Sunday, May 28, 2017

This Week on My Family History Calendar

May 28-June 3


May 31~
Margaret Frances "Fannie" (Gibson) Thames (1854-1929), my paternal 3rd Great Grandmother, was born 163 years ago in Clarendon County, South Carolina. She was the daughter of Benjamin Reese Gibson (1824-1907) and Margaret Cantey (Walker) Gibson (1830-1900).

Fannie Thames
(1854-1929)
©Cheri Hudson Passey


June 2~
 My paternal grandparents, Benjamin Allen Hudson (1918-1976) and Mary (Baker) Hudson (1920-2010) were married 79 years ago in Turbeville, Clarendon, South Carolina. Ben was 19 and Mary 18 when they said " I do."

Mary and Ben Hudson
Early 1960s
Camden, South Carolina
©Cheri Hudson Passey

Who are you remembering this week?
Thanks so much for stopping by!

Helping you climb your family tree,

Celebration Sunday~Genealogy Happy Dance!



You know the dance. You know you've done it. The one every researcher does after finding something new. The one where you want to jump up and down and shout to everyone around that you found the document, contacted a cousin who has the family Bible, made a DNA connection or found a whole new branch to your tree. The one that is met with glazed stares and eye rolls.
                                                          Celebration Sunday is a place to share your discoveries. 
This is a weekly series to enable everyone to tell about their Genealogy Happy Dance moment. This can be done by scrolling down and adding your story to the comments section. You may also put a link to a blog post.



                                                                 
My Happy Dance This Week: Teaching people to climb their family tree is something I love to do. This week I was able to help a group of  youth begin their journey and discover new ancestors. That was truly a Happy Dance moment!
                                                                                           Share your discovery!
                                                                                   Let the dancing commence!


Share the fun! Click below to tweet this post! 



Looking forward to reading about your Happy Dance moment!
Thanks so much for stopping by!

Helping you climb your family tree,


Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Tuesday's Tip~Gettin' by with Help from Our Friends-Carol Kostakos Petranek



Today's tips come from Carol Kostakos Petranek of the Spartan Roots Blog. Although her research takes her to Greece, her tips will help those trying to locate ancestors in their native countries. 


My research is focused on a not-so-common area of the world: Sparta, Greece. However, as I made my way “across the pond,” I found that many of the steps I undertook are applicable to anyone researching in a foreign country. To be successful, you MUST know the original surname and village/place of birth. This means a thorough research process in the U.S. to find any and all documents that could possibly exist for your immigrant ancestor and his immediate family. Without these two pieces of information, your overseas research will not be successful.
   1. Connect with other researchers via social media. Facebook has become a genealogist’s best friend. Thanks to Katherine R. Willson who compiles the “Genealogy on Facebook” list, you can surely find a group that is active in your area of research. Whether it is a certain ethnicity, country, or city, connecting with those who are also searching that locality will give you specific research tips, translation help, suggestions for local resources and even recommendations for local genealogists. For example, I am heavily involved in the HellenicGenealogyGeek Facebook page which has morphed in two years from 2,000 people to 12,800 today!

  2. Conduct Google searches using the google country domain address for the foreign country, and typing the query using that country’s language.  If I search for information in Greece using google.com and typing in English, I will NOT get the same results as typing a search parameter using a Greek keyboard and accessing Google.gr. Don’t let the language issue be a barrier -- Google Translate is your next best friend! A list of Google country domains is found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Google_domains.  Google Translate can be accessed at:  https://translate.google.com. Go to Google Play or the Apple store to download a “translate” app that is resident on your computer and will instantly translate web pages. Although any translation app will not give you a perfect translation, it will be good enough for you to understand the basic concepts.  Regarding keyboards, all computers have a “language and keyboard” option where you can activate a foreign language keyboard, and then toggle back and forth between English and the other language. These tools will help you make new discoveries. When you have questions about what you have found, post them on the FB page that you found in Tip #1!

   3. Explore U.S. record sets that may be especially helpful (and often overlooked) for finding the original surname and village of origin for your ancestor. Have you searched NARA’s Alien Registration files? Have you ordered the Social Security application (SS-5) for your immigrant ancestor? Have you searched churches of his/her ethnicity in the area he/she lived? My friend, Georgia Stryker Keilman, created an excellent handout that we use at Hellenic Genealogy Conferences: How U.S. Records Can Help.

  4. Use the White Pages on the Internet to find living people in the village where your ancestors originated. Write a brief letter in BOTH their language and in English as many people have family members who speak English and the language translation may not be accurate. Explain who you are and what you are seeking; enclose a photo of yourself. Write in simple sentences. Do not ask more than one or two questions. Enclose a self-addressed envelope and your email address.

