they may have been in the same community. I still don't know the exact story of how they met or what their courtship was like but I now know that they lived close enough together to have known each other for some time.

What I Learned

I learned that maps can help me see the relationships between different locations where my ancestors lived. This can help me sort out a family puzzle.

I learned that I need to use maps as close to the time period I am researching as I can.

I learned that I should keep an open mind about what my facts tell me about the family.

I learned that county names are frequently repeated across many states. My sister-in-law contends that almost every state has a Washington County. Therefore, I need to be clear about what state the county is in.

I learned that maps can be incredibly helpful in my research.

I learned that my parents gave me a great gift when they taught me how to read a map.

Share your experiences in using maps to help you with your research.
 

Sandra

Genealogy Tutorial
Author of Genealogy Cheat Sheets

Their Lifestyle Was a Clue

Charles Miller's Estate: The Clues

Charles Miller died in Henry Co, GA before 1 May 1837. That date was when his will was proved. My sister found his will and sent it to me to help her determine what his occupation was.

His will was straightforward, naming his children and their inheritance. What was mysterious was the inventory of his estate. Generally when I had read inventory lists from other probate records it was fairly easy to discern their occupation. Most were farmers, but you could usually tell if they planted grains or had cattle or if they were a lawyer or doctor, based on what was in their estate.

But Charles's inventory was different. He had the usual household goods--tables, chairs, dishes, beds, pots, etc. But the rest was what seemed like a hodge-podge of things.

He owned a flax wheel and reel, 2 spinning wheels, a loom, chisels and saws, jointers and plains [planes], moulding [sic] tools, a groove plain, augers, hammers, sheep shears, 3 head of cattle, 5 head of sheep, an ox cart, a horse, ten geese, a bee gum (a beehive contained in the hollow of a tree, usually a red gum tree) and a cooper's addz (a tool for making the staves for a wooden barrel) amongst other things.

• Was he a cattleman?  Too few cattle.
• Was he a sheepherder? ..Too few sheep.
• There were 2 spinning wheels and a loom. One spinning wheel and the loom would have been sufficient for a household, but why 2?
• Perhaps he was a cooper. He had a collection of woodworking tools and several barrels.
• Perhaps he made the barrels for a distilling operation or for tobacco storage.

No one category stood out to help determine an occupation.

His estate had the equipment and live stock to produce beef, mutton, cowhide, wool, cloth, honey, barrels, perhaps tobacco or liquor, furniture or equipment made with wood and even though the inventory did not include pigs, he owned a sausage stuffer.

He was apparently educated as he owned books and a quill.

The Historical and Cultural Clues

The variety of items in estate were a clue to his lifestyle. While a few court records indicate that Charles may have been a carpenter, in reality he, like many of his kin and neighbors, engaged in a variety of enterprises to make a living. This lifestyle was a clue to his origins. Church records indicated that he was a member of the Presbyterian Church. When these cultural clues are added to the historical facts of his arrival in South Carolina, the conclusion was easy--He was part of a group that came to be known as "Scots-Irish."

Charles came with his parents and siblings on one of the infamous 5 ships of Rev William Martin. This was a Presbyterian congregation that arrived in 1772 in South Carolina from Antrim in Northern Ireland.

This congregation was part of a larger ethnic group in Ireland whose ancestors had immigrated from Lowland Scotland in the early 1600s. These Scots immigrants were part of the Ulster Plantation effort by James I of England (James Vi of Scotland) in 1609. James hoped that the Presbyterian Scots would provide a heavy protestant influence in Ireland and thus put an end to the Irish Catholic conflicts with England.

Originally this group called themselves "Irish." This was logical since most of their families had been in Ireland for 150 years. Later on in America, they would become known as "Scots-Irish" or "Scotch-Irish." In England and Ireland they are known as "Ulster Scots."

Search Amazon.com for Scots-Irish immigration

How These Historical and Cultural Clues Solved the Mystery of Charles's Inventory

In reading about the Scots-Irish, I learned that they were by and large the opposite of the German farmers. The Germans were known for keeping farms that were neat and tidy. The Scots-Irish were not so tidy. Their habit was to clear a small area--enough for a rough cabin and a small garden. They did not fence their property and let their animals run untended in the woods. They frequently did not even bother to clear the stumps of the trees they felled for logs for their cabins.

