Year: 2012

To Cite or Not to Cite?

In my recent travels around the web, reading genealogy blogs, I’ve seen a number of articles about whether or not blog writers should cite their sources. There have been numerous thoughtful, articulate posts written for both sides of the subject. Michael Hait’s blog Planting the Seeds even has a list of blog posts from around the geneaweb on the subject. Now, I’m not going to take a stance on what blog writers must do. Instead, I’ll just tell you why I’ve decided to use source citations.

If you’ve poked around my site at all, it’s pretty obvious that I believe in citing my sources—perhaps to the point of overkill. I won’t pretend that my citations are perfect; I’m pretty sure they’re not. However, they are sufficient to serve my purposes for including them in the first place which are:

1. To let readers know that there is a source.

That may seem like a no brainer, but when I’m searching for information online I will pass on by anything I find that doesn’t include a source. Same with any information where the only source is another FTM or GEDCOM file. If there’s no source, how can you verify the research? How can you determine the accuracy or validity of conflicting information?

I was able to correct a mistake regarding my ancestor George Hoover’s father because I not only verified the sources, but through a re-examination of the sources found a misinterpretation of the information. This led to the identification of two George Hoovers and I was able to determine which was my presumed ancestor.

2. To document where the information came from.

Since the raison d’etre for my site is to share my research and help other researchers, it’s important that I know where the information I’m sharing came from. It not only helps me keep track, but it means that other genealogists can duplicate my research and evaluate it based on their own findings and form their own opinions of its validity.

3. To make sure that it all makes sense.

When I write up a research post, it generally takes me several hours. Why? Because as I take the information from my database and turn into a narrative, I examine every fact, determine where it came from, and whether it makes sense amongst all the other information. Often, I’m pulling up and re-examining documents and sources to double-check the information. While my database allows me to collect information, a blog post requires that I pull those facts together into a logical sequence.

I’ve been able to think through a problem and reach a fairly well justified conclusion during this process for things that I either hadn’t thought through or had taken for granted previously.

3. To produce a quality post.

For me, writing these posts is the equivalent of writing a research report. They may not be up to the standard of a professional journal (and I may be the only person who ever reads them), but I want them to be the best example of what I know—at that particular moment—that I can produce. Later when I revisit the research or add new information, I want to be able to see what I’ve found, what conclusions I reached, and how I reached them. To my mind, that requires source citations.

That said, I don’t believe that every blog post out there should use source citations. Some posts just don’t need ’em. It depends on your audience and your purpose for blogging in the first place.

How do I add footnotes to my posts?

I use a nifty plug-in called FD Footnotes. It works with self-hosted WordPress blogs. It allows me to insert footnotes simply by adding the citation directly in my text like this:

1

The plug-in will automatically add the footnote reference in the text and link it to the full citation added at the end of the page.

Wordless Wednesday: Unknown Woman

Do You Know Me?

Unidentified woman

This installment in my “Unidentified Pennsylvanians” series features a photo of a young woman. She may have lived in the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania area and may have been either a friend of or related to either the Greulich, Wieder, Waage, Snyder, or Witmer families. The photo was likely taken in the early 20th century.

For more photos visit the Unidentified People photo gallery.

On This Date: Georg Philipp Greulich

Happy birthday, Georg Philipp Greulich. Georg was born 9 Jan 1784 and died 12 May 1855 in Haag, Mosbach, Germany. He is my 3x great grandfather through my maternal grandfather’s patrilineal line.

Jacob Hoober’s 1736 Land Patent

Having written about how to use the online land records at the Pennsylvania State Archives, it’s only fair that I provide examples of what each document entails.

John Jacob Hoober land patent

Jacob Hoober’s land patent

This is a transcription of the John Jacob Hoober’s patent for 210 acres situate on the southside of Pequea Creek in present-day Providence Township. Jacob Hoober received a warrant for the tract 24 Jan 1733. It was surveyed to him on 28 Jan 1733.

