Confessions of a Wannabe Writer: ancestry

Showing posts with label ancestry. Show all posts

26 June 2021

James Fielding : Early Years

I have been spending some of my personal genealogy research time focusing on my Fielding family, because, well, they fascinate me so. I don't know if it is because they are the quintessential blue-collar family, or just because I did not know much about them when I was growing up. Anyway, here is another blog on my Fielding family.

My pap's maternal grandfather was a man named James Fielding, who had lived a very full life, according to multiple documents. I wanted to find out more about him, as the Fielding family once was one of the biggest brick walls in my tree, and certain records I stumbled upon led me to find a landmine of information. After spending a great deal of time processing his Civil War Pension file, I knew I wanted to write about him as well. But I had too much information to write just one blog post on him, so bear with me as I tell the tale of this wonderful man in a series of them.

James was the son of the shoemaker John Fielding, who already has a post written about him, as he is one of my elusive family members.

James Fielding was born in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania on 14 September 1837 as the third son and one of several children of the aforementioned James Fielding and his wife Martha. His father at least was English, having been born in Manchester.

John, I have discovered since I wrote his blog post, likely came over as a "servant" aboard the packet ship Columbia, which arrived on 21 January 1828 in New York City.

James' mother's parentage remains a mystery, as does her correct surname, but I will keep checking for cracks in that brick wall.

While James is not listed by name on the 1840 census, he is enumerated as one of two free white male children under the age of five in his father’s household in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, where John was listed as "Jno. Fealding". Brother Joseph was enumerated as the other son. James was listed as living with his parents and family on the 1850 census where the family was enumerated in Allegheny City's Fourth Ward. He was marked as having attended school that year, and both of his parents could read and write since neither was marked as illiterate on the census.

By 1860, James had been trained as a machinist and was living on Ohio Street in the Fourth Ward of Allegheny City with his parents, though the census enumerator for that district simply listed each member of the family by their first initial and misspelled their surname, putting Fielden instead of Fielding.

Machinists in the period before the Civil War saw a great deal of change in the way they worked, as many different machines were being invented to make machining more precise and uniform. After all, it appears that precision machining got its biggest push from the event known as the Mexican-American War, when the U.S. Government requested bids for rifles with interchangeable parts. Tools, such as planers, presses, and various machines, were invented that allowed machinists to make higher quality and more uniform parts faster. Apparently, there was still a great deal of hand shaping needed for parts cast by machines, and James was likely trained in this kind of work, as later pension documents suggest.

While no documents state where he was employed, James first appears as a machinist in city directories in the 1861 Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny Cities, residing at 104 Ohio. Thie address was his father John's and brother Cooper's address of residence as well. As his father was listed as living on Ohio Street in city directories as early as 1850, it could be assumed that James lived there for a period of years with the family. Ohio Street was the borderline for the Third and Fourth Wards of Allegheny City according to the 1855 map, The Cities of Pittsburgh and Allegheny With Parts of Adjacent Boroughs, Pennsylvania, and since the family lived on the Fourth Ward side in the 1860 census, they had to have lived on the south side of the street.

On 27 November 1861, James married a young woman by the name of Sarah Virginia McDonald (also spelled MacDonald).

Sarah was the daughter of Henderson McDonald and Emeline Peterson and the stepdaughter of Elmon McLaughlin. She was born 1 September 1839 somewhere in Allegheny County as Henderson and Emeline's eldest daughter. Through her mother, she was descended from Anthony Morris, one of the English Quaker founders of the city of Philadelphia, and of whom I am still doing research.

Unlike James' family, the McDonald family appears to have moved around a bit. In 1840, Sarah was listed as the one free white female under the age of five in the household of Henderson McDonald in Pittsburgh's South Ward on that census, and in 1850 was living probably on Federal Street in Allegheny City's Third Ward, as that census and the 1850 city directory state. In 1860, she was living with her widowed mother and sister in Allegheny City's First Ward in the household of one Ann Aiken.

