"A. John Birkholz" <brotherjohn@imt.net> wrote in message news:<b7iabc$1kn$1@askin-17.linkpendium.com>... > > I'm working some personal property tax lists. I can't find the > > boiler-plate that tells me the tax rates. I've got the one for the > > 1860s, but not the ones for the 1700s. :( > > > > I'm noticing something I think is VERY strange: from information on > > the tax lists, I can deduce the tax rate for a white tithable, for > > one horse, and for one "cattle". However, where the tithable owns > > many horses and/or cattle, the rates multipled by the number of > > animals don't work out to the amount of the tax. > > > > Opinions -- would these be math errors on the part of the assessor, > > ceilings on the number of horses/cattle taxed, variable rates for > > quality of animal, or what? > > > > Cheryl <singhals@erols.com> > > > I am familiar with three modern day scenarios that might give you a > clue to the strange tax behavior you reported. > > 1.) Inventories are often reduced or moved before "tax" day. > > 2.) If the taxpayer was responsible for the count, it was often > under reported. It was never over reported. > > 3.) If the tax man came out to the farm to see for himself, he > would often round down. > > But I doubt that any of this kind of thing happened during former > times <g> Nah > > A. John Birkholz brotherjohn@imt.net > Brother Shoots Brother > > .... He also had a habit of getting drunk on all possible occasions > and his tragic ending has been freely predicted for a number of > years. .... Friday September 1, 1899, West Point Republican -- West > Point, Cuming Co., Nebr. my vote would be for ceilings or exemptions or something like that or whatever else they might have called them back then, if you're going on the assumption that the numbers reported were accurate and the ceilings or exemptions were applied on the total reported (after the fact). of course, if they threw in something else into the factoring soup, like the size of the farm or whatever, this could get tricky unless that is also reported in the same records. or, goodness forbid, there would be some kind of archaic "grandfathering" tax scheme which would lower or otherwise skew tax calculations for land, property, etc. held in the same family or under some "special purposes" exemption....and, given that they had politicians back then, even if they didn't have computers, i'll bet there were some "special" exemptions floating around. sound interesting...i'd like to hear more about this....if you'd care to email me privately, i'd like to hear about your thoughts and progress on this cjb elliotr@alltel.net

i ran across information in an obituary for an individual which stated that the person's father was deceased. the father's full name was printed in the obituary, so i check the ss death index.....every way i tried, no matter what combination, the individual's father didn't pop up on the index. the story on why i would even care is irrevelant, but does this make sense? since i don't have a date of death or the location of the presumed death of the father, only the name, is there anywhere else to look? thanks!!! fsuedu@hotmail.com (fsuedu)

> I feel the need to chime in here as I do have experience with this > issue. After emails back and forth between this very helpful person > regarding my father (he left us when I was very young) and his > family's genealogy, he told me he was also my father's child from a > previous marriage and there were more siblings. Although I am > thrilled to have this whole new family, later I learned that my > father had not divorced prior to marrying my mother. My mother is > elderly and I have great concerns that somehow she will find out > which would devistate her. Tough call on this one. Good luck to > you. > > mglory@hutchtel.net i think these are issues we all have to consider before attempting to contact someone or even responding to an inquiry. in my family, the current generation is the end of the line...three cousins...no kids between us...all of us late 40's to 50's, so little chance of that changing. except to satisfy our own questions, there's little point in disrupting other people's lives. we have pretty complete medical histories and such...there's really no compelling need. the methodology in the research is interesting, especially as our access to records reflects privacy issues for everyone, but unless there's a legal or medical reason or unless there has been some reliable third party confirmation that contact is desired on the other end, i'd avoid it and even then i'd be careful about how the whole thing is transacted. people walk away from their lives for a reason, be it a good or bad reason, and, to an extent, that should be respected. and, as you can see from the previous post, it can open up a whole new can of worms. just my opinion. good luck. fsuedu@hotmail.com (fsuedu)

> Can anyone tell us when U.S. Social Security came into being? > > Bunny Turner <bunnypat@eastlink.ca> > Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada the website www.ssa.gov might be of some help..... see ya!!

