Year 2022 Stalled: How Many Ancestors Do You Know? Count Your Genealogy Numbers

My Genealogy Numbers Form

Last year I revisited my genealogy numbers after a lapse in blogging. Though this past year (2022) did involve genealogy it was nothing like 2021. In fact, I did not add one direct ancestor to my tree. But I did do genealogy here and there when it was possible.

My updated the link to My Genealogy Numbers Form from 2014 here. The form itself is the same but due to Blogger updates many older links do not work anymore. And updating the links themselves would likely update the older posts I think messing up this blog's history. As I have said before this form can be shared with others but the proper way to share it is to share the URL address to this blog or to the specific blog post containing the form. Please do not just physically share the Genealogy Number Form file (doc file) via email or your own website or distribute it via printed copies because I have not given anyone that permission. I'm simply saying tell them about it by sharing the URL address or linking to this blog/website. And that way each person can download the file for their own personal use, and I can get an idea of how many people are using the form. If you need an image of your own results, take a screen capture. That is what I did those that appear here.

Okay back to the form. Now this is not a who has the most "cards" or people in our genealogy program scenario. But rather a look at how many direct ancestors do you know in each generation where you know a first and last name OR at least a first name AND that you have some documentation to go with that linking generation to generation.

This is the sixth year I have counted "My Genealogy Numbers." You can find my 2014 numbers, 2015 numbers, 2016 numbers, 2017 numbers and 2021 numbers at their respective posts.

The reality is that very, very few -- if any of us -- will have all 100% results all the way back through the generations. Natural disasters, people, and a simple lack of recording information have a way of keeping us from the answers we seek. But still we try.

So did I learn anything or find any new direct ancestors since last year? No, but maybe ...

As I said my 2022 genealogy numbers are the same as my 2021 numbers. The maybe comes in what I've done in the last three months of 2022. I took a chance.

Back in 2021 Archion.de website added digitized records for parishes in what was Kreis Prenzlau in Brandenburg province, some of this area now falls under the former Vorpommern province area. I found my family not in the parish I expected (their given last residence) but in an associated parish. I have a copy of a copy of a copy … etc., of a baptismal/birth statement signed by a pastor of two churches. The interesting thing of that well photocopied statement is that the parents' names are conveniently not on it. There are a couple descenders (well the bottom of them) on the top edge of the paper that was photocopied over and over making me think the paper was originally taller and perhaps it was folded in half and this is the bottom portion. So perhaps the surviving portion rather than an intentional sharing not sharing of the full document. We are not sure who ended up with the original or if it was lost to time.

Having access to those parish records, I found most of the family and confirmed 3rd great grandma's surname as Collier. But I couldn't find the baptisms of the first three children nor the marriage record of my 3rd great grandparents. I was able to trace 3rd great grandpa's line back but not his wife's line. Once I squeezed every record I could out of that parish, I spread out and searched nearby parishes for the missing working out further and further from this center point -- the parish with my family's records. 

I kept in mind a birth location mentioned in the eldest child's marriage record just two weeks after she arrived in the United States. Fahrenwalde. Her groom was from Lützlow a village somewhat nearby her siblings' last residence. Duplicate transcripts of the Lützlow church books available through the Family History Library had been checked years ago and she and her family were not in that parish. Though the duplicate church records were a limited time frame they did cover the time frame I needed. So while checking parishes surrounding Wallmow and Schmölln for the missing marriage and baptisms I kept an eye out for other leads. Family lore was this 3rd great grandma was French Huguenot so I also looked at the available French Reformed Churches located in my growing circle of search.

In the Französiche-reformierte Gemeinde Bergholz parish (whose records are in French) I spotted a few Collier families from Fahrenwalde. But I did not spot my 3rd great grandma. This intrigued me so much that months later I decided to research these Colliers. Even though I had no evidence of a tie yet, my gut said they are related some how. So I searched and entered putting them in a tree. Based on holes (missing people) I came to the conclusion the answers are indeed in Fahrenwalde specifically the Evangelische Kirche Fahrenwalde. I suspected one particular family. At first it seemed grandma might be one of the daughters but birth dates did not match. Further research and tracing these kids forward I suspect 3rd great grandma is another daughter or a daughter of one of the older sons. In the process of tracing the siblings of this particular family to other parishes, I actually found another child for my 3rd great grandparents and one of the missing baptisms. Looking at baptismal sponsors for the children of these particular siblings, I found my 3rd great grandparents were occasionally involved as sponsors. Usually family is among these sponsors. Not always but quite often. But unfortunately no more specific clues could be drawn out as to if 3rd great grandma is one of the siblings or a niece.

Having run out of records in my circular search perimeter, I looked at our DNA matches. Though a search of the Collier surname didn't yield much of use, some of the other surnames did turn up in the matches. That particular family is related but I am still not sure how. In studying the likely father/grandfather of 3rd great grandma trying to take his lineage back further, I came to a theory about which guy of the same name and about the right age time frame was his father. And actually my theory expanded, that his father was likely married three times -- twice to two Huguenot descendant girls who died shortly after giving birth and then to a girl of German descent BUT ... the answers likely lie back in Fahrenwalde in the Evangelische Kirche there. Sigh. Even more patience needed. Those church records are not digitized and online yet, so though the earlier research is done I still can not make a connection or two.

While doing this research I also educated myself about the Huguenots -- their history and where/when they emigrated and the records they may have left and where to find them. Back however many years ago, when which ever groups were indexing these Huguenots they only indexed the Französiche-reformierte Gemeinde churches in this area. So if someone of Huguenot descent married a person of German descent and attended Evangelische Kirche they didn't follow those individuals and index those Evangelische churches too just the Französiche-reformierte churches.

With time left on my short-term subscription, I did play around further tracking some of these Huguenot Colliers whose origins were mentioned in the records back to Mannheim and Friesenheim along with a stop in Magdeburg. But I'm not back to France yet. I really need to fill in that black hole of missing information in Fahrenwalde. I had been grumpy that it seemed like all the records being added lately to Archion were from one Archive. I realized just before the turn of the year that it was the Magdeburg area being added and I might need those records in the future.

I'm less grumpy now. But still not so patiently waiting for more Vorpommern and Brandenburg parishes to be digitized and uploaded to the Archion.de website. And for some Mecklenburg parishes too. From where ever they digitized the Mecklenburg church record microfilms on Ancestry, they did not have them all. It seems no matter which research I try to pick up this month, something is always missing digitally. So to see some things I have to visit the nearest FamilySearch Center where I know the microfilms were at though I might be able to see some of them online when inside the FSC. Did you hear that genealogy angels/fairies? I have two vouchers to use this year along with one new one good for two years. I REALLY want some more church records at Archion.

My Genealogy Numbers for 2021 and again for 2022.