  5. Learn the general history of your country of interest to understand where records may be. Country boundaries have changed extensively, especially in central Europe. This video shows the year in the upper left corner, and the boundary changes. Then, use the Wiki on FamilySearch and Ancestry to learn about the resources during the time period in your country of interest. What types of records were created, and where are they held? Look for contact information for Archive offices, “town halls” or local government offices. When you write for information, request only one or two records at a time. Government clerks are busy taking care of the everyday needs of their citizens, and a long request asking for dozens of names may be delayed at best, or ignored at worst.

Remember that you are not alone in your quest! Connecting with other researchers will immerse you in a community of like-minded people  who have a common goal:  to learn about their ancestral heritage and to share it with their families. Wishing you every success!

Bio:

 Carol Kostakos Petranek serves as a Co-Director of the Washington, D.C. Family History Center where she coordinates classes, conferences and community outreach projects. She is a Citizen Archivist at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. and volunteers as a Genealogy Aid in the Research Room. Carol is the Volunteer Coordinator for a FamilySearch/Maryland Archive digitization project of Probate and Estate Records. Carol researches her Greek ancestry and is actively engaged in the Hellenic Genealogy community, assisting researchers and presenting at conferences. She helps her husband with his Czech and northern European research. Carol blogs at SpartanRoots.wordpress.com and also writes and edits personal and family histories. Carol and her husband, Gary, reside in Silver Spring, Maryland and are the parents of 4 children and 15 grandchildren. 


Thanks to Carol for helping us with getting across the pond! 
These are fantastic tips!

Are you ready to move across to find where your ancestors immigrated from? What has helped you?
Thanks so much for stopping by!

Helping you climb your family tree,


Sunday, May 21, 2017

This Week On My Family History Calendar

May 21-May 27



May 22~
 George Philip Roberts (1856-1930), my maternal great great grandfather was born in Richland County, South Carolina 161 years ago. He was the fourth child of Thomas Philip Roberts (1830-1893)  and Eliza Atiza (Brazell) Roberts (1836-1890).


George P. Roberts
(1856-1930)
©Cheri Hudson Passey

  This day also marks what would have been the 129th birthday of my paternal great grandfather, Jubal Ransom Early (1888-1964). Jubal was born in Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina to Ransom Taylor Early (1829-1888) and Ellen Caroline (Martin) Early (1850-1926).



Jubal Ransom Early 
(1888-1964)
©Cheri Hudson Passey


May 24~
Benjamin Thomas Thames (1854-1931), my paternal Great Great Grandfather, was born 163 years ago in Clarendon County, South Carolina. He was the son of Thomas Lemuel Thames (1827-1863) and Rebecca Hannah (Stukes) Thames (1830-1870).


Benjamin Thomas Thames
(1854-1931)
About 1910
©Cheri Hudson Passey
   
  
Thanks so much for stopping by!

Helping you climb your family tree,



Celebration Sunday~Genealogy Happy Dance!



You know the dance. You know you've done it. The one every researcher does after finding something new. The one where you want to jump up and down and shout to everyone around that you found the document, contacted a cousin who has the family Bible, made a DNA connection or found a whole new branch to your tree. The one that is met with glazed stares and eye rolls.
                                                          Celebration Sunday is a place to share your discoveries. 
This is a weekly series to enable everyone to tell about their Genealogy Happy Dance moment. This can be done by scrolling down and adding your story to the comments section. You may also put a link to a blog post.



                                                                 
My Happy Dance This Week:
 As you know, I spent a week in Raleigh, NC at the National Genealogy Society Conference. There were so many Happy Dance moments! 
My favorites? Learning about a group of high school students who shared their ancestor project with us, meeting new genfriends , catching up with old, and listening to some of the best in the genealogy community present methods to help strengthen my research skills.
 If you haven't attended a genealogy conference before, I encourage you to see what is available in your area or even across the country. There's nothing like spending time with those who understand that Happy Dance!

My Bag and Ribbons from #NGS2017GEN

                                                                                           Share your discovery!
                                                                                   Let the dancing commence!





Looking forward to reading about your Happy Dance moment!
Thanks so much for stopping by!

Helping you climb your family tree,


Friday, May 19, 2017

Connecting Youth~A Tennessee High School Ancestor Project at #NGS2017GEN



NGS 2017 held in Raleigh, North Carolina last week, started out with a bang.
Keynote speaker, J. Mark Lowe, described a program he worked on with a group of high school students from Tennesee.

