Pages

Thursday, August 31, 2017

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2017 WEEK 33 HENRY LOVEJOY OF ANDOVER, MA.

My 7x great grandparents Henry Lovejoy and Sarah Farnum were 2nd cousins because they
were both descendants of my immigrant ancestor Ralph Farnum Sr. Apparently Henry led
an uneventful life since his entry in the family genealogy is mostly about his wife's family:


Henry Lovejoy 3 (son of William, 2 John 1 ). 1683-1776. 

3. Henry Lovejoy was born in Andover, Mass., November 27, 1683, and died in the year 1776, in his 94th year. He was buried February 2, 1776. He married Sarah Farnum, granddaughter of Elizabeth Holt and Ralph Farnum,  February 14, 1712. Sarah was born May 5, 1686, and was the daughter of Ralph Farnum 3 , born January 1, 1662, and his wife, Sarah Sterling; married October 9, 1685. Ralph 3 was the son of Ralph Farnum 2 , of Andover, and his wife, Elizabeth Holt, who was born March 30, 1636, in Newbury, and married October 26, 1658. Elizabeth was the daughter of Nicholas Holt, who came to Boston in the ' ' James, ' ' from Romsey, Hants County, England, June 3, 1635. He pro-ceeded to Newbury, where he was one of the first settlers and received his share of the allotments of land given to each settler. At Newbury he kept the first ferry near Holt 's Rocks. 


The children of Henry Lovejoy and Sarah Farnum were :
I. Sarah, b. November, 1712.
II. Henry, b. August 14, 1714.
III. David, b. October 10, 1715.
IV. Caleb, b. December 28, 1716.
V. Mary, b. December 17, 1718.
VI. Joshua, b. December 2, 1719.
VII. Martha, b. November 2, 1720.
VIII. William, b. January 1, 1721-2.
IX. William, b. April 16, 1723.
X. Stephen, b. June 7, 1724.
XL Jerusha, b. July 5, 1725.
XII. Abiel, b. February 24, 1731. 

 pp12-13
Genealogical record of John Lovejoy (1622-1917) of Andover, and his wife Mary Osgood of Ipswich, Massachusetts : also of their descendants  Anne Gide Johnson Denver Co. 1917

DAD AND HURRICANE CAROL

 ((Originally posted 31Aug 2016))

Today is the 63rd anniversary of Hurricane Carol, a Category 3 hurricane that hit New England
on 31 Aug 1954. Of the three hurricanes that I remember from being a kid, it's this one I remember the best.

When  Hurricane Carol hit New England  we were living at 37 Beach St in Malden and the nearby Linden Creek overflowed and flooded the street. My Dad was working in Boston and made it home by driving through the water in his tsn Pontiac right behind someone driving a motorboat. I can remember Vincent Corielli, our next door neighbors' oldest son yelling “Here comes Mr West in his submarine!” That was the same storm where the cellar flooded and mice were floating around on top of cardboard down there. That startled my Aunt Emily until Dad went down and stood on the cellar stairs and calmly sank the mice as they floated by him. (I heard about that from my Mom.)

The other two hurricanes I remember from back then were Flossy and Hazel. Hazel came a few
months after Carol, in October 1954 but wasn't as bad (in Malden at least) and Flossy was two years later in 1956. I think we were living in Dorchester by then. The main reason I remember Hurricanes Hazel and Flossy is because those were the names of two of my Dad's sisters, although we spelled it Flossie.

 I’m not going to claim that we had bigger, badder storms when I was growing up in the 1950's but we did have more hurricanes hit New England back then!

POMPEY LOVEJOY A "NEGRO SERVANT" AND OTHERS OF ANDOVER, MA.

There's a place in Andover, Ma. called "Pomp's Pond". It was named after was Pompey Lovejoy, but he is not one of my ancestors. Pompey Lovejoy was a "Negroe servant" to my 7x great granduncle Captain William Lovejoy.

Pomp was born in Boston around 1724 and was still a child when he moved to Andover with his master.  He married Rose Foster, a servant of another Andover resident, and in 1762 William Lovejoy granted him his freedom. Lovejoy even remembered him in his will,  stipulating that some of his land be given to Pompey where he could have a comfortable old age. The land chosen was near the pond which would eventually be named "Pomp's Pond" . Pomp Lovejoy died in 1826  at age 102. Rose was 99 years old when she died two years later.

