Finding the Old through the New, Tearing Down a Decades-old Brick wall (Part 4)

Researching the itinerant preacher and his religion became the next step in my quest to discovering more about Henry’s life and upbringing, and locating more information on Mariah. There is a lot to be had from the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC). They kept a pretty decent record, using conference minutes and journals (many of which still survive). Also, there are several histories of Methodism for specific locations, such as Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, etc. 

When it came to researching family members in Illinois, MEC, state, and county histories were indispensable. I learned a lot about Thomas Randle during the process, and how his life choices and work may have impacted Henry and Mariah. Fortunately for me, Thomas Randle was the key to finding what became of Mariah. 

Stay tuned for Part 5, the final post on how Mariah’s tie to her preacher husband helped to break down the 40 year old brick wall.  

Finding the Old through the New, Tearing Down a Decades-old Brick wall (Part 3)

Through the efforts it took to research the Dean line, Harry Fenton Dean was a piece of cake next to his father, Henry C. Dean. Through piecing together his life story, it took learning to research in the following manner:

·      Learning to perform in-depth research in Illinois

·      Using Inter-library loan to obtain books and microfilms

·      Making trips to the Salt Lake Family History Library for special books

·      Doing contextual and supplemental research through newspapers

·      Using a digital microfilm scanner

·      Researching genealogy in 1800s southern Illinois—my new specialty, thanks to this family

·      Using territorial, pre-state records

·      Learning about 19^th century farming communities

·      Using court and probate records (even widow’s relinquishment)

·      Performing research on hypotheses based on indirect and, at times, circumstantial evidence

·      Chasing after elusive cemetery listings

·      Doing research outside of the Big 4, especially Ancestry. It was my comfort zone for too long. Btw, Illinois State Archives and Illinois Digital Archives have some great materials.

I could go on and on, but you see why it took me 8 years to learn research techniques piecemeal and finally find Henry’s full story in time. 

Finding the Old through the New, Tearing Down a Decades-old Brick wall (Part 2)

         The first steps I took in learning about the Dean line, came with hands on experience. I had to learn how to use FamilySearch, census research, newspaper research, locality research, etc. It did not come overnight, but rather line upon line. It was through concerted, often unfruitful efforts that I learned what worked and what didn’t work. Piece by piece, the story of the Deans began to unravel.

         In learning to do genealogy research, I found LDS family history centers as helpful resources. The missionaries were experienced in doing research and participating in finding temple ordinances. Also, the LDS Church had subscriptions to the big research websites, like Ancestry. These were in the days before LDS church members could get partner access through their FamilySearch accounts, so I made lots of library trips to use Ancestry. 

         Within a few weeks, and then what became a few months, the Dean genealogy was coming together. All of the sudden, Harry and Ida Dean’s boys took on more than names and vital information; they took on careers, personalities, family members, and stories that came to life through Google searches and newspapers. The two brothers of B. G.’s that assumed the greatest personalities were Doc and Frankie. I learned that having one prominent individual in the family helps to round out the stories and involvements of others when they talk about their own backgrounds and experiences. Soon, Harry Fenton Dean and Ida Jane (Pepperdine) Dean had their own narratives come to light. 

         From there, it was time to move backward in the tree. 

My First Footstep...Here I Come!

The time has finally come where I feel like I am ready to tackle one of my life goals from the past two or three years--becoming accredited as a genealogist. I have talked to many people about the process and planning involved, but it finally resonated with me when I spoke with Jill Crandell, a professor at BYU, presenting at the BYU Family History Conference.

There is a sense of clarity to take my first steps now, to let that desire work in me. Since my job benefits will cover my tuition costs at the university, I have hope that I can take my first genealogy class in the fall of this year. I also working to focus on a certain locality to specialize in--this one will take more time though. Ah, after how many years of studying history and working on genealogy, I have the necessary means to work toward my dream!

