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Internet
Brickwall Solutions
A collection of tales of genealogists who overcame research
obstacles online.
Birthplace
Mysteries
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"The
message boards on the Virtual Manchester site helped
Marion and Don Caldwell locate the towns of Leigh and
Bedford." |
In
planning a trip to England, a large part of the anticipation
involved finding the home where my father was born. I had the
street address, which was listed in the town of "Lea & Bedford
near Manchester". My atlas search achieved nothing but frustration.
A variety of maps or the Internet couldn't reveal this elusive
site.
During my map quest,
I ran across a website called Virtual Manchester. Being a novice
in the world of computer use and genealogy, I never considered
adventuring into the world of message boards. Deciding it was
now or never, I quickly typed my request. The answering e-mail
came from Brisbane, Australia! The information, and accompanying
map attachment, quickly corrected two of my preconceived facts.
I had misspelled Lea, and Leigh and Bedford were actually two
neighboring communities, not one town.
We found my father's
Leigh birthplace and were even invited in for a "cuppa". Further
exploration allowed us to find the church in Salford where my
grandparents' 1893 wedding had taken place.
When confronted with
a brickwall, throw an inquiry out into cyberspace. The rewards
can be phenomenal.
Marion and Don Caldwell
Strength in Numbers
The Ronk family was one of the more difficult lines with which
I've ever had to work. It seems that it was fairly easy to figure
out until I got back to about 1800 and then it became impossible
to make the connection back to the known progenitor of the line
in Ulster County, New York. There were four known sons but little
information was known about their wives and the names of their
children. Additionally, each of them seemed to have had a John
Ronk and sorting out one from the other seemed a daunting task.
Over the years I had only met eight other people who were researching
this Ronk name and each of them had the same brickwall in front
of them. None of us were making progress.
With the advent of
computer technology, our little group decided to form the "Ronk
Group". We put all of our heads together and through our e-mails
to each other meshed all of our collective information together,
informally, in a huge database. One brave 70-year-old lady did
all of the compiling while another person created a Ronk website.
Next, we all put forth arguments to the group about the constructions
of these four sons' families and how our lines connected to
them. We collectively searched for evidence to support our positions,
and were fortunate to find a few wills and other pieces of information
for each other. Whether the material we found applied to our
own direct line or not, it didn't matter; we worked for the
collective good. All Ronk material was admitted and shared because
we knew it would help one of us. By working cooperatively, we
were able to find a lot of new information that helped each
of us figure out which son we descended from.
I think many heads
working together in this challenging case was so much better
for me than if I had continued to tackle it alone. We needed
information from each other's lines to know what the possibilities
were for our own lines. I know that I was previously working
down the wrong line. Now I have the confidence that we are as
correct as we can be given the information available.
Incidentally, we
still keep each other alerted to any new tidbits of information
or Ronk family members that come along. And exciting news as
a result of this Ronk research! I have a new maternal line back
at least another five generations. I also know that my direct
ancestors make up about half of the original seventeen founders
of the Kingston Dutch Reformed Church, which was founded in
1660. This was a real family effort and one of which I was proud
to be a member.
Judy McAuliffe
Pursue the Unusual
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"Christine
W. Sofge found a mention of her ancestor as a patent
holder in an 1859 edition of Scientific American." |
In
my genealogy search, I am blessed in one of my husband's lines
by having an unusual surname to research, Sofge. This made it
easier to casually search library catalogs and databases that
otherwise might prove intimidating. My brickwall is an ancestor
who was purported to be brilliant, a virtuoso violinist who,
it is claimed, played for European royalty, spoke seven languages,
was a 32nd-degree Mason and a well-respected professor of music.
For all his accomplishments, though, Ferdinand M. Sofge must
have tread rather lightly on the earth, leaving little in the
way of "footprints" for the aspiring family historian! Ferdinand
M. Sofge was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1823. He immigrated
to the US in 1838 with his father and one brother. The rest
of the family came later. Ferdinand was listed in the 1840 US
Federal Census in Cincinnati. He was living with his parents
and siblings. That is the last we knew of him until he married
his second wife in 1868 in Indiana. During that missing 28 years,
Ferdinand is believed to have married. He fathered Henry Ferdinand
Sofge and perhaps a daughter. An entire branch of the family
is related through Henry Ferdinand, so we would really like
to pin this one down. One family story about Ferdinand suggested
that he lived in Georgia before the Civil War and fled the area
because of disputes over the issue of slavery. He was not listed
in the US Federal Census index for Georgia in 1850 or 1860 or
for any other state that we have been able to determine. Family
tradition suggested that he lived in Rome, Georgia, but checks
of land records and tax rolls turned up nothing. Trying to trace
his Masonic membership back from his lodge in LaFayette, Indiana
proved fruitless, as he apparently did not indicate the lodge
from which he transferred membership when he joined.
