The Tale of Three James

Are you researching your LINDSEY ancestry?  Do you believe that you descend from Archibald LINDSEY?  The Massachusetts Revolutionary War Patriot, documented in the annals of the Daughter’s of the American Revolution (DAR); Ancestor #A070563?¹  If so, I encourage you to go slow and proceed with caution. 

Archi’s father, according to the DAR application, is purported to be James LINDSEY born Londonderry, Ireland, 1680; died Nutfield (Londonderry) New Hampshire, 1774 and, was married to Ann Gypson (widow).  However, nowhere in the application are there any source citations provided as to how they “know” that James Lindsey of Londonderry, Ireland and Londonderry, Rockingham, New Hampshire is Archi’s father. Let alone, how they know that he emigrated from Ireland and more specifically, Londonderry.

Before I delve into the specific subject of this post – the Tale of Three James – a little background is needed.

I began the research of my LINDSEY ancestry in 2013; starting from my Grandfather, Walter Galloway LINDSEY and working backward.  In 2014 I hit a “bump in the road.”  Archibald LINDSEY was purported to be my third Great Grandfather, Edwin G LINDSEY’s father.  And, the son of James LINDSEY.  But there appeared to be nothing more than hearsay, to support that assertion.  I first learned of this “relationship” from Margaret Isabella Lindsay’s book “The Lindsay’s of America.²”   More research followed and I learned of an Archibald LINDSEY who served during the American Revolutionary War as a Private, from Massachusetts, September 1777 – October 1777.  Armed with that information, I went to the DAR website and searched for applications that may have been submitted listing Archi as their Patriot.  I found three, an original and two supplemental applications.  All three sorely lacked source citations. 

A lot of assertions and assumptions were made based on, as far as I can tell,  hearsay. The original application was clearly reviewed; you can see several notations throughout.  But, again, no source citation is provided, nor anything indicating where the information was derived. This has been my research focus ever since. 

I have been able to prove, to my satisfaction, that my third Great Grandfather, Edwin Galloway LINDSEY and all his siblings named in both sources previously mentioned here, are indeed the descendants of Archibald LINDSEY.  I have since obtained actual pay and muster rolls documenting Archi’s service during the Revolutionary War.  More on that research and my findings in a future post.  So, now it was time to focus the research on, and to document, Archi’s parentage.

A note to the reader: I affectionately refer to Archibald LINDSEY as “Archi” throughout.

As I mentioned, the initial DAR application, dated 4 November 1953, asserts that James LINDSEY was born in 1680, Londonderry, Ireland and died in 1774, Londonderry, Rockingham, New Hampshire.  The application also asserts that Ann Gypson (widow) was his wife.  There are no citations provided and no original documents included in the applicant package.  So, where did this information come from?  What information, documents, research was used to substantiate it? 

I needed to learn more about what information was out there; what documents did James create during his life?  What documents were created about or for James, during his life?  Did anyone else who descended from James LINDSEY, his son Archi, or another of his children (Archi’s siblings) have information, and more specifically, documentation that would support or refute their connection?  Sadly, every single tree and message board, etc. that I found, simply provided the same flimsy resources that I’ve noted here.  Everyone cites, attaches and refers to the DAR application which asserts that James is Archibald LINDSEY’s father.  And, Ann Gypson was his wife.  To support the Ann Gypson connection, everyone cites the New England Historical & Genealogical Register, 1847 – 2011, which states, “James Lindsey (bachelor, married an Ann Gypson (widow), 16 January 1727/8."³   In addition, all cite the Find-a-Grave memorial for James which notes that he is buried at Forest Hill Cemetery, East Derry, Rockingham, New Hampshire.⁴

SLOW; proceed with CAUTION! 

It would appear, that the information within the New England Historical & Genealogical Register was a compilation of historical ministerial records from throughout New England.  The specific notation, reference James Lindsey’s and Ann Gypson’s marriage, comes from the Hon. Samuel C Adams, of Newfield, Maine. He notes that he is “in possession of the original record of Mr. Adams [Reverend Hugh Adams], and believing it may afford some interest . . . I send a copy of the record of marriages, baptisms, admissions to the church, etc.”   

James is a common given name and Lindsey a common surname.  There is not enough identifying data in this entry in the cited register to definitively conclude that this James Lindsey is Archi’s father.  The entry doesn’t tell me where either party are from.  It doesn’t include birth date; birth place; nor where either party lived at the time of marriage.  There is nothing, nothing at all, to distinguish this James Lindsey from any other male by the same name. As this historical and genealogical register records marriages, baptisms, admissions to the church, etc. from throughout New England, I took the time to browse the book.  That is, I looked from its cover and at all 504 pages (518 images) of it.  Scouring the pages for any other mentions of the LINDSEYs. There were only two: Joel Harvey Linsley (page 88; image 97) and James LINDSEY (page 180; image 191).  There was nothing else in the register that shed light on just who this James Lindsey was.

Yet, every tree, message board, etc. that I’ve come across cites this as their source – their only source – making the connection between this James Lindsey and Ann Gypson to Archi.  Really?  How’d they make that leap?  Because it was recorded on an approved DAR application?  Because it is on another family tree?  Because others believe that they descend from James LINDSEY and repeatedly quote this connection?

Let’s take a look at that Find-a-Grave memorial.  James LINDSEY is buried in the Forest Hill Cemetery, located in East Derry, New Hampshire in section K Lot 61.  However . . . there are couple of things that should immediately jump right off the page for any discerning genealogist or family historian. 

1. The memorial page includes the name of his spouse, Martha Lindsey

2. A VERY IMPORTANT note left by the photographer, DJ Goldman.  DJ notes that this is “an unusual stone in that his wife, Martha, is on the other side of the stone.  This is not commonly seen in gravestones of this era.”

Transcription:  Here lyeth the body of James Lindsay who died on the 17 June Anno Domini 1774 aged 94

On the opposite side of James Lindsay’s headstone . . .

Transcription: Here lyeth the body of Martha Lindsay wife to James Lindsay who died on the 29 of January Anno Domini 1743.  Aged [the age is not visible]

Did no one see that there is clearly something rotten in the Province / state of New Hampshire?  We have a James LINDSEY said to be married to an Ann Gypson in 1727/8 and who they attach to their family trees.  And, we also have a James LINDSEY buried with his wife Martha in the Forest Hill Cemetery, whose Find-a-Grave memorial they also attach to their trees.

Did no one ask themselves . . . was James married more than once?  Did Ann die?  Did Ann and James divorce? Did James remarry; when?  What happened to Ann?  Where is she?  Is there more than one James Lindsey in the area?

My goal was to determine if there really was a connection between James Lindsey and Archibald LINDSEY as noted on the DAR application.  In order to do this however, I needed to untangle this new mystery . . . is there one James who was married first to Ann and then Martha?  Or, is there more than one James Lindsey in the Londonderry, Rockingham, New Hampshire area and surrounding local? 

It so happens at this point, I was scheduled to travel to New England, specifically Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York, on a research trip.  I planned to focus on my LINDSEY family.  Specifically, Archi.  And, I was hoping to really dive into research on James as well.  In preparation for this trip, I went back over every single piece of evidence that I had on Archi to this point.  From Archi “forward” I had not been as successful in untangling which of Archi’s wives were the mother of which of his children.  More on this in a future blog.  But while doing this, I came across hints (shaky leaves) or clues when searching other parts of the LINDSEY line that were either new to me, or I just hadn’t really focused on them before. 

One clue was particularly interesting, and I came across this about a week before my trip.  This ended up being the best time to run into it, because it was fresh and foremost in my mind when I traveled to New Hampshire.  The Clue?  The US and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s – 1900s.⁵  This abstract from the original record says that a James LINDSEY and his wife, Martha arrived on these shores, in New Hampshire, in 1720.  Now, this is an index; an abstract, and it clearly notes “date and place of first mention of residence in the New World extracted from several sources, mainly ‘New Hampshire Provincial Deeds, 1641 – 1771,’ which are on microfilm at the New Hampshire Historical Society.”  Well, isn’t that convenient.  It just so happened, that a week after finding this, I would be in New Hampshire visiting the New Hampshire State Archives.  The New Hampshire Historical Society was now added to my list of places to visit.

