Common Phrases

Even though I have read many old documents, I rely heavily upon common phrases that were used to help with transcription.  It makes a big difference on these aging eyes of mine!  Even after all these years, I do find it sometimes difficult to transcribe an entire document word from word.

For example, I transcribed the will of 6th generation grandfather, John Worsham, last evening.  The important parts of the will had been shared many years ago, but the entire will gives me a better impression of the man.  Common phrases for the period like, "I give my soul into the hand of God" and, "I have hereunto set my hand and seal," made the will easier to understand.  Other phrases like, "my well beloved wife," and "...things I give her during her life then to be sold..." told me that John wanted to make sure my 6th generation grandma was going to be okay without him.

 The will of JohnWorsham

written 24 June 1806

Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

"In the name of God Amen, this 24th day of June 1806

I John Worsham being sick & weak in body but of

perfect mind & memory thanks be to God for its calling

to mind the mortality of my body & knowing that it is

appointed for all men once to die, Do make & ordain this

my last Will & Testament, that is to day principally & first

of all, I give my soul into the hand of God who gave it & my

body to the Earth to be buried in a decent Christian man-

ner nothing doubting but at the Resurrection I shall receive then

again by the mighty power of God, and as touching such worldly

Estate as it has pleased God to bless me with in this life, I do

dispose of the same in the following manner & form -

1st I give to my well beloved wife Dicey the plantation on whereas

I now live with two horse ? two cows & calves, two

sows & pigs, two feather beds & furniture with her choice of two

plows & two pairs of gears.  These things I give her during her

life then to be sold at 12 months credit & equally divided

between all my heirs my son Jeremiah Worsham ? I 

? and/or him to have no part of it; 2nd I give & bequeath

to my son Jeremiah Worsham fifty shillings currency - 

3dly I allow all my land &property except what I have

already willed to my wife & my son Jeremiah to be sold at

twelve months credit by my Executors which I shall here-

after name & my first debt paid out of it & the balance to be

equally between my son Hines & my daughter Whittey my

son Miles, my son William, my son Branch my son James, my 

daughter Nancy, & my daughter Dicey.  Lastly I constitute

& appoint John Harris Esquire & Thomas Barnett Executors

of this my last Will & Testament, and I evoke & disannul

all former Wills & Testaments by me made to be void & this

only to be my last Will &Testament in witness whereof

I have hereunto set my hand & seal this day and

year above written - "

In The Genes

Please Click Image To Enlarge

I was asked about genealogy and DNA today.  I thought it would be nice if I posted a partial picture of my DNA chart I was given from Ancestry.com.  That top line is me.  This is a Paternal Lineage Test, so my brother took the test for me.  Now, if you put my brother and me in a room together, there'd be no doubt we both fell off the same turnip truck!  LOL!!!!  We definitely share the same DNA.

A few things you should know:  1.  This is a 46 marker test.  Forty-six different values were tested, which are represented on the right (DYS19a, DYS19b, etc); 2.  Basically, the more markers that match another person (represented here by the number of lines), the closer related you are; and 3.  MRCA, or Most Recent Common Ancestor, refers to how many generations apart a common ancestor likely lived.  The MRCA number for me and the person on Line 1 is 13 generations.  Our common ancestor likely lived around 13 generations ago.  That would be my father's father's father's father's....plus eight more father's father side.  You get the idea.  Or if you don't, if a new generation is born every 25 years or so, our common ancestor lived about 325 years ago.

Now I'd like to bring attention to the word likely.  Because DNA mutates, there is actually a probability rate for determining MRCA.  So basically, the kind folks at Ancestry.com are telling me that it's more likely than not my most recent common ancestor with the person on Line 1 was 13 generations ago.  In reality, there's really a 50.2% chance that our common ancestor was 13 generations ago, about a 75% chance it was 18 generations ago, and a 97% chance our common ancestor lived 30 generations ago*.

If you are curious about your haplogroup, genealogical DNA can be very fun and informative.  At this time though, do not expect it to break through any of your brick walls.  By the way, I belong to Haplogroup R1b.

*To determine MRCA probability, there are several good MRCA Calculators out there, like this one.  To understand more about genetic mutations, I suggest reading up on MRCA, alleles, and the infinite alleles model.  Pretty techie DNA stuff.