Further progress on my genealogy numbers will likely require a research trip to a specific document-rich location, or more original records to be digitized and uploaded to a website out there somewhere on the internet. Hopefully an adventuring archivist out there discovers long-forgotten records squirreled away in his/her archives and realizes their value to today's genealogists and historians and takes the effort to get these "newly found" records digitized and placed online so new discoveries and knowledge can be made by many. Or maybe a genealogy company can make some new agreements with some archives to make long-stored records accessible through digitization such as early census records and residential records researched by a well-known author of genealogy books, particularly those in the former Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Vorpommern and Brandenburg areas. (Just a thought.)

So how did I do this year with my Genealogy Numbers?

Recapping my numbers which are the same as last year, "My Overall Identified Ancestors Total and Overall Percentage" stands at 295 and .90% going back to my fifteenth generation or 12th great grandparents level. Most others have been comparing their numbers at the 10th generation level and in that case my numbers are -- 255 ancestors out of 1023 total for a 24.93% standing.

I made the form I use is in Microsoft Word and it will automatically calculate the percentages with a right-click of the mouse. Now I did not come up with this fun exercise, I simply made a form that will do the math for me and save me time. And decided it would be nice to share.

As in prior years, I still would like the genealogy angels/fairies if they are reading this to help with a few lines so I can fill out the sparse areas of my tree. I know my wants/wishes list is growing but I just want to remind  you of where I am stuck and in want of help. 

• My newest line I need help with is my Collier line. Please genealogy angels/fairies, please, let the Fahrenwalde parish in former Kreis Prenzlau be digitized an put on the Archion website. I really need that parish to answer those questions. And while you are at it more parishes from the former Vorpommern area and additional parishes from various areas of Mecklenburg.
• I still would like cousins testing their DNA like descendants of Vincent families of early 1800s Hastings and Prince Edward Counties in Ontario, Canada. Or whichever Vincent/Vinson family is the correct one! Joseph needs some parents and siblings and some ancestors -- he is now my shortest line. A photo of his two daughters hangs on the wall behind me. Come on girls, find me your daddy's lineage!
• Also nice would be Rider families of mid-1700s and later Dutchess County, New York, and perhaps some better clues showing where John came from prior to his being in Massachusetts and Rhode Island -- he needs some provable parents not the undocumented guesses.
• DNA matches for Samuel Rider's unnamed wife's family as well as other descendants of Samuel and her would be really, really helpful to figure out who she and her parents were -- perhaps giving us a possible DAR line? -- but at least names so I can connect them and trace them back in time.
• And for my beloved Dunham family, more answers/records to move the correct line of Deacon John Dunham back further in England. And, maybe for researchers to stop believing and holding on to the false lineage presented so long ago.

Hazzard descendants are still rolling in nicely in regards to DNA so thank you genealogy angels/fairies. I still don't know exactly when Anna died or what her husband's name was but I know a few of their kids now and their descendants. And, thank you genealogy angels/fairies for those German lines that I now know though I still have brick walls and questions galore there so more help there too please.

Good results with your research everyone in the coming year!


©2023 All Rights Reserved, GoneResearching. All text and photos in this post are copyrighted & owned by me (goneresearching) unless indicated otherwise. No republication (commercial or non-commercial) without prior permission. You may share (tell others) of this blog as long as you give credit and link to this site (not by downloading or copying any post). Thank you.

Year 2021 was a Great Year for Genealogy Here: How Many Ancestors Do You Know? Count Your Genealogy Numbers

My Genealogy Numbers Form

The last count of my genealogy numbers was in 2017. Things have been busy here. And though it seems contrary it has been even busier during these pandemic years keeping family safe. I am hoping to carve out some time to do more genealogy for my family. When I have had the time it has gone to necessary work for the organizations to which I belong. As many are doing I am trying to find a balance to fulfill all my interests and have-tos.

I am updating the link to My Genealogy Numbers Form from 2014 here. The form itself is the same but due to Blogger updates many older links do not work anymore. And updating the links themselves would likely update the older posts I think messing up this blog's history. As I have said before this form can be shared with others but the proper way to share it is to share the URL address to this blog or to the specific blog post containing the form. Please do not just physically share the Genealogy Number Form file (doc file) via email or your own website or distribute it via printed copies because I have not given anyone that permission. I'm simply saying tell them about it by sharing the URL address or linking to this blog/website. And that way each person can download the file for their own personal use, and I can get an idea of how many people are using the form. If you need an image of your own results, take a screen capture. That is what I did those that appear here.

Okay back to the form. Now this is not a who has the most "cards" or people in our genealogy program scenario. But rather a look at how many direct ancestors do you know in each generation where you know a first and last name OR at least a first name AND that you have some documentation to go with that linking generation to generation.

This is the fifth year I have counted "My Genealogy Numbers." You can find my 2014 numbers, 2015 numbers and 2016 numbers and 2017 numbers at their respective posts.

The reality is that very, very few -- if any of us -- will have all 100% results all the way back through the generations. Natural disasters, people, and a simple lack of recording information have a way of keeping us from the answers we seek. But still we try.

So did I learn anything or find any new direct ancestors since last year? Yes!

While my 2017 genealogy numbers were the same as my 2016 numbers, I did add a few ancestors in 2018 -- four 6th great grandparents, two 7th great grandparents and two 8th great grandparents. For 2019 the numbers stayed the same as 2018. Though I created forms for these in-between years I am not posting them here. It was more for personal reference that I defined what year I discovered what (or who) in my lineage tree.

In 2020 I had to remove a branch of my tree. It was not very big, just two generations, but it was far back and one I was fond of having. I finally found the marriage of a set of 4th great grandparents. It indicated that we had the wrong person identified as 4th great grandpa. Long ago I had checked the work of grandpa's cousins but there wasn't any information to disprove or prove he was the right guy. He had made sense but this newly found marriage clearly indicated the real guy. Luckily I only had to disconnect Dad's side because the parents of the wrong guy were also the parents of one of Mom's lines so I really didn't lose that line like most people would. It just meant Dad and Mom are not 5th cousins anymore. But the connection is likely further back -- same surname, same small area of villages. Hopefully the records hold out because I am getting back to the very early church records. So even though I lost a 4th great grandfather and two 5th great grandparents, I actually gained besides the right 4th great grandfather, four 5th great grandparents (the marriage record also gave the information needed to find her parents too), and two 6th great grandparents.

2021 started off good. In trying to connect one of those 2020 found 5th great grandmothers to the only other person of the same surname in the parish I finally made the connection in another parish. She and he were siblings not father/daughter. It was disappointing to "lose" my first possible von ... ancestor but instead of a new brick wall (where the heck where they married) I found the siblings' parents and more -- adding two 6th great grandparents and two 7th great grandfathers too. And the discovery that the new line was a line of Mühlers (the occupation not the surname) both wind and water millers. Unfortunately of the three mills involved so far, none have survived time but I know where they once stood.