So, here’s the thing, the DAR application, and everyone thereafter, has been recording that James LINDSEY was married to an Ann Gypson (widow) 16 January 1727/8.  This abstract alone, calls that information into question.  First, note the year James arrived in New Hampshire; 1720.  Note who he arrived with; wife, Martha.  Now, go back and look at that headstone in the Forest Hill Cemetery and attached to the Find-a-Grave memorial.  Do you see a problem?  Martha and James were married when they arrived on these shores in 1720; the Rev. Hugh Adams’ records included in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 1847 – 2011, mentioned above, records a James Lindsey marrying an Ann Gypson (widow) 16 January 1727; and, Martha Lindsey, according to the headstone that she SHARES with her husband James LINDSEY, didn’t die until 1743.

So, are we looking at the same man, James LINDSEY, married twice and buried, at the time of his death in 1774, with his first wife, Martha?  Or, are we looking at two different men?  Time to look at those deeds mentioned in this latest clue.

When visiting the New Hampshire State Archives, I mentioned my interest in Land Deeds, and my specific focus on the James and Martha Lindsey mentioned in the Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. Here’s what I found.

The Royal Town Charter for Londonderry, in the new Province of New Hampshire, dated 1 June 1722.⁶ 

Samuel Shute, Esq., Governor; and Commander and Chief, Province of New Hampshire, on 1 June 1722, signed the Royal Town Charter, which granted “. . . equal shares unto sundry of our beloved subjects whose names are entered unto a schedule hereunto annexed that inhabit or shall inhabit. . . .” 

James LINDSEY was among the sundry [many] granted equal shares of land.

To view the Londonderry Royal Town Charter, click here.  Note, this novice blogger is using Google Docs for the first time, so fingers crossed that it works “as advertised.”  If it doesn’t, I am sure that it is 100% operator error on my part.

The fourth and fifth page of the Royal Town Charter provides a “Schedule [list] of Names of the Proprietors of Londonderry.  A list of approximately 122 “neighbors” of James LINDSEY.  This will be helpful later.

I learned from the staff that the New Hampshire County Registries of Deeds has digitized the land deeds for Rockingham County and those records can be found on their website..  When I returned from my trip, land deeds were my sole focus.  Remember, the Passenger and Immigration index noted “Provincial Deeds, 1641 – 1771.”  I wanted to search both the “Verified Grantor” and “Verified Grantee” lists for 1629 to present.  I searched for James LINDSEY using all known variants of the surname to include the four most common spellings I’ve seen throughout my research:  LINDSEY; LINDSAY; LINSEY; and LINZEY. 

I then set about reading and transcribing each deed – every single one.  Forty-one deeds from 1722 – 1771.  Then I went back and read through them again.  I wanted to pick out pieces of information from each deed that I thought may be helpful in learning more about James and I took notes.  I was looking to identify James’ FAN Club.  That is, I was looking for his Family / Friends; Associates; and Neighbors.  People that lived, worked, and associated with James and his family on a daily basis; people, that if found in a given place and time with a James LINDSEY, would later help me identify whether there was only one James Lindsey or whether there might be more than one.  So, to that end, I made note of who James purchased land from or sold land to.  Whether his wife was mentioned in the deed as relinquishing her dower and power of thirds. The boundaries - that is, who the neighbors were.  And, I noted both who witnessed James’ signature and who signed as Justice of the Peace.  I then took my notes and created an excel spreadsheet which would greatly assist in helping me to contrast; compare; and document my findings.  Again, I was looking to learn whether there was one James LINDSEY or more than one.

To view the resulting spread sheet click here.

Okay, before getting into what I found, keep in mind we are wanting to determine if there is one James Lindsey, married twice?  Or, whether there is more than one James Lindsey, in the same geographical area during the same time?  And, we are looking to confirm, or deny, the assertion by many that James Lindsey is Archi’s father.

In the deed dated 15 June 1730⁷ (see image below), James LINDSEY and his wife, Martha, sell property to their daughter, Jenat and son-in-law, John Wallace.  The witnesses to this transaction were John Anderson and John McMurphy.  James Mckeen, Justice of the Peace.

“To all Christian people to whom these presents shall come, greeting.  Know ye that I James LINDSAY of Londonderry, within his Majesty’s Province of New Hampshire in New England for and in consideration of love and good will and affection which I have and do bear to my son, John Wallace, of the Town and Province aforesaid . . .”

“ . . . that Jenat Wallace the wife of the aforesaid, John Wallace, out live or survive her husband, John Wallace, that the aforesaid lands with all the improvements that shall or may be upon the same at his decease shall return and fall unto the said Jenat Wallace, wife to the aforesaid John Wallace and DAUGHTER to the aforesaid James LINDSEY . . .”

“. . . and Martha, the wife of the said James Lindsay, doth hereby give grant yield up and surrender all my right of dower and power of thirds . . .”

The 3 February 1746 deed⁸, has James LINDSEY of Londonderry and his wife, Margaret, engaged in the sale of their land to James Rodgers.  The witnesses were Thomas Cochran and John MacMurphy.  The Justice of the Peace was John MacMurphy.

“ . . . Margaret, the wife of the said James Lindsay, doth by these presents give, grant, yield up, and surrender all her right of dower and power of thirds . . .”

On 16 October 1749⁹ a James Lindsey “transferred” property to his daughter.  The witnesses to this transaction were James Scales and Susanna Scales.  The Justice of the Peace was James Scales.

“To all people to whom these presents shall come, greeting.  Know ye that I James Lindsey of Canterbury in the Province of New Hampshire in New England, Cordwainer, for and in consideration of the paternal love and affection which I bear to MY DEARLY BELOVED DAUGHTER AND ONLY CHILD Elizabeth Lindsey of Canterbury aforesaid, spinster.”

On 12 June 1750¹⁰ a James Lindsey “transferred” property to his step-daughter.  The witnesses to the transaction were James Scales and Susanna Scales.  The Justice of the Peace, James Scales.

“To all people to whom these presents shall come, greeting.  Know ye that I James Lindsey of Canterbury in the Province of New Hampshire in New England, Cordwainer, for and in consideration of the love and affection which I bear to my beloved DAUGHTER-IN-LAW ELEANOR GIPSON, the daughter of my present wife by her first husband . . .”

What we have:

1. A James LINDSEY, an early resident of Londonderry, Province of New Hampshire. (Royal Town Charter, dated 1 June 1722)
2. A James LINDSEY and his wife, Martha, of Londonderry, Province of New Hampshire, selling land to their son-in-law, John Wallace (15 June 1730)
3. A James LINDSEY and his wife, Margaret, of Londonderry, Province of New Hampshire, selling land to James Rodgers
4. A James Lindsey, of Canterbury, Province of New Hampshire, transferring land to his beloved daughter and only child, Elizabeth (16 October 1749)
5. A James Lindsey, of Canterbury, Province of New Hampshire, transferring land to his beloved daughter-in-law [step-daughter], Eleanor Gipson, the “daughter of my present wife by her first husband” (12 June 1750)

Out of forty-one land transactions James LINDSEY of Londonderry, Rockingham, Province / State of New Hampshire,  bought and sold land from 1722 – 1767, a total of 12 times.  And, all within Londonderry or Windham which was a part of Londonderry from 1719 – 1742.  His land transactions never took him outside these two locals. 

We have two James Lindseys of Canterbury, who both bought, sold, or “transferred” land.  One James Lindsey “transferred” land to his only child, Elizabeth, 1749.  And, in 1752, James purchased land from his daughter, Elizabeth and her husband, Nathaniel Perkins.  Both transactions were within Canterbury.

The other James Lindsey on 12 June 1750, “transferred” land to his step-daughter, Eleanor Gipson. The land sold was located in the town of Canterbury.  And, the deed notes that both Eleanor and her step-father, James Lindsey, were both from the town of Canterbury.

I have found no transaction for the purchase or sale of land outside of Canterbury for either of these James Lindseys.

So, as you can see, we do, in fact, have more than one James LINDSEY living at the same time in the same geographical location.  There was indeed a James Lindsey married to an Ann GIPSON.  A James Lindsey buying and selling land with his first wife, Martha and then after Martha’s death in 1743, with his second wife, Margaret.   And, there was also a James Lindsey, selling land to his beloved daughter and only child, Elizabeth.

So, who is Archi’s dad?  Well, I know who his father isn’t.  It isn’t the James Lindsey who had only one child, a daughter, Elizabeth! 

I’m scratching my head.  These records were created in the 1700’s; they were witnessed, recorded and filed.  And, they aren’t the only records that existed for that time and place for either of the three James LINDSEYs, For instance . . .

