Five inches of snow this last weekend and weather in the low 20's with a wind chill of 5 degrees and it's time to review my family tree and other genealogy projects. The wood-stove is fired up and the weatherlady says that we could see a foot or more of snow here this weekend.
So during the day it's time to check the generator and snow blower again. Make sure the shovels are where they are supposed to be and that the fluids are topped off on the vehicles.
Last winter the huge amount of snow made a mess of my roof and I had to have a new roof installed and several thousands of dollars of water damage repaired inside my home. This year I'm adding a roof rake to my arsenal so I can reach more of the Cape Cod style home's roof.
I think an extra propane for the grill might be a good idea too.
So the title of this rambling should be my plans during the day and my plans for the evenings! Genealogy in front of a nice warm fire with a hot cup of tea or coffee in the evenings and winter storm preparations during the day.
So folks, let's get back to it. Take advantage of this cold weather and take another look at your genealogy. Try to figure out that brick wall. Find that long lost person from your bygone past and give them life again by remembering them forever with genealogy!
Showing posts with label genealogy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label genealogy. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Thursday, November 21, 2013
A Lithuanian Family with Eight Last Names. An Ode to Phonetics?
Not Really. But thanks to American record keeping of the late 1890's and early 1900's a simple Lithuanian family looking for a better life in the USA had their name spelled many different ways. The Gintautas family; John and Victoria arrived in the US about 1894, based on information from the 1900 US Census.
The family, settled in Somerville Massachusetts; on a short narrow street that splits the Somerville and Cambridge line near where the stockyards and slaughterhouses would have been in an area now known as the Boynton Yards.
The family, settled in Somerville Massachusetts; on a short narrow street that splits the Somerville and Cambridge line near where the stockyards and slaughterhouses would have been in an area now known as the Boynton Yards.
Between 1897 and 1905 John and Victoria had 6 children; Anthony in 1897 (who only lived one day), Joseph in 1899 (who only lived one day), John in 1900, Amelia in 1902, Paul in 1903 and Joseph in 1905.
On various documents their last name is listed (or transcribed) as Gientoft, Gintautas, Gintaut, Ginter, Gintot, Gintoff, Ginto and Tinton.
Interesting to note is that the children born prior to 1900 are listed in birth records as Gintaut and the children born after 1900 are listed as Ginto and Gintoff.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
World War II Military Records
Update, 14 February 2014
My client; Benjamin Rauch has published a tribute page for the soldier in this blog. The soldiers name is Walter Cuichnowicz and he was assigned to G Company, 328th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division (Yankee Division) Here is the link to Benjamin's tribute page (Look on the map for the Yankee Division patch and click on it)(The one on the Rauch Page, not the one in my blog ;-)
Benjamin is a French Citizen and English is not his first language, so we will be tweaking his tribute over time.
Walter died in 2005 in Newton MA and is buried in the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne, Massachusetts. Here is his memorial on Findagrave.com
A special thanks to Len and Keith at the MA National Guard Museum and Archives which just moved from Worcester to Concord, MA over the summer for their assistance with my research.
Locating the owner of a WW2 Wool Coat. Using the shoulder patch and laundry mark?
How many times have you tried to find WW2 records only to turn up empty handed? Frustrating at best! Many folks I have spoken with find this to be the biggest time period brickwall that they encounter.
We are blessed here in Massachusetts to have the Massachusetts National Guard Museum and Archives, which is currently settling into it's new home at the Concord MA National Guard Armory.
I recently located the owner of a military coat that was found in France. The soldier who lost the coat was a member of G Company, 328th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division; and was wounded by shrapnel in November 1944 near Metz France. He survived to be discharged from the Army in 1945 from Cushing General Hospital in Framingham, Massachusetts.
Starting with a photograph of a wool coat and a laundry mark (first letter of last name and last 4 of the service number) I was able to locate the soldier, who surely nearly lost his life, that day in France.
