Working Through the 1880 Census

Moved on to the next phase of my census projects to update my database to the 1880 census.  Completed the 1940 census awhile back and have jumped back in time 60 years to the 1880 census.

I've set my search feature in my RootsMagic database to locate individuals that should be found in the 1880 census.  My criteria is to look for individuals born before 1860 and died after 1880.

As I go through the database and find people who match these criteria, I'm looking for those who do not have an entry for the 1880 census and those who have a spouse.  I'm selecting only those who were married by the time of the 1880 census, hoping I can find household information.

Understanding that these criteria will exclude individuals who do not have a death date, I plan to go back after I get through the alphabet and de-select the death date criteria.

So far, I've managed to get into the "C" in my database, finding and adding many new records and individuals.  My database has grown from just my family and in-laws to include DNA matches as well as one-name study members.  

I'm not concerned that some of these people added might not be blood relatives, as I will be using them as "cousin bait" when I update my family tree on the public sites, such as Ancestry.  Having a more robust family tree (or family bush) with all of the interconnected families will also be helpful in identifying where DNA matches tie into the family.

Why 1880?  Because the 1880 census is the first one that identifies every individual in relationship to the head of household.  Unlike the 1850-1870 census, you don't have to assume that people are married or that all the children are from the same set of parents.  Of course, I've come across a few interesting clues along the way and some mysteries that will need further research.

Of great interest are the clues generated when the enumerator captured the birthplace of the father and mother. These are merely clues, however, and are only as good as the person who gave the information.  I've seen many listed as "unknown" or just left blank.

I'm trying to stick to the schedule I previously set for myself, but i find that adding the census records are addictive.  Currently, I'm using the hints from RootsMagic into the FamilySearch database to add the records.

Still Plugging Along

Well I've not done a great job of keeping up with this blog, though it doesn't mean I haven't been working on my genealogy.

Work and summer activities have kept me busy, but one project I've spent an inordinant amount of time on has been the updating of the census records in my database for the 1940 census.  Finding records in 1940 and sourcing them in my RootsMagic database has added a few newly found family members.  Updating the tree at Ancestry allows for additional connections to DNA matches.

I'm working through the alphabet, and am currently in the letter "S", so hope to have the 1940 project wrapped up soon.  My next census project will be the 1880 census - the first one to give relationships to the head of household - and make sure that I have a record for everyone alive at the time of the 1880 census.

Working on some family projects and lineage society applications as well - more to come on those.  

Documenting Myself

Building out a timeline for myself, I noticed that the fact of my birth only contains one source listed in my RootsMagic database, and it's not something that would hold up to any sort of scrutiny.

Rummel, Merle & Madelaine Olt, comp., "Three Sons of Steffan Petry, 1729-1977", Gateway Press, Baltimore, MD, 1977, p. 401.

While I have primary sources for my birth scattered among my digital genealogy files, apparently I'd never taken the time to actually examine those sources and update documentation in my database.

In today's era of no privacy, where there are enough public records out in cyberspace for someone who wanted to know my birthdate could find it out, I'm sure the young folks today would be surprised to know that there are also bound genealogies in libraries that have some of the same data printed less than 50 years ago.

[Side note: No documentated cases of identity theft have ever been proven to be caused by genealogical research - I'll recommend you read this excellent post from James Tanner.]

For the purpose of this project my research question is stated thusly, "The objective of this research project is to identify the parentage of Travis LeMaster, born [redacted] in [redacted], Indiana."

Because this phase of the research involves living people, I will not post the particulars.

Beginnings : Building A Timeline

Begin with the beginning.  Work from what you know to what you don't know.  

How many times have I heard or read regarding the genealogical journey?

As I begin to re-examine my previous work to make sure that I'm leaving the best documentation behind for future generations, I'm discovering some anomolies.  Facts missing documentation or gaps in the timelines.

My family tree data is kept offline in Rootsmagic, and variations of my tree are shared online at Ancestry and other sites.  When I look at an example of a Rootsmagic timeline for an ancestor, I can quickly see not only items that have missing sources (green check marks), but also notice substantial gaps in years that might suggest further avenues of research.

Settling on a research question wasn't hard in this case, although there are so many I want to explore.  For now, it will start with a question of identity - myself.

