And then there were two…

Oh, Oscar, you vex me. 

Try as I might, you just continue to throw obstacles down in front of me, don't you? 


Dear Readers, If you are unfamiliar with my Oscar research, or have simply forgotten why he has become a point of frustration, you can read all about it him in my previous posts. The important thing to remember is that I really do not know for certain who is father is, I have a few theories, but nothing concrete.



I used your name as an example in running a relationship search on FamilySearch.org today, and I guess you decided I had not researched you recently enough, because you threw this at me: 

FamilySearch.org Search Results, "Oscar F. Brown" 1880 U.S. Federal Census. Accessed 5 Dec 2013.

Why is there suddenly a second "Oscar F. Brown" listed in the 1880 U.S. Census for Colfax County, Nebraska? WHY? I know that I have searched Colfax County, and the 1880 census enough to know that I have not seen this entry before.


And why did he have to be born in New York, and within five years of when I think you were born, Oscar? The only difference seems to be the name of his wife: Maria instead of Frances. Perhaps this is the Oscar F. Brown that is known to be brother to Charles Brown (also a resident of Colfax County), that I have never been able to firmly identify as my Oscar.

So much research left to do… so little time.


And I am so looking forward to the challenge.

Summit County in the Census’

One thing that happens often in census records is border changes.

This could mean that a territory become a state, a state changes size, counties merge or split from each other… even towns increase in size, decrease, or disappear from the record set altogether. Ten years can mean a lot of change in some areas.

One of the things I have had on my list for some time is to look at the towns that existed in the early census collections for Summit County. Technically, the first census here was in 1860, but it is listed under Nebraska Territory, and the records are difficult to find at best. Therefore, I will start with 1870 and move forward.

Summit County was established in 1861 with Colorado statehood. It was one of the original seventeen counties, and that first set of borders included essentially the entire northwest corner of the state. By 1877, the borders we see on the map now existed. Six other counties were eventually carved from this area: Grand, Routt, Eagle, Garfield, Moffat and Rio Blanco. 

The first county seat was Parkville, but the title was quickly transferred to Breckenridge (the general story being that residents of Breckenridge literally stole the county papers in the middle of the night, and hid them until Parkville gave up; they then claimed ownership to the county seat); and the current population resides in the towns of Dillon, Frisco, Breckenridge, Blue River, Copper Mountain, Keystone, Montezuma, Silverthorne and Heeney.

Census Year	Census Location
1870	Breckenridge, Montezuma, Not Stated
1880	Breckenridge, Carbonateville, Chihuahua, Clinton Gulch, Decatur, Eagle River, French Gulch, Frisco, Gold Hill, Gold Run Creek, Jack Mountain, Kokomo, Lincoln City, Montezuma, Not Stated, Robinsons Camp, Sheep Mountain, Swan River Valley, Ten Mile
1900	Breckenridge, Dillon, Frisco, Kokomo, Robinson, Precinct 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14
1910	Argentine, Breckenridge, Dillon, Frisco, Kokomo, Lakeside, Lincoln, Montezuma, Robinson, Slate Creek
1920	Breckenridge, Dillon, Lakeside, Montezuma, Slate Creek, Precinct 2, 7, 8
1930	Breckenridge, Dillon, Frisco, Kokomo, Lakeside, Montezuma, Slate Creek, Precinct 8, 9
1940	Breckenridge, Dillon, Frisco, Kokomo, Lakeside, Montezuma, Slate Creek

Interesting, no?

1880 is filled with small gold and silver camps as the area experienced its second rush of mining operations. Some of these areas, like French Gulch, are now considered part of the other towns (French Gulch is an area within the Town of Breckenridge), and some are completely gone.

Both Robinson and Kokomo were left as ghost towns, and eventually the ruins were covered with a reservoir for the Climax Mining Operation on the edge of Summit and Lake Counties. Dillon, although consistent in the census records, has actually moved twice as a community – as in, pick the buildings up and put them somewhere else – and now sits in its (let’s hope!) final location along the shores of the Dillon Reservoir, a major water supply for the front range and City of Denver. Lakeside is another town that was extinguished for water; it is underneath the Green Mountain Reservoir in the northern arm of the county.

If you research one primary area, I would encourage you to do this same comparison. Fairly easy, I just pulled up the Census and Voter Lists search page on Ancestry.com, chose my State, County, and then used the drop down for “Populated Place” to identify the names of the communities. Perhaps not scientific, but it is certainly enough for my purposes.

The immediate benefit of doing this, at least to me, is that I can easily see how the population fluctuated over time. The fewer locations listed in the census generally indicates less communities, so you can see the swells in the main residential areas, at least as far as the Federal Government was concerned. Having a relatively thorough of the area as it is now, and the history behind some of the ghost towns and other communities gives me a broad understanding of how the county developed to be what it is now.

