It is my understanding that any document copy issued by a governmental agency is certified. The problem is that the verbiage should read "authorized copy" or "informational copy." You are not an authorized party so are elligible only to have an informational copy of the document. I could be wrong about your case, but that is what i have come up against in California. http://www.cdph.ca.gov/certlic/birthdeathmar/Pages/AthorizedCopyvsInformationalCopy.aspx Good luck, Angela Kraft www.leavesofheritage.com "Let's shake some history from your family tree!" On Nov 19, 2014 1:19 AM, < [email protected]> wrote: > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Prohibition against county court certifying a naturalization > record (Margaret R. Fortier) > 2. Re: Prohibition against county court certifying a > naturalization record (Lisa Gorrell) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 08:30:25 -0500 > From: "Margaret R. Fortier" <[email protected]> > Subject: [TGF] Prohibition against county court certifying a > naturalization record > To: TG Forum <[email protected]> > Message-ID: > < > [email protected]om> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 > > I received an 1884 court record of a naturalization for a client who is > looking for certification. This will probably be a moot point for the dual > citizenship but it raised a question as the Archives of the Circuit Court > of Cook County, Illinois stated by phone, and in writing on their website > that: > > "pursuant to federal law, the Archives can only provide informational > copies, and *not certi**fied copies*, of Naturalization Records." > > Archives Department, Cook County, Illinois, Clerk of the Circuit Court > [Instructions for Naturalization Records], revised 10/08, document online ( > www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org : accessed 16 November 2014), > www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org/NR/NAT_INFO.pdf; Chicago, Illinois. > > > However, last month I received a certification of a naturalization from a > county court in another state. So I wonder why a county court in one state > is allowed to certify while a county court in another state is prohibited > from certifying, if it is a federal law? If the original jurisdiction was > the county court isn't that the proper authority to certify, if it still > exists? What other remedy would someone have to certify this document? > > I have done some searches in the US Code and Statues and will continue to > look to locate the language. I should have asked them which law when I > spoke with them. Lesson learned. > > Any guidance appreciated. > > Thanks, > Margaret R. Fortier > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 16:18:25 -0800 > From: Lisa Gorrell <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [TGF] Prohibition against county court certifying a > naturalization record > To: "Margaret R. Fortier" <[email protected]> > Cc: TG Forum <[email protected]> > Message-ID: > <CAJYeO8Y1Uz-oBu6GvUtjm= > [email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 > > In our local archives (Contra Costa County Historical Society), we have the > naturalization records. When someone needs a certification, a county > employee comes and certifies the copy. > > Lisa Gorrell > Martinez, CA > > On Tue, Nov 18, 2014 at 5:30 AM, Margaret R. Fortier via < > [email protected]> wrote: > > > I received an 1884 court record of a naturalization for a client who is > > looking for certification. This will probably be a moot point for the > dual > > citizenship but it raised a question as the Archives of the Circuit Court > > of Cook County, Illinois stated by phone, and in writing on their website > > that: > > > > "pursuant to federal law, the Archives can only provide informational > > copies, and *not certi**fied copies*, of Naturalization Records." > > > > Archives Department, Cook County, Illinois, Clerk of the Circuit Court > > [Instructions for Naturalization Records], revised 10/08, document > online ( > > www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org : accessed 16 November 2014), > > www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org/NR/NAT_INFO.pdf; Chicago, Illinois. > > > > > > However, last month I received a certification of a naturalization from a > > county court in another state. So I wonder why a county court in one > state > > is allowed to certify while a county court in another state is prohibited > > from certifying, if it is a federal law? If the original jurisdiction was > > the county court isn't that the proper authority to certify, if it still > > exists? What other remedy would someone have to certify this document? > > > > I have done some searches in the US Code and Statues and will continue to > > look to locate the language. I should have asked them which law when I > > spoke with them. Lesson learned. > > > > Any guidance appreciated. > > > > Thanks, > > Margaret R. Fortier > > > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > > [email protected] with the word > > 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the > message > > > > > ------------------------------ > > > > End of TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM Digest, Vol 8, Issue 356 > *************************************************************** >