I appreciate all the people who have been an inspiration to me in this time as I have tried to plan the next phase of my life, And thanks to those who put up with my constant ramblings about history and genealogy. I am so full of joy I just want to shout praises to the sky :)

The Chain Letter that Solved a Family Mystery

As many know, I have placed intense focus on one branch of the family for the past five years I have been doing genealogy: the Deans. I was thinking back today on the item that gave me the hammer to begin breaking through brick walls for this seemingly impenetrable line and shocked myself with the realization: it was an 80 year old chain letter! That’s right, a culturally superstitious piece of junk mail kept by my great-grandfather was the key to unlocking one branch of the family.

                How, may you ask, is a useless piece of paper valuable to genealogy research? I will begin with where I encountered the “treasure” to answer this anomaly in research tools. Back in 2010, I had the idea to hit up Mom about getting copies of the family letters she had transcribed many years before. These letters were few of the extant records our family possessed of the Dean line, as B.G. wasn’t a stellar record keeper. Most letters were written by his mother, Ida, and B.G. himself.

Courtesy of Playbuzz

                I have referred to these quaint letters several times to look for research angles. One day, I was traipsing into the domain of looking for B.G.’s brothers, something caught my eye—a letter from his brother Tom! Tom, the third oldest child born to Harry F. and Ida J. Dean, wrote to Ida in 1928 from Manchester, Ohio. The letter is signed “Tom & A.” Obviously, Uncle Tom, or “Doc” as he was widely known, had a companion whose name was signed as “A.”

                Finally having a lead on one of the now unknown family members mentioned in the letters by initial only, I had a mystery for my very novice brain to solve: Who was this mysterious “A”? I pored over the letters several times, even hitting up the internet for help, but alas, my limited expertise at the time hindered my ability to figure out who she was.

                Then I recalled seeing a list of names in a chain letter forwarded in 1934 to B.G. The transcribed text reads as such:

In God we Trust Who Supplies our Needs. “Prosperity Circle”

Mrs. Leona Wagoner, Oklahoma City Okla.

Mrs. Anna Ketchum, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Mrs. Nell Montgomery, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Mrs. Anna Kaufruan(?), El Paso, Texas

Mrs. Aletha Dean, Hot Springs, Ark.

This chain was started by Box 43 an American Colonel and has a definite purpose. Copy the above omitting the first name and add yours, and send to five friends whom you wish to prosper. It must be mailed within twenty-four hours after receiving.

Mrs. Sanford received $5000

Mrs. Guines $1000

Mrs. Cluasy broke the chain and lost all she had. The chain has a definite purpose to all who copy the words and will find prosperity nine days after mailing. Please don’t brake the chain.

Courtesy of Buzzfeed

Her name popped out on the page when I scanned over it more closely than I had before: Mrs. Aletha Dean. The letter had been addressed to Tom in Hot Springs and had her name listed. Bingo! Finally had a searchable piece of the puzzle. The rest was smooth sailing from there when I had a legible name to put into Google. From that chain letter, I have learned so much more about the Dean line through researching Tom’s and Alethea’s lives in the public records.

                So the moral of the story is this: One man’s junk mail is another woman’s genealogical treasure. So if you inherited the papers of your grandmother or other aged relative and something seems worthless, look it over carefully before you consider throwing it out.

Enumerators--The Record-Keepers Historians both Love and Despise

For the love of all that is holy can you at least write legibly?! I ask this every time I encounter a census like this one for my 2nd Great Grandfather's family:

Although I eventually found him, it was after trying every spelling variation for his last name and removing the birthplace from my search query. Although digital image transcription is a wonderful tool for locating ancestors in census records, the enumerator's handwriting and collecting abilities leave much to be desired here. Transcriptions will often display this name as "Harry Dear," showing his birthplace as Iowa when it was in fact Illinois.

On the other hand you strike it lucky sometimes. I could've kissed the enumerator of this census when I encountered it for another family member:

Right here, my research just became 70% easier. (At least where reading handwriting was concerned).

Oh, those enumerators. How we both love and despise them!