The couple was married on 27 November 1861, just as the Civil War was taking place.

Where the couple was married is a bit of a mystery. It was somewhere in Allegheny County, that much is known, but conflict exists in just where in Allegheny County. When sent a form asking personal questions in regards to his pension in 1898, James Fielding answered that he and Sarah had been married in Sharpsburg, which was upriver and up the railroad tracks from Allegheny City. However, a small blurb in the Pittsburgh Presbyterian Banner in March of 1862 gave the following:

"On the 27th of November, at the residence of the bride's mother, by Rev. John Williams, Mr. JAMES FIELDING to Muss SARAH V. McDONALD, all of Allegheny City." ~
"Married," Pittsburgh Presbyterian Banner (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 22 March 1862, page 3

Since the marriage was listed in a Presbyterian paper, it can be assumed that Rev. John Williams was a Presbyterian minister. However, further research on the man did not yield any information, leaving it a bit difficult at present to locate a church with which the marriage might be registered.

The city directory for the 1861-1862 period for Sarah's mother lists Emeline as living on Robinson in Allegheny City. It is possible she resided briefly in Sharpsburg in November of 1861, but it is more likely that James' recollection of where he was wed by 1898 was a bit fuzzy.

The marriage had but a brief interlude, for James, like most of the young men of his generation, went off to the war. But that's a story for the next post.

02 March 2020

How to "Genealogy"

Lots of people have stopped and asked me how did I get started in this fun world of blog writing about my ancestry and historical events in general..... It sort of evolved from the stuff I have collected all of the years,

I have always been interested in history, a trait I probably picked up from my dad, who is an avid war history buff (though he does like history in general as well). In my research, I have come to find out his dad was an officer in the history club at his high school, so hey, I know it's at least inherited! But my mom also loved hearing family stories and to this day loves telling me about her own family memories, so I get the trait from both sides.

It helps that I am still very much the type for whom research is fun. I love the thrill of being immersed in words and documents. I also love reading, as I grew up immersed in a world of books (thanks to both Mom and Dad).

Anyway, I digress.

I should probably start with my own genealogy journey first.....

My Journey
In May of 1999, my mom's mother, my grandmother Jean Cox Waldspurger, passed away. I was a senior in high school at the time, so while I didn't fly back for the funeral with my parents, my mom brought me a copy of a small family tree her cousin Pat had created. Pat also was into history, and loved the family tree stuff, and her family tree sparked something in me. Since I always loved history, and took every history class at the high school I could take, it was just a natural progression for me to start filling in the blanks on the tree with what information I could find.

That was nearly 21 years ago.....

I made plenty of mistakes in the beginning. I collected a great deal of information, but one huge thing I didn't do was cite my sources. The researcher in me was even in college at the time, and learning all about MLA and APA and Chicago/Turabian style citations due to the nature of my degree, but I didn't record where I got the information on a death date for my great-grandmother.... or the distant cousin on the tree. So when others asked me where I found the information, I wasn't able to tell them. And when my information was challenged in light of new information, I wasn't able to prove anything. In fact, one whole branch of my original tree has been erased in light of the fact that I had name collected (I just added names and dates without checking first if they were accurate or "mine"), and the name collection information was entirely inaccurate.

I also put blinders on. I would collect names and then birth, marriage and death dates, but really nothing more, which made for a boring read at times.

About 15 years ago, I started to change my thinking about how I do genealogy. I got serious about redoing my entire line, starting at my parents and working my way backwards. As I did this, I only focused on my own ancestors, not on any of their children or siblings, so I know now I missed a great deal of information, but the information I did collect was useful, and cited properly.

At the end of 2015, the family tree software program I was using on my personal computer, Family Tree Maker, was discontinued by Ancestry.com. While later the software was picked up by another company, I decided to jump ship with FTM (at this point I also removed my vast trees from their site as well), which I had been using in its various forms since 1999, and go with a new genealogy program (RootsMagic7 for those who are interested). Making the switch threw all of my sources into disarray, as it converted them into weird formats (which likely meant I didn't format correctly when switching). This actually was a blessing in disguise, which I will get to in a minute.

