Archive for February, 2013

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The National Park Service has moved treasures from the Ellis
Island Immigration Museum in New York Harbor to

a federal storage center due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy.

Oct. 29, the hurricane flooded Ellis Island and water filled the basement of the Immigration
Museum, which houses the Great Hall where millions of immigrants started their lives
in the United States.

Fortunately, the water didn’t touch the museum’s archive of records and immigrant
artifacts, which were located elsewhere in the building. But it did knock out the
island’s electricity, wreaking havoc on the museum’s carefully controlled climate
and causing mold to grow on the artifacts and condensation to build up on walls.

You
can learn more about the move and see photos and a video in this TribecaTribOnline
article.

Both Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty (on nearby Liberty Island) remain closed.
Park Service plans call for reopening, but a date is yet to be determined.  You
can get updates on the Statue
of Liberty Hurricane Sandy Recovery page.

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Last
week I promised to tell you how I got my third-great-grandparents’ divorce record. 

It went on my genealogy to-do list after a random search of historical newspaper website GenealogyBank resulted
in newspaper notices when my third-great-grandmother filed for divorce in 1879 (below),
and again when the divorce was granted two years later.

You know when you think something is going to be a big ordeal so you procrastinate,
then when you finally get the ball rolling it turns out to be a piece of cake and
you wish you did it ages ago?

I had checked FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com and USGenWeb to
see if I could get digital or microfilmed copies. Nope. So I thought I’d have to figure
out which of the two county courthouses to go to, find time to make the trip, get
a babysitter, search out the records, and so on.

When I started planning a visit and called the courthouse (after first checking online
for info on old records), the nice lady there said, “Oh, we don’t keep records that
far back,” at which point I may have made strange choking sounds. Then she continued,
“You’ll have to call the state archives in Frankfort.” 

I checked the Kentucky State Archives’
website and learned it does have divorce records from the time and place I needed,
and you can print
a request form to fill out and send with a $15 fee. Easy peasy.

A few days later, I had an email from a state archivist. The file was 103 pages(!)
and I’d need to send an additional fee for copies of the whole thing.

When I called to pay over the phone, I asked the archivist what’s typically in a historical
divorce file, just to make sure I wouldn’t be ordering a bunch of blank pages. She
flipped through and said it looked pretty meaty, with lots of depositions. “We’ll
get this copied today and sent out tomorrow,” she said.

After a few days impatient days, The Big Envelope was in my mailbox.  The first
page had this on it:

I spread out the pages on the counter, squinting at the handwriting and trying to
glean all the clues I could—such as my third-great-grandmother’s maiden name—while
protecting them from my 2-year-old’s applesauce splatters.

“Meaty” is an accurate description. So far I’ve found all the makings of a tabloid-worthy
divorce: accusations of cruelty and mental instability (along with a physician’s testimony
about my ancestor’s “cycles”—I guess doctor-patient confidentiality was still in the
future), custody fights, and insinuations of an improper relationship between my third-great-grandmother
and a younger man.

I’m still going over the papers and I’ll blog more later about genealogical clues
I discover (that way I can call it work). 

Thinking about researching your ancestors’ court records? Click
here for FamilyTreeMagazine.com tips on finding the right courthouse.

Then check out our courthouse
research guide digital download, available in ShopFamilyTree.com. 

Depending on the type of court records you’re looking for, you’ll also find in-depth
help in our
Using Guardianship Records in Genealogical Research video class with Marian Pierre-Louis and our
Using Criminal Court Records on-demand webinar with Judy G. Russell.

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This guest post on simplifying source citations is from Family
Tree Magazine contributing editor Sunny Jane Morton, one of the expert instructors
for our Virtual
Genealogy Conference, happening Feb.  22-24:

I know great genealogists who never share their research because they’re scared of
source citations. They dread going back through their files to identify exactly where
they learned a birth date or the name of Granddad’s church. They worry they didn’t
copy down every little piece of publication information, like a volume number or editor’s
name. And formatting footnotes sounds exactly NOT like the way they want to celebrate
finding their family.
 
My presentation “Simple Tips for Solid Source Citations” focuses on a process of managing
sources all the way through the research process to prevent most of those fears. What
I’ll show you is a way of thinking that makes us better researchers: more aware of
our sources from the get-go, more organized and more confident in our conclusions.
 
First, I’ll talk you through the process of evaluating sources the first time you
use them. I’ll talk about what information to gather, both from the source and about
the source.

