Hello all, New to the list and I am So lost! I'll try to explain and keep it short. My great-grandmother: Mary Helen Szedlovich Her sons baptism record shows her name as : Mary Szedlovics b Ungvar, Hungary Her sons birth record in 1909 shows her Mary Setlowitz B 1889, Hungary Her sons SS application lists his mother as Mary Helen Szedlovich in 1910, she abandoned her husband and only child, a son in Dayton Ohio Son put in orphanage. Husband insane asylum. She left them before the 1910 census, and I have not found her in 1910 anywhere else. 1916: letter from priest indicates she had left husb and son in 1910 and moved to detroit. Was operating illicite boarding house according to letter. 1920: A Mary Sedlovitch age 32, single, born in Russia speaks Lithuanian shows up on the 1920 Federal Census in Conneticut listed as a boarder. immg year. 1905 says she can't read or write or speak english 1925: Her son appears in Detroit. I know this because he married my grandmother in Detroit in 1925. 1928: Her son leaves his wife and child in Michigan and heads for California. 1930: Her son John B Sprentz, shows up on 1930 census. He is in the home of his brother-in-law (which is a shock to me!) Elias P Crist. It is showing Elias's wife, and supposedly Johns sister as Anna C Crist. John's listed as being born in Ohio, father born in Ohio and mother born in Conneticut Anna's listed as being born in Michigan, father born in Ohio and mother born in Conneticut Cannot find ANY Mary Szedlovich of ANY spelling from Ungvar Hungary on Ellis Island, nor can I find any Mary Szedlovich of ANY spelling from Russia/Lithuania, but have found a few which have not lead to anything. It is possible that Mary left Dayton Oh in 1910 and went to Detroit, had a daughter, and by 1920 she was in Conneticut.....without her daughter who would have been 9 or older. She abandoned one child, so it's possible for her to abandon a second child. So I guess, my question is... could this Mary be mine? Could she be? Russian? Lithuanian? Her surname is not common in Hungary, and it's not a Hungarian name. Am I off track or should I keep looking for this Mary in Conneticut who was born in Russia or should I keep looking for a Hungarian Mary?? btw... it's taken me almost 10 yrs to get all the info that I have now.. but finding her on the 1920 census just happened last night. I'm so lost, and I apolgize if this is too general of a post for this list. A. Sprentz Do you know who killed my father? JOHN SPRENTZ, murdered 1983 in=20 Ecorse, Michigan.... see my website for further details. http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/2651/Unsolvedmurder.html asprentz@hotmail.com

Kathryn wrote: > I just sent a question about finding records, and I forgot one > piece: I know little about my father but, I have learned that he > was a 'card-carrying' Communist in the 1940s and 1950s, as were > some friends of my parents. My mother lost a government job > during WWII time period, and at some point was in court re > communist associates. Could I learn more about this at some > particular site? My family, when alive, were very secretive about > such things, and I am surprised that I heard that much. Thank you. Joan replies: Communists and suspected communists were subject to intense interest by the FBI during the 1940s and 1950s. I suggest that you submit the names of your parents under the Freedom of Information Act to find out what the FBI collected on them. In those times, to get a government job, one had to swear that one was not a member of the Communist Party and swear allegiance to the US. As a young teacher in 1956 I had to sign this statement. This McCarthy period was pretty scary as it didn't take much to be labeled a Communist with some pretty horrific results if you were so labeled. "Joan Best" <joanbest1@earthlink.net>

ss wrote: > may be able to use in some manner or fashion. I guess I want all of > you to feel sorry for me that I am still in "search" mode - the > old-fashioned way: "I know it's in this box somewhere!" ahhh, chere, as they say in Louisiana, if you can narrow it down to a single box, you're ahead of most of us. (g) My categories fall into "I think it's on the desk", "Didn't I file that?" "seems to me like it's in the pile by the printer," "Should be in the dining room," and "I haven't seen that since 2000". And my digital categories are, "On a floppy, somewhere", "on Dave", "On Amanda," "on Hari", "on a Zip-disc" "I know I kept a copy". I'm slowly adding "On a pink/blue/green/yellow CD". Cheryl singhals@erols.com

