Only One Lady Among Them

This is one of the items I am working on "down the road."

In reviewing this list of purchases from the estate of Thomas Rampley in Coshocton County, Ohio, in the 1820s there is only one female whose name appears among the purchasers.

Her presence on the list isn't proof that she is the widow of Thomas, but would you consider it evidence that she's the widow?

The records of the settlement of Thomas' estate do not name his widow.

Issue 30 is Out

If you did not receive issue 30, please let me know.

Thanks!

Why Was She Mrs.?

This is part of the death certificate that is being analyzed in the issue of Casefile Clues that is scheduled to be released next--issue 30.

Madaleine and I have been having a discussion about the name while we've been reviewing the edits. "Mrs. Lucinda Kile" is how the deceased is listed. There's a spot elsewhere on the certificate for marital status-she was married at the time she died.

Usually this notation "Mrs. Lucinda Kile" is reserved for a woman who is divorced or whose husband is deceased. That's not the case with Lucinda at all.

The "Mrs." debate really isn't germane to our discussion of the document, but it is an interesting item to consider as the usage of her name with the term "Mrs." is unusual for the time period.

Addresses of Heirs in 1914

We are working on this court case for an upcoming issue. 

This is one document from the Dirks versus Dirks case which was heard in the Adams County, Illinois, court in 1914. This document testifies to the mailing addresses of several heirs involved. The names and addresses of out-of-state heirs was particularly helpful and one reason why every court case has the potential to provide connecting information. 

Locating John Driesbach was the real difficulty in this case and the address was a significant help.

Stay Tuned!

Cannot Read That Page Number

For an upcoming issue of Casefile Clues--either 30 or 31--this is one census page that will be cited as part of the material used in the analysis.


The page number is pretty difficult to read and there is no other page number given on this sheet, which is the one that contains the family of interest.

The previous sheet is clearly marked "321." I'm thinking that my citation for the page above needs to somehow include this "benchmark" page as it may be easier to find than the one with the number that cannot be read. 

Of course, we are also using dwelling and family numbers, but this whole census is not easy to read. Stay tuned to see how it turns out.

A Dead Man Relinquishes

Bureau of Land Management, Records Improvement, [U. S. Tract Books], Tract Book 7 (Zanesville Military) , p. 1888, Thomas J. Rampley, assignee James Shores; digital image, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 1 April 2013).

The tract book entry for Thomas J. Rampley's credit under file for property in Coshocton County, Ohio,  indicates that part of his original credit purchase was relinquished in 1829. The tract book entry for that property (on the same page as the above entry) indicates that James Shores purchased the relinquished property. We discussed the completed claim in a recent issue of Casefile Clues.

The interesting part is that Thomas Rampley was dead on the date of the relinquishment--I'm curious as to what paperwork was required to establish the relinquishment for a deceased man. Stay tuned--we are working on getting the completed file based upon the man who actually completed the purchase.

No Dates in Those Citations

The latest issue of Casefile Clues contained transcriptions of two deeds in a credit under file. We decided to cite each document within the file to make it absolutely clear to which document we we referring. The bold part of this citation was common to each reference made to the file.

Tipton to Shores, James Shores, Assignee of Thomas J. Rampley, Dec’d, credit under file, certificate no. 1732, Zanesville, Ohio, Land Office; Land Entry Papers, 1800-1908; Records of the Bureau of Land Management, Record Group 49; National Archives, Washington, D. C.

It was decided not to include the date of the document as a part of the citation. This was done because there were not multiple documents with similar enough titles and it was decided that the date was not crucial to know who which document was meant. 

Issue 29 is out

If you have missing issues, please let me know. I had a few requests that I don't think got sent.

The Straw Man Cometh

The next issue of Casefile Clues will discuss a "straw man" transaction in a credit under file from 1829. The file covers approximately 1817-1830. The property was purchased on credit and I had to avoid getting bogged in learning about the various acts of Congress that kept extending that credit as it took over ten years to get the property paid off.

There's some neat information in the file and a few questions that are raised as well. Stay tuned.

Why Was an Un-involved Party Involved?

This is part of an assignment that appears in the credit under file of James Shores, assignee of Thomas J. Rampley--in Record Group 49 at the National Archives.

The federal land being purchased in Coshocton County was not being purchased by Tipton at all. We'll see in the next issue how Tipton was involved and why.

Stay tuned.

Moving Forward...

We're looking at making some minor changes in the Casefile Clues blog.

Casefile Clues will continue to be about research--with adequate citations (in the spirit of Evidence Explained) and with details about the research process. I continue to believe that the process is just as important as well-written organized results. I know from decades in the classroom that math students do not benefit from just clean worked out examples. They need and want to see "in-process" work--it helps them to learn. I think genealogists, life-long students that they have to be, benefit from seeing process as well--if only to think that "I don't agree with him." That's part of why Casefile Clues is written the way it is.