One valuable tip I share is how to find full source information on websites like Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org and
some less user-friendly data sites. You’ll see different ways of capturing source
data, whether you’re a paper-based person or a paperless person (or a combination).
I’ll show you how to store source data in a way that links it to the information you
found in it, so you don’t scramble years later to put the two together.

Finally, I’ll talk about options when you’re ready to write—yes, we’ll talk a bit
about footnotes and Why They Are Not So Scary.
 
By the end, you’ll know how to handle sources well and, better yet, you’ll want to!
Don’t miss out on learning this core skill during the Virtual
Genealogy Conference.

I love the idea of managing sources from the start—so you can evaluate how reliable
the information is, easily create a source citation and keep that citation with the
data you found. I’m looking forward to Sunny’s video class!

The Virtual Genealogy Conference is sponsored by

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Two years ago Ancestry.com and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum created the World Memory Project.  This project is part of the World Archives Project and allows anyone, anywhere to help create the largest free online resource for information about victims and survivors of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution during WWII.

Although our partnership started only two years ago the USHMM has been bringing their message to patrons visiting the Museum for almost twenty years. Throughout the next few months there are events in 4 different cities where you can join us to help celebrate their anniversary of 20 years honoring memory and inspiring action.  At these events you will have the opportunity to:

• Learn more about the World Memory Project and how you can participate
• Participate in a memorable tribute to Holocaust survivors and WWII veterans for the role they have played in reminding us that What You Do Matters
• Conduct family research with Ancestry and USHMM staff
• Discuss intriguing questions – Who was responsible for the Holocaust? What if Hitler had access to the internet?  Can we make “never again” more than a promise?
• Watch the one-man theatrical performance Time Capsule in a Milk Can (all ages) and create “building blocks of hope” (age 6 and older)

To join us at one of the following upcoming events, and to see the schedule of sessions for each event, visit ushmm.neveragain.org or click on the link below.

Los Angeles, California – Sunday, February 17 at the Skirball Cultural Center

New York, New York – Sunday, March 3 at the Hilton New York

Washington, D.C. – Sunday, April 28 and Monday, April 29

Chicago, Illinois – Sunday, June 9

 

Click here to visit our YouTube channel.

Surname Forum Activity
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Hi All,

Looking for any info on Charles Manley and Amelia B Manley (Marchen) Married 1891 Manhatten. Chrales is a distant cousin and I am doing my tree.

He was an actor ( As was Amelia) and he died in 1916 in Hollywood.

Any information on CHarles or Amelias family before them and what happened to Amelia would be great

Thanks
Go to Source

Surname Forum Activity
———————-

Hi All,

Looking for any info on Charles Manley and Amelia B Manley (Marchen) Married 1891 Manhatten. Chrales is a distant cousin and I am doing my tree.

He was an actor ( As was Amelia) and he died in 1916 in Hollywood.

Any information on CHarles or Amelias family before them and what happened to Amelia would be great

Thanks
Go to Source

Surname Forum Activity
———————-

I would love to add your Manley history to my website – www.munnellysofcountymayo.com take a look at the histories already there and consider sending in yours. Email an attatchment to katsjay2@bellsouth.net along with your contact info in case anyone makes a connection. Also, check out the ‘Munnelly Connection’ group on Facebook – about 200 members with Manley/Munnelly roots. Many of us have ties to the Scranton area as well. Kathy
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Born in Jamaica, John Somerville got his first taste of Jim Crowe-era discrimination the day he got off a ship in San Francisco in 1902 and couldn’t find a decent room or meal.

He didn’t like it.

 

This Who’s Who bio explains how John and his wife, Vada, spent the rest of their lives fighting back: becoming the first black man and woman to graduate from USC’s dental school, seeing the local NAACP branch organized in their home—even opening their own hotel.

You can learn more about finding your own civil rights warriors at ancestry.com/africanamerican.

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Most people get into paranormal investigation for their love and interest in the supernatural. For me, that was not the case. Although my family and I shared several unexplainable experiences, it was my love of history that pulled me in.

Paranormal investigation has brought me to historic locations across the United States and around the world. These locations opened my eyes to places and people I never knew existed. Many of their stories, which are stranger than any fiction, have left me amazed, horrified and even inspired. One of the stories that still comes to mind is a famous 12^th century English castle, believed to be haunted by a queen’s broken heart.

Rising Castle, built in 1140 AD, is located in the English countryside. This beautiful, old stone structure stands surrounded by a wall of dirt carpeted with grass and wild flowers. Inside its walls lay a labyrinth of rooms connected by narrow passageways and spiral staircases. It is within these passageways, staircases and rooms that people claim to see unexplainable shadow figures, and hear the sounds of footsteps and inconsolable sobbing. To get a better understanding of this supposed haunt, let’s take a look at the life of a previous resident who locals believe is responsible for the activity.