First, why we love them. Let's face it, these guys didn't have an easy job. Taking information for the census record required a person to trek door to door, inquiring about the inhabitants within and recording the data needed on paper. My hat goes off to those who dedicated many hours and miles to providing modern day researchers with one of the most handy tools in identifying a person's residence, age, household, occupation, relationships, etc. May their souls rest in peace and may they be showered with all things wonderful for how their work has helped genealogists.

But then there is the other side of the coin. The drawbacks to doing things the old-fashioned way. The biggest concern for people reading census records is accuracy. Did the enumerator do his/her job thoroughly? Who provided the information that was recorded? Are the names of the residents and families spelled correctly? Was anyone left out for one reason or another? For me the biggest hang-up to looking over census records is being able to read one. Most enumerators seem to forget penmanship when being more concerned with completing the form.


So remember this one fact: While we owe it to the census-takers for doing the arduous job of obtaining information for the form, be ready to pull out the translators if necessary to find your ancestors hiding somewhere in the sea of misspelled and mis-transcribed names. Indexers and OCR programs can't discern everything. Even though it takes time, look over their work carefully, and don't be afraid to look at the actual census, comparing different years if you have to. After all, enumerators are only human.

Journey to Ishmael Phillips' Past (Part 1)--Looking for an LDS Baptism in 1800s England

In recent weeks, I have undertaken a major project that guarantees me months and months of research: writing a biography on Ishmael Phillips. The first fact I have sought to uncover was proving that my 4th Great Grandfather was indeed baptized into the LDS Church by then Mormon Apostle Wilford Woodruff on May 29, 1840. I have found several family histories claiming Elder Woodruff was Ishmael's baptizer, but I wanted more solid proof. Taking the information I already have, I sought to dig deeper on this matter.

Since Wilford Woodruff was a major figure in early LDS history, his records would be easily accessible for me being in a location with a major LDS repository. With Elder Woodruff being a prolific journal writer in his day, that is the first place I went. I only met with slight disappointment as I found a short entry for the date Brother Phillips was baptized for. The entry read:

"We met at the Creek & I Baptized 2 & Elder Richards Confirmed them & walked to Shucknell Hill. After meeting I Baptized 3, one a preacher on the plan. We Confirmed them & ordained one priest Benjamin Williams making 5 Baptized and Confirmed."

This gave me slight hope though. Shucknell Hill was in fact a location that Ishmael is associated with in some of his early church records. Deciding not to give up right here, I pressed on. 

A wonderful feature of the FamilySearch website that many people take for granted is the Family History Library Catalog. When you type "Familysearch.org" into the URL, you come up with the home view:

Under the "Search" link, you will find "Catalog." Click here and it takes you directly to the Family History Library Catalog:

You can change the way you want to browse the catalog, but in this instance I will use location--I normally like to start out basic and narrow down to specifics, so when researching England, I will start by looking at the records under the county. Choosing "Herefordshire, England," I will then be directed to a page of categorized links  associated with Herefordshire. Looking under the Category "Church Records," I see a microfilm I have access to, "Wilford Woodruff's Baptism Record, 1840."

Eager to view this microfilm, I confirm that the library indeed has it--which it does! Looking through it, I start looking at the baptisms performed in April, working forward. When I reach May 29, I saw for myself from a photographed version of a primary source, the proof of Ishmael's baptism I was seeking. Look for yourself on May 29, his name is with another, identifying the two individuals that Wilford Woodruff wrote in his own words that he baptized at the location he provided already:

Thanks to modern technology and the ease of finding available resources, I am one step closer to writing Ishmael's biography. I now have a more concrete date, place, and name to attach to an important event in his life, his baptism into the LDS Church. Miracles happen when you persist. If you do not know how to find something though, do not be afraid to ask for help or to try other avenues. 

Now I can say with irrefutable evidence that my 4th great grandfather Ishmael Phillips was baptized by the hand of Apostle Wilford Woodruff, who would later become the 4th president of the LDS Church. 