[150]

“John Penn Thomas Penn and
Richard Penn Esqr true and absolute Proprietaries
and Governours in chief of the Province of Pennsylvania &
the Counties of New Castle Kent and Sussex on Delaware

To all whom these Presents shall come send Greeting
Whereas in and by a Warrant from the late Commissioners
of Property under the lesser Seal of our said Province bearing
Date the twenty second Day of November int he year of our
Lord 1717 the Quantity of five thousand acres of Land was
granted to be surveyed in several Tracts on Conestogoe and
Pequea Creeks in the County now called Lancaster unto
Martin Kundigg and hans heer both of the County adoresd.
in pursuance of which said warrant there was surveyed and
laid out on the twenty fourth Day of January in the year of
our Lord 1733 unto the said Martin Kundigg and hans heer
a certain Tract of Land situate on Pequea Creek aforesd
in the said County of Lancaster Beginning at an Ash Tree
on the southside of Pequea Creek near to Samuel Boyers
Land thence by a line of marked Trees south one hundred
sixteen perches to a Chestnut Tree thence East ninety eight
perches to a black Oak thence East North East one hundred
perches to a hickory thence North twenty four Degrees
West thirty seven perches to a hickory thence by Land of
Jacob Good North by West one hundred eighty eight
perches to a Chestnut Tree thence South by West ninety
six Perches to a Post by the said Creek thence down by
the same on several course one hundred & twenty seven
perches to the place of Beginning containing two
hundred and Ten acres and the allowance of six acres

[151]
in each hundred for Roads and highways as in and by the Survey
thereof remaining in our Surveyor General’s Office and from thence
certified into our Secretary’s Office may appear And Whereas the sd
Martin Kundigg and hans heer by a certain Deed or Instrument
in Writing bearing Date the twenty fourth Day of March in the
Year of our Lord 1734/5 for the consideration therein mentioned did
bargain and sell all their Right Title and Interest of and in the
said two hundred and Ten acres of Land and Premisses with the
appurtenances unto Jacob Hoober als John Jacob Hoober of the
said County of Lancaster his heirs and assignes Now at the Instance
and Request of the said John Jacob Hoober that we would be
pleased to grant him a confirmation of the said two hundred
and ten acres of Land according to the Situation of Lines and Bounds
aforesaid Know ye that in consideration of the sum of twenty one
pounds lawful Money of Pennsylvania to our Use now paid by
the said John Jacob Hoober the Receipt whereof we hereby
acknowledge and thereof do acquit and forever discharge the said
John Jacob Hoober his heirs and assignes by these presents
and also for the yearly Quitrent herein after mentioned and
reserved We have given granted released and confirmed and
by this Presents for Us our heirs and succession Do give
grant & release and confirm unto the said John Jacob Hoober
and his heirs the said two hundred and Ten acres of Land as the
same is now set forth bounded and limited as aforesaid with all
mines minerals Quarries Meadows Marshes Savannahs
Swamps Criples Woods Underwoods Tree and Trees Ways
Waters Water Courses Liberties Profits Commodities Advanta
ges hereditaments and appurtenances whatsoever to the
said two hundred and Ten acres of Land belonging or in any
wise appertaining and lying within the Bounds and Lines
aforesaid / [?] full and clear fifth Parts of all royal Mines
free from all Deduction and Reprisals for digging and
refining the same only excepted and hereby reserved and
also free leave Right and Liberty to and for the said John
Jacob Hoober his heirs and assignes to hawk hunt fish
and fowl in and upon the hereby granted Land and Premises
or upon any Part thereof To have and to hold the said
two hundred Ten acres of Land and Premises hereby
granted / Except before excepted / with the appurtenences
unto the said John Jacob Hoober his heirs and assignes
To the only Use and Behoof of the said John Jacob Hoober
his heirs and assignes forever To be holden of us our
heirs and successors Proprietaries of Pennsylvania as
of our Manner of Conestoga in the County of Lancaster
aforesaid in free and common Soccage [sic] by Fielty [sic] only in
Liew [sic] of all other Services Yielding and paying
therefore yearly to us our heirs and Successors at the Town of
Lancaster after upon the first Day of March in every year

