Speaker Series for Genealogists

2013 Offerings for Corporations, Genealogists and Schools

Due to high demand, Kathleen Brandt and a3Genealogy will continue offering ourses, workshops and lectures for the 2013 Speaker Series.

Speaker Series for Corporations.  Kathleen Brandt incorporates 20 years of international business dedicated to "implementing new business strategies" with an inspiring presentation to discovering the Pioneer in you. As an Executive for top-tier corporations she encourages and motivates her audiences to find new roads and discovering that You Are A Pioneer!©   

You Are A Pioneer!©

Titles

• Ruts Seen Ahead
• In Anticipation of Open Territories: Preparing To See The Elephant
• Building Settlements; Not Settling
• Join the Wagon Train: Transforming Your Travels to Future Adventures
• The Path of a Pioneer 

For more information contact Kathleen Brandt, a3Genealogy@gmail.com, 816-729-5995.  

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Speaker Series for Genealogists.  Kathleen Brandt, a successful Professional International Genealogist and Consultant and published freelance writer for genealogy magazines and columns, presents a speaker series to beginning and intermediate genealogists, as well as for those who wish to pursue genealogy as a career.  (May be tailored as a course, workshop or keynote speaker)

Titles 

• Leaping Over Brickwalls: 10 Tips to Fast Forward.  We don't always have years to research and develop interesting ancestral stories, so the key is to partner your sleuthing skills with effective genealogy research tips to fast forward your research.
• Saving Alice: Have you noticed when you speak of long ago ancestors your family friends seem disinterested. This workshop offers 10 fun ways to keep your audience enthused and your ancestors alive. 
•  How We Were Freed - From Indentured Servants to Slavery. Prior to the Civil War there were free coloreds, ex-slaves and indentured servants who secured their freedom. This workshop outlines 5 ways to freedom.
• Military Records Were Destroyed? What To Do: Steps to Reconstructing Your Veteran's File. Between 16 to 18 million military service files, including those for WWI and WWII, were destroyed by the 1973 St. National Personnel Records Center fire.  However, this loss should not discourage researchers from uncovering an ancestor's military experience.
• War of 1812 Records: 10 Places to Search. Although pivotal in the history of America, the War of 1812, often called the "Second War for Independence" is mostly forgotten. But understanding this "battle for borders" may guide you to your 1812 Soldier and family. Ten (10) tips to researching your War of 1812 ancestor will be presented.
•  Civil War Series (for details of following workshops use link)CW101: 10 Best Bets to Civil War Research
  CW102: Finding the Elusive Civil War Ancestor
  CW103: African Americans Served Too
  CW104: Civil War POW Records

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Speaker Series for Schools. The Ancestry and Academics©  workshops create a learning community between genealogy and history, English, computer, math, art and writing subjects. For more information visit Case of Grandview High School Grandview, MO.

Popular Offering

• How We Were Freed - From Indentured Servants to Slavery for the Classroom. 
• Beginning Research Database. A great place to start your genealogy! This course will give an overview of HeritageQuest online database to research your ancestor. HeritageQuest may be accessed from home, using your library card.

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All workshops, courses and lecturers may be tailored for your needs.  Contact Kathleen Brandt, a3Genealogy@gmail.com, 816-729-5995 for questions and scheduling.

Don't Truncate Your Ancestor's Story

George C. Yount and Yountville, CA

If all you did was read the plaque, you would think George C. Yount was "the true embodiment of all the finest qualities of an advancing civilization" blending with the existing primitive culture." But who is George C Yount. Was he really flawless in his relationships with family and friends? What role did his family play?

George C. Yount

He is given credit for the establishment of Napa County, founded Yountville and Rutherford California with a 11,887 acre land grant for Rancho Caymus in 1836. The California Historical Society Quarterly, 1923, reported that Yount was "a representative American pioneer, soldier, hunter, trapper, overlander, and frontiersman, who became the first settler and agriculturist in Napa Valley, and in his later days a venerable patriarch... 



