art by Currier & Ives

On this last day of the year, I first want to wish everyone a safe and happy new year celebration!  Secondly, I want to say a huge Thank You!

January 2nd will be the “blog-iversary” of The Rootyard Porter and my very first post.  It’s been an amazing year and I’ve been so happy to see the development of my genealogy work.  When the year started I hoped that even one person would read this blog and am so thankful to all of you for checking it out and sharing it with others.  I had originally intended to only write about my own family research.  As the year went on and I started corresponding with others about genealogy research I decided to offer my own services.  Again, I’m so thankful and lucky to have met such wonderful people and been able to do work for some amazing clients.  Some of the most exciting and fun opportunities have come from collaborating with other great businesses and organizations and I want to give a special thank you to Milagro Roots and Generous Genealogists.  They really helped me get my stuff out there.

As I look at my site stats for the year, over 2000 people have viewed this site with an average of over 160 views per month!  You guys are the best!  I’ve averaged about 2 posts per month, which isn’t bad, but I’m gunning to write lots more in the coming year.

My gratitude is enormous and I look forward to sharing more with you in 2013.

until next time,

the rootyard porter

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I’ve recently expanded the genealogy services offered and you can mouse over the Genealogy Services tab at the top of the page to see a drop-down list of the new services.  Click on the main Genealogy Services tab to read more about what’s offered and how it all works.  I’ve kept the Research and Narrative Report for One Ancestor, which is at a flat fee, but I’ve added tons more options at hourly rates from $15-$20/hour!
As the holidays are approaching, think about giving the gift of family history!  Any of the services available can be purchased as a gift for your loved ones!  When you’re checking out through PayPal, just leave a note in your purchase that this is a gift for someone else.  I will send you a real gift certificate that you can give them as a present!  The gift certificate can be mailed to you, if there’s enough time, or it can be emailed to you as PDF that you can print out.  Read more about how the gift certificates work here!

In other news, I discovered a great new site recently called Generous Genealogists where you can get FREE help with your genealogical research!  This wonderful place is full of smart and fantastic people willing to lend a hand with your stumbling blocks.  There are a series of Coaching Articles, a general question and answer section, a wiki, the Brickwall Showcase and a Brickwall Forum.  You can also search through the many volunteers to contact someone directly who has expertise in the area you need help with.  After signing up to volunteer my services, I was asked if I would contribute some articles to the Coaching Series!  My first article will be up on December 16th and you can see a little bit more about me on the Meet the Team page!  A huge thank you goes out to Mark Rabideau, the creator of Generous Genealogists, for all his hard work and dedication.

Until next time,

the rootyard porter

Mt. Pleasant Cemetery was established in 1886 by the oldest African American church in Gainesville, the Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church, and is home to some of Gainesville’s first African American community leaders. The land was purchased by the church in 1886 for $125.

The state of Florida sits on a limestone bedrock that is less than 50 feet below the topsoil.  This means that most of the graves are not actually buried below the ground.  Many of the coffins are encased in concrete and their flat surfaces are visible at or above ground level.  Amidst the limestone bedrock lies the Florida Aquifer and this geologic combination lends itself to sinkholes.  As you can see, many of the older graves in the cemetery are slowly caving in to the ground.

Sinking Grave

The front portion of the cemetery is home to more recent graves, while the very back of the cemetery is overgrown and difficult to walk through.  The farther back into the cemetery I went, I noticed that many of the graves are not placed in any sort of regular rows and are placed in sporadic groups.  There are some areas where markers are hidden by dense brush and the some of them aren’t even there anymore or are broken and shattered.  As I stepped carefully around this back area, occasionally I would feel the ground soften beneath my feet and realized that I was walking over a grave whose headstone had long since crumbled away.

Entrance to back of cemetery

Cemetery Wilderness

Many headstones are carved with beautiful images…

Some of the headstones are crudely carved by hand…

Several headstones are being devoured by trees planted in a loved ones memory…

Some have been buried by debris…

Some are cracked and even split in two…

We spent many hours here walking amongst these individuals.  Here and there we would set right gifts and items left for loved ones that had fallen aside and removed branches and debris from covering their names so that they could be seen and honored.  It was a beautiful day at the cemetery for the Rootyard Porter…

Until next time.