[152]

from the first Day of march last past One English
Silver Shilling for each hundred acres of the same and in
proportion for the Ten acres or value thereof in Coin
current according as the Exchange shall then be between
our said Province and the City of London to such Person
or Persons as shall from Time to Time be appointed
to receive the same and in case of non payment thereof
within ninety Days next after the same shall become
due that then it shall and may be lawful for us our
heirs and successors our and their Receiver or
Receivers into and upon the hereby granted Land and
Premises to reenter and the same to hold & possess
until the said Quitrent and all Arrears thereof together
with the charges accruing by means of such none
payment and Reentry aforesaid be fully paid and
discharged In Witness whereof the said Thomas
Penn by virtue of the Power Authorities to him
granted by the said John and Richard Penn and of his
own right hath caused the Great Seal of the said Province
to be hereunto affixed at Philadelphia this twenty
second Day of October in the Year of our Lord one
thousand seven hundred & thirty six the Tenth Year
of the Reign of King George the second over great
Britain [?] and the nineteenth year of our Government

Tho Penn (seal)

Recorded ye 4th March 1736/7 1

John Jacob Hoober’s land patent

Jacob Hoober’s 1733 Survey

New! Updated warrantee map indexes for Lancaster County townships are available for purchase through my store. Each document includes the warrantee, warrant number, patentee, patent reference, and surveyee with a direct link to the online survey record and warrantee map. More to come.

After a warrant is issued, the Surveyor General directed one of their surveyors to make and return a survey of the requested tract. Jacob Hoober’s warrant was issued 24 Jan 1733. On 28 Jan 1733 a survey was made of 210 acres in present-day Providence Township, then part of Martic Township, adjoining the property of Samuel Boyer and Jacob Good.

Here is an image of the survey1:

Jacob Hoober 1733 land survey

Jacob Hoober 1733 survey

You can see this survey and many more at the Pennsylvania State Archives website.

Jacob Hoober 1733 Warrant

New! Updated warrantee map indexes for Lancaster County townships are available for purchase through my store. Each document includes the warrantee, warrant number, patentee, patent reference, and surveyee with a direct link to the online survey record and warrantee map. More to come.

Having written about how to use the online land records at the Pennsylvania State Archives, it’s only fair that I provide examples of what each document entails.

This example features the 1733 land warrant of Jacob Hoober for 210 acres on Pequea Creek. This piece of property sits south of Pequea Creek in present-day Providence Township. It can be seen on the Providence Warrantee Township map to the right in the top row of tracts.

Jacob Hoober land warrant, title page

Jacob Hoober land warrant

The first page of the warrant indicates the date of the warrant, the warrant number, the amount of land and the name of the warrantee.

Jacob Hoober land warrant

Jacob Hoober land warrant

The second page is the actual warrant. It states:

“Pennsylvania, SS.

By the Proprietaries.

At the Request of Jacob Hoober of the County of Lancaster that We would grant him to take up Two hundred & ten Acres of Land lying on a Branch of Pequea in the said County of Lancaster for which He agrees to pay to our Use at the Rate of Fifteen Pounds ten Shillings current Money of this Province for One hundred Acres and the yearly Quit-rent of one Halfpenny [?] for every Acre thereof; THESE are to authorize and require thee to survey or cause to be survey’d unto the said Jacob Hoober at the Place aforesaid, according to the Method of Townships appointed the said Quantity of 210 Acres that hath not been already survey’d or appropriated, and make Return thereof into the Secretary’s Office, in order for a further Confirmation; which Survey in case the said Jacob Hoober fulfill the above Agreement within six Months from the date hereof, shall be valid, otherwise to be void. GIVEN under my Hand, and the lesser Seal of our Province, at Philadelphia, this twenty fourth Day of January Anno Dom. 1733

to Benjamin Eastburn, Surveyor General

[signature?]”1

These images are actual photos taken from the microfilm reader. A printed copy would be clearer and more legible.

Wordless Wednesday: Unknown Woman

Do you know me?

