The Conservative Cave

Interests => Hobbies => Topic started by: whiffleball on July 21, 2011, 08:42:21 AM

Title: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: whiffleball on July 21, 2011, 08:42:21 AM
I just started on Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org.  I'm hitting walls on a few and am finding tons of misspellings that are complicating matters.  Links to other sites any researchers have found helpful are appreciated.

I did discover a relative who deserted the Confederate Army and enlisted with the Union.  It's disappointing to have a deserter in the family even if he did eventually serve.

I also found another relative who was alleged to have served with a NC unit during the Revolutionary War.  I need to find out where I can get my hands on concrete proof of his service so I can begin the process of joining DAR.  If anyone has information on how to do this I'd love to hear it.

Now that I've started it has become addictive and time consuming.  Luckily, on Ancestry I'm finding some interesting stories behind the names.

Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: franksolich on July 21, 2011, 09:00:53 AM
I've been into family history since I was in the fifth grade, and made my first family tree.

That was a long time ago, and I'm really hesitant to say how much I've accumulated.

However, I couldn't be of any help when it comes to such research on the internet; all of mine was, at first, using the U.S. Postal Service, and then as the years and decades rolled on, I found myself simply using Mormons to do the work for me.

Since family research is a commandment, and obligatory, for Mormons, they're all very good at it, and probably even better than professional genealogical researchers (not bashing the professionals; the ones I've used have all been very good, but--).

If, at the moment, there was a Mormon--any Mormon--handy to me, I'd have him or her on the "payroll," looking up this or that.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: CG6468 on July 21, 2011, 09:03:57 AM
Yep. It's an obsessive hobby of mine. I started about 20 years ago, and my family tree, including that of my wife, now numbers about 7400 individuals, going back to 1550 or so.

Germany and Ireland are difficult countries for me to find much information. A lot of German records were lost during the wars. In Sweden, the government stopped keeping records and turned it all over to the Lutheran Church, which kept exact and detailed records of births, deaths, emigrants, etc. But you have to know Swedish, and the local church proves invaluable if you know it....  ::)

I use Family Tree Maker 2010. I don't like the new Family Tree Maker programs; I still can't figure out how to find the total number of surnames like the older versions.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: CG6468 on July 21, 2011, 09:05:55 AM
However, I couldn't be of any help when it comes to such research on the internet; all of mine was, at first, using the U.S. Postal Service, and then as the years and decades rolled on, I found myself simply using Mormons to do the work for me.

The LDS site doesn't have a LOT of the information found on Ancestry.com. But the LDS site is also free.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: franksolich on July 21, 2011, 09:14:22 AM
The LDS site doesn't have a LOT of the information found on Ancestry.com. But the LDS site is also free.

My main problem is with military records; for some reason, no one seems to be able to find the service records of long-ago relatives of mine.  It's kind of important because there haven't been many servicemen in the family, recent or long ago--and so it's sort of a distinction, a relative having been in one of the services.

The one that nags me the most is the record of a great-aunt; a record which seems to exist nowhere even though I have her service number. 

Since this is a public forum, normally one doesn't post personal information for the world to see, but in this case, the individual was born in 1899 and died in 1974, and so no harm could possibly be done either her or myself, and so I'm putting it up.  (She had no children either.)

Her service was during the second world war.  Her serial number was N-757299.

I'd really like to know her service record, because she was a pretty impressive person.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: CG6468 on July 21, 2011, 09:24:55 AM
I have the same problem, Frank. Just today I sent a request for a copy my wife's father's service record (WWII SeaBee), and for my uncle (Army, WWII, Africa). If those prove fruitful, or even hopeful, I'll try for my deceased 1st cousin's (b 1938, d 2001), and for another cousin who was killed in WWI at Soissons, France.

We have as much as available for my wife's grand uncle, who was taken prisoner by Confederates in the Civil War.

You might try sending for a copy of your great-aunt's service record. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Onward & upward! I add about 8 - 10 names each week.

Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: whiffleball on July 21, 2011, 11:30:31 AM
Frank, you'd think St. Louis would have your aunt especially with the provided SN unless the records were part of the fire or got lost (which happened to a few of my health records).  I've found Military.com to be helpful when looking for vets.  I found a friend I served with and never thought I'd hear from again by posting on their forum.  Might be worth a try.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: whiffleball on July 21, 2011, 11:32:53 AM
Yep. It's an obsessive hobby of mine. I started about 20 years ago, and my family tree, including that of my wife, now numbers about 7400 individuals, going back to 1550 or so.

Germany and Ireland are difficult countries for me to find much information. A lot of German records were lost during the wars. In Sweden, the government stopped keeping records and turned it all over to the Lutheran Church, which kept exact and detailed records of births, deaths, emigrants, etc. But you have to know Swedish, and the local church proves invaluable if you know it....  ::)

I use Family Tree Maker 2010. I don't like the new Family Tree Maker programs; I still can't figure out how to find the total number of surnames like the older versions.

Have you had any luck with finding records for Revolutionary War relatives?  Sounds like you've done well with Ancestry.com.   Have you used Footnote.com?
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: franksolich on July 21, 2011, 12:03:10 PM
Frank, you'd think St. Louis would have your aunt especially with the provided SN unless the records were part of the fire or got lost (which happened to a few of my health records).  I've found Military.com to be helpful when looking for vets.  I found a friend I served with and never thought I'd hear from again by posting on their forum.  Might be worth a try.