I began the first CD of lessons in December 2011 with all the intention of finishing in less than 12 months.  Needless to say, working full time caused me to go a little slower than I had planned and then a move across the country put the whole thing on hold for a couple of months.  As November approaches, I find myself starting the last of six lessons on the first CD.  Last week, I submitted lessons four and five and I’m still waiting for lesson five to be returned.  So far, though, all of my lessons have come back with that lovely “complete” stamped on the cover page and very helpful comments from the grader.  Here I’m going to discuss my experience with the homework assignments and not so much about the content of all the lessons.  If you really want to know what you’ll learn in the course, you can review this syllabus (opens a PDF file) or read more about the course here and here.  But before I continue, a few comments on some aspects of the course in general.  First of all, the email group is a great resource but it can be a bit frustrating.  There’s no archive, so many questions are asked repeatedly because there’s no way to look back at what has already been answered.  I ended up making a folder in my email to hold all the messages so that I can search through them if needed…my own “archive”, if you will.  Secondly, NGS “strongly suggests” getting a copy of Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown-Mills, which in my opinion, should be absolutely required.  I’ve seen many, many questions about citations and source material that are explained in this book.  Answers to these questions inevitably end up referring the asker back to this source.  Lastly, I think the importance of computer skills is not emphasized enough.  Some of the assignments require creating documents, reports and charts that, while they can be done by hand, are most often done on the computer.  Again, I see many questions about how to use Word, how to manipulate a PDF file, how to insert an image, etc, and feel that more stress should be put on the technological aspect of completing some of the assignments.

With that said, have I been fully enjoying going through these lessons and completing my assignments?  Yes!  I had already started on my research and learning about proper genealogical methods when I started the course, so the first CD of lessons is sort of covering things that I had already done.  Nonetheless, the value of getting feedback from a professional that I’m “doing it right” is fantastic.  Genealogy is all about proof and this feedback has shown me that someone else, even a professional, can follow and recreate the steps of my research.  Now, on to the lessons and assignments!

Lesson 1 – Pedigree Chart, Family Group Sheet, Citations

The lessons progress from basic information to more advanced research and methods, so the first assignment is to create a basic pedigree chart and a family group sheet with full citations.  Blank charts are provided to hand-write the information, but it can be hard to fit everything on the forms.  Here’s where some word processing computer skills come in handy.  Creating footnotes for citations in the family group sheet or knowing how to make text boxes and draw lines to make a pedigree chart are just a couple examples of various skills that may be helpful to complete the assignment.  I couldn’t have written my citations correctly for the family group sheet without my copy of Evidence Explained!  Anyone completing this course needs to have this book.  As I said earlier, I had already started researching my family history, so I had much of the information and sources needed for this assignment and it didn’t take me very long to complete.  If someone was just starting out, though, it could take quite a while to carry out the research required to find the vital facts on each individual in the charts.

Lesson 2 – Family Traditions and Family Records

The second lesson reviews how to properly record and evaluate family traditions, how to evaluate family records for genealogical relevance and there are two assignments to complete and submit.  Using the word “tradition” for this lesson is a bit misleading.  It’s explained that what they’re referring to are actually family stories, so maybe it should be more aptly titled “oral traditions”.  Evaluating an oral tradition in my family turned out to be quite fun to research and write.  I briefly recounted a family story that I had been told, wrote out the steps of evaluating the validity of this story and the research I completed to sort out fact from fiction.  A summary of the evaluation is required, as well as what further questions were raised by the research.  The second assignment requires the student to complete an inventory of family records.  The trouble with this assignment is that it’s assumed that either you have family records in your own home or that you have access to them in a relative’s home.  This one was difficult for me and I had to email the course administrator for some advice on how to complete it.  At the time, I was living in California which was nowhere near any of my relatives and I did not have any family records in my own home.  I ended up having my step-mother email me scanned images of some documents she had and evaluated them for this assignment.  The instructions say that if you do not have such items, to state that when you submit the lesson and I explained why I was evaluating these particular documents; however the comment I received said this portion was “complete, but thin”.  The grader suggested that I could have used my own marriage or birth certificate, since the assignment is to evaluate items for their genealogical relevance.  I was stuck in the mindset that they had to be from my distant past, so it just goes to prove the “begin in the present and work back in time” genealogical motto is always worth remembering.