Also around that time, I decided to get very serious about making sure sources were cited in the "correct" format, meaning the way any professional genealogist would do it (I am not advocating that everyone do it this way though. I tell others that they should "do you" when citing stuff. This way just works best for the perfectionist in me.) So I started to re-do ALL of my research once more. merging sources from the old program into the newly created and updated (and correct) sources in the new program and going through each of my ancestors, their children and their siblings and redoing EVERYTHING on them as well as adding new information.

I now track just about anything I can about my ancestors... where they lived and worked, how they were described on certain documents, what property they owned, what illnesses they were reported having, etc. etc. etc. For my Hangman Ropemaking ancestor Jacob Bupp, it means also that EVERY rope he made has its own event, each with the sources I referenced in his series.

It is a great deal of work, but when it comes to families such as my Woods, where there are FOUR Burris Doudney Woods, or my Vautiers, where there are various William Vautiers (among other repeated names), this kind of thing helps me track exactly which Burris Doudney Wood or William Vautier I am looking at when I find a record, because I not only have name and dates of vital information, but also where they were known to live and what occupation they may have done (also likely nicknames for them as well). The information sheets I send to family members often overwhelms them, but I like to make sure I have documented everything (plus it helps me out when writing these blogs when I have a timeline to follow on my program). I have uploaded the aforementioned Jacob Bupp's Individual Summary that can be viewed here for those interested in the kind of detail I try to get.

It's been four and a half years since I made the switch, and I am still working on this kind of in-depth research. Remember when I said the messing up of my sources was a blessing in disguise? It now helps me figure out what branches of my tree haven't been updated and verified with the newest information. Some of those branches I may never get to (a number of them are collateral lines.... lines that married into mine or distant cousins that I was merely name collecting in the beginning). While some are important, others are not as important to me, and will likely remain on the back burner indefinitely. It's not that I don't ever want to make sure they are "correct," it's just merely the fact that this is a side hobby for me, not my main job (I still have two!), so I don't have all the time in the world, especially in this ever increasing digitization of records, as more information to help genealogy keeps coming online. I am still finding out all I can about the FANs of my own ancestors.

About three years ago, I started to write little stories about each ancestor for my family members. My dear husband suggested I start sharing them with the world, and so this blog was reborn. I like writing about the different journeys my ancestors have taken, and finding out all I can about the places they lived and the social issues of their day.... it helps to breathe life into them in a way I never could have imagined 21 years ago!

How To "Genealogy"
I get told by people they wish they could do what I do.... but they don't know where to start.

Start by writing down what you know, then asking questions of living relatives. I do a great deal of interviewing of people, via email or phone calls or even face to face conversations. I write stuff down, or print out emails, and yes, I do use them as sources too. Find a genealogy program you would like to use - there are free ones out there as well as ones to purchase - or just write stuff down on paper. I still have the early trees my mom and I made for our lines back in 2000.

Then take to the internet. I do use Ancestry.com a great deal, as I have an ongoing subscription (note, this is not a plug for their services - I am not receiving compensation from them!) but I also use FamilySearch (where I recommend people actually start since it is free and there is a great deal of information here) as well as local history societies and library resources for where ever I am researching. West Virginia has a vast collection on their Archives and History site and my own local library has a collection of local history books in their genealogy section that I use heavily while working on my church history. Other sites that have been useful to me are FindMyPast, Fold3, and Newspapers.com (the latter two being part of my Ancestry subscription)

Also, search engines are great tools to look for other resources. I tend to do that a lot to find the more obscure stuff or when I am moving my research from one location to the next, especially the books that are being digitized on sites like Google Books, Haithi Trust and Internet Archive. Google is my primary search engine, and I also use it often to define word for me while researching, look up places (I recently wanted to know what county in Kansas a certain city was) so I can fill them in better, and even search "How to use" guides for certain websites. FamilySearch's Wiki is also very useful for finding just about anything on genealogy.