Then in April 2021 I learned some fantastic news. The website for the partnership of the various Evangelische Kirche archives in Germany (called Archion.de) was finally uploading parishes from Kreis Prenzlau in Brandenburg and some parishes from Dad's side were included. This was an area where though the archive in Berlin had microfiche of the church books they were only viewable in Germany. Of course, I still need additional parishes to be digitized to continue my search of this line but I added one 3rd great grandfather, two 4th great grandparents, four 5th great grandparents, and five 6th great grandparents. For third great grandma -- I was right! We had four or five variations on her surname and my educated guess was right -- Collier. Now just be kind and give me access to your marriage record, the earliest kids' baptisms, and your lineage from your parents back. I'll do the work, I just need access.

I also learned in Spring that parishes from my grandmother's area of Vorpommern were being digitized and were expected to be uploaded to the Archion.de website in 2022. In September 2021 I had to start a Archion voucher (gift certificate) before it expired in December. So I worked on a line for a cousin which was collateral to me. As I was finishing tracing generations back on that cousin's line, I learned via email that those Vorpommern parishes (which included grandma's baptismal parish and a couple nearby parishes) were being uploaded in just weeks -- much earlier than originally thought. This too is an area that was not microfilmed and not all the parishes had copies in the regional archive. So access was only by writing postal letters or getting permission to visit the church and view the records (and affording to do so.)

I knew three of the parishes uploaded were ones I needed for grandma. Two I had visited -- too many ancestors and too little time -- and one I had not visited. I ended up following trails to two other of the uploaded parishes and trails to a few other churches further away not digitized yet. (My ancestors are getting closer to the Baltic Sea and Sweden! I don't want patronymic names -- it just does not sound like fun research. Unfortunately, I am getting into the time Sweden and Denmark controlled this area and the likelihood increases someone long, long ago came from Sweden or Denmark.) Of course, there are several churches nearby grandma's baptismal church where she has ancestors too that are not yet digitized either. And I am hoping and praying those parishes will allow their church books to be digitized and uploaded. 

With this first upload of Pommern parish church books, I also realized that one of the parishes uploaded had some of Mom's one line pass through for a time so I utilized those records too. Unfortunately this line was collateral not direct so no new adds there to my direct line. I am waiting for those parishes where Mom's direct line were to be digitized too.

What did I add to 2021's genealogy numbers for grandma? Four 3rd great grandparents (resulting in a completed generation), six 4th great grandparents, twelve 5th great grandparents, sixteen 6th great grandparents, nine 7th great grandparents and one 8th great grandparent. One of my favorite photos of grandma hangs on the wall behind me. So she was with me during this recent genealogy binge into her ancestry.

I am so happy. I can not wait for more Vorpommern and Brandenburg parishes to be digitized and uploaded to the Archion.de website. Did you hear that genealogy angels/fairies? I have two new vouchers and they are good to activate for up to two years.

My Genealogy Numbers for 2021

Though much progress has been made on My Genealogy Numbers, further progress will likely require  a research trip to a specific document-rich location, or more original records to be digitized and uploaded to a website out there somewhere on the internet. Hopefully an adventuring archivist out there discovers long-forgotten records squirreled away in his/her archives and realizes their value to today's genealogists and historians and takes the effort to get these "newly found" records digitized and placed online so new discoveries and knowledge can be made by many. Or maybe a genealogy company can make some new agreements with some archives to make long-stored records accessible through digitization such as early census records and residential records researched by a well-known author of genealogy books, particularly those in the former Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Vorpommern and Brandenburg areas. (Just a thought.)

So how did I do this year with my Genealogy Numbers?

I'd say this was a positive event year to put it mildly. As a recap from last time "My Overall Identified Ancestors Total and Overall Percentage" stands at 295 and .90% going back to my fifteenth generation or 12th great grandparents level. Most others have been comparing their numbers at the 10th generation level and in that case my numbers are -- 255 ancestors out of 1023 total for a 24.93% standing.

I made the form I use is in Microsoft Word and it will automatically calculate the percentages with a right-click of the mouse. Now I did not come up with this fun exercise, I simply made a form that will do the math for me and save me time. And decided it would be nice to share.

As in prior years, I still would like the genealogy angels/fairies if they are reading this to help with a few lines so I can fill out the sparse areas of my tree. 

• I still would like cousins testing their DNA like descendants of Vincent families of early 1800s Hastings and Prince Edward Counties in Ontario, Canada, Or whichever Vincent/Vinson family is the correct one! Joseph needs some parents and siblings and some ancestors -- he is now my shortest line. A photo of his two daughters hangs on the wall behind me. Come on girls, find me your daddy!
• Also nice would be Rider families of mid-1700s and later Dutchess County, New York, and perhaps some better clues showing where John came from prior to his being in Massachusetts and Rhode Island -- he needs some provable parents not guesses.
• DNA matches for Samuel Rider's unnamed wife's family as well as other descendants of Samuel and her would be really, really helpful to figure out who she and her parents were -- perhaps giving me a possible DAR line? -- but at least names so I can trace them back in time.
• And for my beloved Dunham family, more answers/records to move the correct line of Deacon John Dunham back further in England. And, maybe for researchers to stop believing and holding on to the false lineage presented so long ago.

Hazzard descendants are still rolling in nicely in regards to DNA so thank you genealogy angels/fairies. I still don't know when Anna died or what her husband's name was but I know a few of the kids now and their descendants. And, thank you genealogy angels/fairies for those German lines that I now know though I still have brick walls and questions galore there so more help there too please.

Good results with your research everyone in the coming year!


©2022 All Rights Reserved, goneresearching. All text and photos in this post are copyrighted & owned by me (goneresearching) unless indicated otherwise. No republication (commercial or non-commercial) without prior permission. You may share (tell others) of this blog as long as you give credit and link to this site (not by downloading or copying any post). Thank you.

FINALLY !!! My Ancestor's War of 1812 Pension Files were Digitized and Uploaded Today

It has been a long wait. And I realize some are still waiting.

It was a really frustrating weekend because the uploads stopped last week just four names from my ancestor's name and with just six names to finish off the RIDER surname. (Yes, there are two separate files for my ancestor.) But today my wait is FINALLY over.

Finally! The Rider surname is complete for the War of 1812 Pension Files.

I am referring to the War of 1812 Pension Files on the Fold3 website. The War of 1812 Pension Files are a digitization project between the National Archives, iArchive (Fold3) owned by Ancestry.com and the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) to digitize the War of 1812 pensions files which were never microfilmed but were one of the most heavily used non-microfilmed collections according to an early press release.

This project was started in 2010 with fundraising campaign, called Preserve the Pensions, to pay for the digitization of these fragile documents. These resulting digitized records will remain free to the public indefinitely. You can see (search, explore, and look at) these records today over at Fold3 for free without signing up for anything. If you want to download a record image or file then you just need to create a free membership level account. (No credit card needed.)

Six years after its start the fundraising was completed in September 2016. In review, it looks like the first images starting with the A surnames went up in April 2011. (I detailed some progress and a personal find in a February 2014 post.) The digitization project slowly progressed though a security problem discovered elsewhere at another archive resulted in a big delay of this project's progress. The delay was not explained until much later leaving genealogists and interested parties in the dark waiting for progress. The project resumed with a "proof of concept" test using M(Moore) thru Q surnames in September 2017 and if that went well the R to Z surnames would follow.