Lesson 3 – Interviews, Correspondence and Queries

In this digital age, I think the assignments in this lesson are extremely important, as they focus on actually writing letters.  The first assignment is about writing and recording an interview.  You don’t have to actually interview someone (although you definitely could), but propose how you would go about a potential interview.  I chose my husband’s grandfather as my potential interviewee and described what I wanted to learn from him, the questions I would ask and how I would record the interview.  This assignment illustrates how to focus in on specific items of interest and how to organize your questions so as not to overwhelm the interviewee.  The second assignment is an exercise in writing a letter to a relative requesting family information.  Again, learning how to organize your thoughts and convey clearly and concisely what you are asking.  The last assignment is to write a query that could be placed in a genealogical publication.  This type of writing is much briefer and therefore vagueness is to be avoided.  The key to all of these assignments is to be specific; ask for pointed information and don’t use general statements like, “tell me everything you know about grandma”, or “I’m looking for information on my uncle Jim who lives in Florida”.  When seeking help or information from other people, the importance of specificity cannot be emphasized enough.  I had an easy time with this lesson and assignments; however it’s a good exercise in thinking through what it is you want to know so that the right questions are asked the first time.

Lesson 4 – Library Resources

There is one assignment for Lesson 4 and you have to go to the library.  I love the library, as I hope most genealogists do, so this one was fun.  Luckily, my local library has a decent sized sectional devoted to genealogical resources.  The assignment lays out what type of genealogical material you need to seek out and evaluate – a published family history, a local town or county history, an article from a genealogical periodical and a historic atlas or gazetteer.  Of course, full and complete citations of these materials are to be included in the final report.  A survey of the library’s resources in general is also required and there are about 15 questions to respond to.  The evaluation of the genealogical material and the survey of the library itself are to be presented in a narrative format, including citations for the material mentioned above.  I really enjoyed this assignment and it was interesting to learn some things I didn’t know about my local library!

Lesson 5 – Census Research

After learning the basics of what genealogy is, what types of items are valuable in genealogy, how to ask for information from your relatives and the usefulness of the library, as the lesson states, “You are now ready to begin your research in government documents”!  I like making lists and I like transcribing documents, so this lesson was right up my alley.  There are technically two assignments for this lesson, but it sort of works out to be three.  The first assignment is to take each person on the pedigree chart you created in Lesson 1 and list out all the census years you would expect to find them, where they would be located and what their status would be in the household.  You don’t necessarily have to actually go find them in the census records, but rather list out where you would expect to.  I had already found most of these records, so I listed out where I had actually found them.  This assignment was a bit more time consuming than it appeared, but like I said, I like to make lists so I didn’t find it to be tedious.  The second assignment really breaks into two distinct parts – reviewing and transcribing census records, and writing an evaluation of the research.  You are to choose one census year for one ancestor from the pedigree chart and search for others in that county or town with the same surname.  In my previous census research I had not searched for others with the same name, so this was a good exercise for me.  Once found, they are to be transcribed onto the forms provided.  The forms are large enough that it was easier to hand-write the information than to re-create them electronically.  I found four other families in the same county as my ancestor, which is a deceivingly large amount of material to transcribe.  Citations are required and there’s quite a lot of information in a census citation, so hand-writing it at the bottom of the page would be a little tight.  I scanned in the forms I had filled out and used free PDF software to make a text box on the page for typing my citation.  Again with the need for a moderate amount of computer skills.  Lastly, I wrote my evaluation of the census records I searched, indicating if I was aware of any relationship between my ancestor and the other families found and why or why not.  This type of searching was good for me to do.  I realized that I’m often focused solely on finding the particular ancestor I’m looking for and tend to forget that it can be very beneficial to broaden my searches.  I’ve submitted this lesson, but haven’t received it back from the grader yet and I’m concerned that I’ll get the dreaded “resubmit” stamp.  Of course after I turned it in, I had a vague recollection of Lesson 5 being a topic of discussion in the email group.  I searched through my emails and sure enough, I discovered that there have been some changes to the assignments in this lesson.  Since I had found my ancestors in the census, and I wasn’t proposing where I would expect to find them, I’m pretty sure I was supposed to include footnotes with citations to those records.  I believe I was also supposed to submit a copy of the actual census pages that I transcribed.  Not only is this a good reason for there to be an archive for the email group, but when changes like this occur, a mass email should be sent out to all students with the revised information.  Fortunately, if this happens, I can resubmit and receive a passing grade with no detriment to my continuing with the course.

