Don't Just Cite Your Sources--Interrogate 'Em!

New York City directory listing for great-great uncle Joseph Jacob

Found a record? Cite your source. But that's not the end of the story.

Don't move on until you understand what, exactly, that source represents.

How was the information gathered, when, and why? What you learn by interrogating your sources may very well change your analysis of the evidence and how it reflects your ancestor's life.

City Directories Fill the Gap

A case in point: Old city directories, which I absolutely love because they can fill in the gaps between the years covered by U.S. and state census records. Many times (but not always) you can find city directories for FREE.

I use HeritageQuest Online (accessed online for free, with my local library card) when searching for ancestors in different cities.

If, like me, you're searching for ancestors in New York City, you can also browse the dozens of city directories posted for free by the New York City Public Library. I actually like to browse because it allows me to look for creative spellings, not rely only on indexing.

Date the Directory

Dates really count. Here, for instance, is one of the front pages from the New York City directory dated 1894.

You would think that means only 1894, right?

Nope. As shown here, the directory's contents actually end with people who were in the city as late as July 1, 1895.

In other words, your ancestor might have moved to the city in early 1895 and would still be listed in the 1894 directory. Or might have moved out in January, 1895, but could be listed in the 1894 directory anyway.

Note the underlined sentence saying that "names received too late for regular insertion are on preceding page." That means you need to check beyond the regular alphabetical listings to see whether your ancestor was included in the "late" names missing from the alpha listings.

Finding Great-Great Uncle Joseph Jacob(s) in 1886-1889

Today I was doing more research into my great-grandma's brother, Joseph Jacobs (1864-1918). Sometimes he's listed as Joe Jacobs, sometimes as Joseph Jacob, and other permutations.

I had previously found his naturalization index card, which shows him as a capmaker living at 49 Clinton Street on October 25, 1888. I also knew he was living at 49 Clinton Street when he married on March 2, 1890.

But when searching the New York City directory for 1888, I found Joseph the capmaker living at 103 Allen Street, "house rear" (see image at top), not on Clinton Street. Both addresses are on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, within walking distance of each other in a neighborhood filled with immigrants.

Digging deeper into the1888 city directory's date, here's what I found.

NYC directory for 1888 ends on May 1, 1888

It appears that great-great-uncle Joe was living on Allen Street sometime before May 1, 1888. Then he moved to Clinton Street later in the year. I checked the 1889 New York City directory (labeled as covering the year ending May 1, 1889) and found Joe on Clinton Street, as expected. 

Finally, I checked the 1886 New York City directory (for year ending May 1, 1887) and found Joseph Jacobs, caps, on Allen Street, as he had been earlier.

Every time I use a city directory, I'll have to check the time period covered. Otherwise, I may place an ancestor in the right place but at the wrong time.

PS: The NY Public Library has a helpful page about what to look at in city directories--see here.

Dear Diary: Clues to Truth of Family Stories

Excerpt from diary of Edgar James Wood

Edgar James Wood (1903-1986), my late father-in-law, wrote every day in his diary. As an insurance adjustor, he had to be able to say where he was and what he was doing if called by the court to testify in a case involving an auto or truck that his company insured. Knowing the care he took to record his activities day by day, I've come to trust his diary as a valuable resource for family history research.

Index Those Diary Entries for Clues

Most of his diary entries are fairly brief (how much can you say in in a three-inch space?). He was meticulous about listing who, what, where, and when. His diary entries about non-work activities have helped me understand more about family relationships and dynamics.

To make sense of the 30 years of diaries I'm lucky enough to have in my possession, I had to index the people and places and dates, which I did a few years ago. Now I can look at the index, pick a person or place or date, and go directly to the part of the diaries where Ed wrote about what I'm researching. Lately, I've been examining family stories and trying to figure out how much (if any) is true, and whether there are nuances I can better understand by digging deeper.

Visiting John Andrew Wood

Case in point: One family story about the four Wood brothers. I'd heard from Ed's children that their father was not at all close to a younger brother, John Andrew Wood (1908-1908). It's true that Ed, married and living in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, rarely saw John, who lived in Indiana for most of his adult life.

However, Ed's diary entry from August 19, 1964, provides subtle insight into this family story. That week, Ed was on vacation from his job. He was driving his wife (Marian McClure Wood) and father-in-law (Brice Larimer McClure) to see family members in other states. He took his diary with him and jotted notes every evening, as was his habit.

They had just finished an overnight visit with McClure relatives in Peoria and arrived in Michigan City, Indiana, for an overnight stay with "John." According to the diary, as shown above, they enjoyed an "evening of visiting & a late supper." Next day, they had breakfast and Ed drove on to their next stop, a visit with a cousin on the Larimer side of the family.

Reading the August 19th entry, I recognized Michigan City as the home of Ed's brother John. John's wife was Rita Goodin Wood (1918-1988). This entry suggests that the brothers did stay connected through the years, even if the relationship might not have been as close as Ed's relationship with his two other brothers.

Clues Hidden in Plain Sight

Again and again, I found little clues like this, hidden in plain sight within my father-in-law's diaries. The diary entries hinted at how close Ed was to certain family members and how often he spoke or visited with brothers, sisters-in-law, and cousins, not to mention his grown children and, later, his grandchildren. Also I learned to read between the lines and see who was NOT mentioned in the diary.

