Surname Saturday: RENEMA

Intro
RENEMA is a Frisian clan name. The Frisians are an ethnic minority in the north of the Netherlands and the west of Germany. Our family oral history indicates that the name came about because the family is descended from a French Huguenot by the name of René who took religious refuge in what would have been the Dutch Republic, sometime during the religious persecutions of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. In 1811, the people of the Netherlands, which had been annexed to France by Napoleon, were required to register a surname with the local government. Before this time, most used patronyms, although it was not unusual for others to already have a surname.

The family is more recently found in the vital records of the municipality of Wonseradeel, Friesland, the Netherlands. The municipality, Wonseradeel, was merged with the municipalities of Bolsward, Nijefurd, Sneek, and Wymbritseradeel to become Súdwest-Fryslân (Southwest Friesland) in 2011. Also, before the merge--and even now when reference is made to it--it was spelled Wûnseradiel in the Frisian language. However, Frisian was not recognized by the Dutch government as a second state language until the 1950s and as an official minority language until 1996. In this post, I am using the original municipality name with the Dutch spelling as it was used at the time my ancestors lived there.

Stories and History:

Ahnentafel #880 - Eable (dates unknown) - earliest known named male ancestor of this line

Ahnentafel #440 - Freerk Eables (dates unknown) - married Antje Siedses

Ahnentafel #220 - Sieds Freerks RENEMA (1762 - 1834) - registered the RENEMA surname under Napoleon's decree. Born in Makkum, Wonseradeel, he married Akke Klazes BANGMA (1767 - 1813) in 1787.

Ahnentafel #110 - Dirk Siedses RENEMA (1797 - 1859) - born in Zurich, Wonseradeel, he married Baukje Wipjkes TERPSTRA (1804 - 1873) in 1824.

Ahnentafel #55 - Akke "Aggie" Dirks RENEMA (1832 - 1882) - born in Zurich, she married Wijbren Joukes WIERSMA (1831 - 1909) in 1852. At the time of their marriage, she was already expecting the first of what may have been as many as 17 children! Not all of them have been accounted for at this point, but there were likely two sets of twins in the family. After Akke's death, Wijbren and a number of their children emigrated to Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan.

Ahentafel #27 - Doetje WIERSMA (1854 - 1916) - My immigrant ancestor. Born in Zurich, she married another Frisian immigrant, Geert Aukes TUINSTRA (1851 - 1928) in 1884 in Grand Rapids. They had 10 children, including a set of twins. She died in Grand Rapids.

Ahnentafel #13 - Agnes TUINSTRA (1885 - 1921) - read her AnceStory here; a tale of tragedy

Ahnentafel #6 - William VALK (1912 - 1989) - read his AnceStory here

Ahnentafel #3 - my mother (living)

Ahnentafel #1 - myself


More About the RENEMA Family:

1. Online database (I update this at least once a month): RENEMA ancestors and relatives (no info on living persons available)

2. Posts about RENEMA ancestors and relatives on this blog


My RENEMA Immigration Trail:

Wonseradeel, Friesland, the Netherlands > Kent Co., MI > AK > Stevens Co., WA > Spokane Co., WA


Related Saturday Surname Posts:

WIERSMA, TUINSTRA, HOEKSTRA, VALK, ROBBINS

Signature Sunday: Ezra DICKINSON

This signature of my 4th-great-grandfather, Ezra DICKINSON, comes from the marriage license that he applied for on 7 November 1820 in Trumbull County, Ohio. His signature testified that he had made "a solemn oath" that he had attained the age of 21, that his intended, Cynthia PHILLIPS (my 4th-great-grandmother), had attained the age of 18, and they were no closely related than first cousins. Ezra and Cynthia were married five days later, possibly in the community of Fowler, although they both resided in Johnston Township. Their marriage record has the place name Fowler with the marriage return date, so it's not clear if that is the marriage location or just a notation that the return was documented there.

Although this was his first marriage, it certainly was not his last. He married four more times, outliving his first four brides, but making his fifth wife a widow when he died 17 September 1886 in Auburn, DeKalb County, Indiana. 

You can read his published biography here and learn more about his Civil War service here.

Signature Sunday: Jan Aans MUD (a.k.a. Jan Aants MUT)

My 4th-great-grandfather, Jan Aans MUD (c. 1786 - 1846), also spelled his name Jan Aants MUT, as you can see above in his signature. This was written at the bottom of the birth record of his daughter, Aaltje, my 3rd-great-grandmother, on 12 September 1848. Aaljte was born two days earlier, on 10 September 1848, in Sloten, Gaasterlân-Sleat, Friesland, the Netherlands.

Saturday Surname: DIJKEMA

Intro
The DIJKEMA family is one of my maternal step-grandfather's maternal lines. DIJKEMA is a Dutch family or clan name referring to living near or working on a dike.


Stories and History:

(I use the letter "C" to differentiate between my biological family tree and my step-family tree. Similarly, I use the letter "B" to mark my paternal grandmother's adoptive family tree.)

Ahnentafel #434C - Melle (dates unknown)

Ahnentafel #212C - Pieter Melles (dates unknown) - married Geertje Heertjes (dates unknown)

Ahnentafel #106C - Melle Pieters DIJKEMA (b. 1799) - born in the village of Spijk, municipality of Delfzijl, Province of Groningen, the Netherlands, he married Aaltje Klaassens JUKKEMA (b. 1794) in 1820 in the village of Bierum, Delfzijl, Groningen. They had four known children.

