Canadian Ancestors

Happy Canada Day!  A few of my branches stopped in Canada on their way to Buffalo.  Below are the generation that came to Canada through the generation that left.
1-Nicholas Eichhorn b. Cal 16 Jan 1799, , , , Germany, d. 28 Jul 1878, Welland,
  Niagara, Ontario, Canada
+Dorothea Schneider b. , , , , Germany
|--1.1-Charles Herman Eichhorn b. 25 Dec 1848, , , Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt,
|    Germany, d. 25 Feb 1907, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
    +Katherine WEIß b. 19 Apr 1849, Hohenstaufen, Donaukreis, Wûrttemberg,
     Germany, d. 9 Aug 1936, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
   |--1.1.1-William Fred Eichhorn b. 22 Jun 1874, Chippewa, Welland, Ontario,
   |    Canada, d. 9 Mar 1931, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
   |--1.1.2-Frederick William Eichhorn b. 14 Jul 1875, , , Ontario, Canada, d.
   |    9 Apr 1932, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
   |--1.1.3-George Eichhorn b. 30 Aug 1878, Niagara, Niagara, New York, USA, d.
   |    1928, (Cheektowaga, Erie, New York, USA)
   |--1.1.4-Eichhorn b. After 1878, d. Bef 1884
   |--1.1.5-Eichhorn b. After 1878, d. Bef 1884
   |--1.1.6-Clara Eichhorn b. 9 Aug 1884, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA, d. Aug
   |    1967, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
   |--1.1.7-Charles Eichhorn b. Abt 1888, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA, d. Btw
   |    1892 - 1900, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
   |--1.1.8-Marie Eichhorn b. 21 Dec 1891, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
--------------------------------
1-Charles Whitehead Jr. b. 10 Oct 1840, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent, England, d.
  12 Oct 1902, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada
+Mary Ann Hayman b. 11 Mar 1845, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent, England, d. 16 May
  1877, Barton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada
|--1.1-Benjamin Thomas Whitehead b. 31 Oct 1866, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent,
|    England, d. 11 Apr 1906, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada
|--1.2-Joseph Whitehead b. 2 Nov 1869, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent, England, d. 4
|    Apr 1936, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada
|--1.3-Charles William Whitehead b. 12 Jun 1872, Burlington, , Ontario, Canada,
|    d. 27 Dec 1927, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
|--1.4-Rosanna Whitehead b. 5 Jan 1875, Barton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada, d.
|    2 Dec 1924, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada
------------------------------------
1-John William Sanderson b. Abt 1830, , , , England, d. 25 Feb 1905,
  Burlington, Halton, Ontario, Canada
+Mary Alwood b. Abt 1833, d. 30 Sep 1903, Galt, Halton, Ontario, Canada
|--1.1-Gertrude Sanderson
|--1.2-Mary Jane Sanderson b. Abt 1864, Trafalgar, , Ontario, Canada
|--1.3-William H. Sanderson b. 1869, , , , Canada, d. 1946, (Hamilton,
|    Wentworth, Ontario, Canada)
|--1.4-Anna May SANDERSON b. 17 Jun 1871, Burlington, , Ontario, Canada, d. 29
|    Apr 1928, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
-------------------------------------

1940 Census: Maternal Grandmother

My main goal for the 1940 census was to find all of my grandparents, as this is the first time any of them were listed on a census record.

Last, but not least, is Grandparent number 4 (according to my pedigree chart), Marlyn Whitehead.  She was also the last one I found, which is pretty ironic considering she was the one I most wanted to find.  My Gramma Casell has been with me every step of the way on my genealogy journey and I was very excited to find her on a census and show it to her. 

She took a while to find as the address I had for her parents in 1943 from a SS-5 form was not where they were living in 1940.  After asking her for other recommendations (after all, she should totally know where she lived at age 4), I learned that Ancestry.com’s personal subscriptions have city directories that library subscriptions do not.  One 2 week trial later, I had an address: 87 Ullman, Buffalo, Erie Co., NY.  She is listed with her parents, William and Vera (Gress), her five sisters and her grandmother, Elizabeth (Fink) Gress.

Source:

1940 U.S. census, Erie County, New York, population schedule, Buffalo, enumeration district (ED) 64-472, sheet 12B, dwelling 87, family 257, Wm. H. Whitehead household; digital images, National Archives and Records Administration, 1940 Census (http://1940census.archives.gov : accessed 3 Apr 2012); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T627, roll 02837.