Like I said before, just because I am VERY precise with my citations doesn't mean that everyone has to be. Some in the online communities I belong to use simpler sources (finding what works for them), but they do cite where they got information from. This is a good idea because it can help you keep track of where you got information from already. There are "how to" guides for this as well (Evidence Explained is the one I use, but there are many different guides out there). Citing information also helps because if you are challenged about research (I have had cousins argue with me over things in my research) you can then go back and actually find the records that help prove your research to be correct inasmuch as you know it to be.

Don't overlook the old fashioned pen and paper research. I planned a trip to Philadelphia almost three years ago just to get to THREE different archival repositories since they had records that weren't online (but the indexes were). After requesting information in person, I paid for copies of that information, and it helped out a great deal.

A tip I tell people is get creative when searching for documents and learn to accept that the way your name is spelled now may not have been the way it always was spelled. For years I was told my maiden name of Wood NEVER had an "S' on the end of it. While that is very true in the era of standardized spellings for surnames because of Social Security and birth certificates and the like, it wasn't always the case. Before the 20th century my ancestors tended to flip flop between Wood and Woods, once even in consecutive documents.

Don't insist a name HAS to be spelled a certain way. Often, remember that a number of sites use volunteers to index things, so names might not be spelled correctly in the index because the volunteer reads something different. A number of my Vautier relatives are indexed Vantier because the cursive U looks like a cursive N. I found my great-great-uncle Jesse Sperry's death record by searching for just his death date, which I had, and discovered he had been indexed as "Jennie Spring" because that was what the volunteer read (I have since submitted a correction), so try date instead of name, or broaden your search by other means.

Each family has a different journey, and finding information to document that journey can be a fun task, if you love to research....

I am more than willing to help others in their journey, if anyone ever needs help. Whether it's offering guidance with how to find materials, being another set of eyes to comb through a resource, or just offering some support or encouragement, I can help.

I've often been asked why I don't do this professionally. I merely state that this is a fun hobby for me, but not something I would want to be paid full time to do. I am happiest doing this when I don't have looming deadlines over me (because I am a bit of a procrastinator when I can be), and I have other pursuits that I enjoy doing as well, so while on occasion I do research on friends' lines for a bit of compensation, I can't ever see myself doing this on a full time basis.

13 March 2019

The Hangman’s Rope-Maker: The Story of Jacob Bupp (Part One: His Beginnings)

“A hangman's rope is made of four parts, one of which is used as the heart and the other three are twisted around it. When it is finished it is perfectly round and smooth and is about 9-16 of an inch in thickness. These ropes are usually made from 25 to 30 feet in length. It requires 21 feet to perform the execution properly, and the surplus is always in case of accident resulting in a break. The knot is tied by the man who makes the rope, so that the executioner has nothing to do but slip the loop over the culprit’s head.”

~ Jacob Bupp, in an interview, "Making Nine Ropes," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 31 March 1890, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 August 2016). This interview was syndicated and ran in multiple newspapers, sometimes with slight variations, around the country in 1890.

All men are mortals, but some become legends, even if it is only to their descendants. There are many characters in my family tree, but few have ever fascinated me as my great-great-great grandfather Jacob Bupp has. You see, Jacob Bupp was a maker of ropes, and he was quite proud that he specialized in making ropes for hangmen.

The very idea that he was the creator of so many instruments of death has always made me wonder what kind of man what he, what kind of grit and determination did he have to be able to look so many men in the face, knowing he was the maker of their demise?

*This blog post is one in a series of blogs on my famous ancestor, Jacob Bupp, the Hangman's Ropemaker- click the page tab above labeled "The Hangman's Ropemaker" for more information and the blog series*

Beginnings

Every legend starts with a beginning, and Jacob Bupp’s beginning is no different. He was born in York, Pennsylvania on or about 23 December 1823 and was christened 18 March 1824 at Christ Lutheran Church in York, Pennsylvania. Because spelling of his surname often varied, he was referred to as Jacob Bopp on a number of differing documents, and on one document as Jacob Bobb.