I have a four page typewritten essay that I picked up in a used book store. It has the author's name but no date. It is mainly about changing customs. For example an oil lamp being a new invention. And people taking off their shoes and walking to town and then putting them back on as shoes were scarce. So it is talking about the early 1800's in Ontario, Canada. For the most part no names of people are mentioned and a generic name like Mrs. Smith could be substituted with no loss of coherence. Because it is typewritten is it correct to assume a copywright exists? I'm guessing the author is no longer living. Would I need to find who is the heir to her estate and get permission to post online? My only reason would be that it is an interesting document that I would like to share, I have no desire to make any money. Any thoughts? -- *Kathie Fortner* *[email protected] <[email protected]>* *www.fortner.50megs.com <http://www.fortner.50megs.com>*

You might try doing an internet search for some of the sentences to see if they pop up in some other source. Dee > On November 19, 2014 at 9:05 AM Kathie Fortner via > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > I have a four page typewritten essay that I picked up in a used book > store. It has the author's name but no date. It is mainly about changing > customs. For example an oil lamp being a new invention. And people taking > off their shoes and walking to town and then putting them back on as shoes > were scarce. So it is talking about the early 1800's in Ontario, Canada. > For the most part no names of people are mentioned and a generic name like > Mrs. Smith could be substituted with no loss of coherence. > > Because it is typewritten is it correct to assume a copywright exists? I'm > guessing the author is no longer living. Would I need to find who is the > heir to her estate and get permission to post online? My only reason would > be that it is an interesting document that I would like to share, I have no > desire to make any money. > > Any thoughts? > > -- > > *Kathie Fortner* > > *[email protected] <[email protected]>* > > *www.fortner.50megs.com <http://www.fortner.50megs.com>* > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word > 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message -- Dee Dee King, Certified Genealogist (sm), Certificate 903 Contract Genealogist, US Navy POW/MIA Branch Mail address - PO Box 1085, Manvel TX 77578 Telephone/fax 281-595-3090 www.forensicgenealogyservices.com www.facebook.com/forensicgenealogist Certified Genealogist (CG) is a service mark (sm) of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®, conferred to associates who consistently meet ethical and competency standards in accord with peer-reviewed evaluations every five years, and the board name is registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.

Kathie -- Sounds like fun! Jay's comment is very pertinent. Googling in quotes some unique or distinctive phrases in the document might reveal an unexpected origin. The legal situation will no doubt be different in Canada than in the US. I will defer to others on both, except to say that today in the US the date of creation would matter a great deal, and the form (typewritten or handwritten) would likely be irrelevant. In any case, and speaking of fun (i.e. research), the more you can discern about the author, the date of writing, and the quality of the information, the more valuable it would be. For instance, were these personal memories, a recap of what s/he remembers great-grandma telling 70 years ago, a first draft of a historical novel, a transcription of passages from a book s/he had on hand from a library, or something else? How do they check out against other known sources? Harold Harold Henderson, CG midwestroots.net *Finding Ancestors in Fort Wayne: The Genealogist's Unofficial One-Stop Guide to the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center * http://www.midwestroots.net/ <http://www.midwestroots.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ACPLGC-April-2013.pdf> Certified Genealogist (SM) No. 1029 Certified Genealogist and CG are proprietary service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists® used by the Board to identify its program of genealogical competency evaluation and used under license by the Board’s associates. On Wed, Nov 19, 2014 at 9:38 AM, jfonkert via < [email protected]> wrote: > I can't answer the legal copyright parts of the question, but I would > wonder about the origins of the typewritten pages. Where they someone's > original writing, or did the person who typed them borrow or transcribe > from some other document? > > > > > J. H. ("Jay") Fonkert, CG > Roseville, MN 55113 > 651-735-8630 > [email protected] > > "CG" & "Certified Genealogist" are service marks of the Board for > Certification of Genealogists, and are used by authorized associates > following > periodic, peer-reviewed competency evaluations. Certificate No. 965, > issued 11 May 2012, expires 11 May 2017. > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Kathie Fortner via <[email protected]> > To: TGF List <[email protected]> > Sent: Wed, Nov 19, 2014 9:22 am > Subject: [TGF] Copywright > > > I have a four page typewritten essay that I picked up in a used book > store. It has the author's name but no date. It is mainly about changing > customs. For example an oil lamp being a new invention. And people taking > off their shoes and walking to town and then putting them back on as shoes > were scarce. So it is talking about the early 1800's in Ontario, Canada. > For the most part no names of people are mentioned and a generic name like > Mrs. Smith could be substituted with no loss of coherence. > > Because it is typewritten is it correct to assume a copywright exists? I'm > guessing the author is no longer living. Would I need to find who is the > heir to her estate and get permission to post online? My only reason would > be that it is an interesting document that I would like to share, I have no > desire to make any money. > > Any thoughts? > > -- > > *Kathie Fortner* > > *[email protected] <[email protected]>* > > *www.fortner.50megs.com <http://www.fortner.50megs.com>* > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body > of > the message > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word > 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