Learning about Pomp Lovejoy prompted me to see if there were other African American "servants" owned by other of my Andover ancestors. So I went to the Andover page on Early Vital Records of Massachusetts From 1600 to 1850 website and looked at the Negroes listed in the Births, Marriages and Deaths columns:

BIRTHS:
Esther, d. Peter and Lydia, servants of Joshua Lovejoy, Nov. 19, 1788.
George, "a Molatto Boy, Servant to the Widow Farnum," bp. ––– ––, 1747.
Lydia, d. Peter and Lydia, Late Servants of Joshua Lovejoy, Aug. 20, 1787.
Nancy, "maid servant (a minor) to James Parker," bp. Feb. 8, 1756.


MARRIAGES:
SMITH, Alce, and Fortune, servants of Mr. Nathaniel Lovejoy, int. May 31, 1757.
Kate [servant of Mr. Moody Bridges. int.], and Pompey [late servant of Mr. Henry Phelps. int.], free negroes, Jan. 15, 1772.
Nan, servant to Capt. Joseph Osgood, and Primas, servant to Maj. John Osgood, Oct. 23, 1755.*
Pompey, and Rose, servants to Capt. [William. int.] Lovejoy, and John Foster, Dec. 26, 1751


DEATHS:
ABBOT, Phillip, a molatto, killed in Battle at Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775.
Primus, servant of Mr. Benjamin Stevens, jr., July 25, 1792, a. 72 y. 5 m. 16 d.
Dick, "servant of Daniel Osgood," Oct. 1, 1738.
LOVEJOY, Rose, wid. Pomp, Nov. 8, 1826, a. 99 y.
Tom, "that Lived With Ensin Ebenezer Osgood," Dec. 9, 1734.
COBURN, Titus, May 5, 1821, a. 81 y.



Titus Coburn, along with Phillip Abbot, were among  several African Americans who fought at Bunker Hill.

As you can see, there's about fifteen entries, mostly for "Negroes" owned by members of the
Lovejoy and Osgood families,  and some by other relatives, none of whom are my direct ancestors.

I always find writing about my ancestors who owned " Negroe servants" uncomfortable. But it's
part of my family history, part of New England's history, and part of American history.

It needs to be disclosed and discussed, no matter how uncomfortable it makes us feel.

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

THE NINTH ANNUAL GREAT GENEALOGY POETRY CHALLENGE

It's time to start thinking about the Ninth Annual Great Genealogy Poetry
Challenge!

As in the past, I'll be posting the links to the submissions on Thanksgiving Day,
which this year falls on Thursday, November 23rd. Deadline for submissions will be a week before, on Thursday, November 16th. That gives everyone nearly three months to find (or write) and share their poem or song. If you find one long before that deadline you can post it on your blog now, but don't forget to send me the link to it before November 16th!
   
These are the Challenge rules:

1. Find a poem by a  poet, famous or obscure, about the region
one of your ancestors lived in. It can be about an historical event, a
legend, a person, or even about some place (like a river)or a local
animal. It can even be a poem you or one of your ancestors have written.
0r, if you prefer, post the lyrics of a song or a link to a video of someone
performing the song.

2. Post the poem or song to your blog (remembering to cite the source
where you found it.).  If you wish to enter an older post, you may as long
as it has not appeared here in an earlier Poetry Challenge.

 3.Tell us how the subject of the poem or song relates to your ancestor's
home or life, or the area of the country where they lived.

4.Submit your post's link here to me by midnight Thursday, November 17th
and I'll publish all links to the entries on Thanksgiving Day, November 24th!

If  you submit a humorous poem or song that will be entered under the
"Willy Puckerbrush" division. Willy was the late geneablogger Terry
Thornton's alias for some humorous posts and comments.


There you have it. You have nearly three months to find your poem and post it to your
blogs. I will be waiting to see what you all find and share!

'THE GOVERNOR'S TREE"

I've written here before that a pear tree planted nearly 400 years ago by my 10x great grandfather Governor John Endicott  is still alive and bearing fruit in Danvers, Ma. Recently a news story
about it was the topic of some posts on Facebook and that prompted me to search the internet
to see what else I could find out about the tree.

What I found was a poem written 227 years ago, It's a long one, so I won't post it all here. You can read it in its entirety at Historical Collections of the Danvers Historical Society; Volumes 6-9.

There was a time in this country where Arbor Day was celebrated with ceremonies that included
speeches and sometimes poetry. Such an occasion was held in Danvers in 1890, which
Governor John Quincy Adams Brackett would attend  and then help plant an oak tree at Danver's
town hall.

Poetess Lucy Larcom wrote and may have recited a poem to commemorate the event, drawing
her inspiration from the story of Endicott's pear tree, which was nearly 250 years old in 1890:


                                                 THE GOVERNOR'S TREE
                                                                     ___
                                            Original Poem By Lucy Larcom
                                                                     ___
                               Written for the Danvers Improvement Society's Observation
                                                              of Arbor Day, 1890
                                                                      ____


                                                    Let us take a trip, in rhyme,
                                                     To the old Colonial time.