Diane Y. Smith Royer wrote: > I am come across two new names that may be my ancestors. Ankrom and > Fee what kind of names are these? In the 1700s 1600s in Maryland, > Pa I believe, maybe Va. Are those surnames or given names? Cheryl singhals@erols.com

Diane Y. Smith Royer fed this fish to the penguins: > I am come across two new names that may be my ancestors. Ankrom and > Fee what kind of names are these? In the 1700s 1600s in Maryland, > Pa I believe, maybe Va. Short forms for Phoebe, Fiona? (Hopefully not a short form of Felix <G>) -- > ============================================================== < > wlfraed@ix.netcom.com | Wulfraed Dennis Lee Bieber KD6MOG < > wulfraed@dm.net | Bestiaria Support Staff < > ============================================================== < > Bestiaria Home Page: http://www.beastie.dm.net/ < > Home Page: http://www.dm.net/~wulfraed/ <

Dennis Lee Bieber fed this fish to the penguins: > Bieber had been transcribed as Dieber... And a few hours later I found a Beaver (granted, "Bieber" /is/ german for the critter, but still...) -- > ============================================================== < > wlfraed@ix.netcom.com | Wulfraed Dennis Lee Bieber KD6MOG < > wulfraed@dm.net | Bestiaria Support Staff < > ============================================================== < > Bestiaria Home Page: http://www.beastie.dm.net/ < > Home Page: http://www.dm.net/~wulfraed/ <

I am still using Generations Easy Family Tree V4.2, and having a heck of a time finding an upgrade. Can anyone help? Kind regards, Gil Gil Hardwick <gruagach@highway1.com.au>

Glee wrote: > 1. Draft registration cards, provide date a place of birth; the > registrant's address, the name and address of next of kin, > occupation, work address, general physical description. They are > available through the National Archives (NARA.gov) and the Family > History Library has them on microfilm (microfilm numbers beginning > with 1059347) These are by state and county. Search: Draft > United States <snipped> Here is a research guide for obtaining WWI Draft cards on microfilm or through the mail from the National Archives... How to Find World War One Draft Cards 1917-1918 http://zensite.home.att.net/genealogy/worldwaronedraftcards.html Good luck with your searches. Regards, Joe joe@genesearch.com

> I am come across two new names that may be my ancestors. Ankrom and > Fee what kind of names are these? In the 1700s 1600s in Maryland, > Pa I believe, maybe Va. > > "Diane Y. Smith Royer" <dysmithroyer@dtgnet.com> One trick for that one is to use: http://www.familysearch.org/ and do a Search for Ancestors with exact spelling and see if there isn't some sort of national-origin pattern in evidence. HTH Bob Robert Heiling <robheil@attbi.com>

> Scenario: a now-deceased relative graduated college in the US > before 1950; unknown major/field. No one seems to remember WHICH > college or university. The jobs he held and from which he retired > would not have required a college degree. Obit appears to have been > written by an in-law and doesn't mention it. > > I surveyed the alumni offices of all the logical (and a few of > less-logical) candidates to no avail. I had thrown up my hands on > this, when I discovered that some college and university alumni > offices do not hold a complete roster of graduates, but only rosters > of those who either donated money or joined the alumni association > (I discovered that by trying to get a current address of a friend > who received his PhD the semester before my husband got his at the > same University). > > The "logical" places were all in his home state (for fairly obvious > financial reasons); the less-so were in nearby states up to 100 > miles away from his home. > > The floor is now open for discussion of methodology for continued > searching. > > Cheryl <singhals@erols.com> Check the local newspapers in the town where he grew up in May or June of the years when he would have been about 22 or 23 years old. If the local boy graduated from college, it probably would have made the local paper. The smaller the place, the more likely that's the case. Ernest Thode ernestthode@charter.net (Ernest Thode)

