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Annie (Robinson) Dickinson was born on July 16, 1839, in Manchester, Lancashire, England. She was a daughter of George Robinson, whose parents have yet to be determined. Anyone with information, please comment below or contact me. According to "Lancashire Biographies, Rolls of Honour", 1917, Robinson was a common Welsh name in Manchester. See the following excerpt from page xxxix: See more about Annie Robinson here. Click here to see more about the Robinson family. #robinson #annierobinson

Lewis C. Leonard was born in New York on September 8, 1912. He was a son of James Leonard and Zaida (Brown) Leonard. Lewis married a woman by the name of Lillian, who he is photographed with here. This photo was preserved by Lewis' cousin, Richard Leonard, the son of Lewis' uncle, Albert J. Leonard. Lewis appears to have been named after James and Albert's father, Lewis Leonard, who died at the age of 28 in 1897 from Typhoid Fever. Relatives are encouraged to contribute to the Leonard family Tree on Wikitree, shown below. Help fill in missing information, add your branches, photos, documents or anything you can contribute to the family's history. Click here for more information about this branch of the Leonard family. Click here to check out my list of free genealogy resources to help with your research! #Leonard #LewisCLeonard #AlbertJayLeonard #JamesHLeonard #leonard

Edward Hawes married "Eliony Lumber" (or Lombard) in Dedham, Massachusetts, on April 15, 1648 (15th day, 2nd month O.S.). The marriage was published on page 126 of the town records shown here: Find more births, marriages and deaths in the town of Dedham, Massachusetts, from 1635 to 1845 here: Source: The Record of births, marriages and deaths, and intentions of marriage in the town of Dedham, Vol. 1-2, 1635-1845, by Don Gleason Hill, Town Clerk, 1886. [Link] Click here to see more about Edward Hawes. Click here to see more about this branch of my family. Click here for more free genealogy resources. #EdwardHawes #HannahHawes #vitalrecords #Massachusetts #ElionyLombard

The marriage of Jonathan Stowell Jr and Rhoda Wilson occurred in Ashford, Wyndham County, Connecticut, on April 4, 1762. It was published in Connecticut Town Marriage Records index (Barbour Collection) as follows: Click here to see more about the Stowell family. Click here for my free genealogy resources! #JonathanStowell #RhodaWilson #stowell

Hugh Morris Reagan was born in Willet, Cortland County, New York, on August 30, 1879. He was a son of Michael and Kate Reagan. His father was born in Ireland and his mother was born in New York to Irish parents. He was counted with his family in Willet on the census of 1880, 1892, 1900, 1905, 1910, 1915, and 1920. At the age of 23, Hugh was Justice of the Peace of Marathon, according to the 1902 Cortland County Directory page shown here: His election had been announced in the Homer Democrat, February 22, 1901, shown below. He is known to have also served in 1904 and 1905 (Cortland Democrat, Feb. 16, 1906, p. 2), in 1907 (Cortland Democrat, Mar. 8, 1907, p. 7), in 1910 (Cortland Democrat, Feb. 4, 1910, p. 7), in 1912 (Cortland Democrat, Jan. 12, 1912, p. 7). In March of 1912, Hugh broke his leg (Cortland Democrat, March 8, 1912, p. 6). Later that year, his family reunion was held at the home of Hugh and his sister, Mary. It was reported in the Cortland Democrat, August 23, 1912. Rose Hollenbeck was listed among the friends and neighbors who attended. In 1913, the Homer Republican reported the following: When Hugh registered for the World War I draft in 1918, he was described as a tall man with a medium build, light blue eyes, and brown hair. The following was printed in the Cortland Standard on February 6, 1919: Hugh attended the Smith-McGinnis family reunion with Rose Ellen Hollenbeck in August of 1919, according to The Cortland Standard news clipping shown below. (McGinnis was Rose's mother's side of the family). Seven months later, Rose and Hugh became the parents of William B. Reagan Hollenbeck Leonard. After the birth of his son, no record of Hugh is found. The following year, however, in 1921, Rose's father, Jasper Hollenbeck, purchased lots 76 and 77 in Willet from Mary Reagan - possibly Hugh's sister: Anyone with more information, photos, or other memorabilia or documents pertaining to Hugh and his family, please comment below or contact me. For more on this family, see the Hollenbeck page or the Leonard page. #Hollenbeck #Leonard #leonard