I have updated the soldiers Find A Grave web page and the owner of the wool coat is in the process of building a tribute page for the soldier. Unfortunately the soldier died in 2005.
More research to determine if any surviving relates is in in progress. At some point I will provide the links to these pages, however I have decided to fold off until it is determined if other family members exist.
During my research I was able to limit the number of possible soldiers to four. Two served in different units and that left two from Massachusetts. Thanks to the MA NG Museum and Archives, it was very quick and easy to locate the correct soldier.
My client; Benjamin Rauch has published a tribute page for the soldier in this blog. The soldiers name is Walter Cuichnowicz and he was assigned to G Company, 328th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division (Yankee Division) Here is the link to Benjamin's tribute page (Look on the map for the Yankee Division patch and click on it)(The one on the Rauch Page, not the one in my blog ;-)
Walter died in 2005 in Newton MA and is buried in the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne, Massachusetts. Here is his memorial on Findagrave.com
A special thanks to Len and Keith at the MA National Guard Museum and Archives which just moved from Worcester to Concord, MA over the summer for their assistance with my research.
**************
Locating the owner of a WW2 Wool Coat. Using the shoulder patch and laundry mark?
How many times have you tried to find WW2 records only to turn up empty handed? Frustrating at best! Many folks I have spoken with find this to be the biggest time period brickwall that they encounter.
We are blessed here in Massachusetts to have the Massachusetts National Guard Museum and Archives, which is currently settling into it's new home at the Concord MA National Guard Armory.
I recently located the owner of a military coat that was found in France. The soldier who lost the coat was a member of G Company, 328th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division; and was wounded by shrapnel in November 1944 near Metz France. He survived to be discharged from the Army in 1945 from Cushing General Hospital in Framingham, Massachusetts.
Starting with a photograph of a wool coat and a laundry mark (first letter of last name and last 4 of the service number) I was able to locate the soldier, who surely nearly lost his life, that day in France.
I have updated the soldiers Find A Grave web page and the owner of the wool coat is in the process of building a tribute page for the soldier. Unfortunately the soldier died in 2005.
More research to determine if any surviving relates is in in progress. At some point I will provide the links to these pages, however I have decided to fold off until it is determined if other family members exist.
During my research I was able to limit the number of possible soldiers to four. Two served in different units and that left two from Massachusetts. Thanks to the MA NG Museum and Archives, it was very quick and easy to locate the correct soldier.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
United States Rail Road Retirement Board (RRB) Records
Did your relative or genealogy brickwall work for the railroad? If so we may be able to locate their retirement benefits records. The process is a little convoluted, but it requires checking with the US RRB to see if the have the records (full-time employees after 1936). The RRB provides retirement benefits much like Social Security does.
RRB files that have been inactive for more that seven years have been transferred to the National Archives & Records Administration (NARA). Unfortunately, you have to check with the RRB first so they can look up the file number, and then check with NARA.
All in all it is a bit of a process but the possible genealogy information these records may contain could be worth the trouble.
A recent file I pulled included marriage and birth records as well as other information that was unknown to my client and led us to research in a somewhat different direction.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Roots Tech 2013 and the Genlighten Brochure
Someday... I would love to attend rootstech. Anyone that knows me, knows I am a techie. I always have been all they way "back in the day" in Ohio when my cousin Danny Zix and I used to fool around with old radios. As a matter of fact, you may not know that I hold Amateur Radio License KA1TTG. I told you I was a techie.
So rootstech is a genealogy techies heaven on earth. I really hope to go next year.
But, that's not why we are here. I do a lot of record pulls on the Genlighten website. Cyndy and Dean are really great folks and I have worked with some really great clients on Genlighten. Genlighten used my profile page on their brochure that they will be handing out at rootstech in Salt Lake City on March 21-23rd.
If you are looking for a really great place to find a genealogist that can help you find the records you need, then you should stop by Genlighten and have a look around. I'm sure you find someone with the expertise that can track down the records you need to solve your genealogy brick wall!