In his shallop, from the Bay,
Came the Governor one day,
Up the slow tide of the dreek,
On its inland shores to seek-
May be-just an hour of rest
From the homesick groups that pressed
Round him everywhere he went
In the new-born settlement.

Governors. we are aware,
Though they shirk no public care,
Thought they hold the people dear,
Do not always want them near;
Sometimes they may draw apart
From the crowd, to read itsheart.

Landing on a green slope's side,
Gazing round the region wide,
Over wind-swept forests free,
Down the inlet to the sea,
Quoth the Governor, "What harm,
If I here lay out my farm,
Plant my orchards, sow my maize,
and in peace live out my days?
In my little sloop sail down,
When I must, to Salem town,
Ruling the good folk as well
As I should with them dwell."

Grave old Governor Endicott
Always did the thing he thought-
Finished what he had begun-
Did it, if it could be done.

So this deed he pleased was wrought;
Birchwood for his farm he bought,
Where the yeoman felled his wood
Site whereon his mansion stood-
Shaded springwhereof he drank,
On the pleasant willow-bank;
By these tokens you may trace
Endicott's abiding-place.

Up and down his grape-vine walk,
Pacing silent, or in talk
With retainer, friend. or guest,
Or, perchance, with boyish zest,
Tasting some new-flavored fruit
That within his grounds had root-
Fancy paints the Governor
Who is best remembered for
Something all men do, who please ;
His delight was-planting trees.

Ms. Larcom then devotes several stanzas imagining Endicott and Governor Winthrop walking
about the grounds of Endicott's farm, perhaps eating pears:

Probably; we may suppose
That they did, since no one knows

After more stanzas which compare the growth of the nation to the growth of a tree, she returns
again to the subject of the poem:

Who would not be proud to say
Of the deed he does to-day,
If it be a worthy shoot
From an honorable root,
That, when centuries had passed,
Bloom and fruitage still wood last,-
Still a growing, breathing thing-
Autumn, with the heart of spring.

Such a wonder you may see;
For the patriarchal tree
Blossoms still,- the living thought
Of good Governor Endicott.
Fruit again this year to bear;
Honor to that brave old pear!

What our fathers did, we know;
Set out trees, and made them grow;
And their best bequests we find,
In the growths they left behind-
Trees of honor, faith and truth,
Vigorous with undying youth,
Blooming on and breathing, still
Freshness that no frost can kill.

The poem concludes with the hope that the oak tree Gov. Brackett would plant on Arbor Day
would have as long a life as Endicott's pear tree. (It didn't).

It still amazes me that there is a tree still living and thriving that my ancestor planted four
centuries ago!

Source: Historical Collections of the Danvers Historical Society; Volumes 6-9.   ,
Danvers Historical Society, Danvers, Ma, 1918. Pages 46-49

Monday, August 28, 2017

FINDMYPAST FRIDAY RELEASES FOR 25 AUGUST 2017

The August 25th releases fro Findmypast Friday include over 3.3 million new records from Canada,
Ireland and the United Kingdom:


BRAND NEW RECORDS:

Canada Census 1851

OVER 2.9 MILLION RECORDS  Explore census returns covering Quebec and Ontario (then united as the "Province of Canada") and the independent provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to discover where your ancestor lived, how they lived and who they lived with.
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »

Middlesex Protestation Returns 1641-42

OVER 870,000 RECORDS  Did your ancestor sign an oath to ‘live and die for the true Protestant religion, the liberties and rights of subjects and the privilege of Parliaments’? From parish to parish, all males over the age of 18 were asked to take this oath making these lists useful early census substitutes.
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »

London, Bunhill Fields Non-Conformist Burials 1713-1826 Browse

OVER 5,700 RECORDS  Was your English ancestor buried in London’s Bunhill Fields cemetery for non-conformists? Browse this collection of burial registers and monumental inscriptions to discover your ancestor’s age at death, death date, and burial date.
SEARCH THESE RECORDS

ADDITIONAL RECORDS FOR EXISTING SETS:

National Burial Index for England & Wales

New records: 173,801
Total records: 12,300,167
Covering: 190 locations across Wiltshire, 1530 – 1839
Discover: Birth year, death year, burial date, burial place, place of worship & denomination
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »



Wiltshire Baptisms Index 1530-1917

New records: 98,994
Total records: 2,893,898
Covering: 153 Bristol parishes
Discover: Birth date, baptism date, parish & parents’ names
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »


Irish Newspaper Update

New records: 105,642
Total records: Leitrim Advertiser
Covering: 1886, 1890-1899, 1901-1916
Discover: News articles, family notices, letters, obituaries, advertisements and more

SEARCH THESE RECORDS »

Scotland Registers & Records

New images: 10
Total records: 25,714
Covering: Social history, family histories, parish records and more
Discover: Publications about Scottish parishes & families
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »

Sunday, August 27, 2017

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2017 WEEK 32 WILLIAM LOVEJOY OF ANDOVER, MA.

