Genealogy and Local History Blog

Genealogy / Transportation

“The Most Convenient Wayes”: Travel and Transportation by Land in Early America

A “‘most howling wilderness’” was an essential outline of conditions under which the people of America, from the earliest English settlement until shortly before the Revolution, in those days, and for long afterward, lived and moved about early America. Travel was done on foot, on horseback, by wagon, or by boat. (Fig. 1) Water routes were used whenever possible; horses were useless except near settlements or on beaten paths. Extended journeys often had to be on foot. The land was so vast, full of Native Americans and wild animals, that for more than a century and a half, the white population hugged a little strip of seacoast 150 miles wide, from north to south. Most of our knowledge about colonial and early American travel has been pieced together from fragments such as diaries, personal letters, and travel accounts by domestic and foreign travelers. Many include motives for the first travel...

Local History

History of Grapevine Public Library, 1991-2001

Grapevine’s population grew to 31,836 in 1991. Library material holdings grew to 92,797 and annual circulation to 357,855. In February, Mrs. Marie Canning started part-time in Circulation. She eventually became full-time Acquisitions Assistant. In April, Grapevine Public Library’s automation system was upgraded from OCR labels and wands to bar code labels and laser guns. The re-labeling of over sixty thousand library materials and preparation of 30,000 borrower cards was accomplished in sixteen weeks with the help of eighty valued volunteers without closing the library. The Friends of the Library donated a Xerox plain-paper fax/copier, a Magazine Article Summaries (MAS) CD-ROM index to replace InfoTrac, and a plain-paper Minolta RP 605Z microfilm reader/printer from the proceeds of the annual Christmas ornament sale. Skaggs Alpha Beta cash register receipts worth two-hundred seventy-three thousand dollars collected by the public enabled the purchase of a MacIntosh computer and software. Due to community support and...

Genealogy

They Couldn’t Take It with Them: Using Estate Inventories in Genealogical Research

You can learn a lot about your ancestors by looking at their possessions, or at least by looking at lists of their possessions if you don’t have historical artifacts or documents. Today’s blog will discuss estate inventories and how they were made by the wealthy, poor, and all those in between. Whether they held $50,000 in bank stock or only a cow and some pots and pans, our ancestors deserve to be remembered for who they were. Estate inventories are frequently overlooked by genealogists because they believe these documents don’t provide genealogical evidence. But they do provide a glimpse into your ancestor’s personal life and the material culture of his or her time. For this reason, we’re going to take an economics approach as well as a genealogical one. By blending these approaches, we can get a much clearer and closer understanding of the world our ancestors lived in and...

Genealogy / Local History

Making the Most of Muster Rolls

It’s no secret that military service generated records. When genealogists think of military records, the first type that usually comes to mind is pension records. Why? Because of all military records, the pension application doesn’t simply reveal a soldier’s military service; it also gives critical genealogical information about the applicant, who could be the soldier, his widow, his children, or other legal claimant to a military pension. In some cases, a pension file can contain applications by one or more of these persons. The muster roll, however, is different, and often overlooked. This is because muster rolls are thought of as just lists of names of men who served in military units under certain officers, something akin to a schoolroom roll call. But they can be much more than that, and should be on your research checklist when you have ancestors who served in the military. Before You Start To...

Genealogy / Local History

Getting to Know You: Connecting with Your Ancestors Through Social History

This month, guest blogger Linda Stufflebean shares her genealogical experiences connecting with ancestors through social history. She will introduce herself, after which she will tell her story and provide valuable information you can use to connect with your own ancestors. I’m Linda Stufflebean and I have been a family history researcher since 1979. Most of my friends would agree that I’m totally obsessed with genealogy. In addition to doing some professional work, I have been a volunteer teacher in Tucson, Arizona since 2010. Through the years, I have visited numerous repositories, court houses and cemeteries in the quest for details about the lives of my ancestors. Of course, there have been brick walls along the way. I have been fortunate to find ways to knock down – or march around – many of them and decided to focus my blog, www.emptybranchesonthefamilytree.com on both methodology and education.  Please take a minute...

Genealogy

Researching Masonic Ancestors

Perhaps you have a male relative who was a Freemason and a member of a US Masonic lodge. In today’s blog we’ll discuss how to research and document the Masonic relatives in your family tree. A Brief History of Freemasonry The Freemasons are the world’s oldest fraternal organization. The general consensus among Masonic scholars is that they started with medieval stonemasons who built British castles and cathedrals. During the Middle Ages, stonemasons often traveled around to find work in different locations. To demonstrate their level of qualification, they would use grips, words, and signs to distinguish themselves from unqualified builders. Freemasonry uses building analogies to teach members how to lead productive lives that benefit the communities that they live in. Part of the Freemason’s outfits includes aprons and gloves. This is because in the medieval era, stonemasons wore aprons and gloves to protect themselves while working on shaping rough pieces...

