In writing this I have found that most of the people reading the blog are my relatives. So I find that it would make sense to appeal to my readers, and honestly my own interests, by posting some of my own findings based on my own tree branches.
When I started searching for my family tree online I started with but a handful of surnames. The first one that found any success with was Grahe. I have no memories of my Great-Grandmother, but I've heard many stories about Nanni, Sophie Grahe. Looking at it, I would have pronounced the name with a silent "e" as grah, and even fathomed that we had been pronouncing wrong, but in accordance to other German names, such as Herman Hesse, the ending "e" is pronounced as in the romance languages. So as it turns out we were pronouncing it incorrectly. We had pronounced Grahe as "gray," but the true pronunciation would be grah-ay. This explains why after being in the US the name sounded like gray.
When I started looking for more information of the Grahe line all I had to go on was the name Sophie Grahe, her year of death (1989), and the names of her parents (John Henry Grahe and Anna McKenna. While this is not a lot of information it led me to much more. I started out with basic genealogy searches on various websites. I could not find any record of a Sophie Grahe, the more I looked the more frustrated I became. In my desperation, I started looking through forums (this was before I realized how useful they can be). On GenForum when I searched for the name Sophie Grahe, I found that someone had mentioned her by name.
In it someone refers to a Sophie Grahe as being one of two children of a John Grahe and Anna McKenna. I was unaware of any of my GGM's siblings, so the only way I could know if I had found there right person was to post a response.
I was eager for answers so I antisipated a speedy response. Which I did not get. The post that I found was posted back in 1999. I posted my response in 2006. It is now 2011 and there has not been a response. But, I did not give up hope. I tried my luck on another forum.
One of which I got a response. It wasn't a post but an e-mail. I exchanged a few e-mails back and forth with a woman whose Grandfather was my GGM's brother. From her I learned much more about our family line.
One thing that really helped was learning Sophie's real birth name. My GGM was born Maria Sophie Grahe, but went by Sophie. I was able to find her in the SSDI, which gave me her birth day. Which made it easier to confirm information on forums.
In addition to getting more info on "Maria" Sophie. I was told that her father was not John Henry Grahe, but much more German than that: Johann Heinrich Grahe.
I found much more information on Johann Heinrich than I could find for John Henry.
I found the names of John Henry's parents. Some time later I got in contact, through ancestry's forum, with a distant cousin who still lives in the same town of Germany that the Grahe's came from and another one Maryland who still lives in the same town that the Grahe's immigrated to. They both gave me lots of information on the Grahe history. Some of their information agreed and some did not, but I have found more verification.
I'll finish off by providing info for any other people who want information on the Grahe's. I don't have sources for all of my information, but as I get it I'll come back and add it to this post.
I know it's a lot, but if it helps someone than it is worth it:
Generation No. 1
1. HENNIG1 GRAHE was born 1660 in an unknown town, Germany, and died 07 Jun 1717 in Schoeppenstedt. He married ANNA MARIA SOHNEMANNS 11 Nov 1690 in Schoeppenstedt. She died 24 Nov 1718 in Schoeppenstedt.
Children of HENNIG GRAHE and ANNA SOHNEMANNS are:
2. i. ANDREAS2 GRAHE, b. 1690.
ii. ILSABEL GRAHE, b. 29 Sep 1690.
3. iii. JOHANN CHRISTOPH GRAHE, b. 11 Feb 1693/94.
Generation No. 2
2. ANDREAS2 GRAHE (HENNIG1) was born 1690. He married CATHERINA SANDERS 23 Jan 1715/16 in Schoeppenstedt. She died 24 Oct 1735.
Children of ANDREAS GRAHE and CATHERINA SANDERS are:
4. i. JOHANN DANIEL3 GRAHE, b. 07 Oct 1720, Schoeppenstedt, Wolfenbuttel, Niedersachsen, Germany; d. 04 May 1792, Schoeppenstedt.
ii. JOHANN GERHARD GRAHE, b. 27 Jul 1718.
iii. TOBIAS CHRISTOPH GRAHE, b. 07 Oct 1720.
3. JOHANN CHRISTOPH2 GRAHE (HENNIG1) was born 11 Feb 1693/94. He married ANNA MARIA MUELLER 13 Nov 1714.
Children of JOHANN GRAHE and ANNA MUELLER are:
i. ROBERT HENNING3 GRAHE, b. 18 Dec 1715.
ii. ANNA LUISE GRAHE, b. 11 Jun 1717.
iii. ILSE MARGARETHE GRAHE, b. 31 Oct 1723.
iv. CATHARINA MARIA GRAHE, b. 12 Feb 1728/29.
Generation No. 3
4. JOHANN DANIEL3 GRAHE (ANDREAS2, HENNIG1) was born 07 Oct 1720 in Schoeppenstedt, Wolfenbuttel, Niedersachsen, Germany, and died 04 May 1792 in Schoeppenstedt. He married EVA CATHERINA PETERS 10 Oct 1748 in Schoeppenstedt. She was born 08 Jun 1731 in Schoeppenstedt, Wolfenbuttel, Niedersachsen, Germany, and died 21 Feb 1810 in Schoeppenstedt.
More About JOHANN DANIEL GRAHE:
Burial: 08 May 1792, Schoeppenstedt
Occupation: Maurermeister
More About EVA CATHERINA PETERS:
Burial: 25 Feb 1810, Schoeppenstedt
Children of JOHANN GRAHE and EVA PETERS are:
5. i. JOHANN CHRISTOPH4 GRAHE, b. 17 Jun 1749, Schoeppenstedt, Germany; d. 06 Sep 1817, Schoeppenstedt.
ii. MARGARETHE ELISABETH GRAHE, b. 29 Dec 1750.
iii. ANNA MARIA MARGARETHE GRAHE, b. 10 Feb 1751/52.
iv. JOHANNE MARGARETHE GRAHE, b. 09 Feb 1753.
v. JOHANN JULIUS ERNST GRAHE, b. 17 Apr 1755.
vi. HEINRICH CHRISTOPH GRAHE, b. 13 Mar 1757.
vii. JOHANN DANIEL GOTTFRIED GRAHE, b. 09 May 1759.
viii. JOHANN HEINRICH DANIEL GRAHE, b. 12 May 1760.
ix. CHRISTOPH JOHANN HEINRICH GRAHE, b. 19 Dec 1765.
x. JOHANN DAVID FRIEDRICH GRAHE, b. 09 Sep 1767.
xi. JOHANNE CHRISTINE FRIEDERIKE GRAHE, b. 14 Sep 1773.
xii. JOHANNA MARIA CATHRINA GRAHE, b. 14 Sep 1773.
Generation No. 4
5. JOHANN CHRISTOPH4 GRAHE (JOHANN DANIEL3, ANDREAS2, HENNIG1) was born 17 Jun 1749 in Schoeppenstedt, Germany, and died 06 Sep 1817 in Schoeppenstedt. He married JOH.CATHERINA ELISABETH STRUFFS 28 Nov 1776 in Schoeppenstedt, daughter of JOHANN STRUFFS and SOPHIA MEWES. She was born 13 Mar 1756 in Schoeppenstedt, Germany, and died 20 Feb 1832 in Schoeppenstedt.
