Daughters of the American Revolution

Linking them all together

/ Chiara / Leave a comment

So I have been working on my Grandma’s family. I have several patriots in my Grandpa’s line. I joined the DAR through his lines and all my supplemental patriots come through my grandpa. My Mom would love to have a supplemental patriot through her mom’s family.

Most of our Stewart lines are dead ends or we lose them in Canada. Since our families were early settlers of Northern New York records at times are hard to come by. I seriously need a boots on the ground trip to the Essex and Clinton County New York County Seats. ( Road trip once G retires anyone want to come.)

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Anyway we have one line through my Grandma’s Grandmother the Preston’s which seem to have several patriots but it is a matter of dotting all the i’s and crossing all of those t’s.

The past 2 days of the 30 x 30 challenge has been spent reading old published genealogies and town histories. You have to love Google Books and Internet Archive.

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I am trying to find all the documentation to prove our connection to Hannah Bartlett Kelly (a female patriot). In doing the research I am finding the Hannah Bartlett Kelly seems like a pistol. She loaned money to the town after her husband, Richard death.

Screen Shot 2018-11-06 at 5.40.39 PMActually I am trying to piece together their lives as they seem to have been well documented and Richard had personal papers that are quoted.

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I came across this gem about Judith and Joseph Sawyer (who I believe was a Selectman in New Hampshire, trying to make my way through town minutes is tedious). I am grateful to whoever documented Richard Kelly’s writings but would love to make my own way through the originals. I bet they would be full of wonderful nuggets. Hopefully I will stumble upon a collection with these writings in them.

I was able to also find Richard Kelly’s Will with his daughter Judith listed along with her spouse, a rarity in the 1700s.

I am finding 30 minutes goes very quickly but is super productive. Tomorrow I am going to work on the actual DAR supplemental application and see what actual proofs are needed. I would love to get this mailed before Thanksgiving.

 

 

Thank you 30 x 30 challenge…

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So far the 30 x 30 challenge has been great for my research. It is forcing me to be deliberate in my research and not fall down many rabbit holes.

Progress report – Day 2 I focused on Neil Osborne, Bergetti’s husband and made a similar timeline for him but it did not reveal any additional clues, so I began a timeline for their only living child John and it is in progress as I wanted to also use the records I have in my library (marriage certificate and death certificates). I am also trying to watch a webinar on Norwegian research, as I am not sure where to go next on this line.

Saturday( Day 3) I took a slightly different approach and decided to focus on one of my own lines by cleaning up some of those annoying green leaves on my ancestry tree. I clicked one that I don’t generally click “Story”.

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What an absolute treat I found…

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It was a full sheet (I have to print things out). I work much better with actual paper and it was a bit of genealogy gold. It actually referenced books I could find on Internet Archive “The History of Warner, NH” for one and read. Mr. Joseph Sawyer was a selectman in 1776 which I believe makes him eligible to be a patriot for the Daughters of the American Revolution. Hello, new patriot (he isn’t listed in the Ancestor Database).

It also referenced Judith’s parents, Richard and Hannah Bartlett Kelly. Which lead me to my Day 4’s research  another book on Internet Archive Screen Shot 2018-11-04 at 8.19.32 AM

Which lists, the genealogy in great detail and it also references Judith’s Fathers papers which I am now on the hunt for as I like to have the actual references. Also it provides the direct proof I need to link to a proven female patriot, Hannah Kelly.

So now I just need to figure out how to print the pages I need from Internet Archive for reference.

So I must say I am enjoying this 30 x 30 challenge and it seems to be exactly what I needed to focus and my Mom will be happy as these will be patriots through my grandmother’s line.

 

Day 1 of the 30 x 30 challenge

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Today starts the day of my 30 x 30 genealogy challenge of researching 30 minutes a day for 30 days. This concept belongs to Jane Adams of Organize Your Family History.

For my 30 x 30 challenge to be successful, I had to come up with some goals and ideas of lines I wanted to research.

Here are a couple of my goals:

  • submit my application to the Daughters of Union Veterans.
  • submit my application to National Society Daughters of the Union.
  • gather the proof for my Associated Daughters of Early American Witches
  • Work on my additional information required request for a supplemental patriot.