In our local archives (Contra Costa County Historical Society), we have the naturalization records. When someone needs a certification, a county employee comes and certifies the copy. Lisa Gorrell Martinez, CA On Tue, Nov 18, 2014 at 5:30 AM, Margaret R. Fortier via < [email protected]> wrote: > I received an 1884 court record of a naturalization for a client who is > looking for certification. This will probably be a moot point for the dual > citizenship but it raised a question as the Archives of the Circuit Court > of Cook County, Illinois stated by phone, and in writing on their website > that: > > "pursuant to federal law, the Archives can only provide informational > copies, and *not certi**fied copies*, of Naturalization Records." > > Archives Department, Cook County, Illinois, Clerk of the Circuit Court > [Instructions for Naturalization Records], revised 10/08, document online ( > www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org : accessed 16 November 2014), > www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org/NR/NAT_INFO.pdf; Chicago, Illinois. > > > However, last month I received a certification of a naturalization from a > county court in another state. So I wonder why a county court in one state > is allowed to certify while a county court in another state is prohibited > from certifying, if it is a federal law? If the original jurisdiction was > the county court isn't that the proper authority to certify, if it still > exists? What other remedy would someone have to certify this document? > > I have done some searches in the US Code and Statues and will continue to > look to locate the language. I should have asked them which law when I > spoke with them. Lesson learned. > > Any guidance appreciated. > > Thanks, > Margaret R. Fortier > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word > 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

I received an 1884 court record of a naturalization for a client who is looking for certification. This will probably be a moot point for the dual citizenship but it raised a question as the Archives of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois stated by phone, and in writing on their website that: "pursuant to federal law, the Archives can only provide informational copies, and *not certi**fied copies*, of Naturalization Records." Archives Department, Cook County, Illinois, Clerk of the Circuit Court [Instructions for Naturalization Records], revised 10/08, document online ( www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org : accessed 16 November 2014), www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org/NR/NAT_INFO.pdf; Chicago, Illinois. However, last month I received a certification of a naturalization from a county court in another state. So I wonder why a county court in one state is allowed to certify while a county court in another state is prohibited from certifying, if it is a federal law? If the original jurisdiction was the county court isn't that the proper authority to certify, if it still exists? What other remedy would someone have to certify this document? I have done some searches in the US Code and Statues and will continue to look to locate the language. I should have asked them which law when I spoke with them. Lesson learned. Any guidance appreciated. Thanks, Margaret R. Fortier