"Rh Domino" <rhdomino@hotmail.com> DIDN'T write: > [ Methods is about ... > > Methods is unusual in that it is a *moderated* newsgroup/mailing > list, which means every article is read and approved by the > moderator before it is distributed to the group's participants. > > Cheers, Mod. ] Even more unusual is a moderated group where the moderator edits articles rather than just returning them to the poster for editing! [ I do edit the articles, but in a very restricted sense. I try to standardize the formatting, so experienced Methods readers can understand the messages as quickly and easily as possible. I occasionally trim material quoted from earlier posts. I very occasionally fix trivial typos. I never make changes that in any way alter the meaning of a message. I *greatly* appreciate experienced Methods posters who submit their articles in the standard format. ] Speaking of charter is there a FAQ available someplace? I've read off and on for a few months and never seen one posted or refered to... [ For whatever reason, there seem to be remarkably few questions that get asked so often in Methods that a FAQ would be of much use. The Methods archives, though, are arguably the world's best (and certainly the most interesting!) source of genealogical information. Karen and I have occasionally thought about distilling one or several "The Collective Wisdom of the Methods Community" books out of the archives. http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GENMTD Cheers, Mod ] Tom "Tom Morris" <tmorris-NOSPAM@SPAMFREE.nh.ultranet.com>

In the National Genealogical Society Quarterly Vol 89 No 4 December 2001, Tony Burroughs has an interesting article explaining why some names cannot be found in the Census Soundexes. I think this problem was discussed several years ago on GENMTD or on GENCMP but I have not seen Burrough's findings mentioned on a list. He could not find Burroughs B622 per NARA coding instruction in the Soundex. He found that Burroughs was coded B620 in the Soundex and in other places. Soundex was invented by Robert Russel and licensed by Remington-Rand who did the coding for the 1900 Census. Soundex is/was a R-R trademark. The original Soundex rules include: The letters h and w are not coded; vowels are separators of letters with equivalent numbers and h and w are not considered separators. The current NARA rules are: The letters h and w are treated that same as vowels; neither type is coded and both types are separators of letters with equivalent numbers. Name NARA Original Burroughs B622 B620 Ashcroft A226 A261 bob gillis bob gillis <rpgillis@bellatlantic.net>

Maria Kelley wrote: > > ..Aassuming that you want hard copy files of your documentation, > how do you make census records? Do you transcribe, print the image, > print a blank form and fill in some/all of the census page? What do > you all recommend? If you want a hard copy of the 1880 Census from FamilySearch, just print it out. I you really want a hard copy of the Census, then get the Census Enumeration film through a FHC and make a photocopy of the part of the page that interests you. Why transcribe or enter into a form with the possibility of an error? bob gillis bob gillis <rpgillis@bellatlantic.net>

