The Date Matches for Emma/Emmar Sargent

The Civil War pension deposition Emmar Osenbaugh gave in 1918 in Clarke County, Iowa, indicated she was born on 20 July 1839. This was inferred from her statement where she states that "I was 79 years of age on July 20th last. Will be 80 years of age on my next birthday."  Emmar also states that her parents were Clark Sargent and Mary Dingman.

I had the Sargent Genealogy, but had not had time to compare what it said about Emma/Emmar with the information she provided. I was surprised that the 1895 publication gave the same date of birth for Emma that she had.  There are two images that are a part of this post. The first summarizes Clark's information and the second discusses his children.

The children of Clark are right in terms of sex and number, but it is also interesting that the date of birth matches precisely the one that Emmar gave in deposition. 

The consistency is not proof, but it is pretty strong information and the consistency is hard to ignore. In this case, the was already  pretty strong with out this information.
------------
Sources:
Emmar Osenbaugh deposition, 24-25 Oct 1918, Emmar Osenbaugh, widow’s pension application no. 772,537; service of John Osenbaugh (Pvt. Co. H, 7^th Ill., Inf., Civil War); Case Files of Approved Pension Applications, 1861-1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files; Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C.


Sargent, Aaron, and John S. Sargent. 1895. Sargent genealogy Hugh Sargent, of Courteenhall, Northamptonshire, and his descendants in England by John S. Sargent ... William Sargent, of Malden, New England, and his descendants in America by Aaron Sargent. Somerville, Mass: Sargent

Selected Scans from Louis Demar's Pullman Employment Records

This post contains a few selected images from the pages I received for the Pullman Car Company records on Louis Demar. These records were discussed in an earlier issue of Casefile Clues from year 1 (37), but I've decided to post a few more images here on the blog. Most of the information is fairly straight forward, but the amount of information in the files does vary from one person to another. Another file I have is for a worker who died in the 1910s and his file does not contain as much information.

The card below provides information on where Louis was born and where his father was born. It also asked how many children he had.

I'm not quite certain what the key means in the last column of the above card. Suggestions about that are welcome.

We won't write about the Pullman Car Company files again (probably), but they may be mentioned in passing in an upcoming article at some point. Louis Demar actually returned to Clinton County, New York, after he retired from Pullman.

The Newberry Library has material on the Pullman Car Company and the records are housed at the South Suburban Genealogical Society.

Subscribers--Check Your Email

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Receipt for Redeemed Warrant

This is part of the certification that Joseph L. Jernegan signed when he redeemed the military warrant he purchased from Rufus D. Stephens in 1853. As mentioned in issue 41 of Casefile Clues, Jernegan and Stephens had no other relationship to each other besides the fact that Jernegan purchased Stephens's warrant.

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Issue 41 Out-War of 1812 Bounty Land Application and Surrendered Warrant

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Rufus Stephens Assigns His Bounty Land Warrant

This is the assignment of his warrant that Rufus D. Stephens signed shortly after he received it in 1853. Unfortunately as we'll see in issue 41 of Casefile Clues, the assignment wasn't very helpful in terms of locating more information on Rufus. If you'd like to see a larger version of this image click on the image above.

The nice thing is that there are several copies of Rufus' signature in the file. In issue 41, we'll analyze the file completely and see what it tells us.

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One Word In Rufus Stephens 1812 Pension Declaration

I thought it would come to me when I was reviewing my transcription, but no luck. This is part of the Bounty Land Application declaration for Rufus Stephens. Any thoughts on the word I have underlined?

The Name's The Same--But Is There Another Rufus Stephens?

I'm wrapping up the article on the War of 1812 Pension Application of Rufus D. Stephens from Kendall County, Illinois.

The Rufus D. Stephens I'm working on appears on a 1850 census in St. Joseph County, Michigan--next door to the Benjamin Butler we've mentioned before. Benjamin's wife Margaret was supposedly a Stephens and this Rufus was the right age to have been her father. Their living next door in 1850 was a major factor in deciding to research him. The 1850 Rufus was from New York State, which is where the Butlers were from, so the families had that background in common. Of course that's really nothing more than coincidence.

The fact remains that there are not many Rufus D. Stephens born in the late 1700s in New York as the one in the 1850 census was.

