Note: The Web version of this issue of The Roots Tracer contains all of the words and all of the non-decorative graphics of the original paper version, but does not preserve the original typographical formatting.
ISSN0736-802X THE LIVERMORE ROOTS TRACER VOLUME XIII SUMMER 1994 NUMBER 4 Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society PO Box 901, Livermore, California 94551
LIVERMORE-AMADOR GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY P. O. Box 901, Livermore, CA 94551 TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME XIII NUMBER 4 Editors' Notes 491 Calendar of Events 492 Witter Ranch Historic Farm 492 The Bookshelf 493 Computer News 495 Umbilical Lines and The mtDNA Project 497 Conference News and Notes 499 Catholic Records 499 Notes From All Over 500 Addendum to "Cemeteries of Pleasanton and Dublin, Calif. (1990)" 503 "Livermore Cemeteries", Livermore, California 94550 Additions and Errata 504 Resource Notes 505
LIVERMORE-AMADOR GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY Co-Presidents Beverly Schell ALES 510-846-5297 Harriet ANDERSON 510-846-4265 1st VP and Membership Chair George ANDERSON 510-846-4265 2nd VP and Program Chair Isabel NOLTE 510-447-4062 Recording Secretary John WALDEN 510-443-2057 Corresponding Secretary Beverly MORRIS 510-846-4952 Business Manager Chuck ROCKHOLD 510-455-5911 Roots Tracer Editors Jolene & David ABRAHAMS 510-447-9386 Library Chair Judy PERSON 510-846-6972 Publicity Chair Felicia ZIOMEK 510-847-9260 Livermore Cultural Arts Council Rep Don JOHNSON 510-447-4746 Computer Interest Chair Doug MUMMA 510-447-5164 Historian David LINDSEY 510-447-6351 Publications Chair George ANDERSON 510-846-4265 The Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society is exempt from Federal Income Tax under Section 501(c)(3) (literary and educational) of the Internal Revenue Code and California Taxation Code 237020.
The Roots Tracer is a quarterly publication with articles of interest to the genealogist. Members are encouraged to submit their "Profiles" as well as articles of general interest. Queries are free to members, $1.00 to non-members. The deadline for each quarterly is the 15th of June, September, December, and March. Send to: Roots Tracer, P. O. Box 901 Livermore, CA 94551 Any book presented to the Society will be reviewed in the quarterly along with the purchase price and address of the publisher. Our Library is located in the Pleasanton Public Library building, 400 Old Bernal Ave., Pleasanton, CA. Meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday , monthly, 7:30 PM, at Congregation Beth Emek, 1866 College Ave., Livermore, CA. Membership in LAGS is open to any individual, library, or society. Our fiscal year is January 1 through December 31. Membership includes a subscription to the quarterly Roots Tracer. Publications (Prices are postage paid): Surname Index (1988) $7.00 Livermore Cemeteries (1988) $19.00 Pleasanton, Dublin Cemeteries (1990) $14.00 The Bookshelf (1992) $3.00 Roots Tracer Index $6.00 Livermore Cemetery Index $6.00 (Prices subject to change) Send check or money order to: Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society P. O. Box 901, Livermore, CA 94551 DUES Individual...................$12.00 Family.......................$18.00 Benefactor...................$30.00 Patron.......................$60.00 Life.........................$125.00
EDITORS' NOTES Now that summer is upon us, and perhaps our winter projects have slowed or ended, it might be a good time for all of us to catch up on our reading. We would urge members to go through your "catch-all" box to see if anything you have received or written recently should be published in The Roots Tracer. We are always on the lookout for interesting genealogical articles, letters and tidbits. We would also like to publish first-person reports of exciting finds, reunions and research trips, etc. Please feel free to drop us a note or give us a call. The L-AGS Executive Board would like to thank the volunteers who form the Telephone Tree to contact members about upcoming events. They are: Lawrence and Bernice Allen, Katherine Bridgman, Albert and Carol Bueche, Alleda and De Lynn Clark, David Lindsey and Norm and Marge Stout. George Anderson, our Membership Chairman, would like to be notified of members' changes of address and phone numbers. George would also like to know if you want him to change your membership badge (to reflect a nickname, for example). Regarding the article we wrote in the Spring 1994 edition of The Roots Tracer titled "Civil War Grave Location Project", Florence Lawson wrote to the address shown. Her letter came back with a note saying that the "Forwarding Order had Expired". We would like to pass this information on to all Civil War researchers. Does anyone have a valid address for this Project?