Ahnentafel #53C - Geertje Melles DIJKEMA (1821 - 1872) - lived her entire live in Bierum. Married Jan Ewes BOS (1823 - 1881) in 1849 and had three known sons.

Ahnentafel #26C - Melle "Millard" BOS (b. c. 1853 - d. c. 1888); m. 1877 in Bierum to Trientje ZIGTERMAN; immigrated 1879 to Michigan; have been unable to find death record for Melle; his widow married 1889 in Lamont, Ottawa Co., Michigan to Pieter BARSEMA

Ahnentafel #13C - Johanna BOS (a.k.a. Josephine BUSH) - (1885 - 1946); m. 1911 in Grand Rapids, Kent Co., Michigan to Jarig Egbert Binnes DeVRIES (a.k.a. George Edward Benjamin DeVRIES)

Ahnentafel # 6C - Adrian "Ed" DeVRIES (1916 - 2007) - my beloved maternal (step) grandfather, greatly missed; m. 1947 in Wyoming Twp., Kent Co., Michigan to Ruth Lillian (HOEKSTRA) VALK.

Ahnentafel #3 - my mother (living)

Ahnentafel #1 - myself


More About the DIJKEMA Family:

1. Online database (I update this at least once a month): DIJKEMA ancestors and relatives (no info on living persons available)

2. Posts about DIJKEMA ancestors and relatives on this blog


The DIJKEMA Immigration Trail:

Delfzijl, Groningen, the Netherlands > Missaukee Co., MI > Ottawa Co., MI > Kent Co., MI > AK > Stevens Co., WA > Spokane Co., WA

Tuesday's Tips: Summertime Genealogy

For some people, winter is the best time to do genealogical research. They may be home more and traveling less. Stay-at-home moms (or dads) may have a little more time on their hands while their kids are at school. Others, like me, find summer a better season to work on family history. School staff may have a more flexible summer schedule. Perhaps an upcoming family reunion sparks a desire to wrap up loose ends on a particular family research project, say, for a published book to share or sell at the get together. Vacation destinations may include courthouses, cemeteries, and repositories in ancestral locations. Finally, many genealogical societies have large summertime conferences. No matter what your favorite or most convenient season is in which to do research, you can be prepared to get the most of our your summertime genealogy with the following tips.

A Free Guide
Mocavo offers a great Summer Genealogy Research Guide as a free downloadable .pdf document. Complete with tips for genealogy at home or on-the-go, it includes several handy forms and a checklist.

Holiday Specials
Next weekend is Memorial Day in the United States, when we honor the fallen military and traditionally clean and decorate family graves. Fold3 is offering free access to their entire WWII Military Collection from now through May 31st (if you're not a subscriber, you will be prompted to create a freebie user account). MyHeritage is offering free access to their US Military Collection from May 23rd - 26th. Not sure if your ancestors served? Check out this free handy infographic from Fold3!

Keep in mind that it's not just the U.S. genealogy subscription websites that offer freebies during summer holidays. If you live in a different country--or your ancestors did--keep an eye on genealogy sites in those locations. Add the 4YourFamilyStory Blog to your list of must-reads to be sure to find highlights of those specials.

Cemetery Tips
Speaking of Memorial Day, it's always a good idea to know what to bring, what to do, and (most importantly!) what NOT to do when you visit a cemetery. Savings Graves has some informative educational resources in their left-hand menu which include locating cemeteries and gravesites, cleaning and care of tombstones, and gravestone repair and restoration. Midge Frazel, of the Granite in My Blood blog, shares a useful, labeled photograph of her cemetery kit. She also shares her series, Learning Cemetery Research, with some forms and videos here.

Conferences
The mecca of geneabloggers everywhere, the Southern California Genealogical Society's Jamboree fires up in a few more weeks. In late August, genealogists will be "Gone to Texas" during the Federation of Genealogical Societies 2014 Conference. My own state will be hosting D. Joshua Taylor as keynote speaker for the Washington State Genealogical Society's State Conference in mid-August in Arlington. Keep track of conferences in your areas of interest by visiting ConferenceKeeper.

Webinars
Family, work, or financial restraints prevent you from traveling to conferences? Many offer webinars for free at the time of the conference, or for a modest fee after the session has ended. Learn about webinars and where to access them in my post, Tuesday's Tip: Webinars.

Chats
Using different technology, you can participate in a genealogy chatroom to do some summer learning as well. Jen Baldwin hosts GenChat through Twitter several times a month (use the hashtag #genchat). Pat Richley hosts Mondays with Myrt on Google Hangouts. And I host Scanfest on the last Sunday of most months (go here for the 2014 dates); it's an opportunity to scan your precious genealogy photos and documents as a preservation and backup measure, while chatting with other genealogists about preservation, technology, and genealogy. Actually, our topics range from the serious to the silly!

Podcasts
Whether you're driving your kids to endless soccer or baseball games, or taking a long road trip, you'll want to be able to listen to your favorite genealogy podcasts. I've listed some must-listens here. Best of all? They're free!

Family Reunions
Planning a reunion...or even just thinking about one? Family Reunion Organizer is software made by the folks of my favorite genealogy database software, RootsMagic. You can also use EventBrite for a free online organizer. GatheredAgain has tons of ideas for themes, games, and invitations. Finally, don't forget to use Pinterest to discover, gather, and organize your ideas!

Summer Reads
If your idea of summertime genealogy means sitting on the beach or the dock with an umbrella drink and an engrossing novel, I recommend checking out GoodReads' list of genealogy fiction!