The Bounty Land Application Rufus D. Stephens indicates he served from New York State in the War of 1812. His age is off somewhat from the 1850 census Rufus Stephens.

In the next issue, we'll summarize the information in the Bounty Land Application and see what our next steps are and also discuss how likely it is that these are the same Rufus D. Stephens. The problem at this point is that there is nothing to concretely connect the 1850 Rufus D. with the War of 1812 Rufus D.

Stay tuned.

Eliza Butler Burch Death Certificate

It didn't tell me what I was hoping for, but that's the way it goes. This death certificate is for Eliza Burch, daughter of Arvin Butler and likely niece of the Benjamin Butler we've seen discussed in Casefile Clues before. I was hoping her death record might provide a more specific location for her father's place of birth, but no luck.

It indicates here he was born in Canada. I'm doubting that based on other information and the likely time frame for this family. But I'll record the information off the record as stated and work out my conclusions to the contrary later.

If I had not already known it, her place of burial in the GAR cemetery would have been a clue to search for her husband's military service and potential pension records.

Eliza Burch died in Skagit County, Washington, in 1916

We'll have a complete citation to this document whenever we continue our discussion of the Butler family. Subscribe now and join the discovery.

Hunterdon County New Jersey Blain Family

I'm working on trying to connect Elam Blain to his family of origin in New Jersey. It's not all that easy. The Revolutionary War veteran moved from New Jersey (where he married his wife) to Pennsylvania, and eventually into Ohio where he died.

His Revolutionary War pension is an excellent find, mentioning individuals who have known his wife since before her marriage. There is a pension for a John Blaine from the same area who might be a brother to Elam.

My goals are to complete the analysis of these two Revolutionary War pensions, both for Elam and John. We will also look at tax record for Hunterdon County, New Jersey as well. Stay tuned.

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Did Not Plat Susannah's Property

It was decided not to plat Susannah Rucker's property for issue 40 of Casefile Clues. This was done because analyzing the neighborbhood was not really necessary (in my opinion) for this analysis. A reading of the metes and bounds descriptions, combined with the names of the grantors and grantees made it pretty clear the exact same piece of property was purchased in 1769 as was sold in 1781.

And two intermediate deeds mentioning Susannah's line didn't give any metes and bounds at all, which was not too helpful.

We may have an update on Susannah later--I'm not certain right now if there is really enough to warrant it. Susannah and her husband have many entries on WorldConnect and other GEDCOM file sites. Interestingly enough, her maiden name has not been proved, but several submissions include maiden names that have been eliminated from consideration years ago.

Issue 40 Moving Mother--Emailed!

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Issue 40 Goes out 1 PM Central

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Moving Mother-The Next Issues of Casefile Clues

The next issue of Casefile Clues discusses how a widow's inheritance was essentially moved from one Virginia county to another in 1769. Property records can reveal more than a person sometimes thinks--they just have to be read and interpreted.

Of course it helps when you have ten children--the more heirs the easier some things are to trace.

Subscribe now and join the discovery. Reading through Susannah Rucker's deeds for this issue of Casefile Clues caused me to notice a few things I had overlooked myself.

Wrapping Up the Land of Susannah Rucker in Amherst

I am cleaning up the text on the next issue of Casefile Clues. There's a "missing" grantor on the final deed and we're speculating on what happened to that individual as well as the mother who apparently lived on the property purchased by most of her children in 1769.

Stay tuned.

Processing Orders, Etc.

Several took advantage of the offers we had on my birthday. I am completing processing these orders this weekend. If your issues have not arrived, please email me at problems@casefileclues.com and I'll try and get back to you over the weekend. Anyone needing Year 1 issues can order them here (topic list included)--year 2 issues are here.

All issues of Casefile Clues have the name structure casefile_clues_x_yy.pdf, where x is the volume number and yy is the actual issue number. 39 was the last issue that went out.

We're wrapping up the Susannah Rucker Amherst County, Virginia, deed article this weekend.

Part of the "Susannah" Rucker Deed

This is part of the deed where the apparent heirs of Susannah Rucker sell her farm in Amherst County, Virginia, in 1781.

