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Monday, April 30, 2012

Who Are Your Neighbors?

 Who Are Your Neighbors?

This is a duel statement. This applies to now and the past.  Let's first cover now.

 1. Who are your neighbors in genealogical research?
 2. Who in the society you belong to are you linked to?  Not a clue you say?
 3. Are you aware of others researching in the same area as you are? How many are you?
 4. Are you duplicating research instead of working as a team?
 5. Do you use RootsWeb.com Home Page ?

 Now let's cover the past.

 1.  You have a CENSUS with many names on it, we hope.
 2.  You may have a WILL with many names on it, At least four or five generally.
 3.  Apply the steps above to this time era.
 4.  Who was your ancestor's neighbor?
          a. What was his relationship with the neighbors?
          b.  Did they practice a religion/ faith?
          c.  What school did their children go  to?
          d.  Where did they buy their durable goods? ie cloth,  medical tonics?
          c.  Do you know the history of their local town?
          e.  Who were the  merchants there?
          f.   Read about the people of the town and region.
          g.  Who were the key townspeople of that time?
          h.  Did they have a mortuary? Or did they let the Doctor
               handle the burial detail?
          i.   Did they have a Doctor, lay medical person?
          j.   Did they have a grist Mill?
          h.  Live near a river or lake?
          i.  What was their terrain like?
                  1a. Flat, hilly, steep, rocky, little or no trees or many trees.
   
   
   Come to the class and learn why all these things are important in your research,  especially when we
   digging for missing clues and links.

   2 May Lemon Grove Library, 8073  Broadway, Lemon Grove, 91945   6 to 8 p m.

   It sets behind the Anna's Rest. in the back of the court area.

  All Rights Reserved  by Susi Pentico

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Citing Sources Information

Citing Sources Information by Susi

Over on this web site at this url you will find a talk about how to help capture and source some of your work if your just starting out.



All rights reserved.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Northampton County, Pennsylvania


Northampton County was settled in 1720 and county was created in 1752 from taking land from then Bucks County.  Be aware Bucks County boundaries have changed. 

Early maintained records on film,  in the 1700's are: Deeds 1752, Mortgages 1752, Orphan's Court 1752, Survey and Warrants 1734. Also on film are: Tax's 1761,Will's 1752, Election Returns 1756, and many kinds of Militia and Provincial Officers 1729 for them.

According to the Pennsylvania Line by Iscrupe there is data you can retrieve from the Library of Congress. I have used it once for a landowner map. Northampton Co. #779  for 1860 is for this county.

You write to to the L of C for a quote and send back the form with the fees to the L of C and then you wait several weeks to receive your map.

They the L of C  has also topographical maps to help study the lay of the land as to whether kin went up a valley or down a river, stream to reach the next area. I love using maps. 

I use a map to carry with me and it has the various names in various colors to designate where I find the lines. Then you can mark the way they possibly took to reach their new destination. 

George Schweitzer, showed us on a big wall map how he tracked his line to Missouri doing this many years ago and it was a lasting impression. Better still if you have a blank spot you can check where along that trail they may have lost someone or some one decided to stay and not go forward. Yes, sometimes they even turned around and went back to where they came.

There are many great resources for this county. They produced 5 books on the History of this county:
1856, 1877, 1879, 1920, 1926, and 1953. There are Family histories, Bible, Directories, Delayed birth, Cemetery, Atlas, DAR, and other Military records for the finding.  I like that they have filmed the Provincial Officers for 1729,  1785-6. The later a time for transition for this county.  Remember early you may need to look at records in England prior to the creation of the United States. 

Seven known types of religions have been recorded. There are libraries to research in besides the Historical Society's. Moravian Archives Library in Bethlehem is one.

It would be awesome if those researching in this area would share any new sources they have found to help other researchers. It would also be great if you have a favorite url to use if that was shared for  people to learn of also. 

Also advocating you use the rootsweb lists for places and names to help in your research. The PaGenweb.org site ie usgenweb.org converted has a place to post queries people should use.
Having gotten replies from queries that are more than 15 years old I can tell you they work.

Remember the boundaries change as more people moved in creating more counties so where to look is going to have a big consequence in your research if your looking in one area and not the other.

Remembering that it was bound on the north by New York, the NW by the Indian Lands, Berks to the SW and W, Bucks County to the South, and a wee portion of Philadelphia on the SW corner at the time of it's creation. 