White's Index to War of 1812 Pension Files

But after finishing the Q surnames, the project's digitization jumped to "Robertson, John" skipping the "Ra... thru Robertson's with first names before John." That is about 2,698 files. (Yes, I counted. And I noticed at least some of the later Q surnames were skipped too.) The project had been progressing from A to Z alphabetically until then. If you have access to Virgil D. White's Index to War of 1812 Pension Files (2 volumes) you can see/check the progress and work done. I have noticed some Old War (War of 1812) pension files listed in the White's book have not been digitized but I have noticed if these Old War (War of 1812) files mention a widow's claim they tend to be included in the digitization. Perhaps these "missed" files are actually part of another collection? With libraries closed at present time I do not have access to the books and their front material that might explain if more than one record collection was accessed to create the index volumes.

In September 2019 I queried FGS about this unexplained jump and was simply told in the reply email that the R surnames were targeted to be completed in January 2020. A month later I queried FGS again about this completion target when after finishing the end of the R surnames the digitization continued on with S surnames instead of going back to the beginning of the R surnames that were skipped. I did not get a reply to that November email query.

Digitization continued thru the "St Oris" surname and then stopped. It was not until the first week of February that the skipped R surnames began to s-l-o-w-l-y appear on Fold3. So just eight days before the War of 1812 pension files started to appear on Fold3 in 2011 (nine years ago), my ancestor's files were digitized and uploaded today.

For those still waiting for their ancestor's surname, I commiserate. There are a couple S surnames that I am waiting on for some collateral lines. Need I say, Patience?

Now I should state that: yes, I have seen these files before because my family ordered photocopies of them thirty years ago. I believe there is a page or two we never received despite adding the "magic words" (please send the complete file) on the top of the triplicate form we mailed in so long ago. Unfortunately it is not a "family record" page from the family bible like I found in file of Amos/Clarissa Butler. But what makes this digitization project special is that the digitized images are in color not just black and white (grey-scale) and that color can make a big difference in readability of a document. And, it just looks better.

One page we received long ago was illegible because there was writing in two directions on top of each other on the same page. With the color we can now see it is green pencil written on top of black ink. (It took a long, long time for Mom to decipher much but not all of the "green" handwriting which on a black and white photocopy appeared black.) While that particular text ended up not being vital, it could have been. Remember we need to thoroughly read and analyze everything so we do not miss any clues that may yield our answers. 

So, now we get to sit and compare the digital color images to what we transcribed from the photocopied pension packet of thirty years ago. And, of course, add some new source citations to our genealogy program.

Oh, if you have not looked at Fold3 lately there is now the option to download a whole file into one PDF document with/without index and source data. That may appeal to some rather than having to download each page of a file separately.

I have been able to write just a few posts in the last few years. Life has been busy with family and more projects. One of my To-Do/bucket list items was accomplished in the downtime from this blog. I (and a sister) became members of the National Society United States Daughters of 1812 and our ancestor Seneca Rider (whose pension files are the subject of this post) is a new ancestor for the society. This is my first lineage society membership. Any other lineal female descendants of Seneca Rider just have to prove their lineage back to one of his children. (The General Society of the War of 1812, a separate group for male descendants of those who served in the War of 1812, has its own ancestor list/database so any lineal male descendants would have to prove their lineage to Seneca and his service if he is not already an accepted ancestor per that organization's requirements.)



©2020 All Rights Reserved, goneresearching. All text and photos in this post are copyrighted & owned by me (goneresearching) unless indicated otherwise. No republication (commercial or non-commercial) without prior permission. You may share (tell others) of this blog as long as you give credit and link to this site (not by downloading or copying any post). Thank you.

Belated Update 2017: How Many Ancestors Do You Know? Count Your Genealogy Numbers

For the last few years I have been Counting My Genealogy Numbers in January but as you can see it is now March — I am a little behind schedule. I have not worried about doing this task too much because my 2017 numbers did not change from last year, 2016.

I have had a few inquiries about my Genealogy Numbers Form lately. Yes this form can be shared with others but the proper way to share it is to share the URL address to this blog or to the specific blog post containing the form. (You can find the form on my 2014 numbers post.) Please do not just physically share the Genealogy Number Form file (doc file) via email or your own website or distribute it via printed copies because I have not given anyone that permission. I'm simply saying tell them about it by sharing the URL address or linking to this blog/website. And that way each person can download the file for their own personal use, and I can get an idea of how many people are using the form.

Okay back to the form. Now this is not a who has the most "cards" or people in our genealogy program scenario. But rather a look at how many direct ancestors do you know in each generation where you know a first and last name OR at least a first name AND that you have some documentation to go with that linking generation to generation.

My Genealogy Numbers Form

This is the fourth year I have counted "My Genealogy Numbers." You can find my 2014 numbers, 2015 numbers and 2016 numbers at their respective posts.

The reality is that very, very few -- if any of us -- will have all 100% results all the way back through the generations. Natural disasters, people, and a simple lack of recording information have a way of keeping us from the answers we seek. But still we try.

So did I learn anything or find any new direct ancestors since last year? No.

My Genealogy Numbers are still exactly where they were one year and a couple months ago. Illnesses, surgeries, and other stuff in life in 2016 made little time for researching those end of liners that usually require a research trip to a specific document-rich location, or renting of microfilm for documents that are not digitized yet and might never be digitized.

My Genealogy Numbers at the start of 2017, exactly the same as the start of 2016.

So how did I do this year with my Genealogy Numbers?

Well they did not change so let us say neutral — neither a positive or negative event. As a recap from last year "My Overall Identified Ancestors Total and Overall Percentage" stands at 229 and .70% going back to my fifteenth generation or 12th great grandparents level. Most others have been comparing their numbers at the 10th generation level and in that case my numbers are -- 193 ancestors out of 1023 total or an 18.87% standing.

I made the form I use is in Microsoft Word and it will automatically calculate the percentages with a right-click of the mouse. You can find my form and learn how to count your genealogy numbers on my 2014 Genealogy Numbers post. Now I did not come up with this fun exercise, I simply made a form that will do the math for me and save me time.

I still would like the genealogy angels/fairies if they are reading this to help with a few third-great grandparents so I can fill out the sparse areas of my tree but I would not say no to more cousins testing their DNA like descendants of Vincent families of early 1800s Hastings and Prince Edward Counties in Ontario, Canada; Rider of mid-1700s and later Dutchess County, New York; and Dunham of 1700s and later in Connecticut and Dutchess County, New York. Hazzard descendants have been rolling in nicely and it is looking very promising so thank you genealogy angels/fairies. While I got your attention, maybe some of those German lines of mine too if it is not too much. DNA testers who match on any of my lines might help my numbers by perhaps giving me clues as to where to concentrate my searches.

Good results with your research everyone in the coming year!