Top 3 Reasons to View the Actual Vital Record

In genealogy, when we order vital records, we often get a typed, certified copy from the city or town we order it from.  Although this is a good start and can prove useful, one should always aim to see the original to compare and, if possible, make a copy/take a photograph of.

Why is this?

1. The Back of the Certificate

Just like today, people often wrote notes on the back of a piece of paper.  Although you may not find one, imagine if you found a little note that helped you further your search. 

In this example, the back of the certificate (the top part on the image) has the phrase “Baptism St James Epis.”.  This led to a lot of information from the Episcopal Diocese of Buffalo on my Whitehead family.

2. Missing Information in Fill-In-The-Blank Forms

Not all information on a vital record will not necessarily be told to you on a fill-in-the-blank form used by the town clerk to send you the information.  One example of this is a name change.  Here is an example of the birth certificate of my great-grandfather, Alfred Casell, that he had and that I was lucky enough to come into possession of.

I could have stopped with this, saying I had proof of when and where he was born and had a full certificate of his twin sister which proved who their parents were.  However, I knew I may be able to find more information, so I got his full certificate.

As you can see this is a great find. I learned that in addition to changing his last name, he also changed his given name.  I also learned that he changed his name legally, through the court, which gives me another record to search for.

3. Typos

People make mistakes.  I have typed information incorrectly into my family tree program and into bibliographies for class papers.  In the course of proofreading and checking my information (was grandma really 11 when she gave birth?  Especially when she didn't get married for another decade?), this items get found and corrected.

Town and city clerks are busy and, unfortunately, finding vital records for genealogists is not their most important task.  As such, they may not have time to check over their typing.  One example of this is my great-great grandfather Marco A. Casell's death certificate.  The date of death is typed as November 26, 1932, at the age of 69 (born 1968, speaking of typos... 1868) and it has a filed date as November 27, 1937.  The filing date being 5 years later would be one clue there was a problem, as is the fact that the age is wrong based on the dates given.

Luckily, the Town of Colden gives both a typed form and a copy of the original record.  As we can see he did die in 1937, not 1932.  Bonus points to those readers who also realized that this example proved point number 2, as well, in relation to items such as an AKA and a burial date.

As you can see from these examples, it is important to always see an original vital record in order to make sure the information is correct and complete.

Have you had experiences of this in your research?  Please comment below.

Fearless Females: Marriage Records

In honor of National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogistblog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.

March 4 — Do you have marriage records for your grandparents or great-grandparents? Write a post about where they were married and when. Any family stories about the wedding day? Post a photo too if you have one.

As both of my grandmothers are still living and probably wouldn't want this information on my blog, I will focus on my great grandparents for this post.

Alfred Marco Casell and Lillian L. Eichhorn married 11 July 1928 in Buffalo, Erie County, New York.  Al was 22, Lillian, 19.  Witnesses were Al's father Marco and Frank J. Condon.

William Herbert Whitehead married Vera Julia Gress 28 March 1921, also in Buffalo.  He was 24, she was 21.  Witnesses were Bill's brother Hobson and Alberta Suess.  Their wedding announcement was:

Whitehead-Gress.  The marriage of Miss Vera [piece ripped off] daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. J. [also ripped; Gress] of Forest avenue, to Mr. William H. Whitehead , took place Easter Monday night at 8:30 o'clock at the home of the bride's parents, the Rev. J. Ward officiating.  The attendents were Miss Alberta Suess and Mr. Hobson Whitehead.  Mr. and Mrs. W. Whitehead will be home at 173 Forest avenue after a trip to New York, Washington and Baltimore.

Florian Dana Acquard and Stanislawa Frances Karpinski married 28 December 1932 in Bennington Center, Wyoming County, NY.  Florian was 33, Stella was 16.

Albert Emil Nuwer married Edna Agnes Roll 22 June 1932 in Alden, Erie County, NY at St. John's Roman Catholic Church.  He was 26, she was 21.

[caption id="attachment_814" align="aligncenter" width="235" caption="Al and Edna's Wedding"][/caption]

This is the only wedding picture I have for my great grandparents.  I love the "Just Married" sign on the car.  I had calla lilies as my wedding flowers,just  like they did.