"Everybody Lives!"--and Other Genealogy Tips from the Doctor

Believe it or not, the Doctor would make a fantastic genealogist with the wisdom he has acquired from over his 900 year lifespan. Several of the ideas and gems he shares with his companions can be applied family history and the pursuit of our ancestors.

1. Books are the Best Weapons!  

“You want weapons? We’re in a library! Books! The best weapons in the world!” (S 2, Ep 2)

Indeed they are! Many library-rats would give their right arms for one that covers the surface of a planet—and a genealogist would never be seen again in such a building! But the Doctor makes a valid point—Books are the Best Weapons—Internet resources are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to doing research. Books are an indispensable tool for the average researcher.

2. Life is a Pile of Good Things and Bad Things

“The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don’t always soften the bad things, but vice versa, the bad things don’t always spoil the good things and make them unimportant.” (S 5, Ep 10)

Matt Smith said these beautiful words to Amy when she was grieving Vincent Van Gogh’s suicide. Although Van Gogh died in 1890, the pain was fresh to Amy after spending a day with the artist in attempts to vanquish the Krafayis. Like with genealogy, any time spent learning about an ancestor’s life is time not wasted. Any fact learned should be accepted as a part of that individual, good or bad. What matters is remembering your ancestor is human with a lifetime of good and bad things. Their existence and legacy is a part of you.

3. It's not Time but the Person

“Some people live more in 20 years than others do in 80. It’s not the time that matters, it’s the person.” (S 3, Ep 6)

This is another principle that hits home for doing genealogy. All people who lived made their

mark on history, big or small—my grandfather who died at 40 is not less important than my grandfather who turned 90 this week. Both have lived their lives and contributed to the fabric of our family.

4. I've Never Met Anyone Not Important

“In 900 years of time and space, I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t important.” (S 6, Christmas Special)

The Doctor said this one best—no individual, big or small, young or old, rich or poor, should be looked over. Everybody deserves to have their story told.

5. Everybody Lives!"

“Everybody lives, Rose. Just this once…Everybody lives!” (S 1, Ep 10)

A truly heartwarming moment--the cure for the gasmask people was in the nanogenes! The Doctor's love for life and its beauty is conveyed in his ecstatic proclamation: "Everybody Lives!" Who cannot cry with the Doctor over the joy of all who were thought to be lost regaining life? When doing family history, this is how I feel about "meeting" my ancestors; they come alive as I learn their stories.  

Who Stands Behind You?

One of the greatest ways to find out who you are is to discover where you come from. Begin to today to learn what you can about those who came before you. Who makes up your lineage?

Relative Finder--A New Feature for FamilySearch Users

Recently, a friend in my ward posted this link and description to our ward facebook page:

"a team of computer scientists at BYU have designed a program that allows you to find out your relation to others. This program uses your FamilySearch family tree to find common relatives with others. Its fast and easy!"

To get on is simple. The link is: http://roots-fb.cs.byu.edu/

A homepage shows up, welcoming you to the website. Simply click on "Connect"

You will then be prompted to sign in through the FamilySearch login page

It will take some time, but the website will load your FamilyTree into the system. The rest is fairly straightforward...

As you can see, there are four links on the top right hand corner of the page. This screenshot is currently the home page. Next to that is "Relatives," which is the main feature of this website. When you click on this link, it takes you to the following page:

Simply select which groups you want to compare relations with, and click "Show Relatives."

I chose "Declaration Signers" and came back with the above results. Don't be afraid to play around with it. You can click on the category to organize them and there is a feature on the left of your relation that says "View."

When you select view, you are taken to a page that displays a chart showing your relationship to the individual from the group you chose. You can download this chart as a pdf or print directly from the webpage. 

If you refer back to the fourth image, you will see that I belong to a group. Through this website, you can create groups for people to join up and find out how you are related--in this case, the young man from my ward created a group for my YSA ward. 

