Slaves were Immigrants Too

Finding Your Slave Ancestor

Jim Ison, of Family Search, gave one of the most informative lectures at the NGS Conference assisting descendants of slaves in finding their ancestors. Ison used statistics to show Migration Patterns: An Alternative for Locating African Origins.

Using social history, economics and crop trends, Ison substantiated the migration patterns of transporting slaves prior to the Civil War and the patterns of ex-slave movement after the War. Charts were provided to distinguish percentage distributions throughout the states, therefore giving researchers a place to start their pre-1870 searches.

For example, slaves living in Alabama or Kentucky, entered the States through one of the familiar port entries of the Northern States, Virginia/Maryland, South Carolina/Georgia, Gulf Louisiana or American Colonies. This information is further specified by migration periods between 1626 and 1810. As we know, slave import was illegal as early as 1808 (even though it still continued), most of the slave trade after 1808 was internal (1810-1860,) between states and persons.

By using Ancestry.com, Ison showed how to perform a specific no-name search to understand population migrations, especially after the Civil War. This method allows the researchers to see trends of migrations for that allusive emancipated slave within years after the Civil War. This is where Elizabeth Shown Mills theory of expanding your search to Friends, Associates, and Neighbors (FANS) of your ancestor comes into play. Don’t search for your slave ancestor in a box. Take FANS along, as they probably migrated across America in familiar groups.

The goal is for the researcher to get closer to an ancestor’s entry into the USA. Although Ellis Island is not a frequent entry point for African American ancestors, they still entered into the colonies or States via ships. There was still a point of entry, and most were documented even if they arrived prior to 1808. Prior to using the Transatlantic Slave Trade Database Voyages homework must be completed. The first key is to pinpoint a general locale of your ancestor’s port of entry. Once identified using the search methods above, then matching ship records and local records will help you discern your their ship record and country of origin.

For more information, Ison suggests we read Ira Berlin’s "Many Thousands Gone: The First Two Centuries of Slavery in North America" and Phillip Curtin’s "The Atlantic Slave Trade: A Census." Then, venture to books and articles on the slave trade in your ancestor’s specific region.

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How to Find Poor Ancestors!

They Didn’t Own Land

Recently in assisting descendants of James Case from Missouri it was clear the internet and Ancestry.com database had been exhausted.  Poor James Case did not own land, but had a large family.  His widow remarried but he was never in the census records with his family. The researchers were a bit disappointed when I informed them that they had not hit a brick wall, but that they needed to begin digging in the “forgettable” documents that records the lives of poor people.  There’s a sleuth of them – not always with the title “Poor People” highlighted, even though Poorhouse Story is easily identifiable.  

The workshop “Tho They Were Poor, They May Have Been Rich in Records” presented by Paula Stuart Warren provided researchers with a list of possible records to search when trying to find that allusive “poor” ancestor. 

Warren encouraged the frustrated researchers to expand their search to the rich-filled minutes, court records and poor relief records that are available, but usually not indexed.  These records are available for the defective, dependent, delinquent and orphans. 

The best place to begin your search for these records is the Family History Library Catalog using the Place Search and filtering by the county/state you are searching; or using the keywords, poor or poorhouses.  

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A Celebration of Family History

Mormon Tabernacle Choir and David McCullough

Worth the price of registration for the National Genealogical Society (NGS) conference was Thursday's An Evening Celebration of Family History. Approximately 20,000 spectators were treated to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and author David McCullough

Recapping the evening would not do it justice, but let's just say, the McCloud Bagpipe group featuring Amazing Grace with that large Choir and Orchestra decked in red robes for the women and red tie suited men, was absolutely brilliant and beautiful. Of course it having ceiling high organ pipes in the background of the LDS Conference Center added to the drama-filled evening. The McCloud Bagpipe group was introduced through a hilarious film featuring the process of embracing one's Scottish heritage through the eyes of a seven year old who announced to his family that he wanted to learn to play the bagpipe. If you're curious as to how the youngster fared, let me tell you that young McCloud, now a father, plays a mean bagpipe as he lead his group in blowing Amazing Grace.

The two hour festivities were sprinkled with short genealogical films threading the theme of "Woven Generations." The evening was co-sponsored by FamilySearch and the Utah Genealogical Association in association with the NGS Conference. To set the tone, this short film used the metaphor of a ball of yard as a tie to our past; followed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra which wooed us with Wayfarin Stranger.