Most of the time, Ed didn't explicitly spell out family relationships in his diary entry, because he obviously knew these people well. But when a relationship was also an affectionate honorific (as in the beginning of the diary entry at top, where "Aunt Becky" is mentioned), it was especially easy to connect the dots and confirm which family member he was writing about.

Thanks to Amy Johnson Crow for the #52Ancestors prompt of "Dear Diary" this week.

Remembering Great Uncle Albert's Life of Service

Sadie Klein and Albert Farkas on their wedding day in 1921

My great uncle Albert (Bertalan) Farkas (1888-1956) believed in giving back.

Born in Nagy Bereg, Hungary, as the second-oldest son of Moritz Farkas and Leni Kunstler Farkas, Albert arrived at Ellis Island on April 4, 1903, just a month shy of his 15th birthday. Albert was the oldest of four siblings traveling without adults from Bremen to join their parents, who had gone ahead to establish the family in New York City.

Not only a devoted family man, Uncle Albert built a successful business and volunteered his time to help others--locally, nationally, and internationally.

Giving Back in New York City

Among the founders and early leaders of the Ferencz Kossuth Hungarian Literary, Sick and Benevolent Society, a landsmanshaftn aiding Hungarian immigrants in New York City, Albert met his wife Sadie (later Sari) Klein (1901-1982) there. Decades later, when Albert died, the group honored his long years of service with a special meeting dedicated to his memory.

Albert spent his working years in the clothing business. He was a designer and then an entrepreneur, owning a booming coat manufacturing firm. He would regularly give coats and clothing to his nieces, a much-appreciated gesture especially during the Depression years. Often, he and his wife would graciously volunteer to host the Farkas family's Thanksgiving dinner or Passover Seder--a very big undertaking, given the dozens of people (of all ages) who attended!

Giving Back, Nationally and Internationally

In addition, Albert was quite active in U.S. and worldwide Jewish advocacy and aid groups. He served as a delegate to the American Jewish Congress convention in Washington, D.C. in the fall of 1937. There, he learned that the plight of European Jews was far worse than generally known at the time. Thanks to the family tree minutes of December, 1937, I know he talked with passion about the worsening world situation to keep his sisters and brothers fully informed.

During 1938, Albert served as Vice-President of the American Jewish Congress and was on the ballot to become a National Delegate of that group (according to family tree minutes of June, 1938).


Giving Back to His Industry

Albert was also a long-time leader of the American Cloak & Suit Manufacturers Association. He was President and, later, an executive board member, helping others in the industry with advice and guidance based on his years of experience.

When my great uncle Albert Farkas died on June 28, 1956, the trade association paid for a memorial notice in the newspaper of record (see above). Albert is buried in the Kossuth Society's plot at Mount Hebron Cemetery in New York.
--
So many family members have spoken with great affection and great respect for great uncle Albert Farkas. This is my tribute to his life of dedication and service.

My Farkas Family and Landsmanshaftn in the Big Apple

My Farkas family, headed by Jewish immigrants from Hungary, was deeply involved in helping other recent arrivals to New York City. The original journey-takers were my maternal great-grandparents, Moritz Farkas (1857-1936) and his wife, Leni Kunstler Farkas (1865-1938). They left rural Hungary (an area that is now part of Ukraine) and arrived in the Big Apple just after the turn of the 20th century.

Like many Eastern European immigrants of the time, my ancestors sought more freedom and new opportunities. A number of their grown children plus several sons-in law and daughters-in-law soon assumed leadership positions in mutual aid societies that helped other recent Jewish immigrants get established and build new lives in a new land.

Learning about Landsmanshaftn

Jewish immigrants to New York City frequently joined or founded landsmanshaftn (mutual aid societies geared to immigrants from a particular town or region in Eastern Europe). Socializing was part of the attraction, but even more important were burial payments and other aid available to society members.

I learned more about the context of these societies by paging through Jewish Hometown Associations and Family Circles in New York, edited by Hannah Kliger. This academic project provided interesting background to understand how recent immigrants from Eastern Europe banded together to help one another.

No precise count exists of the number of societies that existed in the five boroughs of New York, but one study found hundreds of societies with tens of thousands of members in 1917. And that wasn't even the peak period!

More about NY-based landsmanshaftn can be found on the NY Public Library's landsmanshaftn page,  the Jewish Genealogical Society of NY's burial society page, Jewish Communal Register book, or by doing an online search.

The Kossuth Society

I've written about my great uncle Albert Farkas being among the founders of the New York-based Ferenc Kossuth Hungarian Literary, Sick and Benevolent Association--usually called the Kossuth Society. Albert and others in the Farkas family helped to found the Kossuth Society in 1904 and served in leadership positions for a number of years. My Grandpa Theodore Schwartz (1887-1965) was among the Farkas in-laws who also played a role in the Kossuth Society.

According to a historical note in the souvenir booklet published on the society's 5th anniversary in 1909, membership was 95 in 1905 but dropped to 35 in 1906. Why? Because enthusiasm temporarily dipped when the society wasn't able to hold a promised concert featuring the famous Hungarian violinist Jancsi Rigo. Membership later rebounded and the society served members for at least 30 years, if not longer.

Two Boys Named Royal

For Amy Johnson Crow's #52Ancestors prompt of "Namesake," I want to look at two boys in my husband's family tree, both named Royal. Who were their namesakes? In one case, I have a very good guess. In the other case, not a clue.