Lesson 6 – Vital Records

This is the lesson I’m at right now.  I’ve read all the material and am getting started on the three assignments.  I’ve made a rough outline for the first assignment, which is similar to the assignment on census records – list out where you would expect to find birth, marriage and death records for each ancestor on the pedigree chart from Lesson 1.  This involves a bit of research into the relevant places because you’re expected to list not just the geographic locality, but the appropriate office that would keep these records.  The second assignment is to actually order a vital record for one of the ancestors from the pedigree chart.  Luckily, I had read through the assignments when I first got the CD almost a year ago, so I knew I would have to do this and planned ahead – the record is on its way.  The third assignment entails going to a local repository to survey marriage records and to write a report of the findings, specifically addressing questions from the lesson.  This is going to be a little difficult because the repository is only open during regular business hours and I’ll have to take a couple hours off work.  Although this is a bit inconvenient, it’s not impossible by any means and I should be able to do this in the next couple of weeks.  It goes without saying that I love looking at old records, so I’m really looking forward to this excursion from my work day.

Overall, I feel that going through this home-study course is going to be extremely beneficial in my preparation for professional certification.  There are standards that professional genealogists use and adhere to and this course stresses the importance of that, even if you’re not looking to become certified.  There does, however, seem to be some areas that could be improved upon.  In 2012 I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect things like an email group with an archive, updates provided via personal email and forms that can be filled out electronically.  A blog run by the course administrator, or someone involved, providing updates and notifications of changes to lessons and assignments would be amazing!  In fact, when I’ve completed the course successfully, I officially volunteer to bring these changes to fruition!

Look for a quick follow up post soon on the results of my assignment for Lesson 5 and if I have to resubmit or not, as well as finishing up Lesson 6 and starting on the second CD.  Also look for a new post soon about my recent trip to one of the oldest cemeteries in Gainesville, Florida…

Until next time,

the rootyard porter

our gigantic neighborhood oak tree

After a five day trip across the country and a few weeks getting settled, the Rootyard Porter is back!  Our family is now settled into our new home in Gainesville, Florida.  I titled this post “My New (Old) Home” because this is where I grew up.  After being away for almost 10 years it definitely feels new, but at the same time it is familiar.  Many things have changed but many more have remained the same, which is very comforting in a way.

I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you some of the exciting and really neat places in this area that are of genealogical and historical interest to me. (listed in alphabetical order)

Alachua County Archives, Ancient Records

I recently discovered this gem, which is operated through the Alachua County Clerk of the Court, and have signed up to volunteer with transcriptions and indexing.  The site contains marriage, probate, deed, mortgage, census and commission minute records, as well as a virtual museum.  The timeframes covered vary in each area, but this is going to be an extremely valuable resource.  I’m really excited to get involved with this project.

Alachua County Genealogical Society

As with most local genealogical societies, the ACGS holds monthly meetings, provides research aids, special programs and educational opportunities.  Their resource collection is housed at the County Library headquarters.

Alachua County Library District

The library, of course, is one of my most favorite places.  This library has a “Heritage Collection” of local photographs, microfilm index from the local newspaper, more than 300 volumes of family histories, various County and State records, local city directories dating back to 1909, passenger lists and military records.  They also have public access to Ancestry and Heritage Quest databases.

Alachua County Virtual Cemetery Project

This project is run by the same person who coordinates the Ancient Records collection for the County.  The site includes photographs and histories of cemeteries in Alachua County.  Another project I hope I can find the time to volunteer for!