They had eclectic farming operations--a few cattle, a few sheep, a few hogs, geese, etc. They made liquor, raised a little tobacco, a few vegetables, spun thread from the wool of the sheep and sold a variety of goods to make a living. They liked their leisure time.

near Bull Run, Chester Co, SC, 1825

Charles's estate inventory was typical of a Scots-Irish farmer, with lots of different means for producing an income. Like most Scots-Irish of his time, he did not focus on one product or crop, he engaged in many small operations--thus the two spinning wheels, the barrels for holding tobacco and liquor and a small number of a variety of animals. In some records he is listed as a carpenter.

Knowing that Charles's family was part of the Scots-Irish immigration to America and learning that the Scots-Irish were a rowdy group that had haphazard farming methods, led my sister to look in civil and criminal court records, where we found numerous records of lawsuits and minor encounters with the law. Member's of Charles's family had sued, been sued, arrested and charged with a variety of misdemeanor crimes. While Charles, his wife and children appeared to be an upstanding citizen, many members of his family were not and in reviewing these civil and criminal court records, we were able to determine exact relationships within the family.

What I Learned

I learned that if you know the lifestyle of your ancestor, it can help you determine their origins and when and where they might have immigrated to America.

I learned that studying the culture can lead you to look for records that will help you sort out the family.

I learned that civil and criminal records generally state relationships of the parties involved as part of the facts collected about the case.

I learned that when there is an oddity in the facts surrounding your ancestor, such as the seeming odd nature of Charles' estate, that oddity should be pursued. It can lead to more information about the family.

I learned that 14 American Presidents have Scots-Irish origins.

I learned that the Scots-Irish educated both their boys and their girls.

I learned that the Scots-Irish influenced Appalachian and Southern culture in many ways. Music, moonshine, NASCAR, hunting, fishing and deep religious conviction are important in the South because of the Scots-Irish culture.

If you want to know more about the Scots-Irish check out these websites:

The Home Page, Mitchell Farish, Proprietor

The Scotch-Irish in America, by Henry Jones Ford (Library of Ireland)

The Scotch-Irish on the American Frontier

The Scots-Irish: The Thirteenth Tribe

Recommended reading to learn more about the history and culture of the Scots-Irish.

Sandra

Genealogy Tutorial

Author of Genealogy Cheat Sheets

Family Myths: Separating Fact From Fiction

The Story

Johann Heinrich Kaiser and Anna Katherine Schleicher/Sleiker immigrated to the United States when their daughter, Sophia Elizabeth Kaiser was three years old. Henri saved the money for the voyage and stored it in a box that was approximately 8" x 5" x 5" tall. The night before they were to sail, someone broke into their home and stole the box and with it the money for their passage. Henri borrowed the money the next day from a friend, they paid their passage and set sail for America.

Upon landing in New York, they immediately left for Ft. Smith, Arkansas where they both lived out the rest of their lives. They are both buried in Ft. Smith.

How I Used the Story

Sophie Elizabeth Kaiser, age 14
Confirmation, 1887

This is the story I heard dozens of times from my grandmother, my gr-aunt, my mother and my mother's cousins. So when I began researching my family history, I asked questions. The sad tale on this is that I knew my gr-grandmother, Sophia Elizabeth (Kaiser) Finney. If at 14, I had been interested in family history, I could have asked her these questions and gotten better answers.

Where did they live before coming to the United States?

What year was Sophia Elizabeth Kaiser born?

Where was Johann Heinrich "Henri" Kaiser born? 

Every time I asked the questions, my grandmother and her sister, my gr-aunt would get in an argument They all agreed on when their mother, Sophie Elizabeth Kaiser was born: 27 April 1873. But the "where" was another conversation.

Auntie Marie said that her mother was born in Russia. My grandmother said her mother was born in Germany that became a part of Russia and my mother added to the mix by stating that her grandmother told her that she was born in Poland. My mother also said that her grandmother [Sophie Elizabeth Kaiser] told her that she was born in the same place as her father.