An important key to your family's past is the places they lived. Maps can offer important clues for genealogists. They can be used to determine the nearby towns and cities where your ancestors may have left behind records in nearby churches, libraries, newspapers and more. Maps can also add visual appeal to your family history scrapbook. Google Maps Satellite View is a great tool for a birdseye view of the towns or neighborhoods your ancestor lived. Their "Street View" can sometimes allow you to see the actual home your ancestor lived in, a school they attended, or a church they were married in - providing the place is still standing, of course. Click here to see other sites and resources I use to find old maps online for free. Another great, free resource you can use to "go back in time" is HistoricAerials.com. Using their map viewer, you can enter the coordinates or street address of a location, and then choose previous years to see aerial imagery from those years. These images were presumably photographed by airplane, and therefore only go back to about the 1930s, however. I was on a mission to locate a picture of the home in which my family lived when I was five years old. It was the home of a young couple who convinced my parents to move out of state and offered to let us live with them until we found a home of our own. We only lived there for about a year, but still, it held a special place in the earliest of my memories. It was a large, old home with giant rooms, multiple staircases, and a room like a widow's watch from which we had an amazing view of the surrounding land. I considered it a mansion and had fun exploring the house and the surrounding woods with my sister. The photo shown here was taken in the home, but I was hoping to find a photo of the house itself. I knew the name of the town and recall it was at the end of a long driveway in what seemed to be deep in the woods. The dirt driveway was lined with wild strawberries we used to pick and eat after school. Next to it was a fire station, as I recall hearing the siren blaring frequently. I was able to find the address easily with Google Maps by locating the fire station. Next, I entered the address at HistoricAerials.com and selected the year 1979, which was soon after the time we lived there. Sure enough, there it was - just as I remembered it, but with fewer trees. The house is circled in yellow here, alongside the long driveway my sister and I used to walk down to catch the school bus. I was in kindergarten and she was in first grade. Before I explain what I found next, I'd like to share a little more back story. It was in that home that I first watched the movie The Wizard of Oz. Maybe the movie left an impression in my 5-year old mind, but for some reason, in that old house I had a recurring dream - or nightmare, I should say. I still recall it vividly to this day. In the dream I was upstairs in the bedroom I shared with my sister, looking out the window. Down below, an angry witch was driving what I thought was a big tractor. She waved her fist, cackling as she circled the house over and over, destroying the property. It was somewhat disturbing, quite perplexing, and as I grew older, increasingly more comical - a witch? On a tractor?! But many years later, what I found on HistoricAerials.com made that dream downright creepy. The next available image for that location was taken in 1986. What do we see? A bulldozer clearing the land! The house was demolished and they were making way for a new development. What was once a driveway lined with strawberries is now a cul-de-sac lined with houses. HistoricAerials.com took me back to the past, where I seemingly was given a glimpse into the future. Check it out! Let us know if you find anything interesting about the places you or your ancestors lived! Click here for more free genealogy resources! #historicmaps #maps #stories #myblog

John Mason married Hannah Hawes on November 5, 1676 at Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts. The marriage was recorded on page 41 of the town clerk's register as follows: Click here to learn more about John Mason. Click here to learn more about this branch of my family. Click here for free genealogy resources to help with your search! #JohnMason #marriagerecords #HannahHawes

The Hazard Family of Rhode Island 1635-1894. The subject of the book is Thomas Hazard. It is an excellent resource, packed full of information about the Hazard family of Rhode Island. The author, Caroline E. Robinson gives the following summary of the Hazard family: “These few meager facts are about all that can be found at the present day of the founder of the Hazard family in America. But Thomas R. Hazard, in his Recollections of Olden Times, has given an account of the family that goes back, even beyond the name; its European founder being the Duke de Cherante, living about 1060, on the borders of Switzerland. From the Duke de Cherante he has given an interesting account of the changes in the name, until towards the close of the eighteenth century, when it was, and still continues to be, written Hazard. Willis R. Hazard has given us the chief characteristics of the family. He says: ‘The Hazards are a strongly marked race, handing down and retaining certain peculiarities from generation to generation. One is, a peculiar decision of character, a certain amount of pride, and a pronounced independence, coupled with a slight reserve. Physically they are strongly marked. Generally speaking, they are of good stature and vigorous frames with rather a square head, high forehead, brown hair, blue eyes, straight or aquiline nose, and with will shown by a firmly set jaw. Their complexion is fair, a little inclined to florid.’ Few families in Rhode Island have a brighter record than the Hazard family, where, if greatness is not always found, sobriety, honesty, and integrity make even the humblest lives worth studying; and when one finds, as is often the case, a retiring, unpretentious modesty combined with greatness, he must be pardoned for his enthusiastic admiration for the old family tree, that still sends out vigorous shoots after more than two hundred years of growth in America.” The book is filled with lots of information about the family, but contains a critical error on page 91, which indicates this may not be my line of Hazards. Robinson states that William Hazard, born 1753, had a son Edward, who married in 1773 to Susannah Havens. The marriage of Edward and Susannah is well documented in Rhode Island's vital records. If William was born in 1753, however, his son may have been born about 1773 - but it would be impossible for his son to have married in 1773. Is there some confusion between William Hazard and William Hazard Jr.? Perhaps William Hazard married twice? Additional research is needed to correct this error. Stay tuned for more! Source: The Hazard family of Rhode Island 1635-1894: Being a genealogy and history of the descendants of Thomas Hazard, with sketches of the worthies of this family, and anecdotes illustrative of their traits and also of the times in which they lived, by Caroline E. Robinson, 1833-1907; Daniel Berkeley Updike, 1860-1941, Published 1895. (Alternate Link) Click here to learn more about Thomas Hazard. Click here to learn more about this branch of my family. #hazard #EdwardHazard #ThomasHazard #RobertHazard #WilliamHazard #GeorgeHazard #rhodeisland