LIFE MEMBERS OF L-AGS: Beverly Schell Ales Anastasia Alexander Carrie Alexander Terry Crane G. E. "Robbie" Robinson BENEFACTORS: Judy and Don Person David and Linda Curry WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS: Gerald & Joanne Reynolds Tom McCormick Nancy L. Graham Jerree Jim Bahls Louise W. Throop Sandra Wrinkle
CALENDAR OF GENEALOGICAL EVENTS (From various sources) 5 July 94 NATIONAL ARCHIVES. Beginning genealogy. $12 in advance or $15 at the door. Contact Rose Mary Kennedy (415) 876-9009 12 Aug 94 NATIONAL ARCHIVES. Passenger Arrivals and Naturalization. $12 in advance or $15 at the door. Contact Rose Mary Kennedy (415) 8676-9009. 17 Sep 94 CONTRA COSTA GEN SOC presents an all day seminar featuring James W. Warren and Paula Stuart Warren at the Concord Bible Church, 4975 Concord Blvd, Concord, Ca. Contact CCGS, P.O. Box 910 Concord, Ca. 94520. Contact Stan Roberti, P.O. Box 910 Concord, Ca. 94522-0910 21 Oct 94 NATIONAL ARCHIVES. 9:00-12:30. Chinese Immigration Records. $12 in advance or $15 at the door. Contact Rose Mary Kennedy (415) 876-9009
WITTER RANCH HISTORIC FARM The award-winning Witter Ranch Historic Farm is a private, non-profit historical and educational foundation. It is preserved by the NATIONAL REGISTER of HISTORIC PLACES. It has hosted over 17,000 guests in its first 2 1/2 years of community availability, over half being elementary school children. The farmstead consists of a barn, tankhouse, dwelling and foreman's cottage; all built in the year 1920 on land reclaimed from a swamp in 1915. The farmyard contains many farm creatures and it provides habitat for over 50 wildlife species. The beautifully constructed California ranch house, built in 1934, rests half way between the founding of Sacramento and today. It is a learning facility, where children enjoy hands-on experience of farm life of the era. It provides an attractive place for visitors and adult events; with its stable museum and collection of antique tools and implements. The farm is located at 3480 Witter Way, Sacramento, 95834; ten minutes from downtown Sacramento near Arco Arena. For current hours, etc. please call Ed or Elen Witter (916) 925-4116.
The Bookshelf We have no new L-AGS library books to review this time, but there is a lot to report on related matters. ******************** The Alameda County Library online catalog system (called Al E. Cat, for ALameda Electronic CATalog!) finally went into use in May. We care because our L-AGS books are intershelved with the county books at the Pleasanton branch of the county library system. Our books are also cataloged on an equal footing with county books. Up until now, the catalog has been on CD-ROM disks, which were played on readers located in the branch libraries. These disks had to be updated periodically.
Now the catalog is accessed from terminals connected directly to a mainframe computer in Fremont. The terminals are located exactly where the CD-ROM readers used to sit in the branch libraries. As they say in computerese, "The changeover was transparent to the user," except the user now sees a big improvement in the amount and timeliness of the information available from the catalog. When you go to the Pleasanton Library to use the new catalog (I can't bring myself to write Al E. Cat), look for a yellow handout sheet of instructions, and for the little easel of instructions on the counter next to the terminal. As before, anything you bring up on the terminal can be output onto a printer, if there is one adjacent to your terminal. One major upgrade in the catalog: you can now find out at which branch a given book is located, and can even tell the catalog to show you only books located at Pleasanton, for example. The new system will also tell you whether the book is checked out or not, although it had better not tell you a L-AGS book is checked out, because all of our books are for library use only! One drawback of the new system for L-AGS members is that all of our books are now cataloged and shelved by the beloved Dewey system, instead of by our own common sense method. It is a necessary evil that we will have to learn to live with to gain the other benefits of having our collection housed in a modern library, side-by-side with Pleasanton's own substantial genealogy holdings. To help alleviate the confusion of the Dewey system, we are working on a new version of our "Bookshelf" publication that will list all of the L-AGS and Pleasanton genealogy books in one handy guidebook. New L-AGS members may not know that the Pleasanton and Dublin libraries are members of the county system, but the Livermore library is not. Livermore has been out in front in electronic technology for libraries, having put its catalog on line for dial-up from home years ago. To log in to their catalog from your modem, dial (510) 373 5519 and then type: "Hello[space]public.library" Dial-up is also planned for the Alameda County system, but the date has not yet been announced. ******************** The Pleasanton and Livermore public libraries were among 182 (out of 800) California public libraries recently winning grants to install Internet terminals for public use. Some of the money comes from the federal Library Services and Construction Act, administered by the state library. The grants include a computer, modem, printer, and communications software, all with on-site warranty; 100 hours of dial-up connect time, and 5 days of training for two persons. The terms of the grant require that one of the persons involved in the project be a library staff member and the other a local community representative. I am the community rep for Pleasanton. My job is to find out who in Pleasanton could benefit from public access to Internet at the library, and what kind of services they would require. Doug Mumma has also been involved, in an unofficial way, with the Internet project at the Livermore Library. There is a great deal of traffic about genealogy on Internet, so we are obviously happy to see these facilities coming. The terminals will not be opened to the public until November, but experimental use through the community rep is possible before then. Those of you who have a modem on your computer and subscribe to one of the commercial online services - such as America Online, CompuServe, or Delphi - can already get on the vaunted Internet information superhighway. I have been doing so recently through the Internet gateway on AOL. I have yet to strike any paydirt, but it can be a heady experience. I read one evening in the genealogy Usenet of a man in Norway offering help to genealogists, so I sent him an E-mail question, and the next morning had a reply, giving me the answer, and telling me he was happy to help! That's the way the Internet used to be, and the way it is supposed to be, but there are worries that it won't stay that way as it gets commercialized. ******************** L-AGS now has a new publication for sale. It is our "New Members' Handbook," free to anyone who has joined since January this year, but for sale to other members at $4.00. The handbook has been completely revised since its last incarnation some years ago. Although its purpose is to help our new members get started, it has a lot of information valuable for all of us.
Included in the 24 pages of the New Members' Handbook are a list of 27
Bay Area libraries, with short descriptions and hours of operation;
detailed descriptions of the LDS Family History Centers in Livermore and
Oakland; a detailed description of the Sutro Library; seven pages of
helpful tips about genealogy from our experienced members and experts
from afar; a glossary of genealogy terms in six languages; and a
graphical illustration of terms used in land transactions. Also included
is a membership list and ("worth the whole price!" as the pitchmen at the
Alameda County Fair are saying this week) a copy of our by-laws.