©2017 All Rights Reserved, goneresearching. All text and photos in this post are copyrighted & owned by me (goneresearching) unless indicated otherwise. No republication (commercial or non-commercial) without prior permission. You may share (tell others) of this blog as long as you give credit and link to this site (not by downloading or copying any post). Thank you.

A Couple Birthdays Simply Remembered

October 7, 2016

Happy Birthday (164th) second great grandmother Sarah Eliza Vincent and (81st) D.

Update 2016: How Many Ancestors Do You Know? Count Your Genealogy Numbers

It is that time of year again when some of us take stock and determine what are our genealogy numbers.

Now this is not a who has the most "cards" or people in our genealogy program scenario. But rather a look at how many direct ancestors do you know in each generation where you know a first and last name OR at least a first name AND that you have some documentation to go with that linking generation to generation.

My Genealogy Numbers Form

This is the third year I have counted "My Genealogy Numbers." You can find my 2014 numbers and 2015 numbers at their respective posts.

The reality is that very, very few -- if any of us -- will have all 100% results all the way back through the generations. Natural disasters, people, and a simple lack of recording information have a way of keeping us from the answers we seek. But still we try.

So have I learned anything or found any new direct ancestors since last year? Yes.

Among my 7th great grandparents in the tenth generation I decided one grandmother did not meet my proof requirement so I decided to remove her from my tally causing my percentage to fall a little. I did however add four more 9th great grandparents; two more 10th great grandparents; and three more 11th great grandparents. I also have two 12th great grandparents now!

Looking back, research in 2015 did not go too bad even if I did not have as much time to spend researching. One thing that helped me last year was the New England Historic Genealogical Society giving free access on its AmericanAncestors.org website to a few databases that are not part of the normal society membership. That got me researching further back on some lines that I had not gotten to yet. The addition of more digitized wills and probates at FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com websites also helped.

My Genealogy Numbers at the Start of 2016.

So how did I do this year with my Genealogy Numbers?

Most of my numbers went up in the more distant generations. So "My Overall Identified Ancestors Total and Overall Percentage" now stands at 229 and .70% going back to my fifteenth generation or 12th great grandparents level. Most others have been comparing their numbers at the 10th generation level and in that case my numbers went down slightly -- 193 ancestors out of 1023 total or 18.87%. (That one 7th great grandmother I removed.)

I made the form I use is in Microsoft Word and it will automatically calculate the percentages with a right-click of the mouse. You can find my form and learn how to count your genealogy numbers on my 2014 Genealogy Numbers post.

So if the genealogy angels/fairies are still reading I have a few more requests in regards to my research ... like a few third great grandparents I would really like to learn more about including their lineage. That would really help my numbers.


©2016, goneresearching. All text and photos in this post are copyrighted & owned by me (goneresearching) unless indicated otherwise. No republication (commercial or non-commercial) without prior permission. You may share (tell others) of this blog as long as you give credit and link to this site (not by downloading or copying any post). Thank you.

Intriguing DNA Match May Be First Lead Regarding Anne Rider Hazzard ... Maybe

An Intriguing DNA Match ... Maybe

It has been way too long since I have been able to post anything here. Life's commitments elsewhere shrunk my genealogy time which was often spent on genealogy group things not my own. Resolutions don't appear to work for me so I'm just going to try harder at the things I want to do.

After spending four days upgrading a family member's laptop from Vista to Windows 7, I decided I had earned some goof off time. While reviewing our DNA matches the other week an intriguing match gave me an excuse to follow a bright shiny object to see where it might lead. It may or may not pay off later.

I say bright shiny object because normally with a DNA match I do more diligent work DNA-wise before diving into the genealogy when I don't see a common ancestor in the match's attached tree or a known person also in my tree. But in this case it was too intriguing to just simply note the possibility and revisit it later.

Back in the 1990s we were stuck on one of Dad's third great grandfathers. Eventually we learned Seneca Rider, who was living in Madoc Township, Hastings, Ontario, Canada, in the mid 1800s, was from Albany County, New York, but we could not find any clues to his parents. On a visit to the Archives of Ontario we finally found a Rider family connection but still had no idea which Rider son was Seneca's father. There were a handful to choose from and about half were not researched by anyone. I had a gut feeling about one Rider son but "gut feelings" don't really count as proof. It took few more years and a visit to the Albany County Hall of Records and the Surrogate's Office to find a will with the answers ... and more questions, of course.

From the will we learned Seneca's parents were Samuel Rider and his "wife" (there's the first new question) and he had siblings Anne Rider, Joel Rider and David Rider. Researching Joel and David was easy; most done that night in the hotel via internet. Researching Samuel had its ups and downs. We are still no where with determining who was Seneca's mother -- we don't even have a first name! The only other thing we learned about Anne (our second new question) came from Joel's probate administration in 1856 ... "children of Ann Hazzard (supposed to be dead) also next of Kin." The 1911 fire in Albany destroyed or water damaged a lot of historical records including probate records thus the loose papers for both Samuel and Joel's probates do not exist.

So the grand total of what we know about Anne Rider Hazzard is: born sometime prior to 1790 in Dutchess County, New York; her husband was a Hazzard whose first name is unknown to us; she had children whose names and sex are unknown; her place of residence is unknown to us; and she was possibly deceased before 1856. This grand total of knowledge has not changed since it was learned.

We usually keep an eye out for our various surnames while researching because you never know what scrap of information might help in the future. So throughout the years I have investigated possibilities for Anne, primarily in New York, but nothing had panned out to be our Anne. One interesting fact we've always been aware of is that grandpa Seneca is buried in Hazzard's Corners Cemetery in Madoc Township. We had wondered could it be a relation but peaking around that Hazzard family did not pan out any clues at the time either. (This was mostly done in the beginning days of genealogy on the internet.)

So if you got a DNA match to a Hazzard or should I say the "Joseph Hazzard" of Hazzard's Corners wouldn't you chase the "bright shiny object" too? Just in case.

I started with the Ontario census to refresh my memory of Joseph Hazzard, his wife Elsy Lloyd and his family. By his birth year 1797 and birth place United States (mostly) he could be a candidate for being a child of my "aunt" Anne Rider Hazzard.

Next came a review of online trees. I don't trust the vast majority of online trees to be correct but reviewing what is out there should be done to be thorough. After playing around with the search parameters for just a tree search at Ancestry.com, I determined that I saw the most "appropriate" trees using:  Joseph with exact checked; Hazzard; 1797 birth year exact; spouse of last name Lloyd. This returned 43 public trees and 14 private trees. Of the 43, four results had a different wife; 26 had the right wife but no parents; and 13 had the right wife but gave him parents Rowland Hazzard (born Rhode Island and died Dutchess Co., NY) and Mary Pease/Peace. Though I was a little concerned by these parents I continued on knowing there are a lot of errors in online trees. In this case the majority of trees did not have parents listed. Of the 14 private trees, all I could see was they matched the search parameters Joseph Hazzard born 1797.