A break came through
the Hamilton County Genealogical Society Quarterly, The Tracer
vol. 22, No. 1. On their "Computer Interest Group" page, sites
were listed, including the Ohio Public Library Information Network
genealogy link (www.oplin.lib.oh.us/index.cfm?id_561). This
was new to me, so I searched relevant databases for the keyword
"sofge", expecting to find information on some of my Cincinnati
Sofges. An article from an 1859 issue of Scientific American
came up, containing a summary of US patents granted in January
1859. Among them was a patent for a modification of horsepower,
granted to Ferdinand M. Sofge of Columbus, Georgia who was not
related to my Cincinnati Sofges at all. I had finally placed
my brickwall Ferdinand, not only in the US, but also in Georgia,
during at least some of those missing 28 years.
A closer check of
the 1850 and 1860 census indexes for Columbus still revealed
no Sofges. Land records in Muscogee County also turned up nothing.
Checking the Masonic Lodge finder online, I found that Masonic
Columbiana Lodge #7, in Columbus, Georgia, had been in existence
since 1828, so I wrote them for records of Ferdinand. I have
not heard yet from the Masons, but in the interim, the Grand
Lodge of Georgia has published a book listing Masonic membership
in Georgia in 1854 with a surname index online, so, of course,
I searched it. Sofge is listed in the index, so I am fairly
confident that this will turn out to be our Ferdinand, placing
him in Georgia between 1854 and 1859, and hopefully, leading
to other records.
Christine W. Sofge
Find Cousins via Alumni Lists
I have found several cousins via the alumni lists from the Internet.
For example, I looked at a Carrollton, Carroll County, Ohio
list of classmates with the surnames that I have been looking
for. I found a woman with the married name of Yeager, and knew
that she was married to a Yeager cousin. So I e-mailed her and
gave her the information that I had on that family group. She
e-mailed back with updates on her husband's family and her children.
On Classmates.com I found a Blazer listed from East Liverpool,
Columbiana County in Ohio. So I contacted him and told him of
the Blazer relations that I knew used to live in that area.
As it turned out, this Blazer from East Liverpool was living
in Florida. He contacted his aunt who was doing family research
and who lived in Salem, Columbiana County. They both appeared
at our Blazer Family Reunion, which was held in June 2001 in
Carroll County, Ohio. We haven't linked up but I am sure that
after we keep working on it that we will connect. There are
various college, high school and even elementary school lists
available. I have had most success in using the Classmates.com
site because the alumni are listed by specific name. I had to
run through each letter for the first name. A Blazer; B Blazer,
etc. They would show all of the Adam, Amy, Angie Blazers with
the school and location listed. I feel like this is a great,
little-used resource. I plan to look in other locations where
I know relatives have lived.
Elizabeth Stookesberry
The Power Of Message Boards
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"Shirley
Bray found out about a Dawson family bible by searching
archived messages on GenForum's Dawson forum." |
When
you've hit a brickwall never underestimate the power of the
message boards! A cousin of my husband's, with no prior interest
or experience in genealogy, decided to find his father's family.
He began interrogating me on the finer points of researching
family history. I sent him to my favorite genealogy websites,
the best genealogy library in our area and the local vital records
office to request birth/death certificates. His only knowledge
of his father's family was his father's full name and birth/death
dates! While he was busy getting the birth/death certificates
of his father, I decided to post a message on the Dawson message
board of Genealogy.com. Once at the message board, I thought,
"Why not browse through the board and look for something familiar?"
Off I went into the current messages of Dawsons. Not finding
anything, I thought, "I'll look further back, maybe 2000 and
1999 and see what's posted." In moments my eyes were drawn to
a post that said "Dawson Family Bible". I told myself, this
couldn't be our Dawsons! There were a couple of messages to
the person who posted about the bible and one of the messages
actually had the name and birthdate of my cousin's father! Now
I was really excited! After a couple of e-mails to the persons
posting the messages, I knew I'd found a treasure via the Internet!
I'd found the family bible of our cousin!
We confirmed the
information in the bible with the birth/death certificates he
received that same week! A couple of telephone calls to the
lady in Florida who had received the bible from a previous employer
who was cleaning out an old warehouse and plans were set for
the Dawson family bible to be on its way to Oklahoma... back
to the family whose history it records. What a find! From the
brickwall of only one name... to a bible full of family information!
Shirley Bray
Starting a Web Page
I started wanting to do my family genealogy when I went to visit
relatives in West Virginia. We were all sitting around looking
at pictures and family notes. I ask why there wasn't much to
it and that's what got me started looking for my information.