Updating Burial Location Information in My RootsMagic Database

It has been awhile since I've updated on how the family history work is going.  While work has kept me busy, I have managed to begin updating and adding to my RootsMagic database by utilizing the WebHints to add burial locations for individuals.  Many have been found where I had a death location, but hadn't added a burial record.

Utilizing sites such as FindAGrave or Billongraves, I've managed to find additional clues for research about families and have added them to my working file for later research.

In RootsMagic, I began this by setting my search criteria to show me individuals with a a Death date that was after 2000 and whose Burial fact was false.  Working through the large database in this manner gave me some of the more recent generations to update.

Of course, not all of the individuals had WebHints that provided details about their burial location.  Some had hints at FindAGrave, but actually weren't buried, but were cremated.  This seems to have become a more popular option in recent years.  In those instances I've added the cremation information, if given.

Once I worked through the database for all deaths after 2000, then I moved back twenty years and began working individuals who had deaths after 1980.  Many of these individuals at FindAGrave had details linked to them regarding siblings and parents.  For those who were direct lines, I added the additional children's information.

By working backwards in this manner, I hope to be able to catch additional information on the recent generations, which in turn will help me better identify some of my DNA matches.

In my database, when a couple marries, I try to add the parents information for the spouses if known.  In so many cases, there are families that are intermarried and later I find out they were distant cousins.  This is particularly true in areas where my lines have stayed in the same geographical location for generations.  Additional children who are listed are entered if the line is one that I am researching as well.

As I work backwards in successive increments, I will catch family members I've missed on the first pass and increase the size of my database.  Mainly I'm been able to work on this early in the morning each day before I head out to work.

One thing to be aware of is that FindAGrave and Billiongraves provide information that is user submitted and often has errors with date transcriptions and birth/death information.  There have been some 'hints' that I've caught that are incorrect guesswork.  Like anything, it has to be examined.

Adding Relatives To My Tree Through the 1880 Census

While I haven't posted lately to the blog, it doesn't mean I haven't been actively researching the family tree.  My latest project has been to systematically work through my RootsMagic database and update/add to relatives from the 1880 U.S. Federal Census.

Why add relatives this way?

Not only am I able to make sure that I have a more complete picture of the lifetime of my immediate relatives, I've also been able to add additional descendants from family groups that are roughly in the time frame of my great-great grandparents.  Many of these families had not been traced down into the current generations, and by adding the newly found members to my database, I'm one step closer to tracing the lines down to the present day.  Doing so will come in handy as I continue to have 2nd-4th cousin matches through the various DNA testing sites whose connections I don't always immediately recognize.

Why the 1880 census?

The 1880 U.S. Federal Census was the first census to actually indicate the relationship to the head of the household.  While the 1850 census was the first to name all of the individuals listed in the household, the relationships were not spelled out.  Many assumptions have been made through the 1850-1870 census about the relationships to the family members which have later turned out to be incorrect.  For example, all of the children in the household with the same surname might not be children of the couple.  

How I'm doing this:

Using my RootsMagic database, I'm using the RootsMagic Explorer to search for anyone who was born before 1880 and died after 1880, as a starting point for relatives to search for.

Doing this gives me an individual to start with.  If I already have a 1880 census fact sourced for this individual, I move on.  However, if I don't, then I try to find them in the 1880 census using Ancestry.com based on the other facts I have about the family.

Note that there are many individuals I have in my database that should appear in the 1880 census, but I don't yet have enough identifying information (names of spouses/parents/children, etc.) in order to positively identify that the census record found matches the individual in my database.  In those instances, I have to skip them and move on to the next individual.

Creating the sources:

Once I've found a record for a relative, I create a census record fact and add it to my Master Source list at RootsMagic.  I then tie each individual who appears in the household to that event.  I am using the date that the census was enumerated on the page, rather than the standard June 1, 1880 date that was given as a guideline by the census department.  I find it interesting how many census takers were delayed in getting the actual rounds done in taking the census.  Of course, not all of them have the best handwriting either, so often I am having to use my best judgment on the spelling of a name if I cannot make it out clearly.