The History of Windham in New Hampshire (Rockingham County), 1719-1883¹¹ which records the Officers of the Provincial Government. 

James LINDSEY of Londonderry is serving as a Town Officer of Londonderry / Windham in 1722.  Now, I could be wrong, but I’d think, business, at the Provincial level, on a fairly regular basis would be taking place.  And, the Government would be creating, recording and filing records.  All of which “could” lead to information about James and his family.

Just in this one snippet, James LINDSEY is surrounded by his FANS.  James McKeen and John McMurphy, Judicial Officers (Justice of the Peace) whom James appeared before to acknowledge that the transaction was his “free act and deed.  James McKeen, John Goffe, James Gregg, Samuel Graves, Samuel Moore, James Alexander, John Cochran, all were not only witnesses to James Lindsey’s, Martha’s and Margaret’s signatures on the various land transactions from 1722 – 1771, but they also frequently bought land from and sold land to James Lindsey as well.

Our ancestors didn’t live in a vacuum, without any connection to other people or events.  All of these records were available in 1953, when the first applicant applied to DAR for membership, citing Archibald LINDSEY as their Patriot Ancestor. They were available, when DAR’s genealogist reviewed, examined, and vetted the application and the supporting evidence, or as we’ve seen, the lack thereof.  Yet, as far as I can see, to a person and organization, what was included in that application was taken as, and promulgated in every family tree, story, and conversation, as gospel.  The irony is – without getting too involved with this analogy – that no matter your personal beliefs, we all know that there are many that would argue the validity of what Christians refer to as the Gospel (the Bible).  They cite that it is just a collection of stories; that there is seemingly no documentation, nothing to support it’s accuracy, etc., etc.  Yet, many a genealogist and family historian take what they see in print and online, in DAR applications; authored genealogies; family trees; family lore, etc. with no supporting evidence, or at least none cited, as . . .  “gospel.” 

Can James Lindsey be added to the family tree?  Which James Lindsey?  NOT MY FAMILY TREE!!!  Not yet!  There is nothing, nothing to substantiate the claim.  And, I am not in the habit of adding anyone to my family tree that hasn’t been thoroughly researched and “proven” to a reasonable degree of certainty.

SLOW; PROCEED WITH CAUTION!!

We now know which James Lindsey is not Archi’s father, but we have two remaining candidates.  The first, James Lindsey married to Martha, who was in Londonderry, Rockingham, New Hampshire as early as 1720; who remarried after Martha’s death in 1743.  His second wife is known to be Margaret. 

And, then there is the James Lindsey of Canterbury, who, as we’ve seen is indeed married to the widow Ann Gypson, and is the father of his beloved step-daughter Eleanor.

Two James Lindsey’s and three potential women that could be Archi’s mother.  Ann Gypson; Martha; or Margaret.  That will have to be a future blog post.

A lot more research required.

I am not a fan of lineage societies as a whole, but what I find particularly troubling about DAR is, they have, since their founding in 1890, set themselves apart by restricting membership to those who can “prove” their descent from an American Patriot.  That is, an applicant must  provide documentation proving relationship from the patriot down to themselves.  DAR also sets themselves apart, insisting before an applicant is approved, a DAR genealogist must review and vet the submitted information and genealogies for accuracy.  Unfortunately, and what is maddening, is this leads everyone to falsely conclude that if an applicant is admitted into the prestigious ranks of the Daughters of the American Revolution, their lineage is “golden” – err, proven.  And, DAR does nothing to discourage this. 

DAR allows for an applicant to “piggy back” on a so called, proven Revolutionary Ancestor with whom they share a “proven” common lineage.  So, unless an applicant has anything to add . . . but, why would they?  Why do research when it has already been done for you, right?  Why go back and review what had been previously submitted; to oh, I don’t know, check on that pesky and glaring discrepancy mentioned above – you know Martha? Ann?  Three James Lindseys?  Why they should is obvious to any seasoned and discerning genealogist and family historian.  However, the reality is, many, far too many, don’t and these errors persist causing tree rot.

And, therein lies the root – pun intended – of my problem.  I’d be far more impressed with DAR if they stopped the practice of allowing new applicants to “piggy back” onto an existing application; an application that as we’ve seen can be with error.  I’d be far more impressed if they’d insist that an applicant must do their own research or hire a professional to do so, of their genealogy and lineage back to the Patriot ancestor.  If an applicant wishes to use the approved application package of a former member and the information contained within, they may do so with the knowledge that they be used as hints only.  There will be nothing from the existing package accepted as “proof” that cannot be duplicated by research today.  And, I’d be very impressed if they were a little more obvious then they currently are, that their “proven” patriots and lineage files are not without error, some more glaring than others.  Far too many are susceptible to the notion that if an application has been approved by DAR the lineage is “proven” and without error.  Well, it has to be, right?  Or, DAR wouldn’t have accepted it.  That is the perception DAR promotes when it states that only applicants with a “proven” lineage will be accepted for membership to their august organization.

As you research your family, strive to review everything with a critical eye. There are tools, from the simple, such as the excel spreadsheet I’ve linked above - they need not be fancy, it can be as simple and basic as pencil and paper - to the technical.  .  And, there are best practices and standards - the Genealogical Proof Standard - that are available to guide the novice to the professional.  Insist on knowing where the information came from.  As we’ve seen, just because it is in print or accepted by a prestigious and established organization and lineage society does not mean that the information is full-proof.  Humans created the documents; humans assessed the documents and humans are not without error!  And, lastly, even if supporting documentation is available, you / we should all read through it, transcribe it, critically review it and make our own determination as to the accuracy of the information.  And, as to the information in toto. 

Yes, this means hours upon hours of work.   In some cases creating spreadsheets, or what have you, to contrast and compare.  Collecting documents not only on who we believe to be our ancestor, but as you’ve seen, collecting documents created by their FANs and most importantly, in the case of our ancestors with common names, collecting documents that were created by any person with the same name, in the same general local, and really reading them; transcribing them; dissecting them; comparing the information they contain, against what we’ve learned about others with the same name; creating a timeline to see where there are gaps, overlaps, impossibilities and probabilities.  ALL of this will help to find OUR ancestor and document them.  And, of course, it will ultimately help us climb OUR family tree and not someone else’s!!! 

A note to the reader: To learn more about the Genealogical Proof Standard, I highly recommend viewing a series of YouTube videos put together by Ancestry’s Corporate Genealogist, Crista Cowan.  They are no more than 30 minutes in length and are choc full of information, tips, etc.  Crista’s presentation style is such that the novice to the professional can all learn something; they are not collegiate and you feel as though Crista is in the room and talking directly to you.  The series is free and I highly recommend saving them to refer back to.  Here is a link to the series.

Crista also has an excellent video presentation on the “FAN Club” method of research.  That is researching the Family / Friends, Associates, and Neighbors of our ancestors.  Here is the link.

Another professional genealogist and speaker that I highly recommend is Mr. Warren Bittner, CG.  I first heard him speak at the 2014 NGS Genealogy Conference in Richmond, Virginia.  He was AWESOME!!!  If you ever get the opportunity to hear him speak in person, GO to hear him!!  Do NOT pass go; do not collect $200.00, go directly to hear his presentation!!  You will not regret it.  Warren Bittner, during his 2014 NGS session, presented a very interesting topic reference proving identities, and did so in an entertaining way.  What I got out of that presentation was better understanding of what is meant by a reasonably exhaustive search.  Hint . . . the research that I’ve done and what I have written about here is just the beginning phases of my foray into a reasonably exhaustive search on James LINDSEY.  As they say . . . I’ve only just begun!

For those that have a Legacy Family Tree Webinars subscription, you can access archived presentations by Warren in their webinar library. 

I challenge each of you, as you research, to go SLOW!  And, PROCEED WITH CAUTION! 

What similar challenges have you had in researching your ancestors and how did you ultimately resolve the conflict?  Or, is the “jury still out?”  I look forward to learning what worked for you.  I am all about “collecting” tips and tricks that will help me and others further their research and ultimately documenting all of our ancestors.