I listened to all of them and drew this conclusion: that Sophie Elizabeth Kaiser and her father were born in that northern part of Germany that changed hands over time--that part that was sometimes Germany, sometimes Poland, sometimes Prussia and sometimes Russia.

I looked at maps and on lists of old German towns. I looked for Kaisers and Sleikers (because that was how my Grandmother had spelled her grandmother's name.) I could not find them.

In my recurring searches during 2010, I began to notice that just over the border from the Poland/Prussia/Germany area into Russia the last four letters on some of the town names ended in "naja." This was important because we have Henri Kaiser's confirmation certificate. He was baptized on 22 Mar 1860. This document is 151 years old. At some point, it was torn and someone taped the tear--right over the name of the town where Henri was born. But that town name ended in "naja." I began to suspect I had been looking in the wrong place.

Johann Heinrich "Henri"  Kaiser Confirmation Certificate
22 March 1822, Privalnaja, Russia

Just a few weeks after this, my sister happened to ask a friend of hers who is an immigrant from the Ukraine if she might know the name of the town on the confirmation certificate. When she saw the certificate, her friend recognized it right away as Privalnaja. Privalnaja was the Russian name for the town, but the Germans who settled there called it Warenberg.

Johann Henri Kaiser, Anna Katherine Schleicher/Sleiker and Sophie Elizabeth Kaiser were all Volga Germans.

Search Amazon.com for Volga Germans

My Error: Focusing on the Story, Instead of the Documents

If I had looked at my documents and not let the story interfere with my thinking, I might have found Privalnaja sooner and thus learned years before I did more about Henri and where he came from.

What did my documents say?

®  SS Lessing Passenger List, 27 Sep 1876: Henri Kaiser--from Russia

®  Henri Kaiser's Declaration of Intent--renounced allegiance to the Csar of Russia

®  1900 Carroll Co, Arkansas Census Henri Kaiser--born in Germany

®  1900 Carroll Co, Arkansas Census-Bettie [Sophie Elizabeth] Finney--born in Russia, both parents born in Russia

®  1910 Pope Co, Arkansas Census-Sophie E. Finney--born in Russ-German, both parents born in Russ-German

®  1920 Garfield Co, Oklahoma Census-Sophie E. Finney--born in Russia

®  1920 Major Co, Oklahoma Census-Myrtle [daughter of Bettie] Hammons, mother born in Russia

®  1930 Major Co, Oklahoma Census-Sophie E. Finney--born in Germany, both parents born in Germany. 

I had 6 documents stating that the Kaisers came from Russia. I had 2 documents stating that they came from Germany. Both of the latter 2 documents are censuses and the information could have been provided by anyone--even a neighbor.

Of the first 6, 4 are also census records and the information could have been provided by anyone. But the first two both say "Russia." These are also the documents closest to the time they immigrated, which are generally more accurate than information provided over time.

Instead of following the actual facts/data that I had, I made an assumption about what "Russia" meant on all of these documents.

Family stories are important. Most of the time they have some truth to them. But they are clues to our research. They should not drive our research in a quest to "prove" them.

What I Learned

I learned that family stories contain "kernels of truth," but are also subject to years of misinterpretation. Remember playing the "Gossip Game" when you were a kid. It's like that.

I learned that I should follow the documents first, then add in the family story.

I learned that the old joke was true--the one about the quarter. A man was under a street light looking for a quarter and a policeman stopped to ask him what he was doing. He replied, "I'm looking for a quarter." So the policeman began to help him look. After a while, the policeman said, "Are you sure you lost it here?" And the man replied, "No. I lost it over there, but the light is better here."

Sometimes we think the "light is better" in the stories.

If you have Volga German ancestors check out these websites:

The Center for Volga German Studies at Concordia University

Germans From Russia Heritage Collection, North Dakota State University

Volga Germans.com

There are also several Germans from Russia Societies:

Germans from Russia Heritage Society

The Society for German Genealogy in Eastern Europe (SGGEE)

American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR)

Sandra

Genealogy Tutorial
Author of Genealogy Cheat Sheets

Back to School Shopping

I Look Forward to the Back to School Sales

Late summer and the fall bring the "Back to School" ads and those sales offer a host of items I can't get any other time of the year. I love office supplies (it is officially an addiction.) And the fall ads allow me to shop for most of the supplies I will need for the year.