Of course, just like with anything in the genealogy field, it leaves me with more questions. In this case, I am especially interested in the Precincts. What were their boundaries, how were they determined, why did the numbers associated with them change over time? This is something for another post, perhaps…

If you chose to conduct a similar comparison, I would be interested in reading it! Leave me a comment with a link here, or on my Facebook or Twitter accounts. Let’s see what other goodies we can come up with across the country!

Panning for Gold in the 1910 Census: Robert & Anna Hamilton

Famous Breckenridge miner, Barney
Ford, depicted in statue with his pan.

Since Breckenridge was built on the Colorado gold rush of 1859, I thought that “panning” for the Hamilton’s in the census records was a good way to describe this search. You see, most of the men who came here to “strike it rich” never did so. They spent hours and hours on their hands and knees, sorting through gravel, silt, and dirt to find that precious piece, that one little nugget that would turn the tide, that would lead them to a world of riches.

And that, my friends, is a really cool analogy for genealogy. It just is.

Aren’t we all digging for that one resource, document, photograph, source that will lead us to the next level in the family chart, the next volume of information on an ancestor?

Here I am, on hands and knees, digging through census records, looking for any hint about Robert and Anna Hamilton. If you have missed the previous posts on this family, please refer back and read through what I have already done. When you’re ready, here is my attempt to find them in the 1910 U.S. Federal Census.

A Brief Review

• Robert Hamilton (abt 1857, Canada – ?)
• Anna Jane Sadler (2 Sep 1862, Illinois – prob bef 1914)
• Married 11 Feb 1885 in Grundy County, Illinois
• Moved to Breckenridge, Summit County, Colorado by April 1885 when the Colorado State Census was taken.
• Diaries of Anna (Sadler) Hamilton were found in the Colorado State Archives and place the family in Breckenridge through 1887.
• 1888: Anna owned mining claims in Breckenridge in her name.
• 1904: Mining claims were sold.
• 1909: Breckenridge newspaper lists Robert and Anna Hamilton “and family” as visitors to area, indicating that they were once residents and now living in Oxford, Nebraska as “successful” ranchers.
• 1910: Deeds in and around the City of Denver, Colorado, held by Robert Hamilton (unconfirmed)
• 7 Feb 1911: Robert Hamilton “owned Ranch ‘down the Blue"’”, Breckenridge newspaper, a common expression for referring to a particular section of the Blue River in Summit County.
• 8 Aug 1913: Robert Hamilton purchases residence in Weld County, Colorado.
• 1916: Last known mention of Robert Hamilton, again in Denver, Colorado (residence)

Let the Searching Begin

Based on this summary timeline, I will begin the 1910 Census search in Denver, Colorado. In 1902, Denver County was created, so this is the first federal census in which the City of Denver is listed as a part of Denver County. Before 1902, it was a part of Arapahoe County. The same action also created Adams County, meaning that the original Arapahoe County was split into three sections. Because this action was still relatively fresh in 1910, I will be evaluating all three counties to ensure a reasonably exhaustive search has been conducted. Once again, I will be using the HeritageQuest Online database, made available through my local library system.

My initial search is for Robert Hamilton, 1910 Census, Colorado. Robert would have been about 53 years of age at the time of this census.

• Two results were supplied for Denver County, and none for Adams or Arapahoe. Both indicated white males, 45 years of age (too young), one born in Canada and one in Ireland.
• The man born in Canada is listed with wife Grace, 35 years of age, born Illinois; and three daughters: Ruth, Clarisa and Helen. At ages 14, 9 and 3 respectively, they are all listed as born in Nebraska, which does not jive with the timeline I've already created. The oldest would have been born in 1896, and as far as we know, they were still likely in Breckenridge, or at least Colorado. Certainly, Robert and Anna could have lied about their ages, or just been unaware of their actual birth dates. This Robert Hamilton is listed as a Live Stock dealer. Due to the birth locations of both Robert and Grace listed in this census, and the stock/cattle association with his occupation, this entry will be kept on the *maybe* list.
• The Irish born Robert Hamilton is listed with his wife, Martha, and three daughters: Gladys, Evaline and Winifred, all born in Colorado. He is listed as an Auditor in an office.

Knowing there are many ways to abbreviate “Robert”, the next step is to conduct a search with a broader scope for his given name. I tried all the different formats of Robert I could think of. Zilch.

An “advanced search” was then conducted, looking for “Hamilton” in just Denver County. 112 Results were supplied, which were then sorted by age. Looking for anything similar to Robert and Anna in their perspective age ranges (53 and 48); once again, the search came up empty. I conducted the same process for both Adams and Arapahoe Counties. Combined, those counties were able to produce 2 results. Guess what? No matches.