Tracy

Copyright © 2017 Family Preserves; Tracy L Meyers

_____________________________________

SOURCES:

¹Membership application, Frances E Whitney, National No.336908, on Archibald Lindsey (1744 – 1835), approved 4 November 1953; Daughters of the American Revolution, Washington, DC

²Margaret Isabella Lindsey, The Lindsays of America, (1889; reprint, Westminster, Maryland: Heritage Books, Inc, 2008), pages 141 – 143

³Ancestry.com. The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, 1847 – 2011 (database online). Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Image 191

⁴Find A Grave, database with images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 6 April 2014), memorial 18369952, James Lindsey (1680 – 1774), Forest Hill Cemetery, East Derry, Rockingham, New Hampshire; gravestone photograph by  D J Goldman

⁵Ancestry.com and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s – 1900s [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 2010. COPELY, WILLIAM. “Scotch-Irish Settlers in New Hampshire, 1719 – 1776.” In Historical New Hampshire (New Hampshire Historical Society, Concord), Vol. 50:3/4 (Fall/Winter 1995), pp. 213-228 (page 221)

^6”New Hampshire, Royal Town Charter, Province of Londonderry, 1722,” Land Deeds, New Hampshire State Archives, Concord

⁷“New Hampshire County Registries of Deeds,” database, nhdeeds.com (http://www.nhdeeds.com : accessed 26 August 2017) entry for James Lindsey, Rockingham County Registry of Deeds; citing verified Grantor 1629 – 2017, digital images, volume 0017:360-361

⁸“New Hampshire County Registries of Deeds,” database, nhdeeds.com (http://www.nhdeeds.com : accessed 23 August 2017) entry for James Lindsey, Rockingham County Registry of Deeds: citing verified Grantor 1629 – 2017, digital images, volume 34:117-119

⁹“New Hampshire County Registries of Deeds,” database, nhdeeds.com (http://www.nhdeeds.com : accessed 23 August 2017) entry for James Lindsey, Rockingham County Registry of Deeds: citing verified Grantor 1629 – 2017, digital images, volume 70:340-342

¹⁰“New Hampshire County Registries of Deeds,” database, nhdeeds.com (http://www.nhdeeds.com : accessed 23 August 2017) entry for James Lindsey, Rockingham County Registry of Deeds: citing verified Grantor 1629 – 2017, digital images, volume 40:274-275

¹¹Ancestry.com.  The History of Windham in New Hampshire (Rockingham County), 1719-1883 : a Scotch Settlement (Commonly Called Scotch-Irish), [database online],  Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations Inc.  2005

Grandma isn’t Playing Nice! . . . On Either Side

Okay, here’s the deal, we were all new once . . . right?

When I initially started “collecting” family stories and information in the “dark-ages” before computers and digitization - before I had discretionary funds to send for records or travel to archives - I pretty much knew the present-day and not too distant past stories and details of the living and the recently deceased family members - I had grown up with them, visited them and knew where they lived and worked. 

So, in 2003, when I started tracing their genealogy and family history in earnest, I documented what I knew and started a tree sapling on Ancestry.com.  And, I made the decision early on, that because I had the most information on my mother’s paternal ancestors, I would document what I knew on them, but would not linger - I’d come back to them later.  What I really wanted to get to and discover was the genealogy and family history of my other three grandparents; I didn’t know much beyond them.

I started with the basics, I had birth and death certificates and U.S. Army Discharge papers for my Dad’s Dad; a death certificate for both my mother’s Mom and Grandmother and for her Dad; and, I also had the obituary clipping for my Dad’s Mom.  And, of course, their family stories – the stories I had grown up listening to.  I entered the basic details gleaned from these documents and stories into each one of their profiles and then set about collecting the basic records to document and substantiate their lives and the details that I had.

Reminder . . . this was before I had learned to really focus on each word and line of a document.  Before I had learned the benefits of transcribing a document – even if it was clearly written and easily read – to ensure that I paid attention to every small detail.  Before I knew to create a timeline for each family member so that I could see potential gaps in their lives, the missing vital statistics and details of their lives, and to note any conflicting information.  Before I knew to really focus on what documents I had and which ones were missing.  Before I knew to both pay attention to source information – where that information came from and who provided it – and, to cite – document – the source.  And, before I had discovered the Barefoot Genealogist, Crista Cowan, and her tutorials on the Ancestry YouTube channel and all the tips and tricks I’d learn from her.  Before I learned to document “negative” research – search results that didn’t yield any further information; new information; or that completely debunked the information I had – so that I wouldn’t “climb” the wrong family tree.  Before I learned about blogs and online webinars where I’d continue to learn how to document my family’s history and genealogy.  Before I started blogging and getting my family’s story online and connecting with “cousins.”  And, before the added dividend of really focusing on the details – the facts, ma’am, just the facts – when creating a blog post on the family member or line that I was currently working.

After, creating the online sapling, I used the initial physical documents to record what I knew about each “leaf” and then I started collecting census records, obituaries, birth and death certificates that I didn’t already have for each family member.  Which brings us to today’s post . . .

My maternal Grandmother, Catherine Louise (STARR) Kriebel’s parents were Eva E RAMER and William E STARR Sr.  And, my Great Grandmother, Eva RAMER’s parents were Oscar RAMER and Louisa MILHEIM.  I knew this because . . .

1. My mother and her siblings knew each of them and they knew where each of them lived and worked – they had grown up with them and visited them
2. I knew my Grandmother, Catherine (STARR) Kriebel, I knew her siblings, I knew the house she grew up in.  I visited there often as a child – her brother, Robert STARR lived there with his wife and with his Mother – my Grandmother’s mother – Eva E (RAMER) Starr 
3. I had the physical copy of the obituary for my Grandmother, Catherine STARR; the physical copy of the death certificate for my Great Grandmother, Eva E (RAMER) Starr; the death certificate (found online) for my Great Great Grandmother, Louisa MILHEIM and a copy (found online) of the marriage license for Louisa MILHEIM and Oscar RAMER 
4. I had US Census records for each ancestor and their family unit from their birth through 1940

And, each of of these substantiated what I already knew – names, dates of birth, marriage, death and residence.  Nothing was amiss.  Or . . . was there?

I didn’t have my Grandmother Catherine (STARR) Kriebel’s birth certificate, I ordered it and waited.  Now, I knew that Catherine’s parents were William E STARR and Eva E RAMER, but when I received the copy of her birth certificate via US Postal Service, it was very generic – provided the child’s name, date and place of birth and parent’s names.  The certificate read . . .

Name:  Catherine Louise STARR

Date of Birth: 1 December 1912
Place of Birth:  Allentown, Lehigh, Pennsylvania

Father: William E STARR
Mother: Eva Pfaff

Well, that isn’t right, my Great Grandmother’s name was Eva E RAMER.  Must have received this in error.  Trash!  And, I moved on.  Yes, now, I am hanging my head in shame, but remember, I was just getting started and I hadn’t yet learned.  We’ll return to this in a bit.

Next I spoke to and “interviewed” my Mother’s cousin Marty.  Marty is Robert STARR’s daughter, and Robert is the half-brother of my Grandmother, Catherine, the son of my Great Grandfather William E STARR and his first wife, Ethel Lynda Kline, and the step-grandson of my Great Great Grandparent’s Louisa MILHEIM and Oscar RAMER.  She was able to provide very few additional details, but I did learn when her father, Robert, passed away – my family had been living overseas at the time and we weren’t aware – sadly, after the death of my Grandmother in 1975 and the busyness of daily living, our families didn’t stay in touch. 

I went looking for Robert’s obituary.

Robert’s obituary was published 6 June 1992 in The Morning Call (Allentown, PA) and named his parents . . .

“William E and Eva E (MILHEIM) STARR”

Wait, that isn’t right!  Where did that come from?  Eva E RAMER and William E STARR are the biological parents of my Grandmother, Catherine, but, William E STARR and Ethel Lynda Kline are the parent’s of my Grandmother’s half-brothers, William E STARR, Jr and Robert STARR.  Okay, by this point, I had learned that I needed to “sure-up” my research if there was a discrepancy.  Everything else in the obituary was consistent with what I knew from first-hand knowledge of growing up with my Grand Uncle.  I made note of the discrepancy and did not yet attach the obituary to Robert’s profile.  I next moved to census records, marriage license(s), death certificates, etc. and set about the task of documenting my family – confirming what I knew, but, with the added task of “proving” or “disproving” the names of Robert’s parents.