Unidentified woman

The next installment in the Unidentified Pennsylvanians series features a photo of a young woman. She may have lived in the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania area and may have been either a friend of or related to either the Greulich, Wieder, Waage, Snyder, or Witmer families. The photo was likely taken in the early 20th century.

For more photos visit the Unidentified People photo gallery.

How to Use the Online Land Records at the PA State Archives

If you’ve read my blog, you’ll know that I use land records—a lot! I’ve mentioned warrants, patents and deeds in a number of posts. They’re some of my favorite record groups. And best of all, depending on where your ancestor lived, the records may be available online for free.

This blog post is going to explain how to use the land records available online at the PA State Archives. These records are organized by record and then either by county or volume and surname. They have been scanned and placed online as PDFs by page. The records include:

  • Warrant Registers
  • Copied Survey Books
  • Patent Indexes
  • Patent Tract Name Index
  • Indexes of Selected Original (Loose) Surveys
  • East Side Applications (Register)
  • West Side Applications (Register)
  • Philadelphia Old Rights (Index)
  • Old Rights Index: Bucks and Chester Counties
  • New Purchase Register
  • Original Purchases Register
  • Last Purchase Register
  • Luzerne County Certified Townships
  • Donation Lands
  • Depreciation Land Register
  • Warrantee Township Maps
  • Melish-Whiteside Maps

I’m going to focus on the records in bold.

To understand how to use these records, it’s important to understand how the process worked in Colonial Pennsylvania.1 Technically, William Penn owned all of the land in Pennsylvania. A settler would apply to the land office for land. Before 1687, these applications were typically oral and not recorded. After 1687, they were recorded in the minute books of the Commissioners of Property. The minutes can be found in Pennsylvania Archives, Second Series, Volume 19 and Third Series, Volume 1.

After the application, a warrant was issued to authorize a survey of the land. The warrants I’ve seen specify the name of the warrantee, the location of the desired property (sometimes rather generally), the amount of land, the quit-rent—and sometimes the date from which the rent commences—and the price per acre. The issuance of a warrant, however, does not mean that the applicant actually owned the property.

When a warrant was issued, orders were sent to the surveyor to survey the property and draw a map of the courses and bounds, the acreage, and the neighbors. After a survey was done, the applicant would have to pay for the land and provide evidence of their improvements to the property. In viewing the survey books, there are sometimes multiple surveys of a tract of land. Sometimes the original applicant failed to follow through, sometimes they sold their “rights” to someone else prior to the patent, or sometimes subsequent owners required a re-survey.

Once the survey was complete and the land paid for, a warrant of return was sent to the surveyor general, who in turn sent the survey to the secretary’s office so that a patent could be issued. The patent is the document that transferred ownership of the property to the settler.

So, warrants, patents and surveys deal with transfers of land between the Pennsylvania land office and the settler. Records of land transferred between individuals will be found—if recorded—at the Recorder of Deeds for the appropriate county. This may not be the same as the modern county. For more information on the historical transformation of the counties, take a look at the Genealogical Map of the Counties.

Patents

Ulrich Huber patent reference

Ulrich Hoober, Patent Book A11:408

If you know that your ancestor received a patent for their property, you can begin with the Patent Indexes. How would I know that, you ask. Often, deeds—sometimes several transactions removed from the patent—will reference the original patent for the property. You may have seen something like:

It being the same tract of land which the late Proprietaries of Pennsylvania by their Patent dated the twenty eighth day of September A. Dom. 1744 and recorded at the Rolls Office at Philadelphia in Patent Book A vol 11 page 408 &c did grant & confirm to Ulrich Hoover his heirs and assigns forever…2

If you haven’t seen a reference like this, but want to know if your ancestor was an early landholder, the Patent Indexes are still a good place to start. The Patent Indexes will not only provide the patent book, volume and page number for a patent, but will also identify the name of the original warrantee and the date of the warrant. This will make it possible to locate the warrant and survey if your ancestor was not the original warrantee.