Royal Hathaway

My husband's 1st cousin, 2x removed, was Fanny Fay McClure (1882-1962). She lived her entire life in or near Emmet county, Michigan, where she married Royal D. C. Hathaway (1869-1946) in 1899.

The seventh and last child of Royal and Fanny was Roy Hathaway, born on August 26, 1912. He died just two days later, unfortunately (see vital records search result at left). My guess is that baby Roy was actually "Royal Hathaway."

Royal D.C. Hathaway was the son of Albert L. Hathaway, and by the time baby Roy was born, the family had already named a son after Albert.

Therefore, it would make sense to name this new baby Royal after his Dad, and then nickname him Roy. At least, that's my reasoning. So far, I've not found any other boys named Royal as descendants of the Hathaway line.

Royal Hilborn

Another Royal in my husband's family tree was his 1st cousin, 2x removed Royal Edgar Hilborn (1879-1955). This Royal was the son of Mary Elizabeth Rinehart and Samuel Hilborn. Like his parents, he lived his entire life in Ohio.

I haven't found any ancestors named Royal earlier in the Rinehart or Hilborn lines. Why did the parents choose the name Royal for their fourth son?

At the age of 22, Royal Edgar Hilborn married Alpha Omega Caldwell (1882-1919)--who is, to my knowledge, the only Alpha Omega in the entire family tree. Alpha Omega died, and something interesting and significant happened.

Within a year after Alpha Omega died, Royal adopted a 2-year-old girl named Mary Jane. Royal was enumerated in the 1920 US Census as the widowed head of the household, living with his sister Mabel Hilborn and little Mary Jane.

Who this little girl's parents were and when/where Royal adopted her, I simply don't know. This might not even have been a formal adoption, for all I know!

In 1921, Royal married Laura Helen McGann and the household of three settled was enumerated as a family in 1930 and 1940. No further boys named Royal have been found as descendants of this line at this point.

This is what I love about #Genealogy: Answers to one question lead to many more questions and then more discoveries. Never a dull moment.

Unique Ancestor Images on Public Trees Are Cousin Bait

83 people have saved Brice Larimer McClure's
note about his ancestry, which I originally posted.

Brice Larimer McClure (1878-1970), hubby's long-lived granddaddy, wrote a few notes about his ancestry on tiny slips of paper. Years ago, I scanned those notes and uploaded them to my public Ancestry tree, along with a full transcription. You can see the beginning of the transcription above ("I am Brice McClure a Son of Margaret Larimer McCure and Wm. McClure...").

Every year or so, I return to images I originally posted, and check to see who has saved each one. By now, more than 80 people have saved this unique, one-of-a-kind note, which I attached to 8 people in my husband's public family tree.

Clicking on the tree of each person who saved one of my unique images shows me where Brice or Brice's ancestors might fit into that tree.

It doesn't matter whether I believe the other person's tree to be accurate or not. My objective is to see who's on the tree and how these people might be related to my husband. Potential clues, in other words, to possible cousins.

Occasionally, I'm able to identify a solid cousin possibility. I double-check what's on the other person's tree and reexamine my tree's connection to that ancestor. Then I send a message about this possible cousin connection and offer to exchange additional genealogical info. And, thankfully, a few people have responded and continued to correspond about mutual research interests!

I know there are more cousins out there to be found via family trees and paper trails (DNA is not my primary focus at this point). If someone has saved a unique image or note that I originally uploaded, it's worth a few minutes of my time to check that person's tree.

Those unique images are cousin bait!

The Farkas Family Tree's Grave Decisions

Threshold of Kossuth Association plot in Mount Hebron Cemetery, Queens, NY

My mother's Farkas Family Tree believed in planning ahead for final resting places. The tree was founded in 1933 in New York City by all the adult children of my maternal great-grandparents, Moritz Farkas and Leni Kunstler Farkas.

Kossuth Association Buys Plots in Mount Hebron Cemetery

Gates of Kossuth plot in Mt. Hebron Cemetery

Even before the tree association was formed, many Farkas relatives had purchased plots in Mount Hebron Cemetery, Queens, New York, through the Kossuth Ferencz Hungarian Literary, Sick & Benevolent Association.

Alex Farkas (oldest son of Moritz and Leni) helped to found the Kossuth Association in 1904. When Mount Hebron began as a cemetery in 1909, many members of the Kossuth Association bought grave sites and paid for special pillars, threshold, and gates to distinguish the association's plot (see photos at top and at right).

Alex and most of his siblings were eventually buried in the Kossuth plot. Among the first to be buried there were both my great-grandparents (Moritz in 1936, Leni in 1938).

As the younger Farkas Family Tree members grew older, however, they faced their own grave decisions.

New Farkas Generation Buys Plots in New Montefiore Cemetery

In 1937, the family tree formed a committee to choose another cemetery in the New York metropolitan area. Nearly all the tree's members lived in the five boroughs of New York City, on Long Island, or in Westchester, and they wanted a cemetery within driving distance or accessible by train. They decided on New Montefiore Cemetery, which began operating in 1928 and had plenty of plots available.