The deed was first partially acknowledged on 6 August 1781 in the Amherst County Court. It was then ordered to "be" or to "lie" for additional proof. I'm not exactly certain which word it is, but the implication is the same regardless.

The partial image shown above in this blog post includes the acknowledgement dated November of 1783.

There were two more terms of court where additional witnesses came forward to indicate their witnessing of the deed. That had to take place before the deed could be recorded. The final acknowledgement was in 1791.

If one read the deed really quickly, one could incorrectly conclude that it was written in 1791 and recorded in 1791. A careful reading of the acknowledgements indicate that they were spread out over several years.

Stay tuned for a discussion of this deed (and others applicable to Susannah) in the next issue of Casefile Clues.

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Susannah Died Ten Years Before I Thought She Did

One of the key elements in determining when Susannah Rucker died in Amherst County, Virginia, was the date of the deed where her heirs apparently sold the farm on which she lived in her widowhood.

The problem is that the deed was transcribed incorrectly by an early researcher. The deed was written in 1781 and finally recorded in 1791. The numbers are pretty clear and there's a reasonable reason why it took ten years to record the deed. The earlier researcher either transcribed the date incorrectly, or assumed the deed was executed in the year it was recorded.

We'll see why it took ten years to record the deed and how it all helps estimate when Susannah Rucker died.

And, in all honesty, a year of death of about 1781 is a little more reasonable for Susannah than 1791.

Stay tuned.

Proving Susannah Rucker Moved

Two deeds (one in 1776 and one in 1778) mention the "line" of Susannah Rucker in Amherst County, Virginia. The problem is that there is no deed showing Susannah purchased property in Amherst County, before this time. The lack of a deed showing Susannah purchased property is not surprising--married women could not purchase property during this time period. Of course, this is assuming she was married.

Who was Susannah? Initially one would assume she was a widow and that her husband had owned property in Amherst County before her death.

Susannah's situation was apparently a little different. The only known Susannah Rucker was a Susannah who was the widow of John who died in Orange County, Virginia, in the early 1740s. There were no other Susannahs in the Rucker family in the 1770s who would have been of an age to have had their "lines" mentioned. John Rucker was not known to have been in Amherst County or to have purchased or owned any land there.

It turns out that Susannah did not purchase any property in her own name in Amherst County--her children apparently purchased it for her after the majority of them had moved Amherst County from Orange County.

In an upcoming issue of Casefile Clues, we'll examine the deeds involving these heirs (there are actually three deeds of interest) and look at the metes and bounds description to determine (as best we can) if the Susannah whose line is mentioned is actually living on the property apparently purchased by her children.

Susanna's apparent property in Amherst is an interesting study of how land records can tell us more than they appear to on the surface. In this case, they document the widow's apparent move in 1769 from Orange County into Amherst County and her apparent residence there until approximately 1791 when she apparently dies.

Stay tuned. I've scanned all five deeds in question and will include limited illustrations in the article and on the blog.

Revisiting the Parents of William C Rhodus

I've been revisiting work I did nearly ten years ago on the parents of William C. Rhodes/Rhodus who first appears in a marriage record in Macon County, Missouri, in 1860.

I thought I had a pretty good case for his parents, at least his father who I thought was a Levi Rhodes who appears in the same area as William does in the 1860 era. Some records indicates William's name was Rhodus, but in all honesty I thought the Rhodus name was a variant and not strong enough reason to eliminate the Levi as a possible for William.

A review of my previous work http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/article.aspx?article=6884 and an analysis of additional information makes the connection between William C. and Levi even weaker. The William C. that I am searching died in Garfield County, Oklahoma in the 1900s and is discussed in more detail in the article.

We'll have an update on the work on William in an upcoming issue of Casefile Clues. He was born in the 1830s in either Kentucky or Tennessee.

Guardians "Expense Report" from 1883

In some guardianship cases, guardians will list specific expenses and may even include receipts with their reports. Maria Cawiezell took a minimalist approach to her expenses statements for the children (her own) for which she was guardian. There was money the children had from the estate of their deceased father, Anton. Usually in every year, Maria stated the balance in the children's account and what the interest was that had been earned. Whenever she took any money for children's expenses, it was always the interest income (or less). Never were any receipts turned in.