My connection to the Arnold family of America is through Penelope Arnold, wife of Caleb Hazard. She was a daughter of Caleb Arnold and Abigail Wilbur. This interesting excerpt was printed in The English Ancestry of the American Family of Arnold: Click here for more on this branch of my family tree. Click here for free genealogy resources to help trace your ancestry! #PenelopeArnold #CalebArnold #BenedictArnold #GeorgeHazard

When researching your family history, some finds are perplexing. Records that seem like a match could easily be a mix-up and lead us in the wrong direction. They can, however, offer valuable clues. Almost every document offers some kind of information or confirmation of information, no matter how basic it seems. This ship record, for example, came up as a hint on Ancestry.com. It is a ship's manifest for a voyage that departed from Liverpool, England, on November 6, 1895, and arrived at the Port of Philadelphia on November 18 - a twelve day voyage. This appears to possibly show my 2nd great-grandmother, Annie (Robinson) Dickinson. There are similarities, such as her destination - Pittsburgh, where she was known to have lived from about 1882 or 1883 to about 1905. It states that she was married, which Annie had been five years prior, in 1890, and that her husband was there, which Harry Dickinson did. Her age is off by a year. According to Annie and Harry's family Bible, Annie was born October 12, 1870, which would make her 25 at the time of this trip. Notice it says Pittsburgh and it appears crossed off and corrected as Manchester, in the column for last residence. This appears to be in the row for Emma Hallowell, with repeating quotation marks for Annie Dickinson and Percy Goldsmith, indicating their last residence was the same. Annie (Robinson) Dickinson was born in Manchester, England. Was Annie traveling with them? Emma Hallowell was the wife of Albert Hallowell. A quick search for Percy showed he may have been from Sheffield. One thing that makes me doubt this is Annie (Robinson) Dickinson is that in 1895 Annie already had two young daughters, Elizabeth and Emma, who were age 4 and 2, respectively. She was said to have been very close to her children. Would she leave these girls in someone else's care? Harry was undoubtedly working in the steel mills, so he couldn't care for them while she was away for at least a month (a 12-day voyage each way). Perhaps Annie returned to England for a funeral or wedding and Harry's mother, Elizabeth Dickinson, who lived nearby cared for the girls while she was away? Additional research may prove or disprove whether or not Annie returned for a visit to England. If a connection with Emma Hallowell is found, it may provide clues about Annie's family. More details to follow! (Subscribe for Updates!) Click here to learn more about Annie (Robinson) Dickinson. Click here to learn more about the Dickinson and Robinson families. Click here for my links to free genealogy resources to help solve the mystery! #annierobinson #harrydickinson #shiprecords #england #travel

Sarah Elson was born in Fordwich, Canterbury, Kent, England in 1612 and married James Ensign. She died on May 29, 1676, in Hartford Connecticut. She is buried there in the Ancient Burying Ground. Sarah Ensign’s will was printed in “Records of James Ensign and Sarah Elson”, by Martha Eunice Ensign, 1960, reproduced here, exactly as written: Click here to see more on this family. Click here for my free genealogy resources. #SarahElson #JamesEnsign

James Ensign was born in 1590 in Fordwich, Canterbury, Kent, England. He married Sarah Elson in England and they came to America between 1632 and 1634. James and Sarah Ensign’s wills were printed in “Records of James Ensign and Sarah Elson”, by Martha Eunice Ensign, 1960, reproduced here, exactly as written: Click here to see more about this family. Click here to see my ancestor index. Click here to see my free genealogy resources. #JamesEnsign #Ensign #Harford #Connecticut