I've never tried St. Louis, but if I did, yeah, probably they would.

It's a matter of priorities, and so I never got around to it.

But when I first heard about how wonderful, how great, all these genealogical sites on the internet are, I thought for sure I could find her that way, and so gave it a try.  Despite that I had all this other information, including her social security number, I've never been able to find her on the internet, in any genealogical site.

So I put it on the back burner until something motivates me to contact St. Louis.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: CG6468 on July 21, 2011, 12:28:35 PM
Have you had any luck with finding records for Revolutionary War relatives?  Sounds like you've done well with Ancestry.com.   Have you used Footnote.com?

All of our relatives came here way after the Revolutionary War.

Never heard of Footnote.com. I'll check it out.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: whiffleball on July 21, 2011, 01:42:07 PM
Another question comes up.  How would I go about finding a list of Knighthoods or whatever?  I've just found an ancestor who was knighted for some reason in the 1500s and lived in Orlingbury, Northamptonshire, England.

Somebody stop me!  I'm getting nothing else done other than this searching!

Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: CG6468 on July 21, 2011, 02:13:32 PM
Somebody stop me!  I'm getting nothing else done other than this searching!

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger!  :lmao:

I have no idea of Knighthoods, though.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: Boudicca on July 21, 2011, 02:36:16 PM
Whiffleball,
I had to quit genealogical research, after 10 years of it basically consuming my waking hours when the kids were in school.  First of all, run, don't walk, to your nearest Family History Center.  They're all over the country and the world even, run by the Mormon church, and they can order any of over 2 million films from their underground granite vault in Salt Lake City, for, last time I was ordering in 2005, $5.50 a film.  The volunteers can be anyone from a fairly sophisticated researcher to a novice-eventually if you keep at it you'll know  more than most of them in regards to navigating your way around the system.  Their Family History Library is online

http://www.familysearch.org/eng/Library/FHLC/frameset_fhlc.asp


I filled out forms, years ago, and went through the National Archives to find out information on various military members in my and my husband's families.  Try this addy for info:
http://www.archives.gov/research/military/genealogy.html


For those immigrant ancestors who came through Ellis Island, here's the link for free lookups.  However, considering the intake officers misspelled the crap out of my Hungarian great-grandmother's name, to the point where her last name, which began with a "C" was written with a "G", and of course they plain old chopped off half of the last names of some people with long names, well, still the link can yield results, sometimes.

http://www.ellisisland.org/


There are thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of genealogy sites out there...check Cyndi's List for starters.  Begun over a decade ago, it's a clearinghouse for links to sites specific to a myriad of special genealogical interests.


I can't stress enough the importance of NOT relying on what someone else posts online without doing your own research.  I have seen a multitude of bad info out there on my dad's family line, and I know it's bad because I read the Virginia court order books and have seen with my own eyes where so and so had died ten years before he supposedly had such and such child.  After awhile you learn to quit fighting with people online who would rather just cut and paste some bad info rather than go do the work themselves. :argh:

I would never been able to pursue this hobby-obsession-without the full time financial support of my husband.  And, it can be expensive especially when you shell out a thousand here and there for a pro when you hit a brick wall.  I've had both good and bad results with hiring a researcher, but I knew going in that it was a gamble. 

Good luck with your research.  I have Revolutionary War and Civil War ancestors, but was never into joining the DAR so I couldn't advise you on that-but the Family History Centers would be able to-most of the ladies and gents when I would go in were interested in that sort of thing.

Before I go, hmm, try genforum.com

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cacvgs2/Articles/Research/genforumboards.pdf
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: whiffleball on July 21, 2011, 05:03:09 PM
Thanks much Boudicca!  You're so right about the bad info; I'm finding far too much conflicting stuff that I know can't be right.

I want to do the DAR thing for my daughter and granddaughter.  Hopefully, it may help with a scholarship for the little one some day.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: Boudicca on July 21, 2011, 08:42:57 PM
Thanks much Boudicca!  You're so right about the bad info; I'm finding far too much conflicting stuff that I know can't be right.

I want to do the DAR thing for my daughter and granddaughter.  Hopefully, it may help with a scholarship for the little one some day.

I can totally see where DAR membership would be good for a scholarship.  Neither one of my kids were interested in college, so I'm not sure if I was lucky or not.  considering how much it costs. :o

I can't recommend finding your local Family History Center enough!  Link for you here

http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhc/frameset_fhc.asp?PAGE=library_fhc_find.asp


I am getting revved up myself, just chatting online about this.  I'm almost scared I'll end up immersed 24/7 in my search again.  It was so engrossing for years that I would actually DREAM about ancestors.  The best part of finding out our family history was being able to share it with my Dad a few years before he died, and arranging a huge family reunion in Scott county, VA, for our family (cousins and my Dad's nieces and nephews from an earlier son of his father's).  Yeah, reading back in the parenthesis, it's confusing as all get out, but as you progress, you will find yourself looping the loop about connections.  I discovered, for example, that George Washington was my seventh cousin, seventeen times removed.  It's crazy, the world of genealogical research, but it's something so damn rewarding if you do it to trace your ancestors back in time.  I've gone back to Odin on one line :lmao: seriously through royal lines some shmuck eventually decides he's the son of a god and that's how he becomes "legit".  Other lines, can't break out of the 1800's, so it all depends on many factors, mostly LUCK.  Of which, I wish you much thereof.

