Year: 2011

Friday Finds: Maryland Historical Magazine

I was recently going through the stacks of materials distributed around my “office” when I came across a document I’d ordered from PERSI—”Proceedings of the Committee of Observation for Elizabeth Township District [Washington County]” from the Maryland Historical Magazine, Volume 13. I had ordered this because copies I had made at the Pennsylvania State Library were difficult to read; I was hoping for a clearer copy.

What I found made me unhappy. The copies I’d made were not from volume 13, number 2; they were from volume 13, number 3. So, here I have a nice stack of reading that doesn’t include the information that I was seeking. My bad for not clearly marking each photocopy with its full source citation!

Maryland Historical Magazine

Maryland Historical Magazine, Volume 13, Number 3, page 245 PDF

I went online to see if I could find somewhere I could order copy of the pages from the correct volume. Instead I found a page on the Maryland Historical Society’s website that seemed to imply that they were providing online access to the periodical.

Wow! I logged in and sure enough volumes 1, number 1 through volume 99, number 4 are available online as PDFs through a joint project of the Maryland Historical Society and Maryland State Archives. Volumes 101-104 are available to members of the Maryland Historical Society. The volumes have been indexed, so you can search them.

Online viewing through the PDF viewer I have was not optimal—the text appears jagged and bitmapped. Opening the file in Preview on the Mac (an option in the viewer) was similar. However, downloading the file and viewing in the Adobe PDF viewer solved the problem—crisp, clear text! I search for “Hoover” in the PDF and it skipped to the first notation (see blue highlight).

I’m so glad I decided to clean up a bit and discovered my mistake. It lead to a wonderful online resource!

Fearless Females: Sharing First Names

I’ve always been told that I was named after a German actress. So, I’ve never had any expectation that it was a family name. Until my family moved to New England when I was 10, I’d never even met anyone with the first name Kristen and even then it was more often spelled Kristin.

There are actually two others—Kristen and Kristin—in my family tree. One from my father’s side, the other from my mother’s side. Both were born after 1900. It is unlikely that either of my parents even knew about either—the relationship was that distant.

However, I have seen related names in my family history. In my research I’ve most often seen the name as Christina or Christiana. My eldest, direct immigrant ancestors Christopher and Anna Margaretha (Jock) Hacker had a daughter named Christina. She married Johann Michael Lang (Long here in the U.S.) in Rußheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany on 8 Nov 1746. This couple came to the U.S. in 1752 with Christina’s parents. They had children: Johann Michael Jr. and Anna Christina. Their daughter married Johan Wilhelm Stober in Lancaster County circa 1777. This couple moved to Centre County, Pennsylvania.

Christopher’s son Johan Adam, my ancestor, and his wife Maria Elisabetha Weidman had two daughters named Christiana. The eldest died as a child. The younger girl married Henrich Fetter on 26 Jun 1781 at Christ Lutheran Church in Stouchsburg, Berks County, Pennsylvania. They had children: Catharine, born 4 Jun 1782;  George, born 10 Aug 1785;  John, born 19 Sep 1789;  Anne Marie, born 18 Sep 1791; and Elisabeth, born 2 Feb 1794.

The name isn’t found again in my direct line until me.

Fearless Females is, a blogging meme, presented by Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog in celebration of National Women’s History Month.

Irish Family History Foundations Exceeds 18 Million Records!

In March our thoughts turn to Ireland—and where else would they be with St. Patrick’s Day coming up? So, this announcement is rather timely! If you’ve got ancestors from Donegal, listen up…

The Irish Family History Foundation’s Online Research Service (ORS) are pleased to announce the availability of an additional 90,000 civil death records from Donegal Ancestry along with other corrections and updates including 6500 new birth records.

Just go to the following site and login using your existing IFHF login details. http://donegal.rootsireland.ie/

We now have over 18 million records online.

Remember that you can purchase and spend your credit at any of the IFHF online centres.

Please check out our interactive map to see which centres are currently live.

If you have any questions or comments please check our Online Help and if this does not provide an answer, then do not hesitate to contact us or one or the county centres.