Overall, I found this site to be quite easy and interesting to use. One thing to be mindful of is the accuracy of your tree in FamilySearch--this will affect the actual relationship you share with individuals when the system reveals a common ancestor. Also, the default groups are limited to a smaller population. They seemed to deal primarily with English ancestry, which is convenient for longterm Americans and multi-generational Mormons. Go give the website a try and see what it does for you.

Success Story: Your Family Needs You!

Once upon a time, a young lady came seeking help for doing her genealogy. Having never used FamilySearch before, I took her aside and showed her the basics. Unlike most people I have helped, her story takes an unusual twist—she had success within two days. Since the LDS Church preaches the need to spiritually bind our families together through temple work, her ability to find several names for the temple in one sitting is phenomenal.

The process was simple. She already had her LDS account set up so we went straight to work, logging into FamilySearch FamilyTree to navigate her tree. When we encountered a green arrow, we investigated. The green arrow means a name is ready to submit to the temple, but we needed to takes some steps before clicking on that green arrow: was this person’s information correct? Were they connected to the right family members? And most importantly, was their work already done?

Looking through census records and well-researched Findagrave.com profiles, we verified their vital information and family connections. All were cleared. Next, we checked the system for duplicates to make sure there were no repeated individuals floating around. After we merged a semi-completed tree to my friend’s, that is when the floodgates opened. The children of her something-great grandparents were missing information on their own families!

Within thirty to forty minutes, we dug up the names for several new individuals who were not yet in the system, providing new names for my friend to take to the temple. What were the best things about this experience? A young lady unaccustomed to genealogy work was able to put a whole family together: the parents, the children, and the children-in-law. She was able to experience the thrill of researching information and learning new things about these people related to her. The crème-de-la-crème was that she did it all herself, with me only supervising research and website use. She is officially a genealogist.

One does not have to be incredibly gifted with research or technology to do family history. If you are wanting to get started, do it with a buddy or a relative, visit a family history center, or even try it on your own to see what you can do if you are adept with technology already. A lot can happen in one sitting. If you hit bricks walls, don’t give up—there are people out there who can help you. Your Family Need You!

Simple Means to Preserving Memories

Just this weekend, I took the opportunity to visit my great-aunt who lives thirty minutes north of me. I feel like it was a stroke of inspiration. Acting on a spontaneous thought, I made the drive and surprised her. What we gained from that visit was invaluable. Although we are relatives, our circumstances vary greatly. I am in my twenties working two jobs and staying very busy most days. She is now in her eighties, relying on oxygen, and staying at home. Rather than pitying her situation, I like to see that she is still as lucid and garrulous as she was ten years ago. At heart, this beautiful lady is the same woman I knew her to be in my younger days, only mortality has been less kind.

I had no real goal, only to share stories and information. We sat down and just talked. With her permission, I recorded the impromptu interview on my iPad Mini. Because of this simple act, I have preserved stories she may never tell again. This wonderful woman, who grew up with the grandfather I never met, could help me to feel close to him through stories of their childhood. My great-grandmother is no longer a face in a picture, but woman who lives in my memory and heart as a real individual.

Had I chosen to stay home today, I would have missed out on this opportunity. Will it come again? Possibly, but why put it off when the future is uncertain and life passes by so quickly? So much can happen in a month, even in a day.

The very fact that I can drive a car, use an iPad, and carry a laptop around means I have innumerable means to doing genealogy most anywhere; a skillset that comes with being a product of the technological generation. I used my mobile device to record a conversation and "scan" old photos for sharing online. I brought my computer to share my own digitized photos and typed stories she had never seen or heard. A one-hour visit soon turned into a "family reunion" as we shared stories and memories. 

The visit is permanently engraved in my heart. An eighty-something woman and a twenty-something girl share something in common: the love of our family. While my older-generation relatives are still around, I want to preserve their stories. I desire to learn more about their lives and those of people who have passed on. One way to do that is through technology, which is a gift in aiding the work of salvation as we learn to use it for good.