Quoting from the minutes of the family tree meeting on October 2, 1937: 

"The Cemetery headed by Alex Farkas bought six plots in the name of the Tree in the New Montefiore Cemetery - Block 2, 265 to 270 inclusive. Five of these were subscribed for by individual members and the sixth is the exclusive property of the Tree. A motion made by Albert Farkas and seconded was to the effect that full payment be made immediately for the Farkas Family Tree plot amounting to $165..."

On September 12, 1938, when the subject of annual member dues came up during a tree meeting, one member recommended reducing dues because the money was used mainly to pay for the cemetery plot and to buy small gifts for family occasions (weddings, births, etc.). At the time, each member paid $5 per year. The proposal was to cut dues to $3 per year (remember, this was still in the depths of the Depression.)

Great uncle Albert Farkas objected, reminding the tree "that the cemetery expenses were not yet completed" and urging that dues be kept constant. The motion to reduce dues was defeated and members continued to pay $5 per year.

Thanks to the careful planning of the Farkas Family Tree, many of my beloved relatives were buried in New Montefiore years after the plots were first purchased.

Let me again thank Amy Johnson Crow for her #52Ancestors prompts, including this week's "cemetery" prompt.

Great Uncle Abraham Burk Sailed From . . . ?

Unsourced page - BIG rookie mistake!

Years ago, when I was starting out in genealogy, I somehow found the passenger list showing when my paternal grandfather's older brother left England and arrived in Canada.

Great-uncle Abraham Burk (1877-1962) was born in Gargzdai, Lithuania. In his early 20s, he and my Grandpa Isaac Burk (1882-1943) came to live with an aunt and uncle in Manchester, England. I found them there in the 1901 UK Census, in the household of Isaac Chazan and his wife, Hinde Ann. They were learning English and earning money to pay for their journey to North America.

My great-uncle Abraham married Annie Hurwitch (or Horwich) in Manchester in June, 1903. The next time I spotted a record for Abraham, he was living in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1904. How did he get there? When did he leave, when did he arrive? I rushed ahead to find out more, leaving no paper trail.

Avoid My Rookie Mistake

My research at that time led me to the page at top. It has no ship's name, and no date, but there is Abraham Burk, age 26, married, a cabinetmaker, "Russian Jew," with $2 in his pocket. He had left "Lancashire," and his destination was "Montreal." Yup, it's Great Uncle Abraham.

I excitedly saved only this image of a single page of the passenger list, with the quick note "April, 1904."

My big rookie mistake was not citing any sources. What ship was this page from? When, exactly, did it sail, where did it leave from, and when/where did it arrive? Where else did I search (with or without success)? Without a source or a research log, I couldn't easily retrace my steps. For years, I didn't even try. I had lots of other ancestors to chase. But this rookie mistake (not an isolated incident) has come back to haunt me during my ongoing Genealogy Go-Over.

Looking for Abraham, Page by Page

Today I spent two hours on the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) website, researching Abraham's voyage to find out where this passenger list came from so I can note a complete source and get a better picture of my ancestor's travels.

The LAC website has a key database titled Passenger lists, 1865-1922, which includes 26 ship arrivals for the month of April, 1904. Clicking page by page, I examined every ship's passenger list, in search of Abraham.

You can guess that Abraham did NOT arrive early in the month. Of course not. But eventually, after looking at many dozens of pages, I struck gold.

Liverpool to Halifax in 11 Days 

Abraham arrived on April 30th aboard the S.S. Lake Champlain from Liverpool, England, to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Compared with many of my immigrant ancestors' voyages, this was relatively brief--Abraham crossed the Atlantic in only 11 days. Leaving from Liverpool makes a lot of sense, since it is convenient to get there from Manchester, where Abraham was living.

A bit more research revealed that the S.S. Lake Champlain often sailed directly to Quebec. Why Abraham didn't go there, instead of Halifax, I simply don't know.

Genealogy Go-Over

Today, I strive to save two versions of any image I download as a source. The one directly above shows my source, typed onto the image. On my family tree, I include additional details such as web addresses so I can retrace my steps quickly and easily. Little by little, I'm cleaning up these kinds of mistakes and omissions as I go over each ancestor in my tree and hubby's tree.

Don't make my big rookie mistake. Cite your sources and add them to your family tree as you go.

Cousin Frank Morris Jacob Was a Marine in WWI

Military service of Frank M. Jacob in WWI

On this Memorial Day weekend, I want to honor the military service of a cousin on my father's side of the family tree, who enlisted in the U.S. Marines during WWI.

Frank Morris "Maurice" Jacob was born on October 3, 1896, in New York City. He went by "Frank" and used "Maurice," the Americanized version of his given name Morris, as his middle name. He was my first cousin, twice removed.

Frank's father Joseph Jacobs (1864-1918) was the brother of my long-lived paternal great-grandma Tillie Jacobs Mahler (she was nearly 100 when she died). Frank's mother was Eva Michalovsky Jacobs (1869-1941).

Finding Frank in the NY State Census

1905 New York State Census, Manhattan, NY

1915 New York State Census, Brooklyn, NY

In 1905, Frank (enumerated as Morris) was living with his parents and siblings at 88 Chrystie Street in a large tenement on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, NY, an area crowded with immigrants. He was at school, his father was a janitor, his mother was a saleswoman.

In 1915, Frank (again, as Morris) was living with his mother Eva and siblings Flora, Louis, and Hilda in Brooklyn, NY. Eva was shown the head of the household. Where was Joseph Jacobs, Eva's husband and the father of these children? Sadly, he was in the hospital and he died late in 1918 as a result of Parkinson's disease.