More About JOHANN CHRISTOPH GRAHE:
Baptism: 04 Jul 1749, Schoeppenstedt
Occupation: Maurermeister
More About JOH.CATHERINA ELISABETH STRUFFS:
Baptism: 18 Mar 1756, Schoeppenstedt
Children of JOHANN GRAHE and JOH.CATHERINA STRUFFS are:
6. i. JOHANN CHRISTOPH JULIUS5 GRAHE, b. 17 Jun 1781, Schoeppenstedt, Germany; d. 08 Mar 1833, Schoeppenstedt.
ii. AUGUST FRANZ CHRISTOPH GRAHE, b. 22 Jan 1775, Schoeppenstedt, Germany; d. 26 Jan 1844, Schoeppenstedt; m. ANNAJULIANE HENRIETTE DIETERICHS, 1802, Schoeppenstedt.
iii. GEORG HEINRICH FRIEDRICH GRAHE, b. 10 Sep 1776, Schoeppenstedt, Germany.
iv. JOHANN DANIEL JULIUS GRAHE, b. 08 Feb 1777, Schoeppenstedt, Germany; d. 07 Sep 1838, Schoeppenstedt; m. CHRISTIANA WILHELMINE DRECHSLER; b. 1786; d. 06 Mar 1838, Schoeppenstedt.
v. ELISABETH AUGUSTINA HENRIETTE GRAHE, b. 13 Aug 1779.
vi. JOHANN PETER HEINRICH GRAHE, b. 05 Apr 1783.
vii. JOHANN ERNST CONRAD GRAHE, b. 31 May 1785.
viii. JOHANN FRIEDRICH CHRISTIAN GRAHE, b. 21 Aug 1788, Schoeppenstedt, Germany; d. 08 Oct 1788, Schoeppenstedt.
ix. JOHANN FRIEDRICH JULIUS GRAHE, b. 13 May 1790, Schoeppenstedt, Germany; d. 04 Mar 1791, Schoeppenstedt.
x. JOHANNA DOROTHEA CHRISTIANE GRAHE, b. 12 Jun 1794; m. JOHANN KARL FRIEDRICH JÄGER, 03 Sep 1820, Schoeppenstedt.
xi. JOHANNA HENRIETTE CHRISTINE GRAHE, b. 1795; m. JOHANN CHRISTOP HILLEBRECHT, 07 Oct 1821, Schoeppenstedt.
Generation No. 5
6. JOHANN CHRISTOPH JULIUS5 GRAHE (JOHANN CHRISTOPH4, JOHANN DANIEL3, ANDREAS2, HENNIG1)1 was born 17 Jun 1781 in Schoeppenstedt, Germany, and died 08 Mar 1833 in Schoeppenstedt. He married (1) JOHANNE DOROTHE AMALIE STORBEN 1810. She was born 01 Jan 1784 in Schoeppenstedt, Germany, and died 18 Jul 1825 in Schoeppenstedt, Germany. He married (2) JOHANNA DOROTHEE ELISABETH SOMMERMEYER 07 Apr 1828 in Schoeningen. She was born 27 Apr 1798 in Schoeningen, Germany.
More About JOHANN CHRISTOPH JULIUS GRAHE:
Baptism: 21 Jun 1781
Burial: 11 Mar 1833
Occupation: Webermstr., Hoke
Religion: evangelical
Children of JOHANN GRAHE and JOHANNE STORBEN are:
7. i. JOHANN HEINRICH JULIUS JAKOB6 GRAHE, b. 18 May 1823, Schöppenstedt, Germany; d. 21 Oct 1881, Frederick County, Maryland.
ii. WILH.CHRISTIANE HENR GRAHE, b. 31 Jan 1815.
iii. JOHANN JULIUS FRIEDRICH GRAHE, b. 07 Jul 1817.
iv. JOHANN CHRISTOPH GRAHE, b. 04 Oct 1819, Schoeppenstedt, Germany; d. 09 Oct 1819, Schoeppenstedt.
More About JOHANN CHRISTOPH GRAHE:
Cause of Death: Schäuerchen
8. v. JOH.THEODOR JULIUS, b. 02 Jan 1820, Schoeppenstedt, Germany; d. 03 May 1852, Frederick,Maryland.
vi. JOH.CAROLINE FRIEDER GRAHE, b. 18 Jul 1825; d. 26 Oct 1825.
Children of JOHANN GRAHE and JOHANNA SOMMERMEYER are:
vii. CARL FRIEDRICH HEINRICH6 GRAHE, b. 16 Mar 1829.
9. viii. AUGUST HEINRICH HERMANN GRAHE, b. 17 Aug 1832, Schoeppenstedt; d. 24 Jun 1914, Schoeppenstedt.
Generation No. 6
7. JOHANN HEINRICH JULIUS JAKOB6 GRAHE (JOHANN CHRISTOPH JULIUS5, JOHANN CHRISTOPH4, JOHANN DANIEL3, ANDREAS2, HENNIG1)1 was born 18 May 1823 in Schöppenstedt, Germany and died 21 Oct 1881 in Frederick County, Maryland. He married ANNA-SOPHIA ELISABETH SIEVERS 1847 in Germany. She was born 05 Jan 1824 in Priete bei Kiel, and died 30 Jan 1903 in Frederick, Maryland, USA.
More About JOHANN HEINRICH JULIUS JAKOB GRAHE:
Immigration: 08 Aug 1855, Germany to Baltimore aboard Itzstein & Welcker
Occupation: Weber- Installateur (Weaver/Fitter)
More About ANNA-SOPHIA ELISABETH SIEVERS:
Immigration: 08 Aug 1855, Germany to Baltimore aboard Itzstein & Welcker
Children of JOHANN GRAHE and ANNA-SOPHIA SIEVERS are:
10. i. JOHANN HEINRICH7 GRAHE II, b. Dec 1852, Schoeppenstedt, Germany; d. 1927.
11. ii. HEINRICH-CHRISTIAN GRAHE, b. 24 Jun 1849, Schöppenstedt, Germany; d. 08 Aug 1925, Washington, District Of Columbia, USA.
12. iii. FRIEDRICH HEINRICH C GRAHE, b. Aug 1854, Schöppenstedt, Germany; d. 1940, Amerika.
13. iv. ELIZABETH-AUGUSTA GRAHE, b. 14 Jan 1857, Frederick, Maryland, USA; d. 11 Oct 1895, USA.
v. WILLIAM-JULIUS GRAHE, b. 25 Feb 1860, Frederick, Maryland, USA; d. 16 Feb 1881, USA5.
14. vi. JULIUS-AUGUST GRAHE, b. 06 Oct 1861, Frederick, Maryland, USA; d. 04 Jan 1933, USA.
vii. AUGUSTA-MARIA GRAHE, b. 12 Jan 1865, Frederick, Maryland, USA5; d. 20 Jul 1865, Frederick County, Maryland.
viii. MARIA-MARGARETHE GRAHE, b. Dec 1866, Frederick, Maryland, USA5; d. 19 Oct 1868, Frederick County, Maryland.
15. ix. SOPHIA-ELISABETH GRAHE, b. 01 Jan 1869, Frederick, Maryland, USA; d. 15 Jul 1911, USA.
8. JOH.THEODOR6 JULIUS (JOHANN CHRISTOPH JULIUS5 GRAHE, JOHANN CHRISTOPH4, JOHANN DANIEL3, ANDREAS2, HENNIG1) was born 02 Jan 1820 in Schoeppenstedt, Germany, and died 03 May 1852 in Frederick,Maryland. He married LOUISA STARRE 19 Mar 1846.
More About JOH.THEODOR JULIUS:
Burial: 27 Aug 1868, Mt Olivet Cemetery; Sec H, H321, space 2
Occupation: Steinmetz
Children of JOH.THEODOR JULIUS and LOUISA STARRE are:
16. i. ADOLPHUS CHARLES F.7 GRAHE, b. Jan 1846, MD.
ii. DORIS GRAHE, b. Jun 1847, MD.
iii. ELIZABETH LOUISA GRAHE, b. Jun 1848, MD; d. 11 Oct 1895.
iv. ELLEN GRAHE, b. 1849, MD.
v. THEODORE GRAHE, b. May 1851, MD.
9. AUGUST HEINRICH HERMANN6 GRAHE (JOHANN CHRISTOPH JULIUS5, JOHANN CHRISTOPH4, JOHANN DANIEL3, ANDREAS2, HENNIG1) was born 17 Aug 1832 in Schoeppenstedt, and died 24 Jun 1914 in Schoeppenstedt. He married JOHANNA FRIEDR. HENRIETTE KÜNNE. She was born 08 Apr 1835 in Großdahlum.