The handbook is contained in a nifty folder, along with some reproducible
masters for a pedigree chart, a family group sheet and a research check
list. New members also receive a handful of National Archives booklets,
but since these are government freebies, we can't include them with the
for-sale packages.
Another L-AGS publication, the Surname Book, is also being updated and
expanded, as all members know from having been pestered by yours truly,
the editor of the book. It may be in print by the time you read this, but
if not, it will be shortly thereafter. Some new features are being added,
as a surprise. The price has not yet been set.
********************
"Print, Publish, Preserve" is the alliterative title of a dandy little
book recently compiled by the San Ramon Valley Genealogical Society. It
is a how-to book for self-publishers, not much different from others of
its kind except for one invaluable feature for us: it tells how to do
your publishing here in the Bay Area. That is not trivial information - I
once tried very hard and failed to find a local company to do "Perfect"
binding of a book in small quantities. In this book are listed two, with
addresses, phone numbers and typical prices. Similar lists are given for
printers, hard-cover binders and archival materials suppliers. There are
many anecdotes about the actual experiences of SRVGS members in getting
their work into print.
Two familiar names were on the committee to compile this book: Shirley
Terry, our former L-AGS president and current member, and Marilyn Fullam,
former member. The dedication of the book is amusing: "To the San Ramon
Valley Genealogical Society for sponsoring and supporting the Publishing
Interest Group, which compiled this book, even though the Society didn't
believe it would ever be published."
"Print, Publish, Preserve" promises purchasers palpable payoffs. It will
probably be in the L-AGS Library someday, but I suggest that anyone
planning to publish a genealogy book should buy his or her own copy. (The
fine print: 53 pages, 4x6 inches, soft cover, with index, glossary,
bibliography and detailed colophon. $8.50 postpaid from: SRVGS, P.O. Box
305, Diablo, CA 94528-0305.)
Computer News by Doug Mumma Tentative Agendas for Upcoming Meeting of L-AGS Computer Interest Group Unless otherwise announced, the meetings of the L-AGS Computer Interest Group will be held at 7:30 p.m. on the third Thursdays of the month at the LDS Church, 905 Mocho Street, Livermore. The following meeting agendas are tentatively scheduled. July 21 GEDCOM files - We would like everyone to try and make a GEDCOM file of your genealogical data (Ancestral File submission choice for PAF users) for tentative submission to the LDS Ancestral File system. If you have problems or questions, bring them to the meeting for a problem solving session. Other uses of your GEDCOM file, such as Tiny Tafel name matching, will be briefly discussed. Aug. 18 Printed Reports - We will compare the style and type of reports produced by various genealogy programs. Bring a copy of your favorite report that you produce and share it, and your reasons, with everyone. Sept. 15 - To be announced later Oct. 20 Software Help/Tricks/Shortcuts - We will split into small interest groups and everyone will share the various tricks, shortcuts, or other information that they have learned about their favorite genealogy program. The tentative interest groups will be PAF-Mac, PAF IBM, Brother's Keeper, Family Tree Maker, and/or other programs as there is interest. This will be an interactive help session as always. Nov. 17 INTERNET Several of us will discuss our experiences with the INTERNET, how you can access it with or without a modem or computer of your own (i.e. the public library), and what it can do to help you with your genealogical research. Dec. 15 No meeting scheduled ******************** L-AGS Computer programs are still available The special L-AGS computer disk containing a collection genealogy programs, utilities, and information are still available for a donation of $ 2.00 to L-AGS. After the July meeting, we will be requesting a donation of $5.00 for the disks. There are different disks for both the IBM and Mac users. See the Spring 1994 issue of the "Tracer" for a more detailed listing of the programs available for the IBM machines. See me or George Anderson if you want to obtain a disk. ******************** PAF/GEDCOM Utility Programs Lending Library On the L-AGS computer disk, Mike St. Claire's program, "PAF Review", describes 141 PAF/GEDCOM utility programs that are available for the IBM system. Run that program to see if there are any programs of interest to you. These programs can be downloaded from various BBS's or they can be obtained from several sources by mail. To make it more convenient for our members, I have obtained a copy of all the programs and will make them available for anyone to borrow, review, and/or copy. All of the programs are either "freeware" or "shareware." The programs are contained on 9, high density, 3 1/2" disks. If you only have 5 1/4" disk drives, I can copy a few programs to that disk size for you. If interested call me at 447- 5164. ******************** Macintosh Notes (by George Anderson) Macintosh users of PAF seem to have been treated as second class citizens by the Kings of PAFdom, since we have had only one version of our program since the beginning, while DOS users have had a number of upgrades, each with new goodies to please the users. The situation is not as bad as this history makes it seem, since the Mac version of PAF, with its graphical interface, was far ahead of the first DOS version. It could be said that the DOS users are just now catching up. Never the less, Mac users are due for an upgrade, and it may be coming. At a recent meeting of the Silicon Valley PAF Users Group, we were told that Bryan McGhie, a professional programmer, was under contract to produce a new version of PAF for the Macintosh "sometime soon." Volunteers for beta-testing the new version were solicited and I signed up. That was two months ago and I'm still waiting for something to test. ******************** Past Meetings At the May meeting, Bill Wilson and Tim O'Hare from the Pleasanton "Home and Business Computer Center" demonstrated three different Macintosh computers, including a PowerBook laptop. Several of these machines will run both Macintosh and IBM software at fairly good speeds. It was an interesting and informative meeting. Macintosh users met separately from the non-Mac users at the June meeting to allow hands-on demonstrations on equipment that is too hard to tote to the regular meeting site. Among the demonstrations was one on Ancestral File exporting. We set a goal to have at least some of our Ancestral File submissions completed by the July meeting. The non-Mac users had a general round table discussion of a wide variety of subjects. Creating a GEDCOM or Ancestral File for the next meeting was suggested and discussed. We learned that you can obtain census records at the Livermore Library (and presumably any library). They have a microfilm index to the census, so you can determine which ones are of interest. The films are then transferred by inter-library loan from Sutro Library and are available for your use for about three weeks. Keep this in mind if you find it inconvenient to go to the Oakland Family History Center or the Sutro Library in San Francisco. ******************** L-AGS-CIG CALENDAR July GEDCOM Ancestral Files August Printed Reports September To be announced October Software Help/Tricks/Shortcuts November INTERNET December No Meeting
