Seeking any and all information on the following early immigrants to Phila: (Schuiler, Shiler,Schuyler, circa 1730), Goss,Ratz,Rattz,Reitz,Bott, Hahn, Winkler, Wingler,Hoffman.(1730-1760) Marriage, Births, Baptism, naturalization, Oath of allegiance, etc... Any help appreciated... Have hit bottleneck as duplicates and similar names and dates have clouded the information that I have.. These parties spread to the surrounding areas of York, Adams, Montgomery, Lancaster, Chester,Philadelphia counties in Pa, and Hunterdon County in NJ. And to ROWAN COUNTY, NC. Any help appreciated. Dick Carter rcar37@prodigy.net

This is an area that has needed addressed for a long time. Really, in posting effectively you are helping yourselves as much as others. Posts to message boards, mailing lists, and newsgroups are great ways to connect with researchers with similar interests, to seek information, or to locate long lost cousins. But getting results requires more than just a little luck. It takes a well though out query to get results. Below are some tips for writing an effective query that will increase your chances for success. GOOD SUBJECT LINES First and foremost, you want to capture the readers' attention. In message boards and in E-mail messages, an effective, specific and informative subject line is the key to successful communication. I have seen messages posted with the following actual subject lines: JONES John Smith ATTENTION: OHIO Wilson Researchers!!! STILL LOOKING FOR CONNECTIONS HELP!!! These are not good subject lines. They tell the reader nothing to help him or her determine if the content of the message is of interest to them.An effective subject line for surname research contains the following: 1. Name of the individual, with the surname in all capitals--such as Isaac WILSON; 2. The location where you are seeking records, such as NC or Mecklenburg Co., NC; and 3. The time period, such as 1850-1885 or Late 1880s This information provides readers with many details in a brief subject line that allows them to determine if they want to read the posting. Here are some examples of good actual subject lines: MORRISON, HARRIS b. 1846 m. Rosa Havner Susan Elzie MORRISON b 1857 AR Whitfield, Thomas 1806 TN John Ball b. abt 1767 m Rachel King John McKnitt ALEXANDER - 1733-1817 - MD>NC The use of the > character in the subject line above indicates that the person moved from one place to another and is an excellent way to briefly communicate movement between locations. GOOD MESSAGE CONTENT The second important component of an excellent posting is the content of the message. You should indicate the name of the person you are researching (one person per posting is a good rule of thumb). You should state exactly what information you are seeking. Finally, you should include as much pertinent information as possible for the reader to determine if they have information that will help you. The following is an example of an effectively constructed message: "I am seeking names and vital dates about the parents of Lydia Lenora PATTERSON, b. 13 November 1833 (place unknown) and d. 28 August 1914 at Davidson (Mecklenburg Co.) NC. She married Joseph McKnitt WILSON on 8 April 1856 in Mecklenburg Co., NC, and they produced at least nine children but there may have been as many as twelve. I would also be interested in names, dates and spouse/family information about these siblings." In this example, the subject's name, vital dates, location and additional information about spouse and children are listed. The message is concise and contains enough details for the reader to determine if he or she has information that might assist the researcher who posted the message. - Get to the point. Most people don't want to take the time to read a long drawn out query. The first paragraph should contain the "Who, What, Where, and When" of your request. Details can be filled in after you have gotten the attention of your targeted audience. - Include only one request in your post. Too many requests may decrease your chances for a response. Other inquiries can be posted separately. - Include places you have already checked for the information. Otherwise you may be wasting other people's time, as well as your own, as you will have half a dozen replies telling you to search the obvious places that you have already checked. - Capitalize SURNAMES so that they are easy to pick out of the post and subject lines. (You shouldn't capitalize an entire message as it makes it more difficult to read and some people consider it the online equivalent of shouting.) - Be careful with abbreviations in your query. Remember that many forums have members from all parts of the world and others may not be familiar with the same abbreviations that we use. So spell it out whenever possible. This will eliminate the possibility for misinterpretation. - When posting to a mailing list, check your e-mail settings. Make sure you are only sending plain text to mailing lists. Others may not have the capability to read HTML coded messages and you want your message to be received and readable by as many people as possible. - Do not send your query as an attachment. Many viruses are transmitted as attachments and as a result, most people wisely refrain from opening attachments on email from people they don't know. - Sign your post with your name and e-mail address. Some e-mail readers don't show the address that an e-mail is received from and a recipient with the information you are looking for can't respond to you if they don't have your e-mail address. - Re-read your post carefully before you send it. Check for typos. Did you include all the necessary information? (Remember the 4 W's: Who, What, Where, When) Are all of your facts correct? Have you signed it properly? - Make sure your post is neat, and polite. Manners count online too. - Be careful of what information you post online, particularly when referring to living persons. Be sure to respect people's privacy and keep yourself and your family safe from those who might use information found online for fraudulent purposes. - If you find information worth sharing, post it to the appropriate list and share the source of the information so that others may benefit from your "finds." As you help others, they will be more eager to help you in return. - Always be polite on the lists and refrain from flaming. No one wants to help someone who is constantly complaining or mean to others. - Keep a log of your e-mail messages so you know what requests you have already put out and when.I keep mine in a folder and repost as necessary without having to retype them. I eliminate them as they are answered. By using common sense and following simple guidelines, you can benefit greatly from genealogical forums. They are a great place to make friends, find relatives, and information. SUMMING UP Consider for a moment the E-mails and message board postings you see every day. Which ones will capture your interest first? Which ones are you most likely to read first? Do some of them provide insufficient information for you to make a decision? Do you even know what is being asked? For a reversal on this thought, which emails didn't you answer, even if you had the info? What did those look like? Which ones did you immediately discard? Why? I am certain that the discarded ones are not the example to follow. As you can see in the examples above, a thoughtfully constructed posting that includes a meaningful subject line and detail-rich content is more likely to elicit responses. Invest a little time in creating better message board postings and chances are you will expand your research and achieve some new successes. Debbie Jennings debj@comsys.net "Following the footprints through time"