More About AUGUST HEINRICH HERMANN GRAHE:
Burial: 28 Jun 1914, Schoeppenstedt
Children of AUGUST GRAHE and JOHANNA KÜNNE are:
i. HERM.AUGUST GOTTLIEB7 GRAHE, b. 06 Sep 1858.
ii. HENR.HERMINE AUGUSTE GRAHE, b. 20 Aug 1860.
iii. ANNA ELISE SOPHIE GRAHE, b. 27 May 1863.
iv. ALBERT CHRISTIAN WILHELM GRAHE, b. 07 Jul 1865.
v. ERNST FRIEDRICH FERDINAND GRAHE, b. 01 Jan 1867.
vi. MINNA SOPHIE DOROTHEA GRAHE, b. 11 Jul 1869.
vii. MINNA HERMINE HELENE GRAHE, b. 26 Jun 1872.
17. viii. MINNA MARIE SOPHIE GRAHE, b. 23 Sep 1873.
ix. HELENE ANTONIE ELISE GRAHE, b. 1876.
x. LOUISE HELENE ANTONIE GRAHE, b. 1877.
Generation No. 7
10. JOHANN HEINRICH7 GRAHE II (JOHANN HEINRICH JULIUS JAKOB6, JOHANN CHRISTOPH JULIUS5, JOHANN CHRISTOPH4, JOHANN DANIEL3, ANDREAS2, HENNIG1) was born Dec 1852 in Schoeppenstedt, Germany, and died 1927. He married (1) MARY C. MCKENNA. She was born 1852, and died 10 Jan 1887. He married (2) ANNA MCKENNA 26 Oct 1890. She was born Jun 1861 in Ireland.
More About JOHANN HEINRICH GRAHE II:
Immigration: 08 Aug 1855, Germany to Baltimore aboard Itzstein & Welcker
More About MARY C. MCKENNA:
Burial: 14 Jan 1887, Mt.Olivet Sec O; G 127, site 8, Frederick, MD
More About ANNA MCKENNA:
Immigration: 1872, With parents
Child of JOHANN GRAHE and MARY MCKENNA is:
i. JOHN ABLE GRAHE, b. 12 Sep 1876, Maryland; d. 07 May 1947, 633 North Bentlau Street, Baltimore, Baltimore County, Maryland; m. JENNIE HALLIE A V KEISER; b. 13 Apr 1875, Maryland; d. 14 Mar 1942.
More About JOHN ABLE GRAHE:
Burial: 10 May 1947, Mt. Olivet, Sec L; L186, site 2&3
Cause of Death: coronary sclerosis
Occupation: 1920, 1920 MD census was employed as a policeman
More About JENNIE HALLIE A V KEISER:
Burial: Mt. Olivet, Sec L; L186, site 2&3
Children of JOHANN GRAHE and ANNA MCKENNA are:
ii. CHARLES ALOUYISIUS GRAHE, b. 14 Jul 1892, NJ; d. Jan 1972; m. MARY ZAGAR ZIMMERMANN, 1925.
More About CHARLES ALOUYISIUS GRAHE:
Medical Information: Had Paget's disease
iii. MARIA SOPHIE GRAHE, b. 12 May 1897; d. 21 Jul 1989, Long Island City, Queens, New York, United States of America; She married WILLIAM JOSEPH KNAPP, son of GEORGE KNAPP and JOHANNA CROWLEY. He was born in 1899.
Notes for MARIA SOPHIE GRAHE:
Sophie worked and traveled to work with acting great James Cagney at Wanamaker's department store in NY. Sophie was a giftrwrapper, James Cagney worked in stocking.
More About MARIA SOPHIE GRAHE:
Burial: St. Michael's Cemetary, Astoria
11. HEINRICH-CHRISTIAN7 GRAHE (JOHANN HEINRICH JULIUS JAKOB6, JOHANN CHRISTOPH JULIUS5, JOHANN CHRISTOPH4, JOHANN DANIEL3, ANDREAS2, HENNIG1) was born 24 Jun 1849 in Schöppenstedt, Germany and died 08 Aug 1925 in Washington, District Of Columbia, USA. He married FANNY MELVINA SHIVERS 1873. She was born 23 May 1854, and died 28 Nov 1936.
More About HEINRICH-CHRISTIAN GRAHE:
Immigration: 08 Aug 1855, Germany to Baltimore aboard Itzstein & Welcker
Children of HEINRICH-CHRISTIAN GRAHE and FANNY SHIVERS are:
i. WILLIAM GRAHE, b. 1874.
ii. FEDERICK KEEFER GRAHE, b. 1875; d. 1967; m. GRACE M CRANDLEMIRE; b. 08 Feb 1876; d. Sep 1963.
iii. CAROLINE ELLEN L. GRAHE, b. 1877.
iv. HENRY ARTHUR GRAHE, b. 1879; d. 1900.
v. FANNIE VIRGINIA GRAHE, b. 1881; d. 1922; m. ROBERT EDGAR SMITH, 1903.
vi. ROSE P GRAHE, b. 1883.
12. FRIEDRICH HEINRICH C7 GRAHE (JOHANN HEINRICH JULIUS JAKOB6, JOHANN CHRISTOPH JULIUS5, JOHANN CHRISTOPH4, JOHANN DANIEL3, ANDREAS2, HENNIG1) was born Aug 1854 in Schöppenstedt, Germany, and died 1940 in America. He married IDA LOUISE FISCHER 03 Feb 1876 in Frederick Co, daughter of WILLIAM FISHER and ANNA PERKINSON. She was born 25 Feb 1854 in Johnsville,MD, and died 03 Mar 1926.
Notes for FRIEDRICH HEINRICH C GRAHE:
A grandson reported that he worked at the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company employed Frederick as a steamfitter.
Frederick sported a handlebar mustache.
More About FRIEDRICH HEINRICH C GRAHE:
Immigration: age 50 weeks when immigrated 8 Aug 1855
Children of FRIEDRICH GRAHE and IDA FISCHER are:
i. "BIG POP" CHARLES FREDERICK FRANKLIN8 GRAHE, b. 13 Jan 1878, Middletown, Frederick County, MD; d. 27 Oct 1961; m. "BIG MOM" JENNIE KATHERINE JOHNSON; b. 21 Oct 1884, pre 1902.
More About "BIG POP" CHARLES FREDERICK FRANKLIN GRAHE:
Christening: 17 Feb 1878, Middletown, Evan. Luth. Ch
Occupation: 1900, house carpenter
ii. JULIUS HENRY GRAHE, b. Oct 1879.
Notes for JULIUS HENRY GRAHE:
worked as a salesman of dry goods company.
iii. EDWARD KARL GRAHE, b. 25 Nov 1883, Baltimore, Maryland; d. Sep 1975, Baltimore, Maryland.
iv. C FREDERICK THEODORE GRAHE, b. 01 Feb 1885.
v. GEORGE C GRAHE, b. 06 Feb 1889.
vi. DORA GRAHE, b. Abt. 1892.
vii. ROSE H GRAHE, b. 26 Jan 1894, Baltimore, Maryland; d. Mar 1981.
viii. ANNIE S GRAHE, b. Feb 1896, Baltimore, Maryland.
ix. IDA M GRAHE, b. 26 Jul 1898, Baltimore, Maryland; d. 14 Jun 1989, Berlin, Worcester, Maryland.
13. ELIZABETH-AUGUSTA7 GRAHE (JOHANN HEINRICH JULIUS JAKOB6, JOHANN CHRISTOPH JULIUS5, JOHANN CHRISTOPH4, JOHANN DANIEL3, ANDREAS2, HENNIG1) was born 14 Jan 1857 in Frederick, Maryland, USA16, and died 11 Oct 1895 in USA. She married THEODORE BURK.