Who I'm including:

I'm adding all members of the household that I find, including boarders, servants and other non-relatives.  While this does add some "unconnected" members to my family tree in my database, one never knows what ties will later be found.  For instance, I've already discovered instances where the "servant" in the household was actually a relative (niece/nephew), but was not listed as such by the census taker.  Additionally, these individuals in the household are part of the FAN group (Friends, Associates & Neighbors) who may later interact through marriage or land dealings with your relatives.  It's better to include them when you find them rather than having to go back and add them in later.

Database Expansion:

Since my database is synched with my Ancestry Tree, each time I add an indvidual to my database that kicks off a whole series of 'hints' on that site for additional information as well.  I'm trying to not go down the path of chasing those bright shiny objects just yet.

Next Steps:

Right now, I'm searching my database for everyone who was born before 1880 and died after 1880 to including them in my search parameters.  Later, I will go back and exclude the death date parameter, as there are many in my database who I do not have a death date yet.  My thoughts are that by doing this process systematically, I will eventually have captured as many individuals as possible with a census fact for the 1880 census.

Then, the hope is to repeat this process working forward to the 1900 census or even backwards to the 1870 census.  The possibilities are only limited by my time and willingness to keep going.

Adding updates to LeMaster & Allied Families tree

Because of my recent AncestryDNA test, I've been adding to my family tree at Ancestry, LeMaster & Allied Families, in hopes of seeing exactly where more of my matches connect.  I have always kept this tree as a "bare-bones" tree, leaving my full tree online at myrootsmagic.com/tjlgenes .

However, knowing that many of the matches would be connecting through my 5-great grandparents and earlier, I've been working on updating those lines by working forward from my 5-great grandparents, including everything I have on the descendants in each generation.  I am utilizing the Vertical Pedigree charts that I have stored at on Dropbox as a guide.

Another side benefit of doing this work is that I can let the Ancestry algorithms do their thing and suggest hints for additional records at the site, which will in turn expand my tree.  Keeping my original work on my Rootsmagic database, I should be able to add many more cousins over the next few weeks and keep myself more than busy with blog post fodder.

In one sense, I'm doing extra work by re-typing the family tree into the Ancestry, but I've also caught a few errors and questionable dates this way.

Cleaning Up My Database : Multiple Facts

One of my projects I'm working on right now is cleaning up my database, particularly the multiple facts.  This is an issue of my own creation, as what I was doing was creating a separate fact for each incident I discovered of a particular fact.

For instance, if I had a date of birth from a tombstone or family group sheet, I would enter that date "12 Oct 1818" in my database as a fact.  Then, when I found a census record that stated based on age that they were born "circa 1819", I would also enter that a separate fact.  

What this has done is created a real cluster of information in my database, and when I print out family narrative reports it really looks sloppy to state that someone was born multiple times.  Since I have done this for some time, there are plenty of items I need to correct.

In RootsMagic, you can find multiple fact reports by choosing the Lists>Fact List and then when you go to create the report, choose Create a list of people with more than one of this fact type.

What I am doing is updating the database to show the one "birth fact" and tying the multiple sources to the main fact.  Some of these facts might disagree with each other or compliment each other, but i will use the Research Notes and Comments section in RootsMagic to note discrepancies or why I think one place is better than another.  For instance, one fact might state someone was born in Indiana, the other might give the county such as Madison County, Indiana.  I will blend these together as the main birth fact and notate in each notated fact which fact gave which location.

This will be a slow, tedious project, as when I ran the report out of my RootsMagic database I ended up with over 100 pages of information on individuals who have duplicate birth facts.  I have even begun to look into those who might have duplicate death facts as well.

FindAGrave Correction : John P. Wehrly (1838-1909)

Received an email recently with a correction to my entry for John P. Wehrly (1838-1909) at the FindAGrave site.  I had his death year listed as 1910, which is clearly what is on his tombstone.

However, the records from the Baird & Hardy Funeral clearly state that he died in 1909.

Baird & Hardy Funeral Home Record

Name of Deceased        John P. Wehrly
Record Number   Number 89
Place of Birth  Pa.
Date    August 28, 1838
Place of Death  South Portland
Date    December 13, 1909
Age at Death    71 years, 3 months, 16 days
Cause of Death
Sex
Color
Social Status
Occupation
Name of Father
Name of Mother
Nativity
Physician       Dr. Paddock
Time of Funeral
Services        Salamonia
Interment at    Salamonia
Burial Date     December 15, 1909
Minister in Charge

Checking my RootsMagic database, I had cited his death date as December 13, 1910 from Baird & Hardy Funeral Home Records: Jay County, Indiana 1909-1911 (N.p.: n.p., n.d.), .  Somehow I must have mistyped the date.