Family Folklore, traditions, legends we all have these and for the most part they are interesting,sometimes exciting, sometimes downright unbelievable.Since I have seen alot of postings lately regarding what people have "heard" in the family, but it can't be proven I thought I might cover a few ways in which they can at least start to be proven. Everyone knows just how easily a repeated tradition can, over time become acceptable fact. We all have family traditions. Some are colorful, some are entertaining; some are exaggerations, and some are bold-faced lies. All can be used genealogically, whether for actual clues or just to provide "colorful" stories to add to the family history. Most traditions are not completely false and contain a buried grain of truth. Finding that grain of truth and determining the difference between truth and fiction is not a simple matter. One approach to sifting the fact from the fiction is to break the story into those aspects that are potentially provable and those that are not. The lines between potentially provable and not provable are not always clear, but an attempt to categorize the story's aspects may further your research. The phrase "potentially provable" is used instead of "provable" to remind the researcher that an event that resulted in the creation of records in one time and place might not have resulted in the creation of records in another time and place. Potentially provable items are those that reasonably resulted in the creation of some type of record. The record may or may not be an official record. A knowledge of the typical records for the time period under study makes the analysis easier. This knowledge can be gained by reading listservs, genealogy books, and magazines, and by attending conferences and other activities that expand your genealogical knowledge. We will look at two traditions to see how they can be broken apart for potential clues, and we’ll discuss briefly what information was discovered. Tradition #1 "Riley Rampley served in the Civil War. He was with General Sherman on the famous 'March to the Sea.' While on his way home (riding on a horse), he met a young lady (Nancy Newman) who was on her way home from a house where she had been serving. When he got home, he told his mother he had met the girl he was going to marry." Several aspects of this tradition might have generated records. There are certain other parts that are difficult to validate unless diaries or contemporary letters are found. I analyzed the story in the following manner. POTENTIALLY PROVABLE Riley's Civil War service--through service records and pension records The involvement of Riley's unit in the "March to the Sea"--through regimental histories and Riley's service record The marriage of Riley and Nancy--through marriage records MOST LIKELY UNPROVABLE Riley meeting Nancy on his way home from the war and subsequently telling his mother he had met the woman he was going to marry. What Is Known Riley served in Company D of the Illinois Volunteer Infantry and was with Sherman on the "March to the Sea." This information was obtained from military service records and a history of the 78th Illinois. Nancy and her parents moved to Illinois in 1863-64 while Riley was in the service. This information was obtained from Nancy's obituary, her husband's biography, and from research on Nancy's siblings. Land records indicated that Nancy's parents owned a farm adjacent to that owned by Riley's parents. It is likely that the first time Riley saw Nancy was after he returned from the war. The couple was married in 1867, a few years after Riley's return from service. Tradition #2 "Grandma Haase was first married to a Mr. Beger. They lived in Warsaw (in Hancock County, IL) and had two little girls, Frances and Louisa. Mr. Beger died by drowning, and Grandma sold sandwiches to the men who came to sell things at the river (Warsaw is on the Mississippi River). Grandma later married my grandfather, Conrad Haase." POTENTIALLY PROVABLE The death of Peter Beger The birth of two daughters or the existence of two daughters The marriage of Peter and "Grandma Haase" The marriage of Conrad Haase and "Grandma Haase" MOST LIKELY UNPROVABLE "Selling sandwiches" didn't require a license in the 1850s, and there probably wouldn't be a way to document this. What Is Known Peter Bieger died in Warsaw, Illinois in November of 1855 (per his probate records). A guardianship case for his two daughters gives their names and dates of birth. A newspaper article on his accidental death appeared in the Warsaw, Illinois paper and indicated that he accidentally shot himself instead of drowning. No marriage record for he and "Grandma Haase" (whose name was Barbara) has been found in the area. A marriage record for "Grandma" and Conrad Haase was located in Hancock County, Illinois in 1859. Summing Up Not every tradition will result in possible records. However, taking a look at your family traditions may provide you with new insights to get a jumpstart on your own research. When including traditions in your family history, just be sure to clearly label them as tradition. ONCE A TRADITION BECOMES FACT, IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO CHANGE THAT FACT BACK TO FICTION. Debbie Jennings debj@comsys.net "Following the footprints through time"

Hi all! After "lurking" for a while, here I am! My Bott line is through Philomena BOTT Ochs, 13 March 1866 - 12 June 1959, Louisville, KY. She was actually still alive when I was born in 1958! She is my great-great grandmother. Her father is Sebastian BOTT, 27 March 1842, Horstein Unterfranken, Bavaria, - 16 November 1903, Louisville, Jefferson Co., KY. He was married first to Katharina Stiefvater, then to Theresia Strohmeier, 29 September 1842, Ohio, - 15 June 1889, Louisville, Jefferson Co., KY. Theresia was Philomena's mother. Sebastian and Theresia are buried in Portland Cemetery, Louisville. They had eight children total: John, Frank, Philomena, Theresa, Sebastian Jr., Lizzie, George and Eleanor. Philomena married ? Ochs - I actually have three different names for her husband from three different sources! Sebastian, James and W.W. They has four children - Theresa (my great-grandmother), Ferdie, Gertrude, and Willie. Philomena (and presumably her husband!) and Theresa (and her husband, Charles Frederick Siegel) are buried in St. Michael's Cemetery, Louisville. Enjoy the lists! Cecile M. Sands