UMBILICAL LINES AND THE mtDNA PROJECT Contributed by Thomas H. Roderick, Ph.D.* The umbilical line refers to a single, very specific, matrilineal line- that is, the mother's mother's mother's mother's, ad infinitum. In an ancestral table, it comprises individuals numbered 1, 3, 7, 15, 31, 63, 255, 511, etc. It is analogous to the sequentially paternal line that follows a specific surname over generations. Although genealogists have long been obsessed with patrilineal-surname research, increasing attention has been given to umbilical lines since the early 1970s. Each human inherits equal portions of nuclear DNA (deoxyribose nucleic acid, the "building blocks" of life) from his or her mother and father. But there are exceptions. One is the tiny but very important mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which lies outside the nucleus and is usually transmitted only through the umbilical line. Both males and females inherit it, but only females pass it on. This fraction, vitally important to life, is now the subject of considerable genetic research. While all humans ultimately derive their mtDNA from the most recently known common umbilical ancestress - dubbed Eve in the popular press - slight changes have occurred through time. Thus, most modern individuals have slightly different mtDNA. Distinctions can be precisely described using today's technology, through analysis of the mtDNA's molecular structure. One aspect of interest to geneticists - one that has not been precisely understood or measured - is the relative change (mutation rate) of mtDNA over generations. Present knowledge suggests a mutation rate low enough that any person should have the same mtDNA as a relative with the same umbilical ancestor as far as fifteen to twenty generations removed. Genealogists have much to offer in mtDNA research. Long and well- documented umbilical lines, coupled with small blood samples from living individuals with connected lines, can begin to provide information on mutation rates or the rate of change of mtDNA over generations and over time. Another understandable and fascinating aspect is that, through time, specific changes have developed in specific wedges of Eve's tree of descendants - that is, in racial and ethnic groups. Thus, the mtDNA of racial groups is different, and much information is now being accumulated to describe these ethnic differences. So, for the genealogist, an analysis of the mtDNA of anyone living would reveal the racial and perhaps ethnic background of his or her umbilical line, information well before the time of printed records. A particularly interesting example is that of a woman from Yorkshire who has mtDNA similar to that in some Middle East countries. A significant genealogical and population-genetic question would be "How prevalent is this type of mtDNA in Yorkshire or elsewhere in England, and what does it imply about early migrations and admixture?" A project is underway to help the geneticist with mutation and ethnic studies and to help the genealogist verify umbilical-line research and determine ethnic origins of umbilical ancestors. Well-documented umbilical lines, eight or more generations in length, will be the most useful; but those of lesser length may also be valuable, depending on the nature of other submissions. Contributors will be asked to have a small portion of blood taken professionally for analysis, if the line can be shown to connect with another contributed line or if it presents an ethnic origin of interest. DNA analysis will, through the study of similarities, show with high probability whether the ancestral research is genetically valid and will, through the study of differences, provide data on mutation rates. Ethnic origins can be determined in most cases; this is valuable to both the geneticist and the genealogist. Participants will be kept fully apprised of the study as it progresses. This program began in 1992. Thus far, nearly three hundred pedigrees have been submitted. Most are of New England origin, but a significant portion treats French Canadian background. As of this writing, one solid connection in Massachusetts in the 1600s has been made between two umbilical lines, and blood samples have been drawn for analysis. Another connection linking two people to an umbilical ancestor in early Quebec is under study. Also, several umbilical lines have been established to Priscilla (Mullins) Alden of the Mayflower, and efforts are being made to obtain blood samples. Individuals interested in assisting with this project should submit their documented umbilical lines to the following address: mtDNA Project Center for Human Genetics, Municipal Building, Post Office Box 770, Bar Harbor, ME 04609-0770 ******************** * Adapted from presentations by Dr. Roderick at the 1992 NGS Conference in the States at Jacksonville, Florida, and the 1993 convocation of the American Society of Genealogists at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. This article was copied in its entirety from the National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ), Special Issue, Vol. 82, No. 2, June 1994, entitled Your Family's Health History, An Introduction. Copyright restrictions are waived upon this article in order to make this vital project more widely known to the genealogical community.
EDITORIAL COMMENTS George Anderson, in his review of the above noted publication, indicated that this entire special issue is dedicated to "medical genealogy". George had several questions which he posed to the author of the article via E-Mail. These questions and a summary of the answers from Dr. Roderick have been reproduced below. G.A.: What constitutes "well-documented" lines? Dr. R.: Cite sources of information connecting each set of generations such as vital records, deeds, probate records, court records, etc. If secondary sources are used, such as published genealogies, site them as well with page numbers where information is found. If further documentation is needed, we will contact the submitter for further help. G.A.: What are some examples of "an ethnic origin of interest", and others not of interest? Dr. R.: Ethnic origins of particular interest may be Basques, Laplanders, French Canadians, some Amerindians. But we do not want to discourage people with typical early colonial British or European lines. I don't mean to emphasize this point too much. If we want Basques, Laplanders or French Canadians, we can go after them directly. Please minimize this point. All ethnic origins are really of interest. Ultimately we will have a good sampling of many different ethnic groups and will have a good idea of what specific mtDNA lines (if any) go with which groups. G.A.: If a participant is asked to submit a blood sample, how much will it typically cost the participant? Dr. R.: We send the blood kits to the submitters who in turn can take them to their hospital blood laboratory. In our experience, when a blood sample is needed for scientific purposes, hospital labs will usually do it for nothing. Sometimes a submitter will have a physician in the family who can do it. In any case, if there is a charge, the project will pay for it. Mailing the kit back to California is all prepaid. There should be no expense to the submitter.