We were treated with short genealogical films.  Letters of Estonia featured a a woman researching her war hero Great-Grandfather; and through her search she found her long-lost Estonian relatives.  There was also a heart-breaking story of  a couple who was infected with leprosy and therefore had to adopt out each of their six children before the age of one years old.  In this film the descendant took us on an emotional search for Emma's tombstone, Searching for Emma, on the island Molokai in  Hawaii during the 1800's.

The keynote speaker, David McCullough, was not overshadowed by the captivating choir and orchestra and riveting short films. On the contrary, he was.... well....David McCullough! Full of historical tidbits intertwined with life's lessons. His books, John Adams and 1776, should be in all historian's personal libraries. Of course, you already know he is a walking encyclopedia and a prolific writer, but he is also an entertaining speaker, and easily linked his closing remarks to a short pride-filled film of Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory narrated by the descendant of Julia Howe. This film honored the roll and support provided by women during the civil war, and with the goose bump deliverance of Martin Luther King, Jr's last speech, it was perfect way to express the immortality of the written word.

With precision and not missing a beat the Choir and Orchestra's tear provoking rendition of Battle Hymn of the Republic closed the evening's performance with a well-earned standing ovation.

In addition to those mentioned above, Welcome was delivered by Jay Verkler, CEO Family Search;  Invocation by Reverend France A Davis, Calvary Baptist Church; and a wonder presentation delived by Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, LDS.

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note: this post was updated 4/30/2010 based on MoSop's keen eye.
Thanks MoSop.

Using the Law for Research

Who is John Swagerty?

After a day of papers, processes and researching methodology seminars, I found myself once again in the FHL (Family History Library).  This time on floor 4, with the microfilm rolls.  As usual seminars and workshops get the brain juices going and I had a epiphany …why not look in Cocke County Tennessee, for more on Wiley Morris, born in 1817, and died somewhere before 1877 in Cocke County Tennessee.   I have yet to find his internment, but I was able to narrow his disappearance/demise on this trip to the FHL, using my new found count and state laws matched against available records. 

John Humphrey, who gave a wonderful presentation on Understanding the Process that Creates the Records, tells us to find out our county/state laws of acquiring land, women’s rights, eldest son rights, etc.  What happened if there was no will in that jurisdiction? Humphrey encouraged us to not only expand our research, but to understand the laws of the time. By doing so, I was able to narrow Wiley's death by 4 years. Before, I only knew he died before 1877 [1] .  

What I Already Knew?

1)      Wiley was not in the home in 1880 census

2)      Wife Louisa and son WJ both owned land in Cocke County in 1877

3)      I did not find a land deed of either Louisa or WJ’s purchase, but I did find their sales.

4)  Wife Louisa was assessed taxes in 1871 on land.

What I Didn’t Know?

1)      When did Wiley die?

2)      Did he have a will (none has been found to date)

3)      Did WJ (son) purchase his land  (no deed found as of date)

New Questions based on Wednesday’s Seminars

1)      Was Louisa’s land in1877 tax records the exact same as that which Wiley owned

2)      What were the laws if Wiley died intestate for Cocke County?

3)      What other records could help

Questions Answered Wednesday Evening

From 7:00pm to 9:00 pm, I scoured Cocke County records with a bit more knowledge of Cocke County (albeit, not enough).  And I was able to narrow Wiley’s death as well as uncover a curious new character, John Swagerty.

This visit narrowed the death date of Wiley by four years.  I was able to verify that the two acres wife Louisa lived on was next to John Swagerty.  In the 1871 Land Survey, I found that Wiley and a John Swagerty had 3 acres of land surveyed.  The 1877 Duplicate Tax Records proved Louisa’s land as being the same as Wiley’s based on land description and neighbor names [2]. I must have not found this information, clearly printed in the 1877 Duplicate Tax Record, as important when I researched in 2008.

I now need to broaden my search to John Swagerty. I don’t believe I have seen this name prior to the land survey.   

Well, tonight is set out for me.  After I attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Concert, a private concert for me and 20 thousand of my closest genealogical friends and Utahns, I will cross the street and go back to work at the FHL to exhaust every Cocke County microfilm (not that many) to get more clues. I now need to look for a bit more information on John Swagerty and I have 48 hours to learn the laws of Cocke County.

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 [1] Feb 1871, Wiley had his land surveyed in Cocke County and by 1877 in the tax records he was not present, but his wife Louisa and eldest son WJ owned the 3 acres of land.  Cocke County Land Surveys, MR#280282,pgs. 144

[2] Cocke County Duplicate Tax Duplicate, MR#956205.  At this time W.J. had 1 acre (value $50), District 6, and Louisa 2 acres value of $100.00. 

