Siuslaw Genealogy Society – Researching Females

CLUES FOR FINDING FEMALES

A family search for females can be more challenging of a task than one can expect. You may have run into this problem a time or two during your research. This month’s Genealogy Society presentation will include profiles of 5 women from different generations. SGS member Cindy Webb will reveal what research path was taken and the ultimate accomplishments. Join us to learn about using the fan approach with “an attitude of flexible planning” to further your family research.

WHAT DOES YOUR SURNAME MEAN?

It’s great to be on a first name basis with those you know, but how did last names come into use? According to a recent FamilyTree article surnames came about as a result of population growth. Whether a surname may have been taken from one’s occupation, physical characteristic, homeland, etc., it can play a significant role in providing clues to genealogy research. Ancestry.com provides a last name meaning search. Simply Enter a surname to learn the name’s origin and meaning. FamilySearch also includes a feature providing similar surname meanings and origins. These utilities are easy to use on both sites while providing interesting details, quick links, and the number of records of that surname in their databases.

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DNA Day and Genealogy Articles

ANCESTRY CELEBRATES DNA DAY
April 25th is DNA Day! View Ancestry DNA tools and features to assist your family research.

SideView Technology – This tool displays an ethnicity inheritance to show “the portions of each region you inherited from each parent”.

Chromosome Painter – As demonstrated in a past SGS presentation, the program graphically “paints” one’s DNA to show “the regions that make up your ethnicity estimate”.

Family Compare (link not included) – This feature compares your DNA results with DNA matches or others who share your Ancestry DNA results.

GREAT OR GRAND? (The Generation Confusion)
It’s easy to become confused about the correct term when referring to grandparents’ siblings, or one’s sibling’s grandchildren. Read this short article by Diane Haddad of FamilyTree to hopefully clear things up the technicalities.

19 MILLION RECORDS ADDED
This past February, MyHeritage added 19 million records (U.S. U.K. and Scotland). The records include Birth, Marriage, Death, Obituary, Voter Registration, Passenger and Prison information. Search a listing of the new collection HERE.

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Fun Genealogy Workshop; Myths and Misconceptions Article

The March 16th meeting will feature a workshop/demonstration known as Relatives Around Me. This hands-on exercise will be hosted by Jacquie Beveridge, who was recently introduced to this app. We’ll be using a FamilyTree app on your phone (either IOS or Android), and you may actually discover a common ancestor among those in attendance! Be prepared to participate and join in by first reading and following the simple details HERE, to get setup.

Genealogy Myths and Misconceptions

Merilee recommends reading 13 Genealogy Myths and Misconceptions, an article from the editors of Family Tree Magazine and written by Julie Cahill Tarr. Could that family story or something you’ve come across regarding a surname, passenger list, online family tree, date, etc. actually fall into one of those categories? Ms. Cahill Tarr points out what to question and watch to out for. Read her article HERE.

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Feature Story – The Thrift Store Bible Adventure

Like many people, there is a local community member who loves to peruse thrift stores! Susan especially enjoys looking for old books. One day she found an old, but interesting family bible in a thrift store in Oregon that belonged to a person who was born in 1792! His signature was in the front of the bible along with a few notes. Some pages were torn out. The bible was old looking, musty, and had a well-worn leather cover. It was about 5 inches by 8 inches and would have fit into a saddlebag or large coat pocket.

The adventure begins…
Susan did some preliminary investigation into the ancestry of the signer, a Mr. Joseph Abbott. She prepared an outline of his family tree. Life became busy and she wasn’t able to continue the search for the owner of the bible. So, one day she decided to contact the local genealogical society to see if there was anyone interested in delving further into this mystery of Mr. Joseph Abbott. She emailed the organization (Siuslaw Genealogical Society) and one of the members took up the request. Susan dropped off the bible at the local library, to be picked up by Merilee, who would continue the research.

