Monday, October 31, 2016

Saturday, October 8, 2016

On Ships They Came: SS Zeeland

 
Built in 1900, she was the sister ship to Vaderland. During WWI she served as a troop carrier, then was converted back to  passenger ship in 1916.  She continued service as a passenger ship under different ownership and names until she was  sold and scrapped in 1930.


At the age of 15, Anton (Thomas) Kollain sailed by himself on the SS Zeeland of the Red Star Line, departing Antwerp on March 5th, 1910, and arriving in New York on March 15th.  He was temporarily detained as a "Likely Public Charge" until claimed by his parents, Ignatz & Maria Kollain, who arrived in 1909 on the the SS Kroonland (a near sister ship of the Zeeland) and were already residing in New York.
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Sunday, September 18, 2016

Annie Cassingham (1888-1957) of Gravesend, Kent


Annie Cassingham
daughter of John Edward & Charlotte (Hearn) Cassingham 

A dressmaker and the last of three spinster sisters that resided at 68 Kent Rd, Gravesend, Kent. The other two sisters were Alice who died in 1945 and Louisa, a children's nurse, who died in 1949. Albert Odian Cassingham was her nephew, son of her oldest brother, George, who passed in 1938.

 England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966

Stone House Hospital
 (photo: wikipedia)
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Tuesday, August 30, 2016

John Warburton (1776-1857)


5th Great Grandparent
John Warburton 
b. 28 Oct 1778 Stand, Pilkington, Lancashire, England
son of George & Esther Warburton
m. Lydia Sandiford  28 Dec 1795 
Had 12 children; 10 living to adulthood
d. 2 Apr 1857 Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England
buried: Trowbridge Cemetery

by John Thompson, published by H.G.R. Brooks, sold by E. Fowler, after T.G. Brooks
stipple engraving, published October 1832
NPG D37481
© National Portrait Gallery, London
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Sunday, August 14, 2016

William W Underwood (1889-1971) WWI Veteran


William Walter Underwood
b. 22 Sept 1889 in Carlinville, Macoupin, Illinois
son of Joseph Hamilton & Rachel (Howard) Underwood

Willamette National Cemetery
Oregon
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Friday, July 15, 2016

Time to Volunteer & Give Back to the Genealogical Community

 It's indexing time!
 "72 hours of Indexing" on FamilySearch.com starts now. 
"Limber up your fingers and get ready to engage in some intense typing action — or just some mild to moderate typing action, if you’d prefer. Whatever amount you do, you’ll be a big part of a big effort to make the world’s records searchable. Ready to begin?"                  
Let's Go!


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Sunday, July 10, 2016

Occupation: Linen Draper


An ancestor's occupation as described in a vellum Indenture: 
Mortgage of 130 acres of marshlands and premises situate in the Level of West Maytham in the Parish of Rolvenden, Kent for securing £250 at 5 per cent dated 17 July 1705, Thomas Sharpe, Linen Draper of the ancient town of Rye, Sussex, to Mrs Elizabeth Collington

Draper: originally a term for a retailer or wholesaler of cloth that was mainly for clothing; dealer in fabrics

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Monday, July 4, 2016

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Friday, June 3, 2016

1937 Wedding announcement for Orien Casteel & Josie (Cox) Jackson


Orien Grover Casteel
b.12 Mar 1888
son of James Polk & Arra A (Bacon) Casteel

November 7, 1937 - Daily Illinois State Journal (Springfield, Illinois)

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Monday, May 30, 2016

Memorial Day


 Remembering those who have died while serving our country.

Freedom Is Not Free



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Sunday, May 1, 2016

Will of Rose (Kollain) Filock (1888-1921) of Jamesburg, New Jersey


Finally, I was able to find a record relating to the death of Rose (Kollain) Filock who died in 1921 due to complications from childbirth, but no death record could be located in the New Jersey archives.  The addition of wills and probate records on ancestry.com has finally provided me with the source record I've been seeking.  Click on the images below to read Rose's short will,  probated 4 May 1921.

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Sunday, April 17, 2016

Ireland Under Martial Law, 1916-1921

Announcement from Findmypast: Explore Ireland under martial law
Discover how your ancestors were affected by the Easter Rising and Irish War of Independence in the biggest collection of British War Office records relating to the events of 1916-1921 ever released. These 75,000 fascinating records are are free to view on Findmypast until 27 April, and vividly expose the brutality of life on the streets under martial law in Ireland.