For me, the journey to discovery was always more interesting than the culmination of research on any particular branch on the family tree.

You can pm me if you have any more specific questions; I would be happy to help you as best I can, bearing in mind the last year I did serious research was 2005.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: whiffleball on July 22, 2011, 04:48:16 AM
I did find the local search group, but you have to call for an appointment, which I will.  And thanks for the PM offer as I will most likely take you up on it.

Small world: most of my earlier ancestors are from Scott County, Goochland and Pittsylvania, VA.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: Boudicca on July 22, 2011, 04:12:57 PM
I did find the local search group, but you have to call for an appointment, which I will.  And thanks for the PM offer as I will most likely take you up on it.

Small world: most of my earlier ancestors are from Scott County, Goochland and Pittsylvania, VA.

Scott county, VA, wow, last time I was there for a family reunion they still didn't have a single hotel in the entire county. 
Given how small, population wise, the county is, it's quite possible we're related somehow.  PM me, and as I said, I'll try to help you as best as I might.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: FreeBorn on July 26, 2011, 03:32:44 AM
I just started on Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org.  I'm hitting walls on a few and am finding tons of misspellings that are complicating matters.  Links to other sites any researchers have found helpful are appreciated.

I did discover a relative who deserted the Confederate Army and enlisted with the Union.  It's disappointing to have a deserter in the family even if he did eventually serve.

I also found another relative who was alleged to have served with a NC unit during the Revolutionary War.  I need to find out where I can get my hands on concrete proof of his service so I can begin the process of joining DAR.  If anyone has information on how to do this I'd love to hear it.

Now that I've started it has become addictive and time consuming.  Luckily, on Ancestry I'm finding some interesting stories behind the names.


Hiya wiffleball. I'm sure you must be seeing by now that you have gotten yourself into an endeavor with no foreseeable end. My dad has been a genealogist for over 30 years now. For many years he held monthly seminars at the Buffalo N.Y. public library to help people get started with their own quests. He got into it long before the internet existed and according to him most of his work is still done without the internet. It takes a lot of sleuthing and a lot of learning as you go. He tells me he didn't begin to feel like he was very good at it until he had been doing it for several years.
I highly suggest and I am positive he would offer you the same advice, that you join your local genealogical society.

 http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/

If you happen to live in a small town in a rural area you will have to look that up in the biggest city nearest you. You will find them there. Likewise I suggest you consider joining the Civil War Round Table as well.

http://www.civilwararchive.com/RNDTABLE/webtable.htm

Even if you don't fancy yourself as a Civil War buff and even find it tediously boring or uninteresting it is at these functions that you will meet many of the people who are themselves into genealogy and you will bit by bit learn the art of genealogy from; A name here, a unit history there, and through them meet more people who will prove important and valuable in your quest.
I cannot overstress the importance of joining your local chapters of these organizations and actually attending their functions as opposed to participating strictly online. As I stated before, dad's been doing this for decades before the internet existed and still most of the information he locates is done without the internet. Most of what you seek does not exist in cyberspace. You have to physically go and root it out yourself in dusty old ledgers in creaky backrooms of county seats, in far flung church rectories and find it literally carved in stone in cemeteries.
Mom & dad have been over to Ireland and Scotland about a dozen times over the past 30 years or so and each time dad finds more information on more ancestors. Gives my mom fits. She wants to go see the sights and shop and he's spending endless hours for days on end poking around old graveyards and yuking it up with the Vicar in some itty bitty village in the middle of nowhere. But that's where the information is.
Most people can flesh out their family tree back to about the mid 19th century but that's about it. Records are scant before that. Records were simply not kept on "common" people before that time, usually records older than that were kept only for clergy, nobility and career military officers, people of importance and means.

If you have any elderly folks remaining in your family it is important to glean as much information from them as possible and record it in writing. We have boxes full of old family pictures, daguerrotypes, tintypes, sepiatone photographs of people we know are our ancestors because of obvious family resemblance but many of them we don't know the correct names to put to those faces. There may well be people you are related to who you do not even know exist who share common ancestors with you, cousins many times removed, etc. As your skills improve and your lists of known ancestors grow you may be able to look them up and find them. Dad has done that and discovered such things as family bibles full of names and dates that were handed down and as families grow and through subsequent generations such heirlooms are "lost". Of course they aren't really lost but if your great great grandmother, say, handed down her family bible to her daughter, and her to her daughter and so on, well, not everybody gets to have it and as the family grows and branches out more, connections are lost. You very well may find "lost relatives" who have more information for you.

You will hit dead ends too, as frustrating as it is, it will happen. Many people changed their names upon arriving in America. For the most part this was done to "Americanize" themselves and lose heavy ethnic overtones. Very common with all nationalities. The Irish did it because they were roundly despised by many for being catholic and if your name sounded too Irish you couldn't find work, feed your family, etc. Germans did it because of WWI. Many changed their names to leave behind their previous lives in Europe so as not to be pursued for outstanding debts or being wanted for other crimes. If "Jim Haskins" killed a man in a barroom brawl in London he sailed to New York or Boston and became "Tom Jones" and never looked back.