Locating the marriage license for William E STARR and Ethel Lynda Kline, the census records for William and Ethel  and Ethel’s death certificate, I was able to “prove” to my satisfaction that both William E, Jr and Robert C STARR were the sons of William E STARR and Ethel Lynda Kline.  Eva E RAMER was their step-mother.  And, I moved on. (we’ll take a look at these documents shortly)

Okay, that research was pretty much all completed back in 2003/4.  In the following years I continued to learn how to research; how to organize my notes; how to create a timeline; how to pay close attention to everything, but particularly to the oddities; how to make note of those oddities, discrepancies, outright errors and “negative” search results; how I should transcribe every document, which in turn helps me focus on all the details; how to do F A N Research; how to create a blog; how to document my searches, so that I didn’t keep searching for those records that I had already found, or, didn’t; how to cite my sources; I learned the basic principals of the Genealogical Proof Standards (GPS); and, I learned research strategies – for me, that meant focusing on one family and surname at a time – to doggedly pursue each leaf and branch, locating “low-hanging” fruit – birth, marriage, census and death records – to include obituaries -  and then diving deeper and locating military records, wills and probate records; land deeds, etc. 

In all honesty, I am still learning about record collections that I haven’t yet explored – why I continue to watch Crista Cowan and other genealogy webinars and why I read a number of blogs.  There is a lot, A LOT of information and educational materials* out there – I cannot encourage you enough to avail yourself of it.  And, most of it, if not all, is in easy to understand (read NOT collegiate) language.  And, that is PERFECT for me.

*To learn more about F A N Research, Citing your Sources and the Genealogical Proof Standards (GPS), click on the hyperlinks (red print).

Since 2004 I have been focused on documenting the BEARSELL, LEARN and LINDSEY - my Dad’s paternal line - families with occasional short forays into the collateral lines, using the F A N Research strategy to help find and document the elusive direct-line ancestors.  Until . . . recently.

Over the past year, the State of Pennsylvania and Ancestry.com have worked together and have recently digitized Pennsylvania’s 1906 – 1963 death certificates.  In doing so, a lot of “shaky leaf” hints have been appearing and distracting my attention.  I’m usually able to stay focused, I don’t, as a rule, tend to get distracted for long.  If my focus on the family / line that I am working on is diverted, it is usually only a brief distraction – one long enough to review the hint and decide whether it is something to keep or can be discarded.  I then refocus my attention to the name / line that I had previously been working.  However . . .

Two weeks ago, a “shaky leaf” hint appeared for my Great Grandmother, Eva E RAMER – the Pennsylvania death certificate.  Okay, I’ll take a look, I don’t expect to find any new information, I’ll just verify that it is her death certificate and I’ll review – in depth - all her source documents when I focus on the RAMER line.  But, wait!  . . .

1. That doesn’t look like the hard-copy certificate I have
2. Her parents are listed as George MILHEIM and Louisa PFAFF

Well, that isn’t right.  Eva’s parents were Oscar RAMER and Louisa MILHEIM. 

MILHEIM is right, but it was Eva’s Mother’s maiden name. Who’s George? My Great Great Grandmother’s – Louisa – Father’s name was Charles MILHEIM.  And, PFAFF?  Wait!  PFAFF?  I’ve seen that before.  Oh, I remember, the copy of the birth certificate for my Grandmother – Catherine Louise STARR – that I initially ordered and subsequently threw away, had Eva PFAFF listed as the Mother of my Grandmother.  And, did I mention, that I had on another occasion attempted to obtain another copy of my Grandmother’s birth certificate?  Yes, and when it arrived, it had the same – I assumed – error and . . . you guessed it, I threw it away too. Nope, I hadn’t yet learned.

But, this time, PFAFF had my attention.  Everything else on my Great Grandmother’s death certificate was correct - home address; city and state; date and place of birth; date and place of death; and spouse’s name.  The informant?  My Grandmother, Catherine Louise (STARR) Kriebel and her physical address was also correct.

I knew this information to be correct because I knew my Grandmother and where she lived – I visited her there often – and while I didn’t know either of my Great Grandparents, I did know where they had lived and died – my Grand Uncle Bob (Robert E STARR) and his wife, Ann, lived there – and I visited them often.  So, back to my original question, where did George MILHEIM and Eva PFAFF come from? 

It’s 2015 and by now I had learned the lessons mentioned above.  So much for briefly looking over the hint and “storing” it for when I began work in earnest on the RAMERs.  I couldn’t just put it aside, I needed to, at the very least, research why the PFAFF surname kept appearing – three times is more than a coincidence.  What was I missing?

I went back and looked at the document I had on Eva’s death – remember, I thought, or, perhaps more accurately, assumed, it was a copy of her death certificate.  When I looked at it, I now realized it was a copy of the Local Registrar’s Certification of Death.¹  And, it did not include the names of her parent’s.  Nor did it note her maiden name.

The document provides my Great      Grandmother’s name as Eva Elizabeth STARR and the place of death as 548 Noble Street, Norristown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.  It also provides her date of birth, 24 January 1889 and her date of death as, 5 January 1959.  This is all accurate.  Eva’s step-son and my Grandmother Catherine’s half-brother, Robert and his wife lived in the home he was raised in.  The home, for which the address is provided on the certification of death.  And, as I’ve said, I visited there many times.

 

The death certificate² provides the place of death and the deceased’s usual residence (where deceased lived) as 548 Noble Street, Norristown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.  The document also provided Eva’s . . .

• Full Name:  Eva Elizabeth STARR
• Full Name of Spouse:  William E STARR
• Date of Birth: 24 January 1889
• Date of Death: 5 January 1959
• Father’s Name: Geo MILHEIM
• Mother’s Maiden Name: Louisa PFAFF
• Informant:  Mrs. Wilmer KRIEBEL of Schwenksville, Pennsylvania

Mrs. Wilmer KRIEBEL is my Grandmother, Catherine STARR.  She was married to Wilmer, my Grandfather.

Hmm, Grandma isn’t playing nice!

Next I looked at the marriage license³ for my Great Great Grandparents Louisa MILHEIM  and Oscar RAMER.  It provides the . . .  

• Man’s Name: Oscar REMER (variant of RAMER)
• Woman’s Name: Louisa MILHEIM
• Age of Man: 23
• Age of Woman: 23
• Residence of Man: Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
• Residence of Woman: Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
• Parents’ Name – Man: Eli REMER
• Parents’ Name – Woman: Charles MILHEIM

Nothing amiss here; all what I had grown up hearing around the dinner table.

What I initially find made me realize that I’d need to employ the F A N (Family / Friends, Associates, and Neighbors) research method and go through both the 1880 and 1900 US Federal Census for Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.  I will need to document the RAMERs, MILHEIMs, and PFAFFs prior to Eva’s birth.  What this means is, I will need to “collect” all families with these surnames and save them in my ancestry “shoebox” and then, I’ll need to go through ALL of the townships and enumeration districts within the county, page by page.  I know that I’ll have to compare each individual within a family and each family in order to sort this out.  And, I also know that I’ll have to pay close attention to the neighbors as well.  And, too, I need to go back over the census records that I had previously saved back in 2003/4.

And, collecting all instances of these surnames within the townships and enumeration districts of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania is what I have been doing, as time permitted, these past two weeks. For statistical purposes, the 1880 US Federal Census for Lehigh County, Pennsylvania had 31 townships, 56 enumeration districts and 1,385 images.  And, the 1900 US Federal Census for Lehigh County, Pennsylvania had 36 townships, 67 enumeration districts and 1,920 images.  FUN!!

Having gone through all 3,305 images of the 1880 and 1900 US Federal Census records for Lehigh County, Pennsylvania and collecting all instances of the RAMER, MILHEIM and PFAFF surnames – including variant spellings – I am now ready to review and dissect each and figure this mystery out.  Thanks Grandma!!

I will return soon and share what I’ve learned.

COMING SOON . . .

Will my real Great Grandmother, Eva E. . . RAMER. . . MILHEIM . . . PFAFF please stand up!

PS:  I hope that I am not the only one that learns the hard way.

PPS: And, my paternal Grandma?  Well, she isn’t playing nice either!  She was the informant on her brother’s death certificate and, she said that he was married.  Ummm, no he wasn’t. . . NEVER!  Sigh, that will have to wait until I’ve sorted through this.