I then moved onto Ontario Vital Records and Michigan Vital Records where most of the trees indicated some of his children lived. My main focus was on death and marriage records for the information provided regarding the birth places of Joseph and wife Elsy's children and the birth location of Joseph provided either by a child when marrying or the child's informant upon death.

Joseph Hazzard appears to have gotten away without a death certificate/record of his own. Though that was disappointing it likely would not have answered the question of his parents since it was not always asked for the certificates. From these various vital records Joseph's children birth places varied: Fredericksburg, Addington, Madoc, and the generic Canada. From these various vital records Joseph's birth place was given as: New York, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania.

Since no one could agree on an answer for Joseph's birth I then looked at this from another angle: who was this Rowland Hazzard? Taking a closer look I saw he died in Dutchess County, New York, and left a will. Much of his property mentioned was in other states. He did have a son Joseph but there was no indication from the will of where Joseph was residing. So then I sought out any published genealogies on the Hazzard family.

That brought me to the Internet Archive and the digitized version of "The Hazzard Family of Rhode Island 1635-1894" by Caroline E. Robinson. On pages 77 and 78 Rowland Hazard and wife Mary Peace are detailed showing their connection to Rhode Island and that Rowland died in Dutchess County, New York. Their son Joseph is described as Joseph Peace Hazard born 17 Feb. 1807 in Burlington, New Jersey, and that the family removed to Bristol, Pennsylvania, afterwards. The author also states that their son Joseph Peace Hazard toured Europe in 1856 and that he spent much time abroad until 1879. Joseph Peace Hazard's death is noted as being at the residence of his brother Rowland G. Hazard in Peacedale, Rhode Island.

Based on dates and locations, it is pretty clear the Joseph Hazzard of Madoc, Hastings, Ontario, Canada, is not the son of Rowland Hazard and Mary Peace. A check of original records would further confirm this.

Published genealogies are derivative sources and vary greatly in quality even when they do include sources. When you use them always realize that you still have to do your genealogy work and look at original records or images of those original records like microfilm and digital images.

Having eliminated the "Are Rowland and Mary his parents?" question I turned back to Joseph Hazard and locating earlier documents or signs of earlier documents. The early 1800s for what was Upper Canada now Ontario is a sort of "black hole" for genealogists. For what little is available, much of it is not online though some has been indexed/abstracted/transcribed and published.

The children's birth places though varied gave indication of where Joseph and Elsy were prior to residing in Madoc. So my search began there with websites focusing on Hastings County, Lennox and Addington County, Prince Edward County and The Bay of Quinte. Very little information was found though I did learn he owned land in Thurlow Township, Hastings, Ontario, from about 1822 to 1823. I did see that there is another Hazzard family that was Friends (Quaker) in Prince Edward County but there appears to be no connection between the two families. Also, a "Jacob Hazzard" is mentioned as among the first settlers of Madoc Township, The name (no other details) appears in the same list of people mentioned in two books. As of right now a search (primarily internet) of any possible parents of Joseph has come up with no solid leads.

Then I turned to a newer online resource that takes a little getting used to how to work with it. At the Library and Archives of Canada (LAC) website under Genealogy and Family History are a variety of databases and digitized microfilm of original documents. Under the Land category are several databases including the Land Petitions of Upper Canada, 1763-1865. Now a lot of genealogists hear land petition in Canada and think United Empire Loyalist but these petitions do not just cover loyalists or the sons and daughters of loyalists. There were a variety of regulations over the years so these petitions not only include loyalist related petitions but also petitions of military and civilian settlers.

I have used this land petitions database before and found much success with it but Hazzard was not a surname I had checked before. A check Upper Canada Land Petitions Search Engine for Hazzard produced just two results: one for a Joseph Hazzard with the place Thurlow and one for a Elsy Hazzard/Lloyd with the place Madoc. A check for Hazard produced four results: a Thomas Hazard of King; Henry Hazard of Sherington and two for Lot Hazard of Murray. (No connection between the Joseph Hazzard I seek and these last three Hazard men has been found as of yet.)

For many of the digitized collections at LAC, the one thing to note is that the search database is separate from the digitized images. So rather than clicking a link in the results table you have to use information in the results table to manually locate (aka browse) for the images on another webpage containing the digitized microfilm rolls. I find it easier to use the archived pages of the Upper Canada Land Petitions microfilm then getting the similar page to come up on the new LAC website.

What did the petition of Joseph Hazzard -- yes, it is our guy -- say? The petition for Joseph Hazzard was enlightening but did not fully answer the question of his parents identity.

Library & Archives Canada

digital film# c-2045, image 00471
135
To His Honors
Samuel Smith Esquire Administrator administering the Government of the Province of Upper Canada and ___ and ___ and ___ In Council

The Petition of Joseph Hazzard now of the Township of Thurlow, yeoman, Humbly Showeth,
That Your Petitioner was born in the State of the New York, that he has resided in this Province about twenty three years, that his Father is dead, that is Mother is alive, that he is the only son now alive of their issue, that he had a Brother who served in the Glengarry Fencibles, that the said Brother was Killed in action with the Enemy at Fort George on the 27th of May 1813, that your Petitioner obtained a certificate from L.Colonel Battersby who commanded that Regiment which stated that your Petitioner's Brother was killed as above stated, that your Petitioner applied to Sir F. P. Robinson to obtain the Land to which his Brother would have been entitled had he survived the War, that Sir F. P. Robinson promised to send the said Certificate to York

digital film# c-2045, image 00471

135a

Library & Archives Canada

that he has not since seen the said certificate nor can he learn where it is, that he is now desirous of obtaining an order for one hundred acres of land to be located in the name of his deceased Brother James Hazzard, which may be hereafter claimed by his Heirs, that your Petitioner has taken the Oath of Allegiance required by law and has never received any land or order for land from the Crown.

Wherefore your Petitioner prays that your Honor will be please to order to have located one hundred acres of land in the name of his deceased Brother to be claimed by his heirs.

As Petitioner will ever pray

Joseph Hazzard

York

27th March 1820

Library & Archives Canada

digital film# c-2045, image 00471

135b

[center fold]

H 13 no. 135

The Petition of Joseph Hazzard for Land in the name of his deceased Brother

[?]

Entered in Land Book [?] Office page 474

29th Oct. 1823

The Surveyor General is requested to report here the information of the Honorable Executive Council By Command

[hard to read signature]

It does not appear that the Petitioner's Brother James Hazzard ever received any land.

[left fold]

5 Nov. 1823

recommended for 100 acres

Recommended that on Location of 100 acres be made to be claimed before the commission to ascertain the title to land by the Heir of James Hazzard a deceased soldier J.B. P.[?].

Order issued 10th Nov. 1823

[right fold]

Land as a soldier of the late Glengarry Fencibles

Thos. Ridout

S. Gene. [not sure if signature or title]

Sgd.[?] 29 Oct 1823

Another Petitioner for [?] of [?]