Did He Forget?

Sounds fabulous...that is until you research the Yount Family Papers, 1830-1945. The history books, plaques and data don't mention that he "wilfully [sic] deserted and absented himself" from his wife Eliza, and son Robert, and daughters Francis and Elizabeth Yount.[1] He left wife, and children at home in Missouri while crossing the country and establishing Napa.  

Early Divorces

George Calvert Yount married Eliza Wilds in 1818 in Howard CO MO. After fathering the children he left Missouri around 1826, deserting his family. In 1830, Eliza was granted a divorce. Copies of the papers are held at the Berkley Bancroft Library.

California Landmark

Inscription. George Calvert Yount (1794-1865) was the first United States citizen to be ceded a Spanish land grant in Napa Valley (1836). Skilled hunter, frontiersman, craftsman and farmer, he was the true embodiment of all the finest qualities of an advancing civilization blending with the existing primitive culture. Friend to all, this kindly host of Caymus Rancho, encouraged sturdy American pioneers to establish ranches in this area, which was well populated before the Gold Rush.

CALIFORNIA REGISTERED HISTORICAL LANDMARK No.693

Plaque placed by the California State Park Commission in cooperation with George C. Yount Parlor No.322, Native Daughters of the Golden West, Colonel Nelson Holderman Parlor No.316, Native Sons of the Golden West, and the Yountville Cemetery Association, October 18, 1959.

That's Not the End of the Story

As genealogists we often end the story too early.  Eliza remarried. George C. Yount sent for his grown children.  His daughters (and son in law) joined him in California, but his son never forgave him for deserting the family.  Of course by this time, many years had passed, but any historian of this family would be remiss if they failed to tale this episode of the story. George too remarried. 

For More Information 

George C. Yount and his chronicles of the West comprising extracts from his "Memoirs" and from the Orange Clark "Narrative." Edited by Charles L. Camp. Published 1966 by Old West Pub. Co. in Denver. 

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[1] Final Divorce Decree Chancery vs George Yount

Slave Database from Virginia Historical Society

Unknown No Longer: A Database of Virginia Slave Names

The best part of family research is that it is a work in progress.  Daily, new collections, searchable databases, and even unknown papers are found, and made accessible to researchers.  Seldom however, do genealogists get assistance researching their slave ancestors in a searchable, accessible database.  But the Virginia Historical Society of Richmond VA launched and is consistently updating a slave database: Unknown No Longer: A Database of Virginia Slave Names. 

It's not enough to say, my ancestors were slaves, or my ancestors were slave-owners.  The digitized documents of Unknown No Longer will allow researchers to uncover a more complex ancestral story than that told by census records. This tool should be one more stop in your slave ancestry research.

About This Project

"Since its founding in 1831, the VHS has collected unpublished manuscripts, a collection that now numbers more than 8 million processed items." From VHS website

The Unknown No Longer Database is free of charge. Keep in mind, where there were slaves there were slave owners. This database will also allow researchers of slave-owning families to gain more information on their family history.  As of today, there are approximately 1600 names in the database, 300 are slave-owners.  

Researchers may wish to use this database even if the slaves were removed to other states "... our collections contain plantation records, for example, kept by Virginians who moved to other states, taking their slaves with them."

Kathleen Brandt

a3genealogy@gmail.com

Gold Rush by Sea - Researching Your Ancestor

Routes East to California

From East Coast to California  by Sea

We are all familiar with wagon trains - the overland trips of trials and tales of our ancestors. But not all of our ancestors traveled by wagon trains to California.  Many traveled by ship; over 15,000 people in 1879.[1]  Perhaps one of your ancestors took this route to the west coast. Like researching Wagon Trains 1840-1860 our westward bound ancestors who traveled by sea, diligently wrote diaries and letters.  Panama and west coast newspapers reported arrivals of passengers and hotel visitors. There are many other avenues to tracing the steps of your ancestor.