John was the husband of my paternal 2nd-great grandaunt, Catherine E. Lemasters (1840-1911), daughter of Luman Walker and Nancy (Young) Lemasters.  John was a farmer in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana.

I need to search out an obituary for him and see what additional information I can find on my next trip to Jay County.

Shaky Leaves : Bertha Alberta (LeMaster) Hercules (1892-1962)

Bertha Alberta (LeMaster) Hercules (1892-1962) was my paternal grandaunt, the daughter of Luman Cooper and Barbara Isabel (Wehrly) LeMaster.  Ancestry.com is currently showing 7 hints from historical records for her in my LeMaster and Allied Families member tree.

I have ignored the Ancestry Member Tree hints for now and will concentrate on the records.

There are a lot of records to update in my RootsMagic database, including census records.

In the 1940 census of Richmond, Wayne County, Indiana, Bertha was living with her husband, Russell, son Murvel and daughter-in-law Margaret.  They owned their home and had lived at the same residence in 1935.  Russel was a woodworker in a lumber yard and Murvel was a life insurance salesman.

1940 US Census, Wayne County, Indiana, population schedule, Ward 5, Richmond, enumeration district (ED) 89-32, SD 10, sheet 9B, 625 Sheridan St., family 190, ; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 August 2015); National Archives, Washington, D.C..

I already had the 1930 census sourced in my database for the family, they were living in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana in the Bertha's father's household.  Likewise, I already had the 1900 census record where Bertha was a 7 year old living in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana.

In the 1921 city directory of Richmond, Indiana lists the family as :

Hercules, Russel J (Bertha A), woodwkr Louck & Hill Co, h 79 State

"U.S. City Directories", database, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 Augst 2015), 240; citing "Richmond, Indiana City Directory (Indianapolis, Indiana: R.L. Polk & Company, 1921–1922)."

 Because of this find, I now know the company that Russel was working for, Louck & Hill.  A brief search online found some photographs of the company site.

There was a hint to Bertha's FindAGrave memorial page, which I currently maintain.

Another database was Indiana Births, 1880-1920, which takes information from the WPA birth indices.

Name:	Lemaster
Father:	L C
Mother:	B J Wherley
County:	Jay
Gender:	Female
Birth Date:	26 Jun 1892
Reference:	Jay County, Indiana Index to Birth Records 1882 - 1920 Inclusive Volume I Letters A - Z Inclusive
Book:	H-5
Page:	78

This gives me the exact book and page for Bertha's birth certificate, which I currently do not have a copy.  Will add this to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

The most interesting find was the database Wayne County, Indiana, Quaker Funeral Home Records, 1939-1974, which contained a copy of Bertha's death certificate.

ame:	Bertha Alberta Hercules [Bertha Alberta Lemaster]
Gender:	Female
Birth Date:	26 Jun 1892
Birth Place:	Indiana
Death Date:	30 Dec 1961
Death Place:	Spring Grove, Wayne, Indiana
Age at Death:	69
Father:	Luman C Lemaster
Mother:	Barbara J Wehrley
Spouse:	Russell J Hercules

This is the funeral home's copy of her death certificate, showing that Bertha died in Spring Grove, Wayne County, Indiana at Reid Memorial Hospital on December 30, 1961.  She lived at 625 Sheridan Street, same address as found in the 1940 census.  Her occupation was listed as the co-owner of Builders Supplies.  She died of acute pulmonary edema.  She was 69 years old and died at 10:25 p.m.  Her burial date was January 3, 1962 at Salamonia Cemetery, Salamonia, Indiana.

If you are related or have any additional information or corrections, I'd love to hear from you.

Shaky Leaves : John Aaronson (1678-1741)

John Aaronson (1678-1741) is my 8th great grandfather on my paternal side.  The surname variants are many, and include Arison and Areson.  Ancestry.com currently is showing me 5 hints for him in my LeMaster & Allied Families member tree.  Four hints are from historical records.

I will ignore the Ancestry Member Tree hints for now and concentrate on the records.