Moving on… Anna’s Turn

Beginning with the simple search: Anna Hamilton, 1910 Census, Colorado: two results, one at 40 years of age, born in Germany; and the second at 35 years, born in Kansas. The 40 year old woman was a hotel keeper, listed as head of household, with two children, but only one living with her, with a last name of Schafer. From what I know of Anna, this situation seems unlikely. The younger is listed on a page that is very difficult to read, but I was able to make out “widowed”, and her parents were listed as being born in Kansas. Too far of a stretch from the Anna I’m looking for.

A quick look at all of those in Colorado with the last name of Sadler (Anna's maiden name) resulted in only 12 results, none of which were anything close to Anna, Robert, or any potential children.

Knowing that her father, John Sadler, lived until 1914, I also identified his household in the 1910 Census, in Grundy County, Illinois. Just to be safe. He was residing in Vienna, widowed, with his son Harry and family.  A search in this area for Anna Hamilton, Anna Sadler, Robert Hamilton, all proved to be fruitless. I also searched for Robert Hamilton, between the ages of 51 – 59, for the entire state of Illinois. Again, nothing.

I need to eliminate Grundy County all together, so my next attempt was "Anna" (no last name at all), 1910 Census, Illinois. I searched Grundy County first, with 46 results, again, sorted by age. One entry popped out at me, that of Anna Handlon, age 47, born Illinois. It's a stretch from Hamilton, but hey, it's about as close as I've gotten so far. Taking a look at the details shows this woman as a widow, with no children, and her parents being born in Germany. No go.

In order to limit the possibilities, I added Anna's age range to the given name search: 41-50. From here, I conducted a county-by-county exam of all the possibilities that came back. I got a little stirred up when I found a Anna HANILTON in St. Clair County. Was it her? Of course not.

(How many ways in one blog post can I find to say, “I got nothin’?”)

Back to the Mountains

Because of the connection to property in Summit County in 1911, a search of that area was required.
Summit Country provided two Hamilton’s: Harry T (29 years) and John S (31 years). Neither are quite young enough to be Anna and Robert’s children. Harry’s mother is listed with him, by the name of Mary, born in Pennsylvania. John is identified as a boarder in a Robinson household (the town of Robinson no longer exists), and has an occupation of electrician in a mine.

And Now? The Plains.

Nebraska. My last hope.

The newspaper account we have of the families visit to Summit County was printed in the Summit County Journal (Breckenridge) on Jul 24, 1909, on page 5.




A town in Furnas County, Nebraska, Oxford dates back to December of 1878 when the first settler’s were granted the “final receipts” for land on the eastern edge of the county. (General History of Oxford, Nebraska. Oxford, Nebraska official website. www.oxfordnebraska.com/history. Accessed 12 Dec 2012.)
Trying to leave my search as broad as possible, I ran “Hamilton” in 1910 Nebraska. Furnas County had four people listed: Charles, Eames, Edward and Sadie. None were close in age to either Robert or Anna, nor were their birth locations similar. Again.

*sigh*

I adapted the search for “Robert Hamilton” in Nebraska and seven counties were listed. In the 1900 Census, I found a Robert Hamilton and his wife, Clara, living in Douglas County, and they are still there in 1910. This time, I can see that his wife was born in Wisconsin, and her parents in New York, so given the geography, I am officially omitting this family as an option.

Once again, nothing else came close. My original looks at Oxford indicated that the town crosses county lines, into Harlan County. A specific look at records from that county resulted in young men, Charley and John. No go.

The Geography

It seems to me that they traveled a fairly distinct line across the states. From southern Illinois, to south central Nebraska and west to central Colorado. The went back and forth a bit, over time, but they seemed to remain in that general corridor.

Created using Google Maps. Ancestral Journeys, 2012.

Since it appears that Anna died around 1914 sometime, the next piece of my search will have to stray away from census records. Since Robert Hamilton has proven to be relatively common, and since I do not know any of the children’s names, I believe there to be better ways to continue this journey through the middle of our country.

Where in the US are the Hamilton’s?

But then, Robert was born in Canada. So perhaps they are not in the U.S. at all... 

Looking for Robert & Anna Hamilton in the 1900 Census

My quest for the Hamilton family, and what happened to them after they left Breckenridge, Colorado around the turn of the century has certainly not ended: not even close. I have left them alone for a few weeks, and am now seeking the family in the 1900 United States Federal Census.


What Do I Already Know?

1885 Colorado State Census

Robert Hamilton married Anna Jane Sadler on 11 Feb 1885 in Grundy County, Illinois. By June of 1885 when the state census was taken in Colorado, they were residing in Breckenridge, Summit County. They lived in that town at least until 1888, as we can track them through business and newspaper mentions.