Tracy

Copyright © 2015 Tracy L Meyers

________________________________________________________

Sources:

¹Norristown, Pennsylvania, Certification of Death, no. 545557 (1959), Eva Elizabeth Starr; Norristown Local Registrar of Vital Statistics, Cherry Street

²Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Health, Death Certificate 6852 (1959), Eva Elizabeth Starr; ancestry.com, online

³Pennsylvania County Marriages 1855 - 1950 Index and Images (Family Search), "Pennsylvania, County Marriages, 1885 - 1950," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VF43-NG5 :, Date License acquired: 31 May 1892 / Date of Marriage: 31 May 1892. FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VF4V-782).

Land Records; Deeds - An Introduction

CLICK ON AN IMAGE TO VIEW A LARGER VERSION

An online genea pal familiar with my current research of the LINDSEYs and the goal to prove / disprove a relationship between Edwin Galloway LINDSEY, my third great grandfather and Archibald LINDSEY, the man I believe to be Edwin’s father and my fourth great grandfather, recently sent a document – a deed – that she had come across for Archibald LINDSEY.  I hope all of you have genea pals that you collaborate with; they are a Godsend! 

After days of searching for  . . . anything on Archi and his family and coming across leads only to have them either dead-end, dry up, or, add to the labirynth of confusion that I was already trying to navigate, I threw up my hands in frustration, and whined - yes, whined - on one of the FaceBook groups that I belong to about my frustration and that Archi had induced a migraine.  The following morning I had an email from my genea pal with a record attached that was for an Archibald LINDSEY.  And, she hoped that it was for my migraine inducing Archi.  BINGO!  Not only was it for my Archi, but it helped prove who Archi’s last wife was – Hannah. 

“The Lindsays of America,” by Margaret Isabella Lindsay, notes that Archi was married three times.¹  While a typed double-spaced paper included in the supporting documents submitted with the 1953 DAR lineage application states, “Who his three wives were, I have not found out.”² 

However my LINDSEY cousin recently sent me a scanned copy of the Michigan Return of Deaths, Bay County (West Bay City) which recorded the death of Archi’s daughter, Nancy S (LINDSEY) Orton, and listed her parents as Archibald and Isbel LINDSEY.³  

So I now have the given names of two, of the three, of Archi’s wives.

To this point, in all my research, I have been kept busy by looking for and collecting the obvious source documents – birth, marriage, divorce, death - however, I know that there is a treasure trove of source documents out there that go beyond the traditional vital records.  These non-traditional records sets potentially contain a wealth of genealogical gold – given names, surnames, family members, who is married to who, etc.  So, I was looking forward to learning what this deed on Archi contained, so I dove – head first – right in and began transcribing.  Did I mention that Archi tends to induce migraines? 

This deed was handwritten, it was 2-1/2 pages long, it was written without punctuation and in one single and very long run-on paragraph.  Yikes, my heard hurts!  Most of the words I could make out; some I couldn’t, but at the end of it. . .  while I could read what it said; I absolutely did not comprehend what it said.  Lord, help me.

Okay, it was time to see what resources I could find, that were on a 5th-grade level (easier for me to understand) that would help me learn and understand, I hoped, what I was looking at.  I started with Crista Cowan, the Barefoot Genealogist, surely she had something in her presentation library on land records.  I wasn’t disappointed, I found Introduction to Using Land Records for Family History out on the ancestry.com YouTube Channel and FamilySearch.org had Pennsylvania Research: Land Records: Field of Dreams in its educational series.  While my LINDSEY research is predominately in New York right now, I didn’t think it would hurt to watch familysearch.org’s presentation on Pennsylvania Land Records – I imagined that while locals may change, that where to look and ultimately find the records you are looking for, will not be that much different location to location.

Note: Both video presentations were introductory and at a basic 101 level; very easy to understand.  Thank you guys – I walked away headache free. 

Definitions:

• Appurtenance: An accessory or any other item associated with a particular activity or style of living; accessories, trappings, equipment
• Assigns: Individuals to whom property is, will, or maybe transferred by conveyance, will or statute
• Bargain: Negotiate the terms and conditions of a transaction
• Deed: A legal document that is signed and delivered, especially one regarding the ownership of property or legal rights
• Encumbrance: A mortgage or other charge on property or asset
• Execute: To sign and otherwise complete a document, such as acknowledging the signature if required to make the document valid; to finish, complete, or perform as required, as in fulfilling one’s obligations under a contract
• Grantee: An individual to whom a transfer of property is made
• Grantor: An individual who transfers ownership of property
• Hereditament: Any item of property, either a corporeal Hereditament (such as land or a building) or an incorporeal hereditament (such as rent or a right of way); an item of inheritance
• Indefeasible: Not able to be lost, annulled or overturned
• Indenture: A formal legal agreement, contract or document
• Metes and Bounds: The boundary lines of land, with their terminal points and angles.  A way of describing land by listing the compass directions and distances of the boundaries. 

Measurements – Metes and Bounds

1 Rod, Perch, or Pole = 25 Links = 16.5 Feet
4 Rods = 1 Chain
1 Chain = 4 Rods = 66 Feet = 100 Links
1 Link = 7.92 Inches
25 Links = 1 Rod = 16.5 Feet

Warren County, 1827 (page 112 – 113) – starts mid-page 112

Pages 112 - 113

(page 114) deed’s last paragraph at the top

Page 114

This indenture made the 11th day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven between Archibald LINDSEY and Hannah, his wife, of the town of Luzerne and county of Warren of the first part and Jeremy Rockwell of the town of Hadley and County of Saratoga of the second part witnesseth that the said party of the first part for and in consideration of the sum of three hundred forty-one dollars and twenty-six cents lawful money of the United States of America to him in hand paid [illegible] as before the exchange and delivery of these presents by the said party of the second part the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged and the said party of the second part his heir executor and administrator forever released and discharged from the same by these presents has granted [illegible] and [illegible] confirmed and by these presents doth grant [illegible] unto the said party of the second part and to his heirs and [illegible] forever the one equal and undivided half of all that certain farm or parcel of land [illegible] lying and being with town of Luzerne with the county of Warren with patent of [illegible] within log no. three with subdivision of lot no. thirteen beginning at the northeast corner of lot of land surveyed for Elijah Buttolph with east line of the twenty-fourth alottment of said patent at the distance of one chain and twenty-six links from the place where the said line strikes the bank of the Hudson River and running thence north eighty-nine degrees east sixty-eight chains and twenty-one links to the east line of the said lot no. three thence north two degrees west seventeen chains and ninety links along the said line of lot no. three [illegible] eighty [illegible] degrees west forty-seven chains and sixty links to the [illegible] side of Hudson River thence along down the east side of said river to the place where the east line [illegible] of the said twenty-fourth allotment of the said river thence along the said line last mentioned to the place of [illegible] one hundred and six and a half acres of land together with all and [illegible] the tenements [illegible] and appurtenances whatsoever unto the said above mentioned and described premises in anyway operating or belonging [illegible] and also all the estate rights title interests [illegible] and rights of [illegible] property [illegible] claim and delivered whatsoever as well with law [illegible] equity of the said party of the first part of [illegible] as to the same and every part and parcel thereof with the appurtenances to have and to hold the above granted [illegible] and described premises with the appurtenances unto the said party of the second part his heirs and [illegible] to his [illegible] proper use and [illegible] forever [illegible] deed the said party of the first part himself heirs executors and administrators doth covenant grant powers and agree to deed with the said party of the second part his heirs and [illegible] that he the said party of the first part at the time of the closing and delivery of these presents is lawfully [illegible] of a good absolute and [illegible] estate of [illegible] fee [illegible] and [illegible] all and [illegible] The above granted [illegible] described premises with the appurtenances and [illegible] rights free power and lawful authority to grant bargain sell and [illegible] the same with [illegible] manner and [illegible] of [illegible] and that the said party of the second part his heirs and [illegible] shall and may at all times hereafter peaceably and quietly have hold use [illegible] enjoy the above granted premises and every part thereof with the [illegible]  Without any [illegible] molestation eviction or disturbances of the said party of the first part his heirs or [illegible] or any other person or persons lawfully claiming as to claim the same and that the same now are free clear discharged and unencumbered of and from all former and other grants titles charges estates judgments taxes [illegible] and [illegible] of what nature as [illegible] and also the said party of the first part and his heirs and all and every other [illegible] as [illegible] whatsoever lawfully as equitably [illegible] any estate rights title or interest of [illegible] as to the [illegible] Therein before granted premises by law [illegible] as  [illegible] trust for [illegible] shall and will at any time or times hereafter upon the reasonable request and at the proper cost and charges in the law of the said party of the second part his heirs and [illegible] make do and execute as [illegible] as [illegible] to be made [illegible] and executed and all and every such further and other said fee and reasonable acts [illegible] the law for the better and more [illegible] and [illegible] the premises hereby [illegible] to be granted [illegible] the said party of second part his heirs as [illegible] his [illegible] the law shall reasonably be devised advised as required and the said Archibald Lindsey his heirs the above described and hereby granted and released premises and every part thereof with the [illegible] unto the said party of the second part his heirs and [illegible] against the said party of the first part and his heirs and against all persons whomsoever lawfully claiming as to claim the same shall and will warrant and by these presents forever defend [illegible] the parties to these presents have [illegible] and seals the day and year first above written Archibald Lindsey Hannah Lindsey sealed and delivered in presence of us the [illegible] the [illegible] equal undivided half of [illegible] between the seventh and eighth lines before signing [illegible] State of New York [illegible] I do certify that on the eleventh day of June in the year one thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven personally appeared before me George P Cronkite [illegible] for the [illegible] the acknowledgements of deeds of the County of Warren Archibald Lindsey and Hannah his wife known to me to be the same person described in and who executed the written deed and the said Archibald Lindsey before me acknowledged that he had executed the same as his act and deed and the said Hannah having been by me privately examined apart from her said husband acknowledged that she had freely executed the same and finding no material [illegible] as [illegible] therein - except the one noted prior to the execution of the said deed do allow the same to be recorded taken and acknowledged this 11th day [illegible] 1827 before me. George P Cronkite [illegible] I certify the proceeding to be a true record of the original deed with the acknowledgement thereof once examined and compared with the record [illegible] this 20th day of June AD 1829 at 1 o'clock pm.
Thomas Archibald Clerk.⁴