I knew there wasn't much of a chance finding mine because I
didn't have common names like a lot of families do.
When I came home
to Ohio, I started contacting family members asking what they
remember about their grandparents. I then started looking on
the Internet for people who had my names. I then went to the
store and bought a program called "Family Tree" to see if there
was anyone in it with some of my names - there were a few but
not as many as I would have liked. I then went back to West
Virginia to talk to my aunt and she was able to give me more
names. I then went to the family graveyards and looked at headstones
I was able to start connecting things together more. I talked
to the people that took care of the graveyard and found out
they were related and have a family reunion every year.
When I came home
I started a web page with the information I had collected. I
couldn't believe the people that had contacted me looking for
my same names. It took me about four years to really get all
the information I wanted on my names. My father-in-law had some
of his genealogy of his family done and I was able through the
Internet to go even farther then what he had.
If it wasn't for
the Internet and having my web page I know I wouldn't have gotten
as far as I am. I really like when people contact me asking
me to help them on their family and want to know if we are related.
So if you want to do your family tree the best thing is to contact
family members, search the Internet, and buy a program to help
keep what you find in order.
Darlene (Arbogast) Eastin
Internet Solution
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"The
University of Kentucky's index of state death records
helped Bob Hartsell find both useful facts and living
relatives." |
I
grew up thinking my maternal grandfather had died before I was
born. My maternal grandmother, who lived with us, died when
I was 12 and my mother died when I was 22, and neither ever
told me otherwise.
When I was nearly
40, my grandfather's sole-surviving sister died. Her attorney
inquired about my mother's sisters and brothers as potential
heirs. It was only then I learned that my grandparents had been
divorced and that he remarried and had a second family. My search
for them began with questions to my father and my mother's cousin
- my grandfather's niece. Both knew about the second marriage,
but didn't know anything else about my grandfather's movements
after the divorce. I didn't even know in what state to search
for him. That was 1968; all the people who could have helped
me were dead.
I searched unsuccessfully
until 1994. In the Family History Library at Salt Lake City,
I found only two references to him. One was as my grandmother's
husband on her pedigree chart, the other in the 1920 census
in Kentucky, where he was listed with his wife and three of
the children mentioned in my aunt's attorney's letter. I knew
I had the right person. But I could find nothing else.
In 1997, I went to
the town in Kentucky where the family had lived, confident I'd
find something in courthouse records. Two days of searching
were completely unproductive. It was as if they had never lived
there. (Later, I learned that they had stayed there only a short
time and had only rented a place to live.) I'd hit a brickwall.
Although I have worked
with computers since 1982, I didn't have one with Internet capability
until 1999. In February 2000, I noticed a logo on my screen
that my ISP installer had left there. I didn't know what it
was, so clicked on it out of curiosity. Suddenly, I was in the
state death record index maintained by the University of Kentucky.
Remembering that my grandfather had lived in Kentucky, I typed
in his name. Almost instantly his name, death date and death
place popped up on my screen.
With the date and
county of my grandfather's death before me, I called local libraries,
got a copy of his obituary and identified his burial location.
This led me to his widow's death date (45 years after his),
her obituary and the married names of their daughters.
Another day of computer
work led me to their daughter, my mother's surviving half-sister.
Forty-seven years after my mother's death, I was talking to
her half-sister on the telephone. Although I was only four when
he died, I learned that he had not died before I was born; my
mother and grandmother simply never spoke of him in my presence.
I also talked on
the phone to my mother's surviving half-brother. A few weeks
later I visited my aunt and her family in Kentucky. They took
me to my grandfather's grave, the first direct link with him
I had ever had - finally, at the age of 70! My computer, and
the Internet, had gotten me past the brickwall to living flesh-and-blood
kin.
Bob Hartsell
Knocking a Hole In Your Brickwall with the Internet
My aunt had done most of the research on our branch of the Worden
family by the time I was in my teens. When I had settled down
as an adult and discovered the Internet, I decided to help fill
out the names and dates with some stories and histories. Descending
from Peter Worden of Yarmouth, Massachusetts, I discovered vast
amounts of information on the movements of the family. Some
of this corrected the earlier material. I found that it helps
to actually have the names right. I went on a little detour
and later discovered the right family tree. I was home free.
That is until I reached
Greenwich, Connecticut. Everything seemed to lead to a dead-end
there. I needed to find out how my branch of the family ended
up in Arkansas. I visited every website that I could find. I
learned about the family forums and the digests.