Sources

Erie County marriage certificate (short form), 4024 (1921), Whitehead-Gress; Erie County Clerk's Office, Buffalo.

New York State Department of Health, marriage certificate 2251 (1928), Casell-Eichhorn; WNYGS Erie Co. Clerk's Office Marruage Licenses microfilm 132.

"Whitehead-Gress," (Buffalo) Unknown Newspaper; Article owned by Barbara Mueller.  Copied from her home by Amanda E. Perrine 23 May 2009.

 

 

Fearless Females: Favorite Female Ancestor

In honor of National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.

March 1 — Do you have a favorite female ancestor? One you are drawn to or want to learn more about? Write down some key facts you have already learned or what you would like to learn and outline your goals and potential sources you plan to check.

I don't know that I have a favorite female ancestor, but I do have those female ancestors that I always seem to go back to when writing posts or thinking about my family tree.

The top 2 would be Lillian Eichhorn Casell, my great-grandmother, who I wrote about here.  The other would be my great-great grandmother, Anna May Sanderson Whitehead.

Anna May is the catalyst to my becoming a genealogist.  Long story short, she was probably born Elizabeth Ann Sanderson, married, left her husband and family to marry my great-great grandfather, moved to Buffalo and never returned to her family in Canada.  Many years ago my grandmother was contacted by a possibly-very-distant relative about this mystery and I thought it was fascinating.  After this, I started researching, on and off, through my teenage years and college, the story of my family.  Anna May will probably always be the biggest mystery to my search, though I am planning my proof argument for ProGen to be about her.  I will post that when the assignment is due in a few months.

Pearl Harbor Day: Marion F. Hubler

On Pearl Harbor Day, I will be remembering those who died in the attack.  I will also be thinking about those who survived, such as mu uncle Marion F. Hubler.

Here is an image of the muster roll for the quarter the attack took place of the ship he was on.

 



And here is a close-up of his name:



 

Source: Marion F. Hubler, muster rolls of the Ship Medusa (AR-1), 31 December 1941; Muster rolls and reports of changes, 1939-47; Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, 1798 - 2003, Record Group 24; digital images, Footnote, "Pearl Harbor Muster Rolls," Footnote (http://www.footnote.com : accessed 7 Dec 2010).

SNGF - Make a Genealogy Wish

Courtesy of Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings:

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1)  If you found a bottle on the shore, and it had a genea-genie in it, and rubbed it and you had ONE WISH to make about your genealogy and family history research, what would it be?

This is an easy one for me.  I would want to talk to my great-great grandmother Anna May (Elizabeth Anne) Sanderson Whitehead.  It is most likely that after being married and having a few children, she then left them, married my great-great grandfather, moved to Buffalo and had a whole other life.  I just want to know for sure if she did and then ask why.  No judgement, of course, people do what they need to do, just curious for the story.  I will post more about her for Madness Monday.

Fearless Females: Let's Do Lunch!

March 16 — If you could have lunch (or another meal) with any female family member (living or dead) or any famous female who would it be and why?  Where would you go?  What would you eat?


This is a tremendously easy one for me.  I would have lunch with my great grandmother Anna May Sanderson Whitehead.  We could go where ever she wanted as long as she answered my questions about who she really was and, if I am correct in my assumptions, why she left her family in Canada and started a new one in the US. Having lunch with her may be the only way I ever find out for sure about her life.


Fearless Female prompt from Lisa Alzo at The Accidental Genealogist

Fearless Females: In the News

Publish Post

From an unknown Buffalo, NY newspaper.  Ironic that one her daughters married a Democrat who was very politically involved and town supervisor a couple times.  Vera (Mrs. William H.) Whitehead was my great-grandmother.


Fearless Female prompt from Lisa Alzo at The Accidental Genealogist

Smile for the Camera - Give Their Face a Place

For the women's history month Smile for the Camera, "Give Their Face a Place," I wanted to show the family resemblance of the Passel line.  I would love to know how far this goes back, as it is amazing to see yourself in photos of your ancestors.  Beginning at the top is my great-great-great grandmother Sophia Passel Gress, her daughter Carolyn Gress Williams (my gg aunt), her niece Vera Gress Whitehead (my g grandmother), her daughter Marlyn (my grandmother), her daughter Holly (my aunt) and me.  Can you see it?