Queen Isabella of France was born to King Philip IV of France and Queen Joan I of Navarre in Paris around 1295. From the time Isabella was an infant, her father had promised her in marriage to King Edward II of England to resolve territorial conflicts between France and England.

As a child, following the death of her mother, Isabella was raised by the family’s nurse. Growing up in palaces around Paris, she was given a good education and developed a strong love for books covering topics such as history, astrology, geometry and romance. She grew to be known for her high level of intelligence, charm, diplomatic ways and beauty. However it was a rare talent she developed of rallying people to follow her that would eventually lead to the fall of her husband.

At the age of 12, on January 25, 1308, Isabella married King Edward II of England at Boulogne-sur-Mer. Their marriage was hardly a story of “happily ever after.” From the beginning of their marriage her husband King Edward was rumored to have questionable relationships with other men he had taken a particular liking to. In many ways he was known to have held these men in higher regard than he did Isabella. It was then up to this child bride to use her intelligence and diplomatic nature to find her place within the marriage and political arena.

Piers Gaveston — a soldier described as arrogant, reckless and headstrong — was the first of her husband’s favorites that Isabella was forced to contend with. Although Edward held Gaveston in his good graces, he was strongly disliked by the English barons and Isabella’s father King Philip IV of France. This led to his brief exile to Ireland. After his return to England, the baron’s dislike for Gaveston caused his execution in 1311 following Edward’s failed campaign against Scotland.

Having narrowly escaped capture by the Scots, and despite the civil war that broke out in England against Edward and Gaveston, Isabella stood by her husband. Turning to her family back in France, she wrote asking her uncles for their support of her husband while she worked to make allies of her own.

During this time of turmoil in England, Isabella gave birth to the future king Edward III and soon found herself once again second in her husband’s eyes.

While Edward looked to get revenge for Gaveston’s death, he found a new favorite and confidant in Hugh Despenser the younger.  Being the same age as Edward, Hugh Despenser also shared common enemies. As England struggled through famine, financial problems, continuous failed campaigns against Scotland led by Edward and his power struggle with the barons, Isabella tried, unsuccessfully, to work with Hugh Despenser. The barons who also disliked Hugh, reached out to Isabella asking her to publicly request that Edward exile him to prevent a war.

The Despenser’s exile was short lived. It wasn’t long before Edward formed a plan to bring back Hugh while defeating the barons. Together Edward and Hugh ruled and imposed a harsh revenge confiscating land, and imprisoning or executing their enemies along with punishing their enemies’ extended family members. They eventually turned their sights on Isabella, leaving her behind to fend for herself during one of Edward’s campaigns against the Scottish. They stripped her of her land and household, arrested and imprisoned her French staff. The custody of her children were given to the Despensers after she refused to take an oath of loyalty to them. Isabella, betrayed by her husband, now looked to take radical actions against him and Hugh Despenser the younger.

As tensions between England and France continued to rise, Isabella saw a chance to act. When Edward refused to pay homage to her brother, King Charles IV of France, her uncle began attacking and taking land under English control. Afraid to leave England — because he thought the barons would use the opportunity to rebel against him and the Despensers — he sent Isabella to France as an ambassador. To mend the tension created by Edward’s disrespect, Isabella agreed to a truce promising her son Edward III would come to France to pay homage in his father’s behalf.

With her son’s arrival, Isabella’s plan was put into action when she refused to return to England. Edward II began sending urgent messages to King Charles for the return of Isabella and his son Edward III, to which Charles responded that the “queen has come of her own will and may freely return if she wishes. But if she prefers to remain here, she is my sister and I refuse to expel her.”

Isabella and Edward’s marriage was clearly over. Dressing as a widow she publicly claimed that it was Hugh Despenser that destroyed their marriage. She then fell in love with Roger Mortimer.

Roger Mortimer was an English lord, husband and father of 12 who had been arrested and imprisoned at the Tower of London by Edward II. Following his escape from the Tower, he fled to France for safety where he was eventually introduced to Isabella. As Isabella worked to assemble a court she also promised her son in marriage to Philippa, daughter of count William I of Hainault, in exchange for a large dowry. With the dowry and a loan from her brother Charles, Isabella and Roger raised an army to defeat their common enemies, Edward II and the Despensers.