My 8x great grandfather William Lovejoy was a  prominent man in the Andover town government and was also active in the religiouds community, as this entry from Anne Given Jackson's history of her branch of the Lovejoy fsmily shows:

William Lovejoy 2 (son of John 1 ). 1657-1748.
2. William Lovejoy was born in Andover, Mass., April 25, 1657. He married Mary Farnum, November 29, 1680. She was the granddaughter of Ralph Farnum, who came to Boston in 1638. Mary Farnum 's father, Thomas Farnum, and Elizabeth Gibbons were married in Andover, July 8, 1660. Elizabeth died August 26, 1683, and Thomas died January 1, 1685. 


The children of  William and Mary Farnum Lovejoy:
I. William, b. November 22, 1681 ; m. Sarah Frye, 1704-5. He d. 1762.
II. Henry, b. November 27, 1683 ; m., February 14, Sarah Farnum.
III. Mary, b. November 15, 1685. Ma,
IV. Alice, b. August 23, 1687.
V. Caleb, b. March 29, 1691 ; d. April 26, 1691.
VI. Samuel, b. April 10, 1693
VII. Lydia, b. April 29, 1699.
Deacon William Love joy signed the articles for settling the first church in South Andover in 1711. 


He was also surveyor and constable in 1694-5-6 and selectman in 1715.
 

Deacon William Lovejoy 2 died in Andover, Mass., July 9, 1748, in his 92d year.
pp11-12
Genealogical record of John Lovejoy (1622-1917) of Andover, and his wife Mary Osgood of Ipswich, Massachusetts : also of their descendants  Anne Gide Johnson Denver Co. 1917

He didn't leave a will although he did  use land deeds to convey land to his children. I'll have to se what I can find of those.

I'm descended from.William's son Henry..

Saturday, August 26, 2017

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2017 WEEK 31 JOHN LOVEJOY OF ANDOVER, MA. PT2

In my last post I showed an image of my ancestor John Lovejoy's will and commented it would take some time to transcribe it because of the deteriorated nature of the pages.



Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.) 17068:1

 But afterwards I found  an abstract by Charlotte Helen Abbott  in her research on the Lovejoy family. You can read it (and many more of her research papers) in the Abbott Genealogies at the Andover Memorial Hall Library website.

The abstract is somewhat disjointed which is to be expected considering the condition of the document:

John Lovejoy, (1) Sr., to Hannah, (2nd wife), what goods we have used-having lived comfortably together 13 yes., my desire she shall be made comfortable while she continues in this world, East end of house and cellar; corn, pork, cider,malt, apples, annually-(12 bushels of corn including six of
Indian; 3 of wheat, 3 of rye ) 1 cow; deliveries 1st day of May each year to milk- horse,and man to wait on her, etc., if she had rather go b the writing we made when she married me, do so instead.

William (2) has what I gave him already.  Christopher, 30 acres west side of grandson John etc he to pay a bequest to sister Sara or her children.


Nathe, the upland I bought of his brother, Ben, a bequest also to Abigail or his children.
 

Joseph has 80 acres in great division, etc.,-to pay to daughter Anne or children.

Ebenezer has the dwelling house, barn, orchard and land left side the highway; meadow on Boston  Hill, etc., land near Chris joining John, Jr's widow.


All the boys have a part of the Pond Meadow and pay mother the corn, annuity, etc.- Ebenezer has personals also;  20 acres of Common, worth 20 lbs, go to the 3 boys, Chris, Nathe, and Joseph, who are charged with the sisters' bequests, Sara Johnson and Annie Blanchard.


Deborah and Abigail Lovejoy, both then  unmarried get 5 lbs. each. Thomas Osgood and w. Susanna-witnesses


He adds afterwards tha his goods be divided between Ebenezer and Deborah, Ebenezer to pay Abigail  and Deborah 3 lbs each, 1 year after their marriage.


Grandaughter Frances , now under my care, is charged to stay with her Uncle Ebenezer until she is 18 (then 17) and he will give her all the clothes she needs.