He did not Survive the War

Upper Canada Land Petitions, 1783-1865, database index and images. Library and Archives of Canada website citing Upper Canada Land Petitions, "H" Bundle 13, 1821-1823 (RG 1, L3, vol. 230(a)), microfilm c-2045, digital images 00471-00473
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/microform-digitization/006003-119.02-e.php?q3=2470&sqn=471&tt=950&q2=29&interval=&PHPSESSID=477mhpge8jbjrb0h0he82d0101

So from this document with Joseph Hazzard's signature dated 27 March 1820 we learn in this own words that Joseph Hazzard was born in the state of New York; his father is dead by 1820; his mother is alive as of 1820; he had one brother James Hazzard who died in the War of 1812; and that Joseph was brought to Upper Canada 23 years prior or sometime shortly after his birth in 1797.

This provides further proof that Joseph Hazzard who resided and died in Madoc Township, Hastings, Ontario, was not a son of Rowland Hazzard who died in 1835. It does not prove any relationship to my Anne Rider Hazzard but it does not rule out a relationship either. I sincerely hope that no one runs out and puts Anne Rider as the mother of this Joseph Hazzard after reading this post. We have not found proof of his parents yet. We have just found clues to direct our search. (You can, however, remove Rowland and Mary as his parents.)

From Elsy Lloyd Hazzard's land petition dated 15 October 1834 we learn that she is the daughter of George Henry Lloyd late of the township of Fredericksburgh of Midland District a U.S. Loyalist; she is married; is requesting 200 acres of land as a daughter of a Loyalist; that James Nelson Lloyd (no relationship stated) made oath that Elsy was who she said she is; that Elsy was living in Madoc Township by 1834; her father is deceased; and that both Elsy Hazzard and James Lloyd could not write their names. Joseph, Elsy's husband, is not specifically mentioned in this petition. By the way, Elsy Lloyd Hazzard's first name has be found spelled Elcy, Elcey and Elsie in various documents. I have used Elsy the earliest spelling which appears in her land petition.

From here I investigated what I could regarding Joseph's brother James Hazzard for any possible leads to their parents. I was able to confirm his military service which had the notation of first being thought a prisoner of war and then acknowledged as deceased. Nothing further can be learned at this point because the regiment's records are located in London, England. There is a book on the regiment which was added to my Research To Do List for when I get to a library that has it in its holdings. (None are close by to me.) I hope it can provide further information about James Hazzard.

So where do I go from here?

Well, if I want to continue to pursue this lead I will need to add to my Research To Do List any published books for the areas and time frames I am dealing with that look like they might have potential. I am most likely to find these books at larger libraries like a state library/archive or a destination library like the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I will need to review any photocopies from resources that I have already looked at to see if I have any previous notes that now might make sense. I will also need to look at land and probate records starting with the abstract indexes for Hastings County and Lennox And Addington County in Ontario. These land and probate records are on microfilm and can be rented from the familysearch.org website to view at a local Family History Center at a Latter Day Saints of Jesus Christ Church. (You don't have to be Mormon to use a Family History Center.)

But I also have work to do DNA-wise. This match only appears on one of three possible tests I manage. I would be more confident of the match had it appeared on at least two of our tests. But the match appears at both AncestryDNA and Family Tree DNA and it is a closer match than it should be -- possibly due to endogamy though I still have to rule out that it is just by chance.

What ever happens it was a nice diversion to "goof off" and knock the dust off my genealogy searching.

©2016, goneresearching. All text and photos in this post are copyrighted & owned by me (goneresearching) unless indicated otherwise. No republication (commercial or non-commercial) without prior permission. You may share (tell others) of this blog as long as you give credit and link to this site (not by downloading or copying any post). Thank you. 

Quaker Records for Canada Just Added to Ancestry.com -- Hip, Hip, Hooray!!!!

It was not there last night but today not so long ago I discovered that Ancestry.com has added Quaker Meeting Records, 1787-1988, for Canada.

This database collection includes not only digital images but also an searchable index. YEAH!

Based on what I have seen in the database, the records were digitized from the black and white microfilm copies of the original books. I used a set of these same microfilms while at the Archives of Ontario on a trip a few years ago. I made a lot of progress in my research from that trip and now I expect to make even more thanks to this searchable index.

I have already discovered what appears to be a request for a removal certificate for my fifth great grandfather. (I'm not sure if we found this on our trip since I have not finished processing my finds.) His son with the same name had long returned to New York. And only one child lived in this particular area and none of his family carried the same name as my fifth great grandfather. So it is looking good that I found him. I just need to analyze everything more carefully.

Of course that leaves the question still: what happened to fifth great grandmother? Hopefully, I'll find out soon.

As a side note, I am still working on my Clean-Up My Act but my progress was severely slowed by a presentation I was asked to give earlier this month and participation in creating a beginning genealogy workshop. Just last night I was able to make some progress on the next Clean Up My Act step I had planned to take a few weeks ago. Hopefully, these Quaker records are not too much of a "follow the bunny down the hole" distraction and I keep to my intended Clean up My Act work this week.

©2015, goneresearching. All text and photos in this post are copyrighted & owned by me (goneresearching) unless indicated otherwise. No republication (commercial or non-commercial) without prior permission. You may share (tell others) of this blog as long as you give credit and link to this site (not by downloading or copying any post). Thank you.

First Special Service Force from World War II Receives Congressional Gold Medal of Honor

Two days ago, the First Special Service Force from World War II as an entire unit received the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor. The elite strike force, composed of U.S. and Canadian soldiers, was also known as "The Devil's Brigade."

Gentleman, both living and those passed on (including cousin Emil), congratulations and thank you for your service.

©2015, goneresearching. All text and photos in this post are copyrighted & owned by me (goneresearching) unless indicated otherwise. No republication (commercial or non-commercial) without prior permission. You may share (tell others) of this blog as long as you give credit and link to this site (not by downloading or copying any post). Thank you.

A Genealogy Do-Over Year? Not Quite. Instead I'm doing a Genealogy Clean Up My Act Year

What is a Genealogy Do-Over and do I need one? 

Start My Genealogy Over From Scratch?

It is a learning experience spearheaded by professional genealogist Thomas MacEntee who owns High-Definition Genealogy and leads the GeneaBloggers community among other things. Essentially those taking part in the learning experience, which began January 2nd, will follow MacEntee "as he basically starts his genealogy research from scratch but includes sound research practices and methodologies as well as new templates, tools and the latest technology to create a better body of family history research." The Do-Over is just starting the third of the thirteen week program.

I thought about this for a while after it was announced December 15, 2014. Do I need a Genealogy Do-Over? And the more I thought about it, the more I thought: No.

But I do need a Genealogy Clean Up My Act Year.

What's the difference? Well, first I am not frustrated by past research practices. When I seriously started my genealogy 20 or so years ago I started on a good base. I read how-to books. I took a genealogy class offered at one of my local libraries. (My mom and sister took one the year before offered through the local adult community education of the community college.) Both had good instructors. And I joined a local genealogy group -- actually two of them though one no longer exists.