Merilee took the bible home and began the process of building a detailed family tree from the research done by Susan. She created a story of Joseph Abbott’s life and the descendants of his children. Mr. Joseph Abbott turned out to have been born in 1792 in Butler County, Ohio. In 1813 Joseph enlisted in the Ohio Militia; a private in Captain Hamilton’s Company, 3rd Militia of Ohio. He served for six months and was discharged. Joseph made his home in Butler County and was probably a farmer.

In January 1825, Joseph married Nancy Jane “Agnes” Bell. Reverend Benjamin Lawrence married the couple in Butler County. The couple had four children in the ensuing six years. Joseph passed away on 4 July 1832 in Morgan Twp, Butler County, Ohio. Cause of death is unknown at this time. However, there was a cholera epidemic spreading around the area during the early 1830s and that may have caused his death. His wife Agnes died just two years later in 1834. What became of their children ages 3, 5, 7, and 9 years? Who took them in to raise them?

Descendants were tracked forward, from those four children of Joseph’s, to the current era. A couple of descendants had family trees on the popular Ancestry.com website and they were contacted to see if they wanted the bible. Sadly, no response. Susan and Merilee finally met in person and shared thoughts about what to do with the bible. They decided to contact the Butler County Ohio Historical Society to see if they wanted the bible and family history story compiled to go with it. They happily said “YES!” Soon, this interesting artifact and the story about its owner will finally find its way home to where it began… Butler County, Ohio.

Ironically, both Merilee and Susan had ancestors who lived in Butler County during the same general time period. Coincidence or destiny! You decide…

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SGS News

SGS Fundraising Efforts

Help our fundraising efforts by linking your Fred Meyer Rewards card with Siuslaw Genealogical Society! Doing so will enable Fred Meyers to make a donation to SGS each time you shop at the store. There is no additional cost to you, and it’s easy to sign up – click HERE for details and scroll down the page to sign up!

13 Genealogy Myths and Misconceptions

Truth, folklore or a family tale? Merilee shares an article from Family Tree Magazine which may help you determine whether that family story is myth or likely to have occurred. View the article HERE.

Next SGS Meeting: March 16th, 3 p.m. in the Bromley Room; Presentation topic to be announced.

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SGS February 16th Meeting

Identifying Types of Old Photographs

The February 16th genealogy meeting will feature a presentation with a “hands-on” workshop to identify a variety of vintage  photographs. Pat Rongey will have samples of Daguerreotype, Ambrotype, Tintypes, and Cabinet Cards. These images range from the early 1840’s through the early 1900’s. Knowing the photograph type may help you identify the approximate year range of when the image was taken. This meeting will provide a chance for you to examine each sample with a magnifying glass and clues to help you make your own best guess. We’ll then determine which one of us has ended up being the top detective!

If you’re lucky enough to possess one of these photographic types or “think” you may have one, have it on hand and we’ll try to determine its time period. Bring your best spectacles and magnifying glass! 

Special Note: We will be examining the photos in a group setting, and you may wish to wear a mask.


Member Jacquie Beveridge announces upcoming family history conferences:

RootsTech – March 2-4 (Salt Lake City) In-Person $98; Virtual Viewing $Free$
Featured Speakers include: Judy G. Russell (The Legal Genealogist); Jonny Perl (creator of DNA Painter); Lisa Louise Cooke (GenealogyGems Podcast); Diahan Southard (DNA author and Speaker); David Allen Lambert (NEHGS Genealogist), and many more.

I4GG March 11-12; (San Diego) $169 In-Person and Live-Stream $69. CeCe Moore (Genetic Genealogist) will be the main speaker and moderator.  Other featured speakers include: Margaret Press (DNA Doe Project); Bonnie Bossert (Solved the 87-year old mystery of Hatbox Baby); and more.

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Genealogy Journal

A leather bound Our Family Keepsake Journal is for sale. 67 pages for family names, special events, genealogical resources and much more. This is a new, boxed journal. The perfect gift or working repository for any genealogy enthusiast. On sale for $25. For more information, contact Karen Childs through our Contact Us page.

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