Child of ELIZABETH-AUGUSTA GRAHE and THEODORE BURK is:
i. HALLIE SABRINA8 BURK, b. Sep 1880; m. WALTER COLUMBUS GRAVES; b. 13 Aug 1876.
14. JULIUS-AUGUST7 GRAHE (JOHANN HEINRICH JULIUS JAKOB6, JOHANN CHRISTOPH JULIUS5, JOHANN CHRISTOPH4, JOHANN DANIEL3, ANDREAS2, HENNIG1) was born 06 Oct 1861 in Frederick, Maryland, USA, and died 04 Jan 1933 in USA. He married ELLA F RICKERDS. She was born Oct 1864, and died 10 Feb 1943.
Children of JULIUS-AUGUST GRAHE and ELLA RICKERDS are:
i. JULUIS PERCY8 GRAHE, b. Oct 1885.
ii. ROYCE HENDRIX GRAHE, b. 16 Mar 1900.
15. SOPHIA-ELISABETH7 GRAHE (JOHANN HEINRICH JULIUS JAKOB6, JOHANN CHRISTOPH JULIUS5, JOHANN CHRISTOPH4, JOHANN DANIEL3, ANDREAS2, HENNIG1) was born 01 Jan 1869 in Frederick, Maryland, USA, and died 15 Jul 1911 in USA. She married ASAPH MILTON CLARKE JR. 25 Nov 1890 in Walkersvill, MD. He was born 09 Jul 1871 in Maryland, and died Aft. 1920.
More About SOPHIA-ELISABETH GRAHE:
Baptism: 23 May 1869, Evangelical Lutheran or Lutheran Congregation of Zion Church, Middletown, Frederick County, Maryland
Children of SOPHIA-ELISABETH GRAHE and ASAPH JR. are:
i. THEODORE MILTON8 CLARKE, b. 02 Jan 1890; d. Aft. 1938.
ii. WILLIAM OTTO CLARKE, b. 27 Oct 1892; d. Aft. 1942.
iii. HALLIE AMELIA CLARKE, b. Jul 1895; d. 13 Jun 1963; m. WILLIAM EUGENE LEVY; b. 05 Nov 1892; d. 12 Mar 1965.
iv. PHILIP KOLHMNAR CLARKE, b. 25 Oct 1897; d. Abt. 1948.
v. FANNIE ELIZABETH CLARKE, b. 02 Aug 1900; d. 17 Nov 1952; m. FRANKLIN MARSHALL SCHAEFER; b. 14 Dec 1899; d. 18 Jul 1952.
vi. AGNES M CLARKE, b. Sep 1904; d. Aft. 1942.
vii. ROSEMAND E CLARKE, b. Dec 1909; d. Abt. 1911.
16. ADOLPHUS CHARLES F.7 GRAHE (JOH.THEODOR6 JULIUS, JOHANN CHRISTOPH JULIUS5 GRAHE, JOHANN CHRISTOPH4, JOHANN DANIEL3, ANDREAS2, HENNIG1) was born Jan 1846 in MD. He married LETTIE.
Child of ADOLPHUS GRAHE and LETTIE is:
i. ARTHUR THEODORE8 GRAHE, b. 1884, Middletown, Frederick County MD.
17. MINNA MARIE SOPHIE7 GRAHE (AUGUST HEINRICH HERMANN6, JOHANN CHRISTOPH JULIUS5, JOHANN CHRISTOPH4, JOHANN DANIEL3, ANDREAS2, HENNIG1) was born 23 Sep 1873. She married HEINR. KARL CHRIST. ANDR. BOSSE. He was born 08 May 1874.
Children of MINNA GRAHE and HEINR.KARL BOSSE are:
i. FRIDA MINNA HELENE ANNA8 BOSSE, b. 07 Apr 1901.
ii. ANNA MINNA KLARA FRIDA BOSSE, b. 01 Feb 1906; m. FRIEDR. HEINR. GUSTAV GRONEWEG; b. 05 Dec 1897.
Endnotes
CastleGarden.org, Castle Gardens. The Battery Conservancy, Inc., U.S. National Archives & Records Administration - Castlegarden.org
Ancestry.com, One World Tree (sm), Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., n.d., Online publication - Ancestry.com. OneWorldTree [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc.
Ancestry.com, One World Tree (sm), Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., n.d., Online publication - Ancestry.com. OneWorldTree [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1900 United States Federal Census, Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005, Online publication
Ancestry.com, Social Security Death Index, Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2009, Online publication - Ancestry.com. Social Security Death Index [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007.Original data - Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index, Master File. Social Security Administration.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1880 United States Federal Census, Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005, Online publication
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1870 United States Federal Census, Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005, Online publication
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1910 United States Federal Census, Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005, Online publication
Gedcom Files, RootsWeb, Ancestry, Online publication - Ancestry.com. OneWorldTree [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Ellis Island
Now that I have given you all of the steps to grow you tree we can start getting a little more into some of the search methods and results. This week I'm going to elaborate on the results that you can find at Ellis Island's website: www.ellisisland.org/
Once at the Ellis Island homepage the first thing that you may think to do is to use the Ellis Island Passenger Search by typing in a family member's name and/or birth year. However take a minute to look around the home page before typing away. If you click the pictures at the top left at any point you will be returned to this homepage. To the right of this you will be given three options Home (which also returns you to this homepage), Sign In (will bring you to page where you can either sign in or create a free account), and Sign Our Guestbook (where you can sign enter your name and e-mail address in order to receive tips for using the site. I've never done this, let me know if it is worth it).
Down a bit, but still atop the page, are six options: Passenger Search, Ellis Island, Genealogy, About Us, Gift Shop, & Donate
Through Passenger Search you'll be given the options of starting a new search, using one of your previously saved searches (if you have an account), using an advanced search method, search by ship (which is also an option on the homepage accessed by clicking one of the letters in the Search By Ship box), view your Ellis Island saved files, and view search tips or advanced search tips.
Through Ellis Island you can learn more about Ellis Island via a expression of the immigrant experiences, brief history, a time line, photo albums, information about the Experiences, some family histories, information on people of America by time frame, and information of visiting Ellis Island.
Through Genealogy you can get some tips for researching your genealogy. Some good tips, if you feel like reading through.
About Us is just like it sounds it will give you information about the Ellis Island Foundation. Its somewhat interesting, but won't necessarily help with your tree.
Gift Shop is something that if you can't figure it out for yourself than I can't help you.
Donate is also self explanatory.
Now you can go back and try to search. I'll walk you through this using my ggm "Tomasina Capobianco". There are a lot (and I mean a lot) of Capobianco's, which makes this a long search.
Type as much information as you have for someone on your tree: First Name, Last Name, Birth Year, and Gender. Sometimes it will give you results, other times you'll be asked to lessen you search criteria.
As luck would have it, my search didn't go so well. I had to sift through the entire alphabetical list of 942 Capobianco's 25 at a time only to find that she was not listed. NOW WHAT?
In this circumstance you might feel a little disparaged, but look out of the 942 Capobianco's there are only 7 with the first initial T. 3 of those 7 are names that are variations of Thomas, like Tomasina. Now I believe that my ggm was born in 1899. I base this information off of her daughter, my gm's memory, and the SSDI (two sources). I clicked on the first of those 3. Tommaso Capobianco is listed to be a 13 year old male who arrived in 1903. Wrong gender and age. Second of 3: Tommaso Capobianco - 33 year old male who arrived in 1910. This isn't looking too good. Third try: Tommasso Capobianco - 22 year old female (right gender, finally) who arrived in 1921 (years check out as well).