HI: I'm tracing the ancestry of my ggrandfather MOSES BERRY. I've researched BERRY wills in the early 1800s in Mason Co., KY. Family oral history says that one of Moses' parents was named JUDAH. Moses was born ca. 1819-1821 in KY. Moses' last slave owner was MILTON DAUGHERTY, and ROBERT H. BALDWIN before that, in 1863. I don't know who owned Moses or his family members (wife Mariah, son Alexander, son Arthur, daughter Belle) before 1863. I'm researching BERRYS on the speculation that because many slaves chose family surnames and carried them over generations, but didn't necessarily reveal them, and that Moses got his surname from his relatives (that is, he didn't choose it upon emancipation). I'm looking to find fellow BERRY or MASON CO., KY researchers who may know of these people listed as heirs in BERRY wills in Mason County. Also, again, I'm looking to get research suggestions as to how to proceed. Note that many of the slaves were passed among family members: Thomas Berry's will, Feb. 20, 1806. Peggy Rankin - l Negro boy named Milford and l Negro girl named Milly Betsy Calmer - l Negro boy Moses and l Negro girl Maria Son Joseph - had been given 1 - 90 acre tract in Licking Mason but his children was given two Negros - Moses and l Negro man Wilmore Jane Kercheval - l girl named Patience William - Negro man Ambrose and one girl named Mary Sally Kennan - girl named Lucy who was to be freed at age 25, but Thomas reserved the right to all her children born prior to age 25. Those children were to go to his wife at his decease. Sally - boy namd Melson and girl named Delphia Samuel - a boy named Hampton Cathy - boy named Juboy and girl named Clary Mathilda ( gr.dau) girl named Charity and all her increase George Berry Will 1 Oct 1813 William - man named Patrick, woman named Winney and her 3 children, Mahala, Cain, & Abel Gr.sons - boys Nelson & Major, women named Lusky and her 3 children (not named) Elijah - 3 men, Jarret, Francis & Joseph , boy named Abel Sarah - women named Dellia and her two children (Washington & Careline) also boy Fielding (son of Mary) Gr.son - boy named Lewis William Berry 2nd Sept 1819 Molly - 2 boys James and Cate Sally - girl named Chasity Lucinda - girl Melinda William - man named Alexander Milly - woman named Winna and her child Phillie Elizabeth - girl named Mahala Clabourn - two men, Edmund and Cain ( who was ill) If he died Clabour is to received $300.00 from the estate. slave names from Thomas Berry, 1806: Milford, Milly (Peggy Rankin) Moses, Maria (Betsy Calmer) Patience (Jane Kercheval) Ambrose, Mary (William Berry) Lucy, her children (Sally Kennan) Melson, Delphia (Sally Berry) *** Juboy, (JUDAH?) Clary (Cathy Berry) Charity, her children (Mathilda Berry) slave names from George Berry, 1813 Patrick, Winney, her 3 children Mahala, Cain, Abel (William Berry) Nelson, Major, Lusky, 3 children (his grandsons) Jarret, Francis, Joseph, Abel (same boy?) (Elijah Berry) Dellia, and her 2 children, ***Washington, Careline, Fielding (son of Mary, who was listed in Thomas Berry's will) (Sarah Berry) Lewis (Berry grandson) Slave names from William Berry, 1819 James, Cate (Molly Berry) Chasity (Sally Berry) Melinda (Lucinda Berry) Alexander (William Berry) Winna (Winney???) and child Phillie (Milly Berry, willed to William by George Berry in 1813) Mahala, Winney's daughter (Elizabeth Berry, willed to William from George Berry) Edmund, Cain, Winney's son (Clabourn Berry, willed to William from George Berry) By 1819, SALLY BERRY OWNS: Chasity, a girl, from William Berry's will Melson, a man, and Delphia, a girl, from Thomas Berry's will 3 SLAVES TOTAL WILLIAM BERRY OWNED: 10 SLAVES WHEN HE DIED Their names: James, Cate, Chasity, Melinda, Alexander, Winna Phillie, Mahala, Edmund, Cain Did not own: Ambrose, Mary, Abel, Patrick Elijah Berry owned: Jarret, Francis, Joseph, Abel At this point, I'm speculating a connection between William Berry and Moses, but only because of Alexander -- many people named their children after family members. Maybe Moses' son Alex was named for him? I know this message is long, but I'm hoping for a research connection. Thanks for all input! KBerry Wonder if Juboy could be Juba? Kdberr1@aol.com

Wanted to thank everyone for the opinions on H.Q, Ancestry and Genealogy.Com. I received lots of different opinions and seems like most of you like Ancestry just a little better. Thanks my subs. is up next month so I probably keep Ancestry or try the other one with the news papers in it. Happy/dry Easter everyone Linda BANDGMETAL@aol.com