Sea vs. Land

The Panama Canal did not accommodate ocean vessels until 14 Aug 1914.  Before the canal gold-seekers and travelers from the east coast had 3 routes to get to California from New York: 1) a trip from 70 days to 5 months around Cape Horn  2) to Panama and crossing the isthmus by land 3) overland.

The voyage by sea was not necessarily easier than overland, but a preferred option between 1848- 1873 for those who traveled light. It was also favored since a shorter voyage than rounding the Horn.

Many Ancestor's Crossed Isthmus by Sea

This route was not reserved for East-coast travelers. Many from the Midwest would take passage down the Missouri River to the Mississippi to New Orleans. From there they would catch a ship going to California.

Like the challenges of the wagon trains, the migration to California through Panama did not lack challenges of its own when crossing the Isthmus.  This was an expensive route and the passengers had to travel light, leaving their belongings behind. 

Passengers had to get off the steam boats at the mouth of the Chagres River, 75 miles away from the closest town, and pay passage to locals to be chartered in smaller canoes (cayucas or bungos) to the town of Chagres or Las Cruces.  From there, travelers hired mules or walked the 25 miles to to Panama City for a ship on the West coast of Panama heading north. By 1851 the Panama Railroad was used by the gold-seekers, shortening the crossing the Isthmus.

Ancestors on the Panama Route

From The California State Library

This route was not for those who wanted to carry many belongings. The transport from Panama to California may have required a stay in Panama for several weeks (or months).

Many of our ancestors succumbed to the cholera epidemic in Panama City, others were victims of yellow fever, malaria, or dysentery, while waiting.Travelers around the Horn also suffered from disease and epidemics. 

More Information: Ancestor's Crossing the Isthmus

California State Library: Section IV, Via the Isthmus http://www.library.ca.gov/goldrush/sec04.html

Louis J. Rasmussen's "San Francisco Passenger Lists," Vols. 1, 2, and 4, and "California Wagon Train Lists," Vol. 1.

Peter E. Carr's "San Francisco Passenger Departures," Volumes 3 and 4 from San Francisco to Central America, July 15, 1851, through June 16, 1852.

California State University Library, Stanislaus. The Diaries, Journals, Letters of Overland, Isthmus, Cape Horn and California.

EndNote:
[1] Sacramento Bee: Gold Rush The Journey by Sea http://www.calgoldrush.com/, accessed 26 Aug. 2011

Kathleen Brandt

a3Genealogy

Using Birth Certificates for Research

Chlanua vs Chlarina - Could it be a typo?

Certified Birth Certificate for Genealogy?

As genealogists we use birth record/certificates to confirm parent's names and the maiden name of a mother. These certificates also confirm dates and counties that may give us a genealogical clue. But birth records are often protected by privacy restrictions. In a "closed states" they often hold a 75 year privacy restrictions, but may be longer in some states.

  

When the Certified Birth Certificate is Wrong

Based on the purpose of research, we may need a certified birth certificate. This is usually needed to prove generational kinship for applications, especially for government officials.  A good example is for Dual Citizenship. International governments usually need proof of kinship. An example is the requirement to trace an (i.e. Italian or Greek, etc.) immigrant ancestor.  The birth, death and marriage certificates must be accurate and all agree, especially in the spelling of names.  If your Great Grandmother, and Italian immigrant is Chlarina, it will not be accepted by the Italian Consulate if it appears on the any certificate as Chlanua.

Sure, one would think that a certified birth certificate is correct. But it involves a "human" transcribing and deciphering the original handwriting of a ledger. I have received certified birth certificates with date errors, and misspelled names.

(This is not to say that the original record was correct.  It may contain errors from the informer or the misspellings of the official who recorded the birth information.)