The family can be found again in 1910, now living in Denver, Colorado. They appear to have resided for a time in Oxford, Nebraska, which sits on the county line of Furnus and Harlan Counties. In 1911, Robert Hamilton again owns land in Summit County, a ranch along the Blue River. He travels back and forth in successful business ventures for at least the next couple of years.  Anna appears to have died by or in the year 1914, according to a biography written about her father, which was published in Illinois.

Robert was born in Canada about 1857, and Anna in Illinois on 2 September 1862. Their families appear to have been connected by marriage in previous generations.

They were reported by the local newspaper in Breckenridge to have had children, but the number, sex, and names of those children were left out.

Anna had at least one brother who also resided in Colorado, George W. Sadler resided in Divide, of El Paso County. He was elected to a local office in Nov of 1899, so he had to have been there for at least a few months, if not a year or more, to gain the friendship of enough voters. He married Lillian T. Unknown and together they had at least three children.

The Search

I am starting in the HeritageQuest Online database, accessible through my local library system, and searching a combination of the following parameters to locate the family in the 1900 Census.
Robert: would be about 43 years of age, born Canada.
Anna: 38 years old, born Illinois.
Assuming the children were born sometime in the first five years of marriage  and I know there were at least two, they would be at oldest 15 years, and born in Colorado or Nebraska.

Previous, more detailed searches have not been able to determine any matches, so I am leaving this process vague intentionally, hoping to find even a sliver of hope.

I was given 225 results to scroll through, using just "Hamilton" in the name fields, 1900 Census in Colorado. Nearly every county is listed.

• Summit County: three results, none match. 
• El Paso County: no matching results, out of 17 results.
• Arapahoe County (where Denver would be located at this time): 63 results, no matches.

Having eliminated the obvious options, I am left to simply go county by county down the list. The results were... nothing! Not a single even potential candidate for either Robert or Anna. 

Moving on to Nebraska... Neither Furnas nor Harlan Counties were able to produce the correct Hamilton's. Once again, I am left to search county by county.  

Only one possibility was found in Nebraska: Robert Hamilton, age 42, born Canada, found in Douglas County, in Omaha. He is of the right age and race. The image is difficult to read at best, so I was unable to determine from this source if he was listed with family. However, there were no Anna Hamilton's that came up for this area, and if she had been on the census page with him, then she would have been listed in the results. 

Once again relocating the search, this time to Illinois. I know from her diaries that Anna really never liked living in Colorado, and especially in Breckenridge, and she pined for her friends and family back home. It's certainly possible that they went back there, especially since Robert also had ties to Grundy County.  

My search, once again, comes up empty. Nothing.

Breckenridge, Colorado.
Copyright Jen Baldwin, Ancestral Journeys, 2012

Broadening my scope just one more time, I attempted a more detailed search for Robert Hamilton, born in Canada, between the ages of 41-50, all states, for the 1900 Census. Six states came up with a possible match: Nebraska (see above), Massachusetts, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Dakota, New York. None of them had a wife named Anna, or seemed to match any of the other information I currently have access to.  A similar search was conducted on Anna Hamilton, and three possibilities were found: two of which were already widowed, and we know that Robert outlived Anna. The third was listed as married, but her husband was not identified in the same census record. She was found in Campaign County, Illinois, with three daughters, all born in Illinois. However, those daughters list their parents place of birth as Illinois for both the mother and the father, so already, there is discrepancy. However, it is a valid candidate. 

A search on Ancestry.com for the Nebraska result of Robert Hamilton lists his spouse as Clara, and she is the wrong age (not even in the ball park).

What happened to the Hamilton family?  Obviously, there is more searching to do... I have records on Robert from another researcher that date from 1910, 1911, 1912 and 1916, all from Colorado. But, the 1910 and 1920 census records have yet to be identified. Nothing yet has been located on Anna's death or burial. And Robert's death? Also, in the "yet to be determined" category.

More to come, certainly, on this mysterious family. 

Where Were They? When barbed wire was invented.

Barbed wire.

What we now think of as a simple and standard tool around the world was truly a life changing invention at the time.

According to Wikipedia, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbed_wire), the first patent was issued in 1867 to Ohio based Lucien B. Smith. Another patent, this time in 1874, was given to Joseph F. Glidden, who made his own modifications. As the "first technology capable of restraining cattle", it had a profound impact after becoming largely available across the continent, and especially the plains. Easy to use, easy to manage, and affordable. Of course, it was also used in combat, prisons and concentration camps; and electrified.

Where Were They?

My family tree holds several farmers and a hand full of dairy farmers. Certainly the addition of barbed wire would have made an impact on their operations, right? Let's find out. I'm going to base this off of the year 1874, after the new invention became available to the masses.

Oscar F. Brown

1874 was the year Oscar F. Brown married Frances E. Lawrence in Nebraska. He had yet to settle on his military homestead in Colfax County, but had been in Colfax County since 1870. The census record lists him as a farmer, with real estate property valued at $1000.00. On 1 Jun 1875, Oscar filed his homestead certificate, and started building on the property he would live on for most of his adult life. I would have to imagine that barb wire played a part in this farming operation, but the important part is that he farmed - not ranched - so perhaps his use of this technology was limited.