I agree with Judy. What usually is the first records to be retrieved are the index books. These at least show the veracity of a claim that a record was officially filed. Other records that might be save were those taken out for binding/re-binding, checked out for review or at least, if they were kept in a vault, then those records would have been saved. The big problem are those buildings caught up a flood. That is what destroys a lot of records. But I agree, check out the statements. Check the calendars of documents and see what is filed. In the case of Wisconsin records, many courthouses have shipped off their older records to storage at the local University of Wisconsin branch and in Oregon they are at Salem. This prevents some losses. In the case of the USA, there is sometimes the many levels of bureaucracy. Ever wonder what is done with the forms you fill out in triplicate? In older times, courts were required to summarize records filed to upper levels. In Wisconsin, the birth records were copied to the state level, but many kept their original books of births (eg. Barron county has the births books going waay back and contain entries not at the state level). You will have to be creative to find these duplicates and secondary archive locations, but keep the faith! Slan Leat! Phil McManus manus@aol.com (Manus)

> next thing you know, you'll want it to hold clay tablets, too. > > if you don't like existing software you can always write your > own... ;^) Regarding software, specifically database software, for the past 6 months of GM I have been reading all the recommendations and useage difficulties and have seen many references to the use of spread sheets and commerical (or free) genealogy software. I have been using a very flexible - and powerful - data base - FileMaker Pro - for several years. Because I had used it at school I was familiar with it and decided it was my choice. The downside is that you have to set up your own files - the upside is that they work for YOU. But . . . you can refine the format and add any field you find that you need later. You may import audio and graphics as well. My BIG problem is that my research has been going on for 30 years, 99.9% of it before the www was born. I also have my mother's research of 35 years to reckon with. With literally hundreds and hundreds of "yellow pads" and boxes and boxes of personal corrspondence, I have resigned myself to "computing" new stuff and that which has been proven. Much information and real help has been offered to those who need management tips or advice for handling the vast amount of material that can be amassed in this "addictive" search, and I have gained some information on organization that I may be able to use in some manner or fashion. I guess I want all of you to feel sorry for me that I am still in "search" mode - the old-fashioned way: "I know it's in this box somewhere!" And thanks for all the wonderful info for general research! Sharon Simnacher "ss" <simnacher@3lefties.com>

> > If it was any year but 1930, that would be normal - if the son was > > HOH, then the father probably wouldn't be indexed. > > > > richardpence@pipeline.com > > > I haven't found that to be the case. > > Patscga@aol.com What haven't you found to be the case? Can you be more specific? Let's take 1920 as an example. This census is indexed at Ancestry.com and the background information at the site says it is only a head of household survey. Thus, I wouldn't expect to find the father if he were in the household of his son and the son is listed as HOH. If the index is more extensive than HOH, it would sure be nice to know that! In the cases where two (or more) families are living in the same dwelling, then the second family will also be considered a household. Perhaps this is the case in what you have found? However, usually if a parent is living with a child, then he is considered a part of the child's household. All other Ancestry.com indexes online (other than 1930, which is supposed to be an every-name index), are AIS indexes and these are definitely only HOH indexes. You will occasionally find others indexed, usually when the family appears on consequtive pages and the first family member on the second page is also indexed. In any case, it never hurts to do an index search for the person you are seeking. It just might be there! Regards, Richard "Richard A. Pence" <richardpence@pipeline.com>

Cheryl Singhals <singhals@erols.com> wrote: > The jobs he held and from which he retired > would not have required a college degree. Nevertheless, his resume on file with the company/companies would likely contain educational information. I'd start with the company from which he retired and go on to other known places where he worked. If government, then go FOI. Regards, Richard "Richard A. Pence" <richardpence@pipeline.com>

I am come across two new names that may be my ancestors. Ankrom and Fee what kind of names are these? In the 1700s 1600s in Maryland, Pa I believe, maybe Va. thank you Diane "Diane Y. Smith Royer" <dysmithroyer@dtgnet.com>