CONFERENCE NEWS AND NOTES Shirley Siems Terry Genealogists and family historians should be encouraged to attend genealogy seminars and conferences whenever possible. They are always informative, educational and inspirational. We have just returned from the National Genealogical Society Conference in Houston where we had ten choices per session for four full days, totaling 213 presentations by 139 of the very best genealogical speakers! Start planning now to attend next year's conference: May 3 - 6 in San Diego. In the meantime, you might consider the Great Lakes Conference August 4 - 6 in Fort Wayne, In, and /or the Federation of Genealogical Societies' conference October 12 - 15 in Richmond, VA. For further information on them, write to the Indiana Genealogical Society, P. O. Box 10507, Fort Wayne, IN 46852 and the FGS, P. O. Box 3385, Salt Lake City, UT 84110-3385. In addition to the very best speakers on genealogy related topics and methodology, a conference has three more considerations: they syllabus which includes handout material from all the speakers at that conference; an exhibit hall with an unbelievable offering of books, charts, publishers, and the latest genealogical technology; and professional cassette tapes of almost all sessions. Most conferences are taped and available to conferees within a few hours of taping. The last few NGS and FGS conferences have been taped by Repeat Performance, 2911 Crabapple Lane, Hobart, IN 46342. Write to them for available listings. The tapes in L-AGS tape library are from pat conferences. Use them and let your Board know ones you'd like to see added.
CATHOLIC RECORDS Your editors recently received a letter from William O. Vierra, long-time member of L-AGS, with a copy of a letter Wilma at St. Michael's Church in Livermore sent him. Wilma stated in her letter that the Church has: "...... run across some old marriage licenses and certificates among the records here at St. Mike's. I seem to recall you are related to the Azevedo family. Do you know any descendants of the following two couples who might like to have these certificates? "Joao de Souza VIERRA (age 28) and Guerhlemina Lennor da SILVEIRA (age 16) who were married here November 20, 1879. They had at least 2 sons, Manuel born 1880 and Joseph born 1881. "Jose Peter AZAVEDA or AZAVEDO and Rosie Lawrence (aged 42 and 23) married here October 23, 1897." In his letter to us, Mr. Vierra stated that he was not related to this family. If these records are of interest to the reader, please contact Wilma at St. Michael's, 458 Maple St., Livermore, CA 94550, telephone 510-447-1585.
NOTES FROM ALL OVER
ANCESTRAL DOLLARS
Before Congress passed the Subsidiary Coinage Law in 1850, much of
American domestic business was transacted with Spanish or other foreign
coins. Accounts, however, were kept in either U.S. or British reckoning.
The following table of values is valid for all American and British pound
systems.
1 q. (farthing) = $0.0027
4 q. (farthings) = 1d. (penny) = $0.0111
12 d. (pence) = 1s. (shilling) = $0.1333
20 s. (shillings) = 1 pound = $2.667
The value of our ancestors dollars as compared to the 1991 ones is enough
to make one weep! These figures were compiled by Matt Conner of the U.S.
Dept. of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of Living Conditions Statistics.
They appeared in the Nov. 25, 1991 issue of Forbes Magazine.
1820 - 1850...$13.28
1850 - 1875....13.14
1875 - 1900....11.38
1935............9.91
1945............7.56
1955............5.08
1965........... 4.31
1975............2.53
1985............1.26
From Diablo Desc., CCC GS (CA) Vol. 7:10, via CSGA Newsletter, Vol. 11,
No. 5, May 1993
********************
CONVERSION OF TIME
This is the formula for determining the birth date of anyone whose date
of death and years, months and days of age are known.