Bradford D. Shirley, was born in Massachusetts in 1781. He was a son of Job Shirley. A short biography for him is found in History of Cayuga County under the section for Niles as follows: The name of Bradford's first wife has yet to be found. By her he had a daughter named Nancy Medora Shirley and a son named Bradford Shirley, Jr., both said to have been born in New Salem, Franklin County, Massachusetts. A search of the births in New Salem produced few Shirleys and no matches. Bradford and his family went to Sempronius, Cayuga County, New York, in 1813, settling on Lot 36. His father lived nearby. In 1833 Sempronius was divided into three parts: Moravia, Niles and Sempronius. Bradford's son, Bradford Jr. was counted on the census in Moravia until 1865 and in Niles in 1870 and 1880. He owned the Shirley House on Salt Lick Road in Kelloggsville (Niles), the town in which he was also buried when he died in 1882. It appears that Bradford's first wife died sometime before 1820, He married second to Parthenia Stanton. She was born in Bristol, Ontario County, New York, on July 27, 1798, the eldest child of Benjamin Stanton and Sarah Rood. In 1820, Bradford's household in Sempronius contained four people, two of who were engaged in agriculture: a male age 10-15, born bet. 1805-1810 (Bradford Jr, b. Oct. 24, 1808) a male age 26-44, born bet. 1776-1794 (Bradford Sr, b. 1781) a female under 10, born bet. 1810-1820 (Florida, b. 1820) a female age 16-25, born bet. 1795-1804 (most likely Parthenia b. 1798) The adult female must have been Parthenia because she was too young to be the mother of Nancy or Bradford (Junior). She was only ten years older than Bradford Jr and eight years older than Nancy. In 1830, Bradford's household in Sempronius contained six people: a man age 40-49, born bet. 1781-1790 (Bradford, b. 1781) a boy age 5-9, born bet. 1821-1825 (John, b. 1822) a boy under 5, born bet. 1825-1830 (???) a girl age 5-9, born bet. 1821-1825 (Betsy, b. 1823) a girl age 10-14, born bet. 1816-1820 (Florida, b. 1820) a woman age 30-39, born bet. 1791-1800 (Parthenia b. 1798) In 1840, Bradford Shirley was counted on the census in Moravia including the following: a boy under 5, born bet. 1835-1840 (???) a boy age 10-14, born bet. 1826-1830 (???) a boy age 15-19, born bet. 1821-1825 (John, b. 1822) a man age 50-59, born bet. 1781-1790 (Bradford Sr, b. 1781) a woman age 20-29, born bet. 1811-1820 (Florida, b. 1820) a woman age 40-49, born bet. 1791-1800 (Parthenia b. 1798) In 1850 and 1860 Bradford and Parthenia were counted on the census in Richford, Tioga County, New York. Their son, John Shirley, lived nearby. Bradford died between 1860 and 1865 according to the 1865 census. Parthenia was living in Summerhill in the home of her daughter, widowed. If anyone knows when Bradford died or where he is buried, please comment below or contact me! Click here to see more about this family. Click here to see my ancestor index. Click here for my free genealogy resources! #shirley #stanton #reese #BradfordShirley

Naming patterns can be extremely useful in tracing family history, but they can also be a source of great confusion, for obvious reasons. Take for example, my 2nd great-grandfather, Arthur Dykeman. His name was revealed to me on my great-grandmother, Vena Dykeman's, marriage license, she gives her parents' names as Arthur Dykeman and Olive Jane Jacobs. A search of the New York State marriage license index on Ancestry.com produced license #21035, which proves Olive J. Jacobs and Arthur Dykeman were married November 7, 1897, in Candor, Tioga County, New York, and their first daughter, Vena Dykeman, was born in September the following year. Since the 1890 census was destroyed by fire, a search of the 1892 New York State Census was done to determine the name of his parents and the results produced two men named Arthur Dykeman living in Candor. One was born abt. 1863, married with two children, and the other was born abt. 1871, a 21-year old laborer. Obviously, the unmarried Arthur would be more likely to be the one that married Olive Dykeman five years later in 1897, but assuming in genealogy can easily lead us down the wrong path or branch, so a look at the 1900 census should clear it up. In a perfect world, we should find Arthur and Olive living together with their little girl, Vena. Unfortunately, the only Arthur Dykeman counted on the 1900 census in Candor was the older one, who was still married to Anthela. This indicates that he almost definitely wasn't the one who married Olive Jacobs. This older Arthur and Anthela were also counted together on the census in Candor in 1905, 1910, 1915, 1920, 1925, 1930, and 1940. The same Arthur had been counted in the home with his parents, Orrin and Betsey Dykeman, in Candor in 1870. The younger Arthur was born about 1871 and was counted on the census in Candor with his parents, Hiron and Mahala Dykeman, in 1875 and 1880: Arthur E. Dykeman, born abt. 1871, was living in Candor in 1880, in the home of his parents. Other men named Arthur Dykeman born between 1870 and 1872 counted on that census are shown here for the purpose of recognizing them on later censuses and eliminating them as possible matches for Arthur: Arthur Dykeman, born abt. 1871 in NY, living in Queens, New York, with his parents, Isaac and Mary Dykeman. Arthur S. Dykeman, born abt. 1873 in Canada, living in Flint, Genesee, Michigan, with his parents, Daniel and Catharine Dykeman. Arthur, would have been about 29 in 1900. But where was he? He was not in Candor. It is learned that just two months after Arthur and Olive were married, Arthur's mother died a tragic death in Candor. Arthur sold the land he had inherited from his parents to his brother, Charles, for $250, and may have wanted nothing more than to leave Candor. A search of the 1900 census, for men in New York named Arthur Dykeman born around 1871 produced only one result. Arthur Dykeman, age 29, (born Jan. 1871), a married man, working as a "Servant" in the home of farmer, Charles Upson, in Genoa, Cayuga County, New York. Genoa is about 37 miles north of Candor. His wife and daughter weren't found in the home. This appears to be Olive's husband, Arthur. At that time, his wife, Olive, and daughter, Vena, were living with her parents, John and Polly Jackobs (Jacobs), in Candor. In 1905, Olive was a housekeeper living in the home of 41-year old John Swansbrough in Danby, Tompkins County, New York. Arthur and Olive's daughter, Vena, was still living with her grandparents. In 1907, Olive married John Swansbrough. She died in 1914. A search of the 1905 census for Arthur Dykeman, produced the following potential match: Arthur Dykeman, age 33, an electrician, married to a 26-year old Englishwoman named Amy Ryde. They lived in Troy, near Albany, New York - about 164 miles from Candor. Arthur and Amy are buried together in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Could this be Olive's ex-husband? His name was Arthur Richard Dykeman and according to his headstone, he lived from 1873 to 1964. Keep in mind that Arthur's ancestor, Cornelius Dyckman was the progenitor of numerous Dykeman's in the Albany area so the name was not uncommon in the region. This could easily be the Arthur Dykeman that was living in Queens in 1880, son of Isaac Dykeman, mentioned above. The same year, 1905, another Arthur Dykeman, age 33, born in New York abt. 1872, was counted on a census taken 1,125 miles west of Candor, in Morris, Stearns County, Minnesota. He reportedly been living there a year and two months working as a laborer and his marital status was not recorded. Then in 1910, it appears that same Arthur Dykeman was living in Homer, Buchanan, Iowa, working as a hired man on the farm of Edwin Forranter. His age was 38 (born abt. 1872 in New York) and he was widowed, according to the census. Homer, Iowa, is about 360 miles southeast of Morris, Minnesota. Note: Mahala (Hovey) Dykeman's obituary states that her son, Burt Dykeman, went west. Could Arthur have followed him? On the census of 1910, Olive was still in Candor, listed as John Swansbrough's wife, married for three years. Nothing further is known of Arthur Dykeman. If you have any information about him, please comment below or contact me! Click here to learn more about the Dykeman family. Click here for my ancestor index. Click here for my free genealogy resources! #ArthurDykeman #Candor #TiogaCounty #NewYork #OliveJacobs