I, because I have done this search before, could have skipped the annoying search through 942 Capobianco's. I new the name of the ship that she had sailed on to be Duca D'Aosta and arrived on May 18, 1921. So I clicked the letter D on the Search by Ship. Then I clicked Dm-Dz. I found the Duca d'Aosta, clicked it and searched for and found the only Capobianco aboard that ship.
Once you find the individual that you are looking for you can look at:
1) the passenger record, which lists information as follows:
2) the ship manifest (I'll come back to this).
3) Ship gives you information on the ship as well as a photo of it.
4) View an or 5) Create an Annotation to the record. I am going to create one. Clicking on Create and Annotation brings up a screen with all of the information that they have and allows you to annotate the info that you want to. I annotated her name with "Also Known As: Tommasina or Tomasina." I've also inserted her birth and death dates and names of her husbands.
Back to 2) Ship Manifest.
I recommend reading the paragraph that starts with Important! Please Read!
If you don't read it I will summarize. Manifest can be two or more pages long, so don't just use the page they present you with.
If you click on the manifest it will open in another window. Read through it. Take note of any other family member names listed. My ggm mentioned that she would be joining her fiancé, listed his name and address. On the previous page (remember to check for multiple pages) she
lists a relative in her birth county. In this case her father Michale. This gives me another branch up from Tommasina Capobianco to Michele Capobianco.
Now explore. Find all you can. If you find a name on a manifest of someone that your ancestor came to America to join, try typing that name in to the search box on the Ellis Island home page.
Good Luck
Once at the Ellis Island homepage the first thing that you may think to do is to use the Ellis Island Passenger Search by typing in a family member's name and/or birth year. However take a minute to look around the home page before typing away. If you click the pictures at the top left at any point you will be returned to this homepage. To the right of this you will be given three options Home (which also returns you to this homepage), Sign In (will bring you to page where you can either sign in or create a free account), and Sign Our Guestbook (where you can sign enter your name and e-mail address in order to receive tips for using the site. I've never done this, let me know if it is worth it).
Down a bit, but still atop the page, are six options: Passenger Search, Ellis Island, Genealogy, About Us, Gift Shop, & Donate
Through Passenger Search you'll be given the options of starting a new search, using one of your previously saved searches (if you have an account), using an advanced search method, search by ship (which is also an option on the homepage accessed by clicking one of the letters in the Search By Ship box), view your Ellis Island saved files, and view search tips or advanced search tips.
Through Ellis Island you can learn more about Ellis Island via a expression of the immigrant experiences, brief history, a time line, photo albums, information about the Experiences, some family histories, information on people of America by time frame, and information of visiting Ellis Island.
Through Genealogy you can get some tips for researching your genealogy. Some good tips, if you feel like reading through.
About Us is just like it sounds it will give you information about the Ellis Island Foundation. Its somewhat interesting, but won't necessarily help with your tree.
Gift Shop is something that if you can't figure it out for yourself than I can't help you.
Donate is also self explanatory.
Now you can go back and try to search. I'll walk you through this using my ggm "Tomasina Capobianco". There are a lot (and I mean a lot) of Capobianco's, which makes this a long search.
Type as much information as you have for someone on your tree: First Name, Last Name, Birth Year, and Gender. Sometimes it will give you results, other times you'll be asked to lessen you search criteria.
As luck would have it, my search didn't go so well. I had to sift through the entire alphabetical list of 942 Capobianco's 25 at a time only to find that she was not listed. NOW WHAT?
In this circumstance you might feel a little disparaged, but look out of the 942 Capobianco's there are only 7 with the first initial T. 3 of those 7 are names that are variations of Thomas, like Tomasina. Now I believe that my ggm was born in 1899. I base this information off of her daughter, my gm's memory, and the SSDI (two sources). I clicked on the first of those 3. Tommaso Capobianco is listed to be a 13 year old male who arrived in 1903. Wrong gender and age. Second of 3: Tommaso Capobianco - 33 year old male who arrived in 1910. This isn't looking too good. Third try: Tommasso Capobianco - 22 year old female (right gender, finally) who arrived in 1921 (years check out as well).
I, because I have done this search before, could have skipped the annoying search through 942 Capobianco's. I new the name of the ship that she had sailed on to be Duca D'Aosta and arrived on May 18, 1921. So I clicked the letter D on the Search by Ship. Then I clicked Dm-Dz. I found the Duca d'Aosta, clicked it and searched for and found the only Capobianco aboard that ship.
Once you find the individual that you are looking for you can look at:
1) the passenger record, which lists information as follows:
 |
| ||||||||||||||||||
2) the ship manifest (I'll come back to this).
3) Ship gives you information on the ship as well as a photo of it.
4) View an or 5) Create an Annotation to the record. I am going to create one. Clicking on Create and Annotation brings up a screen with all of the information that they have and allows you to annotate the info that you want to. I annotated her name with "Also Known As: Tommasina or Tomasina." I've also inserted her birth and death dates and names of her husbands.
Back to 2) Ship Manifest.
I recommend reading the paragraph that starts with Important! Please Read!
If you don't read it I will summarize. Manifest can be two or more pages long, so don't just use the page they present you with.
If you click on the manifest it will open in another window. Read through it. Take note of any other family member names listed. My ggm mentioned that she would be joining her fiancé, listed his name and address. On the previous page (remember to check for multiple pages) she
lists a relative in her birth county. In this case her father Michale. This gives me another branch up from Tommasina Capobianco to Michele Capobianco.
Now explore. Find all you can. If you find a name on a manifest of someone that your ancestor came to America to join, try typing that name in to the search box on the Ellis Island home page.
Good Luck
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Red Flags
This is going to be a brief but informative post. I just want to offer some warnings to those of you who are new to online genealogy searches.
Some websites may look like they have good information, but are merely looking to make a buck. If a website tells you that by just endering a surname they can give you tons of information on that name, be warned it's probably not accurate information. Usually sites of this nature will run a basic internet search on the surname and provide non-verified information.
An example of this variety of website is those that offer you information on a family crest, coat of arms, or shield. With all of the surnames that I have researched their is only one in my hetitage that I have found a reliable reference to a coat of arms. And, even still I don't know how accurate it is.
Another kind of website that you may not want to trust is one that tells you the surname's history. Unless the site provides in depth information on particular family members and/or provides numerous sources, I would not add this information to your tree.
I hope this helps.
No Homework today.
Some websites may look like they have good information, but are merely looking to make a buck. If a website tells you that by just endering a surname they can give you tons of information on that name, be warned it's probably not accurate information. Usually sites of this nature will run a basic internet search on the surname and provide non-verified information.
An example of this variety of website is those that offer you information on a family crest, coat of arms, or shield. With all of the surnames that I have researched their is only one in my hetitage that I have found a reliable reference to a coat of arms. And, even still I don't know how accurate it is.
Another kind of website that you may not want to trust is one that tells you the surname's history. Unless the site provides in depth information on particular family members and/or provides numerous sources, I would not add this information to your tree.
I hope this helps.
No Homework today.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Step 3: People
So, you've created a tree and have some good resources in order to expand your tree. That's it. That's all you need...Not Quite.
This is the last step before I start elaborating on search methods and tools. I was initially thinking of calling this step Forums, but decided that the true idea behind it is the people that you meet. People are wonderful resources for information. When you did (or just read about) the Home Work on Step 1 you realized the potential in uses other people as a resource. Not all of us are fortunate enough to have elders with memories and stories. Some of you will have limited family members whom you could use as resources. Well, here is how you make up for or add onto that: find other online. In a moment I will talk to you about specific Forum's and methods that have helped me to connect to others, but for now I'll start with a more generalized method.