"Elizabeth Richardson" <erichktn@worldnet.att.net> wrote: >My grandmother was Canadian, married to a US citizen in 1905 (in >Canada). They lived their entire married life in the US. I know >she voted after women won the right to do so. Before 1919, I >believe was no advantage to citizenship for her, and in any case, >she was married to a US citizen. I don't see anything anywhere that >she would have had to go through a citizenship process and therefore >have left a paper trail. Still, if there is one someplace, I'd like >to have it. Anyone? I think at the time in question, the citizenship followed the husband's, at least in the US. I know that when my grandmother married my grandfather in the 30s, she lost her US citizenship and became a Canadian citizen, even though she, and all her ancestors for several generations prior, had been born in the US. She was naturalized when my grandfather was. You might want to check into this. -- Susie B and the Thundering Herd: Rambo, Miss Kitty, Rocky and Tabitha Low cost spay/neuter: SPAY USA 1-800-248-7729 Friends of Animals 1-800-321-7387 Susie B <susie314b+nanae@justREMOVEtheCAPS.net.invalid>

Hello, I am just starting to look into my family name coat of arms ( code of arms ) and some backgroung history and origins. Please tell me good sources from which to start investigating if possible on the web. My father family name is: DESIDERIO Mother family name: PRESUTTI both of Italian origin. I thank you all that tell me any information regarding my lastnames and web sites on which to find some origin backgroung, history and coat of arms ( code of arms ) Thanks a lot, Mario Mario <mandm@flashnet.it>

> Is there a way to translate the info given with the Familysearch.org > 1880 census into something easily searchable in Heritage Quest? > > Also, assuming that you want hard copy files of your documentation, > how do you make census records? Do you transcribe, print the image, > print a blank form and fill in some/all of the census page? What do > you all recommend? > > Jane Hodges-Kuebler ("Maria Kelley" <mariakjek@juno.com>) This points out a needed correction to info I previously posted about Heritage Quest. Specifically, HQ has a specific search ability by Series, Roll, and Page (requiring all three) for those years they have indexed. The years without completed indexing (including 1880) take a few more steps but aren't difficult. Under "source information" on the page of the LDS transcribed 1880 census, there is a reference for "Census Place," including a NA Film Number (such as T9-1402), and a Page Number (133C). On HQ, you first select "browse" in the upper corner of the Heading. This will take you through a series of selections for year, state, county, and location, where you choose according to the info you got from the LDS "Census Place." When you get to the first page of the census on HQ for the census place you seek, you'll see at the top of the screen that the first part of the NA Film Number (T9) is the Series, the second part of the NA Film Number (1402) is the Roll, and you just have to find your way to the Page Number that matches the reference you seek. You can either browse through one page at a time, or you should be able to mathematically figure and fill in the image number you wish in the "Go to image" box or come very close, (keeping in mind that most page numbers have at least an A and B, and some also have C and D. (As you browse, you'll usually notice the same page number at the top of the screen at least twice, though the actual page or sheet number originally placed on the census image is different.) You can copy and save on the computer or print a HQ census page the same as you would any other website page on the internet, so you can have a copy in your files. Diane genmail@1st.net

"Charles Donaghe" <cdonaghe@cableone.net> wrote: > > Also remember that Ancestry has just acquired Genealogy.com so > before long they will be one and the same. That's a possibility, but it is also possible they will continue to be operated as two separate services for quite some time. I would venture that this will be the case at least until my subscription to Genealogy.com expires. (<G> I signed up for a year a few days before the acquisition was announced!) Richard "Richard A. Pence" <richardpence@pipeline.com>

"Joan Best" <joanbest@earthlink.net> wrote: > > This happened to my son, who gets ss because of a disability, when > some joker at an old address apparently wrote "deceased" on a piece > of mail that was returned. We had to go through quite a bit to get > him back among the living as far as ss was concerned. I'll take your word for it, but I am hard pressed to believe that a person's benefits would be severed on the basis of a piece of mail with "deceased" being written on it. There has to be much more to the story. For instance, why would the SSA even see that piece of mail - unless, of course, the legally required change of address was not made. Further, I am astonished to learn that we have government employees so dense that when a person presents himself with proper identification that this employee wouldn't accept the fact that he is alive. Or is that process the "quite a bit" it took to get him back among the living? Richard "Richard A. Pence" <richardpence@pipeline.com>

Genealogical Computing, by ancestry.com The NGS Newsletter, at ngsgenealogy.org are two that I recommend for genealogical computing. kyyb6@yahoo.com (Billy)