My first wife was of Polish ancestry. Her grandmother spoke Polish fluently even though she was born here. Her parents were born in Poland. She was raised speaking Polish in the home. When she married and had children her husband, my ex wife's grandfather forbid her to teach them Polish because "we're American now"! My ex didn't know much of her family tree and my dad helped her out a lot with her family history, mostly when gramps was off at the hunting camp because he wasn't too keen on it. In the early 20th century Buffalo had a very large and diverse population of all nationalities, largely because it was at the terminus of the Erie canal and immigrants from New York City/ Ellis Island naturally found themselves there due to it being the major route westward and a major port on the great lakes. Buffalo had more than thirty daily newspapers printed in Polish in those years. Dad was able to find her family names in several of them on microfishe in the library and make copies which her grandmother could then read and translate.

I'll get back with more later~

Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: whiffleball on July 26, 2011, 06:27:56 AM
Thanks so much for that FreeBorn!  You Father sounds fascinating and someone I'd like to spend time with even if you aren't my family.  I love hearing stories of ancestry and sleuthing.  What a gem of a Dad!

I'll be using the NGS, but the Civil War Roundtable doesn't have Co A, 25th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry listed (that I could find).  According to a family researcher who looked in the National Archives I had one relation who served with the 25th, however briefly.  I'll need to research the Union in KY which is where he ended up after deserting the Confederacy.

I've found that Ancestry.com is pretty good for about 150 or so years back, but them some of the names seem confused with the information provided because I'm dealing with some terribly common names.  I did see some original census data from the Appalachians and was surprised to see so many immigrants from Poland and Hungary.  Things must have been bad for them to come all this way to the back breaking work in the mines. 

Everywhere I look online there's another site that sounds better than Ancestry, but I have to watch my spending.  I did find a small LDS research center near me. I will have to make an appointment to see what I can find there.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: FreeBorn on July 26, 2011, 07:28:46 AM
At first all he could do was obtain a sampling of copies which contained the names he was looking for for my ex to bring to her grandmother to read over. She could then point out things to my dad to look for, what the words like "births", "weddings" and "obituary" look like in cyrillic Polish print, etc. and he could better locate important listings. Her grandmother didn't know very many important dates for sure. Still, he couldn't read Polish and spent endless hours poring over microfiche files trying to spot names but did find several listings with dates. That is what counted. Finding dates of when children were born, when weddings took place, dates of deaths. Now he could look elsewhere like census records and find more information. A lot can turn up that way. Several children who died very young who my ex's grandmother never knew had existed because they died before she was born and her parents, aunts and uncles had never spoke of them. This uncovered a lot of people and put dates to names, etc. so he could begin to look further back to previous generations in Poland. He did obtain several documents from Poland after requesting them by writing to government agencies and the catholic parishes in the old home towns once they were determined. Everything he received was of course in Polish. My ex's grandmother could read the older records just fine, up to the 1940's. Even though she and my ex's grandfather were American born their parents had been born in Poland in the 1870's/80's. She grew up speaking Polish and her mother taught her to read it and write it, she was perfectly fluent as was gramps but he would never admit it. The problem with any records from Poland dated after WWII was that she could not read very much of them being that this was a very different Polish and heavily influenced by the Soviets. It was just not the same language. Some, not much, of the old records were in the older style Polish but much of it had been revised post WWII. Wholesale change enveloped Poland with Soviet occupation. That pretty much dead ended any further research with family lines in the old country and my ex's grandmother passed away not long after that. Gramps stuck to his "I can't make it out, I don't understand it anymore it was so long ago" routine. He outlived her by more than ten years not passing until he was 99. You might run into some of that, my dad says it is unfortunately fairly common. For whatever reasons they have some older folks want the past to stay in the past, no matter what.

There are surprisingly detailed histories of union Civil War units in hardbound volumes recorded mostly in the years immediately following the war. These are to be found for the most part in the libraries of county seats throughout the northern states (Confederate records are much less well documented) although in rural areas those volumes may have been removed to central collections in the libraries of larger cities. For example there are dozens upon dozens of bound volumes on the shelves of the Buffalo public library of union units from all over western New York which have been collected from the surrounding rural counties over a hundred years ago. From company and regimental size right up to corps and army histories. They contain muster rolls, lists of the names of all who served in those units. If you know the name of an ancestor who served then and what their hometown was at the time you may find them listed in the rolls. Usually all the men who enlisted from a small rural town did so all together at the same time and served in the same unit.