  1. First, go to the Patent Indexes page on the State Archives site. The records are arranged by series, which are arranged by date. Choose the series you want to review.
  2. Next find the list of pages for the first letter of your ancestor’s surname. Be prepared to check multiple spellings if they apply. I’ve found “Brenneman” listed under both “B” and “P.”
  3. Check the available pages to see if your ancestor is listed. Each page is a separate PDF file, so you may need to download and open each file in Adobe Reader if your browser doesn’t have a plugin to view PDF files.
  4. Each listing includes: series and volume, date of patent, page number, patentee name, area in acres and perches, name of warrantee, name of tract (if available), date of warrant, and county.

If you find your ancestor, make note of the series, volume, page and date of the patent. You’ll need this information if you want to order the patent from the Archives. You should also note the name of the original warrantee, the date of warrrant and the county. This will be necessary for the next step.

In the image above, we have a patent for Woolrick Hoober, dated 20 Sep 1744, with 226 acres in Patent Book A11, page 408. We can also see that he is listed as the original warrantee for a warrant dated 19 Sep 1744 in Lancaster County.

Warrants

Woolerick Hoober, Warrant H338

Woolerick Hoober, Warrant H338, Lancaster County

Now that you have the name of the warrantee, warrant date and county, you can look-up the warrant and survey information in the Warrant Registers. These registers cover approximately 70% of all land in Pennsylvania for 1733—1957. If the warrant date is 1733 or later, follow these instructions.

  1. Go to the Warrant Registers page on the State Archives site. The registers are first arranged by county. Click on the link to the appropriate county.
  2. The pages for each register are listed first alphabetically by the first initial of the warrantee’s surname, then chronologically.
  3. Check the pages to see if the warrantee is listed.
  4. Each listing should include: warrant number, warrantee, type of warrant, quantity of land, warrant location, date of warrant, date of return, acreage returned, name(s) of patentee(s), where the patent is recorded (book, volume, page), and where the survey was copied (book, volume, page). Sometimes there are multiple patentees or surveys for each warrant. Sometimes the warrant was vacated and no information is available.

Woolrick Hoober’s listing tells us that he was issued a warrant (#338) to accept a survey of 226 acres in Conestoga Township, dated 19 Sep 1744. The patent was issued 19 Sep 1744 on 226 acres. The patent is listed in Book A11, page 408 and the survey is in book D88, page 127.

If the warrant date was before 1733, you’ll need to check the Old Rights Index for Bucks and Chester counties or the Philadelphia Old Rights Register.

Surveys

Woolrick Hoober, Survey Book D88:127

Woolrick Hoober, Survey Book D88:127

With the location of the survey from the Warrantee register, the next step is a piece of cake.

  1. Go to the Copied Survey Books page.
  2. Select the appropriate page for the book and volume.
  3. Click on the page link.
  4. Each survey should provide either a description of the metes and bounds or a drawing of the tract’s boundaries with the calls and the names of the tract’s neighbors. The survey also usually shows the date of the survey, name of surveyor, who the land was surveyed for, the date of the warrant, and the warrantee.

Ulrich’s survey shows that John Line, Jacob Hoober, and John DeHoof were his neighbors at the time of the survey—20 Oct 1728.

Warrantee Township Maps

Maps for some of the townships were drawn up showing all of the original landholders—those who received the property directly from the Proprietors or the Commonwealth—within the context of the present-day townships. Unfortunately, not every township was mapped.

Pequea Warrantee Township Map

Pequea Warrantee Township Map

To find a map of the township were your ancestor held property, you need to know the relationship between the historical township and the modern township. For instance, Ulrich Hoober’s tract was in Conestoga township when he received the patent in 1744. Two modern townships—Conestoga and Pequea—make up the historical 1729 township.3 You can see Ulrich Hoober’s property in the context of the township’s other properties in the Pequea Warrantee Township map.

Don’t forget, using this information you can order a copy of the land warrant or patent from the Pennsylvania State Archives. If you know the reference—warrant number, warrantee and county of warrant for warrants or patentee, patent date, book, volume and page number for patents—you can order an uncertified copy fairly inexpensively. If you don’t have that information, you can also order a search by the staff archivist. That, of course, will cost you more. Warrantee township maps are also available for sale.