Eilert Heerten

My focus ancestor on my maternal side was only about five years off the boat from Germany in 1874, and had settled in Illinois. In 1870 he was in Menard County, and in 1875 married in Tazewell County another recent immigrant, Amke Dirks Rademacher. What happened to the family between 1875 and 1900, when we find them in Keya Paha County, Nebraska, is at this time at least, unknown. Were they farming? Were they in transit, trying to find the best place to settle? They had seven children: the first two were born in Illinois, the next two in the "USA" and finally the last three in Nebraska. Due to the various misspellings and mispronunciations of their surname, the census options are numerous and difficult to weed through. I'm not even sure that Amke's name is correct. The version I have here is what is on her tombstone and the majority of records, but the marriage index displays it as this:

Anka D RODEMACHER

They've turned into a tough crowd to track down during those years. So, did barb wire affect the Heerten family? I'm sure it did. Oral history tells us they had more livestock than the Brown's, so certainly their efforts to contain the animals would have been much more prevalent.

Harley Brown, grandson of Oscar, on his tractor in Washington State.
Dairy farmer.
Photo property of author.

Those dairy farmers I mentioned? That started in Pierce County, Washington in the 1940's, so that certainly would have made an impact to the operation. The family really started farming in the area as the farm manager for the Orting Soldier's Home & Colony, and the son's branched out and ventured into their own operations.

Those of you with roots in states like Oklahoma and Texas may want to look into this further... did your ancestors purchase more land around this time? Or did the lose property? Perhaps one of their neighbors found more success in controlling their livestock and were able to expand.

Barb wire. A genealogical research opportunity. Who knew?



You can learn more about this topic from The Kansas Barbed Wire Museum, located in La Crosse, Kansas.

Ancestry.com completes the 1940 US Federal Census Index

From Ancestry.com today:

Ancestry.com Releases Completely Searchable 1940 U.S. Federal Census

A searchable index to 134 million records makes researching family history in the latest available U.S. Census dramatically easier

PROVO, UTAH – (August 3, 2012) – Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online family history resource, is proud to announce that it has completed the records indexing process for the 1940 U.S. Federal Census, which is available at www.ancestry.com/1940census. All 134 million records are now easily searchable by name, date, place of birth and other key information recorded in the census. These records, which are free to search, offer valuable insight for the nearly 90 percent of Americans who either have family members recorded in the 1940 U.S. Census or are in it themselves.

Since the initial release of the 1940 U.S. Census by the National Archives in April, Ancestry.com has progressively published information from this important family history resource state by state. Ancestry.com has made this vital family history information while providing an engaging user experience including the ability to search for maiden names or other family names, often a roadblock when searching records. Additionally, users can make corrections or update information that is incomplete, leading to a better overall database of information.

Assisting in navigation of the 1940 U.S. Census is Ancestry.com’s Interactive Image Viewer, which enables users to easily peruse document pages with simple graphical overlays. The viewer adds highlights, transcriptions and other functionality directly on the Census page. This enables searchers access to small census fields by simply scrolling over them for a pop up that magnifies the information recorded by census takers.  With the ability to zoom in on individual records, these new features dramatically improve the usability of the 1940 U.S. Census, which previously only included images of the paper records. These paper records, handwritten in small entry fields, have traditionally been very hard to read, making the visual enhancements in the Interactive Viewer a huge improvement.

“We are so excited to be publishing our index to the 1940 U.S. Federal Census for free on Ancestry.com,” said Tim Sullivan, CEO of Ancestry.com. “As one of the most anticipated family history resources ever, the 1940 Census is a fantastic way for almost every American to get started making discoveries about their family history as well as a key new resource for so many of our two million existing subscribers.  Experienced through our new Interactive Image Viewer, the stories and discoveries inside the 1940 Census really come to life.”

Users can now find basic information such as their ancestors’ names and where they lived, but also gain more insight about their ancestors’ daily lives. This information includes whether they owned or rented their home, the value of the residence and how many people resided there. For the first time, census takers in 1940 also asked questions specific to income and education. Interestingly, details like prior military service, the ability to read or write, and whether citizens spoke English – all asked in prior censuses – were not asked in 1940.

The entire census can be viewed online at www.ancestry.com/1940census

About Ancestry.com

Ancestry.com Inc. (Nasdaq:ACOM) is the world's largest online family history resource, with approximately 2 million paying subscribers. More than 10 billion records have been added to the site in the past 15 years. Ancestry users have created more than 38 million family trees containing more than 4 billion profiles. In addition to its flagship site www.ancestry.com, Ancestry.com offers several localized Web sites designed to empower people to discover, preserve and share their family history.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by these forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include our ability to digitize content, to provide desired content to our subscribers, to make our services convenient to use and to otherwise satisfy customer expectations. Information concerning additional factors that could cause events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements is contained under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2012, and in discussions in other of our Securities and Exchange Commission filings. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date and we assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements.