Brother Thomas Osgod and sons Wm. and Joseph Lovejoy, to overseer young Ebenezer till of age and to execute particular care over Frances. The sons are asked to "carry themselves dutifully" to their mother (step-mother) "grieve her not in her old age as you expect the blessing of God upon you and yours."


Young Ebenezer was to make no bargain against the minds of the overseers "during time of his non-age."


Ebenezer and his mother to carry out these bequests with the advice of the overseers.


"I take my leave of this world and all things in this vale of tears"
. pp67-68
Early Records And Notes Of The Lovejoy Family

Thursday, August 24, 2017

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2017 WEEK 31 JOHN LOVEJOY OF ANDOVER, MA.

I now turn to the ancestral line of my 6x great grandmother Martha (Lovejoy) Abbott, wife of Jonathan Abbott Jr. Martha and Jonathan were  2nd cousins through their descent from Ralph Farnham Sr. and 2nd cousins 1x removed through Nicholas Holt.

Martha's immigrant ancestor was her grandfather John Osgood, of whom William Richard Cutter has this  to say:

John Lovejoy first appears in  our colonial history as one of the first settlers and original proprietors of Andover, Massachusetts. It is said that he was born in England, about 1630, and probably came from Andover, Hants, from whence came nearly all of the first settlers of the New England town of the same name. Andover, Massachusetts, was incorporated in 1646. and in one of the ancient record books is set down the names of settlers in the order of their arrival there. The name of John Love joy is seventeenth on the list. In 1658 he was one of the petitioners to the general court for relief from the encroachments of other towns on the territorv of Andover, and in 1674 he was one of a committee chosen to settle "a great controversie in ye towne about giving out of lands." with direction "to consider ye same to se if it be convenient to give away any more land or how and to whome." In 1687, when travellers began to complain because there was no house of public entertainment "upon the Rode at Andover that leadeth from Ipswich and the Townes that way to Billerica," the name of John Lovejoy appears first on the petition to the general court praying "that William Chandler Senior whose house stands convenient may be allowed for that worke." On January 1, 1651, John Lovejoy married Mary Osgood, of Ipswich, who died before 1678. daughter of Christopher Osgood. He married second. March 23, 1678. Hannah , daughter of John Hoyt, of Salisbury. John Lovejoy died in November, 1690. His children, all born in Andover: 1. Mary, April 11, 1652. 2. Sarah, April 10. 1654. 3. John, February 9. 1656. 4. William, April 25. 1657, one of the first deacons of the South Church, 1711. 5. Ann, 1659. 6. Joseph, February 8, 1662. 7. Christopher, March 1, 1663. 8. Benjamin, December 4. 1664. 9. Nathaniel, May 29, 1667. 10. Abigail, 1669. 11. Deborah. 1670. 12. Ebenezer, June 22, 1673.-p1349

Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of Boston and Eastern Massachusetts, Volume 3  Lewis historical Publishing Company, N.Y., N.Y. 1908

John Lovejoy's  second wife Hannah Holt was my 8x great grandaunt.

I found John's probate file and will at AmericanAncestors.org but it's in pretty bad shape and will take some time to transcribe:

Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.) 17068:1

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

FINDMYPAST FRIDAY RELEASES FOR 18 AUGUST 2017

 This week Findmypast Friday's releases include over 7 million new records:



BRAND NEW RECORDS;

Muster Rolls of the Marine Corps

OVER 1.7 MILLION RECORDS  Explore muster rolls spanning the late 1700s to the end of the nineteenth century to discover your Marine Corps ancestor’s rank, enlistment date, where they were stationed and their residence.
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »

Buckinghamshire Baptism Index

OVER 870,000 RECORDS Did your English ancestors come from Buckinghamshire? Search transcripts of parish baptisms to reveal your ancestor’s parents’ names, father’s occupation and residence, as well as their date and place of birth.
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »
 

Buckinghamshire Banns Index

OVER 101,000 RECORDS Discover the announcement of your ancestor’s engagement. A banns announcement proclaimed to the parish a couple’s intention to marry. Records will reveal the name of your ancestor’s intended spouse, residence and the date the announcement was read.
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »

Buckinghamshire Marriage Index

OVER 485,000 RECORDS Explore this index of original parish marriage records held by the Buckinghamshire Archives. Marriage records will include the couple’s names, marriage date, residence, and the names of the couples’ fathers.
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »


Buckinghamshire Burial Index

OVER 662,000 RECORDS Find out if you have ancestors buried in the English county of Buckinghamshire. These transcripts of parish burial records reveal your ancestor’s birth year, residence, burial date, age at death and the location of their final resting place.
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »


 