By 1925, Frank was living with his widowed mother on Gerard Avenue in the Bronx, NY, and working in advertising (his profession for the rest of his life). Eva was, indeed, born in "Russia" but not Frank, who was definitely not an alien.

Frank Became a Marine in WWI

Frank enlisted in the U.S. Marines on April 18, 1917. Less than three months later, he was fighting in France. As shown at top on his service record, Frank was involved in four major engagements during WWI: in the Toulon Sector, the Aisne Defensive, the Chateau-Thierry Sector, and the Aisne-Marne Offensive.

I found lots of interesting historical background on the Marines in WWI on the U.S. WWI Centennial Commission website here. Clearly, Frank and his units saw some fierce fighting. Frank was wounded on July 19, 1918, during a major battle in which Germany's machine guns took a very heavy toll on the Marines.

Frank was returned to the States in August, 1918, and continued to serve in the Marines until he left the military on June 13, 1919, more than two years after his enlistment. He supported his mother and lived with her in New York City until she died in the 1940s. Frank died on July 5, 1974, in Brooklyn, NY.

Cousin Frank, although I never met you, I salute and admire your courageous military service!

Thanks, as always, to Amy Johnson Crow for this week's #52Ancestors prompt of military.

"Old Settlers" Benjamin McClure and Sarah Denning McClure

Hubby's great-great-grandparents, Benjamin McClure (1812-1896) and Sarah Denning McClure (1811-1888), moved to Wabash, Indiana, in September, 1844.

By the time they arrived, settlers had been clearing thick forests of sturdy timber to make way for family farms for nearly two decades, according to History of Wabash County, Indiana by C.W. Weesner (published in 1914). Swaths of walnut, hickory, oak, and ash trees were steadily being replaced by fields of corn, wheat, and oats.

Pioneer Farmers and Leaders

Like their pioneering neighbors, the McClure family owned a farm. And like their neighbors, they got involved in the community. As shown above, Benjamin was one of the organizers of the "old settlers" organization that recognized and documented the names (and dates) of early Wabash pioneers.

The book actually includes lists of names, birth dates, and settlement dates. That's how I can pinpoint the month and year when Benjamin, Sarah, and their oldest son Theodore Wilson McClure (1834-1927) came to Wabash.

Benjamin also served as master at arms for the Knights of Pythias lodge organized in 1886, according to the book.

By the time Benjamin passed away in 1896, the natural landscape of Wabash had been significantly transformed, with electricity in evidence and other modern conveniences. He was considered one of the last great "old settlers" from pioneer days.

Thanks to Amy Johnson Crow for the #52Ancestors prompt of "nature."

Playing Tag with My Ancestors

When I first saw Ancestry's TreeTags, I was intrigued by the categories. The idea is to indicate the research status of each ancestor.

Tag, You're It!

I like "unverified" and "hypothesis" because they are a great way to tag ancestors who I've either found on some document and been unable to verify further, or ancestors who I suspect (but can't yet prove) are related in a certain way to my tree. Extremely useful.

"Actively researching" and "brick wall" seem less useful tags for my purposes. "Verified" is, however, highly useful for situations where I've got clear, solid evidence for these ancestors and can verify how they are actually related to my family. 

What Does Complete Mean?

But after 21 years of active research, the word "complete" is not in my #genealogy vocabulary and I doubt I'll ever tag any ancestor in this way.

Ancestry defines "complete" as: "I am confident that I have executed thorough searches to help answer my questions."

As thorough as my research may be, new records become available all the time. And that's not all. DNA is also changing the research landscape.

So although I may have answered my current questions, and may even have amassed a huge amount of data through research, I don't view any ancestor as completely researched.

New Records Galore

Just this month, for instance, Family Search posted a database of 34 million U.S. obituaries from GenealogyBank, 1980-2014. Woo-hoo! I'm searching for the names of cousins, aunts, and uncles who died in the past 40 years. Maybe an obit will reveal a previously unknown spouse or challenge my knowledge of that person's life in some other way.

Family Search also posted databases of Cook County, Illinois births-marriages-deaths from the 1870s into the 20th century, as late as 1994 for the deaths. Another woo-hoo, as I search for ancestors who lived or died in Chicago. Found two already.

I may stop researching some ancestors for a while, focusing on others who I know less about or certain ancestors I have a special interest in, but I can't imagine tagging any ancestor (even my parents) as "complete."

What about you?

PS: To see the very latest collections on Family Search, go to the collections page here and sort by "last updated" (on the far right). 

The Ancestor with the Best PR--in 1900

Three of my husband's Slatter great uncles were military bandmasters in Canada, often featured in news items of the early and middle 20th century.

Capt. John Daniel Slatter (1864-1954), his brother Capt. Albert William Slatter (1862-1935), and another brother, Capt. Henry Arthur Slatter (1866-1942) were all born into poverty in Whitechapel, London, England. We found some clues to their early military training on the Training Ship Goliath when researching in the London Metropolitan Archives last month.

At left is a 1901 article from Westfield, Massachusetts, singing the praises of Captain John D. Slatter and his 48th Highlanders of Toronto military band, the original "Kilties." Yes, the same Kilties who kicked off the craze for such bands early in the 20th century! That's part of what made Capt. Slatter so famous.

