Happy New Year 2023

 

Happy New Year to all who enjoy the ongoing quest of genealogy. I hope your discoveries in 2023 leave you breathless (in a good way !!)

Free General Genealogy Websites

 

Access Genealogy https://accessgenealogy.com/

Click the Databases tab to search data from Southern states, military records, small-town newspapers and the Guion Miller Roll index to Cherokee tribal members. The latter supplements what was already a must-bookmark site if you have Native American roots.

FamilySearch https://www.familysearch.org/en/

More than 3,000 online collections, and more to come in the future. This is the web's largest home to free genealogy data, with recent updates on Italy, South America, and U.S. vital records. Share and record your finds in family trees and a “Memories” gallery, plus look for research help from the wiki.

Heritage Quest Online https://www.heritagequestonline.com/hqoweb/library/do/login

Free to your home computer courtesy of your library card via participating institutions, HeritageQuest is run by Ancestry.com. There are many collections, including the complete U.S. census, city directories, and various military records. Log in from your library, find Search and scroll to the bottom to access additional U.S. records, and select foreign databases.

Olive Tree Genealogy http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/index.shtml

Launched in 1996, the website has expanded into a useful collection of how-to help and databases. Available are, Passenger records, and heritage groups such as Palatines and American Indians. There is also info on residents of orphans and almshouses.

Roots Web https://home.rootsweb.com/

A long-time free site still serving surname databases, how-to articles, U.Ss locations, mailing lists, and pedigree files. 

USGen Web http://www.usgenweb.org/

The USGenWeb® Project was established in 1996 by a group of genealogists who shared a desire to create free online resources for genealogical research. From then, it has grown into a network of over 3000 linked websites, all created and maintained by a community of volunteers. You may find a variety of unique county and state resources including maps, transcriptions, photos, historical documents, helpful links, and much more.

Additional links and information at: 

https://familytreemagazine.com/websites/best-free-genealogy-websites/#generalgenealogy

Test Your Skills on an 18th Century Deed

Let's do something different this week. Let's put your skills to the test!

The images listed below are two pieces of same deed from the Nathan Brown brick wall case. As some of you may recall, Nathan Brown is Geoff Rasmussen's ancestor. This deed was one of the documents that was uncovered as we built a case for his parents being Jeriamiah Brown and Rebeckah Miller.

This should be considered an intermediate challenge.

In this document, particularly in the first image, you will see use of the long 's' which looks like an f.

See if you can answer the questions. The answers will be posted in one week, on Thursday, August 22, 2019.]

Want to try the Skill Challenge ? Go to: https://news.legacyfamilytree.com/legacy_news/2019/08/test-your-skills-on-an-18th-century-deed.html

Irish birth, marriage and death certificates now available online for free

Irish birth and marriage certificates from as far back as 1864 are now available for free online, while death certificates between 1878 and 1968 are also accessible.

A plethora of Irish genealogy records has been made available online thanks to a joint initiative from the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.

A wealth of historical registers of marriages, births, and deaths are available to view for free on the website Irish Genealogy and covers births from 1864 to 1918, deaths from 1878 to 1968, and marriages from 1864 to 1943.


Additional story at Irish Central: https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/genealogy/irish-geneaology-resource-free

Merry Christmas !

 

        Merry Christmas to fellow family historians ... and thanks for following my family blog!

Eight Christmas traditions you didn't realize were German

 

For many people across the world, whether as ex-pats or those of German heritage, Christmas is not Christmas without these customs. Which of these Christmas traditions do you and your family follow?

1. Advent wreath - Adventskranz

2. Christmas markets - Weihnachtsmärkte

3. Christmas tree - Tannenbaum

4. Advent calendar - Adventskalendar

5. Santa Claus - Weihnachtsmann 

6. Gift giving on December 24 versus December 6

7. Christmas bauble - Weihnachtskugel

8. Tinsel - Lametta

For a complete description of each, go to: 

https://www.iamexpat.de/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/8-christmas-traditions-you-didnt-realise-were-german

Christmas Traditions and Genealogy

 

What clues do your family’s Christmas traditions hold to your genealogy? Here's how to use traditional Christmas customs around the world in genealogy research.