Census Records And Biographies- I Just Love 'Em

My struggle and continued research on the VAN SICKLE name has led me to one Moses Van Sickle (1806-1891) of Fulton County, Illinois.  While I cannot connect my own line with this branch of the family name, it is Mr. Van Sickle's connection with Southwestern Ohio and his unknown ancestry that has grabbed my attention.  Hey, that sounds just like my family!

At least [I believe] I've had more success with researching the ancestry this branch.  Both Mr. Van Sickle's biography from History of Fulton County, Illinois (1879) and Portrait & Biographical Album of Fulton County (1890) have been very helpful.  It was from the ladder that confirmed many facts, including:

• Moses was the son of Abraham and the grandson of John, both of whom were born in New Jersey.
• The Van Sickle family removed to Pennsylvania when Abraham was "quite young".
• The family lived in Venango County, Pennsylvania before moving to Ohio in 1815.
• John died in Hamilton County, Ohio and his son Abraham in Butler County, Ohio (circa 1817).

Census records that span over 30 years clearly show that Moses was born in Pennsylvania, and so I know that the Van Sickles were in the state from as early as 1806.  Census records also show both a John and Abraham in Venango County, Pennsylvania in the 1810 Federal Census. Though there were none by the surname recorded in Venango County, pre-1810, a John Van Sickle is enumerated in both the 1790 and 1800 Federal Census in nearby Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.

1810 Federal Census, Venango County, Pennsylvania

Check the actual census rather than the index.
John Van Sickle (Line 4), spelled here as VAN SIGLES,
was listed in an index as VANRIGLES.

If I were to guestimate the birth year of Abraham and John based upon the age of Moses, I would say Abraham was born circa 1781 and John circa 1756 (assuming both were age 25 when their son was born). The age does fit with the census information for the John of Westmoreland County.  

A check in John Waddell Van Sickle's book on the surname show a very likely match-  a John, baptized in New Jersey in 1757, who had five children including one called Abraham, and who had another son who was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.  This son also moved to Dearborn County, Indiana, which borders Hamilton County, Ohio.  Bingo- I'm convinced!!

Back up...I've been fooled many, MANY times before.  I've learned enough through the years to know that although the Van Sickle book is a great resource, it is not a family Bible.  And so, though my tree on this branch does list the above to be true, there is also a big fat "Ancestry Not Proven" comment besides John's name.

Genealogy and Slavery

Summer will soon be coming to an end. I should think about finishing some of my genealogy projects. Right now, I am indexing the Logan County, Kentucky, Will Records from 1833-1838. Not too many people died in the county during that time, or perhaps the decedents just did not leave a will. Though I don't have too many names to look for, I do have a lot of pages to look through. Reading 1830's script has put a strain on my eyes and some permanent "squint lines" on my forehead.

Since I've been doing some Kentucky indexing, I thought it to be a good time to bring out my Stone family again to see what I could find.  Most of what is out there on Elisha Stone has been put out there by yours truly.  Though a recent website has Elisha as the son of Thomas Stone and Betty Jackman, I'd still like to find some proof (although I do tend to agree with that assumption).  Last night, as I squinted my way through dozens of Mercer County records, I managed to find a copy of my ggg-grandpappy's will from 1829. I've read a partially transcribed copy of the will before, but here in front of me was the copy of the real Mccoy!  You bet I was excited!!

The will talks a bit about Elisha's children, mentions his deceased father (though not by name) and a mother-in-law, which judging by the tone of the document, may actually be referring to a stepmother.  I then had a queasy feeling in my stomach when I read "...bequeath to my son...a negroe boy...", and felt disgusted when I read, "...the balance of the negroes I give to my daughter..."

Elisha Stone, willing a "negroe" to his son, Elisha Jr.

With the majority of my family having come from northern states, slavery is rather uncommon in my tree.  It did exist here and there.  Early ancestors who settled in Virginia and in the Carolinas had slaves.  My ancestors though had a pioneering spirit and set out to explore the west early in our country's history.  By the time of the Civil War, all of my family lived in the mid west for a generation and had long given up the cruel and inhumane business of slavery.

Free Lookups

I realize that since moving to RootsWeb, the California Genealogy & History Archives has not been receiving as many hits.  So for those of you who would rather request a lookup through my blog, I am more than happy to do so.  As with the website, please do limit your requests to ONE book and name at a time.  And if you don't see a book listed, please ask.  I did not list all of the books I have access to here.