While this is slightly different from the norm, my take is that the amount she was requesting was nominal for the support of the children and, since it was unreasonable, the judge did not require any further documentation.

This guardianship was discussed in the issue of Casefile Clues that was just sent to subscribers (issue 39). There were other issues in the record discussed in the newsletter--a little more interesting than the lack of receipts.

March of 2011 Exiprations?

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Issue 39 is out

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Casefile Clues for Beginners Update

The first issue of Casefile Clues for Beginners has been distributed. We are really excited about this new venture and appreciate the support we have received. We are looking at revising our format, layout, etc. and suggestions are always welcome.

More details can be found on our Casefile Clues for Beginners blog at http://casefilecluesbeginners.blogspot.com.

Future updates will be posted there and not here.

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William Gibson Estate Accounting 20 Years After Death?

This document from Harford County, Maryland, is more than a little confusing. From May of 1816, it appears to be settling the estate William Gibson who died in the 1790s. The name of the widow is correct for William, and the names of the children are correct. The only thing is that the daughters are apparently listed with their maiden name instead of their married names.
I need to do a little more work to determine if this is the William I think it is--after all, the first names of the wife and children matching is a pretty good sign.
The last names of the daughters are slightly odd as is the final accounting twenty-some years after William's death.

Stay tuned.

Reader Comment

A reader was missing some issues and after she received them, I received this wonderful unsolicited reply:
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I am retiring soon and plan to use your casefiles as a study course, for one ( Me) in the more difficult turns of genealogical research. They are treasures! Thanks again.
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Thanks Nancy N. for the comments--I do appreciate them!

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Brief Jacket Index for Emmar's Pension

This image is part of the Brief Jacket Index for Emmar Osenbaugh's Civil War Widow's pension. It wasn't discussed specifically in issue 38 of Casefile Clues, but it was helpful in analyzing the materials in Emmar's file. It helped explain the purpose of each document and also contained brief commentary on the purpose of some of the documents.

Issue 38 is Out!

Issue 38 is out. See what Emmar forgot to tell the examiner, what the grass-widow did, and the person named as the father of Lillie Town.

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Found Minerva Strobel--Emmar Osenbaugh's Sister

One of the next steps in the issue of Casefile Clues that is being proofed was to find out about her sister, Minerva Strobel. Fortunately we've done that--or at least made a start.

We'll probably have a blog update on Minerva down the road. Probably not enough for an article--at least not yet.

Finding the other two siblings may prove a little more difficult--but at least now, thanks to Emmar, we have a better idea of what happened to her step-father, Asa Landon.

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Wrapping up the Initial CW Pension Article on Emmar Osenbaugh

I've wrapped up the draft of the first piece on the Civil War Widow's Pension for Emmar Osenbaugh. Her testimony is very informative in and of itself--and that's discussed in the next issue of Casefile Clues.

The image with this post is a letter the Special Examiner obtained that documented one of Emmar's divorces. The nice thing for me was that Emmar had to document all her divorces, making it easier for me to locate the original records, if I were so inclined.

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At What Age Does Emmar Become a Primary Source?

I've been reviewing the information Emmar Sargent provides in her 1918 deposition in her pension case. And I am wondering:

• At what age does Emmar become a primary source?

Emmar indicates a date and place of birth, names of siblings, names of husbands, places of marriage, divorce, residence. Aside from the fact that Emmar's memory could be questionable or she could be selectively be "forgetting things," at what point can we say she's remembering things because she actually remembers them instead of remembers having been told them.

Emmar cannot remember he birth or some of the things that happened when she was a small child. Personally, I do not consider anyone a primary source for their date and place of birth--they "know" it because they were told it or read it, not because they really remember experiencing it. 

But does everyone remember what happened when they were 8? What does a 10 year old remember about their father (aside from what they were told), especially when they last saw him at the age of 10? 

I don't have good answers to these questions and remember that classification of information as primary or secondary is not the same as saying it is true or false. 

When we evaluate the information, we also need to consider other factors--which we'll discuss in the issue of Casefile Clues where we take a look at Emmar's deposition. We'll also find out about her selective memory. 

Subscribe now and join the discovery--in this case the confusion as well. 