After setting sail from France with their army, Isabella and Roger landed in England with little resistance. As their army swept inland, it only continued to grow in size as others opposed to Edward II’s regime joined her forces. As word of Isabella’s success and advance reached Edward, he managed to flee to Wales.  After recovering her children from the Despensers, Edward and Hugh were finally captured.

As punishment, Hugh Despenser was dragged by a horse and presented to Isabella and Roger in front of a large crowd. He was then hanged, castrated and drawn and quartered, while his father Hugh Despenser the elder was captured, killed and fed to the local dogs. Most of Edward and Hugh’s major supporters were executed while those with a smaller role were pardoned. As for Edward II, he was deposed and placed under house arrest for the rest of his life only to die a sudden and mysterious death in which the possibility of Isabella and Roger’s involvement is still debated.

Following the arrest of Edward II, Prince Edward was confirmed as Edward III. Being far too young to lead the country, Isabella was appointed regent. Together, Isabella and Roger Mortimer ruled over England for four years. In those four years the pair became obsessed with accumulating wealth and land, while their former supporters began to question Isabella’s rule and Roger’s behavior.

Isabella’s son Edward III then married and became increasingly annoyed by Roger’s display of power. After working quietly to gather support, Edward III followed through with his plot to take control of England. Surprising Isabella and Roger at Nottingham Castle with 23 armed men, Edward III arrested Roger. Isabella begged her son to have mercy on her lover, and while she avoided execution, Roger was not so lucky. Though Edward III did show him some mercy — by not having him disemboweled or quartered.

After spending a short time under house arrest at Windsor Castle, Isabella moved into her own castle, Castle Rising. It is here that Isabella was reported to have suffered from fits of madness over the death of her love Roger Mortimer.

Isabella was promised in marriage to Edward II as an infant. She was a young woman who had a love for romance novels only to become a queen that was unloved and betrayed by her king. She then gave birth to a son who would grow to execute the only man she ever loved.

Could Queen Isabella be haunting the halls of Rising Castle, still mourning the death of Roger Mortimer? No one could really say for sure, but this is what some locals believe. Learning her story breathed life into what was otherwise just a beautiful stone shell, known as Rising Castle.

Despite Isabella’s flaws and the fact that history has dubbed her as the She-wolf of France, it was hard not to be impressed by her determination and accomplishments. It is also upsetting to think of her still roaming the halls of Rising Castle grieving, hundreds of years after Roger Mortimer’s death.

By Kris Williams
Twitter: KrisWilliams81

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In honor of Black
History Month this month, today brings you a special African-American history-themed
news roundup:

• The National Archives is celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation
  Proclamation, which President Lincoln issued on Jan. 1, 1863 to free slaves in states
  that had seceded. You
  can go online to watch a video about what the proclamation meant and how the document
  is being preserved, see images of it, and find out about upcoming programs. Also learn
  about the Emancipation Proclamation’s history at the National
  Archives; Featured Documents website.

• An interactive online map—a companion to the PBS “American Experience” documentary The
  Abolitionistslets you explore the story of the abolitionist movement in America.
  Powered by History Pin, the Abolitionist
  Map of America has images, documents and videos from dozens of libraries, museums
  and other institutions.

  Cincinnati, located on the boundary of free and slave states, was a major Underground
  Railroad stop. Our Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County Genealogy Local
  History Department selected images and recordings on subjects such as the site of
  local antislavery newspaper the Philanthropist, the focus of two anti-abolitionist
  riots in 1836; and the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, where the Uncle Tom’s Cabin author
  lived with her family for various periods of time from 1833 to 1836. 

• Subscription genealogy site Ancestry.com has added collections to its
  African-American history records including Danish West Indies Slave Records 1672-1917
  (these are also part of Fold3′s Black History Collection, which is free
  in February) and U.S., Buffalo Soldiers, Returns from Regular Army Cavalry Regiments,
  1866–1916. Explore
  Ancestry.com’s African-American history records here.

• The Cincinnati library’s Genealogy
  and Local History Department also is one of many libraries offering African-American
  history and genealogy workshops this month, including a seminar (Feb. 9) and a
  class on Searching for Descendants of African American Civil War Soldiers (Feb. 23).Learn
  more here.

• The African-American Genealogical Society of Northern California in Oakland has a Black
  Family History Day on Feb. 10, with classes, one-on-one consultations and more. Learn
  more here.

• The African American Genealogical and Historical Society of Tennessee in Nashville
  is holding a research
  workshop Feb. 16. Learn
  more here.

To find African-American genealogy events near you, check with your local genealogical
or historical society, or public library.

Check out FamilyTreeMagazine.com
articles on researching African-American roots here.