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week #4

Amy Coffin at the We Tree blog is challenging bloggers to become better genealogists, with a new prompt each week through her 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy:


Week 4: Learn about your local public library’s inter-library loan (ILL) policy. Pick a genealogy-related book that you want to read that is not in your library’s collection. Ask the librarian how to request the book from another library. Find the different library systems from which you can request books through your own library, as this can dramatically increase the number of genealogy books to which you have access. If you have a genealogy blog, write about your experience with requesting items through your library’s ILL service.



I adore inter-library loan.  As a college student, I tend to use the universities system, because I can do it from my couch, while for the public library I have to go in to request an item.  I recently received my first ILL for a genealogy book.  While looking for films on Knockholt, Kent, England from the FHL, I noticed a book that seemed useful: A History of Knockholt in the County of Kent by David Waldron Smithers.  This was published in England in 1991 and is currently out of print.  Only 3 libraries in the USA own it, according to WorldCat: Princeton, Harvard and the Library of Congress.  I ILL requested it through SU and a couple weeks later arrived the apparently never before used (it is pristine!) book from Princeton University.


This book is FANTASTIC!  It was written by a lifelong resident of Knockholt and it mentions surnames such as Bond, Whitehead and Wells.  Are they my Bonds, Whiteheads and Wells'?  It was a small town, so I am sure there is some relation (hopefully I will know for sure when my films come in...)  It also gives the towns history, beginning in the stone age, has photographs, gives information about the parish church records and has more information that gives a genealogist a background on the town their ancestors came from.


If you are new to ILL, be sure to check out WorldCat.  According to their website, "WorldCat is the world's largest network of library content and services. WorldCat libraries are dedicated to providing access to their resources on the Web, where most people start their search for information."  Although not every library in the world is a member, most large libraries, particularly in the US, are and it will give you an idea of what books are out there and where they are located.

Surname Saturday: Bond

In the new year, I am finally going to start doing the Surname Saturday theme.  My plan is to go alphabetically through each of my surnames in order to get them all on the internet and, hopefully, meet some more cousins:-)


The second surname for the year is Bond.  The Bond's were located in Knockholt, Sevenoaks, Kent, England.  After marriage, Emma Bond Whitehead moved to Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent, England.  I currently have 3 microfilms on order at the Family History Center for Knockholt.  These will hopefully arrive in the next week and I will write a follow-up post once that occurs.



Descendants of Richard Bond
---------------------------
1-Richard Bond d. Bef 1841
 +Mary b. Abt 1798, Knockholt, Sevenoaks, Kent, England, d. 3 Nov 1862,
  Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent, England
|--2-Emma Bond b. Cir 1812, Knockholt, Sevenoaks, Kent, England, d. 24 Feb
|    1877, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent, England
|   +Charles Whitehead b. Cir 1811, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent, England, d. 13
|    Mar 1887, Sundridge, Sevenoaks, Kent, England
|  |--3-Hannah Whitehead b. Abt 1836, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent, England
|  |--3-William Whitehead b. Abt 1838, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent, England
|  |   +Caroline Feust b. Abt 1840, Westerham, Sevenoaks, Kent, England
|  |  |--4-Edward Whitehead b. Abt 1863, Knockholt, Sevenoaks, Kent, England
|  |  |--4-Rose Whitehead b. Abt 1866, Chelsfield, , Kent, England
|  |  |--4-Emma Whitehead b. Abt 1869, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent, England
|  |  |--4-Sarah Whitehead b. Abt 1874, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent, England
|  |  |--4-Minnie Whitehead b. Abt 1880, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent, England
|  |--3-Charles Whitehead b. 10 Oct 1840, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent, England,
|  |    d. 12 Oct 1902, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada
|  |   +Mary Ann Hayman b. 11 Mar 1845, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent, England, d.
|  |    16 May 1877, Barton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada
|  |  |--4-Benjamin Thomas Whitehead b. 31 Oct 1866, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent,
|  |  |    England, d. 11 Apr 1906, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada
|  |  |--4-Joseph Whitehead b. 2 Nov 1869, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent, England,
|  |  |    d. 4 Apr 1936, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada
|  |  |--4-Charles William Whitehead b. 12 Jun 1872, Burlington, , Ontario,
|  |  |    Canada, d. 27 Dec 1927, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
|  |  |--4-Rosanna Whitehead b. 5 Jan 1875, Barton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada,
|  |  |    d. 2 Dec 1924, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada
|  |--3-Jane Whitehead b. Abt 1847, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent, England
|  |--3-George Whitehead b. Abt 1849, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent, England
|  |--3-Emma Whitehead bap. 29 Jun 1851, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent, England,
|  |    bur. 26 Oct 1852, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent, England
|  |--3-Edward Whitehead b. Abt 1853, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent, England
|      +Barbara b. Abt 1859, Seal, Sevenoaks, Kent, England
|     |--4-Edward George Whitehead b. Abt 1880, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent,
|     |    England
|     |--4-Edith Hilda Whitehead bap. 31 May 1891, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent,
|     |    England
|     |--4-William Gordon Whitehead bap. 28 Dec 1891, Halstead, Sevenoaks,
|     |    Kent, England
|--2-Hannah Bond b. Abt 1820, Knockholt, Sevenoaks, Kent, England
|   +William Morgan b. Abt 1820, Knockholt, Sevenoaks, Kent, England
|  |--3-William Morgan b. Abt 1846, Knockholt, Sevenoaks, Kent, England
|--2-Richard Bond b. Abt 1820, Knockholt, Sevenoaks, Kent, England
|   +Sarah b. Abt 1820
|  |--3-Hannah Bond b. Abt 1839
|  |--3-Bond b. Abt 1841
|--2-James Bond b. Abt 1825
|--2-George Bond b. Abt 1826
|--2-John Bond b. Abt 1828
|--2-Samuel Bond b. Abt 1831