I have Norbert BOTT, that came from Bernharz, Germany b. abt. 1833 d. abt. 1879 he married Catherine Ockert from Baden, Germany. His parents are believed to be Valentine BOTT and Margaretha BALTZER? His children: Maria Bierschbach ma. Andrew Louis settled in Remus, MI ma. Rose Simon Valentine settled in Remus, MI ma. Katherine Matzen Norbert, settled in Grand Rapids, MI ma. Mary Matzen Anthony Joseph died at a young age

Please forgive the formatting and length. My mother's great uncle had a large family. Her uncle lost contact with them in the 1940s. George and Novello were married in 1917, moved from Littleton Colorado to California around 1921. I was able to pinpoint the family in a family tree file, but it had few dates for entries this late. I have been unable to contact any of the folks on this branch of the tree, so I'm hoping one of them will recognize some of the names and contact me. I've recently been contacted by George's ancestors still in Russia, and would dearly love to complete this branch. I'm descended from George's sister Emma Bott Henke, and have information on George's other siblings. Kate 1 George1 Bott, b. 1887 Norka, Saratov, Russia, d. 1975 Pomona, California +Novello Henrietta1 Smith, b. 1895 Jaqua, Kansas, m. 1917 Littleton, Colorado, d. 1980 Pomona, California A. Cleora Pearl2 Bott +Donald R2 Dunagan 1. Kelly Allen3 Dunagan, Ronald Wayne3 Dunagan, Robert Lloyd3 Dunagan, Margaret Anne3 Dunagan, Brooks Wesley3 Dunagan, b. 1966 California, d. 1979 Riverdale, California B. Marvin Orland2 Bott +Teresa2 Adams 1. Charles Frederick3 Bott C. Martha Iva2 Bott +Walter2 Bobien 1. Martin Ivan3 Bobein D. Ellen Marie2 Bott (1)+Paul Joseph2 Morris (2)+Elmer W2 Muench 1. Paul Joseph3 Morris II +Sandy Lee3 Roberson; 2. Catharine Marie3 Morris 3. Marie Elena3 Morris +Dan3 Nebeker a. Graham4 Houston 4. Candace Laurie3 Morris +Michael3 Beers E. Geraldine Elaine2 Bott +Charles Lester2 Spotswood, b. 1936 Pomona, California, d. 1982 Grand Mesa, Colorado 1. Pamela Jean3 Spotswood +B3 Dunn a. Jennifer Elaine4 Dunn b. Michelle Marie4 Dunn c. Nikolos4 Dunn 2. Sheryl Lynn3 Spotwood +Tony3 Lowery a. Eric Robert4 Lowery b. Mathew Wayne4 Lowery c. Daniel Allen4 Lowery d. Colin Michelle4 Lowery 3. David Lee3 Spotswood a. David Wayne4 Spotswood b. Savannah Nicole4 Spotswood 4. Steven Wayne3 Spotswood, b. 1959 Pomona, California, d. 1982 Texas a. Jennelle4 Spotswood +Harry L2 Petty 1. Allen Leon5 Petty F. Vesta Helena2 Bott G. George Arthur2 Bott +Genevieve Esther Anderson2 Smith 1. Robert George3 Bott 2. Katheryn Marie3 Bott 3. Thomas Wayne3 Bott 4. Stephen L.3 Bott H. Gladys Dorene2 Bott (1)+Tony2 Hawkins (2)+John L2 Caward 1. Tony Jr3 Hawkins 2. Cheryl3 Hawkins 3. Dorene3 Hawkins +(--?--)3 Swartwood I. Novello May2 Bott, b. 1918 Loveland, Colorado, d. 1992 Buena Park, California +Verner2 Neher, b. 1909 Lordsberg, California, m. 1937 Yuma, Arizona, d. 1987 Anaheim, California 1. Judith Novelo3 Neher +Lawrence W3 Garrad a. Theresa Marie4 Garrad b. Cheryl Ann4 Garrad +Charles Lee4 Pruitt c. Connie Lee4 Garrad d. David4 Garrad e. Lori Lynn4 Garrad +Greg Allen4 Bissell f. Mark Andrew4 Garrad +Bobbi Joy4 Craig 2. Wilma Jean3 Neher +Rudolph H.3 Berneike a. Linda Lee4 Bernieke b. Carole Lynn4 Berneike +Arthur4 Corl c. John Brian4 Bernieke d. Julie Ann4 Berneike 3. Dorene Louise3 Neher +(1) B. W.3 Davidson (2)+Lennie3 Atencio a. Michelle DeAnne4 Davidson b. Troy McDaniel4 Davidson 4. Daryl Everett3 Neher +Melody3 Cartwright a. Sherry Lynn4 Neher b. Daryl Everette4 Neher II J.Theodore Wayne2 Bott, b. 1928 Denver, Colorado, d. 1932

I am researching the line of Hermanus Bott who came to the US in 1743 on the ship the Loyal Judith from Germany.Hermanus was born in 1697 in the Palatine area of Germany and died about July 28 1772 in Bottstown,York county PA. I have the name of his second wife but she is not the mother of his children.I know he married an unknown lady in 1722 prior to his immigration and she is the mother of the children. I have the info from the Keith Dull book and am trying to find any info on the 1st marriage. Any info on this line would be appreciated. Debbie Jennings debj@comsys.net "Following the footprints through time"