Eventually, one of
the Worden Internet groups called for a roll call to address
new issues and old brickwalls. I submitted my request on Isaac
C. Worden again. I really did not expect to get a response.
Wow, was I wrong! Soon I learned that Isaac moved from the Greenwich
area to Indiana. There he served in the Civil War with the 38th
Infantry of Indiana. After the war, he moved again to Jasper
County, Illinois. Bingo! My great-grandmother was from the adjoining
county of Cumberland. Finally, it started coming together. I
also learned about a large volume regarding the descendants
of Peter Worden. I ordered that immediately. The one thing I
learned is never to give up. A brickwall is just waiting to
have a hole knocked into it to provide a door to new horizons.
Robert Worden
Internet Guestbooks
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"Dutch
Meyer's parting note in the guestbook of the Milo, Maine
library website led to an unexpected wealth of leads." |
The
value of the Internet was brought to the forefront with me in
my research into one branch of the family. I was searching for
the parents and siblings of my great-grandfather, Alvah Snow.
I knew he was from Maine and the Gardiner area. The library
in Gardiner was gracious enough to send me copies of entries
in the city directory and newspaper clips from the area on Alvah.
I also found his marriage on a family history site. But I did
not know his parents' names.
One day while researching
on the Internet, I decided to look at pages of the various libraries
in Maine. I tried one or two just to see what they had. I stumbled
into the Milo, Maine, library site. The first thing that grabbed
me was the music in the background. I had to listen to the tune
to the end and then again before I changed to the next page
of that site. I did not find anything in regards to my search
so I was ready to leave and go elsewhere. I noted a familiar
"Sign our Guest Book" at the bottom of the page. I have never
done that before. But the music was so nice and the pages were
so impressive that I decided to leave a note. "I enjoyed your
site very much. Your music was really neat and I had trouble
leaving a page until the tune was done. Thank you. Oh, by the
way, I am researching the Snow family. Alvah Snow and I think
he was from your area. That was one reason for my visiting your
page. Thank you."
I went on about my
business and research. The next morning, lo and behold, an e-mail
from the Milo librarian. It turns out she is related to the
Snow family. She is a cousin of mine and had all sorts of information
on my ancestors and their families. She even let me know that
my great-grandfather's grandfather Philip was one of the scouts
and guides for Benedict Arnold in his expedition to Quebec in
the Revolutionary War. Signing the guest book at a website probably
isn't a sure-fire method of research in genealogy, but when
you have a brickwall, who knows what may help?
Dutch Meyer
Internet Translations
In 1997, I was researching my in-laws' family tree and had a
lengthy tree from Sweden starting in 800. It contained a member
of the family who emigrated to the US, Gustaf Adolf Kebbon,
born November 1790, died in Manchester, New Hampshire, in 1838.
He had seven children, one of whom was Rudolf August Kebbon
who was born around 1834 and died around 1887 in Cadiz, Spain.
From his third marriage with Johana Carol Dorotea Ripa, he had
a daughter Alma Louise Vilhemina Kebbon born around 1870. He
emigrated to the US and then to Spain (Cadiz). His daughter
Alma Louise Vilhemina Kebbon married Georg Scharfhausen around
1895. This was all I had for the Spanish line.
I tried looking at
phone books and contacting relatives in Europe. I told them
I was searching for somebody called Scharfhausen in Spain. I
had a couple of positive matches on the name but the names were
set the Spanish way, like Scharfhausen-Perillo or Scharfhausen-Ramon,
as the husband and wife carry both of their names. I had an
idea that I should look for Scharhausen-Kebbon but these names
might have evolved through the years. Every time I surfed the
net I made a search on the names Scharfhausen and Kebbon to
see if there were new hits from Spain. On 26 September 2000
I got a hit with "abuelo Scharfhausen-Kebbon". I didn't remember
much of the Spanish I learned in school but went to the site
anyway. It was a site from the Spanish navy. I got the URL of
the site and went to AltaVista (www.altavista.com) and used
their translation program. The page turned out to be the logbook
of a Spanish research vessel in the Antarctic in December 1999.
It said that they had three persons aboard from the same village
of 6,000 people. I thought, "What are the odds?" On top of that,
the captain's grandfather (abuelo) Scharfhausen-Kebbon spent
his summer in the same sea resort. Whoever wrote the logbook
did not leave a name, e-mail address or a mention of the captain's
name. I kept searching through the site in Spanish, as the translation
is a little cumbersome to handle. Eventually, I found the story
of the new commandant, assigned to the boat on 18 June 1999.
His name is Carlos Cordon Scharfhausen. I knew that his grandfather
was Scharfhausen-Kebbon, so my next step was to write to him.
I sent a letter to him care of the Spanish Office of Science
and Technology, which is sponsoring the expeditions. Carlos
replied and put me in contact with some of his family members
who were interested in genealogy. I was then able to complete
a great deal of that side of my wife's family with these contacts.
Jacques Travers
This article originally appeared in our November/December
2001 issue.
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