Okay, other than their names and a few other bits, I didn’t understand a word of that!  What I did get is that Archi and his wfie, Hannah on 11 June 1827 entered into a contract to transfer ownership of the property over to Jeremy Rockwell.  The property was surveyed and using the Metes and Bounds measurements was described in the deed.  Mr. Rockwell was purchasing the land from Archi and Hanna LINDSEY for the sum of $341.26 lawful United States currency.*

* Interesting bit of trivia:  According to this Inflation Calculator $341.26 United States (1827) currency would be worth $7,936.28 today; however, if we took $341.00 United States (2014) currency back in time to 1827, our money would have only been worth . . . $14.67.  Ouch!!

Also noteworthy was that a patent was mentioned, but the specifics were illegible; it would seem that neither Archi nor Hannah could write – they signed the deed with their mark; the deed was reviewed and certified to be a true record of the original on 20 June 1829.  And, lastly, the property, as noted in the deed, was surveyed by Mr. Elijah Buttolph.*

The deed was reviewed and certified to be a true record of the original on 20 June 1829 . . . that’s two years, plus a few days, later.  Why?  Initially mortgaged in 1827 and paid in full in 1829?  Did they even do that then?  Hmmm, I need to consult Google.

*F A N (Friends, Acquaintances, and Neighbors Note: Elijah Buttolph, according to a number of census records was Archi’s and Hannah’s neighbor.

Reference the patent, after watching the tutorials mentioned above, I believe that the patent should be on file . . . somewhere and that it should contain information on who originally owned the land and who Archi purchased it from.  I just need to figure out what the deed tells me about the patent – currently I am not having any luck making it out.  But, this is a deed signed by the grantor (Archibald and Hannah LINDSEY), I think I need to look up the record (the deed) that was signed by the grantee, Mr. Jeremy Rockwell – maybe that record will be a little easier to decipher . . . okay, one can hope can’t they?

Did I miss anything?

While I dove head first into transcribing the deed, I feel as though I only dipped my big toe into this new record set, do any of you have recommendations on where I can learn more?  Keep in mind, 5th grade level is optimum (or lower ); what about a Land Records for Dummies book? – that certainly would be my speed.  Have any of you blogged about land records?  How to use them?  How to understand them?  I would love to read them.  Hopefully you’ve followed the KISS (keep it simple stupid) method, I will be able to understand it better.  LOL!  Honestly, I am not joking!!

And, while I work on getting myself better acquainted with land records, do any of you know why this deed was written and signed by Archi and Hannah in 1827, but not reviewed and certified until 1829?  Is there something – genealogically – that two year+ span is telling me?  Where can I find the patents?  Note, I will be going back over those two videos mentioned above, I believe the Family Search video gave some great information on where patents can be found, and Lord knows, I am a slow study, so the more I review them, the more the information will sink in.  Or, at least that’s my hope.

______________________
Sources:

1. Margaret Isabel Lindsay, The Lindsays of America (1889; Reprint,Westminster, Maryland: Heritage Books, Inc, 2008), 141
2. Membership Application, Frances E Whitney, 336908, National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Administration Building, Washington, DC
3. “Michigan, Deaths, 1867-1897,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11628-35989-58?cc=1452402 : accessed 1 July 2014), Nancy S Orton, 16 January 1878; citing page 50-51, West Bay City, Bay County, Michigan, Department of Vital Records, Lansing; FHL Microfilm 2363666
4. “New York, Land Records, 1630-1975,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32578-539-44?cc=2078654 : accessed 4 July 2014), Warren > Deeds 1826-1831 vol D-E > image 358 of 572; citing County Clerk, County Courthouse

One Year–That was Fast!

Well, technically Family Preserve’s  blogiversary was a month ago – 23 February to be exact.

The past ten months were fast-paced.  Filled with lots of research on many different limbs and branches of my family tree.  In December, it all came to a halt.  I had caught up; but worse, I felt as though ‘burn-out’ was setting in.  Just before the holidays I had found one or two documents, I ordered them and then set about waiting.  But try as I might, until this past week or so, I just couldn’t muster a lot of energy or enthusiasm genealogy research.

While I’ve known from the start that I wanted to look back over my first year of blogging - I kept notes on successes, ‘cousin bating’ and the like.  This too failed to initially energize me.  Until this week.

This week I received the documents I had ordered before Christmas and a ‘cousin’ contacted me out of the blue after coming across my blog.    This has gotten me excited again.  And, I’ve been climbing and exploring my family tree with renewed vigor.

So, here we go, Family Preserves takes a look back on its first year . . .

Total Published Blog Posts February 2013 – March 2014:  34

My Favorite Posts From this Year:

Family / Genealogy Addict

Not the Waltons or the Ingalls

Black Sheep

Missing Ancestor Report

Postive Results:  A direct result of the decision to launch the Family Preserves blog has been positive from the very first.  A few examples of this are highlighted below:

 Family Preserves launched in February 2013

‘Cousins!’

My research of the BEARDSELLS, LEARN, and McLEAN branches of the family tree yielded ‘cousins!’  ‘Cousins’ is used broadly here and encompasses closer and more distant relationships heretofore unknown.

BEARDSELL  In tracing my Great Grandfather, Wallace BEARDSELL’s,  entry in the US (Port of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), I discovered that he and his second wife, Clara, had a daughter together.  Lidie Victoria BEARDSELL was my Grandmother’s half-sister.  Sadly, I also discovered that she had passed away one year (2012) before I found her.  She was 99.

LEARN A short time after the launch of Family Preserves, I found myself caring for my father who had just undergone open-heart surgery.  To occupy the hours – mostly to keep from worry – I focused on the LEARN branch of the family tree.  And, through a inquiry on one of many  genealogy FaceBook pages, a ‘LEARN’ cousin reached out.  From that connection I was invited and attended my first LEARN Family Reunion.  A reunion equals an endless sea of ‘cousins!’

McLEAN The McLEAN branch of the tree is a collateral line from which I do not directly descend.  However, the research of this branch helped solve a mystery, which I’ll get into a bit more detail about shortly.

 Inspired an Interest in Genealogy Both with the launch of Family Preserves and finding more information on the families within our tree, there has been an increased interest among family members, that had not seemed interested in the preceding (20) years.  The results . . .

Photos Largely due to 50th wedding anniversary that my Aunt and Uncle celebrated in April 2013, my other Aunt went through boxes and boxes of photos an slides.  She came across old family albums that my Grandmother had put together and other photographic treasures of both my Grandfather’s (KOONS / KRIEBEL) and Grandmother’s (STARR / RAMER) families. And, she thought of me.  SCORE!!