Pick a name from your tree. It could be a full name, or just a surname. Type this name into:
Google Now you will be given either a very few or lots of, not always helpful, sites that have information of people with that name. After sifting through many sites that don't help you might find one that works for you. A way to simplify that is to type in additional information with the name that you are searching for. I tried typing the name of one of my 2nd ggm (see Step 2 for abbreviation assistance) Anna McKenna into Google. It just so happens that there are many, many Anna McKenna's. When I entered her birth year after her name in the search bar (Anna McKenna, b. 1861) I got results that fit more with what I wanted. However, as with my case, the results might not be to great. How, you might ask, does this connect to people? If you find a website that has information that is compatible with you tree,you should explore the website for information about the person who posted it and do your best to contact them. If and when you contact someone for the first time DON'T give them too much personal information. Start with a brief explanation of how you found there e-mail address and why you are contacting them. For example. "I found your website through Google and I was wondering if I could have some more information on John Smith." Be polite. No one will want to answer back to a rude email. Ask for their sources, so that you could check them yourself, if they are available,or cite them on your tree.
Alright, so that doesn't always yield good results, but I wanted to include it for those of you who are reluctant to put your contact information online (you know who you are). Another method that doesn't involve put contact info online is to search through Rootsweb's World Connect Project. If you type in some search criteria, such as a person's name, birth date, and/or death date you may find information on someone else's tree. Same as above send them a friendly and inquisitive e-mail.
Now to Forums.
This method of contacting others is far more likely to give you results. When you join most forums you will need to include an email address when creating an account. From my experience the benefits of using a forum out weigh the occasional bit of junk mail that sites will send you.
Some sites that have forums:
This method of contacting others is far more likely to give you results. When you join most forums you will need to include an email address when creating an account. From my experience the benefits of using a forum out weigh the occasional bit of junk mail that sites will send you.
Some sites that have forums:
Rootsweb's forum is broken down by location rather than by surname which can be both useful and problematic at times.
Genealogy.com Genforum lets you search for information via surnames, locations, topics, and with a search feature that will look through all of them for relevant information.
Ancestry.com Message Boards uses a similar style to Genealogy.com's, but in my experience it gives quicker results to posted queries. This is mostly likely due the the traffic on the site. There are paying Ancestry members and free account ancestry members as well as those who get sent to the site by many of their online ads.
There are others, but these are the top three that are not based around a specific geography, nationality, or surname. I use all three of them, but you can start with one at a time.
If your up for it, sign up for at least one Forum.
Pre-Homework:
As of now One Branch at a Time does not have it's own forum, but I would love to make it possible for readers to use each other as a resource.
HomeWork:
Your homework is to type out a list of Surnames that you have information on and/or would like more information on into the comments section of this post. If your lucky you will find someone who can help you.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Steps 2: Research
Look at your simple tree. Some of you will have loads of information and others won't have much. Hopefully your homework paid off and you got more information. Even if it didn't pan out so well, that's ok as long as you tried (and those of you who didn't do the HW really should give it a try).
Now, in order to expand your tree you will need to do some research. If you want one perfect source that has everything you need, then I'd better get off my Griffin and look behind the money-tree for that fiction that is the perfect genealogy research location. Sorry that I'm so blunt, but I started off with assuming that as soon as I started looking I would find all the answers. The reality of it was a wake up call. There are, however, many good places to do your research.
Your Homework for this week will be to start searching using one or more websites that I will provide you with. Before you get to this task or I give you the websites, I will give you some tips on Researching.
Tip 1: When you find something that you find pertinent, what ever it is, make sure you make a note of the information source. I didn't do this at first and have spent many tireless hours re-researching data that I already have just to find the sources.
1a) If you used the free ancestry account and tree, as mentioned in Step 1 then you can enter information about the sources of your data. Go to this screen:
Note: If anyone on my tree appears on yours, I would be happy to share my sources and information with you as long as you ask nicely, cousin.
Hover over the name of the person that you want information on and then click view profile.
You should come to screen which would list details that you have entered about that particular person. Click on the brown "Edit this person" button under the name. Now you should be here:
You can edit names and suffixes, birth and death dates and details in the Vital Information section. If you click the "more options" button (1) on the right you can add a source and/or alternate information. Clicking on "add new life event" (2) will make a drop down menu with a list of options appear (3). Make sure to "Save Changes" (4). Also be sure to explore the other tabs: (5) Facts & Events; (6) Relationship Events; (7) Relationships; and (8) Notes.
1b) If you choose to use Genealogy.com for your simple tree you cannot add sources and will need to use another method of doing so.
1c) If you choose MyHeritage than you can add source info by clicking on the "Family Tree" tab and then clicking "Sources".
On the right side of the "Sources" screen you'll find a big blue button labeled "Add Source." Clicking on it will give you a box where you can describe the source. Once you have a Source added you can cite it. Go to the profile page of the person whose information is found on your Source. From the options at the top of the site click people. Clicking on the person's name will bring you to their profile page. Scroll down the profiles until you see:
You can cite your source by clicking "Add Source citations" (in red).
1d) Neither Rootsweb or Family echo will let you add citations
Tip 2: Keep in mind that some websites will assume a person's birth year based on their age. Some documents, such as immigration records, city directories, or censuses don't give a person's birth date, but rather their age at the time that it was written. For example when Julius Grahe, my 3rd Great Grandfather(see shorthand tip below), arrived in America in August 8 of 1855 he was listed as being 32 years old. If his birthday was between January 1st through August 8th that would mean that he was born in 1823. If his birthday was August 9th through December 31st than he was born in 1922.
Tip 3: Be willing to accept that what your family members told you or what you think to be true may be wrong. Sometimes people go by nicknames, or translated names, rather than their birth names so often that their true birth name doesn't appear on official documents. For example my Great Uncle Larry was never called anything but Larry, from my memory of him. I still have his funeral card, which presents his name as Larry. All records that I found of him in America list him as Larry. When I asked my Grandfather, he said that he believed that Larry was short for Laurenzo. Recently I found something that his father had written about his son Leucio. After much comparison of information and finding that my 2nd Great Grandfather was also named Leucio I have come to the conclusion that Larry was born Leucio.
Tip 4: Learn how to read your sources. Many sources will give you information on what their abbreviations represent. Here are some that at used often, but are not universal:
b. - born
d. - died
bur. - buried
bap. - baptized
m. - married
div. - divorced
gm - Grandmother
gf - Grandfather
inf. - infant
dy. - died young
exec - executer
fB - Family Bible
N.N. - not named/name unknown
chldn. - children
w. or wid. - widowed
ggm or 2nd Great Grandmother - Great Great Grandmother
gggf or 3rd Great Grandfather - Great Great Great Grandfather
ggggp or 4the Great Grandparent - Great Great Great Great Grandparent (You get the picture)
Tip 5: People are great resources. Use/join forums to get in contact with people who know more than you. (It would also be nice if you would share your research with others.) Like I said in my little note above, I will gladly share any of my research with anyone if it will help you. Future posts may include branches of my tree.
Tip 6: If you are having trouble, Google can often give you help.
Tip 7: Don't assume that what you find in one source is correct, even if it sounds right. Make sure you have multiple agreeing sources for the same information.
Now I think your ready. It's time to get some good sources. Most of the sites that I link you to are free, however some have parts or may link you to sites that may require payment. Don't pay for anything that you don't have to. If there is something that you really want and can't find anywhere for free, mention it in the comments section below and maybe someone can find you a free source.
Good Luck:
Ellis Island allows you to search for immigrants who came to the US and view original records
Castle Garden was the predecessor of Ellis island. It's records date back as far as 1820. No original records, but a transcription of them.
Census Online links section will send you to view info from US and Canadian censuses (can be useful, but it doesn't have all of the censuses, many links are broken and the originals are not available to look at)
Census Finder same as above but US, Canada, UK, and Native American Censuses
Family Search (My favorite source) Lots of information, some original docs. Some links bring you to pay sites. Most of the information you find will provide you with detailed citation. I trust most (not all) of the information on this site. I could, and probably will, devote an entire post to a site description and manual.