So rootstech is a genealogy techies heaven on earth. I really hope to go next year.
But, that's not why we are here. I do a lot of record pulls on the Genlighten website. Cyndy and Dean are really great folks and I have worked with some really great clients on Genlighten. Genlighten used my profile page on their brochure that they will be handing out at rootstech in Salt Lake City on March 21-23rd.
If you are looking for a really great place to find a genealogist that can help you find the records you need, then you should stop by Genlighten and have a look around. I'm sure you find someone with the expertise that can track down the records you need to solve your genealogy brick wall!
Maine Vital Records and the Maine CDC Genealogy Research Card
Maine has recently made some changes to the availability of their vital records. Vital records are records related to the birth, marriage and death (BMD) of a person. Maine has recently restricted all BMD vital records less than 100 years old.
You must be the person on the record, parents of the person or a direct descendant to receive a certified copy of a BMD record. Luckily, Genealogy Researchers who posses a Maine Genealogy Research Card, issued by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control can receive un-certified copies of all BMD records.
The records can be procured through different locations based on the time frame.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services Office of Vital Records; located in Augusta has all BMD records from 1923 to present. They also have Divorce records from 1892 to present.
The Maine State Archives, also located in Augusta have all BMD records from 1892-1922.
Records for all dates may also be located at the local level as another option for procuring the records.
I posses a Maine CDC Genealogy Research Card and I would be happy to locate those BMD & D records for you in Maine.
For more information see my section on ordering Maine records.
You must be the person on the record, parents of the person or a direct descendant to receive a certified copy of a BMD record. Luckily, Genealogy Researchers who posses a Maine Genealogy Research Card, issued by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control can receive un-certified copies of all BMD records.
The records can be procured through different locations based on the time frame.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services Office of Vital Records; located in Augusta has all BMD records from 1923 to present. They also have Divorce records from 1892 to present.
The Maine State Archives, also located in Augusta have all BMD records from 1892-1922.
Records for all dates may also be located at the local level as another option for procuring the records.
I posses a Maine CDC Genealogy Research Card and I would be happy to locate those BMD & D records for you in Maine.
For more information see my section on ordering Maine records.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Family History Library Look Ups; Using All Available Records!
One of the best ways to locate genealogy records is through the use microfilms from familysearch.org
Many genealogy records have been microfilmed and they are available for ordering from the Family Search website. These can be valuable because it allows you to research and locate a record that you might otherwise not be able to access.
For example I was researching a family in Michigan and I was trying to verify a birth year of the Great Grandmother in the family. "Betty" is listed in the 1930 and 1940 US Census as being 9 and 20 respectively. So we know she was born about 1921.
Preliminary research results in the SSDI determines their are two Betty's born in that county in Michigan. One Betty was born in 1920 and the other in 1921.
Here is the link to the Family Search Catalog - It will open in a new window.
I went to Family Search, clicked on "Catalog" and entered the search term of Michigan, Alcona (Alcona is the county) and then searched. I scrolled to the vital records and found that the birth records from 1869 - 1953 have been filmed from the county courthouse located in Harrisonville, Michigan.
If you will recall the Betty I am looking for was born in 1920 or 1921. Film 963959 would contain those years.
At that point I would order the correct film online from the website and then wait for it to be delivered to my local Family History Center. I would then go there when they are open and view the record and photograph it or whatever for recovering the correct image.
I have about a week to ten days to wait for delivery of the film. I have to pay $7.50 for a short term loan or $18.50 for a long term loan. I then have to take the time and gasoline to get to my local FHC which is 20 miles each way from my home. In this part of MA if I locate the record as soon as I view the film, then I am looking at about 2 hours of my time and maybe more if the weather or traffic isn't cooperating.
Plan B?
I have affiliated researchers in SLC at the FHL that will assist in doing lookups right from the film in the library.
Many genealogy records have been microfilmed and they are available for ordering from the Family Search website. These can be valuable because it allows you to research and locate a record that you might otherwise not be able to access.