When this story was published in the Cortland News, on January 30, 1885, John "Clark" Harvey was 60 years old. This event in my 3rd great-grandfather's life was certainly more significant to him than this brief mention expresses in the newspaper: "Clark Harvey was so unfortunate as to break his leg one day last week, and George Peak cut his foot quite badly with an axe a few days ago." - Cortland News, Jan. 30, 1885 Click here for more Harvey family memorabilia. Click here for my free genealogy resources! #JohnClarkHarvey #Harvey #harvey

One of the happiest moments of researching your family history is finding a book devoted to one of your distant ancestors. Years of painstaking research at your fingertips! What more could you ask for? Such is the case with my 10th great-grandfather, James Ensign, "The Puritan". Fellow descendants can learn all about James and his descendants through the year 1939 in the "Record of the Descendants of James Ensign the Puritan 1634-1939", by Martha Eunice Ensign Nelson. In the old days, before the internet, I can imagine this book was rare and hard to find. A visit to libraries or historical societies may have been required to gaze the pages of this work. Today, however, you can read it for free: Click here to see more Ensign family memorabilia. #JamesEnsign #Hartford #Connecticut #Ensign #ensign #harvey #Harvey

Mahala Augusta Hovey was born in 1836 in New York. Her husband, William Hiram Dykeman, a veteran of the Civil War, died at the age of 65 or 66 on March 5, 1897. The cause of William's death has yet to be determined. Mahala's death, however, which occurred just ten months later, was a dreadful and tragic story printed in the newspapers of Tioga County as follows: "FATALLY BURNED. Mrs. William Dykeman's Clothing Caught on Fire Saturday Afternoon and She Died in Four Hours. Candor. Jan. 24. - (Special.) - Two or three little girls who were playing in front of Mrs. William Dykeman's residence Saturday afternoon at 3 o'clock, gave an alarm that something was wrong inside the house and the neighbors who responded found that Mrs. Dykeman had been very seriously burned. It was supposed that her clothing caught on fire from her pipe, as she was in the habit of smoking. All was done that could be to relieve her but at 7 p.m. she died from the effects of her injuries. She is the widow of William Dykeman who died last year and is survived by four sons, three of whom reside here and one in the west. The funeral was held at 10 a.m. today at her late residence." - Owego Daily Record, Mon., Jan. 24, 1898. A similar article printed in the Owego County Record on Thursday, Jan. 27, 1898, shown below, gives the names of her surviving sons: Theron Dykeman, Charles Dykeman, and Arthur Dykeman "reside here" and Burt Dykeman, "in the west". Mahala rests with her husband in Maple Grove Cemetery in Candor. Click here to see more about this family. Sources: Owego Daily Record, Tioga County, New York, Mon., Jan. 24, 1898. Owego County Record, Tioga County, New York, Thurs., Jan. 27, 1898. New York Death Index, William H. Dykeman, Mar. 5, 1897, Candor, NY, Certificate #09738. Findagrave Memorial #106139184 Civil War Pension Index; The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; NAI Title: General Index to Civil War and Later Pension Files, ca. 1949 - ca. 1949; NAI Number: 563268; Record Group Title: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 1773 - 2007 #MahalaAugustaHovey #death #housefire #Candor #TiogaCounty #NewYork