Traffic
What would summer be without road construction? You can avoid the delays, headaches, and (maybe) cranky kids and spouses by using Google to find current construction projects that might be on the way from your home to your ancestors' tombstones in the old family cemetery. Check the state, county, and city websites to ensure your route will be construction-free, or to find detours and/or alternative routes. For Washington State, I searched for Washington Department of Transportation. There was a link on the DOT's home page for construction projects; I could also have used the site's search engine to search for road construction. For Spokane County, I Googled Spokane County road construction projects. And for my city, I searched for City of Spokane road construction projects. All three searches brought up helpful lists or maps.

* * *

There you have it! Ten tips to keep your summer genealogy projects interesting, educational, and affordable!

May 2014 Scanfest

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Signature Sunday: TUINSTRA, MUD, and WEILINGA Ancestors

I thought it would be fun to highlight some of my ancestors' signatures as I find them in documents. Yesterday, I happened across the marriage record of my 3rd-great-grandparents, Auke Caspers TUINSTRA and Aaltje Jans MUD, who were married in Franeker, Friesland, the Netherlands on 23 January 1848. On the bottom of the second page were eight signatures, and after double checking the document wording, realized that the first four of them were my direct ancestors:

A: C: Tuinstra - this is the groom, my 3rd-great-grandfather, Auke Caspers TUINSTRA

A J Mud - the bride, my 3rd-great-grandmother, Aaltje Jans MUD

K: A: Tuinstra - the groom's father, my 4th-great-grandfather, Kasper (or Casper) Aukes TUINSTRA

G Wielinga - the groom's mother, my 4th-great-grandmother, Geertje Beerents WIELINGA

A J Mud - the bride's oldest brother, Aan Jans MUD

E A Mud - another older brother of the bride, Edser Jans MUD

B: C: Tuinstra - the groom's brother, Berend Caspers TUINSTRA. The groom, Auke, was the oldest child, and Berend was the second son.

E C Tuinstra - the groom's next younger brother, Eelke Caspers TUINSTRA; third son

The bride's father, Jan Aans MUD was deceased and her mother, Aukjen Lammerts SCHAAFSMA (a.ka. Aukjen Lammerts JONGBLOED) probably was living in Leewarden, so their signatures do not appear in this marriage record. I'll have to continue translating the marriage record, which mentions Aukjen, to make sure of my guess.

Source: Netherlands. "Burgerlijke Standregister." Database and images. AlleFriezen. http://www.allefriezen.nl : 2014.

Saturday Surname: MUD

Intro
When I first came across this Frisian surname while researching my TUINSTRA family, I had to laugh. The phrase, "his name is mud," immediately came to mind! I have seen this name spelled as MUT once or twice, but generally, it is spelled MUD. It is most likely pronounced "moodt" in the Netherlands. I have been told that "mud" is a measure of weight equal to about 70 kilos or 154 pounds, although I'm not sure why it was chosen as a surname.

For those of you to whom Frisian is a new term, it is an ethnic and cultural minority of people with a distinct language more closely related to Old English. They live in the the northern part of the Netherlands and the northwestern part of Germany, where they are referred to as "Ostfriesen." The Frisians have populated the Frisian Islands, the modern provinces of Friesland and Groningen in the Netherlands and Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein in Germany.


Stories and History:

Ahnentafel #424 - Jan (dates unknown) - his name is known merely because of his son's patronym

Ahnentafel #212 - Aan Jans MUD (c. 1761 - 1828) - he married Zwaantje Jans (c. 1860 - 1836) and had at least four children. Their third child, Edser Aans MUD (not my ancestors), was born in Garijp, Tietjerksteradeel, Friesland, the Netherlands, so they likely lived in the area. The MUD family is probably the most migratory of my Frisian families that I've so far come across. Aan died in the provincial capital of Leewarden, and Zwaantje died in the municipality of Opsterland.

Ahnentafel #106 - Jan Aans MUD (c. 1786 - 1846) - the eldest child of his parents. In 1812, he married Aukjen Lammerts SCHAAFSMA (1793 - 1871) in Langezwaag, Opsterland. They had six known children, whose birthplaces included Leeuwarden, Blija (in Ferwerderadeel), Tzummarum and Wiedum (in Barradeel), and Sloten (in Gaasterlân-Sleat). Jan died in the municipality of Menaldumeel, while his wife Aukjen died in Leeuwarden.

Ahnentafel #53 - Aaltje Jans MUD (1825 - 1857) - the fifth of six known children, she was born in Sloten, Gaasterlân-Sleat. She married Auke Caspers TUINSTRA (1818 - 1898), a gardener, in 1848 in the city of Franeker. She was his second wife, as his first had died, leaving one surviving son. Together, Auke and Aaltje had six sons. The fifth died at four months old. Aaltje died in the city of Sneek the day she gave birth to her sixth son. Her husband married for the third time and the family immigrated to the United States.

Ahnentafel #26 - Geert Aukes TUINSTRA (1851 - 1928) - immigrated to the United States in 1874 with his father, step-mother and many siblings - read his AnceStory here

Ahnentafel #13 - Agnes TUINSTRA (1885 - 1921) - read her AnceStory here; a tale of tragedy

Ahnentafel #6 - William VALK (1912 - 1989) - read his AnceStory here

Ahnentafel #3 - my mother

Ahnentafel #1 - myself


More About the MUD Family:

1. Online database (I update this at least once a month): MUD ancestors and relatives (no info on living persons available)

2. Posts about MUD ancestors and relatives on this blog

My MUD Immigration Trail:

Tietjerksteradeel, Friesland, the Netherlands > Oopsterland, Friesland, the Netherlands > Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands > Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, the Netherlands > Barradeel, Friesland, the Netherlands > Gaasterlân-Sleat, Friesland, the Netherlands > Barradeel, Friesland, the Netherlands > Franeker, Friesland, the Netherlands > Sneek, Friesland, the Netherlands > Kent Co., MI > AK > Stevens Co., WA > Spokane Co., WA

Scanfest is Coming!