For example I was researching a family in Michigan and I was trying to verify a birth year of the Great Grandmother in the family. "Betty" is listed in the 1930 and 1940 US Census as being 9 and 20 respectively. So we know she was born about 1921.
Preliminary research results in the SSDI determines their are two Betty's born in that county in Michigan. One Betty was born in 1920 and the other in 1921.
Here is the link to the Family Search Catalog - It will open in a new window.
I went to Family Search, clicked on "Catalog" and entered the search term of Michigan, Alcona (Alcona is the county) and then searched. I scrolled to the vital records and found that the birth records from 1869 - 1953 have been filmed from the county courthouse located in Harrisonville, Michigan.
If you will recall the Betty I am looking for was born in 1920 or 1921. Film 963959 would contain those years.
At that point I would order the correct film online from the website and then wait for it to be delivered to my local Family History Center. I would then go there when they are open and view the record and photograph it or whatever for recovering the correct image.
I have about a week to ten days to wait for delivery of the film. I have to pay $7.50 for a short term loan or $18.50 for a long term loan. I then have to take the time and gasoline to get to my local FHC which is 20 miles each way from my home. In this part of MA if I locate the record as soon as I view the film, then I am looking at about 2 hours of my time and maybe more if the weather or traffic isn't cooperating.
Plan B?
I have affiliated researchers in SLC at the FHL that will assist in doing lookups right from the film in the library.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
The Hunt for Mary Louise Smith; Dearborn County Indiana
Dearborn County, Indiana has a great library in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. The Lawrenceburg Public Library has an obituary index right on their Genealogy website. http://www.lpld.lib.in.us/history.htm A quick check of the last name of Cormican turns up four hits. The first two are unrelated, but two are for Mary Louise Cormican and Mrs. Hugh D Cormican. Hugh Cormican was the husband of Mary Louise Smith so the last two obituaries are probably going to be for my Great Grandmother.
The index itself has a lot of information on it that helps build my confidence:
Lawrenceburg Public Library District Obituary Finder
Last Name: Cormican
First Name: Mary
Middle Name/Initial: Louise
Maiden Name: Smith
Date of Death: 10/25/1924
Birth Date: 09/20/1853
Spouse: Hugh
Survived By: husband;nine children;twenty-nine grandchildren; two sisters; one brother.
Other: was married Jan. 11, 1874. Preceded in death by one infant.
Cemetery: New Haven, OH
Obituary Source: Register Oct. 30, 1924, Register November 6, 1924, Press Oct. 30, 1924
Source Information:
Obituary File:
Other File:
There are also some clues above that may help me down the road, when I try to find her before she married Hugh.
Right on the Genealogy Page of the Lawrenceburg Public Library is their mailing address and the procedure to follow if you need copies ($1 per obit and a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope). An email address is provided if you have questions. So off goes the check for $3 and an SASE and we will see what we get back in the mail. The hardest part about genealogy is the waiting!
See you next Wednesday.
The index itself has a lot of information on it that helps build my confidence:
Lawrenceburg Public Library District Obituary Finder
Last Name: Cormican
First Name: Mary
Middle Name/Initial: Louise
Maiden Name: Smith
Date of Death: 10/25/1924
Birth Date: 09/20/1853
Spouse: Hugh
Survived By: husband;nine children;twenty-nine grandchildren; two sisters; one brother.
Other: was married Jan. 11, 1874. Preceded in death by one infant.
Cemetery: New Haven, OH
Obituary Source: Register Oct. 30, 1924, Register November 6, 1924, Press Oct. 30, 1924
Source Information:
Obituary File:
Other File:
There are also some clues above that may help me down the road, when I try to find her before she married Hugh.
Right on the Genealogy Page of the Lawrenceburg Public Library is their mailing address and the procedure to follow if you need copies ($1 per obit and a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope). An email address is provided if you have questions. So off goes the check for $3 and an SASE and we will see what we get back in the mail. The hardest part about genealogy is the waiting!