In A Cloud of Genealogy

Day 1 NGS Conference 2010 - Cloud Computing and Genealogy

If you have been doing genealogy for awhile, you know that “In a Cloud of Genealogy” could have multiple meanings: 1) It could be the high we are on just for finding the elusive ancestor. 2) It could be the cloud your head is in while maneuvering the throng of people at the NGS Conference – estimated to be around 2500 participants. 3) It could be the clouds hanging over Salt Lake City right now, as snow flakes lightly fall in April. 4) or it could be Cloud Computing.

Clouds
So as you may remember I told you I was able to test some beta trials yesterday,. Well, the beta I played with yesterday, is being released this week during the NGS Conference: 300 million new records this week alone! Yes, 300 million new records can be searched using the new Beta.

The Historical Records Collections can be searched by Record Type, Date Range, or Region. This collection includes transcriptions of birth, marriages, new European Collection and other regions – births, baptisms, and more. Thanks to the 300,000 index volunteers who have worked on this digitizing project, have assisted with these records being accessed not only from the FHL library microfilm collections, but also by using my PC/mobile device.

Not yet coming off my cloud, having previewed this wonderful beta yesterday, I attended the seminar on Genealogy in a Cloud, by Craig Miller. Miller stressed the importance and advantages of collaborating efforts through the internet by using off-site services like Google Docs. He gave excellent examples of cloud computing being used: Salesforce.com, Amazon.com, Family Search Wiki, and of course the Family History Beta. That explains the magic of releasing 300 million new records.

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Visiting the Family History Library

Open Minded in Salt Lake City

Genealogists are focused and hit the ground running when they smell the Salt Lake City air.  Everything needed is within about a four block square - food, hotels, tram, Temple and the Family History Library (FHL).  The library is home base for one (but who stays for just one) to several days. 

However, I venture to guess there is more to Salt Lake City (SLC) than the far away mountains, the downtown area, and the Gateway shopping/eating area.  Perhaps, a little adventure in the social bit of the city, may give me a hint as to why this place was not only established but has a stronghold on the reputation of being the genealogist’s Mecca!

My research of Salt Lake City began at the Red Iguana restaurant.  Where did the locals eat?  This popular authentic food, with spicy delicious salsas (I tried 3 types) was a treat. The only issue: I had to pay homage at FHL with a full stomach and a nap was more appealing. But, I was in Salt Lake City, even though I hadn’t carried one file to work on. 

This trip was purely for education.  I’m attending the National Genealogy Society conference for 5 days, and I just want to soak in knowledge – a one way street. Knowledge in, nothing but smiles out. Sure some genealogists actually decided to split their efforts between the conference and research, but I am dedicated to keeping the “intake” of knowledge as my goal. 

I walked into the FHL with nothing in hand but me and a “give it to me attitude.”  And, that is exactly what I received after two hours just on the first floor of the library.  I found a friendly volunteer, who somehow looked bored, with a couple billion or so genealogists clicking away on computers and pulling every book off the shelf.  And, I decided she was mine! We played on the FHL website to explore what I could do onsite that I couldn’t do from home.  And I was able to play with several new trials, and have access to BYU’s genealogy collection.  For the coup de gras, she showed me the pluck and plot map software which was a wonderful tool that gave me the timelines of counties in the USA that changed and altered the boundaries as I clicked through the years.

Ok…now I’m impressed.  More tomorrow on my SLC discovery, but for now...off to bed for my 8AM session. 

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Were Your Ancestors Italian?

Torre le Nocelle, Avellino, Campania, Italy

 

If you are doing Italian research, especially in Torre le Nocelle, you don’t want to miss The Genealogy of Torre le Nocelle, Italy blog. I was captivated by the About This Blog, where the author explains:

"The intent of this blog is to freely share genealogical information with other Torre researchers. Initially I began with only my direct ancestors. I soon realized, however, that EVERYONE was related to one degree or another and decided it would be easier to document the genealogy of the town as a whole."

It is also claimed in the About This Blog: “I have traced almost every line in Torre back to the early to mid 1600's ... some a little further.” In addition there is a link that provides a list of Torresi Surnames. Specialized blogs like Torre le Nocelle is especially needed if you are applying for Italian Dual Citizenship in need of marriage records or birth certificates, and your ancestors resided in this region.

Although the author claims not to have as much knowledge once these ancestors arrived into the United States, I was able to gleam wonderful cultural and social history of Boston just from the first post I read, by guest writer, Jeff DeSantis, entitled Circolo Operaio Torrese. This post gives us a glimpse of a group of the Torresi immigrant workers who settled in Boston.

One of the more helpful post, Helpful Italian Genealogy Research Links provides about 15 useful links when researching your Italian ancestors.

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