Family Interest Okay, my husband and I have been married 27 years and in all that time, I could never get the tiniest morsel of information out of my Father-in-law about his family.  But that all changed January 2013.  Prior to our visit that January, a cousin of my husband’s reached out to him on FaceBook, my husband hasn’t seen him since they were children.  That is another story for another day.  However, my husband had the forethought to mention to Jeff, that I was interested in the family history.  Jeff responded by taking the time to write down what he knew – dates, times, places, names, etc. – scanned his scribbled notes and sent them to us.  SCORE!! 

With that start I was able to start filling in the leaves and branches with the MEYERS / ZEISSLER / STULTZ / VAN BUSKIRK and PATTERSON Families.  When we arrived in Pennsylvania for our visit, I shared with my Father-in-law what I had recently learned and that my husband and I were going to make a point of visiting the cemeteries where my husband’s ancestors were buried; first we needed to Google the cemeteries and get the addresses for our GPS.  My Father-in-law said, there is no need, I’ll take you and maybe afterward, if you’d like, I’ll show around where I grew up.  Yes, I’d like very much.  SCORE!!

More Interest  On the other side of the family, I was both surprised and pleased when I received an email from my Uncle, he had come across an old photo (circa 1915) of a 4-door sedan convertible filled with KRIEBEL family members.  The problem?  He didn’t know who any of them were.  But he thought of me – the family genealogist.  SCORE!!

 Ancestor Pages If you’ve read my post Family / Genealogy Addict you’ll note that back in the beginning of 2013 one symptom of my addiction was watching the many and varied genealogy tutorials that were out there on YouTube.  One such tutorial, presented by Crista Cowan, was on creating an Ancestor Page on FaceBook.  I created two. 

 One Mystery Solved (sort of) Well, one of many.  As we genealogists know, there is a never ending supply of mysteries.

As mentioned earlier I was researching the McLEAN’s a collateral line through marriage.  My Grandmother’s sister, Jane Ann (aka Jennie) BEARDSELL married Stanley McLEAN  in 1908.  When I started my research on this line, I knew that they had one son together, Ralph.  I was able to follow the family through the 1910 census but after that . . .

I also knew that Jennie had remarried in 1928; her second husband, William J BROWN, Sr and Jennie had one son together, William J BROWN, Jr.  And, I was able to follow the BROWNs in the 1930 and 1940 U.S. Federal Census.  Jennie (BEARDSELL) BROWN died 10 February 1940 in Camden Township, Camden, New Jersey.  Jennie’s death certificate indicated that she was interred at the Magnolia Cemetery located in the Tacony section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  A call to the cemetery office and I learn that Jennie is buried along side her first husband Stanley McLEAN; Stanley died 20 years later in 1963.  But, between 1910 and 1930 where in the world was Jennie McLEAN? 

I did find Ralph living with his McLEAN Grandparents in Philadelphia on the 1920 census.  I located Stanley McLEAN living in New Jersey, listed as a border, but for the life of me, I could not locate Jennie.  Where in the World was Jennie McLEAN? 

Not having any other leads, I started searching newspaper.  However, I didn’t have any specifics to go on, so what did I do?  I focused on the years that Jennie went missing, 1911 – 1930, and I searched paper after paper; page after page in both New Jersey and Philadelphia.  My genealogybank.com subscription proved helpful here.  And, many hours and days later, I found . . .

Stanley McLEAN arrested for assault and Battery and Disertion of his wife and three minor children.  Wait, huh, three children?  Okay, I knew about Ralph, but who are the other two?  But then I remembered that Bill BROWN (Jennie and William BROWN Sr.’s son) had sent me a copy of a Family Tree that he had worked on more than 30 years ago.  I got it out and Ralph and Leah McLEAN were listed as Jennie and Stanley’s children.  Okay, two down and one to go.  Then I remembered that there was a picture in the collection of old family photos; the picture was of my Grandmother’s and Jennie’s brother, George with a little girl – Edna McLEAN!  All three children accounted for, yet I didn’t know anything about them and I still hadn’t found Jennie.  Where in the World was Jennie McLEAN? 

What I think I know today. . .

Leah and Edna McLEAN – I found them on the 1920 U.S. Federal Census living in the Clovernook Children’s Home in Philadelphia

Enda McLEAN – I’ve located a marriage record for Edna that indicates she married Edwin Stanley Ervin on 5 October 1935.  This has been my most recent find, I just ordered a copy of the document using familysearch.org’s Family History Library Photo Duplication Request Form.  The email I received this morning from the Family History Library indicates that I will have a 4 – 6 week wait.   

Leah - I still haven’t found her anywhere other than in the 1920 U.S. Federal Census. 

While none of this is ‘proven’ I am confident that I am on the right track.  So, I feel this is a SCORE!!

and lastly . . .

Another collateral line that I’ve delved into just before Christmas is the COSTELLO family.  Again, I don’t directly descend from this line, but my Grandmother’s second husband, Edward P COSTELLO was well loved and respected by his daughter and two step-sons.  His one step-son, my Dad, specifically asked if I would see what I could find on Ed and the COSTELLO family.

With the exception of Ed’s given name, which I have not been able to nail down – is it Edward Pierce; Pierce or Percy – you can read about that mystery here Crap!!  I’ve had some luck . . .

Marriage record for parents (copy recently ordered)

Passport Application w/photo for brother

Philadelphia Passenger List – 1887 Arrival

U.S. Federal Census Records (1900 – 1910)

Death / Obituary Records for Parents

SCORE!!

Okay, so what are my goals for the coming year?

 Blog Posts To be specific, more frequent posting. 

My struggle this past year has been to post on a regular basis.  I have had no problem writing about my research; in truth I have found that to be a successful methodology for me – I’d chronologically go through my research process; documents found; information the documents seemed to corroborate or refute; questions that the documents raised; and the like.  This process helped me focus on what I was missing and where I needed to go from there.

Nor do have a problem with blogging about my successes and disappointments.  But, what I do struggle with is blogging when there (seemingly) isn’t much to say.  I am not good at short ‘chat / FaceBook’ size snippets.  And, these past few months – really since November 2013 – my research, as I said at the beginning, has slowed considerably and until recently, it has been a struggle to get back into the tree and posting again on Family Preserves.

I would love to hear from other bloggers . . .

How do you blog daily / frequently when you’re going through a lull or burnout?  Or . . .

Do you just blog when you have something to share?

The goal of blogging is to not only document family stories and research but also to get that information out there as ‘cousin bait.’  Right?  But, do you worry that if you’re not blogging daily?  Am I putting too much pressure on myself thinking about this?

Continued Education

Rootstech 2013 & 2014 This year I discovered Rootstech 2013 and 2014 webinars.  I worked my way through all of them.  And, I enjoyed them for their tips, tricks and stories.

LiveStream Tutorials I very rarely miss my very favorite genealogist, Crista Cowan’s Tuesday and Thursday tutorials.  And, if I do, I catch them on the ancestry.com YouTube Channel.  I cannot say enough about the depth and breadth of information that Crista puts out weekly on how to climb your family tree and how to pursue the research of your ancestors.  If you have not seen her presentations, I highly recommend them.  You can find the schedule for her LiveStream events here Barefoot Genealogist and the link to ancestry.com’s YouTube channel is here ancestry.com Channel.

Google Earth a year ago, I discovered Lisa Louise Cooke and her book “The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox” and her two CD’s “Google Earth Volume 1” and “Google Earth Volume 2.”  Okay, I am not tech saavy, so I have been procrastinating . . . I haven’t yet installed the program on my computer.  Since then, I have discovered Eric Stitt’s blog Genealogy Through Google Earth.  I love the idea of mapping out my ancestor’s migration and so much more.  Note to self, you must get this on the computer and start using it.!

National Genealogical Society (NGS) 2014 Family History Conference I will be attending my very first genealogy conference of any kind.  The NGS conference this year will be held in Richmond, VA – just 2 hours from where I currently make my home.  I am so looking forward to it.

All in all Family Preserves has had a good first year and I look forward to what next year will bring . . .

Bring on the ‘cousins!’

Bring on the collaboration!

Bring on more tips and tricks!

Bring on the stories and discoveries!

Bring on the genealogy victories!

I have enjoyed this past year with Family Preserves and its successes, I truly hope you, the reader, have enjoyed the stories and that you’ll continue visiting in the coming year.

Thank you, Tracy