Ireland Calendars Of Wills & Administrations 1858-1920

OVER 1 MILLION RECORDS Explore annual will calendars to unearth a summary of will and probate information relating to your ancestor. Discover their address, occupation, beneficiaries, date of death and the value of their estate.
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »


ADDITIONAL RECORDS FOR EXISTING SETS:

British Newspapers

New articles: 2,356,293
New titles: Tenby Observer, Brechin Herald, Milngavie and Bearsden Herald, Alcester Chronicle, Abergavenny Chronicle, Ripley and Heanor News and Ilkeston Division Free Press, Eastern Daily Press and the Colchester Gazette
Covering: Local and national news
Discover: Family notices, obituaries, adverts, photographs and news reports
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »

Monday, August 14, 2017

MYHERITAGE RECORD WEEK: SEARCH 1 BILLION CENSUS RECORDS FOR FREE

Yesterday I received an email  from Daniel Horowitz  of MyHeritage with some great news:

In celebration of our recent milestone — surpassing 8 billion historical records on SuperSearch — we’re happy to announce that we’re making all of our major census collections from the U.S., U.K. and Ireland, Canada, and Nordic countries free for everybody, for one week! 

Starting on Monday, August 14, until August 20, no Data subscription will be required to access these documents, and you can search through this treasure trove of census records for free. That’s 94 collections, containing over 1 billion census records! Some of the census records are found exclusively on MyHeritage. This is available to users of MyHeritage as well as people who have never used MyHeritage before.


With our earliest census records dating as far back as 1657, and the latest ones extending until 1940, these records are an excellent way to learn more about the lives of your ancestors and to add details to your family tree


I expect many genealogists will be taking advantage of the free access  to the census collections over the next week!

Friday, August 11, 2017

FINDMYPAST FRIDAY RECORDS COLLECTION RELEASES FOR 11UGUST 2017

Nearly 3 million new records in this week's Findmypast Friday releases:

United States Billion Graves Update

OVER 2.2 MILLION RECORDS  have been added to the United States Billion Graves Index. Search this extensive record set to find the exact, GPS-tagged location of your ancestor’s burial as well as their birth and death dates
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »

ADDITIONAL RECORDS FOR EXISTING SETS

England Billion Graves Cemetery Index

New records: 76,151
Total records: 580,290
Covering: GPS-tagged headstone and burial records from across the country
Discover: Name, birth date, death date, cemetery, city, county, image link
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »


Scotland Billion Graves Cemetery Index

New records: 114,974
Total records: 197,832
Covering: GPS-tagged headstone and burial records from across the country
Discover: Name, birth date, death date, cemetery, city, county, image link
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »


Ireland Billion Graves Cemetery Index

New records: 16,038
Total records: 25,357
Covering: GPS-tagged headstone and burial records from across the country
Discover: Name, birth date, death date, cemetery, city, county, image link
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »


Wales Graves Billion Graves Cemetery Index

New records: 5,761
Total records: 58,135
Covering: GPS-tagged headstone and burial records from across the country
Discover: Name, birth date, death date, cemetery, city, county, image link
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »


Canada Billion Graves Cemetery Index

New records: 87,830
Total records: 946,158
Covering: GPS-tagged headstone and burial records from across the country
Discover: Name, birth date, death date, cemetery, city, county, image link
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »


Australia Billion Graves Cemetery Index

New records: 377,389
Total records: 1,608,001
Covering: GPS-tagged headstone and burial records from across the country
Discover: Name, birth date, death date, cemetery, city, county, image link
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »


New Zealand Billion Graves Cemetery Index

New records: 48,831
Total records: 178,863
Covering: GPS-tagged headstone and burial records from across the country
Discover: Name, birth date, death date, cemetery, city, county, image link
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »


Middlesex Monumental Inscriptions 1485-2014

New records: 2,674
Total records: 45,831
Covering: Churchyard of All Saints, Fulham
Discover: Birth year, death year, dedication, monument type, location, inscription
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »


North West Kent Burials

New records: 6,159
Total records: 187,829
Covering: Sidcup Cemetery (formerly Kent, now London Borough of Bexley)
Discover: Burial date, residence, place of burial, description
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »


New York Researcher

Number of images added: 96
Total images: 1,852
Covering: The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society’s (NYG&B) quarterly review
Discover: Insight on conducting family history research on people and places in New York State
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »


New York Genealogical & Biographical Record

Number of images added: 389
Total images: 53,295
Covering: New York people and events from the seventeenth century and beyond
Discover: The second oldest genealogical journal in the US
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »
 

Tuesday, August 08, 2017

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2017 WEEK 30 HENRY HOLT OF ANDOVER, MA.