--part1_b0.949565b.26d07197_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Heres my Bott Line.... Ive added only complete names for deceased family members... presently researching my great grandmothers line MCINTYRE" who was married to Emil Bott ,,, indicated below .. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Alexander Bott b1843 + Josephine b 1855 both from Germany 2 . Alexander b 1879 Germany Immigrated 1880? + Catherine X born 1887 in Pennslyvania 3.Charles b1908 3. Catherine b 1910 (2 months old) The information for Alexander was taken from 1910 federal census for Philadelphia Pa enumeration district 1158 ...need to still tie this Alexander with the family 2. Josephine b1877 born Gemany Immigrated 1881 2. Catherine b 1883 + (?) STOLTZ died before Catherine was 27 3.Catherine Stoltz b1902 d 1976 (Lynhurst NJ) 3.Two Children died 2. Joseph b1888 2. Mary b 1890 Note informaton from 1910 Philadelphia co Pa federal census enumeration district #313 taken on April 20th 1910 Alexander is 67 years old Wife Josephine is 55,Daughter Josephine is 33,Catherine 27 Joseph 22 Mary is 20 the grandaughter Catherine is 8 2 Emiel BOTT b: 1875* In germany Immigrated 1880 circa 1950s)+Mary MCINTYRE b1855* 3 Rose Marie b 1908*d 1914,(Philadelphia Pa) * From 1910 federal census enumeration district 313 taken april 21 1910 has Emil at 35 yrs of age ,,,,Mary is 34 years of age both married 11 years Alexander is 6,Joseph is 5 and Rose Marie is 1 yr 8 months 3Alexander b: 1903 d 1974 +Pauline LINEMAN b 1907 d 1996 4 Alexander Joseph Bott Jr b: 1936 + marrried 5 son b: 1970 5 son b: 1972 4 Antoinette Marie b: Sept 29 1938 d:Oct 14 1997 4 daughter b: 1944 + husband 5 son b:1968 5 son b:1972 5 son b:1975 3Joseph Bott Sr b: 1905 d: 1985 + Helen Esperance SULLIVAN b:1914 d:1995 4 Joann + Husband 5 Joann ++ Walt CYBULSKI ( died circa 5 Cindy died 8yrs old circa 1965 5 Son 5 son 4 Rosemary b: 1930?d: 1989 +Joseph Seybert 5 Micheal: c 1949 + Karen ++ Alice 5 Albert + Sandy 6 son 6 son 6 daughter 4(Connie)b: Feb 2 1938 +Martin ++ Joe 5 Michele b: + Steven 6 daughter 6 son 6 son 4 Terry b Feb 2 1938 + James 5 daughter + 5 daughter + Rodreguez 5 daughter + Audette 5 James b 4Joseph Francis JR b: April 1 1946 + Pamela 5 Nathan + Claire 6. Siob

Mrs. Robt Goldstrap... I lost your address... Please contact me direct.. Dick Carter rcar37@prodigy.net

Seeking information on the Botts of Pennsylvania 1802-???: Descendants of Andrew Bott 1 Andrew Bott b: 1802 . +Hannah Sanno b: 1804 in Carlisle, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania m: Abt. 1832 ........ 2 James Andrew Bott ............ +Mary Miranda Rudisill ................... 3 Mary Hannah Bott b: October 21, 1874 in Ohio d: June 23, 1951 in Los Angeles Co., California ....................... +George Clendening Haeberlin b: June 25, 1874 in Illinois m: 1907 d: July 04, 1942 in Los Angeles Co., California ................... 3 Charles Bott b: 1859 ................... 3 Catherine Bott b: 1861 ................... 3 Walter Sanno Bott b: 1863 ................... 3 Willard Bott b: 1865 ................... 3 Clyde Bott b: 1869 ................... 3 Hattie Bott b: 1872 ................... 3 Vinnie Bott b: 1876 ........ 2 George Michael Bott ........ 2 Alida Bott ........ 2 Sade Bott ........ 2 [twins] Bott Thanks for any help you can give. -- Jim Spickard spickard@McGuire-Spickard.com

Let's have a ROLL CALL, beginning now Saturday,Aug 18 2000 and ending NEXT Sunday Aug 27 2000 that is one whole week!! PLEASE include the STATE(s) and GIVEN NAME for the ancestor you are hunting IN THE SUBJECT LINE, and give more information about your ancestors - including dates and migration and spouses' surnames - in the message part of your post, so that you can get maximum benefit from this roll call. Please assist with any of the ROLL CALL posts that you possibly can - if we all focus together these next few days, we can maximize our efforts for the benefit of all of us. PLEASE, DO NOT send any of these posts to me. Send them to the list. PLEASE, DO NOT just send a list of surnames, place something to get results. Debbie Jennings debj@comsys.net "Following the footprints through time"

I would like to encourage all new subscribers to the list to access the archives for our list to see what you may have missed. The link is: http://searches2.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl then type in just the name of the list. On the next page the year you are searching and the topic you are looking for. Debbie Jennings debj@comsys.net "Following the footprints through time"