We are making some changes to the material that's on the blog so that readers can see a little more of how the newsletter is put together, particularly the part after I write the rough draft.

I'm pretty certain though, that readers do not want to see our editing/proofing process as part of the newsletter--that's not going to change. The main reason is that writing about commas does not interest me in the slightest. What I'm looking to do on the blog is to include some of the analysis and discussion that goes into revising the newsletter.

So stay tuned.

Getting Past Initial Assumptions

This is the 1860 census entry for Michael Trautvetter that was part of our discussion in the last issue of Casefile Clues. As mentioned in the newsletter, Michael and Margaret are indicated as having married within the census year. My initial take on the entry was that somehow the 523 numbers were either a "mistake" or that the neighboring household was perhaps Margaret's home. I originally had concluded that John Mininger was a step-son to Trautvetter and early in my research when I noticed this entry, I had not noticed the household that followed.

Another real possibility is that the 523 entries were simply "moved down" a line and John Mininger should have not been in the Trautvetter household at all. Madaleine pointed out that possibility to me during the edit process for the last issue of the newsletter and it's a valid point--and required a little rewriting to include it.

A Little About Madaleine--Our Copyeditor and More

I asked Madaleine (my copyeditor) to give us a few words about herself so that readers would know a little more about her and the process we go through in completing Casefile Clues. I appreciate her assistance in helping us put Casefile Clues together and make it a unique publication in the genealogical world.

Here's what she had to say:

 

I live in Northern Virginia, just a short Metro ride away from the Library of Congress. I'm happy to announce that I've finally jumped on the blogging bandwagon with KinfoLit, where I write about the search in research. My tagline is "information literacy for genealogists, family historians, biographers, and anyone else who just can't let go of the past." Information literacy isn't just about being tech-savvy. It's about developing the skills to execute that first important step in the genealogical research process, the reasonably exhaustive search. I also enjoy live-tweeting genealogy events as @kinfolit. The Kansas Historical Foundation awarded me the Edward N. Tihen Historical Research Grant, so in late April, I'm heading off to the Kansas State Historical Society in Topeka! My project is titled Piecing Together a Kansas Woman's Community: The Regina Mills Chambers Signature Quilt as Historical Record.

I started proofreading Casefile Clues in July 2010, and the workflow hasn't changed much since then. MJN sends me a Word document, I mark it up using the Track Changes feature, he sends back a PDF document, and I give him my final corrections in the text of an email. Though the process remains the same, my editing has evolved beyond simply making sure MJN's grammatical ducks are all in a row. I've been known to ask questions that get the author to think about his work in a new way, and I've also made occasional suggestions about themes for upcoming issues. 

A Little About Casefile Clues

For those who are unaware:

Casefile Clues accepts nor solicits advertising in our newsletter or on our website. There are several reasons why doing so would be beneficial, but we chose not to accept any advertising and there are no plans to do so. That way we're not "holdin" to anyone and our only agenda is helping your research--not promoting someone's blog, website, book, etc. We do appreciate those who let others know about our newsletter--word of mouse advertising does help.

Casefile Clues has one part-time employee, Madaleine Laird as our copy editor/proofreader. All other tasks are handled by me.  That means that sometimes it takes a while before a request regarding a missing issue or subscription gets answered. We appreciate your patience.

Casefile Clues encourages citation of sources, accurate methodology, and getting beyond genealogical myth. I only write about families and people that I am actually researching--and almost always are related to my children in one way, shape, or form.

Issue 28 is out

Issue 28 is out.

Missing your issue? Email me at mjnrootdig@gmail.com.

Need to subscribe? Check it out at http://www.casefileclues.com/subscribe.html

Issues for Issue 28

Proofing comments have come back for issue 28 and there's a few comments for this issue I had to address.

An 1860 Census Entry

Are these household numbers just in the wrong place?

A Baltimore Manifest Entry

Is that an "f" or an "s?"

We think we have the answers--but one is not always 100% certain in genealogy. Stay tuned!

John Adam Trautvetter Arrives in the United States

This is part of the manifest entry containing the entry for Joh. Adam Trautvetter who arrived on 9 July 1850 on the Marianne (obtained digitally on 20 March at Ancestry.com, citing National Archives M255, roll 8).

We'll be discussing this entry in an upcoming issue of Casefile Clues, along with where this man is in the 1850 census--supposedly taken before this boat landed.

Are You Concluding Secondary Information Is Wrong?

Death certificates for several adult children of my relative Wilhelmina Rothweiler (who died in St. Louis in the 1890s) indicate that her maiden name was Trautvetter. An estate settlement from Illinois in 1869 implied that her maiden name was Hess and that her mother was a Trautvetter.