Jacob’s father, John Bopp, was a brickmaker by trade. According to a deed from York County, John was from Mount Joy, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Because of his last name, and the fact that he spoke German, it is distinctly possible that the Bopp family was Pennsylvania German in origin, and likely Mennonite by religious affiliation. This theory is supported by the fact that John Bopp had a few advertisements in a German language newspaper and late nineteenth century newspaper accounts of Jacob Bupp being a German.

However, since the borough of Mount Joy was founded by protestant Scots-Irish settlers before the American Revolution, there is a possibility of that heritage as well, though it may be diluted. Research has not determined John Bopp’s parentage although there are a few possibilities to explore, as there are a few Bopp/Bobb families in the area surrounding Mount Joy around the time of his estimated birth.

Susan Pentz or Bentz, Jacob’s mother, was the daughter of Elizabeth King, though her father’s name is not known, nor is the spelling of her surname absolutely certain. Little is known about her early life, although what is known is that she had a brother, Daniel, and a sister, Elizabeth, who later married John Crone.

Elizabeth King, Jacob’s maternal grandmother, was a sister of Dr. Adam King, a well known medical doctor and Congressman from the borough of York. She was born 10 August 1773 and baptized 7 September 1773 at Trinity Reformed Church in York, Pennsylvania. She was one of several children born to Phillip Jacob King and his wife Catharina. While not much is known about Elizabeth’s life, there is a great deal known about Adam King.

Family Legacy: Dr. Adam King

Dr. Adam King was the maternal grand-uncle of Jacob Bupp, and was the son of Philip Jacob King (Koenig in German) and Catharina. He was born as Johann Adam King on 20 January 1783 and baptized 10 September 1783 at Trinity Reformed Church in York, Pennsylvania, the same church as his elder sister.

Johann Adam King was known as Adam, as he followed the German tradition of a Rufname (everyday name) as a middle name. He grew up in York, but studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, presumably right before the War of 1812. He took up practicing medicine in and around the borough of York.

There is a high probability that he served briefly during the War of 1812 as a corporal in Captain Michael Spangler’s regiment of the Pennsylvania Militia, as a militiaman by that name was indeed listed on the roster for that company from York County, Pennsylvania, but it is not certain if it is indeed the same Adam King, though a veteran’s burial card for him exists on Ancestry.com.

In 1818, Adam King became one of the editors of The York Gazette, a German and English newspaper in York, Pennsylvania. For a time, he worked with a man by the name of Walsh, but in April 1829, an announcement ran in another newspaper that that editorial partnership was dissolved and Adam King went into business with George A. Barnitz. According to several sources, he remained the editor of the paper until his death in 1835.

Because he was probably well known, and thus likely well liked in the area, he ran for United States Congress representing the district of York, Pennsylvania in October 1826 as a Jacksonian Democrat. An untitled article in The National Gazette states that he was a friend of General Andrew Jackson, although it is not known if that meant they were actual friends, or if it was meant to indicate that the two men were in the same political party. Adam King was re-elected to his seat in 1828, and then again in October 1830 by a total of 2947 votes, defeating William McIlvain, who had 2080 votes. In early 1832, he voted against rechartering the Bank of the United States in 1832, which cost him re-election that year, as the National Bank’s charter was a popular issue. Charles A. Barnitz succeeded him as Congressman from York County.

Adam King returned to his home in York, Pennsylvania and resumed the practice of medicine for the remainder of his life. For reasons unknown, however, he committed suicide by hanging on 6 May 1835. One of his obituaries read:

“'The motive of this melancholy act remains a mystery. He was rich, respected, and had before him a career of usefulness and honor. It is not alleged that he was suffering under temporary derangement, and no cause is assigned which can explain this act of fatal desperation.”