Back Issues of Casefile Clues

Topics from the first 42issues of year 2 are shown below (order them here):

• Volume 2-Number 1--Problem-Solving--a variety of techniques for breaking through those brick walls.
• Volume 2-Number 2--A 1907 Committal--An insanity record.
• Volume 2-Number 3--A 1921 Divorce--looking at a 1921 era divorce from Chicago
• Volume 2-Number 4--Leaving John's Hands: Documenting Post-Death Land Transfers
• Volume 2-Number 5--The Acquisition of John Michael Trautvetter's 228 Acres
• Volume 2-Number 6--The Original Versus the Record Copy
• Volume 2-Number 7--Multiple Marriage Mayhem:
  Starting the Search for Emma (Sargent) Pollard Ross Oades Pollard Snavly Olenbaugh
• Volume 2-Number 8--A Handful of Problem-Solving Strategies
• Volume 2-Number 9--Two-Thirds of an Acre from Uncle John: A Partition Suit Proves a Sibling Relationship
• Volume 2-Number 10--A Minimal Estate Gives Some Direction: The 1886-1888 Probate of Benjamin Butler
• Volume 2-Number 11--Signing What We Could Not Read--immigrants unable to read English sign a 1870 era document that is incorrect and a lawsuit results.
• Volume 2-Number 12--Dad Raised my Daughter--A newspaper account of a court case in the 1880s discusses an early 1870 out-of-wedlock birth.
• Volume 2-Number 13--Using the 1860 Census to Formulate a Passenger List Search Strategy
• Volume 2-Number 14--Search Strategy for Benjmamin Butler in pre-1870 Census Records--this looks at ways to find the missing 1850 and 1860 census enumerations for man who "appears" in Iowa in 1870.
• Volume 2-Number 15--Pre-1850 Census--analyzing 1810-1840 census entries for Thomas Chaney in Bedford County, Pennsylvania.
• Volume 2-Number 16--Names in the Probate--analyzing various names in a probate settlement from 1903. Nicknames and diminutives were part of the problem.
• Volume 2-Number 17--Bridging a Twenty-Year Census Gap-1870 to 1860. Showing that an 1870 Iowa, 1880 Missouri, and an 1850 Michigan enumeration are for the same man.
• Volume 2-Number 18--Four Passports and a Foreign Death: George Washington Drollette. Analyzes four early 20th century passports and a US State Department death report from 1933.
• Volume 2-Number 19--Diplomatic Employment Applications. Analyzes and summaries letters of support for employment with the US State Department between 1901-1906.
• Volume 2-Number 20--Just One Wife Who Shaves Her Age. Records hinted that a man might have had more than one wife. Despite age discrepancies and first name variations, we've likely proven that there was just one wife.
• Volume 2-Number 21--1930 Census: Primary, Secondary, Original, Derivative, Direct and Indirect. You'll never look at a census entry the same way again-also shows how in this case, New York became Kentucky
• Volume 2-Number 22--Finding the Biegers in 1850. Organizing our search and our negative search results in an attempt to find a German immigrant living in Cincinnati in 1850.
• Volume 2-Number 23--Separating Two George Butlers--working on two men born in Michigan in the same year with a father of the same name.
• Volume 2-Number 24-A Minor Naturalization
• Volume 2-Number 25-Genealogical Potpourri
• Volume 2-Number 26-Looking for Benjamin-Formulating a Census Search
• Volume 2-Number 27-An 1849 Cash Land Sale
• Volume 2-Number 28-From 1820-1870 Analyzing Enoch Tinsley's Census Entries
• Volume 2-Number 29-Middle Name Issues: Finding Henry J. Fecht in 1870 and Passenger Lists
• Volume 2-Number 30-The Master Reports--An Assignment of Homestead and Dower in the 1890s
• Volume 2-Number 31-The Parents Sell 10 Acres-an 1880 era land transaction
• Volume 2-Number 32-Clues from a Pig Murder--an 1820 era Kentucky Court Case
• Volume 2-Number 33-Civil War Pension Application-Why My Name's Different
• Volume 2-Number 34-Staying Focused on Divorces and a German Immigrant
• Volume 2-Number 35-Strategies for a 1820 New York Birth
• Volume 2-Number 36-First Appearing in an 1847 Marriage
• Volume 2-Number 37-The Chattel Property Will from Maryland
• Volume 2-Number 38-Emmar Osenbaugh Civil War Pension-Proving 6 Husbands (1st Part)
• Volume 2-Number 39-1870-1880 Era Guardianship Proves All the Children
• Volume 2-Number 40-Moving Mother-Transferring a Life Estate in 1769
• Volume 2-Number 41-War of 1812 Bounty Land Application and Surrendered Warrant
• Volume 2-Number 42--An 1875 Poor Farm Admission for the Smith Family