My Shopping Lists

Here is my usual shopping list:

Pens--archival safe

Pencils, Pencil lead & erasers--I prefer mechanical pencils

Notebook paper--to sketch out ideas and to make lists I don't need to save.

Printer paper--archival quality for printing out documents

Post-it notes and flags--for temporary bookmarks

Paper clips

Staples

Printer ink

Tape--archival safe

Labeling tape

Glue--archival safe

Correction tape or fluid

Sheet Protectors

Photo pages

Blank CDs

Blank DVDs

Batteries

3-ring Binders

File Folders

Things I check out to see what the gadget deals are:

Laptops

Desktop computer

Computer Monitors

USB drives (flash drives, thumb drives, whatever you want to call them)

Memory Cards that fit my camera

Cameras--still & video

External hard drives

Briefcases

Zippered Binders

Why Do I Need All This Stuff?

First: I am addicted to office supplies. I admit it. At the same time, I want to be sure I have what I need for my research and in the fall office supply items are at their best prices.

Second: I can find things I can't find any other time of the year, such as pencil cases. While you can get a pencil case anytime of the year, during the back to school sales, there is a better selection of styles, colors and materials. There are more choices of binders, briefcases and totes.

Third: I like to stay current with the technology. Many companies debut or feature new technologies during the back to school sales. I don't buy every year, but I can keep track of pricing and advances. My rule of thumb is to purchase a new desktop computer every 4-5 years. After that long, a computer is usually far behind the latest technologies and parts are starting to wear out.

I also want to know what the latest items are for cameras, USB flash drives, digital audio recorders, and external hard drives. I keep track of the pricing on these items so that when I am ready to purchase I will know what the best deal and the best technology at the time is. My motto is: "Get the most advanced technology that you can for the dollars you have to spend."

How Does This All Apply to Genealogy Research?

How I use these items makes my research more organized. By being more organized and having things ready to go, I can spend more time researching and less time running to the store to buy a new archival safe pen because the one I owned ran out off ink.

When I go to the library or take a road trip, I have "tool kits" that I carry with me so I have everything I need and I don't have to go shopping for a pad of paper for notes or a shovel for the cemetery. [And no, I am not digging up my ancestors, but I may have to move the dirt that has covered up their headstone.]

I have an "office kit." It is a pencil case that holds a pen, a mechanical pencil, lead and erasers, a drawing compass, a protractor, a 6" ruler, a couple of highlighters, a small pad of post-it notes, a single hole hole punch, a small package of paper clips, a magnifying glass, a small pack of post-it flags, a pair of kindergarten scissors, a pocket size stapler, a staple puller and a small box of staples. I even have a miniature copy holder in this "office supply kit in a pencil case."

I use a 3-ring zippered binder to carry a notepad, larger post-it notes, blank CDs, CDs with my gedcom on it, business cards, a 12-inch ruler and blank forms. I can give away a copy of my gedcom on a CD if I meet a fellow researcher interested in my tree.

I also carry a USB drive with my genealogy software and my tree on it. I have an empty one to store digital images that I may collect. I can also get a copy of someone else's gedcom. This is a strategy I always use at a family reunion.

Want to know more about all of the kits I use, click here.

What I Learned

I learned that if I have these kits always ready to go, I know I will have all the supplies I need to complete my research wherever I am.

I learned that since genealogy research can be costly, I can save some dollars by shopping for supplies once a year. In that way, I may only have to buy a few items during the year.

I learned that by having all of the supplies I need and my kits ready to go, I can spend my research trip time researching, rather than shopping.

Oh, and it feeds my desire for shopping for office supplies.

Share your strategies for having everything you need on your genealogy research trips.

Whether you are new to genealogy or experienced, check out these tutorials.

