My focus ancestor currently is Israel Brown (1754-1839). Israel, and his service during the Revolutionary War, has already been confirmed by the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) as a Patriot, and I hope to join my distant cousins in a successful application to this organization - using his service. That may seem like a slam dunk (and perhaps it is), but no one has yet applied under my direct ancestor’s line - through Israel’s son, Thomas Tolman Brown. This is my challenge.
 
Let’s start with what I know. From the little research I’ve done so far on Israel - and using largely only online records to date - he was born in Stonington, New London County, Connecticut to Jesse Brown and Hannah Leeds.[1] In 1775, Israel is reported to have served in the Dutchess County, New York militia, 3rd regiment, under Colonel John Field, Colonel Andrew Morehouse, and Major Jonathan Paddock[2], as a private.
 
Israel married Mariam in New York on January 25, 1776[3] and I believe they up to ten children, including Thomas, Elisha (1794-1878)[4] and Phoebe (1790-1875).[5] Both Elisha and Phoebe have proven to be important in "connecting the dots" in this family for me.
 
The family largely resided in the Fort Ann, Washington County, New York area. Fort Ann was originally known as Westfield, and the name changed while Israel was in residence. He died there on November 16, 1839, and is buried in the Fort Ann Cemetery.[6]
 

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So what do I need to learn?
 
Well, that depends on what question I'm trying to answer. The immediate need, as far as I can see today, is to prove the lineage from Israel to me via accepted documentation in order to obtain membership in the DAR. To do this, I need evidence of each generation, one to another:
 
Israel > Thomas T. > Oscar F. > William W. > Michael T. > Me
 
At present, I have plenty of documentation from Oscar on down... It's the connection from Israel to Thomas and then Thomas to Oscar that I need. As a result, my question becomes this:
 
"What resources are available that will confirm or deny the father/son relationships between Israel and Thomas and Thomas and Oscar?"
 
My next objective will be to create a research plan in order to answer this question.



[1] Brown, Israel. “Connecticut Town Birth Records, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection).” Ancestry.com, 2006. Accessed 10 Jul 2016.
[2] Rumpf, Myrtle B. Supplemental Information, Daughters of the American Revolution Application. Ancestor #A015474, dated 30 Jan 1948. Accessed 01 Aug 2016. http://www.dar.org/
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Anonymous Author. Email and photos in possession of Baldwin, Jen. Fort Ann Cemetery, Fort Ann, Washington County, New York. Received July 2016.

In a recent webinar(1), Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL, reminded us all how important it is to document our stories. To preserve our research - in one form or another - and to share. Share with your family, your friends, your dog, your colleagues, or the general public. It struck a nerve. 

2016 has been an incredibly fulfilling year for me, professionally. But it's also been exhausting. I've focused almost entirely on my role with Findmypast, a year full of lectures and traveling, and my volunteer work with the War of 1812 Preserve the Pensions effort via FGS, the Larimer County Genealogical Society here in Fort Collins, and of course, #genchat. 

What I've given up is my own personal research. And blogging. And pretty much all forms of documenting my own family.

This certainly is not a unique experience. I know many - many - genealogists who work professionally, either as researchers or in other roles in the industry, who find themselves very rarely being able to work on their own families. Working on our own stories, however, is one of the best ways to learn and to continue to grow as researchers. 

I've certainly promised myself in the past that "this year... I will focus on my own education." "This year... I will finally write out my theories." "This year... I will lay out a plan for researching [insert any random ancestor here.]"

Well, this year has come. It's time. It's long overdue, actually. As I look forward to 2017 on the calendar I have three goals: 

1. Submit my application to join the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. 
2. Commit to at least three blog posts per month, focused on my own interests. 
3. Incorporate consistent education into my weekly schedule; through webinars, podcasts, online courses, institutes, or structured peer dialogue. 

Time to carve out some time for me, for my family, for my passions. This year... is going to be a good year. 


(1) Russell, Judy G., JD, CG, CGL. "When Worlds Collide: Resolving Conflicts in Genealogical Records." 7 Oct 2016, Legacy Family Tree Webinars BCG Series. http://familytreewebinars.com/download.php?webinar_id=502

This post is not about Colorado's timeline... its about identifying records.