All of these things I did at the beginning taught me what original resources to look at (vital records, census, cemeteries, probate, land, etc.) and good research practices to follow (record what you know and how you know it so you know what you don't know and can find back what you found in case you or someone else needs to look at it again.) It also ingrained into me: 1. Do not just accept what is printed in a book (especially a family history without sources) or what someone says without proof; 2. Do your own research so you know whether a fact is right or not; 3. Cite your sources. Later I would add: 4. Don't stop at an index, transcript or abstract -- seek out the original source yourself if you can do so because there is likely more information to be learned.

Does this mean my genealogy is perfect? No. As many are aware: researching is more fun than entering and documenting what you found. So I have more research done than what is entered into my genealogy program. But what is in my genealogy database is well researched and pretty-well documented though not in the current way due to changes in genealogy programs over the years. Putting it all aside does not make sense to me.

So my Clean Up My Act Year begins for me with my genealogy program. My main genealogy database has been on an old mac computer in an older version of a genealogy program I loved dearly. Before I can begin anything else I need to get that genealogy database into a genealogy program on my current computer, a PC.

This monumental task, that I have been picking at for several years, is what has been hindering me from doing a lot of things I want to do.

• Have my research in one spot, not multiple files that are slivers of the whole tree. (See the next bullet.)
• Be able to work on something for more than two hours at a time. (The limit of the battery -- long story there.)
• Have my program tell me a relationship rather than having to figure it out on paper. (A minor problem which is the result of slivered files.)
• Be able to better add photos and document images to the database. (Older programs do not support this well.)
• Publish an article or book on certain branches of my family. (That is my big goal.)

The first time I made a GEDCOM from the mac program to take to the PC program I discovered a big problem with the transfer on top of the thousands of errors in the transfer report. Since I used slashes in the name field to indicate name variations I ended up with wrong names for a lot of people. What I had not known prior is that in GEDCOM language anything between two slashes / / indicates a surname. So Laas/Claas/Lars JENSSEN became Laas CLAAS which is obviously wrong. The new program saw Claas between the first set of slashes and completely ignored the later correct set of slashes for the right surname, JENSSEN.

After fixing that problem I noticed a problem with the transfer of the prefix title and suffix title. Once I fixed that I knew my note fields were the biggest problem and the cause of so many errors in the transfer. The old mac program I used supported multiple note fields meaning I could define one for research, one for land, one for probate, one for military, etc. Though the older PC version of the mac program supports the same multiple note fields, current genealogy programs usually support just one note field. Though there is one program that supports three note fields it still meant I had a lot of work to do in order to not completely lose that information. So that is where I stood for a long time. Occasionally working on the note fields and not getting any further.

The Genealogy Do-Over inspired me to commit myself to a Genealogy Clean Up My Act.

Act 1, Scene 1 -- Get My Genealogy Database Ready to GEDCOM.
Started: Dec. 29, 2014 - Completed: January 18, 2015
I finally analyzed and made a doable, trackable plan for how to check and manually merge the note fields of 7,000+ individuals in my database so each only used the one main note field for that person. Clearly, working here and there in the file and not knowing for sure who I had adjusted did not work.

Tracking My Progress Using My Pedigree.

I decided to follow the path of my pedigree. Starting with my parents I checked the note situation for them and all of their descendants. When completed I used a removable sticky note tab to mark that section completed on the cascading pedigree printout. Then choosing one branch I worked my way back by each "grandparent set" checking their note fields and those of their descendants. Doing it this way helped to not forget any collateral relatives. This task took a long time but there was no way to do it automatically.

Once I finally got through everyone, I did searches for anyone with any text in the note fields I had emptied. Since very few note fields contained the same text, I used a "Wheel of Fortune" method to check the fields: Find any note of this kind containing this letter. The letters I used to check each note field were: e, a, i, n, s. And it turns out I missed a few or mistakenly condensed the notes to the wrong field. So it was good to perform a search to check my work. In the process I also discovered about six unconnected persons floating in my file. These are ones without parents, spouses or children. So rather than let these "Clooneys" float in space I connected them where they should have been connected. I also performed a specific search for unconnected persons in case any did not have text in a note field. I think two unconnected individuals are duplicates so I added a specific text phrase to their note fields so I can seek them out again once I have their papers/information in front of me.

I completed this work yesterday, made the GEDCOM and brought it into a "modern" genealogy program.

Act 1, Scene 2 -- Clean Up the New Database Made from the GEDCOM
Started: January 18, 2015 --
I wish I could have brought the GEDCOM into an empty file I have set up with all my program preferences already set but unfortunately the program I am using will only let you bring a GEDCOM into a fresh, new file. I guess this is one way to protect your database from becoming a mess. So my first step was to make sure the program settings for this database file were what I desired. (Each database file can have some different settings so I compared my options to screen captures from a database file that is already set up with my preferences.)

Now just because I cleaned up my database prior to making the GEDCOM it does not mean that I ended up with a perfect, new database file ready to go. No, that would be too easy.

Though all this work in the old program reduced thousands of errors to just twelve in the GEDCOM transfer, which I can handle manually, at present I have two major tasks ahead.

1. Clean up/fix the existing sources so they conform to the newer way sources are handled in GEDCOM. (I could not do this in the old program.)
2. Clean up/fix the formatting of the text in the Note Field. (The majority of the time formatting such as bold, italic, etc is lost during GEDCOM transfers.) 

I have combined these two tasks into the same "scene" because some text from the notes will now end up in the source citations and a summary of the event/source will end up in the note field in more of a narrative format, hopefully. To keep track of where I am in this "scene" I have determined that printing out my source list from my old program and using it as a guide will help me in accomplishing this next task in the new program.

That is where I currently stand with my Genealogy Clean Up My Act Year -- Act 1, Scene 2. So what do I see ahead for Cleaning Up My Act Year?

Though I do not have a full agenda/task list, I can see that once the new database file is cleaned up and ready for use then the next "Act" will be cleaning up and organizing the genealogy files on the computer. The basic structure of my file naming and organization is already present and the majority of the files conform to my naming method. But it is those errant files from researching binge sessions that will need to go into the correct Add-to folder for each branch. I have Add-to folders so I do not mix my files already attached in my genealogy program files with those that have not been. This is one way I know what I need to do yet for this not so fun side of genealogy. (I'll likely explain my filing naming/organization method later.)

From there I will need to merge the slivers of my tree already in separate files of the modern genealogy program into my new main database file. I want to do this last so I can better manage any duplicate sources between the database files.

Once I have my digital base/foundation reconstructed then I can better get down to researching and cleaning up that process, Act 3 perhaps? Or should scanning or other matters be Act 3? I will keep an eye on the Genealogy Do-Over tasks/agenda for ideas I may want to incorporate once I am to the point of being able to incorporate them. I felt I could not call this my Genealogy Do-Over because by the time I am done cleaning up the Do-Over will be done.

Now that said, I am not saying that I will not be doing any research while working on Act 1. I do have to keep up with all those new database collections being released.


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