Here are Casefile Clues Topics from Year 1 (in reverse order):

• 52--Benjamin Butler in 1880 and 1870--correlating an 1880 and 1870 census enumeration when the head of household has a different first name
• 51--Clarifying Clara--a widow's War of 1812 Bounty Land application
• 50--Special Examiner's Report--Discussion of testimony taken by a Special Examiner in a Union Civil War Pension File
• 49--Levi Rhodes' War of 1812 Pension--A discussion and and an analysis of a War of 1812 pension issued in 1871.
• 48--Determining Your Own Chain of Migration--Ways to determine the unique migration chain that your ancestor took
• 47--Finding the Ellen--Finding someone in an 1870 census when she's a child and I don't have the names of the parents. Discusses proximity searches, eliminating false matches, etc.
• 46--Ira Located--the correct marriage record for Ira Sargent was located. This issue includes the image and a complete transcription, an analysis, additional searches that were conducted, and where to go next.
• 45--Organizing My Search for Ira--discusses brainstorming to locate the parents of Ira Sargent, how and why records were prioritized, and how records would be searched.
• 44--Philip Troutfetter in the Special Collections of the Kansas State Historical Society--fraud, postal investigations, and abandoned wives--all from one relative.
• 43--Unacquiring Property--ways your ancestor might have "disposed" of his real estate.
• 42--Multiple Johns--two brothers with the exact same name--apparently.
• 41--Brick Walls from A to Z--the title says it all--ideas for breaking those brick walls
• 40--Finding John--analysis, including charts and maps, in an attempt to find a missing 1870 census enumeration.
• 39--Multiple Marias--Analyzing more than one 1893 obituary for a Swiss immigrant in Iowa.
• 38--From their Mouth to Your Screen. Discusses all the "filters" information passes through.
• 37--Pullman Car Company Employment Records. Discusses several employment records from the Pullman Car Company in Chicago. Discusses William Apgar, Thomas Frame, Louis DeMar.
• 36--Where are they in 1840? Analyzes an individual who is "missing" from an 1840 census. Includes a discussion of how he was "found" and how land records actually solved the problem. Discusses Abraham Wickiser.
• 35--A 1910 Birth. Analyzes primary and secondary sources for a date and place of birth in 1910 and how differences might not be all that different. Discusses Ida Trautvetter.
• 34--Ready to Go? Discusses some things to contemplate regarding your genealogy material before you die.
• 33--Where there is a Will there is Confusion. Analyzes an early 19th century will from Maryland and what the different bequests likely mean and what potentially brought them about. Also discusses different ways some things can be interpreted. Discusses John DeMoss.
• 32--When There is No Probate. Some things to think about when there is no probate file.
• 31--Analyzing the Mortgage. Discusses an 1870 era mortgage in Illinois. Discusses John Ufkes and Rolf Habben.
• 30--Behind the Scenes Chaos. Discusses the importance of thinking about what "caused" a record to be recorded.
• 29--Un-American Activity. Discusses an invesigation by the fore-runner of the FBI into a German-American family in World War I. Discusses the Fecht family.
• 28--Do You Ear What I Ear? Discusses things to remember about how things are heard.
• 27--Analyzing Andrew Trask. Discusses work on an Mass. native (born ca. 1814) who lived in St. Louis, southern-Illinois, and western Illinois where he died in the 1880s. Focuses on analyzing and working on later records to discern patterns, etc. Discusses Andrew Trask.
• 26--Using Google Books.
• 25--Finding Valentine. Steps in locating a man whose only real mention is in an 1870 era estate settlement. Discusses how I organized my search for him.
• 24--The Brick Wall is in Your Head. Talks about ways you may have made your own genealogical brick wall.
• 23--You Ask and I Wonder. Things that pop in my head when a person asks a certain genealogical question.
• 22--Crossing the Pond.
• 21--One Clipping Leads to More.
• 20--Organizing 1870 Census Search--thoughts on organizing online census searches.
• 19--Public Sale--Analyzing an old sale bill.
• 18--Analyzing the Biography--Charting and Organizing what You Know Using a Biography
• 17--Working with the Professional. Getting started with the professional genealogist who is performing Chicago area work for me.
• 16--A Lot from Barbara's Lot. Clues from a series of records on a small lot in a town in rural Illinois betwen 1856 and 1905.
• 15--Finding Gesche's Girls. Tracking down an "evaporating" German native who "condensed" somewhere in the United States.
• 14--Jumpstarting Your Research. Just some ideas to get you started.
• 13--Brick Walls and the Census Taker
• 12--The Heirs Complete the Homestead
• 11--Is the Wrong Name Correct?
• 10--Connecting the Iras. Working to determine if two men of the same name are the same man.
• 09--Pre-1850 Census Analysis. Analzing pre-1850 census records for a family to determine the household structure. Discusses Thomas and Sarah Sledd.
• 08--Platting Out Thomas Sledd's Heirs. Platting out the estate division of the Thomas Sledd estate in Kentucky in the 1830s. Discusses Thomas Sledd family.
• 07--Looking for Ira's Lucretia. Working on my "brick wall" Ira through his sister Lucretia. mid-to-late nineteenth century work.
• 06--The Civil War Pension file of Riley Rampley. An overview of a Union Civil War pension record.
• 05--Finding a Chicago Christening. How a 1913 era Chicago christening record was found. Discusses Anna Apgar.
• 04--Multiple Parents
• 03--Preemption Claim. The Missouri pre-emption land claim of John Lake. Discusses John Lake.
• 02--Passport Records. Discusses an early twentieth century passport application. Discusses Robert Frame.
• 01--Lessons from an Estate Record. Analyzes an 1870 era Illinois set of estate records.