"Maria Kelley" <mariakjek@juno.com> wrote: > > Yes, indeed.. This is the government we are dealing with. There > have been quite a few stories of people having their social security > payments cut off because someone reported them dead and they were > not. I am not sure that, having straightened it out they would be > on the database, but it is definitely possible for someone to make > the database without actually dying!. Verification codes are given in the SSDI. As for the "quite a few stories" about the effects of falsely reported deaths, I think you're likely dealing with an urban legend. It is fashionable to take pot shots at our government employees, but I am reminded of all of the accusations made about our IRS employees at Congressional hearings not too many years ago. Witness after witness during weeks of Congressional hearings put forth horror stories about the abuses IRS employers were inflicting on our citizens - property wrongly confiscated, hearings denied, and much more. We were subjected to these stories every night on the news. So horrendous were they that people lost their jobs, new laws were passed and a special commission formed to provide redress for all of the injustices.. Bottom Line: The special commission spend a couple of years investigating the se cases and finally informed Congress that in not one single instance could the charges against IRS employees substantiated. That's right, not a single one of the stories about how IRS was abusing taxpayers turned out to be true! (And do you recall hearing that on the nightly news?) Anyway, if you have a documented instance of a person's benefits being cut off because someone falsely reported his / her death, I would be happy to hear it. But, pretty please, don't let it begin, "This actually happened to a cousin of my sister's neighbor." <g> (And if you have ever tried to convince an SSA employee that someone was deceased so you could obtain a copy of that person's records, you will surely know that they won't take just anyone's word for this kind of information!) Regards, Richard "Richard A. Pence" <richardpence@pipeline.com>

> My grandmother was Canadian, married to a US citizen in 1905 (in > Canada). They lived their entire married life in the US. I know she > voted after women won the right to do so. Before 1919, I believe was no > advantage to citizenship for her, and in any case, she was married to a > US citizen. I don't see anything anywhere that she would have had to go > through a citizenship process and therefore have left a paper trail. > Still, if there is one someplace, I'd like to have it. Anyone? > > "Elizabeth Richardson" <erichktn@worldnet.att.net> Prior to 1920, the citizenship status of a wife automatically became that of her husband. If the husband was (or became) a citizen, then she was a citizen. If the husband was an alien, then she was also, regardless of her status prior to the marriage. Thus many women born in the USA are listed as aliens on censuses.

> > Only these four conditions must exist for a name to be on the > > list: > > > > 1. The person is dead. > > 2. The person had a SS number. > > 3. Someone reported the death to SSA. > > 4. The SSA entered the information > > in its database (correctly). > > > > Richard A. Pence > > > Condition 3 makes Condition 1 unnecessary. :-) > > Charles Sullivan <cwsulliv@triad.rr.com> As you likely figured out, Charles, "Condition 1" is for emphasis. I suppose you could say that all that is necessary is that an entry is correctly made of correctly reported information. Regards, Richard "Richard A. Pence" <richardpence@pipeline.com>

Hello Elizabeth, There is a great article online at NARA's website called "Women & Naturalization" written by Marian Smith, the historian of the INS (now BCIS). You may find it helpful... http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/summer_1998_women_and_naturalization_1.html Good luck with your research. Regards, Joe joe@genesearch.com

> My grandmother was Canadian, married to a US citizen in 1905 (in > Canada). They lived their entire married life in the US. I know > she voted after women won the right to do so. Before 1919, I > believe was no advantage to citizenship for her, and in any case, > she was married to a US citizen. I don't see anything anywhere that > she would have had to go through a citizenship process and therefore > have left a paper trail. Still, if there is one someplace, I'd like > to have it. Anyone? > > "Elizabeth Richardson" <erichktn@worldnet.att.net> What you wrote is most likely the case as it relates to the citizenship process. But the voter registration document, whether it be an old form, card or entry in a book can be informative and very rewarding. Voter registrations can be difficult to find but I would start at the county clerk and recorder's office and then the local historical society. Good luck with your family history adventure. A. John Birkholz brotherjohn@imt.net