I haven't found very much about 8x great grandfather Henry Holt as of yet. Here's what the 19th century genealogist Ellery Bicknell Crane has to say about him:

Henry Holt, fifth child of Nicholas Holt(1) , was born in Newbury, Massachusetts, 1644. He married, February 24, 1669, Sarah Ballard, daughter of William Ballard. She died at Andover, November 25, 1733. He died January 17, 1719, aged seventy-five years. They joined the church June 3, 1716. He was prominent in town affairs. In 1686 he owned a mill on Ladle brook. Children were: Elizabeth, born in Andover, Massachusetts, December 29, 1670; Oliver, January 14, 1671; Henry, January 24, 1673; James, see forward; George, March 17, 1677; Sarah, August 17, 1678; Josiah, December 13, 1679; Dinah, May 23, 1681; Paul, February 7, 1684; William, February '3, 1687; Zerviah, March 24, 1689; Keturah, December 15, 1690; Humphrey, September 22, 1693; Benjamin, July 8, 1696.
-p92
Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County, Massachusetts: With a History of Worcester Society of Antiquity, Volume 1 The Lewis Publishing CO  New York, N.Y.  1907

Henry died without a will  but had distributed shares of his estate to his sons by land deeds before his death. His youngest son William Holt received his inheritance in a deed with the provision that hecare for his parents until they died, I'll have to look for those land records!

Monday, August 07, 2017

PUTTING A FACE TO MOSES COBURN (1765-1848)

I'm a big believer in genealogy blogging as a way to share information about my ancestors online.
I know there are those who prefer to keep their research private but by doing so I feel they miss out on being contacted by distant relatives through a Google search. I've had many such contacts since I started this blog, sometimes through something I posted years ago.

The latest example of this occurred last week when my new found cousin H.F. contacted me because of my posts about our shared ancestor Moses Coburn. We exchanged information in emails, and in of them H.F. mentioned he had a portrait of Moses. Would I like a photo?

Would I? Wow, I sure did!

Shortly after it arrived via email. I asked H.F. for permission to share the photo, which he gave. And here it is:


4xggf Moses Coburn (1765-1848) courtesy of H.F.

Moses Coburn is an Interesting fellow, a member of a prominent family in Dracut and Tyngsborough, Ma. He was paid to enlist by some  citizens of Dunstable Ma in 1781 when he was 16 years old,
and  served over two years. He married Esther Spaulding in 1794 and applied for his pension in 1818 while living in Tyngsborough, Ma. He moved to  Newry, Maine sometime after that where he died in 1848.

And now I have a face to put with his story.

I've shared the probate files for Moses and his grandfather (another Moses Coburn) with H.F.and together the two of us are trying to solve the mystery of the identity of his mother who ws married to Caleb Coburn.

Thanks, H.F., for sharing that portrait with me!



Friday, August 04, 2017

FINDMYPAST FRIDAY RECORDS COLLECTION RELEASES FOR 4AUGUST 2017

Over 4 million new records from the U.S. and  the U.K. are in this week's Findmypast Friday releases:

BRAND NEW RECORDS:

United States Marriages

OVER 4.3 MILLION RECORDS  These new and exclusive additions to our collection of US marriages cover Nevada and California. Use them to discover when, where and to whom your ancestor was married. This is the first time these records have been published online.
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »


Scotland, Linlithgowshire (West Lothian), Poorhouse Records 1859-1912

OVER 15,000 RECORDS Did your Scottish ancestor spend time in the poorhouse? Explore admissions, deaths, discharges and sick rolls to discover your ancestor’s admission date, behaviour during their stay, previous residence, and more.
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »

Scotland, Linlithgowshire (West Lothian), Burials 1860-1975

OVER 87,000 RECORDS Discover where your West Lothian ancestors were laid to rest with 115 years of transcripts that will reveal the date of their burial, the location of their grave, their occupation, residence, death date and the names of additional family members.
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »


New Jersey Baptisms 1746-1795

OVER 600 RECORDS  Find out if your ancestor was baptised in the Township of Hannover, discover when the ceremony took place and uncover the names of both their parents.
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »

New Jersey Church Records 1747-1794 

OVER 200 RECORDS Explore records covering the Township of Hannover in Morris County to discover when and where your ancestors received Holy Communion.
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »


ADDITIONAL RECORDS FOR EXISTING SETS

Britain, Knights of the Realm & Commonwealth Index

New records: 410
Total records: 36,494
Covering: Orders of chivalry dating back to pre-1500 and continuing on to present day
Discover: Birth year, death year, type of award, date of award, your ancestor’s biography and any additional remarks
SEARCH THESE RECORDS

PERSI Quarterly Index Update

New articles: 14,865
New titles: 7
Covering: California, Maine, North Carolina and Ireland
Discover: Articles, photos and other resources you won’t find anywhere else
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2017 WEEK 29 NICHOLAS HOLT OF ANDOVER, MA. PT3


Nicholas Holt was one of the first new ancestors I added to my tree back when I began tracing my family's history. I hadn't really returned to that research in several years and now I've found a few  discrepancies with what I had found back then.