This seems to be a fairly basic tool for researching. I myself, must confess that I don't use it as much as I should and I don't rely completely on it either. There are persons who rely mainly on it for their research. I think I have just found too many errors or exclusions in the census for my taste. I am a skeptical person which in most cases helps in research. If I find an error in a piece, I am usually looking for another and it also casts doubt on the rest of the file,piece or article. Throws it all into question. Although the census was started in 1790 and continues every 10 years to measure the density and geographic distributing of people, there are some things you should remember about the census. You must be very careful when using census records, however. They can be at once informative and helpful, as well as misleading or downright incorrect. There are four things you should always remember when working with census records: 1. Census records' content is only as good as the person who enumerated the people and recorded the information. Your ancestral family may have been the victim of a lazy or uncommitted enumerator. The enumerator may have been tired and may not have wanted to trudge down the road to your great-grandfather's farm or up five flights of stairs in your urban great-grandfather's apartment building. Instead, he may have asked a neighbor, "Hey, do you know the people who live there?" If the answer was yes, the enumerator might have then asked this person (and not a member of your ancestor's family) all the questions required to complete the schedule form. 2. Census records' contents are only as good as the person who provided the information. Even if the census enumerator visited the family, he may have been greeted by a child or other family member, or even a servant, who wasn't the best source for providing the information. As a result, the data may be incorrect. 3. People were seldom counted twice, but many were not counted at all. Enumerators sometimes missed homes, people were sometimes away, some people avoided being counted, and some refused outright to participate. 4. Census enumerators recopied their work onto fresh forms and, in some censuses, made copies for state, county, and/or local governments too. During the transcription process, errors may have been made. A birth date or an age miscopied, a ditto mark (or the abbreviation "do" or "dto") used in the wrong place, an incorrect state of birth—all these errors can conspire to point you in the wrong direction. I have found persons who are listed with nicknames instead of given names, persons who even though I know alot of the spelling was phonetic I have no idea how they arrive at certain combinations. People who aged 14-20 years in 10 years, and in certain counties in KY I have found notices on a web page stating that during a certain time frame, the taking of the census was delegated to certain officials who felt it was just too much work and they didn't do it. I couldn't believe this upon first reading it, but it is true. So those census are just not there. There is one tip though if you do use the census records alot. Also copy down the 6 households on either side of the ancestor you are searching. I know, Why? Don't you have enough to do? Because families often lived adjacent to or near other family members, such as parents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, etc. This will save you a trip back to the library.If this is your main medium of research you should gain the most possible from your efforts. Alot of persons use the census for finding ancestors, and in many cases there not listed. For those persons who depend on the census, then the lack of an ancestor says to them that they weren't there. In this case, for my line anyway, this would confirm what I have thought all along.... I was dropped here from an alien universe, because if my ancestors weren't there, then I couldn't be here. Debbie Jennings debj@comsys.net "Following the footprints through time"

Have any of you ever re-read a book? You mysteriously see a sentence or paragraph that even though you KNOW you have read this book before, you don't recall seeing this particular piece. I myself do this quite frequently. I find that in many instances, Genealogy is better the second time around, or what I like to refer to as "served as a Leftover". This week I have been using for updating my files, placing all the odds and ends on my floppys onto the file or somewhere else. Also I have been sorting and organizing my filing system. Just last night I was looking through a file on my husband's line. I am stuck on one man and you all know the story. The man is an alien or an island. No parents, no marriage locale, no previous history. He is my true jigsaw puzzle, all info has been piecemeal, and I am being generous with that descriptive. But still, he is one of my most addictive searches. I looked at the file last night for what seemed like forever, and of course it just stared back. Then, I saw it. What someone had sent me well over a year ago and I had looked at a dozen times and put away, never being able to either accept or discard anything. The census record listed his mother in law in the household in 1850 and she was only 5 years older then the son inlaw. Which is not that unusual, except it made her 8 years old when she had her daughter!! Another piece someone had sent me complete with documentation,this man was in the military. I was so excited to get this break.Until I noticed that the man was 71 at the start of the Civil War and 73 at the time of induction, I know they made allowances at the end but I still don't think they were taking them that old. I had never noticed these items before and just kept putting them back away. Sometimes you just don't notice this stuff at face value, it takes many times of viewing to find errors or bonuses. The same is true for items I pull from mailing lists that seem to be of a connection, and appear a really great find. Countless times as I get ready to put these onto floppys or zips I look at it and wonder, "why on earth did I keep this"? Finding I either already had it or connects not even remotely. We all have mounds of piles of papers and data we are saving. Could our gold mine be in one of those? Could we find that piece of info we have been searching for hidden within pages we have stored away? I always do. Last night, I found a birthplace of someone on a marriage application that I thought I had pretty well covered for info. I knew the birthplace was on there, but it was in a different county then I had previously beat to death searching for her parents. So when you get discouraged, go back through your papers, you might just find out you had the info all the time. Debbie Jennings debj@comsys.net "Following the footprints through time"