Proving the Correct Spelling

If  birth certificates, or other vital records are incorrect, each state (or county) have documented procedures to correct them.  With proof -  birth, marriage, divorce records - a notarized statement or affidavit may do the job to correct a birth certificate. But there are some states, that may require expensive court orders to make changes to vital records.  Pennsylvania is one of those states! You may not have a corrected birth certificate in Pennsylvania without a court order involving lawyers, court costs etc. 

But what if the error was from hard to read handwriting in the original ledger.  Don't accept the birth certificate without first rechecking the original ledger!  Recently, I had just this happen to a birth certificate.  The mother's name was totally incorrect. Chlanua? It should have read Chlarina, a good Italian name.

Resolution

After requesting an official review, sending in a copy of a marriage, divorce, and death certificate all with the correct spelling of Chlarina, the Vital Records Correction team of this Pennsylvania county reviewed and determined that poor handwriting caused the confusion.  The certified birth certificate was reissued with the correct (and needed) spelling of the mother's name.  Saving the client hundreds of dollars.

Kathleen Brandt

a3genealogy@gmail.com

Colonial Slave Records

From Africa to Kansas - By way of the Caribbean

In analyzing 1865 -1920 Kansas census of African born persons I was led to the collection of Slave Registers of Former British Colonial Dependencies.  The path from Kansas to the British colonies in the Caribbean was a long one, but I landed at the National Archives of UK researching An Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, or the Slave Trade Act, 1807.  

 

British Colonial Slave Records Cover 1812 to 1834
Those researching African ancestors may find their ancestors named in the 2.7 million slaves and 280,000 slave owners in 17 former dependencies registers that uncover the Caribbean slave trade of Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Berbice/Guyana), Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Dominica, Grenada, British Honduras (Belize), Jamaica, St. Christopher, Nevis, the British Virgin Islands, St. Lucia, Trinidad, Tobago, St. Vincent, etc.

The biggest genealogical treasure found in these records is the confirmation of a slave's nationality.  Another great find is a slave's baptismal information (if baptized), which gives both the slave name and the Christian name. 

Study the Triangle - Quick Primer

African slaves worked on sugar, tea and tobacco plantations in the British colonies.  Britain banned slave trading in 1807.  And to keep it controlled, and to prevent illegal trading, records of the slave owner's inventory registered “lawfully enslaved” slaves. Documenting the legal slaves, and updating the registers every 3 years included slave descriptions, birthplaces, and more. These registers were kept until Britain abolished slavery in 1834. But as you gather information, don't forget to research the plantations.  

It's Slave Research

Like all good slave research, the researcher should know the name of the slave owner, the owner's use for slaves, and preference of trading country. The residing parish as well as information on the slaves is also needed. 

As I mentioned at the top of this article, I used these documents to analyze ex-slaves living in Kansas.  Again, they came from Africa, by way of the Caribbean, to New York (and almost every other state of the northeast), then finally...voila...Kansas.

Where to Research

Ancestry.com/uk has populated its database:  Slave Registers of former British Colonial Dependencies, 1812-1834.

The original registers are held at the British National Archives. In reviewing the slave trade and slavery records at the National Archives, the reader can research the following topics:

Records relating to transportation of slaves and goods 

Campaign for abolition of the slave trade

Post-abolition of the slave trade

Records of ex-slaves and liberated Africans

The enslaved and resistance 

Records of plantations

Abolition of slavery

Kathleen Brandt

a3genealogy@gmail.com

Are These 3 Photos of the Same Man?

Need Help with Identifying These Photos!

Polling the genealogy community.

We know they all have the name William Williams. But are they the same William Williams?

Photo #1

Photo #2

Photo #3

On 9 January 2010, I asked readers to identify man in photo #1. "Is this William Williams on your family tree?" I asked in the blog post The Man in the Photo.

But more information has come in, and we now have three photos to compare. We need the genealogy community to help us with this determination.   We are also wanting help with placing an age on the fellows! Please leave any comments.

Kathleen Brandt

a3Genealogy@gmail.com