Purchase Year 1 issues for $17. Questions? Email Michael at mjnrootdig@gmail.com. 

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Back Issues Orders

You can buy back issues of Casefile Clues:

• year 1--with topics
• year 2--with topics

If you need alternate sets of issues, please email me the issue numbers you need at mjnrootdig@gmail.com for a price.

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Year 2 Topics Issues 1-40

Moved here.

Year 1 Issue Topics for Casefile Clues

Year 1 can be purchased as a complete set for $17
Here are Casefile Clues Topics from Year 1 (in reverse order):

• 52--Benjamin Butler in 1880 and 1870--correlating an 1880 and 1870 census enumeration when the head of household has a different first name
• 51--Clarifying Clara--a widow's War of 1812 Bounty Land application
• 50--Special Examiner's Report--Discussion of testimony taken by a Special Examiner in a Union Civil War Pension File
• 49--Levi Rhodes' War of 1812 Pension--A discussion and and an analysis of a War of 1812 pension issued in 1871.
• 48--Determining Your Own Chain of Migration--Ways to determine the unique migration chain that your ancestor took
• 47--Finding the Ellen--Finding someone in an 1870 census when she's a child and I don't have the names of the parents. Discusses proximity searches, eliminating false matches, etc.
• 46--Ira Located--the correct marriage record for Ira Sargent was located. This issue includes the image and a complete transcription, an analysis, additional searches that were conducted, and where to go next.
• 45--Organizing My Search for Ira--discusses brainstorming to locate the parents of Ira Sargent, how and why records were prioritized, and how records would be searched.
• 44--Philip Troutfetter in the Special Collections of the Kansas State Historical Society--fraud, postal investigations, and abandoned wives--all from one relative.
• 43--Unacquiring Property--ways your ancestor might have "disposed" of his real estate.
• 42--Multiple Johns--two brothers with the exact same name--apparently.
• 41--Brick Walls from A to Z--the title says it all--ideas for breaking those brick walls
• 40--Finding John--analysis, including charts and maps, in an attempt to find a missing 1870 census enumeration.
• 39--Multiple Marias--Analyzing more than one 1893 obituary for a Swiss immigrant in Iowa.
• 38--From their Mouth to Your Screen. Discusses all the "filters" information passes through.
• 37--Pullman Car Company Employment Records. Discusses several employment records from the Pullman Car Company in Chicago. Discusses William Apgar, Thomas Frame, Louis DeMar.
• 36--Where are they in 1840? Analyzes an individual who is "missing" from an 1840 census. Includes a discussion of how he was "found" and how land records actually solved the problem. Discusses Abraham Wickiser.
• 35--A 1910 Birth. Analyzes primary and secondary sources for a date and place of birth in 1910 and how differences might not be all that different. Discusses Ida Trautvetter.
• 34--Ready to Go? Discusses some things to contemplate regarding your genealogy material before you die.
• 33--Where there is a Will there is Confusion. Analyzes an early 19th century will from Maryland and what the different bequests likely mean and what potentially brought them about. Also discusses different ways some things can be interpreted. Discusses John DeMoss.