Anna (Sadler) Hamilton: Not So Happy in Breckenridge

The story of Anna Sadler and her husband, Robert Hamilton, is described well in Dr. Sandra F. Mather's book, They Weren't All Prostitutes and Gamblers: The Women of Summit County from 1859 to the Turn of the Century.  While researching for her book Dr. Mather found Anna's diary in the state archives for the years of 1885 and 1887. From these entries, we learn that Anna was not a happy bride in the town of Breckenridge. Few friends, depressed over the course of the long winter's, and missing the joy she found in teaching back home in Illinois. (Chapter 15, the last in the book, is devoted to the couple's profile.)

Sadly, the story ends with a huge question mark, as the end of Anna's life remains undetermined.

A small part of historic Breckenridge, Colorado where Anna and
Rob made their home in the late 1800's.
Photo copyright of Jen Baldwin, Ancestral Journeys.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Mather, and discussing Anna's story with her. She challenged me: as a genealogist, find out what happened to Anna. Dr. Mather is actually a geologist, who happens to do historical research while living in Summit County during the summer months. She set this in front of me, and of course, I couldn't resist.

From the text of the book, I was able to compile a decent timeline for both Anna and Robert, including some information on property, occupations, even some health issues. However, the text says nothing about children, or either of their parents (with the exception of where they were born.)  We can learn that they lived in Summit County, Denver County, and Weld County (all in Colorado), and spent some time in Oxford, Nebraska.

So, I have a few stops to make that will initially clear up some of the questions that immediately occur:

1. Census Records
2. Land Records - it was indicated to me that Dr. Mather did not include the BLM records in her searches
3. Birth, Marriage, Death Records

The basics, right? 

Let us see where that takes us, and move from there. I've been promised copies of Dr. Mather's research, which I expect to get this next week, and that will help. 

I have to admit, I'm excited and honored to be working with a local historian and author that is so well respected in this community. I only hope now that I can see this through to the end and provide some real closure on this chapter of local history.

Chapter 15 ends like this: 

"But it can be hoped that the last two entries in her diary of 1887 were not the sort of entries that she wrote at the end of her life. These last entries, December 24 and 25, indicated that she gave Rob gifts for Christmas, but had had none for her. On Christmas Day, she wrote, that 'all husbands except Rob had gifts for their wives.' How sad."

Sad is right.



[Sandra F. Mather, PhD., is the author of at least ten books, all discussing the history and geology of Summit County, Colorado. She is a volunteer for both the Summit Historical Society and the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance.]

Needle in a Haystack

My maiden name is Brown. 

Yep. In the 2000 Census of the United States, it was the fourth most common surname in the country, beat out by Smith, Johnson and Williams (Genealogy Data: Frequently Occurring Surnames from Census 2000. United States Census Bureau. Accessed 21 May 2012. http://www.census.gov/genealogy/www/data/2000surnames/index.html).

We all love the "needle in a haystack" analogy, right?

This is a common topic for genealogy bloggers, researchers and professionals alike. I've been reading tips for over a decade, trying to find what works and what doesn't. There are some basic tools that are used regularly, cluster research, for example. (Cluster research is looking at each individual in the family: how many John Brown's have a wife named Amanda and four daughters; Amy, Andrea, Alexis and Alyson? Of course, its not always that easy.) You can find great suggestions on various blogs, like Elyse's Genealogy Blog, by Elyse Doerflinger, and her post: 3 Tips for Researching Common Surnames (5 Jan 2011).

My question is this: what if you have the needle, but not the hay?

What happens when you have a theory you are trying to prove, but not enough evidence to prove or disprove? I have a few of these gems, and for me, they are as frustrating and difficult as the John Brown's of the world, surrounded by hay.

So this is more about what I do in either case. Often, the research techniques can be the same or at least similar.  Not everybody in my ancestral line gets the same treatment; some walls are just more important than others to destroy. Assume that up to this point, I have already conducted a fairly thorough search of the more common resources, both online and off. I've looked at B,M,D, I've reviewed my notes, I've gone back over all the documentation.

This is my brain obliterating
genealogy brick walls. Or, at least I
like to think so.
Creative Commons: www.ropeadope.com

My typical first step is to walk away. 5 minutes, 5 days, 5 months. Whatever it takes to clear my brain of any assumptions I have already drawn, to erase what I think I know about that person. At times, it leads me to research someone closely connected, which in turn leads to a new resource or possible break through (back to that whole cluster thing). There are people in my past who seem to be mocking me, however, and I just end up right back where I was when I walked away the first time.