The article below, "Every Inch a Soldier," points out that the good captain actually earned a combat service medal and is expert with a sword, rifle, bayonet, and other weapons. This is from a Dubuque, Iowa newspaper in 1900.

But the story about Capt. Slatter's military background wasn't based on a personal interview or fresh inside information. In fact, it's from a widely-circulated press release of the time. In 1900! 

I found very similar wording in lots of U.S. newspapers, as the band's publicity people drummed up interest in tickets to Kiltie concerts from coast to coast.

Clearly, my husband's well-known Toronto bandmaster ancestor had a very savvy public relations person paving the way for his Kiltie band's appearances. Lucky me to have all these news clippings of Capt. Slatter's travels and accomplishments.

PS - Any comments won't appear for a few days but I'll catch up very soon!

In Search of "Cousin Essti"

In March, 1902, my future grandpa Tivador (Theodore) Schwartz (1886-1965) boarded the S.S. Moltke in Hamburg to sail to Ellis Island. Above, his name on the passenger arrival listing (found years ago by cranking through rolls of microfilm, now more easily researched in the Ellis Island records here on Family Search).

Tivador Says He's Going to "Cousin Essti"

Tivador was shown as a "student" (which was probably true in his home town of Ungvar in Hungary) and he told authorities that his father paid his passage to America.

Who was he coming to see in New York? In his heavily accented voice, he somehow conveyed that he was going to see "Essti Shim______." Above, the snippet from this name in the paperwork.

FYI, my Hungarian cousins pronounce this surname name with an initial "Sh" rather than an initial "S" so it may be that when Grandpa told authorities who he was seeing, this written version is what they heard.

Grandpa Theodore's mother (my great-grandma) was Hani Simonowitz Schwartz. Was this cousin Essti a niece of Hani? If so, Essti would be Theodore's first cousin.

Researching Cousin Essti

I found a few "Esther Simonowitz" in New York census records for 1905. I particularly focused on one born in Hungary who was living with her brother, Abraham Simonowitz, at 2058 Second Ave., Manhattan, which was Jewish Harlem. (See snippet above from the NY census for 1905.)

Abraham is 27 years old, head of household, occupation "Delicatessen," and Esther is 20, his sister, occupation "partner" (presumably in the deli). Oh, and they have a live-in servant in this apartment!

They are both aliens, he in the United States for 11 years and she for 8 years.

As a further check, I saw in the New York City directory for 1903, Esther Simonowitz is listed under "Delicatessen" at the Second Avenue address.

But whether these folks are actually relatives of my ancestor Hani Simonowitz Schwartz, I don't yet know. My wonderful Schwartz cousin remembers being visited in Ukraine (before going to Israel) by Simonowitz cousins from America in the 1960s/1970s. These cousins were possibly from the Midwest. Were they related to the Esther and Abraham Simonowitz who are in the 1905 NY Census?

If so, did one of the Simonowitz siblings shown in the 1905 NY census move on, with the other staying in New York? Did Esther get married and change her name, complicating my search for her? There are SO many Esther Simonowitz records in the NYC marriage archives.

More questions than answers at this point! The search continues.

UPDATE: Lara Diamond suggested I investigate the above marriage record, which shows "Esther Simanovitz" marrying Edwin Kramer in 1906. I'll have to get to a Family History Center to see it, but when I do, I'll see the addresses for bride/groom, birthplaces, and more. Very promising lead--especially since the groom's mother was a Schwartz! Thank you, Lara.

Remembering Moms on Mother's Day

Daisy Ruth Schwartz

It's been a very long time since I was able to say "Happy Mother's Day" to my mother, Daisy Ruth Schwartz Burk (1919-1981). She is still much beloved and much missed, not just on Mother's Day. Above, a formal portrait of Mom as a young lady.

Marian Jane McClure

Alas, I never had the opportunity to meet my husband's mother, Marian Jane McClure Wood (1909-1983). An only child lavished with love by doting parents, she's shown above in her 20s. How I wish I could have gotten to know her. She's remembered with great affection on this Mother's Day.

"Very Pretty Home Wedding" Starts off Sam and Anna's Life

Nearly 110 years ago, my great-uncle Samuel Schwartz (1883-1954) married Anna Gelbman (1886-1940). Sam was the older brother of my Grandpa Tivador "Teddy" Schwartz. Interestingly, although Sam was the older brother, he wasn't the first of the Schwartz family to leave their native Hungary and cross the ocean to New York City.

Teddy, three years younger than Sam, came to New York City in 1902. Two years later, Sam joined his brother in New York. Together, they sent money to bring their younger sister, Mary, to New York in 1906.

Sam & Anna's Wedding in Bridgeport

Sam met his future bride, Anna, in Bridgeport, CT, where he was working as a printer. Sam became a naturalized U.S. citizen on October 19, 1909. Days later, he married Anna in a "very pretty home wedding" according to the Bridgeport Evening Farmer newspaper (see above).

Younger sister Mary Schwartz was the maid of honor for her sister-in-law, and Anna's younger brother George Gelbman was the best man.

Two December Marriages for Mary

Fast-forward to late December, 1913, when Samuel Schwartz was a family witness signing the marriage certificate for his younger sister Mary as she married Edward (Avram) Wirtschafter in a religious ceremony.

This was actually Mary and Edward's second marriage within a few days--their first was a civil ceremony at City Hall, where they eloped on Christmas Eve.