The May 2014 Scanfest will take place here at AnceStories this coming Sunday, May 18th, from 11 AM to 2 PM, Pacific Daylight Time. It will be held one week early due to the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
 
What is Scanfest? It's a time when geneabloggers, family historians, and family archivists meet online here at this blog to chat while they scan their precious family document and photos. Why? Because, quite honestly, scanning is time-consuming and boring!

Scanfest is a great time to "meet" other genealogists, ask questions about scanning and preservation, and get the kick in the pants we all need on starting those massive scanning projects that just seem too overwhelming to begin.

To get started, you need to know the basics about scanning:

1. Don't use commercial glass cleaners (i.e. Windex) or paper towels to clean your scanner's glass plate. Use a soft, clean cloth, preferably microfiber. If you must use a liquid, use water sprayed directly onto the cloth  and make sure to let the plate dry thoroughly before placing photos or documents on it.

2. Wear cotton gloves (available at many art and/or photography supply shops) when handling photos and old documents.

3. Don't slide the photos around on the glass plate. Place them exactly where you want them. Photos should NEVER be scanned by a scanner that feeds the document through the machine, but ALWAYS on a flat-bed scanner.

4. Set your scanner to scan at no smaller than 300 dpi (dots per inch). Many experts recommend 600 dpi for photographs.

5. Photographs should ALWAYS be scanned and saved as .tif files. Use "Save As" to reformat the .tif file to a .jpg file for restoration and touchups, emailing, or uploading to an online photo album. ALWAYS retain the original scan as a .tif file.

6. Documents can be scanned as .pdf files or .tif files.

7. When you are done scanning your photos, don't put them back in those nasty "magnetic" photo albums. Place them in archival safe albums or boxes found at websites such as Archival Products or Archival Suppliers. Do NOT store any newsprint (articles, obituaries, etc.) with the photos. The acid from the newspaper will eventually destroy the photograph.

Now about the chatting part of Scanfest:

We will be using Blyve, a live blogging platform that you access right here at AnceStories. On Sunday at 11 AM, PDT, come right here to AnceStories and you'll see the Blyve live blog/forum in the top post. It's not really a "chat room," per se, it's more like a live forum and anyone visiting this site can read and see what is happening in the forum.

You will not need to download any software.

We look forward to having you participate with us!

Surname Saturday: SIEGERS

Intro
According to Friesche Naamlijst, SIEGERS is a misspelling of the patronym, SIGERS. Siger is a derivative of the Latin name, Victor.

What is interesting about this family is that the name comes from the mother's side, as the father of  Korneliske SIEGERS was not named. Another interesting fact is that Kornliske's mother, Aaltje, already had the patronym, Hendriks, but also used SIEGERS.

SIEGERS is one of my maternal step-father's lines. (I use the letter "C" to differentiate between my biological family tree and my step-family tree. Similarly, I use the letter "B" to mark my paternal grandmother's adoptive family tree.) I have not done much research on this line; consequently, I do not have very much information to share at this time, other than that this family is first found in Oldehove, Gronigen, the Netherlands in 1858.

Stories and History:

Ahnentafel #103C - Aaltje Hendriks SIEGERS (dates unknown) - presumably from the province of Groningen, the Netherlands. No father is listed for her daughter, Korneliske.

Ahnentafel #51C - Korneliske SIEGERS (b.1827) - born presumably in Groningen. Married Hendrik WIERINGA (b. 1815) on 19 May 1858 in Oldehove, Groningen. They had two known daughters. Korneliske's name was passed down to her granddaughter, Cornelia DeVRIES.

Ahnentafel #25 - Adriaantje WIERINGA (1861 - 1925) - her name is also spelled "Adriaantze" and "Adriana." Born in Oldehove, Groningen, the Netherland, she first married a shoemaker and barber, Binne Jarigs DeVRIES (1856 - 1896) in 1886 in the municipality of Kollumerland, Friesland, the Netherlands. At that time, her residence was in Noord Drachten, Smallingerland, Friesland. They had three children before Binne died. Adriaantje apparently ended up in an arranged marriage with John HOOGSTRA (b. 1858), who had emigrated to the United States in 1890. He was widowed as well. It is likely they knew each other before he left the Netherlands, or that Adriaantje had contacts with the Dutch immigrant community in Western Michigan, who may have helped arrange the marriage. At any rate, Adriaantje arrived at Ellis Island on the Spaarndam with her three young children on 29 March 1897. Ten days later, she married John in Grand Rapids, Kent Co., Michigan, with her ten-year-old son, George, as one of the witnesses. She and John had three more children. After his death, she married another widower, Teunis NIEMEYER (b. c. 1865) in 1915 in Grand Rapids. Adriaantje died in East Grand Rapids, Kent Co., Michigan.

Ahenentafel #12C - Jarig Binne Egbert DeVRIES (1887 - 1959) - born in the city of Drachten in Smallingerland, Friesland, the Netherlands he immigrated with his mother and two younger siblings to the United States, the only group of my ancestors to pass through Ellis Island. His name was anglicized to George Benjamin Edward DeVRIES. He married Johanna "Josephine" BOS / BUSH (1885 - 1946) in 1911 in Grand Rapids, Kent Co., Michigan. They had four sons and one daughter. My mother remembers George pretty well, as he lived with her family in Grand Rapids in his elder years, and died in their home.