"Richard A. Pence" wrote: > > > (I KNOW there was one there somewhere in our family, but can't find > > them ANYWHERE!!!!) > > Dena: > > If you can't find "them" ANYWHERE, how do you KNOW "there was one > there somewhere"? > > Aside from "the three brothers" and "the name was changed at Ellis > Island," the most commonly believed (and rarely true) family > tradition in American genealogy is the one about Indian (aka "Native > American") ancestry. > > Like most other genealogical puzzles, the solution likely lies in > carefully tracing each generation back. If you then encounter a > person whose background might lead you to believe the person could > be an Indian, then this is the time and the place to try to > determine the details. How is one supposed to know that? I have a pile ... a large pile ... of dead ends in counties created in Georgia and Alabama in the late 18th and early 19th century as the Cherokee and Creek lands dwindled. This alone says that while they might have come into these lands from Georgia or the Carolinas or even (as we know is true) Scotland, they well may have been there all along. The question is, how do we find out? > The essence of these discussions is that it is usually a > losing strategy in genealogy to set out trying to prove your are > related to some specific person - be he or she rich, famous, an > Indian or a horse thief. Well, I tried that with Pocahontas and proved conclusively that one of her grandchildren was my aunt unpteen times removed. One teensy little generation off! And it's not terribly silly to try to prove connections with famous people if you know for sure that there is only one missing generation to prove or disprove. Usually it is very easy to disprove, and in every case but two I have done so, but there is that one nagging one that mildly reputable sources imply that I simply cannot disprove. So I might as well keep looking. Doug McDonald Doug McDonald <mcdonald@scs.uiuc.edu>

I just sent a question about finding records, and I forgot one piece: I know little about my father but, I have learned that he was a 'card-carrying' Communist in the 1940s and 1950s, as were some friends of my parents. My mother lost a government job during WWII time period, and at some point was in court re communist associates. Could I learn more about this at some particular site? My family, when alive, were very secretive about such things, and I am surprised that I heard that much. Thank you. Kathryn SadieOkate3@aol.com

Hello, All, I have two questions, and if they have been answered, I haven't noticed. I have had computer problems and have not been able to keep up with list. First, would I be able to access my father's records - Merchant Marine during WWII and merchant seaman for some 10-15 years or so after? Second, my family-for the most part, is from New York State between the years 1850 and present. Probably before that. There are so many different CDs for sale, is there one, or are there a few that would serve to give me access to such things as property acquired, births, marriages, and deaths? I am not wealthy by any means, but if I knew that 'X' and 'Y' held such records, I would start putting pennies away. It occurs to me that others could take advantage of same, which causes me to wonder if someone might have bought and now be willing to sell CDs, books. If this is likely, where might I look? I would appreciate any information anyone could give me. Question: Can I mention the names that I am researching in this list, and is there a form acceptable? I see N.A.M.E.S. sometimes at the bottom of lists. [ You can always mention specific surnames in the context of a research problem you're discussing in Methods. Listing unrelated surnames in your signature is a different thing, though. The moderator generally trims them off, because they aren't usually relevant to Methods discussions. However, in the new "kinder and gentler" Methods, the moderator might accidentally let a *few* surnames be attached to each post if folks use the S.U.R.N.A.M.E. convention. Why all the periods between the letters? Otherwise, a frequent poster with a surname in their signature could make it almost impossible for future users of, for instance, Google to find other posts which mention that surname. Cheers, Mod. ] Thank you. Kathryn SadieOkate3@aol.com

> hat I'm looking for is medical records from during the war. I know > NARA has them for USA soldiers but I don't know where to look for > CSA. This ancestor had "a bullet near his spine that was never > removed" so there should be something. I guess I should send for > his military records (whish NARA should have). > > Carol Botteron (that's French Swiss) <botteron@alum.mit.edu> I got one of my Confederate great-grandfather's military records from NARA. He was wounded at Chickamuga(sp?) and the records were fairly detailed about his stays in the hospital, his assignment to light duty, with some details about the location and seriousness of the wound. Janey E. Joyce in San Antonio, Texas Janey Joyce <jejoyce@sbcglobal.net>

Jennifer McKemie wrote: > I have found a possible grandmother at the Ellis Island site, but > cannot read the town/parish of birth. I can read the Bohemia, but > not the last word. Does anyone know if there is a less expensive > way of getting that record? I see that I can purchase the record > for $25 or $35 dollars, but if there is a cheaper way....... Try saving the original manifest to your computer graphics program and then enlarging the area for further inspection. Gloria "Gloria" <elstonwe@worldnet.att.net>