Example 1 John Jones died 21 Oct 1879 age 69y, 8m, 14d
Death Date 21 10 1879
Age 14 8 69
7 2 1810 = 7 Feb 1810
Example 2 Tom Smith died 17 Feb 1842 age 55y, 1m, 6d
Death Date 17 2 1842
Age 6 11 55
Note that the months of the death date must be larger than that of
the age. Therefore, in this case you must convert one year of the
death date to 12 months:
Death Date 17 14 1841
Age 6 11 55
11 3 1786 = 11 Mar 1786
Contributed by Helen Narver Smith, from Linn County Heritage Hunters
(Iowa) Vol. 2, #3, July 1987, via G.A.S. LITES 17:3
********************
MEDICAL TERMS
CAMP FEVER typhus
CANINE MADNESS hydrophobia
CHLOROSIS iron deficiency anemia
CORRUPTION infection
CORYZA a cold
COSTIVENESS constipation
CRAMP COLIC appendicitis
DROPSY edema (swelling) sometimes caused by kidney or heart diseases
DYSPEPSIA acid indigestion
EXTRAVASTED BLOOD rupture of the blood vessel
FALLING SICKNESS epilepsy
FLUS OF HUMOUR circulation
FRENCH POX venereal disease
GREEN SICKNESS anemia
HIP GOUT osteomylitis
JAIL FEVER typhus
KING'S EVIL scofula
LUES VENERA venereal disease
LUMBAGO back pain
LUNG FEVER pneumonia
LUNG SICKNESS tuberculosis
MANIA insanity
MORTIFICATION infection
NOSTALGIA homesickness
PUTRID FEVER diphtheria
QUINSY tonsillitis
REMITTING FEVER malaria
SANGUINOUS CRUST scab
SCOFULA tubercular infection of lymph glands in throat
SHIP'S FEVER typhus
STRANGERY rupture
SUMMER COMPLAINTS infant diarrhea caused by spoiled milk
VENESECTION bleeding
From the Connecticut Nutmegger
********************
SURVEYORS' MEASUREMENTS
Ever wonder what form of measurement the early surveyors used? The basis
was the Gunther chain, invented by Edmund Gunther in 1620. Gunther's
chain was 66 feet long and was 100 links of 7 92/100 inches each, made of
6 or 9 wire. The present day rod is 16 1/2 feet, or 1/4 of a chain. The
mile is 80 chains. The acre is ten square chains, or 43,560 sq. ft. The
old linear measure, so often called the surveyor's measure, was as
follows:
7 92/100 inches = 1 link
25 links = 1 pole
100 links = 4 poles = 1 chain
10 chains = 1 furlong
8 furlongs = 80 chains = 1 mile
From several sources; last found in The Root Digger Newsletter, Jan. 1993
********************
FACTS AND FUNNIES
A BIRTH CERTIFICATE SHOWS THAT YOU WERE BORN
A DEATH CERTIFICATE SHOWS THAT YOU DIED
A FAMILY HISTORY SHOWS THAT YOU LIVED!!!
From several sources, via The Root Digger Newsletter, Jan 1993
********************
BEATRICE BAILEY CALLS AGAIN
Another questionable genealogical offer seems to have arisen. The
original scam from Beatrice Bailey was blocked by the Postal Service's
refusal to deliver mail. To circumvent this, the persons behind the
scheme have shifted to other names and addresses to continue their
deceptive offers and others have tried similar scams. The latest scheme
is SOLICITING the sale of surname genealogies BY TELEPHONE, with payment
only by credit card or direct withdrawal from a bank account. The
company will not accept a personal check. In addition, the price has
risen from $29.95 to $69.95. The offers seem to be coming from Elmar
Real Estate/Investment Corporation, Phoenix, AZ.
From Orange Co CA GS Newsletter, 27:7, p. 2, via Contra Costa
Genealogical Society, Vol. 8 No. 9, Sep 1993
********************
SO YOU'VE WRITTEN A FAMILY HISTORY, WHAT NEXT?
The Family History Library in Salt Lake City will microfilm your family
history free of charge if the material is organized and indexed. Your
original copy and one copy of the microfilm will be returned to you.
Write Vick Munson, acquisition-Patron Microfilming, 50 East North Temple
ST., Salt Lake City, UT 84150. (SLOCGS Bulletin, 26:2 p. 63)
You should also consider placing your genealogy in the Library of
Congress. To get your genealogy into the Library of Congress, you need
only pay the postage to get it there. Your genealogy does not have to be
copyrighted. Some research expenses can then be deducted from income
taxes. They will, send an acknowledgment describing your gift. Send
your completed genealogy to: Library of Congress Exchange and Gifts
Division, 10 First ST., S.E., Washington, DC 20540.
From Zichron Note, XIII:3, p. 19, via Contra Costa Genealogical Society,
Vol. 8 No. 9, Sep 1993
********************
ATTENTION: GERMAN RESEARCHERS
There will be several thousand Germans coming to America to locate their
unknown relatives. Meeting will be arranged between the visitors and the
American descendants of German immigrants who share the same names. The
German delegation will be in Hayward, CA in mid-September. Interested
people should write to Staedte-Bruecke/City Bridges, P. O. Box 760, 444-
22054, Hamburg, Germany.
From San Ramon Valley GS IX, No. 10, May 1994, via CSGA Newsletter, Vol.
12, No. 6, June 1994.
********************
FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY
You may be interested in knowing that the latest PAF Update 2.3 is no
longer being issued from Salt Lake City due to some reported glitches. A
new "new" update will be coming out in October. For more information,
you can call 801-240-2584.
From the CSGA Newsletter, Vol. 12, No. 6, June 1994.