Some of my research questions I would like to answer:

  1. When and where did Benjamin Nurse (father of Elizabeth Nurse who was married to Joseph Da(r)by) die?
  2. When did Neils Osborne arrive in the United States? Where in Norway was he from?
  3. When did the wife of Neils Osborne, Bergetti Netland arrive in the United States? Where in Norway was she from?
  4. When and where did Sarah Knowlton marry Obadiah Coolidge?
  5. Where might I find the will for Benjamin Knowlton who died in 1808 be?

So there is just the tip of the iceberg. It ought to be an interesting month. Working on lineage applications gives me a tangible goal and I feel like I should know how to fill out each one out there.

I am going to try to report in on progress as I make some. These are all pressing questions and involve different lines for me and they may even involve me taking this tree sideways in some points.

Here is to a profitable November in finding information.

Yes I do use the leaves!

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I had posted yesterday about helping look for a revolutionary war patriot for friends and woke up to a friend wanting some help.Screen Shot 2018-07-05 at 5.38.07 PM

After receiving the information, I began a tree and there are all those hints and some potential parent recommendations. Now begins the process of reviewing each and every hint and evaluating the information. I actually begin by deleting all the member trees and photos of documents. It means hitting the ignore key.

As she was interested in a revolutionary war patriot which is on her mom’s side I will start with that,  but she also is interested in her dad’s side and it isn’t as deep so it will mean expanding my horizons into an area of the world I am not super familiar with but I consider it an adventure and learning experience.

I just timed myself and it takes me about 5 minutes per hint to evaluate it and decide if it is correct. I also love states like Michigan who put their death records online for Free. So I am taking the don’t be a source snob to heart and reviewing a lot of these items and I did find a set of twins in her tree born in the late 1700s with very similar names and I think they are causing some problems but I will get it sorted out.

So yes I do use the shaky leaves but I have learned to evaluate each and everyone for its merits. Due Diligence and a reasonably exhausted search are so important.

 

GRIP Day 3

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Day 3 of GRIP was a bit of a  whirlwind. We covered wills, transportation and military. I was able to glean a few sources out of this overloaded mind of mine. I am sure it will get better when I type up my notes.

Wednesday evening a group of us DAR ladies met up and it was definitely fun to meet a group of daughters from different states. As there was no evening lecture I decided to use some of the newfound knowledge I learned and see if I could find some wills. I found one that was of interest and since I have a Have Written from the DAR I decided to work on it. It was a bit difficult as I didn’t have the letter or the documentation I originally sent. I am now tracing out the lines of the patriot and of his daughter’s family to see what is out there.  I have been writing lots of  notes in a notebook of the research I found but it definitely is not my usual set up making it a bit more difficult. I am thinking a trip to the Essex County Courthouse is in order unless I can convince my loving family who is going to Clinton County in August to go there.

Well it is time for me to have some breakfast before Day 4 of GRIP starts. This has been a wonderful experience so far and I am definitely thinking I want to return.

Have a great Thursday.

52 Ancestors – Cemetery

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Growing up I thought I had been to almost every cemetery in Plattsburgh and Peru. Nope not even close.

In 2016, while awaiting my applications approval from the Daughters of the American Revolution, I joined their Facebook Group and I learned about supplemental applications for other patriots you descend from. One of the tips was to look into the father of the wife or husband of your original patriot. Lo and Behold I discovered Bezaleel Wood. Seriously isn’t that the best name ever.

Upon discovering Bezaleel Wood, I saw he was buried at the Baker Burying Ground off Route 3 in Plattsburgh, NY. I immediately asked my mother where it was since she is a native of Clinton County and she had no clue. She had never been there. Let’s be honest we didn’t even know we were related to Bezaleel Wood until then.

A road trip was planned and we discovered the coolest cemetery ever. Well kept. Situated off Route 3 and sitting behind 2 houses. They should have the coolest Halloween Decorations ever. We found Bezaleel and his Wife Mehetabel Darby and a few of their sons. My Sarah Wood Larkin is buried in Shelters Cemetery.

The Baker Cemetery is peaceful under a throng of trees and I am so happy to say I am planning to visit soon. Oh and I did fill out one of those DAR Supplemental Patriot Applications for Bezaleel.

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Hopefully this summer or early fall. I need to hit the North Country for some research. I need to find that pesky Old Clintonville Cemetery where my Beardsley family is buried.  I find peace in these old cemeteries and do not want these extraordinary men and women forgotten.