J. Mark Lowe
Keynote Speaker for NGS 2017

After researching their family tree, they were to choose an ancestor and create a poster to tell their story. 
Each participant then recorded in their own voice what they had discovered about the ancestor. These recordings were then added to a QR code and attached to the poster. The result is a visual and audio presentation of an ancestor's life.
The youth participating agreed to let Mark bring the posters to the conference and were on display.

Tennesee High School Student's
Ancestry Projects

We simply used an app on our phones or tablets to scan the code on the posters and then listen as ancestor's stories were told by their descendants. Marvelous! As we stood and listened we thought about the youth we could share this idea with and have them do the same.  

Thanks to Mark and each of the participants for sharing their work and allowing each of us to be a part of their Ancestry Project. 

Talking to Mark about the project.

Have you had success in connecting youth to their family history? What worked for you? We'd love to hear about it!

Thanks for stopping by!
Helping you climb your family tree,


Thursday, May 18, 2017

Skill Building at #NGS2017GEN



The 2017 Putting Skills to Work session was sponsored by the BCG Education Fund and held the day before the National Genealogical Society Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina.
While I have been to NGS Conferences before, this was my first experience attending the workshop. 


Morning Session
2017 NGS Education Fund Workshop

Two classes were given. 
Making Your Case: Evidence to Solve Genealogical Problems presented by Nancy A. Peters, CG and 
Making Your Case: Conducting and Writing Proof Arguments by Sara Anne Scribner, CG.

This was not just a set of lectures, but a workshop where we learned and practiced the skills being taught. 
These included determining types of and understanding independent evidence, correlating using narratives, timelines, lists and tables and practicing writing proof statements, summaries and arguments.
At noon we were provided a nice luncheon which gave time to take a break, talk to other attendees and get a chance to discuss what we learned during the morning session.
The learning environment provided an opportunity to delve into the topics and ask questions of the presenters. 

If you have never taken advantage of these workshops held the day before an NGS Conference begins, I would recommend you do so. Topics and presenters vary each year and provide a unique opportunity to grow research skills. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Helping you climb your family tree,


Monday, May 8, 2017

Heading to #NGS2017GEN!


This is the week! I am heading to Raleigh, North Carolina to attend the National Genealogical Society  Family History Conference.

Tuesday, I will be learning from some of the best while taking the BCG Putting Skills to Work Workshop. An all day class where we will be learning more about quality genealogy research and writing.

Raleigh Convention Center
The conference begins on Wednesday morning and runs through Saturday. There are so many classes to take, exhibitors to see, new friends to make and old ones to meet!


One of the things I am looking forward to the most is the opportunity to be at the findmypast booth offering consultations.
If you are going to the conference and have downloaded the app, be sure to send me a friend request. If you haven't had a chance to sign up to talk to me at the booth, let me know via the app and we will plan a time to get together.
Looking forward to learning and sharing this week!

Thanks for stopping by!
Helping you climb your family tree,


Sunday, May 7, 2017

This Week On My Family History Calendar

May 7-May 13




May 9~
 Thomas Phillip Roberts (1830-1883), my maternal 3rd great-grandfather, died 124 years ago on this day in Richland County, South Carolina. He was buried in Brown's Chapel Cemetery.



Thomas Phillip Roberts
Headstone
Brown's Chapel Cemetery
Richland County, South Carolina
photo credit: Jim Hepler


Helping you climb your family tree,


Celebration Sunday~Genealogy Happy Dance!



You know the dance. You know you've done it. The one every researcher does after finding something new. The one where you want to jump up and down and shout to everyone around that you found the document, contacted a cousin who has the family Bible, made a DNA connection or found a whole new branch to your tree. The one that is met with glazed stares and eye rolls.
                                                          Celebration Sunday is a place to share your discoveries. 
This is a weekly series to enable everyone to tell about their Genealogy Happy Dance moment. This can be done by scrolling down and adding your story to the comments section. You may also put a link to a blog post.



                                                                 
My Happy Dance This Week:
 Connecting with cousins is one of the main reasons for starting my blog several years ago. This week, one of those connections and I have located records that may lead us back another generation, with a clue to Ireland! So excited to see where this leads.  So, how was your week?

                                                                                           Share your discovery!
                                                                                   Let the dancing commence!





Looking forward to reading about your Happy Dance moment!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Helping you climb your family tree,


Thursday, May 4, 2017

Livestreaming Your Conference Experience-An Opportunity to Be a Part of #NGS2017GEN


Several friends have expressed their desire to be able to attend the National Genealogical Society 2017 Family History Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina next week but just can't make it.
They are seeing blog posts and social media announcements about the lectures, exhibit hall and other activities surrounding the event and would like a chance to be involved in some way.