ADDENDUM TO "CEMETERIES OF PLEASANTON AND DUBLIN, CALIF. (1990)" JUNE, 1994 ST. AUGUSTINE'S CATHOLIC CEMETERY SECTION A, ROW 7E - page 66 - Damiao Damiao Manuel Jose, 1836 - Jun 27 1917 Damiao Eugenia A. Silveira, Oct 2 1850 - Mar 23 1935 (wife) Antonio (Tony) Webster Silveira, (brother of Eugenia) nd Franklin Joseph, Mar 24 1918 Thomas Damiao Joseph, (son of Manuel), Dec 6 1877 - Dec 26 1954 Manuel Damiao Joseph, (son of Manuel), Dec 6 1877 - Aug 24 1955 Submitted by Gloria Stahlnecker, 474 Amaral Circle, Pleasanton, CA 94566 SECTION B, ROW 4E - Page 74 Freitas Plot Josef Francisco Freitas, Sr., Sep 15 1849 - Mar 2 1923 Grandmother, died Jun 2 1912 Mary Isabelle King Freitas, wife, Nov 22 1860 - Sep 2 1915 Annie Lemos King, Grandmother, Mar 1839 - Mar 8 1912 Edward (Eddie) Freitas, son, Mar 14 1902 - Apr 29 1905 Manuel Joseph Freitas, son, Jul 20 1881 - Apr 10 1907 George Freitas, son, Feb 21 1890 - Apr 3 1919 Frank F. Freitas, son, Apr 9 1884 - Jun 5 1923 Antone Freitas, son, Jun 13 1896 - Aug 11 1942 Annie Regello Freitas, dau-in-law, Sep 3 1896 - Mar 31 1914 Serafine Enos, family friend, Apr 1847 - Sep 28 1919 Submitted by Mildred E. Freitas, 607 Diablo Road, Danville, CA 94526-2801 SECTION C, ROW 3W - Page 81 After Amaro Plot Apperson, Frances b. 7 Nov 1900 - d 26 Dec 1961 Smith, Marcy Katherine, mother of Frances Apperson, nd
"LIVERMORE CEMETERIES", LIVERMORE, CALIFORNIA 94550 ADDITIONS AND ERRATA ROSELAWN MEMORIAL PARK 1240 North Livermore Avenue Livermore, CA 94550 Area K, Jewish Section July, 1993 Memorial stones listed from East to West Cohen Patricia J. 1932 - 1991 Gordon Michael Bruce Jun 6, 1938 - Jan 30, 1985 Robins Sam Mar 6, 1904 - Mar 6, 1991 Klanfer Sidonia K. Jun 26, 1910 - Dec 8, 1989 Whitten Clifton L. Mar 11, 1922 - Jan 13, 1989 Sylvia K. Jan 1, 1922 - Aug 24, 1989 Cohen Hannah R. Nov 30, 1896 - Aug 1, 1981 Jobrack Hyman Aaron Sep 13, 1907 - Jun 1, 1990 Koltun Isadore E. Oct 6, 1906 - Sep 5, 1971 Esther Dec 14, 1899 - Oct 7, 1988 Gasten Burt R. Jan 6, 1933 - Mar 12, 1980 Gasten Felicia Ann Jun 9, 1965 - May 23, 1981 Geller Herbert 1926 - 1975 WWII Lynn Lillian Apr 17, 1903 - Jan 6, 1981 Fink Janet Jun 30, 1927 - Jul 26, 1983 Friedman Benjamin 1910 - 1972 Stern Joseph Sep 29, 1895 - Apr 16, 1971 Submitted by David Abrahams, 737 El Caminito, Livermore, CA 94550 * * * * * * * * * ST. MICHAELS' CEMETERY Index to St. Michael's - Page 17: name - Beraudlere to Beraudiere Index to Memory Gardens - Page 43: name - Hohn to Holm Page 31 of St. Michael's: name - Beraudlere to Beraudiere Page 28 of Memory Gardens: name - Hohn to Holm Editor
RESOURCE NOTES PASSENGER ARRIVAL RECORDS Researching U.S. Passenger Arrival Records: You can learn the general background of United States passenger records by studying selected sources. You can read Philip Taylor's THE DISTANT MAGNET, for example, to discover how many immigrants came from your native land during a certain era and what ports they favored, or how long the voyage took on certain modes of transportation. Also remember, Ellis Island records are after 1892 and avoid the expenses of time and money finding Galveston lists that were destroyed in the Great Hurricane. The records known as customs passenger lists were filed by the masters of ships with the Collectors of Customs. The National Archives and FHL have microfilm of the original customs lists (1820 - 1902), copies and abstracts (1820 - 1875) and transcripts of the lists (1819 - 1832). The National Archives has copies of the immigration passenger lists or ship manifests for the years 1883 - 1954. The Family History Library has the most popular passenger lists among its collection of 1.4 million microfilms. The National Archives staff will conduct a search of the microfilmed records if a researcher completes form NATF 81. Remember, hundreds of thousands of immigrants arrived at smaller ports. You may want to investigate arrival lists for ports such as Key West, Passamaquoddy, New Bedford, Providence, Gulfport, Savannah, and Galveston. An index from 1820 - 1874, M-334, includes some of the minor ports as well as Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia and New Orleans (to 1850). Remember, since you are dealing with immigrants and unusual names, try to consider every spelling variation of the surname when using an index. Also, don't ignore the index or lists if you had a stowaway. Also, the Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, by P. William Filby, does not index the non-published passenger lists which you find on microfilm. (by J. R. Roberts, SLC, Genealogical Computing, April 1994) From CSGA Newsletter, Vol. 12, No. 6, June 1994. ******************** A SOURCE OF MAIDEN NAMES DEEDS: In the lower left hand corner of most deeds, you will find signatures of two to four witnesses. The first one is from the husband's side. The next one is always from the wife's side. That is to protect her 1/3 dower right under the law. Nothing you ever use will give greater clues to maiden names than witnesses to old deeds. MORTGAGES: In the 1800's and before, it was traditional when the daughter got married, as a part of her dowry, for the father to either cover the loan or carry the note for his son-in-law. If you know the husband's name but not the wife's maiden name, find out to whom they are making their mortgage payment. About 70% of the time, it will be her father. From Santa Clara County H & G Society, July 1992. ******************** NEWSPAPERS The local newspaper is another often overlooked resource. In order to determine what newspapers were functioning in which towns, and when, simply go to the reference desk at the library and ask for GALE DIRECTORY OF PUBLICATIONS, and look up the state and the town; it will give you the name of the newspaper and what library has it now. Then you fill out an interlibrary loan form and order the specific reel of film for the month and the event you are researching. From H.A.G.S. Informer, Vol. 15, No. 11. ******************** VOTER REGISTRATION Voter registration information is public information, so use it with impunity. Call 1-800-367-8683 in New York with the first three digits of the zip code in the are in which you are searching, and the interactive telephone system will give you the address and telephone number of the applicable voter registration office. You may ask for the birth date, address, and listed occupation of the person you seek, and no one will think you are weird. Note: in Suffolk County, inquires must be made