----- Original Message ----- From: "Family Tree Finders" <soda-send@gt.sodamail.com> To: <diva1@dnaco.net> Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2000 11:02 AM Subject: Family Tree Finders Tuesday April 18, 2000 > > > FAMILY TREE FINDERS > Tuesday - 18 April 2000 > > Brought to you today by OfficeClick > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > ***Admins - Win A Year Off with Pay From OfficeClick.com!*** > Come to OfficeClick.com, the web site designed just for > admins, and tell us how you would spend a year off. Think > carefully, because your answer could win you the chance to > do anything you want for a year - with pay! It's our way > of recognizing the hard work you do every day. > http://www.OfficeClick.com/?MPC=0,1284 > > <a href="http://www.OfficeClick.com/?MPC=0,1284"> > AOL Users Click Here</a> > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > > Understanding Older Hand Writings > > Not too long ago, as I was going through some photocopies > from the mid-1800s, my husband stopped long enough to see > what I was looking at. His comment? "I don't know how you > can read that stuff." And of course I was thinking how nice it > was to be reading something that was actually neat and > legible. > > Once you get beyond the published books and indexes to > records, you will find yourself delving into a variety of hand- > written records. The further back in years you go, the more > difficult the handwriting will become. > > Just as with other aspects of genealogical research, there are > rules to the handwritings we will find ourselves trying to read. > There are certain aspects to the writings of the time that affect > the penmanship and the ease with which you can read the > record. Some of those include: > > -- Writing Implements > -- Inks Used > -- Type of Paper > -- Handwriting Styles > > You may be sitting there saying that handwriting is > handwriting. But how many of us remember sitting through > penmanship class? The letters were supposed to be made a > certain way. My youngest daughters are this year learning yet > a new way to make those very letters. So even today there is > not a constant in handwritings. > > There are times when we first look at the pages in one of those > older books and none of the words seem to make any sense. In > fact, you need to plan more than a few minutes time to search > these documents. Just as you need to get familiar with records > in a foreign language, likewise, you need to immerse yourself > in the writing of the time period. However, reading these older > records also requires that you be able to interpret both the > value and significance of the record. You will need to analyze > the record to fully understand its importance. > > With all the advances in technology being used by > genealogists today, there are many genealogists who are not > expecting and therefore are not prepared for what awaits them > when they have to turn to original records. The fact is that the > further back you go the harder the handwriting is likely to > become. I can remember being in school and having one of the > kids in class ask why there were so many misspelled words in > the Declaration of Independence. > > When you get back into the records of the seventeenth > century, many of the letters are transformed. One of the most > noticeable is the letter "S". In the handwriting of the period it > looks more like an "F". Another common word you are likely > to see is "ye." While we tend to read this as "yee," in reality, > the Y took the place of the letter combination th. So in fact the > word is actually the. > > Once you find yourself working in these records, it is always > useful to have a aid that you can refer to. An excellent guide > with many samples to help you become familiar with the > different styles of handwriting is Kip Sperry's "Reading Early > American Handwriting," published by Genealogical > Publishing Company, Inc. in 1998. > > > > Rhonda R. McClure > rhondam@sodamail.com > > > If you know someone who is interested in genealogy, > please forward this entire message to them! > _________________________________________________ > > IMPORTANT ADDRESSES: > Newsletter Web site: http://www.sodamail.com/site/ftf.shtml > > TO UNSUBSCRIBE VIA WEB > 1. Go to: http://gt.sodamail.com/cgi-bin/gt/login.html > 2. Enter the e-mail address: diva1@dnaco.net > 3. Uncheck the newsletters you wish to unsubscribe > NOTE: You can subscribe to other Sodamail newsletters at the same time! > > TO UNSUBSCRIBE VIA E-MAIL > Send blank email message to: > leave-family-tree-finders@gt.sodamail.com > > TO SUBSCRIBE VIA E-MAIL > Send blank email message to: > join-family-tree-finders@gt.sodamail.com > > Need help? -- write to: help@sodamail.com > Have questions--write to our editor: editor@sodamail.com > __________________________________________________ > COPYRIGHT 1999-2000 SodaMail LLC. All rights reserved > http://www.Sodamail.com > > > > >

I am sorry to report I must step down as Coordinator and List Manager due to failing Health. I am looking for person or persons to take over both responsibilities. Please E-mail me privately. Sandra Johnson