~ Source: "Suicide," The Liberator (Boston, Massachusetts), 23 May 1835, page 4; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 9 December 2017).

Because he had no heirs, his property was divided amongst his siblings and their heirs, including Elizabeth King’s surviving children, Elizabeth, Daniel and Susan Bentz. He was buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery in York, Pennsylvania

Early Life of Jacob Bupp

John Bopp and Susan Pentz or Bentz married at Christ Lutheran Church in York on 18 January 1821. Six children were born to the couple, according to transcribed records readily available at FamilySearch; Elizabeth, Rebecca, Jacob, William, Helena, Sarah and Elnora. Whether or not other children were born to the family as well remains to be seen. Jacob was born the eldest known son and the third oldest known child.

One thing known for certain is that John Bopp briefly owned a tract of land in the borough of York. He bought the land from Eli Lewis in 1829 for $1000, or roughly $23000 in the market of 2016. At this tract of land, the family was enumerated in the 1830 census, with young Jacob being one of two free white males ages five to nine. Jacob’s younger brother William was presumably the other one listed.

However, the land did not stay in the possession of the family for long. John Bopp incurred an amount of debts to a number of persons, and in November of 1832 all of his properties, except those allowed to insolvent debtors, had been deeded over to Jacob Hantz (or Haus) for the price of $1 as per a judgement entered into the Court of the Common Pleas entered 1 November 1832. Because a number of people owed John Bopp money, presumably from his brickmaking business, an advertisement was taken out in the local paper, York Gazette, which translated from German read:

The books of John Bopp, brick maker, have been given into the hands of the final officer, by Assignee Major Jacob Hantz, for collection. All those who are guilty in said books are requested to pay before the first of January, thereby saving expenses.

~ Source: “Anzeige” announcement, York Gazette (York, Pennsylvania), 29 November 1833, page 3; online archive, Newspapers.com, (www.newspapers.com: accessed 2 November 2017). German to English translation done by Ron Hochstetler.

The money that Susan Bentz Bopp inherited from her uncle Adam King’s estate was also transferred to Jacob Hantz to help pay for the debt of the family, as indicated by a deed from York County. This injustice was due to the way Pennsylvania law was before 1848, in that it allowed that a wife’s property could be taken to settle her husband’s debts. This event had to have been devastating to the family, and to ten year old Jacob in particular, this was likely a very strong memory and turning point in his young life.

There is little information to suggest what happened to Jacob Bupp or his family after the bankruptcy of his father. The family has not yet been located on the 1840 census, though there are some listings for Bupps in the area.

Susan is listed in the registers of Trinity United Church of Christ in York, Pennsylvania as having attended church there from Easter 1845 until 1847. She died in May of 1850 in the South Ward of York, Pennsylvania, and on the mortality schedule for the 1850 census, on which she is listed, she is listed as being a widow, so the presumption is John Bopp died sometime before May 1850. No death records have been located for him, however, as death certificates were not often used before the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania made them mandatory in 1906.

The next installment will discuss Jacob's life in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

Sources and References:

"1830 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 October 2017), entry for John Bopp and household, 1830, Census Place: York York, Pennsylvania, Series: M19, Roll: 160, Page: 369, and Family History Library Film: 0020634.

"Editorial Changes," Gettysburg Compiler (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania), 15 April 1829, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 7 December 2017).

Frey, J., "Johann Adam King," Strine & Yessler Families of York County, PA, (http://jsfecmd.info/strineweb-p/p489.htm : accessed November 13, 2017)

“History” Mount Joy Borough, 2015, (http://mountjoyborough.com/about/history/ : accessed 7 November 2017)

O'Brian, Charles. "The Growth in Pennsylvania of the Property Rights of Married Women." University of Pennsylvania Law Review 49 (3). Online archive. University of Pennsylvania Law School Legal Scholarship Repository. https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/penn_law_review

“Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1669-2013,” database, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Dec 2017). Entry for Elizabeth Koenig, baptized 7 September 1773, Transcribed records of Trinity Reformed Church, York, York, Pennsylvania, transcription done by Henry James Young 1935.

“Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1669-2013,” database, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Dec 2017). Entry for Johann Adam Koenig, baptized 10 September 1783, Transcribed records of Trinity Reformed Church, York, York, Pennsylvania, transcription done by Henry James Young 1935

"Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1669-1999," database online with images, Ancestry.com, Entry for Susan Bopp in the church attendance records of Trinity United Church of Christ, 1845-1847, York, Pennsylvania; reel 700 of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's records. image 224 of 502.

"Pennsylvania Births and Christenings, 1709-1950," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V2J9-LXH : accessed 9 December 2014), entry for Jacob Bobb, 18 Mar 1824; Christening, citing Christ Lutheran Church, York, York, Pennsylvania; FHL microfilm Q974.841 Y1 V2Y V5-6.

"Pennsylvania Marriages, 1709-1940," database online, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 13 August 2016), Entry for John Bopp and Susan Benns Or Bentz, 1821; citing Christ Lutheran Church,York,York,Pennsylvania; FHL microfilm 1,320,516.

"Pennsylvania Probate Records, 1683-1994," database online with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 4 November 2017), York > Orphans' Court dockets 1849-1852 vol X > pages 593-594 (images 342 and 343), entry for Adam King; citing county courthouses in Pennsylvania.

“Pennsylvania, Veterans Burial Cards, 1777-2012” database online, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 December 2017), Entry for Adam King, died 7 May 1835; citing Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania Veterans Burial Cards, 1929-1990; Series Number: Series 1.

"To the Editors," letter to the editor, Newbern Spectator (New Bern, North Carolina), 19 October 1832, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 7 December 2017).

"Untitled article, The National Gazette (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 16 October 1826, page 2, online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 10 December 2017).

"U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885," database, Ancestry.com, entry for Susan Bupp; National Archives and Records Administration; Washington, D.C.; Non-Population Census Schedules for Pennsylvania, 1850-1880: Mortality; Archive Collection: M1838; Archive Roll Number: 2; Census Year: 1850; Census Place: York South Ward, York, Pennsylvania; Page: 947.

"Wahl Bericht von York County," election report, York Gazette (York, Pennsylvania), 22 October 1830, page 4; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 7 December 2017).

“War of 1812 Service Record Index,” database online, Fold3 (www.fold3.com : accessed 06 Dec 2017), Entry for Corporal Adam King, 1st Pennsylvania Militia; citing “Indexes to the Carded Records of Soldiers Who Served in Volunteer Organizations During the War of 1812, compiled 1899 - 1927, documenting the period 1812 - 1815. Microfilm publication number M602. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration.

Who Was Who in America: Historical Volume 1607-1896 (Chicago, Illinois: Marquis - Who's Who, Incorporated, 1963). 294, Entry for Adam King

York County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book 3K: 279-280, Eli Lewis and Rebekah his wife to John Bopp, 6 March 1829; FHL microfilm 22122.

York County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book 3M; Page 90, John Bopp to Jacob Hantz, 30 November 1832; FHL microfilm 22123.

York County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book 3N: page 413, John Bupp and Susan his wife to Jacob Hantz, 13 May 1835; FHL microfilm 22123.

01 March 2012

Sometimes a little variety is needed

Don't get me wrong, I like Ancestry.com and their hundreds of databases. I really do.

What I don't like is how easy it is to get the wrong information. With just a few clicks of the mouse, you can have a full family tree. And half of it can be wrong.

So what?

Having a name wrong in your tree could be a brick wall. For years I was convinced my great-great-great grandfather's name was Franz, so when I found a François as the brother of another person, I overlooked it. It wasn't until a common descendant confirmed that my Franz was indeed François and showed me her research that I then went back and not only found him, but his father, grandfather and maternal family as well. A brick wall that was literally 10 years old was finally overcome because I thought to think out of the box.