See you next Wednesday.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Back On the Hunt for Mary Louise Smith
For the last several weeks I have been talking about my Great-Grandmother, Mary Louise Smith Cormican. To recap, she married my grandfather in 1874 in Hamilton County, Ohio and I was unable to locate a record of their marriage other than an index entry on the Hamilton County Genealogical Society website.
A check of the US Census for 1860 and 1870 turned up several hundred Mary Smith's in Indiana. Since I looked at the US Census in 1900 and located Mary and Hugh in Harrison Township, Hamilton County, Ohio and it shows Mary has a date of birth of September 1853 and that she and her mother were born in Indiana and her father was born in Ohio. This still doesn't narrow the search down far enough as I still don't have the names of her parents, but I have now some hint that she was born in Indiana in September in about 1853.
Of course, the US census is only as good as the person reporting the information and the person writing it down. It is far from an exact science and the US Census should not be relied upon as your sole source of information.
Around 1920 Hugh and Mary moved to Miller Township in Dearborn County, Indiana and they were there during the 1920 US Census.
Here again, numerous family trees on Ancestry.com have Mary Louise listed as deceased in 1924, with no sources to support this information.
Strike Three?
Well, it was a foul tip, anyway. next week we can talk about where I went from here. See ya next Wednesday!
A check of the US Census for 1860 and 1870 turned up several hundred Mary Smith's in Indiana. Since I looked at the US Census in 1900 and located Mary and Hugh in Harrison Township, Hamilton County, Ohio and it shows Mary has a date of birth of September 1853 and that she and her mother were born in Indiana and her father was born in Ohio. This still doesn't narrow the search down far enough as I still don't have the names of her parents, but I have now some hint that she was born in Indiana in September in about 1853.
Of course, the US census is only as good as the person reporting the information and the person writing it down. It is far from an exact science and the US Census should not be relied upon as your sole source of information.
Around 1920 Hugh and Mary moved to Miller Township in Dearborn County, Indiana and they were there during the 1920 US Census.
Here again, numerous family trees on Ancestry.com have Mary Louise listed as deceased in 1924, with no sources to support this information.
Strike Three?
Well, it was a foul tip, anyway. next week we can talk about where I went from here. See ya next Wednesday!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
On the Hunt for Mary Louise Smith
Last week I talked about my Great Grandmother Mary Louise Smith. Mary Louise Smith married Hugh Daugherty Cormican in Hamilton County, Ohio.
According to the Hamilton County genealogical Society website: "On 24, March 1884 a great tragedy struck Cincinnati. A riot started that evening in the downtown area and resulted in the burning of the Hamilton County Courthouse. This fire destroyed many of the records that had been kept previously in the courthouse, one of which was marriage license applications and returns. Apparently many of the 'older' records (before 1860) were stored in another part of the courthouse and did not sustain as extensive damage as those from the period 1860 until March 1884."
The Hamilton County Genealogical Society has done a wonderful job compiling a database of alternate marriage records to compensate for those lost in the fire. They have an online index on their website.
I located a record entry with Mary L Smith and Hugh Corrigan (spelling) for that date with a code of CT4, which means it was in the Cincinnati Times Newspaper in 1873 or 1874. I contacted the Hamilton County Genealogical Society by mail and they were unable to locate their marriage record. When I contacted the Hamilton County Public Library in Cincinnati, they were unable to locate their wedding announcement in the newspaper.
Some of my relatives have their marriage date as 11 January 1874 and the very helpful staff at the library searched around that date to no avail. I am not sure where my fellow researchers acquired that date, There are seventeen family trees on Ancestry.com that have that date, but none of them have any source for the wedding date.
Strike Two! Next week I will write about my next steps.