Hi Frank - what's your Castle line? I've also got one through my Johnstons and Caufields from Northern Ireland. Elizabeth Chatterjee ----- Original Message ----- From: "Frank Harrison" <FrankHarrison@prodigy.net> To: <ALSUMTER-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2000 11:40 AM Subject: Re: [ALSUMTER] Sumter County > Pat > I understand that the College in Livingston have a lot of information > but I have not been their. > FrankHarrison@prodigy.net > View my web page at: > http://members.tripod.com/MyFamilyHistory > Researching: BEEMAN, BROOKS, CASTLES, CLEARMAN, DEAN, GRESSETT, HARRISON, > HITT, JOHNSON, MAYATTE, MOORE AND MUNN > Related sir name of interest: CRABTREE, FRAZIER, GEORGE, HIGGINBOTHAM, > HOLLAND, JARMAN, AND THAMES > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Michelle Bezet <mbezet@bellsouth.net> > To: <ALSUMTER-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2000 12:27 PM > Subject: [ALSUMTER] Sumter County > > > > Thanks Elizabeth and Albert, > > I looked York up on the map, these two cities seem to be close to each > > other, so maybe I will get the chance to visit. > > So, there are some records in the court house. I will call. > > I have only passed that way on the highway a few times but the towns > > seemed small enough that it should be easy to get local information. > > Thanks again, Pat > > > > ______________________________

The Alabama State Archives in Montgomery has many (all ?) of these probate files. A few years ago I visitied the Archives and discovered 4 folders full of probate records on my husband's ancestor from the 1830's. I went again about a year ago, and these had been microfilmed. The only trouble was it took several rolls to film all the little slips of paper, etc., and it was so TINY, no one could have read them! I was certainly glad I had been able to actually view it all before the filming. Karen

Hello, I am researching several family surnames names out of Sumter County: Winston, Wright and Frazier. There are many more connecting names but I have yet to understand their connection for example the surname Bass. Does anyone know of a researcher in Sumter County that can obtain documents for others? I need copies of actual court house records. I am looking for someone that is knowledgeable about Plantations,Slave owners and Slave records. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Sincerely, Susan Nuru @ Aol.com

Hi to all of you, Thanks for all the great information, at first I thought no one was there but it looks like there are plenty of you, who know about Sumter County. Some of you ask about the family that I am researching. I have a James Ross or Rosser who married an Elizabeth Ross in Jasper County, Ga. in 1815. I am trying to find if James may have died in Sumter County. His son John took a wife born in Ala. and had his first four children there. The wife according to the death certificate of one of there children was a Morning Winters. On the census she is listed as Rebecca M. and some say of course, the name was probably Mourning. This time frame is somewhere between 1840 and 1850. On the 1850 census, they are in Texas. Elizabeth is with them but not James. So I would hope to find some information on James and the other children. Thanks again Pat.

As long as we're discussing probate records and wills, does anybody have any suggestions on how to obtain a copy of a probate packet for a will that was probated in 1841? (0ther than actually going to Sumter County, of course). :)

Pat, The records of Sumter County have been carefully preserved, and they are available to researchers from 8 am until 4 pm, Monday through Friday, in the Probate Office Annex next to the old courthouse in Livingston. Probably, the most important records to genealogists are the wills, estate settlement records, marriage records, tract book (original landowners) and deeds. Contrary to some reports, no records have been lost to fire, or for any other reason. I published a book several years ago that includes, in part, an index of the wills and estate administration records. A copy of the book is available in the Probate Office. Sumter County was founded in 1832, following the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in 1830, by which the Choctaw Indian Nation ceded its lands east of the Mississippi River to the United States government. In 1847, Choctaw County was formed from the southern portion of Sumter County and the northern portion of Washington County. The Choctaw County courthouse burned in 1870, and its records were lost. There are other old records that may be of interest to you in the Alabama Room of the University of West Alabama at Livingston. Good luck! Joe Stegall

Hi Joe, It's good to see that you are still around. Many of us appreciate your good work as well as that of your mother. How is your mother? The last I heard, she was living in a nursing home in York. Darby Chiles Upland, California In a message dated 4/13/00 2:53:38 PM Pacific Daylight Time, joesteg@westal.net writes: << Subj: [ALSUMTER] Sumter County Date: 4/13/00 2:53:38 PM Pacific Daylight Time From: joesteg@westal.net (joe stegall) Reply-to: <A HREF="mailto:ALSUMTER-L@rootsweb.com">ALSUMTER-L@rootsweb.com</ A> To: ALSUMTER-L@rootsweb.com Pat, The records of Sumter County have been carefully preserved, and they are available to researchers from 8 am until 4 pm, Monday through Friday, in the Probate Office Annex next to the old courthouse in Livingston. Probably, the most important records to genealogists are the wills, estate settlement records, marriage records, tract book (original landowners) and deeds. Contrary to some reports, no records have been lost to fire, or for any other reason. I published a book several years ago that includes, in part, an index of the wills and estate administration records. A copy of the book is available in the Probate Office. Sumter County was founded in 1832, following the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in 1830, by which the Choctaw Indian Nation ceded its lands east of the Mississippi River to the United States government. In 1847, Choctaw County was formed from the southern portion of Sumter County and the northern portion of Washington County. The Choctaw County courthouse burned in 1870, and its records were lost. There are other old records that may be of interest to you in the Alabama Room of the University of West Alabama at Livingston. Good luck! Joe Stegall >>