Everyday I research my family the past comes a little bit more alive.

52 Ancestors – Lucky or Not….

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I wasn’t originally going to use this post as a 52 Ancestors post. Then today I was sitting here going through the Deed books for Clinton and Essex Counties in New York State. To me this is the black hole of genealogy research.

When I go through these books I look for family names. I have been working on my Beardsley/Curtis line. I am trying to find out what happened to Ada Curtis after her husband Beverly died in 1815.

So going through the books I said let me look up Beardsley, Shaver (one of of my brick walls) and Weatherwax. Even though I know a lot about my Weatherwax lines I am looking to always strengthen the connection between Jacob and his father David who I intend to file a DAR supplemental application and prove a new patriot.

Screen Shot 2018-04-11 at 8.37.53 PMSo you will see this sad little branch of my tree, with George and his wife Hannah and then possibly Jacob as a father.  These blank spaces bug me, immensely.

I have very little on George except he was one of the earliest settlers of Clinton County. I got his wife’s name from the Weatherwax Genealogy book.

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Then I know Jacob and Mary are the parents of my George Weatherwax as I have a copy of his death certificate listing them. I also have a copy of William Weatherwax naming them also.

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Not knowing more about Mary’s family has bothered me for a while. It is sad how much women got lost into their husband’s identities when the got married. Recently, I discovered George in the 1850 census with a wife Hannah and daughter Elizabeth, their ages and place of residence fit into the Clintonville history I had read.

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Then I found the 1860 census with only Hannah and now Betsey aged by 10 years. I can not find Elizabeth/Betsey in the 1870 census yet. So she may have died by then or possibly married or who knows, it will be an ongoing quest. I have not been able to find a will for George. Essex and Clinton counties again have that black hole effect for research.

Today I feel that the luck of the Irish struck me as I found several deeds with George Shaver/Shaffer buying and selling land. Some of it with a John Shaver and his wife and some with his wife Hannah. The next few weeks will be sent transcribing these deeds to see if I can discern the family relationship a bit more. I would love to expand this tree and give George and Hannah some more family.

Wish me luck since I am going to need it. Here is one of the deeds I found in the Deed books, which I will say are becoming a huge reference for me. IMG_0969

52 Ancestors – Where There’s A Will…

/ Chiara / 1 Comment

Another prompt from the 52 Ancestors Challenge from Amy Johnson Crow.

This one was pretty fun to do. I love reading old wills. There is something about old will books that speaks to my soul. Going to a court house and finding the original papers. Absolute joy.

There is also a joy from finding wills online though it can be tedious work, I am lucky because Family Search has the New York Will Books online although they aren’t indexed and you need to browse the images they have been a huge help to me in the past 2 years.

I was able to find the Will of Beverly Beardsley who died in 1815 and it asks for guardianship for his daughters and his infant son Beverly. IT was how I disproved the Ancestry Trees with Beverly Beardsley living to be 120-something. Screen Shot 2018-04-08 at 6.57.34 PM

(this image is from ancestry.com but I generally go to Family Search for Wills because I have learned to use their system and it doesn’t have as many quirks to me.)

Wills are great for proving relationships. Another will and its detailed property listings will be helping me to prove a new patriot into the DAR. I have had this will for years but needed the probate package with inventory which some one randomly sent to in an act of kindness.

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Never discount using wills to find clues to your heritage. I generally print them out so I can transcribe them. I am a bit old school where I do this with pencil and paper before converting to a word document. I love my paper still.

What cool things have you found in wills?

History Coming Alive

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Been a crazy couple of weeks working on a bunch of different things. Researching family trees. Preliminary Report writing and working on organizing a Children of the American Revolution in addition to my duties in the DAR oh and there was a trip to Disney with the family in there.

This week was a banner week as I mailed off the first application for the Francis Lewis Society of the Children of the American Revolution.

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I have two more new applications in the works and they will be getting their signatures soon. We also had 2 members transfer in, so it is getting there.

This morning was my monthly DAR meeting. I am a member of the Increase Carpenter Chapter in Queens and it is something that brings me great joy. It fills a need in me that is doable while keeping a watchful on my autistic son.

I presented a program on the Junior Membership and The Helen Pouch Memorial Fund.

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I learned so much putting this board together and I think it went over pretty well. Well off to work on a report for a client.