Sandra

Genealogy Tutorial
Author of Genealogy Cheat Sheets

Tracking Your Ancestors

A Family Chronology

William Lynch Couch Family ca. 1899

My Couch family line meets every couple of years so family researchers can share what we have learned. We know that most of us are cousins because some of the men have completed a DNA profile and they fall into the same Couch DNA group. The rest of us can track our ancestry through the records to the same ancestors as these men. Our challenge is to find records to prove who our immigrant ancestor was.

We have all collected a lot of data and need to see how it all fits together. So I decided to create a chronology or timeline of all the data that we have and see if any ideas or clues are generated from that data.

I want to do this because over the years I have found that a chronology provides me with a complete picture of everything I know about a particular ancestor and his family. I include in my chronology the source of each fact that I have.

A Chronology is a Tracking Tool

Now you might ask how this is considered "tracking." Generally tracking means that you can follow your ancestor's migrations from one location to another. With the chronology, I can track their movements as they move from one location to another and I can track their activities within each community they lived in. Therefore using a chronology helps me track several things about an ancestor and his family.

First, it helps me keep my facts straight--what happened, when it happened, who was a part of the event and where I got my information. I can also use a comments section for details and notes I want to make about the event or data.

Second, it provides me with a quick reference of all the information I have collected on a particular ancestor and his or her family.

Third, it tells me what data I have that is substantiated by records and what data is from a secondary source and will need verification. It also tells me what data I have that I may never be able to prove and what data may be totally bogus.

Fourth, it tells me what data I have that may conflict with other data that I have. Since I have attached an abbreviated version of my source, I can compare the quality of the sources and then may be able to decide which source is more likely to be correct.

Fifth, it tells me what data I have yet to collect. I leave rows blank for the basic information such as birth, marriage, census years and death. It is easy for me to see what I haven't filled in yet and what source information I need to collect.

A Chronology as an Analytical Tool

A chronology can also be used as an analytical tool. When you organize your data on a person you can see the conflicts in information that you may not have noticed before. It can help you pinpoint the discrepancies or missing information in your research.

You can collect a set of data about a particular issue that is unresolved and organize it chronologically. By doing this you can tell what information is in conflict, what information may not be valid and what additional information you may need to collect.

Using a chronology I have been able to demonstrate that one of my ancestors had to have had 3 wives rather than the 2 known wives. A 15 year gap in the birth of the children provided evidence that the first known wife was actually wife # 2. While it is possible that there was some very unusual circumstance that could account for a 15 year gap in the birth of children by the same mother, the more likely scenario is that there was a first wife who was the mother of the first set of children. When she died the husband remarried and had another set of children.

Using a chronology I was able to organize my facts to help settle a family dispute. Researchers were in disagreement over the first wife of a common ancestor. I made a quick chronology of his grandfather's and his parents' marriages--both substantiated and speculative to determine where to look for his marriage record. I included the data about his marriage to both women. I included my sources and evaluated the data. With this quick chart I was able to determine where the marriage most likely occurred. I found an index and ordered a copy of the marriage bond from the county. It told me that if anyone had ever looked for or found the marriage record they did not indicate so in their sourcing information. By the way, since I didn't want a certified copy, it only cost me $1.64 to get the copy of the marriage bond from the county, $1 for the copy, and two 32¢ stamps--one to send the request and one for the SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope.)

What I Learned

I learned that a chronology helps me keep my data organized by providing a ready reference of everything I know about any particular ancestor.

I learned that I can add any information I have to the chronology. It doesn't matter if the source is questionable. I still have information available to me for evaluation and comparison to other information that I have found or will find without adding to my family tree.

I learned that using a chronology can help me analyze conflicting data.

I learned that a chronology can help me identify missing information about my ancestor and help me determine possible locations and types of records where that information might be found.

I learned that a chronology is an easy reference to show the migration of my ancestor from place to place.

I learned that a chronology provides me with a picture of what my ancestor's life was like by having all the events in their life arranged in the order in which they occurred. This gives me a feeling of knowing them.

Click here to learn more about developing and using a chronology.

Sandra

Genealogy Tutorial

Share your comments about this article or the ways in which you track your ancestors.