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Mullin' Marrow & Ponderin' Pith

A genealogical blog of reflections about my family history and my experiences as a genealogist.

The Thieves of the Records

11/28/2016

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Over the years, I have searched through countless pages of old documents—vital records, deeds, wills, bibles, etcetera—for that one piece of paper that would provide sufficient proof for me to move back one more generation.

Sometimes I find it.

Sometimes I don’t.

The reasons records are lost are numerous. Any number of disasters can befall documents of great genealogical significance. For example:


  • Fires, floods, and the civil war have been notorious for destroying the records of local government which help us trace land and lineage.
  • Apathy and ignorance, i.e. “I don’t want that old bible/diary/grave map! What would I do with it? Just throw it away. Nobody wants it anyway.”
  • Theft.

Wait, WHAT?!

Yes. Theft.

In May of 1864, in Caroline County Virginia’s courthouse “Most loose records and deed books prior to 1836 and will books prior to 1853 were stolen, mutilated, and/or destroyed by Union troops who ransacked the courthouse...” [emphasis mine]

Just this year, in a small rural courthouse, the county clerk told me, “People just take stuff. We’ve had lots of our records stolen.”

What? WHY?

Because people can be thoughtless and selfish.

About 6 months ago, I found a document, in a county courthouse, which had the signature of my great-great grandfather. It was consent for his then-19 year old daughter, Ida Bell to marry 32 year old Albert Payne. And he didn’t just sign it. He wrote all 32 of the words out and then signed it. I was shocked to tears, I had believed all these years he had been unable to read or write. A functionally illiterate farmer. Like many of his peers.

Not so, perhaps.

As I held that brittle piece of 127 year old paper, obviously composed with a stub of pencil, I felt a flash of what must consume the Thieves of the Records. My great great grandfather held this paper! Everybody else does it, I should just take it. Immediately, my guardian angel, who had apparently been hovering in anticipation of my momentary departure from good sense, Gibbs-slapped me in the back of the head. Ashamed of even having the thought, I took a picture of it, carefully refolded the precious record and placed it back into the document holder.

Perhaps someone from the Payne side of the family might need to see that document someday.

On the drive home, I reflected on how close I came to becoming one of those for whom I have no respect.

It was a close call, but the Thieves of the Records will not count me in their number.
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Happy Thanksgiving!

11/23/2016

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"Happy Thanksgiving!" I've been hearing and saying it all week.  

And I am thankful.

For SO many blessings.  Spiritual blessings, personal blessings, blessings of health and a loving family. The list goes on and on....  

As I sat down to write this weeks' article tonight--actually yesterday, as it is now past midnight--I thought, "What about as a genealogist--what am I thankful for with respect to that part of my life?"  

So, I made a list.  I hope you enjoy and nod and smile.  

Happy Thanksgiving!
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Thanksgiving 2016
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Does It Matter?

11/15/2016

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“J Lewis Dunsmore and Lydia Jane Erskine were married Wednesday Feb. 18th, 1892”

I read this, the only entry, in the “Marriages” section of my great grandmother’s bible. 

She was Lydia Jane.

The handwriting matched some of the entries in the “Births” and “Deaths” sections, but it was, as we say, untellin’, who made any of the entries. 

“Wednesday Feb. 18th, 1892.”

I wonder if the 18th was a Wednesday that year, the analytical minutia-focused part of my brain inquired. 

According to timeanddate.com, the 18th was a Thursday. 

Huh.

So, the question became, “Were they married on Wednesday the 17th or Thursday the 18th?”
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The marriage license held the answer.  The minister’s return, located at the bottom of the page below the clerk’s certificate, verified that the marriage occurred on the 18th of February.  My transcription follows:
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“I, M. L. Lacy, a minister of the Gospel do certify that on the 18th day of February 1892, at F. B. Parkers Monroe W. Va I united in marriage the above-named and described parties, under authority of the foregoing License.”

J Lewis Dunsmore and Lydia Jane Erskine were married THURSDAY, February 18, 1892.

Does it matter? 

Only to a minutia-obsessed genealogist.
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Voter Registrations: The Genealogical Significance

11/7/2016

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PictureChicago Illinois Voter Registration, 1890 [database online]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com: accessed 7 November 2016
Voter registration documents can provide a wealth of familial information to a genealogical researcher. A matter of public record, they can act as a fill-in-the-gap to compliment census records.

The information contained within voter registration documents can vary greatly from state to state or even county to county, depending on your time frame. It can include:
  1. registrant’s full name
  2. length of time he or she has resided in that locale
  3. physical description of the registrant
  4. registrant’s state or country of nativity
  5. date and place of the registrant’s naturalization
  6. occupation of the registrant

I remember reading an article where the voter registration sheet was the only place a person’s middle name was ever found—it had always been just an initial on other documentation discovered.


Voter registration can reveal length of residency. The 1890 Chicago registry is very detailed about the length of residency. It reveals how long a registrant lived not only in that particular precinct in which he or she was registering, but also how long the person had lived in the county and in the state.

Some registrations list information and physical characteristics of the registrant such as age, race, height, complexion, eye and hair color, and any distinguishing marks or scars.

The birthplace of the registrant is listed, and if the individual was not a natural-born citizen, the date and place of naturalization may be listed.

The occupation of the registrant is also listed and can help explain migration to or from an area.

Now that you know some of the information you may find in a voter registration record, should it still be extant, you need to know where to find the record.

They can be tricky to find. Often, especially with older voter registration documents, they have been destroyed. Sometimes, they were microfilmed before they were destroyed. Other times, they have been removed from the original repository and relocated.

Keep in mind that in the beginning in the United States, only white males of the age of 21 were allowed to vote—and in most places, they had to own property. It wasn’t until the 15th Amendment was passed in 1870 that black males were given the right to vote. Unfortunately, they were often disenfranchised by state laws, poll taxes they could not afford to pay, literacy tests they could not pass, or intimidation.

Also keep in mind that women weren’t allowed to vote until 1920 when the 19th Amendment passed. Immediately after passage, women experienced some of the same disenfranchisement as blacks, in particular, being able to pay the poll taxes and being able to pass the literacy tests.

The place to begin the search is the county in which your ancestor resided. Call the courthouse. Sometimes, they still have the records in the musty basement or creepy attic. If they do not have the record, they should be able to tell you what became of it. Archives, historical societies, libraries, and universities are also good places to call.

Online, Cyndi’s List has many links to voter registration; type “voter registration” into the website search box. Ancestry.com and Familysearch.org also have some voter registration document images and abstracts.
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Good luck and happy hunting!

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    Cynthia Maharrey
    Born and raised in a small town in West Virginia before the turn of the century, Cynthia has always been fascinated by the intricacies that make up her own family history.  As a result, she has been researching and studying it since the late 1900's.
    Memberships

    -Association of Professional Genealogists
    -African American Genealogical Group of Kentucky
    -Kentucky Genealogical Society
    ​-Kentucky Historical Society
    -Greenbrier County (West Virginia) Historical Society
    -Monroe County (West Virginia) Historical Society

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