FamilySearch: New Records Added

FamilySearch.org announced the addition of new records for: Brazil, England, India, Italy, Nicaragua, Spain, Wales and the United States.

More fascinating collections were published this week online at FamilySearch.org—39 million new records, to be exact. The England and Wales 1901 Census will certainly be a favorite for British and Welsh researchers. And how about one million images added for Italy? Or India Land Ownership Pedigrees? FamilySearch’s Texas collections have always been popular, and this week Texas collections have grown by 1.5 million new records (including birth, tax, and county records). In addition, more collections were released for Brazil, Nicaragua, Spain, and the U.S. (Delaware, New Hampshire, and Virginia).

A wide variety of original source records from around the world are continually being added to FamilySearch’s online collections. Search them now at FamilySearch.org.

See the table below for additional details about the latest collection updates.

Collection Records Images Comment
Brazil, Catholic Church Records 0 233,420 Images added for Sao Paulo (Piracicaba);Minas Gerais (Guaxupe, Pouso Alegre, and Joao del Rei); and Rio de Janeiro (Nova Iguacu).
England and Wales Census, 1901 34,138,362 1,456,023 Rich index with links to images on FindMyPast.com.
India, Moga Land Ownership Pedigrees 0 7,640 Set of land ownership pedigrees (Shajjra Nasb) that show familial relationships as land was passed from father to son (in Sanskrit).
Italy, Civil Registration, 1806-1940 0 944,579 Additional images added for Ischia, Napoli City, Nuoro, Mantova, and Padova.
Nicaragua, Managua, Civil Registration, 1879-2007 0 265,237 New digital images added.
Spain, Catholic Church Records, 1500-1930 17,348 87 Additional records from the diocese of Ávila.
U.S., Delaware Marriage Records, 1913-1954 53,352 112,854 Name index and images of Delaware statewide marriage records. The certificates are arranged by year and then by certificate number.
U.S., New Hampshire Marriage Records, 1637-1947 318,102 1,028,209 Index and images of New Hampshire marriage records. These records consist of cards giving the names of the bride and groom with the town and date of the marriage and often much more information. Note: There are two images for each marriage.
U.S., Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-1934 440,509 416,479 Currently years 1903 to 1909 and 1926 to 1934 are available. More years will be added later.
U.S., Texas County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910 0 678,887 New digital images added.
U.S., Texas, Mills County Clerk Records, 1841-1985 0 90,818 New digital images added.
U.S., Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929 0 11,999 Naturalization petitions from four U.S. District Courts in Virginia; these records correspond to four record series at the National Archives.

Happy Anniversary, 3G Grandpa & Grandma!

157 years ago on 25 Feb 1854, Edward J. Witmer, son of John and Rachael (Jones) Witmer, married Lydia Amanda Kline, daughter of Philip and Lydia (Markly) Kline.

Witmer Family photo

Witmer family portrait, ca 1904?

CELEBRATED GOLDEN WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

“A pleasant surprise was tendered the aged couple, Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. WITMER, of Malborough, near Finland, on last Thursday, February 25th, by their children and grand-children. It being the 50th anniversary of their wedding day. The children arrived at their parents home, at [an] appointed hour, and at the noon hour the old folks were invited into the dining room, where a sumptuous collation was prepared for them, to satisfy the inner man. The day was spent pleasantly and at the departure they wished the old folks many more years of married life. Those present were: Mr. and Mrs. W.W. STYER [Willoughby and Emma (Witmer)], of East Greenville, Mr. and Mrs. Henry D. SNYDER [Henry and Saraphine (Witmer)], of East Greenville and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Elmer C. GREULICH [Elmer and Lillian (Snyder)], of East Greenville, Mr. and Mrs. Horace K. WITMER [Horace and Mary (Breish)], of Marlborough and children Wilmer, Maurice and Gertie, Mr. and Mrs. Milton K. WITMER [Milton and Cora (Gussman)], of Quakertown and Milton B. NASE [wife Elmira (Witmer), deceased], of Tylersport and sons Herbert W. and Lawrence NASE, of East Greenville.”1

Added Warrantee Map Indices

I’ve added two new indices to the warrantee maps for Strasburg Township and West Lampeter Township. These indices include the warrantee’s name, the patentee’s name, the tract number (if available), the patent reference (book, volume, page), the survey reference (book, volume, page), and the tract name (if available). The surveys and warrantee maps can be found online at the Pennsylvania State Archives website.