Information is personally learned from research and the usgenweb.org, pagenweb.org, various books   on hand. The Pennsylvania Line by Iscrupe, Pennsylvania Genealogical Research by George Schweitzer, The Source, Written Sources by Ancestry and various other books on my shelves. Also by speakers whom have spoke on this area in talks.


http://www.northamptonctymuseum.org/index.html

http://www.rootsweb.com/~njdlvgc/




Thursday, April 19, 2012

Berks Co. Pennsylvania, USA Review

Amazing, just amazing we arrived early last night and we had guests to share information with.

If you did not make it to the event this is the areas we covered last night.

We did a review of Berks Co. Pa, then we moved on to Northampton Co. with a map showing the change of shape for the counties involved.  With the live links working we were able to see some of the available data awaiting those researching in Northampton County. We also used live links for Berks Co. Then we moved on to Bedford County.  This was a major leap in boundary changes for the central and western part of the state.




Berks County was settled in 1690 and became a county in 1752. It was created from Bucks County, Chester County, Lancaster County and Philadelphia Counties. Reading is the County Seat.

Starting in 1752 certain records were maintained, some include: Court 1752, Estate 1752, Mortgages 1752, Oaths of Allegiance 1777 and Naturalizations 1798. Of course, the area could not be without taxes,  paid since 1715, Probate 1752 and Orphans Court 1752.

Seven basic religions were in this region. I find it interesting how some counties have 4 and others have 9 or more.  Berks County showed 14.

This county took a major change in boundaries and one needs to watch the timeline and boundaries when doing research here.

Books are many for this county.  Here is a mention of some.
Book of Biographies, biographical sketches of leading Citizens of Berks Co. 1880 by F. A. Davis
History and Biographical Annals of Berks Co.  2 Vol by Morton L Montgomery
History of Berks Co. 1886, by Morton L Montgomery.
The Pennsylvania Line by Iscrupe                                         * one of my favorites
Pennsylvania Genealogical Research by George W. Schweitzer  Ph.D.Sc.D.       * my other favorite
The Source and Written Sources by Ancestry
more are listed below in link

Berks County put their Wills, and data on line in the mid 1990's. I gave them KUDO's then and still do. Every county should have done this to earn money and save the past.




Next I will share the other counties we covered for those who did not come. Of course, this is not the 
full presentation but an overview.  Please use the rootsweb.com lists and usgenweb.org or 
pagenweb.org query pages to find assistance. Twenty years later I am still getting replies from my early 
1990's queries. Of course I kept the same email address or went and notified site of the change in 
address.






Thursday, April 5, 2012

Upcoming Talks and Dates Pennsylvania and New York

Last night the Library was very quiet. But my friend and I had a good chat about New York research and the hassles we find there.  New Yorker's just seem to have a terrible time, finding, and keeping records of their own peoples.  They are trying harder the last few years.  To help with this a talk is being given,

May 2, Who Are Your Neighbors by Susi Pentico, a method that will help you to find lost relatives, potential relatives on census, deeds and other documents.  


Here is the schedule for Information on Pennsylvania Research.

  April 18th Pennyslvania Counties,  Berks, Northampton, Bedford, Northumberland, Westmoreland.
This will start with an over view of Berks and move on to the later development of the other counties, all the way to western PA. by Susi Pentico



  May 16  Pennsylvania Counties, over view of Westmorland, Washington Co & Fayette Co. PA. by Susi Pentico.  


 This series on Pennsylvania County development will continue until we have completed them   all.  The development and overlapping of boundaries were very intense in the early years of this states formation. Remembering that Connecticut even claimed a portion of this state as their own. Maryland claimed a portion of this state also as their own. And not without mentioning that the western part of Pennsylvania was given by the Crown to Virginia very early on. 


At times one must go to Britain to find clues but much was retained in the Colonies for our researching pleasure. 


Remembering this was much Indian land in the beginning and some was not given up until much later in the time line of development.  The northwestern part of the state was the last to develop into counties. Some counties split and became two or parts of three counties.


Look forward to you attending and maybe finding the clues you want or the places you need to consult to further your information. Definitely a state worth visiting if you do your homework before you go, you should have a positive results time.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Library Research and Sourcing the Information

Library Research and Sourcing the Information

This evening we will be talking about the way to do Library Research and how to Source your Information.

We may if we have time cover Pennsylvania Research again this evening. It is an on going event for there are many, many counties to go.  We will over time cover all of them.

For all of you whom attended the Chula Vista Genealogical Society Seminar. I thank you for your support for the society. It was a success over all and we all learned many things.

See you this evening at 6 P M Lemon Grove Library, 8073 Broadway, Lemon Grove, CA

SusiCP@cox.net

IF there are other topics you wish to hear please leave me a note we can schedule them in.