Thank you everyone who responded privately. LeRoy

I just finished listening to Michael Hait's great lecture on probate records. Unfortunately I failed to download his handout. Is there anyway for me to access it? LeRoy A. L. Atkins Genealogical Research Mesa, AZ 85215 [email protected] (480) 699-8051 -----Original Message----- From: Elissa Scalise Powell via Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2014 2:46 PM To: 'TGF List' Subject: [TGF] Free BCG webinar Want to learn more about Probate records? Curious as to how they can help you in your research and where to find them? Then Monday night's BCG webinar is for you. It is the next one of the monthly free BCG webinar series. For more information and to register, please go to http://bcgcertification.org/blog/2014/10/novembers-bcg-webinar-probate/ Best, Elissa Elissa Scalise Powell, CG , CGL <http://www.powellgenealogy.com/> www.PowellGenealogy.com <http://www.gripitt.org/> www.GRIPitt.org 28 June-3 July 2015 and 19-24 July 2015 in Pittsburgh, PA CG, Certified Genealogist, CGL, and Certified Genealogical Lecturer are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under license by board certificants after periodic evaluations. The board name is a trademark registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office. The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Want to learn more about Probate records? Curious as to how they can help you in your research and where to find them? Then Monday night's BCG webinar is for you. It is the next one of the monthly free BCG webinar series. For more information and to register, please go to http://bcgcertification.org/blog/2014/10/novembers-bcg-webinar-probate/ Best, Elissa Elissa Scalise Powell, CG , CGL <http://www.powellgenealogy.com/> www.PowellGenealogy.com <http://www.gripitt.org/> www.GRIPitt.org 28 June-3 July 2015 and 19-24 July 2015 in Pittsburgh, PA CG, Certified Genealogist, CGL, and Certified Genealogical Lecturer are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under license by board certificants after periodic evaluations. The board name is a trademark registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Karen, I like that you shared about your XC number on your ID card as a college student. This adds perspective to it. Cheryl Proctor Southern Indiana On Sunday, November 16, 2014 2:55 PM, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote: Patti, You are so right. What I did was use a wrong word in the original post when I said I was deciphering the XC file. What I should have said I was studying and transcribing the XC file, most especially given by the deponents in behalf if the soldier who is the claimant. I am satisfied with what I have been finding. There are other treasures to discover in it. And I appreciate all the participation. My original question was: Does anyone else know if the other deponents were in a separate room when they gave their negative ceremony? I would like to know the process for applying for a claim and witnesses called in behalf of the soldier. Anyone out there who specializes in the Civil War pensions, or someone working for the VA? Cheryl Proctor Southern Indiana tonight 17 degrees with snow. On Sunday, November 16, 2014 5:12 AM, Karen Rhodes via <[email protected]> wrote: On 11/15/2014 11:15 PM, Angela McGhie via wrote: > From: "Christopher Gray" <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [TGF] XC file > > Hi - as someone from over the pond, while very interested in the topic, I > don't understand the acronyms. What is a VA and XC? Chris > > Chris, > > The VA is the U.S. Veterans Administration. The XC number on a pension file > indicates that it was still active with someone receiving benefits around > 1928 and was probably not transferred to the National Archives with the > other pension files. It would still be at the Veterans Administration. See > this article on the blog of the National Archives for details: > http://blogs.archives.gov/online-public-access/?p=1702 > > "Receiving benefits around 1928" might be changed to "receiving benefits since or after 1928." I went to college 1965-1969 on VA benefits, as my father died of a service-connected disability. He served in the Navy from 1934 (attending the Naval Academy 1930-1934) to 1946. My VA benefits identification card carried an ID number that began with the prefix XC. Karen Packard Rhodes Middleburg, Clay County, Florida The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Patti, You are so right. What I did was use a wrong word in the original post when I said I was deciphering the XC file. What I should have said I was studying and transcribing the XC file, most especially given by the deponents in behalf if the soldier who is the claimant. I am satisfied with what I have been finding. There are other treasures to discover in it. And I appreciate all the participation. My original question was: Does anyone else know if the other deponents were in a separate room when they gave their negative ceremony? I would like to know the process for applying for a claim and witnesses called in behalf of the soldier. Anyone out there who specializes in the Civil War pensions, or someone working for the VA? Cheryl Proctor Southern Indiana tonight 17 degrees with snow. On Sunday, November 16, 2014 5:12 AM, Karen Rhodes via <[email protected]> wrote: On 11/15/2014 11:15 PM, Angela McGhie via wrote: > From: "Christopher Gray" <[email protected]cope-solutions.co.uk> > Subject: Re: [TGF] XC file > > Hi - as someone from over the pond, while very interested in the topic, I > don't understand the acronyms. What is a VA and XC? Chris > > Chris, > > The VA is the U.S. Veterans Administration. The XC number on a pension file > indicates that it was still active with someone receiving benefits around > 1928 and was probably not transferred to the National Archives with the > other pension files. It would still be at the Veterans Administration. See > this article on the blog of the National Archives for details: > http://blogs.archives.gov/online-public-access/?p=1702 > > "Receiving benefits around 1928" might be changed to "receiving benefits since or after 1928." I went to college 1965-1969 on VA benefits, as my father died of a service-connected disability. He served in the Navy from 1934 (attending the Naval Academy 1930-1934) to 1946. My VA benefits identification card carried an ID number that began with the prefix XC. Karen Packard Rhodes Middleburg, Clay County, Florida The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

In a question regarding Texas marriage records Daryl said, "but I downloaded a spreadsheet from Ancestry.com?for all the Texas counties". Aside from copying and pasting page by page, is there a faster way to download from Ancestry results to a spreadsheet? This would be very helpful. Shannon Green