The warrantee township maps are a useful tool in researching your family history and provide an excellent means of visualizing the location of a specific piece of property within the borders of a specific township.

However, when you want to quickly determine if a specific name can be found on the map, it can difficult to do. Frustrated by having to search the map for each name I wanted to locate, I decided to create an index for each township map that I use on a regular basis. Now, I’ve made them available to other researchers. Please see a list of currently available on the Online Genealogy Documents page.

1911 Scottish Census Coming…

The 1911 Scottish Census will be released 5 Apr 2011. More than 4.7 million Scots provided information for this census. Is your ancestor one of them?

What will you be able to find in this census? Details from Scotlands People below:

The records will include the name, address, age, occupation, birthplace and marital status of everyone counted in the 1911 census, as well as details about their children. For the first time, the census data will be presented in full colour rather than black and white.

It will cost 1 credit to view an index entry for the 1911 census. An image will cost 5 credits. Unlike previous censuses, the image spans two pages due to the additional questions that were asked about the fertility of marriage and the profession or occupation. Each page measures 34 cm long by 43 cm high so the images are best viewed on your computer screen or if printed, on size A3 paper.

I’ve used Scotlands People myself to find my Scottish ancestors on my paternal grandfather’s side of the family. It’s a great resouce, easy to use, and well worth the money for a family historian with Scottish ancestry who can’t get over to Edinburgh.

Are We Related?

I received an email a while back from a woman who was looking for information on a Jacob Hoover of Maryland and wondered if we were related. The short answer is “Yes,” but not as initially thought.

She had found my site by searching for “Jacob Hoover Maryland.” I believe, she found my information on the family of Andreas Hoover (1723—1784) of Frederick (now Washington) County, Maryland and Fayette County, Pennsylvania and Andrew’s son Jacob (ca 1746—1800). She was searching for the father of Jacob Hoover of Garrett County, Maryland. She had information going back from a John Hoover (1860—1929) to his parents Jacob and Mary (Bittinger) Hoover. She had no dates for Jacob and Mary, but believed Jacob’s father was also named Jacob. Looking at information online, she had found two possibilities, both sons of two Andrew Hoovers.

From my research, I knew that Andrew Hoover’s (1723—1784) son Jacob had only one son—George Hoover who moved from Fayette County, Pennsylvania to Ohio County, Kentucky. George did have a son named Jacob, but he lived in Kentucky, dieing there sometime between 1840 and 1850. Based on this information, I knew that her Jacob Hoover [Sr.] was not a son of Andrew Hoover, nor a grandson through his son Jacob. It was possible that he was the son of one of Andrew’s other sons, but if so, I had no information on him.

The other possibility was Andrew Hoover (1724—ca 1794) of Frederick (now Carroll) County, Maryland and Randolph County, North Carolina. He, too, had a son named Jacob (1754—1821). However, I believe, he went to North Carolina with his family and died there in 1821.

Based on the birth dates of these Jacob Hoovers—1746 and 1754, respectively, I knew it was unlikely that either of them were the grandfather of John Hoover, born in 1860. If her Jacob, Jacob, and John were related to either of these men, then there was a missing generation. More information was needed on both Jacob Sr. and Jacob Jr. before their ancestry could be determined.