Genealogy / Local History

Locating and Using School Records for Genealogical Research

School may be out for summer, but genealogists should still know how to find and use school records! Today’s blog will discuss the ABCs of school records in genealogical research and offer some great online resources. American schools date back to the earliest days of colonial settlement. The Boston Latin School, established on April 23, 1635, was the first school in what is now the US, and it still operates today. Modeled after the Free Grammar School of Boston, England, it was a boys-only public secondary school, led by schoolmaster Philemon Pormont, a Puritan settler. Courses were strictly for college preparation; they were centered on the humanities and included Latin and Greek. The most famous alumni of the school were John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Benjamin Franklin had to drop out after two years because his father could no longer afford the cost. When searching for records, consider all schools,...

Genealogy

Finding Ancestors in the Confederate Navy

Today’s blog will discuss the history of the Confederate Navy and provide resources to identify and learn more about your Confederate Navy ancestors and their service. As the southern states seceded from the Union, they made efforts to provide for a navy, and conferred rank upon its officers. A few revenue cutters and merchant steamers were seized and converted into men-of-war. Thus, at the beginning, each state had its own navy. The Confederate States Navy was established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. The navy department was organized with Stephen R. Mallory, secretary of the navy: Commodore Samuel Barron, chief of the bureau of orders and detail; Commander George Minor, chief of ordnance and hydrography; Paymaster John DeBree, chief of provisions and clothing; Surgeon W. A. W. Spotswood, bureau of medicine and surgery; Edward M. Tidball, chief clerk. The Confederate government conferred commissions and...

Genealogy

The Census Taker Cometh!

This month’s blog post is about the taking of the census and census taker experiences, a behind-the-scenes look at what it took to undertake a nation-wide headcount. The Constitution of the United States, Article 1, Section 2 says: “Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons. The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.” The US has had a decennial census for apportionment of representatives and for direct taxes since 1790. With...

Genealogy

The 1752 Calendar Change, Plus Where Did My Eleven Days Go??

Dates are as critical in genealogy as they are in every-day life. However, it’s not just the dates but actual calendar changes that genealogists need to know about and be aware of in their research. In today’s blog, we’re going to examine two critically important calendar changes that can make all the difference in establishing the accurate dates of ancestral events. SOME CALENDAR HISTORY Before 1752, Britain and her Empire followed the Julian calendar, first implemented by Julius Caesar in 46 BC. However this calendar had an inbuilt error of one day every 128 years, due to a miscalculation of the solar year by eleven minutes. This affected the date of Easter, traditionally observed on March 21, as it began to move further away from the spring equinox with each passing year. This was making life difficult in an agricultural economy. Traditionally, the new year was determined by the beginning...

Genealogy

“This Indenture Made . . .”: The Importance of Local Land Records in Genealogical Research

We come and go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it–for a little while. Willa Cather, O Pioneers! There are many types of land transactions, but in today’s blog we’ll explore the particular genealogical value of local land records and how you can use them to further your research. These actions between parties, also known as conveyances, take place mostly under the authority of the county government. From the moment European settlers arrived on the Atlantic coast, obtaining cheap land on which to settle and farm was a priority. The vast majority of them had never owned land in their countries of origin because only the wealthy could afford to buy it, often in large tracts. The opportunity to possess and work one’s own parcel of land in the New World was enticing to those who...

Genealogy

“And Your Petitioners Shall Ever Pray”: Federal Legislative Petitions in Genealogical Research

United States House and Senate journals, and other legislative works contain a wealth of genealogical information, most of which came in the form of petitions. Petitions reveal a great deal about ancestors and what mattered to them. They also provide context on neighbors and neighborhoods. Some resulted directly in the passage of requested legislation or were referred to committee along with additional petitions related to a broad issue. All of them indicate a striking awareness of public debate and the political process, tell us a lot about what our ancestors considered to be important. Value of Federal Legislative Petitions Petitions could come from an individual, a group, or a business. They frequently contain supplementary support documents such as maps, wills, naturalizations, resolutions, deeds, affidavits, judgements, and other items. Petitions can contain one signature, a hundred, or even thousands. If an ancestor signed any kind of petition, you probably have his...