One hint was from the database New Jersey, Abstracts of Wills, 1670-1817.  

Ancestry.com. New Jersey, Abstract of Wills, 1670-1817 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Original data: New Jersey State Archives. New Jersey, Published Archives Series, First Series. Trenton, New Jersey: John L Murphy Publishing Company.

1741, Dec. 14. Aaronson, John, of Mansfield Township, Burlington Co., yeoman: will of.  Children - Benjamin, Joseph, Aron, Thomas, Elizabeth and Sarah.  Grandsons-John Atkinson and his brothers and sisters.  Negroes-Phillis and Ester.  Real and personal estate.  Wife Mary sole executrix.  Witnesses-Benja. Talman, Francis Thompson, Elizabeth Talman, Isaac DeCow medius. Proved March 3, 1742.  Lib. 4, p. 357.1742 -3, March 3.  Inventory of personal estate £498.6.10 3/4, includes bonds, bills and note £220.2.8 1/2, and negro children £30, made by Robert Rockhill, David Rockhill and Benjamin Shreve.

The names of John's children matches what I had in my RootsMagic database, though I didn't have daughter Elizabeth listed.  I descend through son Joseph (b. 1706).  There may have been more children, but at least I know that these were the ones living by 1741.

I did not know that the family owned slaves, but they must have at least owned the two women.

Another hint was from the database U.S. Census Reconstructed Records, 1660-1820.

Name:	John Areson
Gender:	M (Male)
State:	New York
County:	Queens County
Town:	Flushing
Residence Year:	1700
Household Remarks:	"AN EXACT LIST OF ALL Ye INHABITANTS NAMES WthIN Ye TOWNE OF fflUSHING AND P'CINCTS OF OLD AND YOUNG ffREEMEN & SERUANTS WHITE & BLACKE &C. 1698. . . . ffreemen-men".

This record gives another alternative name for John, but matches where my database had him being married to Mary, circa 1702.  

Another hint was from the database New Jersey, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1643-1890.

Name:	John Aaronson
State:	NJ
County:	Burlington County
Township:	Mansfield
Year:	1707
Database:	NJ Early Census Index

The other record hint was from a compiled family tree database, so I'm ignoring that one as well for now.

I've updated the information I have for John in my RootsMagic database, and I added the additional children to my Ancestry Member Tree.

If you are related and/or have any additional corrections or information, I would love to hear from your.

Research Notes : May 25, 2015

Research has been limited lately due to work commitments and working on the getting our house ready for market.  On this Memorial Day weekend, I spent more time outside on yard work and painting than doing much in the way of genealogical research.

• Explored how RootsMagic and FamilySearch work together by matching up those in my database with individuals already in FamilySearch.  Concentrating on those ancestors within four generations, have been adding to the information at FamilySearch from my RootsMagic database.  It will be interesting to see if by doing this, it generates more contacts and "cousin bait".

• Over the weekend, I updated how my Dropbox files, primarily family photographs and census images, are named.  My plan is to make sure that I have everything named in a sensible format, and then to make sure that I have taken the time to add these images to my RootsMagic database as well as to the tree I have at Ancestry.

• While cleaning out my garage and burning some old files (from 2006!), I came across some genealogical correspondence that I had misplaced regarding the Groenendyke and the Lambertson families.  Will be sorting through this hopefully in the next few weeks and adding the information to my database.

Somedays I find I spend more time organizing or cleaning up my database than I do in actually researching.

Linked my Rootsmagic to FamilySearch

I finally decided to take advantage of one of the features of my Rootsmagic 7 software and link my genealogy database with FamilySearch.  I'd read the helpful posts Randy Seaver had written about using the software with FamilySearch's Family Tree and am eager to see what online collaboration brings to my database.

The first step was to log into FamilySearch with my free account and then have RootsMagic do an auto-match to find matches between my database and the online database.  My database is quite large, as it contains not only my ancestors, but Eileen's and Corinne's as well as unconnected Lemaster family members.  Of the over 31,000 names in the file, RootsMagic matched 20,694 with FamilySearch.

Now that I've synched the two databases, FamilySearch has gone behind the scenes and notified me that it has new information on over 3000 of my people.  These would be hints to documents in their databases.  My next step is to start going through these hints and seeing what information they find, as well as sharing information from my database to the online tree at FamilySearch.