On 11/15/2014 11:15 PM, Angela McGhie via wrote: > From: "Christopher Gray" <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [TGF] XC file > > Hi - as someone from over the pond, while very interested in the topic, I > don't understand the acronyms. What is a VA and XC? Chris > > Chris, > > The VA is the U.S. Veterans Administration. The XC number on a pension file > indicates that it was still active with someone receiving benefits around > 1928 and was probably not transferred to the National Archives with the > other pension files. It would still be at the Veterans Administration. See > this article on the blog of the National Archives for details: > http://blogs.archives.gov/online-public-access/?p=1702 > > "Receiving benefits around 1928" might be changed to "receiving benefits since or after 1928." I went to college 1965-1969 on VA benefits, as my father died of a service-connected disability. He served in the Navy from 1934 (attending the Naval Academy 1930-1934) to 1946. My VA benefits identification card carried an ID number that began with the prefix XC. Karen Packard Rhodes Middleburg, Clay County, Florida

The only thing I thought I'd add to this discussion is that affidavits of the sort described by Cheryl are not unique to XC files. You can find them in just about any CW pension file that had any questionable aspects -- and a lot of them did. Maybe no one was confused by that, but the initial discussion made it sound that way to me. (And Cheryl probably wasn't trying to say that what she was seeing was because of it being an XC file.) Patti On Sat, Nov 15, 2014 at 10:15 PM, Angela McGhie via < [email protected]> wrote: > From: "Christopher Gray" <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [TGF] XC file > > Hi - as someone from over the pond, while very interested in the topic, I > don't understand the acronyms. What is a VA and XC? Chris > > Chris, > > The VA is the U.S. Veterans Administration. The XC number on a pension file > indicates that it was still active with someone receiving benefits around > 1928 and was probably not transferred to the National Archives with the > other pension files. It would still be at the Veterans Administration. See > this article on the blog of the National Archives for details: > http://blogs.archives.gov/online-public-access/?p=1702 > > > Angela McGhie > The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive > environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to > professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word > 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

From: "Christopher Gray" <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [TGF] XC file Hi - as someone from over the pond, while very interested in the topic, I don't understand the acronyms. What is a VA and XC? Chris Chris, The VA is the U.S. Veterans Administration. The XC number on a pension file indicates that it was still active with someone receiving benefits around 1928 and was probably not transferred to the National Archives with the other pension files. It would still be at the Veterans Administration. See this article on the blog of the National Archives for details: http://blogs.archives.gov/online-public-access/?p=1702 Angela McGhie

Thanks, Dee, I do not know Julia America's maiden name, only that she was born in Mississippi about 1840. Ancestry does not have any of her marriage records. I have one marriage record from Gonzales County, where she, Mrs. J.A. Seely, married L.W. Moore in 1876. I have done substantial research in the records of the Diocese of Texas during the period 1860-1871 (and later). I do know that Seely's first wife, Elizabeth, died in 25 August 1865; her death is recorded in his hand in his Family Bible. That was the last event he recorded in the Bible. Also, Elizabeth's obituary was published in a Galveston paper. (Someone in the family continued to write family events, including R.S. Seely's death in the Seely Bible, but no mention is made in the Bible of his second wife, or the baby born to them.) When Richard Seely died in 1871, Bishop Alexander Gregg expressed sorrow for the widow and family of R.S. Seely in the annual convention record. This is my direct evidence that Seely married again, as Gregg would have known Seely's marital status. I have read each and every annual record of the Diocese conventions from 1860 through 1871. That is how I know where Seely was and what he was up to. Each one of the missionaries submitted a report annually most years. I do not have a census record for Richard or R.S. Seely or Julia America Davis/Seely or any of her children in 1870, as this was the time frame when they moved from Robertson County to Polk County. The Robertson County Census was enumerated in October after they left (I suppose) and the Polk County census was enumerated in June before they arrived (I suppose). Seely's oldest daughter was recorded in both censuses, Robertson and Polk County, as she and her husband, baby(s), son from her first marriage, and her youngest Seely sibling moved from Polk to Robertson. Daryl On Saturday, November 15, 2014 4:00 PM, "Dee Dee King, Certified Genealogist" <[email protected]> wrote: Daryl, have you searched by her maiden name? Or do you know it?  There are lots of Texas marriage records with the bride's married name from the previous marriage, but the maiden name was used, too. Haven't found any policy on how they were to be recorded.    Are there archives or old newsletters/publications from the church that might have news of the ministers?   Ancestry does?, or does not have the marriage record?  Where is Seely in the 1870 census?   Dee   > On November 15, 2014 at 3:38 PM Daryl Johanson via <[email protected]> wrote: > > > I am searching for a Texas marriage record for Richard S. Seely (widower) and Mrs. Julia America Davis (widow), who might have married from late 1865 to early 1871. A search of Texas marriage records on Ancestry.com does reveal the record, but I downloaded a spreadsheet from Ancestry.com for all the Texas counties and the years for which they have records. There are 205 Texas counties (80%) that do not include the full date range of possibilities for the Seely/Davis marriage. I thought that the couple would have married in the counties where each of them were known to have lived, but perhaps they married in a neighboring county. Seely was an Episcopalian priest, a missionary to Texas, from 1860 until 1871.  Nearly all of his ministry was within Washington and Robertson Counties. In 1870, he moved to Polk County, and died in Woodville, Feb 1871. The couple could have been married by one of his fellow ministers - and that could account for them not being married in Robertson County, where their one son was likely born. (Each had children from first marriages.) > These are the counties I have identified as Likely: Brazos, Leon, Limestone, Milam, Polk**, Robertson*, San Jacinto, Trinity, Walker, and Washington.These are the counties I have identified as Not as Likely: Falls**, Fayette**, Gonzales***, Red River*, Wilson**. > *Marriage records available in Ancestry.com for the time period, but there is no record for Seely/Davis.**Phone county clerk's office, no marriage record for Seely/Davis - these may need to be searched in person to be certain.***Visited county clerk's office, no marriage record for Seely/Davis > If you are able to help me search one or more of the Likely counties, please contact me off-list and let me know your availability and fees. >  I have not ordered marriage records from the FHL for the likely counties - maybe that should be a next step. Would you order all likely counties or just a couple of counties at a time? > If you have more ideas on how to figure this out, I am interested to hear from you. > Daryl Johanson > The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message -- Dee Dee King, Certified Genealogist (sm), Certificate 903 Contract Genealogist, US Navy POW/MIA Branch Mail address - PO Box 1085, Manvel TX 77578 Telephone/fax 281-595-3090 www.forensicgenealogyservices.com www.facebook.com/forensicgenealogist Certified Genealogist (CG) is a service mark (sm) of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®, conferred to associates who consistently meet ethical and competency standards in accord with peer-reviewed evaluations every five years, and the board name is registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.