If you are researching ancestors from Hampden County, Hampshire County, Franklin County, or Berkshire County, Massachusetts, take a look at this valuable resource you can access freely at Archive.org. Written in 1855 by Josiah Gilbert Holland, int was published in two volumes. Volume 1 Parts 1 & 2 [Read] Volume 2 Part 3 [Read] Source: History of Western Massachusetts, the Counties of Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire. Embracing an outline, or general history, of the section, an account of its scientific aspects and leading interests, and separate histories of its one hundred towns. Josiah Gilbert Holland, 1855. Click here for more Massachusetts resources. Click here for all resources. #Massachusetts #resources #genealogy #history

If your ancestors lived in Yorkshire, England, it might be worthwhile to check this valuable resource. It could save you years of research! Published in 1874 by W. Wilfred Head, and compiled by Joseph Foster, it provides full pedigrees of many families including their coats of arms. Choose a volume here: Pedigrees of The County Families of Yorkshire, Vol 1 - Surnames A-M - West Riding [Read] Pedigrees of The County Families of Yorkshire, Vol 2 - Surnames M-Z - West Riding [Read] Pedigrees of The County Families of Yorkshire, Vol 3 - North and East Riding [Read] Some settlements in Yorkshire, East Riding: Anlaby Beverley Bridlington Cottingham Driffield Elloughton-cum-Brough Goole Hedon Hessle Hornsea Howden Kingston upon Hull Kirk Ella Market Weighton Molescroft Pocklington Willerby Withernsea Woodmansey Some settlements or "Wapentakes" in Yorkshire, West Riding: Agbrigg Barkston Ash Barnsley Batley, Bradford Brighouse Claro – Upper & Lower Division Dewsbury Doncaster Ewcross Halifax Huddersfield Keighley Leeds Morley Osgoldcross Ossett Pudsey Rotherham Sheffield Skyrack – Upper & Lower Division Staincliffe – East & West Division Staincross Strafforth and Tickhill – Upper & Lower Division Todmorden Wakefield Click here for more U.K. resources. Click here for all resources. #England #england #unitedkingdom #pedigrees #genealogy #coatofarms #Yorkshire #WestRiding #NorthRiding #EastRiding

Robert Jasper Leonard was the son of Albert Leonard and his first wife, Rose Ellen Hollenbeck. Robert was employed by the Cortland County Highway Department for 29 years. He retired in 1980 and died two years later, on September 16, 1982, after ten or more years of suffering greatly from the effects of diabetes. He was 58 years old and is buried in Marathon Cemetery with no headstone marking his grave. Click here to learn more about Robert Jasper Leonard and his family. #RobertLeonard #death #deathrecords #diabetes #CortlandCounty #Marathon

John Dickinson was my great grand uncle, the brother of my great-grandfather, William Henry Dickinson. He was the son of Harry Dickinson and Annie Robinson. John was born on October 22, 1904, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He never married and joined the U.S. Army. He was a Corporal in 1942 and a Captain during World War II. He worked for Prudential for 45 years, from 1921 until his retirement in 1966. He died on May 10, 1989 and is buried in Cedar Ridge Cemetery in Blairstown, New Jersey. Following are some photos of John. Use the arrows to switch slides. Click here to see more about this branch of my family. #CaptJohnDickinson #harrydickinson #photographs #unclejohn

Vena Dykeman was born on September 10, 1898, in Candor, Tioga County, New York. She was the daughter of Arthur Dykeman and Olive Jane Jacobs. Vena married Percy Daniels on April 22, 1929, and he died in 1940. She remarried to Thomas Slate, who died in 1981. Vena died at the age of 87 on February 5, 1986, at Highgate Manor Nursing Home in Cortland. I visited her several times there as a child in the early 1980s. Click here to learn more about Vena Dykeman Daniels Slate. Click here to see more about the Dykeman family. Click here to see more about the Daniels family. #VenaDykeman #death