Statewide
History of California, 1897
California, Vol. 1-4, 1930
History of the Greater San Francisco Bay Region, 1966

Alameda
History of Alameda County, California, 1883
History of Alameda County, California, 1928

Alpine
Cemetery Inscription in California Counties of Plumas, Alpine, and Sierra, 1964

Butte
Early Records, Butte and Tehama Counties, California, 1956

Contra Costa
The History of Contra Costa County, California, 1917
History of Contra Costa County, 1940
Illustrations of Contra Costa County with Historical Sketch, 1952
History of Contra Costa County, California, 1974

El Dorado
California’s El Dorado, Yesterday and Today, 1915
 
Humboldt
History of Humboldt County, California, 1882
 
Imperial
The History of Imperial County, California, 1918

Kern
A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Fresno, Tulare and Kern, California, 1891
Where Rolls the Kern:  A History of Kern County, California, 1934

Kings
History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California, 1913
 
Lassen
Fairfield’s Pioneer History of Lassen County, California, 1916
 
Marin
History of Marin County, California, 1972

Merced
History of Merced County, California, 1925
 
Monterey
Monterey County, 1889
History of Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties, California, 1925

Napa
History of Napa and Lake Counties, California, 1881
History of Solano and Napa Counties, California, 1912

Nevada
Bean’s History and Directory of Nevada County, California, 1867

Placer
Directory of the County of Placer for the Year 1861, 1861

Plumas
Cemetery Inscription in California Counties of Plumas, Alpine, and Sierra, 1964

Sacramento
History of Sacramento County, California, 1880
An Illustrated History of Sacramento County, California, 1890
History of the Sacramento Valley, 1961

San Francisco
The History of San Francisco, 1931

San Joaquin
History of San Joaquin County, California, 1879
An Illustrated History of San Joaquin County, California, 1890
History of San Joaquin County, California, 1923
History of Fresno County and the San Joaquin Valley, 1933

San Luis Obispo
History of San Luis Obispo County, California, 1883
 
San Mateo
History of San Mateo County, 1916
History of San Mateo County, California, 1928

Santa Barbara
History of Santa Barbara County, California, 1927

Santa Clara
History of Santa Clara County, California, 1881
History of San Jose, California, 1933
 
Santa Cruz
History of Santa Cruz County, California, 1892
History of Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties, California, 1925

Shasta
Shasta County, California, 1949
 
Solano
History of Solano County, California, 1879
History of Solano and Napa Counties, California, 1912
History of Solano County, California, 1926
Pioneer Collections of Solano County, 1980

Sonoma
History of Sonoma County, 1880

Tehama
Early Records, Butte and Tehama Counties, California, 1956

Tulare
A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Fresno, Tulare and Kern, California, 1891
History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California, 1913
History of Tulare County, California, 1926

Tuolumne
From the Backwoods of Old Tuolumne, 1943

Charles S. Frost & Andrew Frost

I saw this request at the Alameda county message board at Ancestry.com:

Charles S. Frost is buried in the Mt View Cemetery, Oakland, CA. His data is: b 28 Feb 1828 d 9 Aug 1897. Also buried in the cemetery is Andrew Frost who was b April 1827 (Denmark) and d 18 April 1901.  I am trying to learn if they were related.

Thanks, Bettye

Hi Bettye.  It appears that there is no connection between the two gentlemen.  Here is what I was able to find:


Oakland Tribune , Oakland, California , Tuesday, August 10, 1897

FROST- In East Oakland, August 9, 1897, Charles S. Frost, a native of Maine, aged 68 years, 8 months and 12 days.

Oakland Tribune , Oakland, California , Tuesday, August 11, 1897

Death of C. S. Frost.

Charles S. Frost, a native of Maine, aged sixty-eight years, died at his home, 1523 Eighth avenue yesterday.  He had resided in Oakland for fifteen years.

Oakland Tribune , Oakland, California , Thursday, April 18, 1901

FROST- In Fruitvale, Peralta avenue and Hyde street, April 18, 1901, Andrew, beloved husband of Mette S. Frost, a native of Denmark, aged 74 years and 9 days.

Oakland Tribune , Oakland, California , Thursday, April 19, 1901

If you'd like help finding additional information on either gentleman, please do let me know.

Japanese Benevolent Society Of California Obituaries

When it comes to posting obituaries online, I am all over the web.  In order to help me slow down my pace, for the next several weeks I will only be posting obituaries at the Japanese Benevolent Society Of California.

P.S.   Okay...I'll post one more obit here before focusing on the JBSC for a little while.