Ahnentafel #6C - Adrian "Ed" DeVRIES (1916 - 2007) - my beloved grandfather, greatly missed

Ahnentafel #3 - my mother (living)

Ahnentafel #1 - myself

More About the SIEGERS Family:

1. Online database (I update this at least once a month): SIEGERS ancestors and relatives (no info on living persons available)

2. Posts about SIEGERS ancestors and relatives on this blog


 My SIEGERS Immigration Trail:

Oldehove, Groningen, the Netherlands > Kollumerland, Friesland, the Netherlands > Smallingerland, Friesland, the Netherlands > Kent Co., MI > AK > Stevens Co., WA > Spokane Co., WA

Surname Saturday: DeVERRE

(I got behind in my Saturday Surname posts, so I am posting two this week.)

Intro
The surname DeVERRE probably is originally of French origin. It is found in England, however, because it is one of the names of soldiers who fought with William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. According to the Internet Surname Database, "...they served with conspicuous distinction so much so that the nameholders were granted large estates, mainly in East Anglia, some of whom they still hold after nine hundred years. The origination is from the villages of 'Ver' in the canton of Guttray, La Manche, Normandy, although there is also a Dutch town called 'Veere' on the island of Walcheren, and it is possible that later nameholders may have originated there."

Stories and History:
Ahnentafel #102 - Joseph DeVERRE (dates unknown) - he married Mary [--?--] (dates unknown) before 1803. It is believed he died in Louisiana, thereby adding to the hypothesis that this may be a family that originated in France before immigrating to the United States, rather than a line that came via England.

Ahnentafel #51 - Mary DeVERRE (1803 - 1871) - born in Clark County, Kentucky, she married John W. HAINLINE in 1826 in that county. They had eleven known children, the first six of whom appear to have been born in Montgomery County. The family then removed to Sciota Township, McDonough County, Illinois between 1834 and 1837. This is the county in which their remaining five children were born and where both John and Mary died.

Ahnentafel #25 - Susan W. HAINLINE (1828 - 1914) - born in Montgomery Co., Kentucky. She was the second wife of Gideon CHAPLIN (1821 - 1876), whom she married in 1850 in McDonough Co., Illinois. They had ten children. She continued to run the family farms with her sons' help after her husband died. The family emigrated to Union Co., Iowa and then Cheyenne Co., Kansas, where she died after a stroke and fall.

Ahnentafel #12 - Albert Francis CHAPLIN (1868 - 1946) - born in Afton, Union Co., Iowa. He married Emma Alice LYTON (1874 - 1959) about 1891 in Iowa. They had six children, and lived all over the Midwest and West (Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Colorado, Idaho) before settling in Washington State, where Albert died.

Ahnentafel #6 - Forrest "Frank" L. CHAPLIN (1901 - 1977) - born in Yankton, Yankton Co., South Dakota. Came out West in a covered wagon as a boy with his family...yes, they still had them in the early 1900s! Married Leona Mary MARTIN (1906 - 1993) in 1925 in Vancouver, Clark Co., Washington. they had three children and lived in various counties in Central and Western Washington State. Frank died in Othello, Adams Co., Washington.

Ahnentafel #3 - My children's paternal grandmother (living)

Ahnentafel #1 - My children's father (living)


More About the DeVERRE Family:

1. Online database (I update this at least once a month): DeVERRE ancestors and relatives (no info on living persons available)

2. Posts about DeVERRE ancestors and relatives on this blog


My Children's DeVERRE Immigration Trail:
LA? > Clark Co., KY > McDonough Co., IL > Union Co., IA > Cheyenne Co., KS > Butler Co., NE > Fremont Co., IA > Clay Co., SD > Yankton Co., SD > Prowers Co., CO > Cheyenne Co., IA > Payette Co., ID > Yakima Co., WA > Thurston Co., WA > Clark Co., WA > Spokane Co., WA

Surname Saturday: CHATTERTON

(I got behind in my Saturday Surname posts, so I am posting two this week.)

Intro
The name CHATTERTON is a habitational name from Chadderton, Lancashire in what is now Greater Manchester. It possibly is derived from a Celtic hill name Cadeir (chair) and the Old English word for settlement (tun). --from the Dictionary of American Family Names, Ancestry.com

This is my children's paternal grandmother's line. It's one I look forward to researching more, because the name is just unusual enough to make researching a little easier than with more common surnames.


Stories and History:
Ahnentafel #98 - Jacob CHATTERTON (d. 1813) - he married Polly [--?--] (dates unknown) and had five known children. He died in the Town of Virgil, Cortland Co., New York.

Ahnentafel #49 - Lana CHATTERON (c. 1792 - 1851) - born in New York, she married Joseph CHAPLIN (c. 1786 - 1854) about 1809 in Cortland County. They had ten known children, all whom appear to be born in that county. The couple remained there through the 1850 census, but by the time of Lana's death in November 1851, they were in Fulton Co., Illinois. Several of their children had removed to neighboring McDonough County in the late 1840s, which may have prompted Joseph and Lana's immigration to the area.