SNGF - The Best 2009 Genealogy Moment

For this weeks SNGF (which I'm actually going on Saturday this week!) Randy asks:
1) "What was your best Genealogy Moment during 2009?" This could be a research find, a fabulous trip, a found family treasure, etc. Your choice!



My best genealogy moment was, beyond a doubt, going to Florida with my grandmother to visit two of my great aunts and their families.  I had an amazing time hearing stories, viewing and scanning photos and documents and getting to know my extended family (whose blogs I now follow!).  My favorite find, while there, was a tin-type of my ggg-grandmother Sophia and seeing the strong genes she had, which we passed to her granddaughter and all of her daughters, my Aunt Holly and myself.  It is amazing to see a photo of an ancestor, born almost a hundred and forty years before you, who you can see yourself in.

Wordless Wednesday

The gavel my great-grandfather William Herbert Whitehead used at the American Legion. In the possession of my Aunt Barbara and Uncle Bud.

SNGF - My 16 great-great-grandparents

From Randy over at Genea-Musings: Here is your SNGF assignment for the evening (if you choose to accept it - this is not stump the genealogist or even Mission Impossible):

1) List your 16 great-grandparents in pedigree chart order. List their birth and death years and places.

2) Figure out the dominant ethnicity or nationality of each of them.

3) Calculate your ancestral ethnicity or nationality by adding them up for the 16 - 6.25% for each (obviously, this is approximate).

4) If you don't know all 16 of your great-grandparents, then do it for the last full generation you have.

5) Write your own blog post, or make a comment on Facebook or in this post.