That's how we found out so much more than we had previously known from word of mouth handed down family history about three of our ancestors who were in the Civil War. We knew a little but not much. Delving through those volumes of their units histories, once dad had determined what exact units they had been in we could read pretty much day by day accounts of their entire service recorded there in great detail. One, my great great great grandfather was named Patrick Jones, born in 1830 in Franklinville N.Y. in rural Cattaraugus County. By the time the war started he was an attorney. He was commisioned a Major and raised a company of volunteers at Franklinville as was the practice at the time, being a prominent man of that town and outfitted them, heavily out of his own pocket and with donations of the rest of the town's business community. They marched 150 miles east to Binghamton and together with other groups from across New York's southern tier were mustered into the 154th N.Y. Volunteer Infantry Regiment, part of the famed "Irish Brigade". Then on to Washington and into history. They proved to be worth their salt in many skirmishes and major engagements throughout the war. Patrick Jones was promoted to LtCol. during the war and in April 1865, after Lee's surrender he was brevetted Brigadier General (a very common practice of the day) dad has that document, signed by Abraham Lincoln.
The other two were a father and son duo named Sinon from Scio in neighboring Allegany County. The younger was 18 years old and not surprising he enlisted. What is surprising is his father enlisting with him at the age of 48 as a private, but he did, leaving behind his wife and eight year old daughter. They served together and saw action continuously in several states from 1862 through 1864. When at Resacca Ga. on the first day of the battle there while approaching the confederate positions, side by side, the father was killed outright and the son shot through the foot which was amputated the next day. Their Lieutenant screwed up. The order was for him to "march his men across this field and halt them at the treeline, taking up a position there". The Lieutenant marched his company through the treeline into the next field in plain view of the confederates who were positioned in the next further treeline which the Lieutenant mistook as his objective and they received a volley from the confederates. The son would himself live only to 1870 when he was killed when a tree fell on him in a logging accident back home in Scio. My guess is he couldn't get the hell out of the way fast enough with only one foot. Scio is also the hometown of marine Cpl. Jason Dunham, posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for stuffing his helmet over and falling upon a grenade saving several of his fellow marines in Iraq.

Network with any and all relatives you have and document everything you can to get started. Be sure to ask about old letters folks may have from generations past, they can reveal a lot too. We have one letter which surfaced out of my grandmother's attic after she passed away and we cleaned out the house. It was a letter home from another Civil War soldier ancestor who was at Gettysburg but did not take part in the fighting (though his cavalry unit did) because he was in a field hospital at the time. I remember my dad's brother before he passed away saying it had something to do with hay fever or some respiratory sort of thing. He wound up captured by the retreating confederates on July 4th 1863 and was marched south with them for several days until he and another man could break away. They were pursued by men with dogs until they came upon a shed and found turpentine which they used to douse rags tied to their feet and they lost their pursuers. A harrowing story. He wrote that letter from yet another field hospital once they found union troops to let his family know he was o.k. It was dated and postmarked July 10th 1863 but had several more postmarks and did not arrive at his parent's home in Salamanca N.Y. until three months later.

So, wiffleball like I said get involved with some groups who are actively engaged in genealogy and you will learn much more than going just by the internet. Getting into genealogy is like getting a puzzle for Christmas but the first year all you get is the empty box, with no picture on the lid. Little by little you get a piece and then another a while later. Now and then you luck out and hit the mother lode and you get several pieces all at once. Eventually the picture begins to take form. This isn't a hobby, it's a lifestyle, a magnum opus and you never actually reach the end.

Good Luck!!!
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: CG6468 on July 26, 2011, 09:50:02 AM
Buffalo, Tonawanda, and a few small towns like Springville, Gowanda and Collins, are and were the stomping grounds for my wife's family. They were also in Cattaraugus County.

I've never visited the Erie County Historical Society or the County Clerk's office; I want to get back there this summer to do some more research. The names I'm researching there are Herrmann, Carney, Ryan, Pitkin, Cavanaugh, Poh, Pfalzer, and some others.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: whiffleball on July 26, 2011, 11:55:19 AM
A cousin compiled this story about my CW relative:

He enlisted in the Virginia Cavalry on 21 July 1863.  He was newly married and 18 years old.  In early 1864 the Cavalry Company is camped near his home.  According to family tradition, one night he walked out of camp for what is now unknown reasons.  In the National Archives in Washington, D.C. there is a record of a him, Pvt., Co. A, 25th Reg't, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate).

In 1864, probably late October or early November, he and his wife decide to make the long, hazardous journey to Kentucky.  To get past the Confederate soldiers who were on the lookout for deserters he shaved off his beard and dressed in some clothing belonging to his sister-in-law.  Twin babies had been born to the couple about seven months earlier so, in appearance, it must have looked like two young mothers with babies as they traveled along the road.  Evidently the stratagem worked as it got them through the Confederate Lines even though they were stopped several times before they got out of Virginia.

The couple traveled by horse and wagon.  The prolonged, difficult journey proved to be too much for the twin babies as they died and were buried near the headwaters of the Little Sandy River in Kentucky.

The couple arrived in Kentucky in early 1865.  He reported to Union Headquarters and was sworn into the Union Army. 
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: vesta111 on August 10, 2011, 09:07:40 AM
Just happend to run into a woman at my doctors office with the same name as my maiden name.

Things got interesting when her husband asked me if I was the side of the family that were pig thieves and Rum runners in the past.

Oh You Betcha, we were river rats, fought the British and took down the South, built the Subs that fought the Germans and lost some family in Nam.

Nice guy and a small world both his sons worked for the State with my SON.

Never know when one will run into a relative out of no where, best place is the local liberty for census reports, birth and death records, in the area a family member lived in.    Land titles and check the oldest newspapers for any mention of a family name.

One word of caution do not look for the wealthy in past family, try to track the poor and one will get more information from their life, Good Luck.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: Wineslob on August 10, 2011, 05:31:29 PM
Quote
One word of caution do not look for the wealthy in past family, try to track the poor and one will get more information from their life


No problem here, I just look up "clam diggers from Highlands".   :lmao:


My wife has been able to trace my side back to the early 1800's in the NY/NJ area. We could go back farther but a direct relative left the US* in the 1760's for Nova Scotia and we can't find any death records to link the early 1800's with his sons when they came back to the states.