I'll be honest here, sometimes the "story" for me is more fun than the fact search, so, please bear with me as I had a lot of free time and a nagging question. This is not the whole rabbit hole.  It is the basics....Because it's my ancestor, I could get lost in the side streets and photos of the area for fun......while on the journey to the house address. (let me know if you want the photo !!) Question:   What is the actual location of the house of Jean Demars (circa 1675-1720ish) in Quebec City? Materials to start with : 1.)  Photo on another person's tree on Ancestry.com of the house with note that includes " petit Champlain à Québec"  I street with the name, using  google maps.  This brought me to an "historical" district, now a shopping area calledhttp://www.quartierpetitchamplain.com/en/ I went back to  the photo on Ancestryof  the house had business sign over it,and enlarged it, but it was almost illegible.  I could however define colors and shapes ofthe overall letters. So then I did a google street search with the little person.  One of the houses had asuspiciously familiar plaque on it and the business sign was similar. Then Igoogled the business address and got better photos of the house/business and theplaque. Now I had the Ancestry sign and the Buisness photo and couldcompare the houses.  BINGO……. For Proof, however, I am sure that a letter from thebusiness or if available land/house records.  I don’t know does a plaque on the side of the house from a historicalsociety listing original occupants count? Punchline:     on another photo of the house on another family tree, in 2013, someone actually labeled the photo with the address.  Moral:  It's more fun to find it yourself than the find it on someone else's tree.  (my moral, you do NOT have to agree) Erin Johnston   

I am searching for a Texas marriage record for Richard S. Seely (widower) and Mrs. Julia America Davis (widow), who might have married from late 1865 to early 1871. A search of Texas marriage records on Ancestry.com does reveal the record, but I downloaded a spreadsheet from Ancestry.com for all the Texas counties and the years for which they have records. There are 205 Texas counties (80%) that do not include the full date range of possibilities for the Seely/Davis marriage. I thought that the couple would have married in the counties where each of them were known to have lived, but perhaps they married in a neighboring county. Seely was an Episcopalian priest, a missionary to Texas, from 1860 until 1871.  Nearly all of his ministry was within Washington and Robertson Counties. In 1870, he moved to Polk County, and died in Woodville, Feb 1871. The couple could have been married by one of his fellow ministers - and that could account for them not being married in Robertson County, where their one son was likely born. (Each had children from first marriages.) These are the counties I have identified as Likely: Brazos, Leon, Limestone, Milam, Polk**, Robertson*, San Jacinto, Trinity, Walker, and Washington.These are the counties I have identified as Not as Likely: Falls**, Fayette**, Gonzales***, Red River*, Wilson**. *Marriage records available in Ancestry.com for the time period, but there is no record for Seely/Davis.**Phone county clerk's office, no marriage record for Seely/Davis - these may need to be searched in person to be certain.***Visited county clerk's office, no marriage record for Seely/Davis If you are able to help me search one or more of the Likely counties, please contact me off-list and let me know your availability and fees.  I have not ordered marriage records from the FHL for the likely counties - maybe that should be a next step. Would you order all likely counties or just a couple of counties at a time? If you have more ideas on how to figure this out, I am interested to hear from you. Daryl Johanson