Distant Cousins Some link redirect you to Ancestry.com, but others are free. I make use of the surname research section. Not a lot of information available but there is some if you have somewhat popular surnames to search for.
Find A Grave is nice for finding birth and death dates. The dates represent those printed on the tombstones. Remember, just because the name matches someone on your tree doesn't mean that it is the person from your tree.
Regional Genealogy and Local History provides links to sites that have info on many many places. Not all the links are good, but some will help.
Italian Genealogy Group Half of my family tree is NY Italian and I found this to be pretty useful, but it might not be for all of you. If you have some Italian on your tree, try it.
Digital History This site has a lot of links, some are better than others. They all pretty much focus on American history.
US National Archives If you use this site your probably not going to find a lot, but theirs a chance you will get something, particularly if you had someone serve in the US military.
World Connect Project is based off of Rootsweb, but can show you the information from other people's trees.
Manifest Markings is not a research site but has some helpful information.
Digital Librarian & Linkpedium will link you various sources. Not all of them are note worthy, but others will be useful (some have world wide info)
Social Security Death Index (SSDI for short) gives b. & d. (see tip 4) dates for those who died in the USA in the past 20 or so years. It's good for double checking more recent dates.
Pre-Homework:
My local library has a number of research websites that their members can access. Some libraries require you to access their research pages from inside the library and others, like mine, allow access from home. My local library gives me free access to over 80 different databases. Not all of them are helpful for genealogy work. The three that I use most often are: HeritageQuest, Footnote, and WorldVitalRecords. Of the three I just mentioned two of them will let you search them without an account.
Try typing one of the names from your simple tree into either WorldVitalRecords' or Footnote's search bars. With some luck one or more of those names will yield a result. Both sites will tell you where they found results; they won't let you see the results but they will give you the source, which can be helpful in the future. In addition, they might connect you to various sources that happen to be free.
Your Homework:
Go to your local library and find out what is available to you.
Now, in order to expand your tree you will need to do some research. If you want one perfect source that has everything you need, then I'd better get off my Griffin and look behind the money-tree for that fiction that is the perfect genealogy research location. Sorry that I'm so blunt, but I started off with assuming that as soon as I started looking I would find all the answers. The reality of it was a wake up call. There are, however, many good places to do your research.
Your Homework for this week will be to start searching using one or more websites that I will provide you with. Before you get to this task or I give you the websites, I will give you some tips on Researching.
Tip 1: When you find something that you find pertinent, what ever it is, make sure you make a note of the information source. I didn't do this at first and have spent many tireless hours re-researching data that I already have just to find the sources.
1a) If you used the free ancestry account and tree, as mentioned in Step 1 then you can enter information about the sources of your data. Go to this screen:
Note: If anyone on my tree appears on yours, I would be happy to share my sources and information with you as long as you ask nicely, cousin.Hover over the name of the person that you want information on and then click view profile.
You should come to screen which would list details that you have entered about that particular person. Click on the brown "Edit this person" button under the name. Now you should be here:
You can edit names and suffixes, birth and death dates and details in the Vital Information section. If you click the "more options" button (1) on the right you can add a source and/or alternate information. Clicking on "add new life event" (2) will make a drop down menu with a list of options appear (3). Make sure to "Save Changes" (4). Also be sure to explore the other tabs: (5) Facts & Events; (6) Relationship Events; (7) Relationships; and (8) Notes.
1b) If you choose to use Genealogy.com for your simple tree you cannot add sources and will need to use another method of doing so.1c) If you choose MyHeritage than you can add source info by clicking on the "Family Tree" tab and then clicking "Sources".
On the right side of the "Sources" screen you'll find a big blue button labeled "Add Source." Clicking on it will give you a box where you can describe the source. Once you have a Source added you can cite it. Go to the profile page of the person whose information is found on your Source. From the options at the top of the site click people. Clicking on the person's name will bring you to their profile page. Scroll down the profiles until you see:
You can cite your source by clicking "Add Source citations" (in red).1d) Neither Rootsweb or Family echo will let you add citations
Tip 2: Keep in mind that some websites will assume a person's birth year based on their age. Some documents, such as immigration records, city directories, or censuses don't give a person's birth date, but rather their age at the time that it was written. For example when Julius Grahe, my 3rd Great Grandfather(see shorthand tip below), arrived in America in August 8 of 1855 he was listed as being 32 years old. If his birthday was between January 1st through August 8th that would mean that he was born in 1823. If his birthday was August 9th through December 31st than he was born in 1922.
Tip 3: Be willing to accept that what your family members told you or what you think to be true may be wrong. Sometimes people go by nicknames, or translated names, rather than their birth names so often that their true birth name doesn't appear on official documents. For example my Great Uncle Larry was never called anything but Larry, from my memory of him. I still have his funeral card, which presents his name as Larry. All records that I found of him in America list him as Larry. When I asked my Grandfather, he said that he believed that Larry was short for Laurenzo. Recently I found something that his father had written about his son Leucio. After much comparison of information and finding that my 2nd Great Grandfather was also named Leucio I have come to the conclusion that Larry was born Leucio.
Tip 4: Learn how to read your sources. Many sources will give you information on what their abbreviations represent. Here are some that at used often, but are not universal:
b. - born
d. - died
bur. - buried
bap. - baptized
m. - married
div. - divorced
gm - Grandmother
gf - Grandfather
inf. - infant
dy. - died young
exec - executer
fB - Family Bible
N.N. - not named/name unknown
chldn. - children
w. or wid. - widowed
ggm or 2nd Great Grandmother - Great Great Grandmother
gggf or 3rd Great Grandfather - Great Great Great Grandfather
ggggp or 4the Great Grandparent - Great Great Great Great Grandparent (You get the picture)
Tip 5: People are great resources. Use/join forums to get in contact with people who know more than you. (It would also be nice if you would share your research with others.) Like I said in my little note above, I will gladly share any of my research with anyone if it will help you. Future posts may include branches of my tree.
Tip 6: If you are having trouble, Google can often give you help.
Tip 7: Don't assume that what you find in one source is correct, even if it sounds right. Make sure you have multiple agreeing sources for the same information.
Now I think your ready. It's time to get some good sources. Most of the sites that I link you to are free, however some have parts or may link you to sites that may require payment. Don't pay for anything that you don't have to. If there is something that you really want and can't find anywhere for free, mention it in the comments section below and maybe someone can find you a free source.
Good Luck:
Ellis Island allows you to search for immigrants who came to the US and view original records
Castle Garden was the predecessor of Ellis island. It's records date back as far as 1820. No original records, but a transcription of them.
Census Online links section will send you to view info from US and Canadian censuses (can be useful, but it doesn't have all of the censuses, many links are broken and the originals are not available to look at)
Census Finder same as above but US, Canada, UK, and Native American Censuses
Family Search (My favorite source) Lots of information, some original docs. Some links bring you to pay sites. Most of the information you find will provide you with detailed citation. I trust most (not all) of the information on this site. I could, and probably will, devote an entire post to a site description and manual.
Distant Cousins Some link redirect you to Ancestry.com, but others are free. I make use of the surname research section. Not a lot of information available but there is some if you have somewhat popular surnames to search for.
Find A Grave is nice for finding birth and death dates. The dates represent those printed on the tombstones. Remember, just because the name matches someone on your tree doesn't mean that it is the person from your tree.
Regional Genealogy and Local History provides links to sites that have info on many many places. Not all the links are good, but some will help.
Italian Genealogy Group Half of my family tree is NY Italian and I found this to be pretty useful, but it might not be for all of you. If you have some Italian on your tree, try it.
Digital History This site has a lot of links, some are better than others. They all pretty much focus on American history.
US National Archives If you use this site your probably not going to find a lot, but theirs a chance you will get something, particularly if you had someone serve in the US military.
World Connect Project is based off of Rootsweb, but can show you the information from other people's trees.