*Yes, they were Tories.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: Celtic Rose on August 10, 2011, 07:32:10 PM
A cousin compiled this story about my CW relative:

He enlisted in the Virginia Cavalry on 21 July 1863.  He was newly married and 18 years old.  In early 1864 the Cavalry Company is camped near his home.  According to family tradition, one night he walked out of camp for what is now unknown reasons.  In the National Archives in Washington, D.C. there is a record of a him, Pvt., Co. A, 25th Reg't, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate).

In 1864, probably late October or early November, he and his wife decide to make the long, hazardous journey to Kentucky.  To get past the Confederate soldiers who were on the lookout for deserters he shaved off his beard and dressed in some clothing belonging to his sister-in-law.  Twin babies had been born to the couple about seven months earlier so, in appearance, it must have looked like two young mothers with babies as they traveled along the road.  Evidently the stratagem worked as it got them through the Confederate Lines even though they were stopped several times before they got out of Virginia.

The couple traveled by horse and wagon.  The prolonged, difficult journey proved to be too much for the twin babies as they died and were buried near the headwaters of the Little Sandy River in Kentucky.

The couple arrived in Kentucky in early 1865.  He reported to Union Headquarters and was sworn into the Union Army. 

Quite a few of my ancestors lived in Carroll County, Virginia.  My Great-Great-Great Grandfather served in the 18th Virginia Infantry during the Civil War, as did his brother, though his brother apparently defected and joined the Union eventually. 
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: DixieBelle on August 10, 2011, 08:22:31 PM
By far my favorite hobby to date!!! I am OBSESSED and have been since I was a little girl because my paternal grandfather was really into it and showed me family records that he had gathered for his research. I spent quite a bit of time last year buidling my tree on Ancestry.com and got sidetracked with real life.

I do agree in that it is time consuming and tedious but so worth it. ALWAYS double check sources though.

Have you tried here for the Civil War service? http://www.civilwar.nps.gov/cwss/soldiers.cfm This site appears to be temporarily down but I found a few of my family members and confirmed the service records others claimed.

Also for DAR, you can contact them and I recommend going to their website to poke around. My aunt started the process and I am picking up where she left off because we have more than one ancestor we can trace back to. They told us to stick with the easiest one first and then go back later to confirm the others.

Also, I haven't contacted these people yet but had the site saved in the files - http://www.apgen.org/index.html
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: whiffleball on August 11, 2011, 07:05:25 AM
DB,

Thanks for the links.  Looks like the Civil War site is back up.

The National Archives site, but a bit user unfriendly (for me).

I went to the DAR site and found that someone had started the application process with one ancestor on my maternal side.  There's a ton of information there.

Freeborn,

That last post was riveting!  Enlisting at 48, and as a Private, is incomprehensible to me.  See, that's the type of information and stories I want to dig out for as many ancestors as possible.  I know that may bean impossible task.  So far I haven't found any non English speaking lines, but if I do I'll be grateful for the free translation programs online.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: vesta111 on August 11, 2011, 09:46:33 AM
One has to also remember that knighthoods when given to a family, the name changed.

Found this when looking for family that had come here in the 1600, and followed a link that brought me to the Lindsey family in England.

I was curious as to why my family crest looked like an out house with 3 half moons on it.    As the name was different from the Lindsey's I found that each half moon denoted a Knight and 3 brothers had been knighted , all 3 three came to America, one was lost , went south, never to be seen again and the other 2 came to this area and settled down on different sides of the river.  Came rise to to the pig thief's and river rats on my side and the farmers, good folk, on the other.

When tracking back ancestors the family name may have been given at at a time of Knighthood or to used to disguise their allegiance to England.   Never realised until I and family went searching that we were from the Lindsey family,   now we have to research them and how 3 brothers were knighted, darn they must have been interesting brothers.

Much fun, what is in our DNA, why are all members so different in one family ????

Check out old time census records, land grants and the earliest news papers in your area.  A good bet is the Civil war records on the woman that received Government pentions for dead husbands or son in the war.

Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: CG6468 on August 27, 2011, 03:10:40 PM
We received my FIL's military file today. Very interesting, but no description of the 100% USCG manned Navy ships that transported the SEABEEs to and from the South Pacific. He was on such vessels, both going to and coming from Tinian Island., from which the airfield he helped build was used by the ENOLA GAY when it took off to drop the A-bomb in Japan. I found that out from a different source, though.

I've found very little history - almost none - about the 13th Naval Construction Battalion, particularly in WWII. They did receive a unit commendation.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: JGHB on September 11, 2011, 09:48:17 AM
Thanks much Boudicca!  You're so right about the bad info; I'm finding far too much conflicting stuff that I know can't be right.

I want to do the DAR thing for my daughter and granddaughter.  Hopefully, it may help with a scholarship for the little one some day.

We found out after the fact that our daughter would have been eligible for a DAR scholarship.  It certainly would have helped with her tuition.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: delilahmused on September 11, 2011, 05:28:32 PM
We found out after the fact that our daughter would have been eligible for a DAR scholarship.  It certainly would have helped with her tuition.

My grandmother was a DAR member too so most of the genealogy has been done for me on my maternal grandparent's side. I need to start on my paternal grandmother's side before she's gone. She remembers her grandparents.