While researching my family history, I found records indicating the occupation of my 4th great-grandfather, William Dickinson of Yorkshire, England, worked as a Tilter. In some records he was called a Hammerman, a trade which he taught his son, John Dickinson, who passed the trade onto his son, Harry Dickinson John and Harry emigrated to America around 1880 and lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are two of the original "Pittsburgh Steelers". After some research, I learned that a Tilter and Hammerman were essentially the same thing. They worked in the steel mill and used a large machine called a tilt hammer, to forge steel bars. This excerpt from "The Steel Workers", by John A. Fitch, 1910, sheds some light on the pay of a Hammerman: "A statement from the proprietor of one of the largest rolling mills in the district, regarding wages paid in his mill in 1881-1882, was to the effect that under the contract system one steel worker had made $25,000 in a year. A sheet shearer made $12 per day and paid his helper $2.00. A hammerman in charge of both turns made $17 per day and paid his helper $2.50. This gouging was combatted by the 'one job' rule of the Amalgamated Association. This rule defined what a 'job' was and prohibited any member from holding two or more." This photo, from the same source shows the scene at an iron mill with the crews at the hammer and furnace. The extreme heat from the furnaces and piercing sound of of steel being hammered certainly made this a dreadful work environment. (Photo by Hine) Click here for tons of free genealogy resources for learning more about your family! #WilliamDickinson #johndickinson #harrydickinson #steelworkers #Pittsburgh #Sheffield #Dickinson

Thomas Griffith was the father of Emma Griffith, who was born in 1837 and married George Robinson. This line has been hard to trace on account of the common name, Griffith. Griffith (Gruffydd) is a very ancient and common surname among the Welsh. Additional research is needed. If you have information about Thomas Griffith, please share! Click here to see more about this branch of my family. #ThomasGriffith #EmmaGriffith #portrait

George Robinson was born on July 16, 1839, in Manchester, Lancashire, England. It was the second year of the reign of Queen Victoria's rule and the beginning of the Victorian era and the second industrial revolution. In May of 1872, at the age of 32, George sailed to America with his wife and children. After establishing himself at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was able to apply for citizenship. He renounced his allegiance to the Queen and became a naturalized citizen of the United States of America on September 19, 1884, at Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. A copy of the certificate has been preserved by the family, shown here: Watch this video about the Industrial Revolution to learn more about what England was like when George was there: Click here for more on George Robinson. Click here to learn more about this branch of my family. Click here for my database of free genealogy resources. #GeorgeRobinson #Manchester #naturalization #citizenship #England #Pittsburgh #Pennsylvania

George Robinson, Jr., shown here in this photograph, was the son of George Robinson and Emma (Griffith) Robinson. He was a hard-working man with a successful career, but never married. He died in Pittsburgh at the age of about 56, from several contributing factors: aortic insufficiency, chronic myocarditis, chronic intestinal nephritis and arteriosclerosis (generalized). George's death certificate is shown below. The informant was his niece, Emma Dickinson - the daughter of his sister, Annie (Robinson) Dickinson. Notice Emma's address is given as Cypress Street and the same address is given for George's "place of death or usual residence". I never knew Emma to live anywhere but with her parents, and they lived on Gross Street when they lived in Pittsburgh. I figured Emma must have been visiting someone there because in 1921, she was living in Newark, New Jersey - which I know for a fact because she wrote her diary there in 1919. I searched to see if that was where George was living when the 1920 census was taken and found him counted on Penn Ave. Sure enough... ...on the 1920 census, we can see a woman by the name of Samuelia Lewis, widow, living at 4911 Cypress Street. Her "stepson", Frank Lewis, was living in the home. Now this raises more questions, in light of these facts: Emma Dickinson's father, Harry Dickinson, had a sister named Mary Ann Dickinson (see portrait), who married first to John Proctor, with whom she had five or more children. He died abt. 1891, and she married second to Samuel Lewis abt. 1895. It is said that she had three children with Samuel. They were: Lillian, Samuel, and Frank Lewis. Mary Ann's husband, Samuel Lewis, died in 1919, the year before the 1920 census was taken. George Robinson, the subject of this article, was Emma's mother's brother - a Robinson, not a Dickinson. Was he living with his brother-in-law's sister? Mary Ann was born abt. 1858, and therefore would have been 62 at the time of the 1920 census - the same age given for "Samuelia Lewis". Samuelia's birthplace is given as England, just like Mary Ann. Mary Ann lived until 1938, so she was definitely still living in 1920 when this census was taken. "Joseph Procter" is listed as her son. Mary Ann had a son named Joseph Proctor, from her first marriage. He was born abt. July 1886. Lillian Lewis was Mary Ann's daughter born abt. July 1895. She is known to have married Jack King and had a daughter, Ruth - all found in the same home with Samuelia. So it appears "Samuelia" was really Mary Ann (Dickinson) Proctor Lewis, but why did she give her name as Samuelia and why does she call Frank her stepson, instead of son? Perhaps she was in the early stages of dementia, as stated on her death certificate when she died at the age of 80 in 1938? This does solve the Cypress Street mystery, however. Emma frequently visited her family in Pittsburgh and she was known to be the family caretaker. She must have cared a great deal to travel 350 miles to Pittsburgh to help her grieving aunt and help care for her sick uncle. Apparently, Mary Ann (a.k.a. Samuelia?) was also kind enough to let the ill bachelor - her brother's brother-in-law, David Robinson, stay in her home. You can see Cypress Street in the interactive Google map (street view) below. (I believe it is the narrow house with the gray and white awning). Click here to see more about this branch of my family. #GeorgeRobinson #EmmaDickinson #MaryAnnDickinson #Pittsburgh #Pennsylvania #deathrecords #robinson #dickinson #georgerobinson