Manifest Markings is not a research site but has some helpful information.
Digital Librarian & Linkpedium will link you various sources. Not all of them are note worthy, but others will be useful (some have world wide info)
Social Security Death Index (SSDI for short) gives b. & d. (see tip 4) dates for those who died in the USA in the past 20 or so years. It's good for double checking more recent dates.
Pre-Homework:
My local library has a number of research websites that their members can access. Some libraries require you to access their research pages from inside the library and others, like mine, allow access from home. My local library gives me free access to over 80 different databases. Not all of them are helpful for genealogy work. The three that I use most often are: HeritageQuest, Footnote, and WorldVitalRecords. Of the three I just mentioned two of them will let you search them without an account.
Try typing one of the names from your simple tree into either WorldVitalRecords' or Footnote's search bars. With some luck one or more of those names will yield a result. Both sites will tell you where they found results; they won't let you see the results but they will give you the source, which can be helpful in the future. In addition, they might connect you to various sources that happen to be free.
Your Homework:
Go to your local library and find out what is available to you.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Step 1: A simple tree
A simple tree is a misleading title. What we are creating is going to start out as simple, but will become complex over time. Take out a sheet of blank paper and a pencil. At the bottom of the page draw a small box. In it write your name and date of birth. Draw two boxes above your box. Connect them with with a line. From that line draw a line down to your box. It should look like mine:
Enter your parent's names into each of the two boxes above your own. Then from their boxes extend two more boxes. Everyone's family tree is different, but typically you should have two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grand parents, sixteen great-great-grandparents...and so on. Fill in as much as you know from your own memory. If you don't know dates, skip them. You can use middle names, middle initials, maiden names, married names, just first names, or any other variation that works for you. DON'T be discouraged by limited information.
Once your finished with your basic tree you will probably want to go paperless. You could spend money and by a program that creates a tree and stores information for you. You can go into various computer programs and draw one. My local library actually had a program available "Family Tree Maker." Before paying for anything, find out what your local library has available or try one of the many free web based family tree makers. Here are a few that I have liked the best:
www.Ancestry.com allows you to create and save a tree for free. Ancestry also allows you to upload photo's of people to your tree. Overall it is a pretty good system to work with. The only problem from this site is that it will tell you that it has found information on members of your family tree, but you will have to pay to view that information. If you do sign up for an account with ancestry you should know that there is a setting that will allow other members to see or not see your tree. Any living people (those who don't have a date of death) will be show to others as having their first name replaced by the word Living and their birth date will not be listed.
Genealogy.com has a much more basic set up for storing your family tree. It is basically just a step above the drawing that you made. If you're just starting out this might appeal to you, but if you want to add siblings, aunts, uncles, or cousins this tree might not be what you want. You can add an extended family to this tree, but all of the information will not be viewable at once.
myheritage.com has similarities to both Ancestry.com and Genealogy.com. Myheritage lets you fill in your tree and offers you matches like ancestry.com, but unlike ancestry you can view corresponding information of other people's trees without a paid account. However, you should be warned that myheritage has a limit on the number of people that you can enter into your tree without paying for a Premium Account. However there is a way around this, if you upload a tree using a Gedcom file (we'll talk about these later).
Rootsweb is a derivative of Ancestry.com, but can be used as a stand alone. The ads on the site, as well as some of the search features, often lead you to Ancestry.com, but you don't need to use those. Rootsweb is a pretty good source for connecting with others and finding information, however the downfall is that in order to submit a tree you need to use a Gedcom file. (There it is again, I swear I'll explain it soon.)
FamilyEcho looks is more basic like the Genealogy.com family tree but also allows for you to upload photos. If you are just starting out, or are not very computer/internet savvy, this might be your best bet. In addition it doesn't prompt you to pay for anything. Also, you can send a link to your tree to family and friends so that they can see your tree. The major downfall is that you can not use it to find additional information. In addition you can use this program to make a Gedcom file.
Alright already, stop asking! I'll explain it:
A Gedcom file is type of file created and used by family tree programs and websites. A Gedcom file would have .ged at the end of the file name. Like how your documents are represented by the .doc extension. It's not very complicated but you can not open a .ged file on your computer without a program or web page designed to do so. You can create a Gedcom file in a family tree or genealogy based computer program or at the Family Echo website.
So this is all you need to create your simple tree. Next time I'll explain how to start finding additional information. In the meantime put all the knowledge you have into a tree on at least one of these sites (or another one, if you want to.)
Homework Assignment (don't complain, it's not hard):
After you're finished entering in the information you know off hand, ask any family members if they have additional information. Pick the brains of many family members, even younger family members might be able to remember something that you could not.
Enter your parent's names into each of the two boxes above your own. Then from their boxes extend two more boxes. Everyone's family tree is different, but typically you should have two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grand parents, sixteen great-great-grandparents...and so on. Fill in as much as you know from your own memory. If you don't know dates, skip them. You can use middle names, middle initials, maiden names, married names, just first names, or any other variation that works for you. DON'T be discouraged by limited information.Once your finished with your basic tree you will probably want to go paperless. You could spend money and by a program that creates a tree and stores information for you. You can go into various computer programs and draw one. My local library actually had a program available "Family Tree Maker." Before paying for anything, find out what your local library has available or try one of the many free web based family tree makers. Here are a few that I have liked the best:
www.Ancestry.com allows you to create and save a tree for free. Ancestry also allows you to upload photo's of people to your tree. Overall it is a pretty good system to work with. The only problem from this site is that it will tell you that it has found information on members of your family tree, but you will have to pay to view that information. If you do sign up for an account with ancestry you should know that there is a setting that will allow other members to see or not see your tree. Any living people (those who don't have a date of death) will be show to others as having their first name replaced by the word Living and their birth date will not be listed.
Genealogy.com has a much more basic set up for storing your family tree. It is basically just a step above the drawing that you made. If you're just starting out this might appeal to you, but if you want to add siblings, aunts, uncles, or cousins this tree might not be what you want. You can add an extended family to this tree, but all of the information will not be viewable at once.
myheritage.com has similarities to both Ancestry.com and Genealogy.com. Myheritage lets you fill in your tree and offers you matches like ancestry.com, but unlike ancestry you can view corresponding information of other people's trees without a paid account. However, you should be warned that myheritage has a limit on the number of people that you can enter into your tree without paying for a Premium Account. However there is a way around this, if you upload a tree using a Gedcom file (we'll talk about these later).
Rootsweb is a derivative of Ancestry.com, but can be used as a stand alone. The ads on the site, as well as some of the search features, often lead you to Ancestry.com, but you don't need to use those. Rootsweb is a pretty good source for connecting with others and finding information, however the downfall is that in order to submit a tree you need to use a Gedcom file. (There it is again, I swear I'll explain it soon.)
FamilyEcho looks is more basic like the Genealogy.com family tree but also allows for you to upload photos. If you are just starting out, or are not very computer/internet savvy, this might be your best bet. In addition it doesn't prompt you to pay for anything. Also, you can send a link to your tree to family and friends so that they can see your tree. The major downfall is that you can not use it to find additional information. In addition you can use this program to make a Gedcom file.
Alright already, stop asking! I'll explain it:
A Gedcom file is type of file created and used by family tree programs and websites. A Gedcom file would have .ged at the end of the file name. Like how your documents are represented by the .doc extension. It's not very complicated but you can not open a .ged file on your computer without a program or web page designed to do so. You can create a Gedcom file in a family tree or genealogy based computer program or at the Family Echo website.
So this is all you need to create your simple tree. Next time I'll explain how to start finding additional information. In the meantime put all the knowledge you have into a tree on at least one of these sites (or another one, if you want to.)
Homework Assignment (don't complain, it's not hard):
After you're finished entering in the information you know off hand, ask any family members if they have additional information. Pick the brains of many family members, even younger family members might be able to remember something that you could not.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)