I had assumed that the reference to Trautvetter as her maiden name on her adult children's death certificates was simply because someone mixed up mother's and grandmother's last names. That assumption was partially made because information about mother's maiden names on death certificates of adult children typically is secondary.

It turns out that secondary information may be correct as we'll see in a future issue.

Stay tuned.

Issue 27 is out

Issue 27 is out.

If you have issues that you have not received, email me at mjnrootdig@gmail.com. There are a few missing issue requests that someone didn't get sent. Please do not reply to newsletter mailings to request a missing issue.

Thanks!

Another Daughter for the Rampleys

The last issue of Casefile Clues analyzed an early twentieth century will for James Rampley. The possibility was discussed that he had extra children.

Orders sent to heirs in his probate packet mention another apparent child. His wife's will, probated thirty years later, mentions a second daughter.

Stay tuned.

Your Subscription is Yours--Not Someone Else's

Please do not share issues of Casefile Clues with others.

While we do appreciate you letting others know about Casefile Clues, sending them your subscription instead of having them subscribe themselves is, in a nutshell, unethical.

We try and keep the costs of Casefile Clues to a very reasonable amount, but web hosting, some onsite research fees, and copy editing require income.

Please don't forward Casefile Clues others, particularly when you hit "reply" instead of forward. All that does is forward me my newsletter and your message.

Issue 26 is out

Issue 26 is out. If you did not receive it, please let me know.

Next Issue-A 1912 Will

The next issue of Casefile Clues will look at a 1912 will that provides for a life estate for the testator's wife and and daughter. He also provides for a conservator for this grown daughter but does not indicate the reason for the conservatorship. The relatively simple will suggests quite a few records and research paths.

Stay tuned...

An Appointment by Lincoln?

Journal of the proceedings of the Senate of the United States in executive session. (Thirty-eighth Congress, first session, commencing December 7, 1863.)

Date: Tuesday, December 15, 1863  

Publication: Senate Executive Proceedings Vol. 13; p. 498; digital image from Genealogybank.com

It has been a while since we've looked at the family of George Rothweiler. 

This reference to George was located in the Senate journal as indicated above.

The question is whether or not this George is the same George Rothweiler I am working on in St. Louis. 

There are some records that hint that this may be the same man as the brewer I'm researching in St. Louis who married into my extended Trautvetter family.

Stay tuned.

Issue with Wrong Issue Number

The email that just went out had the correct issue content--just the wrong footer.

The issue about Grandma's Homestead claim should have been 3-25, not 3-24, and should have been dated 21 January.

Issue 24

Issue 24 is out. Finally.

If you do not have it, please email me at mjnrootdig@gmail.com. Thanks!

Trip to Rockford, Illinois

Over the holiday break, I'm planning a research trip to Winnebago County, Illinois. Regular readers will know that we have discussed Clark Sargent in several issues of Casefile Clues. Clark supposedly died in Winnebago County, Illinois, in the late 1840s, leaving behind several children, including my ancestor Ira Sargent.

Based upon what I know about Clark, here's what I'm searching while at the courthouse:

• Property records-Clark purchased forty acres of federal property and apparently owned it at the time of his death. Determining how it was transferred to subsequent ownership may provide additional information on Clark and his family.
• Probate/guardianship records-Clark, if he died when he supposedly did, left minor children while still owning real property. There should be probate records to settle Clark's estate or guardianship records for his children.
• Divorce or court records--Clark's daughter Emmar refers to him as a "gadabout" and indicates that he left and was never heard from again when giving testimony in her Civil War's widow pension application. It is possible she was wrong about his "never" being heard from again, but if she was there may be divorce records given that Clark's "widow" married again.

We'll keep you posted. 

The Blog is Back

We've had some technical issues with out webhost, but they have been worked out and the blog is back.

Issue 23 is out

Email me at mjnrootdig@gmail.com if you need it--or have any missing issue requests.

Neighbors in Michigan and Canada

Work on Rufus D. Stephens is slowly progressing.

Rufus D. is one of three adjacent households in the 1850 Census of St.Clair County, Michigan:

The following household of Arvin Butler was accidentally removed from this image. Benjamin Butler's wife, Margaret's maiden name was Stephens and it is possible that she has some connection to the neighbor Rufus D. next door. Arvin Butler and Benjamin Butler are suspected of being brothers given their geographic and age proximity in the 1850 census and the fact that both migrated to St. Joseph County a few years later, settling there as near neighbors.

Interestingly enough, I just discovered in an online 1842 Yarmouth Township, Elgin County, Ontario, census that both an Arvin Butler and Rufus D. Stephens were living in that locality. This means that they were neighbors in 1842 as well as 1850. Benjamin could have not quite been married or not yet in his own household at that point in time (given the ages of his children in the 1850 enumeration above).

Searching for the neighbors is helping on this one--stay tuned.