If you are looking for information about a man who was born between April 28, 1877 and February 16, 1897 (and still living in 1942), try finding his World War II Draft Registration Card. American men between the ages of 18 and 65 were required to register after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Between 1940 and 1946, over ten million Americans registered. All of the records are not yet available, but the Fourth Registration, also called the "old man's registration", for men between the ages of 45 and 64, are available. The 1942 Draft registration cards offered a great deal of personal information including the man's address, age, birth date, birthplace, citizenship, occupation, employer, marital status, race, dependents, military experience, signature, height, build, eye color, hair color, and whether or not he was bald. [Click here to search the Old Man's Registration cards at FamilySearch] (Sign in is required to access records, and is free.) If your search doesn't produce any results, don't give up yet! Try one or more of these: Browse by State and last name [Click here] *free at FamilySearch.org If you are researching an ancestor in Georgia [Click here to search Georgia WWII Draft Registration cards] *free at FamilySearch.org Search the World War II Prisoners of War [Click here] *free at FamilySearch.org Search the World War II Prisoners of War of the Japanese 1941-1945 [Click here] *free at FamilySearch.org Check the Army enlistment records 1938-1946 [Click here] *free at FamilySearch.org Check the U.S. Veteran's Gravesites 1775-2006 [Click here] *requires Ancestry.com membership Click here for the World War I draft registrations Source: "United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942." Database with images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. Citing NARA microfilm publications M1936, M1937, M1939, M1951, M1962, M1964, M1986, M2090, and M2097. Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. #tips #resources #draftrecords #myblog #worldwarii #WW2 #militaryrecords

In case you haven't already, look over your tree and make a list of all the men born between about 1873 and 1900 and were still living in 1918 and then head over to FamilySearch.org where you can enter those names and search to find their draft registration cards for World War I for free. (Click here for more details). I found draft registrations for three of my four great-grandfathers, Albert Leonard, Percy Henry Daniels, and William Henry Dickinson (shown below). The other great-grandfather, John Reese, was born in 1910 and was too young. Click here for my index of ancestors. Click here for World War II draft registrations. #worldwari #draftrecords #williamhenrydickinson #military

This note, which had accompanied a tea pot at one time, was shared by my cousin, Marge, granddaughter of Harry Dickinson. The teapot had been given to her daughter, Lorrie., probably by Marge's mother, Ruth, or her Uncle John. While the whereabouts of the actual teapot is unknown (sorry - the photo shown here is a stock photo), the note provides some clues about our ancestor, which has been assumed is referring to William Dickinson, since he was Lorrie's 3rd Great-Grandfather, and his wife. It read as follows: "This tea pot which houses this family tree write-up, belonged to your Great, Great, Great Grandmother, on the Dickinson side. From conversations which were passed down it seems, that this grandmother had a boyfriend, who may have been a seafaring man. He brought her this tea pot from the Orient when she was 18 years and he later became her husband. It is presumed that his family name was Dickinson. They had three sons; John Dickinson, William Dickinson & a third son, who later on embarked to New Zealand or Australia to make his fortune." The teapot could have been from a grandmother on another branch of the tree, however. Aside from William & Ann Dickinson, other 3rd great-grandparents on Lorrie's Dickinson branch were: 1) the parents of Elizabeth Reynolds, 2) the parents of George Robinson, and 3) the parents of Emma Griffith. Perhaps someday we will find a ship record for one of these ancestors who sailed to the Orient. Until then, this mysterious memory clings by a thread in the annals of the Dickinson family. Click here to learn more about the Dickinson branch of my family tree. Click here for my list of free genealogy resources! #WilliamDickinson #Dickinson #harrydickinson #johndickinson

The following list is a selection of important general works of reference in the Boston Public Library. The numerous heraldic and genealogical works of Burke and other similar reference books have been omitted. Serial publications, patriotic hereditary societies, and New England town and county histories and family histories. These may lead you to resources you were unaware of. Take a look! [Alternate Link] See also Durrie's Index to American genealogies. Click here for more of my free genealogy tips and resources. Source: A finding list of genealogies and town and local histories containing family records, in the Public Library of the City of Boston, by Boston Public Library; Doyle, Agnes C; Knapp, Arthur Mason, 1900. [Link] #tips #resources #genealogy