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park

Located in the town of Cross Creek (about 30 minutes south of Gainesville), this is another favorite place of mine.  Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings is best known as the author of The Yearling and Cross Creek and this state park is the location of her homestead, where she lived for 25 years.  You can take tours of the house, farm buildings and grounds.  The cracker-style farmhouse still has her original furnishings and the old hand-pumped water still works!

Matheson Museum

The Matheson Museum is part of the Alachua County Historic Trust and includes four sites.  The Museum itself, which contains an exhibit hall of local history and a research library; the Matheson House, which is the second oldest residence in Gainesville; the Tison Tool Museum, which houses “the unique tool collection of a native resident and honors the skill and artistry that built Alachua County”; and lastly, Sweetwater Park, which when completed, will serve as an outdoor museum of the area’s natural history.

Morningside Nature Center and Living History Farm

Run by the Nature Operations division of the City of Gainesville, Morningside is one of my favorite places to visit.  Right in town, you can visit with the farm animals and walk on more than 7 miles of nature trails.  The Center is located on 278 acres and features a Living History Farm, which “re-creates a single-family rural holding in the year 1870.  The farm includes the cabin from the 1840’s, a board and batten kitchen, a barn and one-room schoolhouse, and an heirloom garden and live heritage breed farm animals.  Every Saturday (Sept-May) the Farm offers live interpretive experiences.”

Oral History Program, University of Florida History Department

The University of Florida is a wealth of resources for all kinds of things, but the Oral History Program is really something special.  “With over 5000 interviews, the program is one of the largest and most diverse oral history repositories in the United States.”  The department offers many public programs and projects to participate in, as well as containing some amazing special collections, such as African-American, Native American, military, women and environmental histories.

Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park

The elementary school I went to here in Gainesville was Stephen C Foster Elementary and, just like this state park, was named after the American composer of “Old Folks At Home”.  That song is much better known as “Down Upon the Suwannee River” and is the State song of Florida.  Located in White Springs (about an hour north of Gainesville), the museum features exhibits about Foster’s music and the Craft Square gives demonstrations of quilting, blacksmithing and other crafts of Foster’s time.  Since it is a state park, there are also hiking trails, fishing, canoeing and camping opportunities.  The Florida Folk Festival is held on the grounds here every year in May.

There are also a few interesting smaller towns surrounding Gainesville that are fun to visit and have their own special histories.  Check out these links to learn a little more about these historic areas:

High Springs, Florida – about 30 minutes north of Gainesville

Melrose, Florida – about 30 minutes east of Gainesville

Micanopy, Florida – about 20 minutes south of Gainesville

You can find out about all of these places and more at Visit Gainesville and check out some great pictures at the City of Gainesville’s Flickr page.  I’m so excited to get involved with these new (old) discoveries and it feels really good to be back in my hometown.  Most of my family research centers around North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, as well as New England, so it’s also really nice to be a lot closer to those areas.  I see some weekend trips in my future!

Until next time,

the rootyard porter

From “Hypnerotomachia Poliphili: The Strife of Love in a Dream” by Franceso Colonna (1499)

I’ve also been working with same fantastic new clients!  I just completed some work for a very interesting family and got to research a migration path to the US that I’ve always wanted learn about – France/Spain to the Caribbean to Louisiana.  More research for another favorite client with an Irish heritage just keeps producing more and more records, which is a genealogists dream!

My husband and I are also preparing for our cross-country move, which means that it’s time to put the blog and research on hold for the next month or two.  If you’re interested in any genealogical services I won’t be able to respond or start any new research until early to mid September.  Look for a new post in September where I’ll share all the new and exciting places and repositories I’ll have access to, as well as a new contest announcement!

Thank you so much to everyone for supporting my blog and I’ll see you on the other side of the country!

until next time,

the rootyard porter

The Vitals – Georgia F Bailey was born on 12 January 1899 in Boston, Massachusetts.  She married three times and had seven children between 1915 and 1940.  Georgia passed away on the 5 August 1986 at age 87 in Athol, Massachusetts.