Ahnentafel #24 - Gideon CHAPLIN (1821 - 1876) - married twice, my children's line is from his second wife. Gideon died fairly young (age 55); his wife outlived him by 33 years

Ahnentafel #12 - Albert Francis CHAPLIN (1868 - 1946) - for years I wondered why he continually traveled back and forth for many years between the Midwest and the Pacific Northwest - after doing a timeline on his family, I figured out that he was going back to the Midwest to help his widowed mother and single brothers with their farm every time someone in the family fell ill (many had tuberculosis) or died

Ahnentafel #6 - Forrest "Frank" L. CHAPLIN (1901 - 1977) - came out West in a covered wagon as a boy with his family...yes, they still had them in the early 1900s!

Ahnentafel #3 - My children's paternal grandmother (living)

Ahnentafel #1 - My children's father (living)


More About the CHATTERTON Family:
1. Online database (I update this at least once a month): CHATTERTON ancestors and relatives (no info on living persons available)

2. Posts about CHATTERTON ancestors and relatives on this blog


My Children's CHATTERTON Immigration Trail:
Cortland Co., NY > Fulton Co., IL > McDonough Co., IL > Union Co., IA > Cheyenne Co., IA > Butler Co., NE > Fremont Co., IA > Clay Co., SD > Yankton Co., SD > Prowers Co., CO > Cheyenne Co., IA > Payette Co., ID > Yakima Co., WA

Tuesday's Tip: Frisian Names and Other Resources

I hit the mother lode of genealogical help when I posted a query to the Dutch Genealogy Group on Facebook. I was trying to find out the meaning of my ancestral surname, Dolstra, and so asked for help. I knew it was Frisian ("-stra" is a suffix that means "from the"), which is the language, culture, and ethnicity of a a group of people in the north of the Netherlands, especially in the provinces of Friesland and Groningen. 

One of the very helpful administrators in the group told me about this free downloadable 477-page book, Friesche Naamlijst (Frisian Name List) which gives a great onomastology of Frisian first and last names. I was able to determine that Dolstra meant "-from the sand pit," as Dol means "to dig (sand)."

This book is written in Dutch, and not Frisian or English. It's not difficult to use, as you can open up Notepad on your computer, type in what you see, then copy and paste it into Google Translate to get the Dutch-to-English translation. A couple of helpful tips:

1. Check out the abbreviations on page 17.
2. You will see the diagraph IJ mixed with letter Y or come after letter I. Don't be thrown off!
3. M. means the male version of the first name, while V. means the female version. One example would be M. Geert and V. Geertje. In English, these names would be Garret (male) and Gertie (female).
4. G. is the surname that is derived from the root word. Geertsma would be an example of a last name derived from a first name, and essentially would mean "the clan of Geert."
5. P. is a place name. This is especially helpful in determining where some of these names may have come from. For instance, we learn there is a place called Geertsweer in Dollart, East Friesland.
6. Beginning on page 473, there are Additions and Improvements. Don't forget to check them out.

 Finally, there is also a genealogy group on Facebook for those researching their roots from Friesland, Groningen, and Drenthe. And Cyndi's List has a category for Frisian and Ostfriesen research.

Happy Hunting!

April 2014 Scanfest

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Tuesday's Tip: Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association

Do you have ancestors who worked for the Northern Pacific Railway? This line was completed in 1883 and stretched for 6,800 miles across the northern tier of the United States from Wisconsin to Washington State. It opened up transportation between the Great Lakes and the Puget Sound, and became known as the "Route of the Great Big Baked Potato." Its stormy financial history ended when it merged with Burlington Northern in 1970. [1]

On my children's father's side, several ancestors worked for railroads around the Pacific Northwest, including the Northern Pacific Railway. My own great-grandfather worked as a box car painter for the NPR in Tacoma, Washington from 1919 to 1922. A couple of blog posts I've written describing the interesting history and stories of those railroad ancestors can be read here: "Every Eleven Miles" and "The Martin Family and the Great Fire of 1910."

I came across a great website the other day, looking online for images of antique postcards of Spokane: the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association. The Research Library option at the top of the page has some amazing resources: databases, photos, history, and links to other railroad archives. While there is definitely a preference toward model railroaders and railroad historians, there is plenty of information to help out the genealogist as well. Some of the databases that I found useful were the subdivision maps, depot photos and histories, and links to museums. Finally, there is a downloadable article, "Genealogy and the Northern Pacific," printed in the Fall 2009 issue of The Mainstreeter, the NPRHA's quarterly journal.

Check it out!

1. Wikipedia contributors, "Northern Pacific Railway," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Pacific_Railway (accessed 21 April 2014).

Easter Greetings

Scanfest is Coming!

The April 2014 Scanfest will take place here at AnceStories this coming Sunday, April 27th, from 11 AM to 2 PM, Pacific Daylight Time.
 
What is Scanfest? It's a time when geneabloggers, family historians, and family archivists meet online here at this blog to chat while they scan their precious family document and photos. Why? Because, quite honestly, scanning is time-consuming and boring!

Scanfest is a great time to "meet" other genealogists, ask questions about scanning and preservation, and get the kick in the pants we all need on starting those massive scanning projects that just seem too overwhelming to begin.

To get started, you need to know the basics about scanning:

1. Don't use commercial glass cleaners (i.e. Windex) or paper towels to clean your scanner's glass plate. Use a soft, clean cloth, preferably microfiber. If you must use a liquid, use water sprayed directly onto the cloth  and make sure to let the plate dry thoroughly before placing photos or documents on it.

2. Wear cotton gloves (available at many art and/or photography supply shops) when handling photos and old documents.

3. Don't slide the photos around on the glass plate. Place them exactly where you want them. Photos should NEVER be scanned by a scanner that feeds the document through the machine, but ALWAYS on a flat-bed scanner.