• 32--When There is No Probate. Some things to think about when there is no probate file.
• 31--Analyzing the Mortgage. Discusses an 1870 era mortgage in Illinois. Discusses John Ufkes and Rolf Habben.
• 30--Behind the Scenes Chaos. Discusses the importance of thinking about what "caused" a record to be recorded.
• 29--Un-American Activity. Discusses an invesigation by the fore-runner of the FBI into a German-American family in World War I. Discusses the Fecht family.
• 28--Do You Ear What I Ear? Discusses things to remember about how things are heard.
• 27--Analyzing Andrew Trask. Discusses work on an Mass. native (born ca. 1814) who lived in St. Louis, southern-Illinois, and western Illinois where he died in the 1880s. Focuses on analyzing and working on later records to discern patterns, etc. Discusses Andrew Trask.
• 26--Using Google Books.
• 25--Finding Valentine. Steps in locating a man whose only real mention is in an 1870 era estate settlement. Discusses how I organized my search for him.
• 24--The Brick Wall is in Your Head. Talks about ways you may have made your own genealogical brick wall.
• 23--You Ask and I Wonder. Things that pop in my head when a person asks a certain genealogical question.
• 22--Crossing the Pond.
• 21--One Clipping Leads to More.
• 20--Organizing 1870 Census Search--thoughts on organizing online census searches.
• 19--Public Sale--Analyzing an old sale bill.
• 18--Analyzing the Biography--Charting and Organizing what You Know Using a Biography
• 17--Working with the Professional. Getting started with the professional genealogist who is performing Chicago area work for me.
• 16--A Lot from Barbara's Lot. Clues from a series of records on a small lot in a town in rural Illinois betwen 1856 and 1905.
• 15--Finding Gesche's Girls. Tracking down an "evaporating" German native who "condensed" somewhere in the United States.
• 14--Jumpstarting Your Research. Just some ideas to get you started.
• 13--Brick Walls and the Census Taker
• 12--The Heirs Complete the Homestead
• 11--Is the Wrong Name Correct?
• 10--Connecting the Iras. Working to determine if two men of the same name are the same man.
• 09--Pre-1850 Census Analysis. Analzing pre-1850 census records for a family to determine the household structure. Discusses Thomas and Sarah Sledd.
• 08--Platting Out Thomas Sledd's Heirs. Platting out the estate division of the Thomas Sledd estate in Kentucky in the 1830s. Discusses Thomas Sledd family.
• 07--Looking for Ira's Lucretia. Working on my "brick wall" Ira through his sister Lucretia. mid-to-late nineteenth century work.
• 06--The Civil War Pension file of Riley Rampley. An overview of a Union Civil War pension record.
• 05--Finding a Chicago Christening. How a 1913 era Chicago christening record was found. Discusses Anna Apgar.
• 04--Multiple Parents
• 03--Preemption Claim. The Missouri pre-emption land claim of John Lake. Discusses John Lake.
• 02--Passport Records. Discusses an early twentieth century passport application. Discusses Robert Frame.
• 01--Lessons from an Estate Record. Analyzes an 1870 era Illinois set of estate records.

Year 1 can be purchased as a complete set for $17