Another more recent example is the mother of my Abinah Wood, Reumah (or Ruehama, if you follow the spelling on her will - Personally I think she went by both). Her surname, as far as we can tell, is unknown. Every document I have seen with her name lists her as Reumah Wood, as every document was issued after her marriage to Jonathan Wood. The family book from 1903 speculated that Reumah was probably a wealthy French woman from New Orleans, Louisiana, and that is taken as near fact in my research circle. Imagine my surprise when I discovered on Ancestry.com that someone in the Public Member Trees had given her the last name of Wealth. Even more to my chagrin were the number of other people who copied that information onto their own tree.   A wrong name got copied and taken as fact several times over.

For a perfectionist such as myself, having incorrect names is bothersome. That's why I truly enjoy it when someone corrects my data, and then shows me why they are correcting it.

It's a copy and paste job

Public member trees from Ancestry.com, Pedigree Resource File and Ancestral File from FamilySearch, and the WorldConnect Project on Rootsweb.com, among others, are all prone to grave mistakes from this kind of wrong data.

Don't misunderstand me, these sources are awesome resources, but they should be researched with a grain of caution, for they are not always going to be correct. Anyone can find names and stick them together in research. A genealogist who wants to be correct will actually back up said names with sources and research. It is easy to plug names into a tree, what's hard is making sure the info you have is correct.

Too many times someone who is new to genealogy will take a tree and ecstatically plug it into their own without looking over the research. I have been guilty of that myself. However, when one then goes back over sources, it is harder to find the info one needs because the tree could be changed or deleted. It is frustrating to be asked by another researcher about info and have no idea where it came from.

Okay, so what do I do?

So how does one make sure info is correct? By checking sources. I will rarely consult a tree in one of the aforementioned databases if it doesn't have sources. I will also check the sources that are listed if it is possible to get a better look at what and where and when.   If I have to add the name of someone that is not documented by other sources (because sometimes, it can and does happen), I will document the source as coming from one of those databases AND I will try my best to make sure I also have the name of the submitter who submitted the data in the first place. That way, if I find new information that either corrects or supports the data in my tree, I know who I can contact to ask if they have the info as well. Also, I try to record what date I found info whenever possible, so that if the data does disappear, I still have some way of knowing who gave it to me and when.

Of course, even my own tree is not perfect. Too many times in my early days I was one who just copied stuff willy-nilly, and now I am regretting making that mistake. It may seem like a daunting task to sift over the info, but it is well worth it in the end.

Variety

One of my favorite things to do is search more then one database, on more then one site. I find that if I stick to one site, such as Ancestry.com, I miss the great databases some of the other sites have to offer. I also miss getting a complete picture of who my ancestors and family members were and what they did. While Ancestry has a vast amount of holdings, some other sites have great stuff as well. A good jumping off point for searching some of these other databases is Cyndi's List, which has an extensive array of links designed to help everyone from the beginning genealogist to the most professional.

With odd names, such as my favorite of Waldspurger, I sometimes will just Google the name, or search the Google News Archive Search, which has old newspapers from around the world (This link is great for finding death notices too, particularly in the Pittsburgh area and for just having fun reading old time newspapers.) I have found everything from old wedding announcements to my uncle's breaststroke record from the 70s by searching through Google.

There's also the old fashioned look-ups. Yes, the world is becoming more and more digitized, but not always are the digital records correct. Keep in mind some of those records on Ancestry and the like are transcribed by someone, and those transcriptions have a margin for human error.   Not to mention there are literally MILLIONS of records that aren't in digital format as of yet. Sometimes it takes ordering them directly from the source in the form of old-fashioned photocopies or visiting the site and taking digital photographs to get information that is correct and pure. If you are looking for information from Allegheny, Montgomery or Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania, I can get you contact information for places that can help! Keep in mind, these look-ups can range from free (if you can find a person willing to do it for you) to 50 dollars an hour or even more. But the amount of info you can glean from the original records can be worth the money spent.

A little variety is great for researching! Don't limit your sources!

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