Curious, I started looking at John Hoover in the census records, starting with the most recent and working backwards:

  • 1920: John married to [Anna] Savora and living in Grantsville, children: Della E. (b. ca 1904), Zelda M. (b. ca 1907), Orval (b. ca 1910), Dora V. (b. ca Mar 1915), Claton E.(b. ca Jul 1918)1
  • 1910: John (2nd marriage) married for 7 years (ca. 1903) to Annie S. (1st marriage) and living in Grantsville, children: Della E. (b. ca 1903),  Zelda (b. ca 1906), Orval (b. ca Feb 1910), Burly (b. ca 1895)2
  • 1900: John, born April 1860, living in Grantsville, widowed, children: Clara (b. Mar 1891), Burly (b. Nov 1894), Harry (b. Feb 1897) and Allie E. (b. Jun 1899) 3
  • 1880: John, born ca 1860, living in Grantsville at home with parents Jacob & Mary Hoover, siblings: Jefferson (b. ca 1849), Lydia (b. ca 1851), Ellen (b. ca 1855), Mary (b. ca 1862), Daniel (b. ca 1866), Elizabeth (b. ca 1869), Jacob (b. ca 1872), Sarah (b. ca 1875) 4
  • 1870: John, born ca 1860, living in Grantsville at home with parents Jacob & Mary Hoover, siblings: Jefferson (b. ca 1850), Lydia (b. ca 1853), Ellen (b. ca 1855), Mary (b. ca 1863), Daniel (b. ca 1866), and Elizabeth (b. ca 1869) 5
  • 1860: John is not listed, instead Jacob Jr. & Mary Hoover’s household includes: Jefferson (b. ca 1846), Lydia (b. ca 1848), Ellen (b. ca 1858), and Daniel (b. ca Jan 1860); It’s possible that this “Daniel” is actually John 6

The 1860 census lists Jacob Hoover as Jacob Jr. Junior can often be interpreted to mean that the father shared the same given name. However, it can sometimes mean “the younger” with no familial relationship attached.

However, an examination of Maryland deeds through MDLandRec.net showed that Jacob Hoover Sr. and his wife Mary sold 25 acres in Allegany County to their son Jacob Hoover Jr.7 Jacob Hoover Jr. sold this land to his wife Mary in 1874.8 Both deeds refer to lots 2138 and 2139. Additionally, Jacob Hoover and wife sold 25 acres of their property “Shylock War” to Jacob Hoover Jr. in 1862.9 Other pieces of this property were sold to Carlisle and William Hoover, their other sons.10,11 This establishes, to my mind, that Jacob Hoover Jr. was most likely the son of Jacob Hoover Sr. and his wife Mary “Polly.”

Jacob and Mary Hoover Sr. were alive and living in the third district (Grantsville) in 1860 and 1870.12 Their son William (b. ca 1834-1837) was living with them in both census enumerations. Both enumerations also list Jacob and Mary as being born in Pennsylvania. In 1850, they’re living in district 10 with their daughter Sarah.13

Based on these census records, Jacob Hoover Sr. was born about 1790-1797 in Pennsylvania. Given the location of Grantsville, Allegany and Garrett counties, it’s likely that Jacob came from Bedford, Somerset, Fulton or Adams counties in Pennsylvania.  There were several Jacob Hoovers in the Casper Hoover family of Somerset County, Pennsylvania, so I contacted another researcher who knows much more about this family than I do on the off chance that this Jacob was possibly related.

He wrote back:

“The Jacob Hoover who married Mary “Polly” Eckenberger was the son of George and Elizabeth (_____) Hoover of Somerset County, PA. George Hoover was the son of Casper and Catherine (Ernst) Hoover of Somerset County, PA, as described in my NGSQ article (vol. 91 (December 2003), pgs. 298-313). Jacob Hoover was born in Somerset County on or about 25 March 1797 and moved to Garrett County, MD, around the year 1820 with his wife Mary “Polly” (Eckenberger) Hoover. They remained in Garrett County the rest of their lives. This family is reasonably well described in Wayne Bittinger’s book “The Bittinger, Bittner, Biddinger, and Bidinger Families and their Kin of Garrett County, Maryland” (McClain Printing Co., Parsons, WV, 1986, pgs 609-611). Some information is also given in the same book regarding Jacob “Ecenbarger/Akenberger”, Jr., the brother of Mary “Polly” Ekenberger Hoover (pgs. 551-553).”

So, yes, we are related through Jacob Hoover Sr.’s grandfather Casper, brother to my presumed ancestor, George Hoover of Lancaster, Bedford, Westmoreland and Armstrong counties.