4. Set your scanner to scan at no smaller than 300 dpi (dots per inch). Many experts recommend 600 dpi for photographs.

5. Photographs should ALWAYS be scanned and saved as .tif files. Use "Save As" to reformat the .tif file to a .jpg file for restoration and touchups, emailing, or uploading to an online photo album. ALWAYS retain the original scan as a .tif file.

6. Documents can be scanned as .pdf files or .tif files.

7. When you are done scanning your photos, don't put them back in those nasty "magnetic" photo albums. Place them in archival safe albums or boxes found at websites such as Archival Products or Archival Suppliers. Do NOT store any newsprint (articles, obituaries, etc.) with the photos. The acid from the newspaper will eventually destroy the photograph.

Now about the chatting part of Scanfest:

We will be using Blyve, a live blogging platform that you access right here at AnceStories. On Sunday at 11 AM, PDT, come right here to AnceStories and you'll see the Blyve live blog/forum in the top post. It's not really a "chat room," per se, it's more like a live forum and anyone visiting this site can read and see what is happening in the forum.

You will not need to download any software.

We look forward to having you participate with us!

Surname Saturday: BRINKMAN

Intro
BRINKMAN is a Dutch topographic name for someone who lived by a meadow in low-lying marshland, according to the Dictionary of American Family Names. Friesche Naamlijst says it can also be a location name, for the village of Brink in East Friesland, which is in present-day Germany. It is one of my maternal step-grandfather's lines.


Stories and History:
I have not done much research on this line; consequently, I do not have very much information to share at this time, other than that this family is first found in Kollumerland, Friesland, the Netherlands in the late 1700s/early 1800s.

(I use the letter "C" to differentiate between my biological family tree and my step-family tree. Similarly, I use the letter "B" to mark my paternal grandmother's adoptive family tree.)

Ahnentafel #98C - Binne BRINKMAN (dates unknown) - little is known about this ancestor at this time, other than his name.

Ahnentafel #49C - Bontje Binnes BRINKMAN (c. 1823 - 1869) - probably born in Kollumerland, she married Jarig Egberts De VRIES (1813 - 1869) in that municipality. Their son, Binne, was born in Kollumerzwaag, Kollumerland in 1856. Bontje died exactly two months before her husband did. Their son (and any other children they may have had) was orphaned at a young age.

Ahnentafel #24C - Binne Jarigs De VRIES (1856 - 1896) - born in Kollumerzwaag, he was a shoemaker, who moved to the municipality of Smallingerland in Friesland. He died young (age 39), leaving a widow and three small children, who moved to the United States probably in an arranged marriage situation.

Ahenentafel #12C - Jarig Binne Egbert DeVRIES (1887 - 1959) - born in the city of Drachten in Smallingerland, he immigrated with his mother and two younger siblings to the United States, the only group of my ancestors to pass through Ellis Island. His name was anglicized to George Benjamin Edward DeVRIES. My mother remembers him pretty well, as he lived with her family shortly before he died.

Ahnentafel #6C - Adrian "Ed" DeVRIES (1916 - 2007) - my beloved grandfather, greatly missed

Ahnentafel #3 - my mother (living)

Ahnentafel #1 - myself


More About the BRINKMAN Family:

1. Online database (I update this at least once a month): BRINKMAN ancestors and relatives (no info on living persons available)

2. Posts about BRINKMAN ancestors and relatives on this blog


My BRINKMAN Immigration Trail:

Kollumerland, Friesland, the Netherlands > Smallingerland, Friesland, the Netherlands > Kent Co., MI > AK > Stevens Co., WA > Spokane Co., WA

Surname Saturday: DOLSTRA

Intro
The surname DOLSTRA is of Frisian origin. The Frisians are an ethnic minority who live in the north of the Netherlands, mainly in the provinces of Friesland and Groningen. The suffix -stra means "from" or "of"; however, I have not been able to determine what the root word, dol, means. There seem to be very few families with this surname in either the Netherlands or the United States. It would be interesting to learn more about the origins of this surname.

Stories and History:

Ahnentafel #392 - Gerrit (dates unknown) - this is the earliest known ancestor of this line. He probably did not use the surname DOLSTRA at all, as most surnames were not taken until 1811, when Napoleon, who ruled the Netherlands, required the Dutch to register their family names. Before this, especially in Friesland, most families used patronyms. The only way I know about this man is that his son used the patronym, Gerrits.

Ahnentafel #196 - Hendrik Gerrits (dates unknown) - again, I know little about this individual. His name appears as the father of my ancestor, Gerrit Hendriks DOLSTRA, below. His wife was Grietje Douwes.

Ahnentafel #98 - Gerrit Hendriks DOLSTRA (c. 1782 - 1838) - although I don't know this man's birthplace, it likely was in the municipality of Ferwerderadeel, Friesland. On 29 June 1806, he married Willemke Gerryts ENGBRENGHOF (1788 - 1843) in Marrum in Ferwerderadeel. At the time, he was living in Jubbega, Schoterland (now Heerenveen), Friesland. They had at least three daughters, only one surviving past young adulthood. In 1811, Gerrit registered the surname DOLSTRA in Marrum. Gerrit died in Ferwerderadeel and was buried in the Marrum Churchyard, as was Willemke, five years later.