Daryl, have you searched by her maiden name? Or do you know it? There are lots of Texas marriage records with the bride's married name from the previous marriage, but the maiden name was used, too. Haven't found any policy on how they were to be recorded. Are there archives or old newsletters/publications from the church that might have news of the ministers? Ancestry does?, or does not have the marriage record? Where is Seely in the 1870 census? Dee > On November 15, 2014 at 3:38 PM Daryl Johanson via > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > I am searching for a Texas marriage record for Richard S. Seely (widower) and > Mrs. Julia America Davis (widow), who might have married from late 1865 to > early 1871. A search of Texas marriage records on Ancestry.com does reveal the > record, but I downloaded a spreadsheet from Ancestry.com for all the Texas > counties and the years for which they have records. There are 205 Texas > counties (80%) that do not include the full date range of possibilities for > the Seely/Davis marriage. I thought that the couple would have married in the > counties where each of them were known to have lived, but perhaps they married > in a neighboring county. Seely was an Episcopalian priest, a missionary to > Texas, from 1860 until 1871. Nearly all of his ministry was within Washington > and Robertson Counties. In 1870, he moved to Polk County, and died in > Woodville, Feb 1871. The couple could have been married by one of his fellow > ministers - and that could account for them not being married in Robertson > County, where their one son was likely born. (Each had children from first > marriages.) > These are the counties I have identified as Likely: Brazos, Leon, Limestone, > Milam, Polk**, Robertson*, San Jacinto, Trinity, Walker, and Washington.These > are the counties I have identified as Not as Likely: Falls**, Fayette**, > Gonzales***, Red River*, Wilson**. > *Marriage records available in Ancestry.com for the time period, but there is > no record for Seely/Davis.**Phone county clerk's office, no marriage record > for Seely/Davis - these may need to be searched in person to be > certain.***Visited county clerk's office, no marriage record for Seely/Davis > If you are able to help me search one or more of the Likely counties, please > contact me off-list and let me know your availability and fees. > I have not ordered marriage records from the FHL for the likely counties - > maybe that should be a next step. Would you order all likely counties or just > a couple of counties at a time? > If you have more ideas on how to figure this out, I am interested to hear from > you. > Daryl Johanson > The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive > environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to > professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word > 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message -- Dee Dee King, Certified Genealogist (sm), Certificate 903 Contract Genealogist, US Navy POW/MIA Branch Mail address - PO Box 1085, Manvel TX 77578 Telephone/fax 281-595-3090 www.forensicgenealogyservices.com www.facebook.com/forensicgenealogist Certified Genealogist (CG) is a service mark (sm) of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®, conferred to associates who consistently meet ethical and competency standards in accord with peer-reviewed evaluations every five years, and the board name is registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.