If you can visit the state archives in Harrisburg, you can use the information you found through the online records to locate the documents on microfilm, saving time looking up the references so you can research other records.

That’s a fairly quick explanation of warrants, patents and surveys at the Pennsylvania State Archives website. These instructions should work for most properties. However, there will be exceptions (aren’t there always?). If you have questions, leave a comment or drop me a line. I’d be glad to help however I can.

Note: modified to include new PHMC screenshot.

Happy Birthday: Joseph Snyder

Happy birthday, Joseph Snyder. He was born 2 Jan 1826, most likely in Wurtemburg Germany. He was my 3x great grandfather through my maternal grandfather’s matrilineal line.

Genealogy Goals for the New Year

At this time of year it seems like everyone is taking a final look back at 2011 and then looking forward and making resolutions for 2012. Genealogy bloggers are no different.

I’m not really a fan of New Year’s resolutions. I’ve made them in the past and I did really well for a month or two and then… This time I think I’ll set some goals—realistic ones that I have a hope of actually accomplishing!

1. Finish a Project

At any given time, I’ve got several genealogy projects going on. These are only tangentially related to the actual family research I’m doing so they often get sidelined. Unfortunately, these are also large projects. They also tend to be somewhat tedious—indexing, abstracting, or transcribing—and I can only take so much before I need a break. The tedium and magnitude of how much more I have to do…well, it doesn’t exactly encourage me to pick it up where I left off.

So, this year to reach the goal of finishing just one project, I’ll set up interim goals—breaking the project(s) into smaller, more manageable chunks. And instead of waiting until the whole project is complete to publish it, I’ll release each section in whatever format I finally choose (print, ebook, and/or online database), then put them all together once I’ve finished the complete project. That leads me to #2.

2. Publish

I’ve been compiling information, building and expanding my knowledge base for a while. It’s time to start sharing it. I’ve done some of that by producing PDF files and sharing them through this site. I even published a book I’d written several years ago with marriage and death information for central Pennsylvania residents from the Harrisburg Chronicle from 1820 to 1834. But I’ve got quite a bit more. The trick will be deciding what will be useful to other researchers and what’s the best format.

3. Combine Passions

I’ve been working as a web designer for years. I’ve designed and programmed all of my own sites, as well as sites for family and friends. I programmed a special page template that allows me to easily link parent and child pages for my family groups. (You can see it in action.)

Why not formalize that into a WordPress plug-in that other bloggers can use, too? Why not go a step further and develop themes for genealogy bloggers who use WordPress to publish their blog? Combining my design and WordPress skills with my love for genealogy? Sounds like fun to me.

4. Family Research

There’s so much to do regarding my own family research, it’s hard to tell where to start. But here are several areas that need attention:

  • Hacker/Hocker Book:
    I’ve been recreating the manuscript for my great uncle’s book “A German-American Hacker/Hocker Genealogy,” reformatting it match genealogical standards and adding reference citations. I need to continue this project. It, like my other projects, is a huge undertaking, so I may need to break it down along family lines and tackle it in smaller sections.
  • Hoover Brick Wall:
    While I’m pretty certain that my ancestor Christian L. Hoover was the son of Philip and Hannah (Thomas) Hoover of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, the evidence so far is only circumstantial. I need to think of some creative ways that I can prove/disprove the connection. 

    Once I can make the connection, I can trace my Hoover family back to the immigrant—Michael Huber (thanks to Richard Hayden for assistance in straightening out the research). The next step will be in tracing Michael Huber’s family in Germany.

  • Matrilineal & Collateral Lines:
    As more records become available online, I want to document the information my grandfather Greulich gave me about my his family. I also want to continue to collect documentation and information on all my family lines, especially those that are further back in my pedigree that I haven’t researched. At this point I have quite a few names on my family tree. It would be nice to add some of the details and experiences that made up their life stories.

So, there are some goals for me to shoot for in 2012. Knowing me, I’ll probably get distracted along some tangential line of research or project work along the way. But at least I’ll have this post as a reminder to get myself back on track!

What are your genealogy goals for 2012?