Hi List: I was wondering if anybody could do a lookup for me regarding the marriage between JEAN RICHARD BOT of Alderney and ANNE SUSAN DEBORAH PICOT of Jersey, (1802-1866). They emigrated to Prince Edward Island, Canada in 1822. He was born on April 21, 1792 in Alderney and she was born in 1802 in Jersey. However, we do not know any information on her PICOT family. However the parents of Jean Richard Bot were LAURENT BOT, born June 20, 1755 in Alderney and his wife, MARGARET HERIVEL. Our BOT line goes back to SAMUEL BOT born October 6, 1678 in Alderney and his wife MARIE DUPLAIN. Their son, FRANCOIS BOT born June 14, 1714 married MARIE LAVALLEE. Their son, LAURENT BOT, born June 20, 1755 married MARGARET HERIVEL. JEAN RICHARD BOT, born April 21, 1792 was one of 12 children born to this couple. The other siblings were: 1) LAURENT BOT , Born June 12, 1781, Died August 23, 1781-Alderney 2) MARGUERITE BOT, Born November 28, 1783 3) LAURENT BOT, Born March 17, 1785 4) RACHEL MARIE BOT, Born June 22, 1786, Died May 13, 1787 5) RACHEL BOT, Boren April 8, 1788 6) ELIZABETH BOT, born October 2, 1789 7) ELIZABETH BOT, born March 27, 1791 8) JEAN RICHARD BOT, Born April 21, 1792, Died August 9, 1862 9) SUSANNE BOT, Born December 26, 1794 10) GUILLAUME BOT, Born July 24, 1796 11) THOMAS BOT, Born November 22, 1797 12) PIERRE BOT, Born October 30, 1798 In the Will of Jean Richard Bot, at Rustico, PEI, Canada, circa 1861, he refers to his wife Anne Susan Picot as NANCY PICOT. If anybody can share any information on this couple, or any BOTT or PICOT Channel Island connections, please get in touch with me at tim.bit@pei.sympatico.ca Thank you and all other listers for their contributions and sharing with other CI researchers. I would appreciate hearing from any other BOTT & PICOT family members. Edna (Botts) Cudmore

Posted on: BOTT Queries Reply Here: http://genconnect.rootsweb.com/gc/surnames/b/o/BOTT/queries/3 Surname: BOTT, ALBRIGHT, WACHTEL, WAUGHTEL ------------------------- Simon BOTT married Ann WACHTEL in 1834, from Millerstown, Lancaster Co, PA. Trying to determine if she is the d/o Jacob & Mary ALBRIGHT WACHTEL who lived in York Co, PA at least til Jacob's death in 1819. DorindaMD@aol.com

Have you ever given thought to what will happen to all the mountains of research after you are no longer,"guardian of the files"? There are I grant you several options -at the same time there are many problems with each one: 1.Children--Which one? many times there seems to be no real interest on the part of any of your children. 2.Grandchildren--This is great, but if they are very young now, who knows if this will be of interest to them later. 3.Library/Archival Holdings--This would be a useful thing to do, which one? what family line? >From my personal point of view, which is really all I can give you right now-- Even though, I know it wasn't really the way it was, it seems as if during my childhood I was drug into and walked through every cemetery in about 3 states, mostly Indiana. Didn't seem to have any real connection to me, these people had been dead quite some time. At ages 10-14 you always seem to have many more important things to do then walk through cemeteries, especially on vacation. Then there were the libraries, and the xerox machines. This was a little more interesting, although not much. Due to dire family illness, the genealogy was shelved for years, I married, had children and divorced. Then...I got it, the "bug". I knew it was there and I could get it at anytime, but really didn't think I would. There are no known vaccines for it, no instant cures, and to my knowledge no telethons raising money to cure the "bug". I started researching, now I could better comprehend the desire to roam the cemeteries, hang out at the libraries, talk in that strange language of: census,immigration, ship lists,I had to read obituaries,possibilities, speculations. My children (grown now) find it strange that mom actually not only takes photos of gravestones, she SAVES them. I find it odd that sometimes I can, given a name, regardless of time frame have recall of parents,dates,deaths. But bring me to the present and well, you all know...... What does this all have to do with who to leave your files to? Don't always assume that your children WON'T be interested at a future date. When I got the "bug" nobody had been prodding me it just "happened". I have three children. One would like the info,although as he puts it "you already have everything done, but I'd like to read it". One thinks its neat, but I can tell "really" doesn't want control of it. Then, there is the other child.. Most recently he has decided to borrow my familytreemaker and install it. He has asked for help and suggestions, he doesn't always have time to "get into it", BUT the "bug" is there, he has been bitten or he wouldn't be at the point he is. It is I grant you a tough decision as to who to leave the info to. I would like to make a copy for each of the children and for the grandchildren. But that still isn't the same as who will carry on the search. I would hate to see all the research just be read and not furthered. Of course you may all have comtemporaries who are also working on the family history and you feel that they understand the importance and the value of the research. But, of course you realize especially if they are older that in most likelihood they will be gone before you are. For me, the library is not an option as I don't wish for it to just sit there. I want it furthered. My suggestion, for what it is worth-- Look to the child of yours who had the most questions growing up, was the most curious, never could quite accept the reasoning "just because".The one who always dug just a little further into the why,how and where then all the other children in the area. My bet is this will be the child who later, has that desire to know. Who won't accept, "it was because it was." Everyone who is researching knows that it takes a certain amount of just not being able to accept everything they are told.Sure leave a copy to your grandchildren and to your children, but there is an inherent difference in a copy of the family history and your files. But then, as a final note, maybe I will be the first to have to have two burial plots. One will be for me and the other will have a stone saying "Her Files". We all know true genealogists never reach the end, after all once you leave this world, how are you going to ask all those questions,(wherever you are) without your files.......... Debbie Jennings debj@comsys.net "Following the footprints through time"