1. Joseph Francis Eugene Acquard, Jr.: born 17 Jan 1855 in Cheektowaga, Erie, NY; married 15 Oct 1878 in Bennington Ctr., Wyoming, NY; died 10 Sept 1943 in Bennington Ctr., Wyoming, NY. FRENCH
2. Mary Ann Kollin: born 15 Oct 1878 in Bennington Ctr., Wyoming, NY; died 5 Feb 1938 in Bennington Ctr., Wyoming, NY. 1/2 GERMAN and 1/2 BELGIAN
3. Franciszek Karpinski: born 16 Sep 1880 in Poland; died 22 May 1943 in Erie or Wyoming, NY. POLISH
4. Jozefa Szydlik: born 26 Sep 1886 in Poland; died 4 Apr 1973 in Warsaw, Wyoming, NY. POLISH
5. John George Nuwer: born 21 Mar 1869 in Lancaster, Erie, NY; married 19 Apr 1893 in Lancaster, Erie, NY; died 1 Feb 1948 in Alden, Erie, NY. FRENCH
6. Anna M. Zaepfel: born 28 Sep 1874 in Elma, Erie, NY; died 7 Aug 1943 in Alden, Erie, NY. 1/2 GERMAN & 1/2 FRENCH
7. Edward Roll: born about 1888 in Alden, Erie, NY; married 22 Jun 1910 in Alden, Erie, NY; died 12 May 1941 in Alden, Erie, NY. FRENCH
8. Lidwina Agnes Pautler: born 16 Jan 1888 in Alden, Erie, NY; died 11 Oct 1975 in Batavia, Genesee, NY. FRENCH
9. Marcantonio Casillo: born 11 Jan 1868 in Italy; married 5 Sept 1901 in Buffalo, Erie, NY; died 26 Nov 1937 in Colden, Erie, NY. ITALIAN
10. Carolina Izzo: born 3 May 1876 in Italy; died 2 Oct 1934 in Buffalo, Erie, NY. ITALIAN
11. William Fred Eichhorn: born 22 Jun 1874 in Chippewa, Ontario, Canada; married 14 Jun 1899 in Buffalo, Erie, NY; died 9 Mar 1931 in Buffalo, Erie, NY. GERMAN
12. Augusta M. Tross: born 6 Sept 1877 in Germany; died 1 Jan 1939 in Buffalo, Erie, NY. GERMAN
13. Charles William Whitehead: born 12 Jun 1872 in Burlington, Ontario, Canada; married prior to 1896; died 27 Dec 1927 in Buffalo, Erie, NY. ENGLISH
14. Anna May Sanderson: born 17 Jun 1871 in Burlington, Ontario, Canada; died 29 Apr 1928 in Buffalo, Erie, NY. ENGLISH
15. Jacob J. Gress: born 26 Jan 1869 in Buffalo, Erie, NY; married prior to 1888; died 11 Aug 1932 in Buffalo, Erie, NY. GERMAN
16. Elizabeth Fink: born 6 Jul 1867 in Buffalo, Erie, NY; died 24 Apr 1957 in Buffalo, Erie, NY. GERMAN

That gives me 31.25% German; 28.125% French; 12.5% Polish; 12.5% Italian; 12.5% English ; and 3.125% Belgian. The French and German parts are hard to tell as most of my fathers family came from the Alsace-Lorraine region which kept changing hands. The fact that my 3rd great-grandmother was born in Belgium (like the waffle) has always been cool to me. Oddly, I most identify with the Italian part of my heritage, even though it is way down on the list.

They arrived!

Yesterday my two other microfilms arrived at the FHC. I went through the Halstead marriage records, still none for my ancestors, but a few for their siblings. The roll also happened to have marriage banns from Knockholt, Kent, where I have relatives from! Again, none for direct ancestors, but some for siblings, including one of the siblings from Halstead, who married a man in Knockholt. That was a nice surprise:-) The records from Roccaromana, Caserta, Italy also came in and I can't read them. Now, obviously I realize I can not read the Italian, but it is so tiny (it's one of those small microfilms) that I cannot make out any of the words/letters. I am going to buy a magnifying glass, but I'm not sure that will help enough. Any recommendations are more than welcome!

Today my birth/death/marriage certificates came in from Buffalo. It took just a week and a day from ordering them, which is really decent time. Unfortunately, the marriage record couldn't be found, but the index was fuzzy, so I think I must have guessed the wrong year. Next time I'm there I'll check the library microfilm, which might have the record.

I received death certificates for:

• Charles Herman Eichhorn, which has his parents names, Nicholas Eichhorn and Dora Schneider, and shows I had the right family in Canada! Now I have to continue my search there and eventually back to Germany. He was buried at Buffalo Cemetery and hopefully his wife is next to him, as I have no idea when she died.
• Elizabeth Whitehead, my great aunt, who died at 9 days old. The death cause is different than the one listed in the church records; this one makes more sense (cerebral hemorrhage).
• Maria Tross, which has her maiden name as Strassheim (on a marriage record of her child it looked like Crossheim or Crosshein). It also says she was buried in Buffalo Cemetery, so hopefully I can find some info on her husband (Wenzel/Wesley Tross) there and in her obituary.
• Mrs. A. [Barbara] Fleeman. She died in 1870, so there is pretty much no information, other than she was born in France about 1824, but no maiden name. Also no cemetery, but based on her probate file, they might not have been able to afford burying her.
• Adam L. Fleeman. Not my ancestor as hoped, but rather his grandson, who died at 3 months, 24 days. He is buried in Forest Lawn, so I will go visit next time I am in Buffalo.