Listen to the podcast at https://ancestralfindings.com/genealogygold/

Christmas is a time for spending with family. It is also an excellent time for re-examining your genealogy research using knowledge of the Christmas traditions of your ancestors. Christmas has been celebrated in one form or another for the past 2,000 years. In that time, many cultures around the world have developed their own Christmas traditions, and they brought these traditions with them to America when they came. The ways your ancestors celebrated Christmas in America, and the way they may still do so today, can tell you a lot about your ancestral origins.

Additional text at: https://ancestralfindings.com/christmas-traditions-and-genealogy/

How to 'understand' Scandinavian Patronymic Surnames

In the midst of your Scandinavian research, you may find confusing surname suffixes. Known as patronymics, it may change, depending on the country that controlled the area and when. When researching your ancestors in Denmark, Norway, or Sweden, 

my handy reference chart may assist your research when determining when changes to surnames occurred.

Naming trends as listed were used through most of the 18th and 19th centuries. As Scandinavian countries began requiring fixed surnames, families slowly began adopting and passing them on. Late in the 19th century many families, especially in Denmark, began using the male extension for both sons and daughters.

Denmark  

sen datter

Sweden

son  dotter

Norway Before 1814 (Danish rule)

sen 1814-1905 (Swedish rule)  son

After 1905 (independence)  sen before 1814  datter

1814-1905  dotter

After 1905  dotter

You may also find records listing the female’s surname ending with  "dtr," which is an abbreviation for the full extension only. 

For additional Q&A on understanding Danish surnames, go to: 

https://familytreemagazine.com/names/surnames/danish-surnames-now-what/

Why Capt. John Hennington is NOT John Kennington

 

South Carolina 1779

A great deal of speculation has been voiced and written about the history of the Hennington family. I have researched the Hennington’s for well over forty years, and it remains one of my most challenging, and at times, satisfying families to follow.

 One of my recent discoveries uncovered a John Kennington who served for South Carolina during the American Revolution.

 My 4^th great-grandfather was John Hennington, who served as a Capt. for South Carolina, also during the American Revolution.

 These two Johns, although they both served for South Carolina in the war, each led very different lives.

 John Kennington, is listed as born 1745 in South Carolina and was a son of Edward. His brothers were Edward and William. During the war, John served 56 days as a horseman in 1779-1780, and thirty days in the infantry in 1781, under Col. Marshall. John is listed n the 1790 Census in Lancaster County. There were five females and five males in the Kennington household. John remained in Lancaster County until his death, sometime between 1800-1810. During the Estate settlement in 1815, his wife is noted as Martha, and his children as William, Edward, John, Marian (husband Edward Narrimore), Catherine, Sarah (husband David Myers), and Violette (husband William Jasper Fortenberry).  His surname is also noted as Carrington on this document.

 Capt. John Hennington was born about 1750 in possibly Beaufort, in the Province of North Carolina. His wife was Elizabeth. He had three known sons, with none as the same names as John Kennington's. 

John Hennington owned over two-thousand acres between Saltcatcher and Edisto rivers. As part of the Historical Records of Officers of the Continental Army he is part of a roster as, Hennington, John (S.C.) as a Capt. in the 3^rd South Carolina (The Rangers). He financed his own regiment. On June 28, 1776, he served under Gen. William Moultrie at the Battle of Sullivans Island. An interesting side note, during this battle, it was his cousin William Jasper that raised the South Carolina flag over Fort Moultrie. (you can find many paintings as noted below, online)

 During the Siege of Savannah, Capt. John Hennington was taken prisoner and is listed on a List of Officers Taken in Savannah Dec. 29, 1778. They were taken to British prison ships in the Savannah harbor.

 After the war, he owned land in the Orangeburg District, as well as living primarily in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1785 he was elected as Justice of the Peace. He also was elected to represent Orange Parish in the Sixth General Assembly. John continued to own land in Pendleton District, Ninety-Six District, Orangeburg, and Charleston.   

 John’s death date is assumed to be between 14 July 1798 and 24 September 1799, possibly in Charleston. In 1799, his wife Elizabeth is listed as the primary landowner in Orangeburg District, bounded by Richard Berry. 

John Kerrington died 1800-1810 in Lancaster County, South Carolina. his wife was listed as Martha.

 It is easy to see how these two men, one listed as John Kennington, and the other as John Hennington, would be confused as the same person. Each served South Carolina, one from Lancaster, the other from Charleston.  

 The Hennington research continues. I have discovered many new things that have not been released, and certainly, deserve consideration for publication at a future date.