Thanks Elizabeth and Albert, I looked York up on the map, these two cities seem to be close to each other, so maybe I will get the chance to visit. So, there are some records in the court house. I will call. I have only passed that way on the highway a few times but the towns seemed small enough that it should be easy to get local information. Thanks again, Pat

I am looking for a marriage record, probably 1888-89, Joel Marion Bush and Lizzie???. Bush was from Livingston. He and Lizzie were in Okla by 1890 and she died in childbirth 1891. -----Original Message----- From: ALSUMTER-D-request@rootsweb.com <ALSUMTER-D-request@rootsweb.com> To: ALSUMTER-D@rootsweb.com <ALSUMTER-D@rootsweb.com> Date: Thursday, April 13, 2000 9:48 AM Subject: ALSUMTER-D Digest V00 #15

Pat I understand that the College in Livingston have a lot of information but I have not been their. FrankHarrison@prodigy.net View my web page at: http://members.tripod.com/MyFamilyHistory Researching: BEEMAN, BROOKS, CASTLES, CLEARMAN, DEAN, GRESSETT, HARRISON, HITT, JOHNSON, MAYATTE, MOORE AND MUNN Related sir name of interest: CRABTREE, FRAZIER, GEORGE, HIGGINBOTHAM, HOLLAND, JARMAN, AND THAMES ----- Original Message ----- From: Michelle Bezet <mbezet@bellsouth.net> To: <ALSUMTER-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2000 12:27 PM Subject: [ALSUMTER] Sumter County > Thanks Elizabeth and Albert, > I looked York up on the map, these two cities seem to be close to each > other, so maybe I will get the chance to visit. > So, there are some records in the court house. I will call. > I have only passed that way on the highway a few times but the towns > seemed small enough that it should be easy to get local information. > Thanks again, Pat >

I have been to the county court house in Livingston and the records seem quite extensive....You should call the court house about when they are open, etc. Regards, Elizabeth Chatterjee ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michelle Bezet" <mbezet@bellsouth.net> To: <ALSUMTER-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, April 12, 2000 11:37 AM Subject: [ALSUMTER] Sumter County > I would like to make a trip to Sumter County, am looking for some > information. > Are there any records housed in the county? If so, what type records? > What time frame? Where are the records? > Also, when are the records available for studying, what hours of the > day? > I am thinking of going the day after Easter, will they be open? > Thanks for any answers you may have to these questions. Pat > > ______________________________

Also, you might want to call the library at the University of West Alabama there in Livingston (205) 652-3400. If you call ahead to the library research room you can make an appointment with the librarian there. There are plenty of minute books at the courthouse but I found the clerks to be exceedingly unhelpful. Did you mention which lines you were working on? Best of luck

Hi Pat & Elizabeth-- I have to put my 2 cents in!! I have gotten a lot of records on Sumter Co., from the LDS Family History Center. The Mormans filmed a lot of what they have in Sumter. One film I ordered gave me the estates for both of my gggrandfathers on one film. They had both died in Sumter Co. If you are in the area, check out the Archives in Meridian, Mississippi. They have a lot on the area, including Sumter Co. I also found a lot on different families in the York Library in Jud Arrington's files. I agree with your going to the source in Sumter if you have the chance!! Which families are you researching? Lynda

I have been told that the library in York has a lot of good material on the early history and families of the area. You should check them out. The county courthouse burned in the early part of this century, and official records seem to be scarce.