With the announcement of the DNA and BCG Skillbuilding live and on-demand sessions, everyone can learn and increase their genealogy skills.

The livestream and on demand options are not just for those who can't be there in person and want to be a part of the learning opportunity in Raleigh. Signing up also gives those who go to the conference a chance to watch the lectures they attend again or add to their conference experience by choosing other classes while there and watching the recorded sessions later from home.  
They can be viewed until August 14, 2017.

For more information, click on the banner below



Thanks for stopping by!
Helping you climb your family tree,



Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Tuesday's Tip-Gettin' By with Help from Our Friends-Heather Wilkinson Rojo


Today's Tips come from Heather Wilkinson Rojo of the Nutfield Genealogy Blog who shares her tips for researching Scots Irish ancestors.

Next year marks the 300th anniversary of the first Scots Irish migration to the New World in 1718, and 2019 marks the 300th anniversary of the settling of Nutfield, New Hampshire by some of these Ulster refugees.  These Scots Irish families were led by the Reverend James MacGregor of Aghadowey, Northern Ireland. They settled on land that became Londonderry, and was later divided into the towns of Derry and Windham, New Hampshire, as well as parts of Manchester, Salem, Chester and Hudson.
Do you have early Scots Irish ancestors who passed through Boston in 1718? They weren’t welcome to stay in Puritan Boston, so they scattered to Nutfield, Maine and Worcester, Massachusetts. The most successful settlement was Nutfield.  They may have settled in Nutfield (Londonderry) temporarily, or permanently.  Many of these families left records behind, and many of these families are also planning reunions for the big 300th anniversary celebrations. 
Tip #1
Who were the first Nutfield Grantees (Proprietors) who arrived with Reverend MacGregor? Check the following list for these surnames:
From The History of Londonderry : comprising the towns of Derry and Londonderry, NH, by Rev. Edward L. Parker, 1851, ( page 423) "Those who first composed the settlement [of Londonderry NH], were the following sixteen men and their families namely--James McKeen, John Barnett, Archibald Clendenin, John Mitchell, James Sterrett, James Anderson, Randal Alexander, James Gregg, James Clark, James Nesmith, Allen Anderson, Robert Weir, John Morrison, Samuel Allison, Thomas Steele and John Stuart.”
Don’t forget that once this land was settled by the Scots Irish, families soon followed: Moor, Adams, Karr, Aiken, Dickey, Watts, Mack, Holmes, Nevins, Boyd, Dana, Boice, Conant, McAllister, Patterson, Pinkerton, Humphrey, Campbell, Duncan, Woodburn, McClearey, White, Willson, McDuffee, McMurphy, Martin, Fling, Wallace, Dinsmore and others.   It became the largest and most successful Scots Irish settlement in New England.  Some families stayed, others spread out throughout New Hampshire and New England, and others moved down along the Appalachian mountain chain to Pennsylvania and beyond to Virginia, the Carolinas, Kentucky and Tennessee.
What are the best books for researching these early Nutfield settlers?
History of Londonderry, by Rev. Edward Lutwyche Parker, 1851 (referenced above and includes genealogies in the back) and is available online at the Internet Archive, Google Book Search, and the Hathi Trust for free.  Also at Ancestry with a subscription.

Vital Records of Londonderry, by Daniel Annis Gage, 1914 (covers 1719 – 1910) available at the Internet Archive and the Hathi Trust websites for free.  Also available at the Ancestry website with a subscription. There is also a PDF at the Pelham Library website http://www.pelhamnhhistory.org/library/pdffiles/neighbors/vitalrecords/LondonderryVitalRecords.pdf
History of Windham, NH: 1719 – 1883, by Leonard Allison Morrison, 1883 available at Internet Archive and at Ancestry (subscription only).  This book also has genealogies of Windham families in the back.
Willey’s Book of Nutfield, by George Franklyn Willey, 1895  available at Internet Archive and the Hathi Trust websites.