Mary and Edward were very happily married for more than four decades, raising a son and a daughter.

Alas, Anna died of breast cancer at the age of 54, leaving behind a bereft husband and two grown sons.

Anna, Sister-in-Law and "Second Mom"

Anna served as a nurturing "second Mom" to her sister-in-law Mary, whose own mother never left Hungary. For a while, Anna and Mary lived in the same Bronx apartment building, and Mary turned to Anna for advice and assistance when she had children.

Not surprisingly, Mary's children became very close to Anna, a strong, loving bond that continued until Anna's untimely death, I was told by Mary's daughter.

Let me honor the memory of Anna and Mary with affection as Mother's Day approaches.

Thank you to Amy Johnson Crow for the #52Ancestors prompt of "nurture."

Road Trip: At the London Metro Archives

Checking the catalog at the London Metropolitan Archives

In search of more info about hubby's great-great grandma Mary [maiden name unknown] Shehen (b. abt 1801-d. ?) my husband and I took a road trip to the London Metropolitan Archives two weeks ago.

We preregistered online and when we presented personnel with our two pieces of identification, we were each issued on-site IDs. Then we proceeded to the computers, where we entered requests for relevant materials.

In Search of Physical Documents 

Many of the poorhouse and workhouse books have been digitized and are available on Ancestry, including this ledger of admissions and discharges from the Northumberland Street Workhouse.

"Mary Shehan" is the fourth name down on this page from March, 1871. This is unquestionably the right Mary, because on the facing page is her street address--which exactly matches her residence in previous UK census records. She was in the medical ward, due to chronic rheumatism, where she remained for 30 days.

With limited time for on-site research, we concentrated on printed materials only available in person at the archives. We requested a Visitors Book for the Northumberland Street Workhouse, not sure whether Mary would have have visitors during her monthlong stay. This was a physical book from the period that we would be allowed to page through on our own!

Visitors = Oversight

Well, I have to admit that I didn't understood the terminology. "Visitors" were actually committee people responsible for oversight of these institutions for the poor. They would visit the institutions periodically and look at conditions, also indicating whether the diet was good, etc. They weren't actually individually visiting the poor people, only writing reports about the care being provided.

But the good news is that the Visitors Book listed every person kept in the insane asylum areas during each visit. Most pages showed 8-20 inmates, although there were sometimes no inmates present during a visit.

Mary Shehen was not listed in the book, most likely because she was in the medical ward, not in the asylum itself.

Still, we found it a bit amazing to hold in our hands a workhouse ledger from way back in the 1870s. It made a big impression on both of us.

Records of the T.S. Goliath

Having struck out on Mary, we next huddled with the research staff about records of the Training Ship Goliath, where three of hubby's teenaged great uncles, born poor in London, learned maritime skills and were taught to play musical instruments during the 1870s. These three boys, sons of hubby's great-grandpa John Slatter and great-grandma Mary Shehen Slatter, grew up to be well-known military bandmasters in Canada.

We were given a microfilm showing the names of recruits on the Goliath, arranged by date (not indexed). Cranking through, we found some promising leads on one of the Slatter boys to follow up later, but ran out of time to do more in-person research. Guess that means another visit?!
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Thanks, as always, to Amy Johnson Crow for the #52Ancestors prompts. This is my post for "Road Trip."

Honor Roll Project: Manchester, England War Memorial

Walking through Manchester, England a couple of weeks ago, I passed this war memorial with newly-laid poppy wreaths, across from Manchester City Hall.

Although the memorial is primarily for WWI, other military service was recognized. The above plaque reads: "To the honour and memory of Mancunians who have given their lives in other conflicts since 1945." (Mancunians are people from Manchester.)

Here, the wreath is inscribed: "To our fallen comrades...British Legion, Manchester."

Only a few individual names of World War I veterans were visible, which I'm transcribing for Heather Rojo's Honor Roll Project.

They are:

Lt. Graham Lyall, Central Ontario Regiment, Canadian Expeditionary Force. 27th September and 1st October 1918. (Being honored for valor.)

Lance Corporal John Thomas, Prince of Wales's North Staffordshire Regiment, 30th November 1917. (Being honored for valor.)

Private John Readitt, South Lancashire Regiment, 25th February 1917. (Being honored for valor.)

2d Lt. Henry Kelly, Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment), 4th October 1916. (Being honored for valor.)

Private Albert Hill, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 20th July 1916. (Being honored for valor.)

Private George Stringer, Manchester Regiment, 8th March 1916. (Being honored for valor.)

Thank you to these brave military men for their service more than 100 years ago.

More Resources at HeritageQuest

From Library of Congress collection, accessed via HeritageQuest

Photos in the public domain! HeritageQuest, which many U.S. residents can access from home, absolutely free, with a local library card, has so many wonderful databases for genealogy. It's my go-to for city directories and other databases.

I also like its photo and map databases. They are conveniently searched right from the easy-to-use search box, and it's easy to change parameters to expand or restrict my searches.

Locating Photos for a Wood Family History Booklet

In preparation for a family history booklet about my husband's Cleveland parents and grandparents, I wanted to photos of the time and place, for illustration. Public domain photos would be perfect, the price is right--free!