I would like to make a trip to Sumter County, am looking for some information. Are there any records housed in the county? If so, what type records? What time frame? Where are the records? Also, when are the records available for studying, what hours of the day? I am thinking of going the day after Easter, will they be open? Thanks for any answers you may have to these questions. Pat

Hi Folks: I will be unsubscribing for a month or so while I do some things that have gone neglected far too long. Thanks for having me. http://home.att.net/~billcovey/index.html Bill Covey Creator of: Ol' Tubby Joe Stottlemeyer Author of: Watson Is Where It Wuz

----- Original Message ----- From: "Family Tree Finders" <soda-send@gt.sodamail.com> To: <diva1@dnaco.net> Sent: Tuesday, April 04, 2000 9:21 AM Subject: Family Tree Finders Tuesday April 04, 2000 > > > FAMILY TREE FINDERS > Tuesday - 4 April 2000 > > Abstracts and Transcriptions > > As we research our ancestry, we are supposed to be able to > back up our claims with proof. These days, that usually means > photocopying or printing out what we have discovered. > However, what do you do when you are in the middle of a > cemetery or the repository won't let you photocopy the fragile > record? > > You will want to get out your trusty pencil and notebook. > While you can use a pen, you will find it is a lot easier to > make changes using a pencil, especially when working with > those hard-to-read records. Also, the repository may have > rules against bringing in anything that could leave a permanent > mark such as ballpoint pens. > > You will find that there is a time and place to abstract and > likewise to transcribe. In fact, you may be abstracting already > and just don't know it. Every time you use a census form to > scratch down the pertinent details for your ancestor's entry in > the census pages you are abstracting. This is the difference > between abstracting and transcribing: > > ABSTRACTING is the act of recording the pertinent details > from a given record. > > TRANSCRIBING is the act of copying down verbatim the > entire record. > > When you are abstracting a record, it is important to record all > pertinent facts: names, dates and places. If at all possible, you > will want to use a form unique to the record you are > abstracting. This allows you to be the most thorough. There > are forms galore online and available for sale from different > genealogical vendors. By filling out such a form, even as a > beginner, you will be guaranteed to record all the important > information. > > You can get abstract forms for abstracting in > > -- Census records > -- Land records > -- Wills > -- Probate records > -- Cemetery records > -- Tombstones > -- Obituaries > > Whenever time allows, you should plan on doing a > transcription. Even if you are planning to make a photocopy of > the given record, there are times when a transcription can be a > lifesaver. When dealing with hard-to-read microfilmed > records, sometimes the time taken to transcribe while you > have the microfilm can save hours of frustration later on. > > Transcribing has a plus in that you are in essence getting the > entire record. You are much less likely to miss something > when you are transcribing. It is the nature of the transcribing > that forces you to go word by word, line by line. > > Unfortunately transcription can take a long time, especially > with lengthy documents. However, do not just make a > photocopy and then put the microfilm back. Even if you don't > do a transcription right then and there, you will want to > compare your photocopy with the original to guarantee that > the entire copied document is legible. That way, when you do > have the time to go through it, you won't be banging your head > against a wall trying to figure out what those squiggles mean. > > Believe it or not, abstracting and transcription are not mutually > exclusive. There are times that I have done both. The abstract > allows me a quick look at the high points of the given record, > whereas the transcription allows me to verify that I have not > misunderstood the relationships or the general thinking behind > the document. And today with notebook computers and word > processors, you can quickly transcribe anything. Plus, there > are programs such as Clooz to aid you in your abstracting. > > So the next time you are working in the records, keep in mind > that if you take the time to abstract and transcribe the records > now, you won't be overlooking anything and will not find > yourself having to return to the records at a later date to verify > the information you thought you knew. > > > > > > Rhonda R. McClure > rhondam@sodamail.com > > This is one of 19 Sodamail newsletters for families. > And they're all FREE... go to http://www.sodamail.com > > > If you know someone who is interested in genealogy, > please forward this entire message to them! > _________________________________________________ > > IMPORTANT ADDRESSES: > Newsletter Web site: http://www.sodamail.com/site/ftf.shtml > > TO UNSUBSCRIBE VIA WEB > 1. Go to: http://gt.sodamail.com/cgi-bin/gt/login.html > 2. Enter the e-mail address: diva1@dnaco.net > 3. Uncheck the newsletters you wish to unsubscribe > NOTE: You can subscribe to other Sodamail newsletters at the same time! > > TO UNSUBSCRIBE VIA E-MAIL > Send blank email message to: > leave-family-tree-finders@gt.sodamail.com > > TO SUBSCRIBE VIA E-MAIL > Send blank email message to: > join-family-tree-finders@gt.sodamail.com > > Need help? -- write to: help@sodamail.com > Have questions--write to our editor: editor@sodamail.com > __________________________________________________ > COPYRIGHT 1999-2000 SodaMail LLC. All rights reserved > http://www.Sodamail.com > > > > >

Hi, I need the census info for R.S. MYERS, who was in Sumter County, AL 1840. If anyone could give me the sex and age ranges for this family I would appreciate it. Thanks, Margaret Tull Selmer, TN