According to the Hamilton County genealogical Society website: "On 24, March 1884 a great tragedy struck Cincinnati. A riot started that evening in the downtown area and resulted in the burning of the Hamilton County Courthouse. This fire destroyed many of the records that had been kept previously in the courthouse, one of which was marriage license applications and returns. Apparently many of the 'older' records (before 1860) were stored in another part of the courthouse and did not sustain as extensive damage as those from the period 1860 until March 1884."
The Hamilton County Genealogical Society has done a wonderful job compiling a database of alternate marriage records to compensate for those lost in the fire. They have an online index on their website.
I located a record entry with Mary L Smith and Hugh Corrigan (spelling) for that date with a code of CT4, which means it was in the Cincinnati Times Newspaper in 1873 or 1874. I contacted the Hamilton County Genealogical Society by mail and they were unable to locate their marriage record. When I contacted the Hamilton County Public Library in Cincinnati, they were unable to locate their wedding announcement in the newspaper.
Some of my relatives have their marriage date as 11 January 1874 and the very helpful staff at the library searched around that date to no avail. I am not sure where my fellow researchers acquired that date, There are seventeen family trees on Ancestry.com that have that date, but none of them have any source for the wedding date.
Strike Two! Next week I will write about my next steps.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
The 1940 US Census (Christmas in April)
The National Archives has an informational website up and running for the anticipated release of the 1940 US Census, slated for 2 April 2012. The link to the NARA site is: http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1940/
Their partner in this endeavor, Archives.com has a new website up, however it will not be live until 2 April 2012. Their website is http://1940census.archives.gov/
Indexing of the census will take a bit of time, however for most of us this will be like Christmas in April!
Their partner in this endeavor, Archives.com has a new website up, however it will not be live until 2 April 2012. Their website is http://1940census.archives.gov/
Indexing of the census will take a bit of time, however for most of us this will be like Christmas in April!
Friday, February 17, 2012
Geneabloggers Radio 17 February 2012
One of my favorite things to do on a cold Friday evening is to put my headphones on my laptop and listen to the online broadcast of Geneabloggers Radio. The common theme is blogging, genealogy and technology.
The program is normally hosted by Thomas MacEntee and is a blast to listen to. Some would say it is "Wonderful" <wink>. They even have a chat board to communicate with fellow genealogists.
This week's show is hosted by Dear Myrtle, and you can find more information on her website : Myrt hosts Geneabloggers!
The show is on at 9pm on Friday's. Tune in and give it a listen. You will not be disappointed!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
A Genealogy Brick Wall - Mary Louise Cormican
In my last post, I mentioned some of the family names I have worked on for my own personal genealogy quest. One of these is the Cormican's. My grandparents (on my mother's side) were Albert Trenary and Margaret Amy Cormican. Margaret Amy was the daughter of Hugh D Cormican and Mary Louise Cormican.
My research on the Cormican's has gone along fine, thanks to one of my cousins who has been working on this a very long time.
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The brick wall rears it's ugly head when I reveal the maiden name of Mary Louise Cormican. Her maiden name is Smith, Mary Louise Smith. Since Mary Louise died in 1924 and was born in 1853, it is difficult to track her down prior to her marriage, especially since her name is so common. There are literally hundreds of Mary Smith's in the US Census during that time with births of 1852-1854 in Indiana.
Strike One!
Next week, I will tell you what steps I have taken to resolve this brick wall.
I plan to release a new step or brick wall every Wednesday.
My research on the Cormican's has gone along fine, thanks to one of my cousins who has been working on this a very long time.
Margaret Amy Cormican Trenary
The daughter of Mary Louise
The brick wall rears it's ugly head when I reveal the maiden name of Mary Louise Cormican. Her maiden name is Smith, Mary Louise Smith. Since Mary Louise died in 1924 and was born in 1853, it is difficult to track her down prior to her marriage, especially since her name is so common. There are literally hundreds of Mary Smith's in the US Census during that time with births of 1852-1854 in Indiana.
Strike One!
Next week, I will tell you what steps I have taken to resolve this brick wall.
I plan to release a new step or brick wall every Wednesday.
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