A birth record for Georgia hasn’t been obtained yet, so the first place I find her is in the 1900 census.  At about 18 months old she’s listed with her parents, Eugene and Louise, and two slightly older siblings, Blanche and Imogene (who I believe was actually named “Emma Jane”), living in Boston, Massachusetts.  Her mother and her mother’s parents are all noted as being from Nova Scotia, Canada, while her father is noted as being from Maine and is working as a “stable keeper”.  They also had a servant living with them named Mary Barrett.  There are some other Barretts on this side of my family, but I don’t have reason to believe that this Mary is related.  Georgia is listed as a son on this census record and her name is written as “George”, but the month and year of her birth, as well as the other family members listed, all match up with other facts so I’m confident that this is Georgia.

1900 Census

On 3 May 1905, when Georgia was only six years old, her father, Eugene H Bailey, died of pneumonia at Boston City Hospital.  Located in the South End, Boston City Hospital was a public hospital from 1864-1996 and was “intended for the use and comfort of poor patients, to whom medical care will be provided at the expense of the city, and … to provide accommodations and medical treatment to others, who do not wish to be regarded as dependent on public charity.”

Boston City Hospital circa 1903

Death Record for Georgia’s Father, Eugene H Bailey

In 1910 at 11 years old, Georgia is still living in Boston with her mother, her two sisters and now a younger brother, Eugene (named for his father).  The family has also taken in two “lodgers”, presumably to help make ends meet since Georgia’s mother, Louise, is now a widow and not listed with any occupation.

1910 Census

Death of Georgia’s Daughter, Georgie Frances

Sometime between 1914 and 1916, Georgia married Irving Patrick Clark, presumably in Massachusetts.  A record of their marriage has not been found yet, but there are census and military records, as well as records of their two children.  Irving Patrick Clark’s World War I draft registration card shows that on 5 June 1917 he was living in East Boston, working as a chauffeur and was married with one child.  Evidence of Georgia and Irving’s two children was first found in a death record.  Their first child, a daughter named Georgie Frances, was born on 5 August 1916 in Boston, when Georgia was only 17 years old.  About two weeks before her second birthday, on 18 July 1918, Georgie Frances died of diabetes.  Her death record shows that she died in Farmingdale, Maine and states that she has only been a resident there for one week.  Georgia’s parents and other family were in that area of Maine, so I can only assume that she took her sick daughter to be closer to them for help and support.  Georgia and Irving’s second child, a son Irving G, was born on 21 May 1918 and was only about two months old when his sister, Georgie, died.

After the death of her daughter in 1918, Georgia returned to Massachusetts and is found in the 1920 census with her husband, Irving P, and their son, Irving G, living in East Boston.  They rented their house on Marion Street and Irving is still working as a chauffeur, though now we can see he works for a “charter car” service.  At age 20, Georgia is now working at a factory as a “shoe worker”.  There were many shoe factories in Boston at this time, so it’s difficult to determine where she may have worked.

1920 Census

Between January 1920 and September 1923, Georgia divorced or separated from Irving (for reasons unknown), moved back to Maine and remarried to Louis E. Witham.  Georgia was not widowed by Irving, as he completed a World War II draft registration card in 1942.  On 18 September 1923, Georgia was married to Louis E. Witham in Kennebec County, Maine and about 18 months later, on 12 May 1925, they had a son, Eugene.

Sometime after the birth of Eugene, Georgia divorced or separated from Louis Witham (for reasons unknown), moved back to Massachusetts and remarried a third time to Carl Stange.  More research needs to be done to find out what happened to Louis Witham and to find a record of Georgia’s marriage to Carl.  I can estimate that they were married sometime after Eugene’s birth in May 1925 and before the birth of Carl and Georgia’s first child in 1927.

In 1930 at age 31, Georgia appears on the census in Warwick, Massachusetts with her new husband Carl, a farmer age 58, as well as her sons Irving Clark and Eugene Witham from her previous marriages.  Georgia and Carl have also had two daughters of their own by this time, Audrey and Carolyn, ages three and one year.