by filling out a Freedom of Information Act inquiry. It takes a little longer, but because it is public information, they must give you the information you seek. From Gen. Club of Albuquerque Pub. Lib. 11-92. ******************** GREAT BRITAIN Searching ancestors in unindexed British Isles census returns is frustrating unless you know the street address. The returns were recorded on a house by house, street by street basis. Just as in the United States, directories are frequently the best way of discovering an address to lead to other records. The British Isles Directories Projects make a search of these directories possible. For a fee of 7.50 pounds (US$12) a search will be made of three directories for any given name, a report provided of all entries found, plus up to 3 photocopies of original pages. More extensive searches will be made on request for which the fee will be 10 pounds (US$15) per hour plus the cost of any photocopies specifically requested. The directories themselves are available for libraries an societies at nominal costs. Send your request to: GWEN KINGSLEY, LYDON, QUEEN ST., KINSWINFORD, WEST MIDLANDS, ENGLAND DY6 7AQ. Checks should be made payable to "Gwen Kingsley". US dollar checks accepted. For inquiries only, send 2 International Reply Coupons. From CSGA Newsletter, Vol. 12, No. 2 (Feb. 1994). ******************** HISPANIC RESEARCH A key resource for any researcher in Hispanic genealogy (especially a neophyte in the field) is the set of sacramental registers maintained by every Catholic parish. After the end of the Franciscan mission era, parish outposts were frequently termed missions, but they maintained no records of their own. The parish registers are referred to as the Book of Baptisms, Book of Marriages and Book of Deaths. Use of these registers may not be restricted, but there probably is a copying cost. (Dr. R. Bruce Harley, Archivist Diocese of San Bernadino) ******************** SPANISH GIVEN NAMES In the Spanish culture, the name of a person identifies him/her as a unique individual, giving the mini family tree instantaneously. The name of the individual is composed of his given name, his father's surname and his mother's surname. The first name of the person is referred to as the "nombre de pila" (name given at the baptismal font) or "nombre propio" (name given to the individual for himself). From CSGA Newsletter, Vol. 12, No. 2, (Feb. 1994). ******************** MICROFILM SOURCE Since 1952, Library Microfilms, a division of Bay Microfilm, Inc.. (located at 1115 E. Arques Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086, has been dedicated to preserving the heritage of the Pacific Coast, covering the Western states, cities, counties and cultures. The company has one of the most extensive and growing collections, including the largest collection of newspapers on film of the Western states. The company has just completed a major project in conjunction with the California State Library where pre-1950 city and county directories for almost every area of California and Nevada have been microfilmed. They have also microfilmed Pacific Bell phone books from 1899 - 1993 for every city and county in California and Nevada. For additional information and a catalog, contact Jan Hawley, Director of Library Microfilms at the above address, or call her at 800-359-FILM. From CSGA Newsletter, 11:8, p. 5, via Contra Costa Genealogical Society, Vol. 8 No. 9, Sep 1993 ******************** RAGAS REQUEST FORMS Family history researchers wising to request information fro the archives of the former Soviet Union through RAGAS, the RUSSIAN-AMERICAN GENEALOGICAL ARCHIVAL SERVICE, must obtain a request form from RAGAS, P. O. Box 236, Glen Echo, MD 20812. For a search for a single archival record or certificate, such as the record of a birth, death or marriage, request and complete the "Specific Record Form". Return the form to RAGAS with a nonrefundable fee of $22. For a fuller genealogical search that may involve linking generations, linking family members within a generation or confirming several events in the life of an individual, request and complete the "Fuller Genealogical Search Form". A nonrefundable fee of $50, payable to RAGAS, must accompany this form. From NGC Newsletter, 19:2, p. 42, via Contra Costa Genealogical Society, Vol. 8 No. 9, Sep 1993 ******************** RECORDS DISCOVERY Pension records discovery of 105 boxes relating to the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Seminole War have been found by Craig Scott, certified Genealogical Record Searcher, who specializes in military records. He says archivists have know about the records, but they were used infrequently because it took two different and inadequate indexes tin order to locate a specific record. He cautioned that some of the files contain nothing more than a final record of payment while others contain detailed letters from the pensioner, his widow or children. The approximately 10,000 file abstracts are being published in a box-by-box listing of each file with pensioner name, account number and the location of the pension office involved by the American Genealogy Magazine starting with its March - April issue. Send $22.50/yr. to American Genealogy Magazine, Datatrace Systems, P. O. Box 1587, Stephenville, TX 76401. From The Genealogist, pg. 3, May 1994, via CSGA Newsletter, Vol. 12, No. 6, June 1994. ******************** COOK COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT ARCHIVES Clerk of the Circuit Court announced the opening of a Reading Room of the Cook County Circuit Court Archives. The Archives possess court records that are valuable resources for genealogists and historians alike. The Archives staff welcomes phone or written reference requests from both the Clerk's staff and the general public, Monday - Friday, 8:30 - 4:30, excluding court holidays. Since many of the records are stored in off- site locations, it is strongly encouraged that public patrons schedule an appointment with the Archives staff before visiting. Also, certain records are available for viewing in alternate formats (such as microfilm). The Archives reproduction costs are based on a court mandated schedule. To contact the Archives, phone 312-629-6601 or 312-629-6628, or write to: Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Archives Dept., Rm. 1113, Richard J. Daley Center, Chicago, IL 60602. From several sources, via Judy Person.
Return to the L-AGS Home Page
Last modified: 16jan03.0045