I received birth certificates for some of the siblings of my ancestors as follows:

• William Tross Eichhorn, son of William F. and Augusta (Tross) Eichhorn.
• Clara Evelyn Eichhorn, daughter of the same.
• Adeline Whitehead, daughter of Charles and Anna M. (Sanderson) Whitehead.
• Amelia Angela Maria Casilla [sic] daughter of Marcantonio and Carolina (Izzo) Casillo.

Time to go update the Legacy file:-)

Wordless Wednesday - Charles and Anna May (Sanderson) Whitehead

Scanned at my Aunt Lois's home in Florida. I am not sure who the child is.

Amanda's Excellent (Genealogical) Adventure (Day 2)

Last Thursday began in Buffalo, this time I was spending the day with my Grandmother. We headed out to Forest Lawn in between rain storms and hoped for the best. The man at the desk was tremendously helpful and found the location of Gottlieb Finck and Joseph and Sophia Gresz. We walked over to the Gresz stone first, as it was located right behind the office. It is a large, very nice stone. We then drove to the end of the cemetery and found Gottlieb's, which matches his wife Barbara's. We were trying to find Barbara's (we had found it on our last trip, it's in the same area). After a couple minutes of searching I returned to Gottlieb's, as in front of it I had seen a granite Mason symbol. Hoping it belonged to him (maybe there was an arrow...) I started pulling the grass and weeds away... and found another tombstone for him! This one was older and had the same dates, but had his last name as "Fink." Why does he have two stones? This is a mystery for another day...

After our adventure it was time for me to head back to Syracuse, as 3 of my FamilyHistory Center films had come in. I arrived before the volunteers and anxiously waited in my car. Upon the center opening I put in film one of Halstead, Kent, England parish records and hoped to find the baptismal record of Thomas Hayman. Much to my amazement, it was the first one! With that good omen, I kept reading the records, which are filled of my Hayman and Whitehead relatives! The man next to me was impressed by all the writing I was doing and I just said "He was the first one!!!" Small English CoE parish records are my new favorite genealogy records, as I have about 30 pages of written notes from the parish records and two bishop's transcripts for the area. I just finished the second microfilm as they closed. I can't wait to go back Wednesday to check out my Ontario land records and go over the parish films again.

Currently, I am trying to figure out how/if all of these people are related. The earlier records (early and mid 1700's) were really difficult to read, so I skipped over them to the early 1800's, and I have to feeling a lot of the answers I need lie in them. Following the lead of the man next to me on the microfilm reader I will be bringing a magnifying glass... I also have 2 more films that should be arriving soon, another of Halstead records and my Italy records, which will really be testing my skills.

Sons of England Benevolent (or Benefit) Society

The obituary of my 3rd great grandfather, Charles Whitehead, invited members of the Sons of England Benevolent Society to his funeral.

From what I can find online, this appears to be a society that helps lower class protestants from England in Canada get health insurance and burial plots in hopes of gaining support for the monarchy. As Charles was Church of England, I assume he was a member and helped others with these things. There are some microfilms available that have membership rolls, that would be interesting to find. I am also trying to find a book or website that explains this society in some depth, but so far have come up short. More information as soon as I can find it:-)

Family History Center

On Thursday I make my second trip to a Family History Center. The first, many months ago, did not go well, as the volunteers weren't very friendly and I felt like a nuisence. As such, I put off going back, but my experience Thursday was FANTASTIC!

The volunteers were very friendly and helped me with everything I needed. In a few weeks I should receive the following items:

Parish Registers of Halstead (Kent, England) 1561-1900

Bishop's transcripts of Halstead 1813-1898

Abstract Index of books of Chippawa 1796-1955

Registri dello slato civile di Roccaromana 1866-1886

Hopefully, I'll be able to push my Whitehead line back another generation or two with the Halstead items and find Charles Whitehead and Mary Ann Hayman's marriage.

My Eichhorn line should make an appearance in the Chippawa index.

The Roccaromana, Italy records are rather scary for me, as this will really be testing my reading skills. I have my Italian words to know ready, now if only the Casillo's I need are listed:-)