Search for free

Thursday, April 14, 2016

This Day in History - Assassination of Abraham Lincoln






On this day in history in 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth while attending a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.  Just five days earlier, the commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, General Robert E. Lee, surrendered to Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant and the Union Army of the Potomac, and the Civil War was drawing to a close.

Click Image to enlarge  (Source: Archives.com)

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Finding Family History in Local History Collections

Using the University of Illinois Illinois Harvest website's online collection of State and County local histories, I was able to search by County name and locate the following book:    

"Portrait and biographical record of Macoupin County, Illinois : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, together with biographies of all the governors of the state, and of the presidents of the United States" 

Published in 1891, this book is available in electronic format. Clicking on the link on the search result page takes me directly to the Archive.org reader and there I found the following biography on our Casteel relation:

(p.220)

(p221)

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Monday, April 4, 2016

1935 Rhode Island State Census Record for Henry Lefebvre


Henry Lefebvre 
b 16 May 1907 in Rochester, NY
 son of Horace and Philomene (Thibault) Lefebvre

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Monday, March 28, 2016

Étienne Truteau and Adrienne Barbier


Plaque honoring 
 Étienne Truteau and Adrienne Barbier,
 our 9th great-grandparents,
 located in Montréal, Quebec.

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Sunday, March 27, 2016

Monday, March 14, 2016

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Fairfax Genealogical Society Annual Conference



FxGS Annual Spring Conference

The Fairfax Genealogical Society invites you to join us for our annual spring conference: “Strategies for Researching in the U.S. and Europe”. This major event will be 1 & 2 April 2016 at the The Westin Tysons Corner, 7801 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, Virginia.     
Quick Links

For more information click here: FxGS

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Monday, February 15, 2016

Rose M Wehnes & John Wilkins Brand


Rose M. Wehnes
b. 9 Jan 1913
daughter of Fritz P. & Mary Ann (Welcheck) Wehnes
Married John Wilkins ("Wilks") Brand
 
***
December 1933 Marriage Record
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
(click image to enlarge)

***

Newbury Center Cemetery
Cuyahoga, Ohio
(findagrave.com)
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Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Tombstone Tuesday: Joseph Colbush


Joseph Colbush
b. 11 Feb 1901
Son of George & Pauline Kolbush

(photo from findagrave.com)

Beverly National Cemetery
Burlington County, New Jersey
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Friday, January 22, 2016

1712 Baptism Record for Mary Munn



From the Tyler Index to Parish Registers, 1538-1874; Frank Watt Tyler. The Tyler Collection. Canterbury, Kent, England: The Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies:


(click image to enlarge)


It is important to recognize that the baptism date for Mary Munn is recorded as 1711/2 Jan 4, and to understand that between 1582 and 1752, two calendars were in use in Europe (and in European colonies).
To avoid misinterpretation, both the "Old Style" and "New Style" year was often used in English and colonial records for dates falling between the new New Year (January 1) and old New Year (March 25), a system known as "double dating" and are usually identified by a slash mark [/] breaking the "Old Style" and "New Style" year as seen in the above record.
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Thursday, January 7, 2016

Free Guest Access to NEHGS Databases


An Exciting Announcement from the New England Historic Genealogical Society:

Free Access to NEHGS Databases
"Just getting started in genealogy? Or are you ready to take your research to the next level? Whatever your background, the experts at NEHGS are committed to helping you achieve your genealogical goals in 2016!

This month we are providing free Guest User access to some of our most popular databases. A free Guest User account is a great way to sample what NEHGS has to offer, including informational subject guides on a variety of research topics, engaging webinars, and the latest research news and tips from our experts.

NEHGS has the resources, experts, and services you need to make this your most successful year of family history ever. Here's to continued new beginnings in 2016!"
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Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Wedding Wednesday: 1871 Marriage License published for Samuel Casteel


Samuel Casteel 
son of Benjamin F. & Annie (Crews/Cruze) Casteel 
&
Mary Jane Smith

24 Oct 1871
Knoxville Daily Chronicle
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Tuesday, January 5, 2016

1891 Reflections on New Year Resolutions


2 January 1891
Trenton Evening Times
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Friday, January 1, 2016

Happy New Year!



Ringing in 2016 with Best Wishes for this New Year!
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