Tip #2
What resources are available online for these early Scots Irish families in Nutfield?
1) Familysearch.org has NH vital records (free online) births to 1900, deaths to 1959, marriages to 1959, and other records https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list?page=1&countryId=41   You can also browse the town records for the Nutfield towns  and their daughter towns across New Hampshire.  These records are browseable (not searchable or indexed).   Some of these records will not be online, but must be ordered as microfilm through a Family History Library.  Check this page from the Family Search Wiki https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/New_Hampshire_Online_Genealogy_Records
2) The Rockingham County deeds are online http://www.nhdeeds.com/rockingham/RoHome.html
3) Check the New Hampshire State and Provincial Papers http://sos.nh.gov/Papers.aspx  The index has surnames.  These are 40 volumes of town papers, the Revolutionary War rolls (volumes 14 – 17), other military recors, land grants, town charters, probate and court records, and the Association Test (required every male over 21 to sign in 1776).  Provincial papers from the earliest settlement in the early 1600s through NH state papers in 1800. 
Tip #3
Besides books and online resources, what else is available for researching Nutfield families and the early Scots Irish settlers?
If you contact the Londonderry Historical Society you will get me!  http://www.londonderryhistory.org/   I do the genealogy look ups for LHS.  Here is the “canned letter” you will receive with your request:
“Genealogy Requests from the Londonderry Historical Society:  We will do a lookup in two published volumes for the names you submit:  1)   The Londonderry Vital Records, 1722 – 1910 and 2)    The History of Londonderry by Rev. E. L. Parker, 1851 (both books are listed above with their online links)
If you need more information you can come to the Londonderry Leach Library’s historical room and search through our town records, cemetery files, and other books.  This is where the historical society stores their archives. 
Here are additional places where you can find more genealogy information on your Nutfield ancestors
1)   The New Hampshire Vital Records, 71 South Fruit Street, Concord, NH
2)  The New Hampshire State Library, 20 Park Street, Concord, NH
3) The New Hampshire Historical Society Library, 30 Park Street, Concord, NH has their catalog online at http://nhhistory.library.net/    This library holds the original Londonderry (Nutfield) Presbyterian church records, which might be invaluable for researching your ancestors.  You can also order research services by email, telephone or mail.
4)  Derry, New Hampshire resources:  there is no Historical Society in Derry at this time.  However, the volunteers at the Derry History Museum http://www.derryhistorymuseum.org/  and the Derry Town Historian, Rick Holmes,  http://www.derrynh.org/discover-derry/pages/history-derry   can answer your queries.  Remember that they both will be very busy with the anniversary celebrations coming soon.
5) Windham, Chester, Hudson and Manchester (Derryfield) all have excellent historical societies and local libraries with historical collections.  The only historical society with online resources is the Manchester Historic Association at http://www.manchesterhistoric.org/  and they have a research center at 129 Amherst Street, Manchester which is open on Saturdays and Wednesdays, and by appointment.  For the other towns, please query the historical societies for more information, or hire a local researcher.
6)  A handwritten copy of The Aghadowey Session Book is held at the New England Historic Genealogical Society.  It transcribed letters and records 1702 - 1725 concerning Rev. James McGregor of Aghadowey who emigrated to Boston and Nutfield with some of his Presbyterian congregation in 1718.  A scan of this book is available online (members only).  It is searchable by name, or browseable.   http://library.nehgs.org/record=b1054126~S0 
Tip #4
Many Scots Irish families passed through Londonderry on their way to Pennsylvania or Appalachia.  The Ulster Presbyterians often did not leave good records.  If they are not in the vital records or town clerk records, you might find them named in the Presbyterian church records in the library of the New Hampshire Historical Society.  If not, here are some things to remember about Scots Irish research:
 The Scots Irish tended to settle with other Scots Irish – they kept to themselves and intermarried.  Some of the settlers spread out to Derryfield, Litchfield, Bedford, Antrim, Dublin, and Dunbarton in New Hampshire (note the Irish names of the towns?).   Searching these records might be useful.
Some families left New Hampshire altogether to form Londonderry, Nova Scotia and Londonderry, Vermont.  Search the town history book, vital records,  Presbyterian church records, and the town clerk records of these towns.
If your families left New England, remember that they tended to travel or meet up with other Scots Irish families and settlements.  Pennsylvania had the largest number of Scots Irish in the 1800s.  You can also try to trace migration routes of other families to see what towns they passed through or finally settled.  You just might find your family, too.
-----------------------------------------------------


Bio
Heather Wilkinson Rojo is the author of the Nutfield Genealogy blog and an occasional genealogy speaker in New England.  She is the editor for the New Hampshire Mayflower Society, and on the 2020 and Rare Books committees for the General Society of Mayflower Descendants.  Heather was the former president of the Londonderry, New Hampshire Historical Society, and a former elementary school technology teacher.
Nutfield Genealogy



Thanks, Heather, for sharing your Scots Irish tips!

Do you have ancestors that were Scots Irish? What methods have you used to locate them?

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Helping you climb your family tree,