Cindie
Title: Very in to it now..........
Post by: ollie on December 20, 2011, 12:10:04 PM
It all started about 15 years ago when as a lark, I researched the unidentified writer of a civil war diary. Long story short I  became entranced by his entries, the guy could really turn a phrase. I discovered his identity and got so interested I decided to research his entire life. I received his service record and pension record from the national archives and traveled all over Pennsylvania and lower New York state looking for hints on this guy. Well I did it, I covered his whole life from 1834 to 1922. In the end I discovered he was buried in an unmarked grave adjacent to his wife who had predeceased him. I applied to the VA and got him a head stone. I just had to pay the cemetery to plant it. Fitting end to a great project.

When I started, I had a fair to middling idea of what to do, though I had never done geneological research before. At any rate the bug bit me and I decided to do my own family. Problem was I ran into road blocks immediately. I asked my father questions about our Irish roots and was rebuffed with "Why, for all you know, our ancestors may be nothing but bog runners and horse thieves.." I told him I didn't care, that I thought we should do it anyway. So I joined ancestry.com and began to discover a bit of my family past.

It has proved to be very interesting. Especially because along the way, I discovered live German cousins in Europe (Mother's side) and Irish cousins here in the states from my great grandmother's sister's side. I've met the German cousins (my mother's father's sister's branch) and just last week was contacted by my Irish Grandmother's side. She found me by checking out my tree on Ancestry.com looking for common ancestors. We are making arrangements to meet in the spring. My sister and I are looking forward to it.

In the meantime, I'm still searching. I discovered one thing that threw me off, now life should be easier. My Irish grandfather had changed the spelling of his last name. Using the older spelling, I see that there are a lot more records out there, of which I was previously unaware. I feel like a detective solving a mystery.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: CG6468 on December 20, 2011, 02:37:04 PM
I found different spellings of the names of my mom's family, my dad's mother, my wife's father's and mother's names, etc. It can be a real headache, particularly when a roadblock is encountered - like someone who will not supply any info under any circumstances.

My uncle - my dad's brother - died in 2006, and no one even told me. I found out about it on the Social Security Death Index, with some further info from the company he and my dad worked for.

There is no communication from my aunt's family (my dad's sister) either, and I keep checking the SSDI for her name.

My wife's family is another very reluctant source of info.

When I think back to when my grandmothers were alive, they would have been thrilled to share their histories with me. Now, even all those old family Bibles are missing.

Through my digging, however, I now have over 7400 people listed in my family tree, all the way back to ~1580.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: whiffleball on December 23, 2011, 05:31:30 AM
The name changes have made things difficult for me.  One side dropped the 'e', the other exchange a middle 't' for 'd'.

I've also run into a marriage that records only 'Indian woman' as the wife.

This research has made me very sorry that I didn't sit down with my late uncle and talk with him about his Death March experience.  Right after my father died my uncle suddenly and unexpedtedly began to speak of it.  I was too wound up in my grief to do much beyond being struck that I'd never heard the story.  Hopefully, one of my cousins were there for him to listen if and when he wanted to talk again.

edited for horrible spelling

Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: JohnnyReb on December 23, 2011, 08:05:21 AM
15 years ago, a distant relative I never knew about called and asked about my new born son, he was doing a family tree book. My son was the last entry in that book and the fellow even sent him a silver baby spoon with his name on it. Well, we all around here bought a copy of a very thick book he had made. We had a big family get together with everyone in this area with our last name. The fellow came and pointed out some...uh...rather interesting family ancestors.

He had traced our family tree back to 2 brothers that had come to this area with The Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. They returned with their families(1788 I think it was) at the end of the war and now over 5,000 people scattered all over the U.S. can trace their ancestry back to them. I did a little research on why here and learned some things I never knew. While Andrew Jackson is mentioned in the book, he was not blood kin and this area had a large Mennonite community that had sided with the king. The Mennonites were forced to leave after the revolution thus opening up a lot of land around here. The Mennonites moved to Nova Scotia.

Another cousin of mine got interested and traced the family tree on back to the first one to come over in 1635....and he was married to a XXXXXXXX which must have been a pretty good family because my grandmother and two more great grandmother whatevers were from that family tree.

My family tree has quite a few dead limbs in it caused by wars ranging from before The Revolutionary War until Viet Nam but none since then. The military service records read like a U.S, history book, French and Indian Wars, Revolutionary War (can't nail it down but one may have been one of the first MARINES. He is listed as serving on a ship under Capt. XXXXXX  a year after their formation), War of 1812, Mexican/American War (my Grandmothers family tree has a relative that died at the Alamo), Civil War but some would say they were on the wrong side(couple of graves in the church cemetery with CSA markers on them...and Sherman burned the local courthouse with all their enlistment/military records), Spanish American War, WW1, China, WW2, Korean War, Viet Nam, Granada, Iraq. ....and they fought and died in some of the most important battles we have ever fought.

I knew very little of my mothers family tree but a few years ago someone did it and it pretty much reads the same way. Enough so that I want to use DUmmies as sandbags in the next great war.

...and just to be honest. There are a few spotted clans of us scattered around that were started by rogues, scoundrels and down right crooks/criminals that moved away to avoid the long arm of the law.