To find a Library of Congress photo using HeritageQuest, I entered a date (1925) and place (Cleveland, Cuyahoga county, Ohio), plus the name of a well-known building, Terminal Tower, and clicked the search button.

The top results (shown here) are exterior and interior photos of Terminal Tower, taken "about 1933" (close enough to 1925 for my purposes). Good quality photos, with extra information on each page, including a written description of what's in the photo.

If you're looking for photos of a particular city, occupation, etc., or maybe a map of where an ancestor once lived, see whether your library offers access to HeritageQuest from home.

Researching at the London Metropolitan Archives

While in London for #FamilyTreeLive, my husband and I went to the London Metropolitan Archives for some genealogy research.

Some UK records can only be accessed in person, and that includes detailed records from London workhouses and poorhouses. We wanted to request documents about two related families in his tree: Shehen and Slatter.

Mary "Unknown Maiden Name" Shehen

Hubby's great-great-grandmother Mary (unknown maiden name) Shehen (1801-??), born somewhere in Ireland, was married to John Shehen (1801-1875).

During the 1871 Census, Mary Unknown was enumerated twice: Once in the medical ward of the Northumberland Workhouse, where she was suffering from chronic rheumatism, and once at home, with her husband, at Gray's Buildings.

We wanted to see any surviving records of Mary's stay in the medical ward and whether she was there before or after for another reason. We hoped to find clues to her death date.

Mary Shehen Slatter & Family

Mary Unknown's daughter, hubby's great-grandma, didn't escape the cycle of poverty, either. She was London-born Mary Shehen Slatter (1837-1889), who had 6 children with her Oxford-born husband, John Slatter (1838-1901).

Mary and the 5 younger children were in and out of poorhouses and workhouses while the children were growing up. The earliest admission I've found for Mary Shehen Slatter is 1873. In mid-1874, she was sent from a workhouse to the first of two insane asylums, diagnosed with melancholia. Sadly, she died in notorious Banstead Asylum at the age of 51. Cause: Phthisis (tuberculosis).

Although my wonderful cousin Anna has visited the London Metropolitan Archives to see many of this Mary's records, we wondered whether there was anything earlier that we can see--and perhaps something that explains why her husband John Slatter took off for America before his wife died.

More soon about the results of our research visit.
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Any comments won't be posted for a few more days. Thanks for reading!

Asenath Larimer and Worship on the Wagon Train

Cover of transcribed journal kept by Asenath Cornwell Larimer 

Asenath Cornwell Larimer (1808-1897) was born 211 years ago today.

She was the widow of my husband's 4th great-uncle James Larimer (1806-1847), who sadly died at age 40, thrown from a horse while riding near their farm in Elkhart county, Indiana.

When James died, Asenath was left with five children under the age of 10. Her brothers helped her through this difficult time, but ultimately, Asenath made a bold decision she hoped would secure her children a better life.

Westward Ho

Five years after her husband's untimely death, Asenath sold the farm she had been bequeathed and used the money to join her brother, John Cornwell, in taking two steamboats en route to joining a wagon train at Lexington, Missouri.

Their destination: the Gold Rush country of California.

Asenath wrote in a journal from March 1852-March 1853 about the daily thoughts and events of that time. She notes that her oldest son was against her going west. Despite his opposition, she wrote that "...looking forward to the dangers and trails of the way, I feel very gloomy, but in the Lord put I my trust."

Faith Guides Asenath

Asenath was sustained by her strong Presbyterian faith during the arduous journey west. When possible, she and others on the wagon train would worship together on the Sabbath. In one journal entry, she wrote [sic]:

"...we felt that the Lord was as truly with us here sitting round on the grass, as if we had worshiped in a church, and likely we felt as much love and gratitude even at home." 

Most of the time, however, the wagon train leaders pushed ahead without stopping on the Sabbath, which distressed Asenath, even as she acknowledged the necessity of maintaining a good travel pace.

Asenath recorded not just the details of daily life on the wagon train (births, sickness, deaths, cooking, laundry) but also the natural wonders they viewed, for which she praised the Lord.

Journey's End

After arriving in the mining town of Clinton, California (now a ghost town outside Sacramento), Asenath scraped by on odd jobs such as washing clothes while her brother prospected for gold.

Then she moved to San Francisco, where she launched a bakery and was joined by one of her sons. Later, she moved south to Santa Monica, where she helped found the public library. She died in Santa Monica only a few weeks before her 89th birthday.

Thanks to Amy Johnson Crow for the #52Ancestors prompt of "At Worship."
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Note: Any comments won't be posted for a few days. Thanks for reading!

At Family Tree Live!

Today and tomorrow I'm presenting at the new genealogy show in London, Family Tree Live. Sponsored by the UK magazine Family Tree, the show has dozens of lectures and workshops for genealogy enthusiasts at every level.

I can't wait to visit the exhibit hall and meet representatives from local family history societies all around the country, as well as top genealogy firms and genealogy buddies like mystery novelist Nathan Dylan Goodwin.

On Friday, my topic is "How to use social media for #genealogy and #familyhistory."

On Saturday, my topic is "Do you have a genealogical will?"

Also on Saturday afternoon, I'm joining Gill Blanchard and Diane Lindsay for a special panel discussion, "Crash course in writing your family story."

I'm planning to tweet (@MarianBWood) during the show, but won't have any recaps here on the blog for a little while.

Any comments left by readers won't appear for a few days. Thanks for reading!