I forgot to add that every pages of copies I got from Suitland, Maryland were stamped in big bold black letters "VA COPY". For the most part the bold letters stamped have not interfered with my reading of the documents, but a few occasions, it makes a big difference as it interferes with my ability to read the print. Cheryl Proctor Southern Indiana On Saturday, November 15, 2014 2:03 PM, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote: Ann, Karen, and Chris, I appreciate your responses. I ordered the XC file from Suitland, Maryland. My local VA Service Officer helped me with the process, including how I should write the letter. When requesting about anything that is in the care and custody of the government ALWAYS invoke FIOA (Freedom of Information Act). It sounds crazy but when you invoke it that seems to get the ball rolling. Chris you inspired me to learn more about what XC stands for. First, Chris, VA stands for the Department of Veterans affairs. Second, I googled XC file VA and got the following, which I copied directly from the site: "When the VA receives proof of a veteran's death, that documentation IS associated with the file, which IS converted to an XC Folder through the addition of the prefix X In addition to containing the claims history of benefits for which each veteran applied during his/her lifetime, the XC Folder also documents the following benefit categories of death claims 1. Death Compensation 2. Pension 3. Accrued amounts 4. Insurance 5. Burial allowance 6. Dependency and indemnity compensation 7. Adjusted compensation 8. Dependents educational assistance The XC Folder contains all the information necessary to support the beneficiary's award transfer" Chris, these are the acronyms. Seems the Federal Government can't live without them. I know as I recently retired from the Federal Government. It would make your head spin with all the acronyms we used. I will add that this XC file has an enormous amount of information because the soldier kept applying for pensions. He would be denied and he would go right back and apply again. This started out an injury sustained when his horse was shot by the enemy and fell on the soldier as they both went down. There are doctors (surgeons) notes with the drawing showing where on his body is the injury. Does anyone else know if the other deponents were in a separate room when they gave their negative ceremony? I would like to know the process for applying for a claim and witnesses called in behalf of the soldier. Anyone out there who specializes in the Civil War pensions, or someone working for the VA? Cheryl Proctor Southern Indiana On Saturday, November 15, 2014 8:53 AM, Ann Gillespie via <[email protected]> wrote: When the various people were giving their statements, they were submitting statements not appearing at a hearing. Though it was more usual for the people giving statements to be in the same geographic area, that wasn't the case. I've seen files for veterans or surviving spouses who had moved across the country between their service and applying for the pension. So no, they were not giving statements in the presence of the applicant. Sometimes they were interviewed and the statement is in a question and answer format, but that is not always the case. Depending on their level of literacy, they might appear before a justice of the peace and have that person record their testimony or they might write out their statement and appear before a notary to attest to it being their statement and sign it in that person's presence. Some statements appear to just be letters written to the pension bureau - I remember seeing one that was written by the applicant of the letterhead of the drugstore he owned. I have seen a number of pension files with a list of people who had submitted affidavits or who needed to do so. At times, especially if there was a conflict, the list would also include a determination as to whether the statements submitted by each person could or should be considered credible. One of my great-grandfather's served for the Union and applied for a pension. He was injured in training and discharged for disability, but when he applied for the pension a question arose as to whether he had suffered a new injury or aggravated an injury from his childhood. He told a different story each time he submitted a statement, so on the list in his file everyone else is listed as credible but he is not. He was never able to qualify as having a disability stemming from his service and only qualified once the criteria changed to being disabled and having served, without the requirement of a link between the two. What we now refer to as the VA was established in 1921. Prior to that date, pensions were under the auspices of the Department of War. The Veteran's Bureau, as it was originally known, took over the administration of all of the pensions that were still active at the time and assigned them new file numbers to differentiate them. The C and XC numbers are those new numbers, so all of those files have original application and certificate numbers, but they are filed under the C or XC number. Theoretically, when the file is no longer active it is moved to the National Archives, but that process is not dependable. Many of these files are still in the custody of the VA. So far, I have only had one client request a pension file that turned out to be an XC file and was in the custody of the National Archives. There is one child of a Civil War soldier still receiving a pension. Children were only eligible to receive pensions until they turned 16, except in the case of disability and this person does have a developmental disability. I believe that the pension payment she receives is less than $80 per month. Ann Gillespie http://anngillespieresearch.com/<http://anngillespieresearch.weebly.com/> On Sat, Nov 15, 2014 at 5:52 AM, Karen Rhodes via < [email protected]> wrote: > > VA is the Veteran's Administration, an executive department of the U.S. > government which handles veterans' affairs such as pension records and > health care. XC is a designation for a particular class of Veterans' > files. It is the prefix for the number assigned to a claim and related > documents. > > Karen Packard Rhodes > Middleburg, Clay County, Florida > > > > > On 11/15/2014 2:45 AM, Christopher Gray via wrote: > > Hi - as someone from over the pond, while very interested in the topic, I > > don't understand the acronyms. What is a VA and XC? Chris > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [email protected] > > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf > Of > > [email protected] via > > Sent: 15 November 2014 05:42 > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: [TGF] XC file > > > > I am learning what it is like to decipher an XC file from the VA of a > > soldier who served in the Union during the Civil War. There is a wealth > of > > information in this file. > > > > > > The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive > environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to > professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word > 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message