They concern Nicholas' wives. I had two marriages in my database for him, and now I've found three, and there is a different names for his second wife.

I had her listed as Mary Manning,  

Daniel Steele Durrie and Charlotte Helen Abbott both say the second wife was  Hannah (Bradstreet) Rolfe who Nicholas married in Andover on 10Jun 1658 and they had two children. Hannah died in 1665.

The third wife (that I had not know about) was a widow,  Martha Preston, who Nicholas married on 21Ma 1666.

I've now found the records of both marriages and changed my database.

While Nicholas didn't leave a will Daniel Steele Durrie's entry on Nicholas has pointed me towards land deed made to the children which I'm going to search for on FamilySearch. 

MYHERITAGE ACQUIRES FAMILY TREE SOFTWARE & WEBINARS

Big news in the genealogy world! I received the following press release yesterday from Daniel Horowitz of MyHeritage:

MyHeritage Acquires the Legacy Family Tree Software and Webinar Platform



TEL AVIV, Israel & SURPRISE, Arizona, August 3, 2017 — MyHeritage, the leading global destination for family history and DNA testing, announced today its acquisition of Millennia Corporation, makers of the popular genealogy desktop software Legacy Family Tree and genealogy webinar platform, Legacy Family Tree Webinars. This is MyHeritage's ninth acquisition to date.


With hundreds of thousands of devoted users since 1997, Legacy Family Tree consistently ranks among the top three most popular and highly rated genealogy software products in the industry. The Legacy Family Tree Webinar platform — which has amassed a large and dedicated fan base since 2010 — draws speakers who are leaders in their field and covers a wide variety of topics, including genealogical research methodology, DNA, and historical records, representing a full array of educational genealogy content.


MyHeritage, which has developed a world-class, global mobile and Web platform for family trees, historical records and DNA testing, used by more than 90 million users worldwide, will now offer its services to Legacy's users.


Legacy Family Tree will retain its full staff and continue developing its software and webinar platform, backed by MyHeritage's resources. Millennia Corporation and MyHeritage have started joint work on a new version of the Legacy Family Tree software — version 10 — which will include the optional capability to sync family trees to MyHeritage’s website and use the free MyHeritage mobile app to make remote updates to their family trees on the Legacy software. Legacy Family Tree version 9 has already integrated matching to MyHeritage's 40 million family trees and to its historical records collection — which surpassed 8 billion records this week.


Legacy Family Tree Webinars will continue to feature diverse and informative content, and will be promoted to the millions of MyHeritage users, to increase the webinars' audience. The webinar platform will also enjoy infrastructure upgrades to support increased concurrent viewership.


“We are very happy with the Legacy Family Tree acquisition as it gives us valuable assets that are highly complementary to our own, and a solid team.” said Gilad Japhet, Founder and CEO of MyHeritage. “We look forward to providing Legacy's software and webinar platform with useful upgrades, and to welcoming Legacy’s huge user base of experienced genealogists to enhance their genealogical explorations through MyHeritage's services.”


“The more I’ve learned about and experimented with MyHeritage, the more I have felt we need to partner together,” said Geoff Rasmussen, founder of Legacy Family Tree Webinars. “The technology behind their online trees and historical records is incredible — second to none. MyHeritage has positioned itself to become the leader of the future of the genealogy industry and we can be a part of it. It’s the perfect match: our software and webinars combined with their resources, technologies, and international reach will help both of us accomplish our mission — to help the world find their ancestors.”

“I’m excited for us to join forces with MyHeritage,” said Dave Berdan, President of Millennia Corporation. “MyHeritage clearly cares for genealogists and continues to invest in desktop genealogy software, in contrast to one of its major rivals that has done the opposite, shutting down its desktop genealogy software and then selling it off. As we’re passionate about genealogy, our team is happy to have found in MyHeritage kindred spirits and we’re excited about the value that we can create together to benefit millions of genealogists worldwide.”



For more information about this announcement and for answers to frequently asked questions, visit:


http://news.legacyfamilytree.com/legacy_news/2017/08/legacy-family-tree-has-a-new-home-with-myheritage.html