Ahnentafel #49 - Trijntje Gerrits DOLSTRA (1826 - 1912) - born Ferwerderadeel, she is the only known child of her parents to survive young adulthood. On 23 May 1857 in Ferwerderadeel, she married Wieger Tjammes VALK. They had three sons, but like her own parents, only one child survived young adulthood. This was her son Tjamme "James" Wiegers  VALK, who emigrated to the US in 1882 with his fiancée. Trijntje remained behind with her husband and helped raise his nephew, Tjamme Hendriks VALK. After Wieger's death in 1888, Trijntje immigrated to Rock Island, Illinois to live with her son and his wife. They later moved to Western Michigan, living first in Ottawa County and later in Kent County on the outskirts of Grand Rapids. Trijntje died there in Walker Township and is buried next to her son and daughter-in-law in Greenwood Cemetery. I have a copy of a photo of Trijntje taken before she left the Netherlands. It is a favorite, as she is wearing traditional Dutch dress:

Ahnentafel #24 - Tjamme "James" Wiegers VALK (1860 - 1922) - immigrated to Illinois with his fiancée, Berber ("Barbara") J. DeJONG in 1882. After their marriage and living for approximately five years in Rock Island, they moved to Western Michigan, where VALKs continue to live to this day.

Ahnentafel #12 - William James VALK - (1886 - 1950) - fathered 16 children between two marriages (only 12 survived infancy), plus raised a stepson

Ahnentafel #6 - William ("Bill") VALK - (1912 - 1989) - my paternal grandfather, WWII veteran

Ahnentafel #3 - my mother (living)

Ahnentafel #1 - myself


More About the DOLSTRA Family:

1. Online database (I update this at least once a month): DOLSTRA ancestors and relatives (no info on living persons available)

2. Some DOLSTRA obituaries [on website - scroll down the page a bit from this link]

3. Posts about DOLSTRA ancestors and relatives on this blog


My DOLSTRA Immigration Trail:

Schoterland (now Heerenveen), Friesland, the Netherlands > Ferwerderadeel, Friesland, the Netherlands > Rock Island Co., IL > Ottawa Co., MI > Kent Co., MI > AK > Stevens Co., WA > Spokane Co., WA

How to Save and Print Images from Chronicling America

Whenever I teach my class on using online historical newspapers, I always get asked how to save and to print images from the various newspaper websites. I thought it would be helpful for my readers to view some video tutorials on the subject, and today's post is how to do so with the Chronicling America website. These are not my videos, but were found by doing a search at YouTube. Enjoy!

How to Save and Download Content from Chronicling America by NEHgov

NDNP Podcast 9 - How Do I Print an Image by Video Ohio History 

Surname Saturday: OSBORNE

OSBORNE is from the Old Norse personal name, Ásbjorn (ás: god + björn: bear). This name was found as Osbern in England before 1066 and in Ireland since the sixteenth century.

OSBORNE is one of my paternal grandmother's adoptive lines. I use the letter "B" after each ahnentafel number to distinguish my adoptive family ahnentafel from my biological one. I have not done much research on this family.


Stories and History:

Ahnentafel #94B - Johnathan OSBORNE (dates unknown) - married Hannah [--?--].

Ahenentafel #47B - Hannah "Matilda" OSBORNE (1822 - 1893) - born in Youngstown, Mahoning Co., Ohio, she married Stephen HIGBY (1810 - 1873) in 1840 in that state. They had eleven known children; the first four were born in Bedford, Cuyahoga County. They removed to Ganges, Allegan Co., Michigan between July 1853 and December 1854. Another move to Byron Center, Kent Co., Michigan occured c. 1857. They either briefly moved back or visited Ohio, as their youngest daughter was born there in Augusta, Carroll County in 1861, but their youngest son was born in Byron Center in 1865. Hannah died in Byron Township, as did her husband. They are both buried there in Winchester Cemetery

Ahnentafel #23B - Anna Matilda HIGBY (1861 - 1903) - She supposedly was born in Augusta, Carroll Co., Ohio, although that doesn't fit into her parents' migration journey, unless she was born on a trip back to Ohio to visit family. Both her immediate older and younger siblings were born in Byron Center, Byron Twp., Kent Co., Michigan, where her family had settled several years before her birth. She married John Dennis CONCIDINE (1854 - 1925) in 1879 in Kent Co., Michigan. They had seven children, five of whom survived childhood. Anna died at the age of 42 in Byron Township, due to septic periotonitis, usually caused by a ruptured appendix.

Ahnentafel #11B - Nellie Mae CONCIDINE (1883 - 1953) - my paternal grandmother's adoptive mother; She was born in Byron Center, ByronTwp., Kent Co., Michigan and married Alfred Henry HOLST (1882 - 1952) in 1905 in Byron Center. She died in Coopersville, Ottawa Co., Michigan. Nellie and Alfred had three children, with only one surviving infancy, before they adopted my paternal grandmother.

Ahnentafel #5 - Jane Marie YORK (a.k.a. Jeanne Marie HOLST) (1924 - 2012) - my paternal grandmother, an adoptee. She married Robert Louis ROBBINS (1920 - 2003) in 1940.

Ahnentafel #2 - my father (living)

Ahnentafel #1 - myself


More About the OSBORNE Family:

1. Online database (I update this at least once a month): OSBORNE ancestors and relatives (no info on living persons available)

2. Posts about OSBORNE ancestors and relatives on this blog


My OSBORNE Immigration Trail:

Mahoning Co., OH > Cuyahoga Co., OH > Allegan Co., MI > Kent Co., MI > Carroll Co., OH > Kent Co., MI > Ottawa Co., MI > AK > Stevens Co., WA > Spokane Co., WA

No Tuesday's Tip Today

I apologize. Due to technical difficulties, Tuesday's Tip was not published today. I hope to be posting another one next week. Thank you for your understanding!