An older fellow told me this 50+ years ago, "Best you don't shake your family tree to hard. There's no telling what might fall out of it." :-)

 
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: CG6468 on December 23, 2011, 09:56:10 AM
An older fellow told me this 50+ years ago, "Best you don't shake your family tree to hard. There's no telling what might fall out of it." :-)

For sure. I found relatives on both sides for my wife and me who died in insane asylums, alms houses (poor houses), bar fights - we're an interesting bunch!  :-)
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: Jasonw560 on December 10, 2012, 01:07:42 PM
I started last month. Since I am adopted, I am researching 3 different trees. My adopted mom, my biological grandmother and grandfather on my BMom's side.

I don't know how the SAR thing works, but I could apply.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: BigTex on December 10, 2012, 01:30:58 PM
My stepmom does genealogy, shes actually related to my mom way back on the family tree. My mom's side of the family came to America in 1618 on the pilgrim ship Neptune and settled in Texas just before the Texas Revolution some of which fought and died in it specifically in the back bean incident. My Dad's side of the family came to Texas just after the Texas revolution and more after the civil war. One of note is Dr. Colley for which the north Texas city of Colleyville is named. Thats about all I know of my family. Ill probably do some more research when I have more time on my hands.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: CG6468 on December 11, 2012, 11:47:58 AM
My family came from Sweden (paternal) and Germany (maternal.) My wife's came from Germany and Ireland.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: Dori on December 11, 2012, 12:09:48 PM
I love working on geneaology.  It's like finding treasure when you find a familly connection.   :-)

So far, all mine have come from Europe, although there is family legends that I have American Indian, on both sides ?????
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: CG6468 on December 11, 2012, 12:13:17 PM
I love working on geneaology.  It's like finding treasure when you find a familly connection.   :-)

So far, all mine have come from Europe, although there is family legends that I have American Indian, on both sides ?????

My wife MAY have some Indian and French in her background, both from Canada. Ours are 1 part Swedish, 2 parts German and 1 part Irish.

7729 individuals, back to about 1560.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: Dori on December 11, 2012, 12:25:17 PM
My wife MAY have some Indian and French in her background, both from Canada. Ours are 1 part Swedish, 2 parts German and 1 part Irish.

7729 individuals, back to about 1560.

I have one from Amsterdam that died at sea in 1658.  His wife and sons lived in New Holland (now New York).   Part of the research is learning about the area they lived in and the customs/politics of the day.  As you go from generation to generation you learn a lot about just how this country was formed.

Oh and another one I have was the second wife of William Bradford from the Mayflower.  Bradford isn't my ancestor as his wife was a widow with two sons. She was British, but came from the Netherlands as one of the familys that had fled England because of religious persecution.

Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: CactusCarlos on December 11, 2012, 01:07:08 PM

Now that I've started it has become addictive and time consuming.  Luckily, on Ancestry I'm finding some interesting stories behind the names.


Just wait until you find yourself at graveyards taking pictures of the headstones and posting them online!  :-)

(My wife got into genealogy a few years ago - she does this.  :whatever:)
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: whiffleball on December 11, 2012, 01:12:43 PM
I'm glad to see more stories here.  I love hearing the finds people make in their research.  It's all fascinating.

And, CC^, I'm already taking photos of headstones, just not posting yet.  :)
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: CG6468 on December 11, 2012, 05:44:44 PM
One of my Swedish ancestors also died at sea.
Title: Re: Geneaology - Anybody into it?
Post by: Shooterman on January 19, 2013, 04:34:21 PM
Every family history is different. My fifth great grandfather  and his double brother in law, fought at King's Mountain under Col Sevier. who later became the first governor of Tennessee. They were all members of the Wautauga Association, which numbered somewhere probably between 1500 and 2000 families, all having followed the aforementioned brother in law of George to the settlements along the James River. William, the brother in law and his wife were the first settlers in Tennessee, Then part of the Indian Lands of North Carolina. Lydia, George's sister gave birth to the first white child born in Tennessee. George's wife, Elizabeth, my fifth great grandmother was the sister of William.

George's grandfather probably came here as an indentured servant. George and William ran with the Boone's, hunting, fishing, and fighting Indians.

When Cornwallis sent Patrick Ferguson south to secure the southern flank, Ferguson, being somewhat of an arrogant chap, issued a warning to the Southrons, lay down your arms and swear allegiance to the King or hang, The Wautauga men took umbrage, marched over the mountains, caught Ferguson at King's Mountain. whupped them badly and hung all the officers including Ferguson. They split the force, some going on to Cowpens and other fights, the rest marching back over the mountains to defend the settlements from marauding Cherokees, who, BTW, were allies of the Redcoats.

Jesse, George's grandson, my third great grandfather, fought at New Orleans with Andy Jackson. Later his son James was born in 1824, and the family moved to Arkansas in 1836. I believe they planned on coming to Texas, but  there was a small fracas in the doing, so they settled in Arkansas where Jesse died in 1843. James moved the family, including his concubine/s, mistress/s, or whatever his wife may have called her or them ( she/they were her sister/s ) to what is now Huntington, TX, about 100 miles north of where I live. He fought with Hood's Brigade in the War of Northern Aggression, which suffered many casualties in the war. He is buried in Huntington along with his wife, Susan Caroline.

In backtracking the family, I almost did not find Jesse, and his father before him and George before him. Genealogy can be fun, exasperating, wonderful, frustrating, even all in the same day.