I already have a small tree online at Ancestry, but am looking forward to using the free tree at FamilySearch, as many of my contacts don't have an Ancestry subscription.

Research Notes : February 18, 2015

Research has been limited lately with work commitments and other more pressing matters, but did manage to sneak in a bit of family history research so far this week:

• On President's Day, took advantage of a day off from work to visit the Jay County Historical Society Museum, where I copied the original probate estate packets for Luman Walker Lemasters, George W. Haley, George Haley, John Metzner and John Adam Metzner.  This will give me a ton of stuff to sort through and plenty of fodder for future posts.  Plus, spent time with my dad and visited my aunts and uncles in Portland.

• Continue to work through my RootsMagic database, correcting the Quaker dates that I had originally adding in the system with only the year for the date and included month & date with the place. Ex : 1815 (8mo 3d) New Garden MM.  I was unaware that the database can handle the date sort in the correct order, and have been working through a query that looks for any place name with a parenthesis in it to make corrections.  At the same time, I am eliminating county names with the place names I had for the monthly meetings, as many encompassed more than one county.  Now the place name will simply say "New Garden Monthly Meeting, North Carolina".

• Watched the latest episode of "Genealogy Roadshow" this week on PBS.  I thought the best story was the first one, where the women found out that her grandmother's family had helped Jews escape from Austria - and that they actually were cousins of her family.  Why do so many families continue to keep secrets? 

Online Tree Published at MyRootsmagic

I've finally taken advantage of the features in my genealogy software, RootsMagic7, to post an online tree that is available for anyone to view freely, with full access to sources and photos.  The site is online at www.myrootsmagic.com/tjlgenes 

I really like the way the software displays the family records, and the fact that I can quickly view sources.  While I don't have many photos of ancestors and relatives tied into my database yet, I am working to rectify the situation.  The software makes it easy to update and correct information.

I've had a free online tree for years at Rootsweb (database: tjlgenes) and a public tree at Ancestry.com.  One problem with the tree at Ancestry.com is that non-subscribers have issues seeing the tree, and I want to be able to direct my DNA matches to a dynamic, online tree where hopefully they can find the connections between our families.

Currently, I'm working my way through the database, correcting place names and other naming errors, hoping to have a better database.  After that, will be working to make sure all of the facts are sourced, etc.  The work will never be done, but I'm having fun.

Upgraded to RM7

Christmas came a few days early for me this year, as I downloaded version 7 of the RootsMagic genealogy software.  After watching the YouTube video on What's New in RootsMagic 7, I couldn't wait to try it out and take it for a spin.  I haven't even been using all of the features in RM 6, but am eager to dig into this version right away.

Notice the screen shot above of my database in RM7 and the yellow lightbulbs.  Those are the web hints from both FamilySearch (free site) and MyHeritage (commercial site).  The software API work behind the scenes to check out these databases and show that you have possible matches in the record to the people in your database.  

I'm really impressed with the way technology can be utilized to do the searching in the background for these hints.  Playing around on Saturday morning, I jumped from family to family, seeing what types of hints the software would show me.  I haven't added them to my database yet, but RM7 will allow you to add the sources and images right into your database!  Easy as pie!

I am not a subscriber to MyHeritage, but if I find that the hints are worth it, I may be adding that to my arsenal.  With a free site like FamilySearch having so many records  (and growing all the time), having the software do the hard part of searching will make adding information to my database a snap.

The data clean feature of the software will aid in cleaning up the names and places in my tree by eliminating problems such as invalid characters, same names as spouse, etc.

After watching the video, I'm also looking forward to using the web publishing, a feature from earlier versions I didn't use.  This version looks easy to use, and will allow me to upload and update a family tree easily that can be searched by others. This will be particularly helpful for my DNA matches, many of whom do not have an Ancestry.com subscription.

Mining FindAGrave.com

Recently I began mining the FindAGrave.com website for additional information about folks in my database.  I set up a search in my Rootsmagic database for anyone whose death date in not blank and whose burial place is blank.

As I'm making my way through the database, I'm searching at the FindAGrave.com site to see if anyone has posted a memorial page for the individual who matches the information in my database.  I'm then adding the burial place to my database.  I've created a source template for the burial information as well.