Take a look at this particular document. This is from the Territorial Case Files of the U.S. District Courts of Utah 1870-1896; NARA (Publication number M1401; digitized and available on www.Fold3.com).

The document is dated April 30th, 1891. It's a mess, isn't it? 

Let's take a closer look at the details in the top half.

This is a statement from the U.S. Marshall's Office in Denver, Arapahoe County, Colorado, stating that subpoena's had been issued to four men:

1. C.B. Wilson
2. Charles M Waters
3. E.N. Fussell
4. W.W. Patterson

But.. wait. This is from the Territorial Case Files of the U.S. District Courts ofUtah collection. Huh?


It goes on to indicate, in the handwriting in the lower left corner, the Marshal's Fee's for this service, a total of $2.24. Of course, you see immediately that every indication of the record being made in Utah is crossed out, and Colorado information is hand written over the top.


It's a great document, and an even better clue for anyone researching these families. There are a few different ways you could continue to research this... why were they subpoenaed? Do court records exist? Where else does this paper trail go?


I actually found this piece while conducting a search to identify what collections Fold3.com has that relate to Colorado in general. I was not searching for any of the names listed on the document, nor was I even digging for specific information made available on this record. I was searching Fold3.com for all available records for Colorado. These came up because they were every word indexed. 


Let's back up for a second, and give a short history. Nearly half of what we know now as Colorado was once part of Utah Territory, essentially everything from the Continental Divide west. Utah Territory was formed in 1850, and this portion of it was formed into six counties in 1852. For those of us researching the western part of the state in the very early days of the gold rush, this becomes important, as some of the gold camps were established while the area was still part of Utah Territory. Breckenridge in current day Summit County is just one example of this. Colorado Territory was not established until 28 Feb 1861.

All of this leads to the question: why are the folks in Denver in 1891 using a form from Utah? 

This record was produced thirty years after Colorado became its own designated dot on the map. Arapahoe County was one of the original seventeen created in the state, also. Certainly they would have had their own forms printed by then?  We can make guesses as to why they were using this particular form (and by the way, this isn't the only record like this in the collection, there are a handful more that use the same form from Utah), but I think it's more important just to realize that they did in fact use these forms.

You can tell where I'm going with this, right? 

It is vitally important to search in a variety of ways to find the information you are looking for. You never know what you might find when using a different key word, wild card search, or something beyond a surname. 



Originally published 13 Jan 2014. 
http://ancestralbreezes.blogspot.com/2014/01/where-in-world-is-colorado_13.html

That's right! On our first chat of the year, I was able to throw in a little curve ball, and I'm looking forward to providing a new one each time. (If you haven't yet had the pleasure of participating in #genchat, you can read all about it here.) 

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it... 

The topic tonight was your 2014 genealogy goals. Have you created any? How do you plan to stay on track? Who holds you accountable? And are they S.M.A.R.T.? Your challenge for the start of 2014 is to write one S.M.A.R.T. goal that relates to your genealogical research in the coming year. You can tweet it to me (@ancestryjourney or @confkeep), you can leave it in the comments here, or connect via Facebook, G+ or email. Just let me know before the next #genchat on January 24. 

What is a S.M.A.R.T. goal? 

So many of you asked. One of you taught it to your students this week. 

S.M.A.R.T. goals are defined as a goal that is specific, measurable, attainable, results-focused, and time-bound. 

• Specific: Goals should be simplistically written and clearly define what you are going to do. This is the what, why, and how of the S.M.A.R.T. model. 
• Measurable: Tangible evidence that you have accomplished the goal. 
• Attainable: The goal should stretch you slightly, but defined well enough so that you can achieve it. 
• Results-Focused: Goals should measure outcomes, not activities. 
• Time-Bound: Linked to a time frame that creates a practical sense of urgency, or results in tension between the current reality and the vision of the goal. Without this tension, the goal is unlikely to produce a relevant outcome. 

(Above information provided by UHR: http://www.hr.virginia.edu/uploads/documents/media/Writing_SMART_Goals.pdf. Follow the link for a great PDF on writing goals in this fashion.)


Remember! Once you have your goal, share it with me! Thanks for accepting the #genchat CHALLENGE!