1930 Census

I was lucky enough to find Georgia, Carl and their family in the newly released 1940 census.  They are still living on the farm in Warwick with their two daughters, Audrey and Carolyn, but now they have also had two sons, Carl Jr. and Conrad, ages seven and two.  Also still living with them at age 14 is Georgia’s son from her second marriage, Eugene Witham.  It’s noted on this census record that Carl Stange’s income for the previous 12 months was zero.  At this time the country was still recovering from the Great Depression and entering into World War II, so it was an extremely difficult time for farmers and their families.

1940 Census

Grave of Georgia Bailey

Georgia’s third husband, Carl, passed away in 1947 when Georgia was only 48 years old.  Her older children have all left home by now, leaving her a widow with two young sons, ages 14 and nine.  Many years later on 19 January 1986, her first child, Irving, passed away in Bristol, Connecticut.   Later that same year, on 5 August 1986 at the age of 87, Georgia passed in Athol, Massachusetts.  She is buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Gardiner, Maine with her paternal grandparents, Francis and Hannah Bailey, and her young daughter, Georgie Frances.

At last the mystery of Irving G Clark and Eugene B Witham has been solved!  Now my next project for Georgia Bailey will be ordering copies of birth, marriage and death records to see what other useful information can be found.  Look for a new post soon continuing the research on the Bailey family in Maine.

Until next time,

the rootyard porter

(brief notes on sources – 1900-1940 US Federal Census; Maine Death Records, 1617-1922; Maine Marriages, 1892-1996; Massachusetts Death Index, 1970-2003; Massachusetts Division of Vital Statistics; Social Security Death Index; World War I and World War II Draft Registration Cards)

engraving by Pietro Ciafferi (1600-1654)

Hello all!

May has been a busy month and I can’t believe it’s already June!  Most of last month was spent on the genealogy narrative report contest and promoting my genealogy services.  Now I’m finally ready to get back into regular posts about my research (look for a new post later today!).

Updates

I was planning to have another contest for Father’s Day, but with all that we have to do getting ready to move I decided against it.  Instead, though, I am offering a 20% discount on the Genealogy Narrative Report through July 1st.  This is a $75 value for $60, includes approximately 5 hours of research, a 4-5 page narrative report, snapshots of the documents found, source citations and suggestions for further research.  If you feel the pull to learn more about your ancestors, contact me before July 1st!

News

I also have some news to share…on August 15th my husband and I will be moving across the country from San Francisco, California to Gainesville, Florida!  That may seem like a random place to move to, but Gainesville is my home town and my husband loves it there too.  After 10 years of living in “the City” we’re ready to live in the quietness of smaller town life.  We also want to buy land and it’s just way too expensive here in Northern California.  So what does this move mean for The Rootyard Porter?  Well, it means that there will probably be no posts in the month of August and I will stop taking any new genealogy research clients as of July 1st.  If you’re interested in receiving a Genealogy Narrative Report or any other genealogical services, please contact me before July 1st.

I’m working on a new research post to be posted later today, which will continue from last research post about Carl Stange and his family.  Don’t forget to “Like” The Rootyard Porter on Facebook to stay up to date on all kinds of genealogy news!  Thanks for reading!!

Until next time,

the rootyard porter

Thanks to Ames for sharing his family with me and for these wonderful words.  It was a joy to write!

My friend, Sara, brings dead people to life.

A week or so ago, I won a genealogy narrative on her site, Rootyard Porter, and selected my great-great-grandmother, Nancy Tobiatha Brown Phillips to be researched. Since this is who my mother was named after, I gave it to her as a Mother’s day gift.

What’s so awesome about this narrative report is that it weaves historical documents and facts together with the context of the time period. What interesting things were happening in society, entertainment, technology and politics. If you ever have an interest in one of your ancestors or you’d like to give this to someone as a special gift, then you should definitely contact her!

25 people entered (which is amazing!), but there can be only one winner and that person is…(drum roll please…)

Ames Hall!!

Ames will receive a free narrative report about one of his ancestors and I’m so excited to get started. You can see what he will receive here.

Again, thank you so much to everyone for participating and look for another contest just in time for Father’s Day in June.  And if you haven’t already, don’t forget to check out The Rootyard Porter on Facebook!

Until next time,

the rootyard porter