The finished source might look something like this:

FindAGrave Inc., FindAGrave.com (www.findagrave.com : accessed 13 September 2014), Joseph Allen (1733-1816) memorial.

Nothing spectacular, but it's something that I should have been doing or could have been doing for several years.  I've been a member at FindAGrave.com for a long time and have been a contributor.  As a free site, it has a lot of information and many times additional clues that I didn't have in my database.

As I make my way through the alphabet (right now I'm still in the "A" section), I am adding the final burial location for folks in the database, but also am adding birth, death and marriage information as I find it.  I'm making sure I source it right away so that I know where I found the information.  This information will be helpful in leading me to new clues on these people.

My goal is to get through Rootmagic  first with everyone that doesn't have a burial location listed, then go back and check those that I did already have with a burial location to see if they have a memorial page, add sourcing from FindAGrave and add any additional information.

Ancestry Hint : June Lambertson Obituary, 1951 Bloomington Herald-Telephone

Working through the 'shaky leaf' hints on my maternal side and came across a new one for my great-grandmother, June (Davis) Lambertson (1898-1951).   This hint was for an obituary in an off-site database, the Monroe County, Indiana Obituary Index maintained by the Monroe County Public Library in Bloomington.

Taking a look at the site, June's obituary was published in the Bloomington Herald-Telephone in their March 21, 1951 edition.  I was previously unaware of this obituary, and have added it to my Rootsmagic database list of "to-do" items.

I wonder if the obituary is much different than the local ones that I've already written about from the Elwood Call-Leader?  Perhaps additional local family were mentioned in the Bloomington paper.

June was born the daughter of Ida Davis, but raised by her grandmother and step-grandfather under the Gilliland name in the Owen County/Monroe County, Indiana area.  June married June 28, 1917 in Monroe County, Indiana to Clemon Beals Lambertson.

At the time of her death, she would have been survived by a sister, Pansy, of Crawfordsville.  Was the obituary published in Bloomington so that distant cousins would see it?

Ancestry Hint : June Lambertson in 1929 Elwood Indiana City Directory

Reviewing the shaky leaves on my Ancestry "cousin bait" tree for my maternal great-grandmother, June Kirk (Davis) Lambertson the record for the family in the 1929 city directory of Elwood, Indiana.

1929 Elwood, Indiana City Directory (Binghampton, NY: The Calkin-Kelly Directory Company, 1929), page 131, Lambertson, Clemon; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 August 2014).

While this wasn't the first time I had seen this record (I had previously viewed it at the Elwood Public Library), I was able to save the image to my computer and cite it in my Rootsmagic database and add the image to my Rootsmagic file.  I also attached the record to June's husband, Clemon, my maternal great-grandfather.

The record shows that Clemon and June lived at 1906 North F Street in Elwood, and that Clemon's occupation was that of a cabinet maker. This correlates to other information that I've uncovered stating that Clemon worked for the Sellers Kitchen Cabinets.

The directory also lists another Lambertson family, that of Orville J and Martha C, who rented a home at 522 North 14th in Elwood.  Orville was the brother of Clemon.

Cousin Bait Tree

I've added an additional tree to my Ancestry.com profile, a "cousin bait" tree full of everyone in my database. This includes my family, Eileen's family, my daughter's family, my stepchildren's family and every one who I'm researching that I've been unable to connect to my main tree.  The name of the current version of this tree is entitled Travis LeMaster Genealogy - August 2014.  

I'm going to use this tree to find cousin and 'hints' from Ancestry using their shaky leaves to search the records and see ones that could be matched to my database.  I'm going to keep my Rootsmagic database as my primary database and will not add any images or attach records to this new tree.

I'm also keeping my current tree online LeMaster & Allied Families which I've been using to direct folks to who have connected to me through my DNA search.  I hope to eventually replace it with a more up-to-date version.

My plan is to systematically go through this new tree, review the hints and add the records to my primary database at Rootsmagic.  Once I've been able to update it enough, I will periodically replace it.

I'm taking a bit of a hint from Randy over at Geneamusings, though I've not gone so far as to have FamilyTreeMaker installed and have it synced.  I need to really dig into the features of Rootsmagic and utilize Ancestry's computers ability to search out records for me automatically.

This summer has been so busy that I really haven't done much in the way of family history research.  Hopefully this will inspire me to get back to it.