Step 2 (though it doesn't always necessarily happen in this order): I draw a picture. It could be a hand written pedigree for the individual, with room for notes, it could be a giant word bubble, it could be a literal sketch of what I think that person looked like. Anything to get my creative juices flowing, the other side of my brain working. Once in a while, its enough of a boost to either motivate me to keep going or gain a new idea on a resource, an avenue of their lifespan I haven't explored yet.

Step 3. Start a new tree. Really. I take this one person, with only his vitals, and start a new tree in my software. That way, I can work on his life alone without influence from those around him. Yes, cluster research works very well, however, sometimes it helps to separate yourself and the subject from everything else. Isolate that person, and see what comes to your brain. If you find evidence that you conclude is correct, you can fairly easily merge the two files or transfer one piece of data at a time.

Always, along the way, talk. Talk out loud. Talk to your cat, the computer, a cup of coffee, a spouse, the tree outside the window. Anything. Just talk. It's the same concept as when you are writing a paper (or editing one!), and they tell you to read it to yourself. Then read it backwards. You find more errors, you are able to make corrections on flow and rhythm. The same theory applies here: if you talk, it forces your brain to process more. It makes you more aware of the possible date mistakes, the pieces of information you have yet to collect, the gaps in your timeline.

Lastly, tell their story. Blog it, journal it, put it in Word and let it sit in your computer. It's the same as talking; spelling it out and putting everything you know out there in some format will cause your brain cells to click into gear. It doesn't matter if you ever share it with anybody else. Just get it out.

I would love to hear about what you do. Hay, no hay, different colors of hay, hay in multiple places. Let the destruction begin! Please share your comments and thoughts.

1940 Census: Can't Get Enough?

We've all seen them. Any of us that are on Twitter or Facebook, we've seen them. An entirely new series of comics, humor, all designed around the addiction that is the 1940 Census. There is the "1940 Census Whisperer", sites such as Ancestry.com and MyHeritage.com, and others; all helping us learn and develop our skills as we go through this process together.

But, it all started with the 1940 US Census Project.

The hype. The media attention. The energy behind the project.

You've probably seen the page. You may have even visited it. Filled with valuable information and helpful hints. Did you know they have a blog? That's right, the 1940 US Census Project has a blog. It's as if the census itself was talking to us. With contributing authors such as Josh Taylor of findmypast.com and Thomas MacEntee of Geneabloggers, the posts have been interesting at the least and incredibly entertaining.

There is still so much to learn! Every day, genealogists from around the world have been sharing their results with the rest of us. Every day, more pages are indexed; hand writing deciphered, confusing households made to be not quite so confusing. I encourage all of you to retain the excitement, keep up the hype. This endeavor of tracing the past through the individual or family unit is full of twists and turns, and so is the 1940 US Census.

Learn more by viewing the blog (see link above) and keeping up to date by following Twitter #1940Census.

1940 Census: Use the Hype to Talk to Your Family

Two days ago, I was pleased to learn about my grandfather and his parents, aunts and uncles using new clues provided through the 1940 Census. I did not know that Grandpa was a hired hand on a neighboring ranch in Nebraska as a young man, I did not know that Great-Grandpa and Grandma rented their ranch, rather than owning it outright. Interesting little tidbits for my research. Nothing that was overwhelmingly surprising, just new small facts that could lead me down different roads in the future.

Naturally, I sent a quick email to my Mom and her siblings outlining the basics of what I had found. I knew they would have heard about the census release through the news, but also knew that none of them would stop to look it up for themselves. I'm the family genealogist; that's my job, and one I enjoy.

This morning, I received a reply from one of my Aunt's, who lives in Alabama. She informed me for the first time that our cousins have a family Bible, that Grandpa also worked on his uncle's ranch at some point, and a few other little pieces that I had never heard before. How could I possibly have been doing this for over a decade and not known there was a family Bible out there?  Even more, it's about a two hour drive from my house to the cousins who own it. Oh, my.

Lesson learned. It had just never come up. I have talked to this side of the family before about our ancestry, but it was years ago. What can I learn if I bring up the conversation again, asking new questions?

So, use the census. Look up your images, find your folks. And then share. Tell your family what you are doing, what you are finding. See if it will open up new doors for you, too.

Update: Indexing the 1940 US Census

This release was just sent out by The 1940 Census Community Project regarding indexing status for the recently released 1940 Federal Census.

You can register to volunteer for this important project, and get started, here https://the1940census.com/getting-started/

According to the email, dated 4 Apr 2012...