Just for a matter of levity, but seriously folks this describes some of my feelings toward my records of ancestors. I kiddingly think my ancestors were a bunch of arsonists burning every court house in every place they lived in!! I particularly love the fourth and fifth one. Enjoy <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> As genealogists, we are notorious for poking fun at ourselves. We joke about our obsession with family history, our computer addiction, and about the ploys our ancestors may have used to avoid our searches. But sometimes there is a grain of truth hidden in these jokes, and if we really think about them, we may discover a way around these truths. 1.My ancestors . . . (A) Must have swum across because I can't find them in any immigration records. (B) Were deposited here by aliens. (C) Were abducted by aliens. So many times when we feel we have searched every record type, we may believe there is a grain of truth in this joke, but it might just be that we are looking in the wrong location. For instance, if you have an ancestor who you have found record of in New York City, you might be tempted to assume that he came into the country through the Port of New York or Ellis Island. But your searches of New York City or Ellis Island immigration records may be in vain. Knowing the history of the area can help. Historically speaking, in some cases, it was cheaper and more convenient to enter the United States via Canada and the St. Lawrence; in fact, around 1850 it was actually encouraged. 2**The page of microfilm where your ancestor's name appears is unreadable and appears to have been filmed after a five-martini lunch. While it may be that the original filming of the document is the reason it is unreadable, many microform copies are made from other microfilms and they may be several “generations” removed from the original. For this reason, a copy in one repository may be of better or worse quality than a copy in another repository. Make a note of the film and page number, and when you have the opportunity to visit another repository that has that film, you might want to do a quick check to see if you have better luck there. 3.**The documentation you seek was . . . (A) Onboard the Titanic. (B) Burned in a courthouse fire. (C) Eaten by a dog. This is unfortunately often the truth. Records are often destroyed in fires, floods, or natural disasters. After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, most of the city's records were lost. Many people had to reconstruct records in order to get their lives back in order. Millions of records had to be re-recorded to prove land ownership, citizenship status, or other life events. For this reason, a search of court records in later years can often yield substantial results. 4.**The courthouse clerk who holds your grandfather's naturalization papers has just been insulted by another genealogist. This can all too often be the truth, and for this reason it is very important for us to always be polite to the keepers of the records we seek, no matter how frustrated we become. But sometimes we can change bad impressions with a smile, a kind word, or a simple act of kindness. We will catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. 5.**You work for years to find the missing link in your family history. When you finally find it and tell your family, Uncle George says, "Oh, I knew that!" This underlines the importance of interviewing all living family members (I've tried interviewing the dead ones, but they don't always respond!). Even if you had interviewed Uncle George, though, did you ask the right questions? Many times those not familiar with genealogy may not realize the significance of these tidbits. Let him know what exactly what information will help you. Did you let him know what information you have? Sometimes by showing him a chart or a brief summary of what you know, he may be able to help you fill in the blanks. Have you kept him up to date with new information you have found? Sometimes new information will help to jog his memory and bring to light new information. 6.**You have finally located the marriage record for the John Smith in your family, and you find that his wife's maiden name is Smith too. 7.**You know you are a genealogy addict when your dining room table has been transformed into an office and the table has been pushed into a corner to make more room for your files. Hey, who's been peeking in my window?! Debbie Jennings debj@comsys.net "Following the footprints through time"