Currently, we have 13 states AVAILABLE FOR INDEXING:
Delaware – 95% complete (should be done today)
Virginia
Kansas
Oregon
Colorado
Florida
Mississippi
Louisiana
Oklahoma
Alabama
Minnesota
New Hampshire
California
Pennsylvania

The following list represents the order of the states as they will be released for indexing in the coming weeks:
Texas
New York
Illinois
Indiana
Utah
Missouri
North Carolina
Ohio
Washington
Georgia
Idaho
Maryland
Nebraska
Tennessee
Kentucky
Arkansas
Massachusetts
Michigan
Nevada
South Carolina
Wisconsin
Arizona
Connecticut
District of Columbia
Iowa
Maine
Montana
New Jersey
New Mexico
North Dakota
Rhode Island
South Dakota
Vermont
West Virginia
Wyoming
Alaska Territory
Hawaii Territory
Guam
Panama Canal Zone
American Samoa
US Virgin Islands
Puerto Rico
*Please note that the order of release is subject to change, but that this is the plan as of now.

1940 Census Release: My Thoughts From Day 1

As my research hours come to a close for 2 April 2012, I thought I would post my initial thoughts on the 1940 US Census roll out from today.

It was a big day. It was a big thing to try to do. Imagine, putting all of the images online, all at one time, and saying "Go!" I know many people complained about the overwhelmed system at the National Archives, but I personally found the day to be rather successful. Here's why.

1. The National Archives gave us a chance to be productive, even if we couldn't get to the images. By creating a user profile for the site, I was able to "bookmark" all the Enumeration Districts that were high on the list. So just finding it in the site, and saving it for later, I felt like I was making progress. It just means that future searches will be that much more efficient for me. 
2. I was up early. Right at 9:00am EST when they turned the switch, I was on the site, and was able to download a few images. It was enough to keep me interested and motivated during the rest of the day. Maybe I was lucky in this regard, I know many people didn't see an actual image until much later in the day. It did mean that I was up at 6:15am my time, but I feel that it was worth it. Dedication, people! :-)
3. The updates on Twitter and Facebook from the folks at the Archives kept me informed. I think this was probably the reason why I kept trying all day; I liked that they were obviously concerned about their audience, and wanted to keep us update on how they were trying to resolve the issues. Not a lot of detail, but just enough to satisfy me that things were going to improve, relatively quickly. 
4. Social Media! Woo-Hoo! I actually had a great time this morning on Twitter, just chatting about the census and being involved in the genealogical community. Up here in the mountains of Colorado, they're are not very many history & genealogy buffs for me to talk to, and my husband is getting tired of me talking about what was happening in 1940, so it was nice just to see how others were responding and have conversation. Although there were many negative comments about the backlog on the 1940 site, it was great to see the positive messages and encouragement to our friends at the Archives. 
5. The partnering sites, especially FamilySearch.org, were able to get a handful of states up and going. A few hiccups on my first search, but after that, FS ran very smooth. I was able to find my first two names via FamilySearch, and it felt like the waiting during the day was worth it. Ancestry.com was also moving quickly, and although they have yet to load any states that are helpful to me at the moment, their progress was impressive. 

My Disappointment.

The most significant disappointment to me today was first thing this morning. Cup of coffee in hand, ready to watch the live feed of the opening from Washington D.C., and the stream wouldn't work for me. I had to settle with still photos posted on Twitter from other viewers. Although this was a bummer, it actually allowed me to beat the crowd to the images initially, so in the long run, it worked out to my benefit. 

I will continue to filter through FamilySearch and Ancestry as they add more images, and try the National Archives again later tonight or tomorrow. Hopefully, I can get to Keya Paha County, Nebraska and Orting, Pierce County, Washington, today. Those are my "I'm so excited!" locations. Some of the images I have found so far are already posted on my blog, maybe it will help somebody. 

Soon I will have to switch modes from genealogist to Mommy, and that's perfectly ok with me. Making memories today is what she will value as an adult. History happens every day, in many ways, and today we all got to be a part of it, just by witnessing the release!  

First Images from the 1940 US Census!

Here's what I managed to acquire before the servers at the National Archives slowed down to the point of not moving (about 30 minutes in!). I am confident they will have all issues resolved soon and we will all be happily searching and indexing away! 

Four images from Orting, Pierce County, Washington and 1 from Keya Paha County, Nebraska. 

UPDATED: Added images from Lake County, Oregon and Lake County, Colorado. 

Best of luck to you!

16,500,000 Eligible for Military Training

From the Record Journal of Douglas County, Castle Rock, Douglas County, Colorado. Friday, October 18, 1940, Page 2. 


16,500,00 Are Eligible, Census Figures Indicate


United States census bureau estimates that 16,500,000 men will be found eligible for military training after the completion of registration of all persons within the age limits fixed by the Burke-Wadsworth act.
Among the states which will contribute the larger number of eligible trainees, according to the bureau's estimate, are: New York, 1,835,000; Pennsylvania, 1,190,000; and Illinois, 1,043,000."