This is a topic that most persons don't understand completely. If genealogists have a flaw, and I am not saying we do, of course. But that flaw would be the unremitting thought that,"this could be the info with the gold mine!!" So many of us are so very excited and anxious upon recieving info,even though we know we should we don't really always STOP and really look at that attachment before opening.You may not want to admit it even to yourself but we have all been guilty of it. Most mailing lists frown on the Virus Warnings type of posts and mainly because alot of these are Hoaxes. But in this series of tips, I think it is very pertinent and essential. I would like to say that in all fairness, some persons passing along viruses are totally unaware of the situation.I try my best to watch for it on the list and unsub anyone who is passing them along.(Their request for subbing usually will carry some warning.) I would also like to stress that I have seen many times that persons WITH updated virus scans and protections have still incurred damaging through some glitch in the system, so some of the alert is up to us.I found the following piece on the Ancestry.com site and it seems to me to be the best explanation of the how and why. There are also links to sites for virus protection.This is not to dissuade any of you from exchanging files, just to info about the types not to accept. @-------->--------->-------------<-----------<-----@ Genealogists are great at exchanging information with one another. We mail photocopies back and forth, take photographs of cemetery markers, post information on message boards, exchange e-mail, and even send extracts from our computerized genealogy databases on disk or as attachments to e-mail messages. Despite all these good intentions, sometimes our exchange of electronic information carries a little 'bonus' as well--a computer virus. Imagine your horror at having all your years of computerized family history research destroyed in just a few moments by a computer virus. If you consider the time, energy and love that has gone into your research, I can't think of anything that would make you more heartsick than losing all of that effort in one fell swoop. WHAT IS A VIRUS?? A computer virus is generally defined as a program, which replicates and transmits itself from one computer to another. Viruses are created by people with a variety of motives, from the novice programmer who wants to prove his/her mettle to the outright cyber-terrorist wishing to wreak malicious destruction on computer users and their equipment. Some viruses act as soon as they are introduced into your computer, while others lurk until a specified date and time before activating themselves. Some viruses are benign, more of an annoyance than anything else. Others, however, may do irreparable damage by corrupting programs or deleting files. In a worst case scenario, a virus may reformat your hard disk, destroying all of your programs and data, and then go beyond that, altering the essential system code on the BIOS chip on your computer's motherboard. In that case, there is little hope for your computer other than to replace the motherboard and/or BIOS chip and then reinstall every program again. And hopefully you backed up your essential data. Otherwise you will have lost all your valuable data -- including all your computerized genealogical research materials -- forever! HOW ARE VIRUSES TRANSMITTED? What you must first understand is that computer viruses are executable programs, and their file name extensions are most often .exe (for executable program). Others are .com (command files) and, occasionally, .ovl (overlay files). UNDERSTAND TOO THAT THEY ARE NOT TEXT FILES -- those with a file extension of .txt in their name. THEY ARE ALSO NOT GRAPHIC FILES such as those with file extensions of .gif, .jpg, .bmp, .tif, or .tiff, and a variety of other graphics format files. Computer viruses can be transmitted between computers in several ways, all of which allow the executable files to be introduced and to run on your computer. There are literally thousands of viruses floating around in cyberspace, all acting a little differently. 1. A friend, colleague, or fellow researcher may provide you with a disk with documents or files on it. You may place this in your computer's floppy drive (A:) and copy the files to your hard disk. If there was a boot sector virus on the disk, one that affects your system's start-up files, you just introduced it to your computer. The next time you try to start your computer, you're dead. 2. Perhaps you didn't copy the files. Instead, perhaps you opened a GEDCOM file from your A: drive. There isn't a problem -- yet. However, you turn off your computer, leaving the disk in the floppy drive. If there's a boot sector virus there, the next time you turn on your computer, it tries to start itself with system files on the floppy disk in the A: drive. It then reads the virus and introduces it to the computer. 3. You have been exchanging E-mail with someone about your surname and they agree to share their GEDCOM file. When you receive the E-mail with the file attached., you notice the file is named JONES.EXE. You download the file to your hard disk and open it. Surprise! There's a file-infecting virus inside, and it may start working immediately to alter or destroy files on your computer. 4. Another person sends you a file that they tell you is compressed in a .ZIP format. ZIP files can consist of one or more files that have been compressed to eliminate spaces and therefore improve storage and transfer time. You download the file, but unfortunately this JOHNSON.ZIP file also contains a self-extracting facility that immediately starts the virus (that was also included in the little package) and devastation is on its way. 5. Another researcher sends you a Microsoft Word document as an attachment to an e-mail. At first glance, it looks great. The file is named WILSON.DOC and you download and store it on your hard disk. When you go to open it, a box is displayed asking you whether you want to Enable Macros or Open Without Enabling Macros. You select 'Enable Macros' and someone has just hit you with a virus, one that uses an advanced feature of MS-Word to run a set of program instructions that can wreak havoc on your computer. All of these are pretty scary. Not only can these scenarios happen, some viruses combine multiple techniques and attack in multiple ways. Some even hide in your computer's memory (RAM) or alter themselves in size and rename themselves to avoid detection. HOW WILL MY COMPUTER STAY VIRUS FREE? While there are many ways to catch a virus, there are a number of ways and places you will not contract a computer virus. 1. Prepackaged software sold in retail stores or from reputable locations on the Internet will not have viruses. If you go to a store and consider purchasing prepackaged software that has been opened and is on sale for a bargain price, think again. The person who returned the merchandise may have infected the software, on purpose or unintentionally. 2. Software and data files that you find at reliable genealogy sites such as Ancestry.com, the Genealogy Forum on America Online, CompuServe, and Prodigy, and some other sites are rigidly checked for viruses. You can download these files with confidence that they have been screened and that any viruses have been eradicated. 3. Files attached to e-mail that are text type files, bearing file names with the extension of .txt, are not executable programs and are therefore not viruses. HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF The most effective way to protect yourself against viruses is to know your source. Be careful about accepting disks and files from strangers, and be wary about where on the Internet you download files. Second, purchase and use a reputable anti-virus software program and check every single file you introduce to your computer, regardless of its location. The major software packages on the market are McAfee's VirusScan (http://www.mcafee.com/), Dr. Solomon's Anti-Viral Tool Kit (http://www.drsolomon.com/), and Symantec's Norton Anti-Virus (http://www.symantec.com/). A good anti-virus software package will detect different types of viruses, alert you to their presence, delete them and/or try to clean infected files. Make sure you obtain frequent updates/upgrades from these companies' Web sites or periodically purchase new versions of their software. With hundreds of new viruses discovered annually, you cannot afford to be lackadaisical on this subject. Third, make an emergency boot disk. In the event that a virus infects your system, you will be able to bypass the infected or damaged system files and restart your computer. See your computer manual or Windows 95/98 Help files for instructions. It's easy! Last but not least, back up all your important data on a regular basis. If a virus destroyed your genealogical research information stored on your computer, you would probably never be able to recreate it all. Invest a few minutes regularly to back up your data and you might save yourself many months of reconstruction and reentry of data. Be Prepared! Now that you understand what a virus is and what one can do to your computer, make certain you are prepared against this insidious form of cyber-terrorism. Invest the time to learn more about viruses, purchase and use anti-virus software, know your sources, be vigilant in your virus-checking routine, and regularly back up your data. This is another important way to preserve your family history. Debbie Jennings debj@comsys.net "Following the footprints through time"

Non--Connecting Files I had always just hung onto pieces of info that "never quite fit in" although it seemed as if they should have. I now have a floppy on Non-Connecting and use it as follows: If I receive something that seems as if it fits but there are a few generations missing, or it sounds correct but not enough to place in my family file. I stick these in the Non Connecting and with some frequency I go through it to see if anything fits yet. You would be surprised at something that seemingly didn't fit last week or last month now fits. I began doing this as the result of saying way too many times,"I had something on that, now where did I put it?" So now I save things JUST IN CASE. If it still doesn't fit after a reasonable amount of time of I recheck it and it really doesn't fit after all I discard it. I do try to make sure I have past the point on a line that the questionable info would cover. Maybe this isn't the best of systems but it saves loosing items that later become useful. Don't misunderstand I don't do all my research on floppys, I do also maintain a notebook of Family sheets,pedigrees,etc. I want just one more back up if I were to loose all on the computer. Debbie Jennings debj@comsys.net "Following the footprints through time"