Author: mblauss

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Amanuensis Monday: Marriage Records of Barnabas Everson and Deborah (Bates) Howland, 1848, Manhattan

mblauss

Advertisements Barnabas Everson of South Hanson, Plymouth County, Massachusetts (4 January 1825 – 22 February 1896) was a prominent citizen of the town, a wealthy businessman with major landholdings. His parents and grandparents were from the town of Hanson (or the part of Pembroke which became Hanson in 1820), and his children and grandchildren were born and raised in the town. It wasn’t until a recent inspection of the record of his marriage to the young widow Deborah (Bates) Howland (4 September 1819 – 16 April 1892), recorded at Hanson, that I noticed that their marriage was performed by an … Continue reading Amanuensis Monday: Marriage Records of Barnabas Everson and Deborah (Bates) Howland, 1848, Manhattan

Cemeteries4 Comments

All Saints Church and Churchyard, Ripley, North Yorkshire, England

mblauss

Advertisements While visiting my brother-in-law in Yorkshire, we made a day trip to the town of Ripley in North Yorkshire. We wandered around the castle for a bit, grabbed a delicious ice cream cone, and afterwards made our way to the All Saints Church and its surrounding graveyard. The church dates to the 14th century, and features a very old “weeping cross” where pilgrims and penitents kneeled in prayer. The cross has been lost to time, replaced by stones at the base of the cross. There are only two weeping crosses known in Britain, it is believed that this cross … Continue reading All Saints Church and Churchyard, Ripley, North Yorkshire, England

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Orcas Island Historical Museum and Woodlawn Cemetery, Eastsound, Washington

mblauss

Advertisements For our fifth wedding anniversary, we went to a B&B on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands. We practically had the islands to ourselves, since it was the Thanksgiving weekend – and pouring! The inn where we stayed was also a working farm with a lovely view of Turtleback Mountain, and was located along the historic Crow Valley. As we drove to the inn, we passed a tiny old schoolhouse called the Crow Valley School with a sign for the Orcas Island Historical Museum. My wonderful husband, who had a list of some must-dos for the trip such … Continue reading Orcas Island Historical Museum and Woodlawn Cemetery, Eastsound, Washington

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Old City Cemetery, Raleigh, North Carolina

mblauss

Advertisements Back in 2009, I worked a booth at NGS, which was held in Raleigh and was a fantastic conference. After helping to set up the booth the day before the conference officially began, I attended the wonderful African-American Genealogy Forum, which was held at the North Carolina Museum of History, and then wandered around the city with a colleague, searching for historical sites.   We made our way to the City Cemetery of Raleigh, aka Old City Cemetery, which was recognized in 1798 as Raleigh’s first cemetery. Originally 4 acres, it was laid out into quarters, “with the northern … Continue reading Old City Cemetery, Raleigh, North Carolina

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Weekend Surprise: Unraveling Royal Descent

mblauss

Advertisements I  received my eagerly-anticipated copy of Martin Hollick’s revised edition of New Englanders in the 1600s. It now sits beside its well-used predecessor, and contains even more families, detailing all modern scholarship which has been performed on a given individual or family from 1980-2010. I use it constantly for work, but rarely ever sat down with it to review my own early New England lines, and became inspired to do so this weekend. I’m always touting the significance of using current, scholarly research, since so many early genealogical works contained errors, small or large, which were then repeated ad … Continue reading Weekend Surprise: Unraveling Royal Descent

Mysteries3 Comments

Mystery Monday: Origins of Mary (Miller) Munroe of Pembroke, Mass.

mblauss

Advertisements     Nathan Munroe Family Bible, Courtesy of Jane Kent Henry Munroe [variously spelled Munro, Monroe, etc.] Jr. married “Mary Millar” at Pembroke, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, 12 September 1771. Vital Records of Pembrokenotes that no intention was recorded for this couple at Pembroke churches or the Pembroke town clerk. Their marriage was a double wedding, with Henry’s older sister Mary Munroe marrying Jacob Bearce on the same day. Henry and his sister Mary were the children of Henry Munroe Sr. and Hannah Josselyn, who lived at present-day Main Street in Hanson. Both the families of Henry Munroe Sr. and … Continue reading Mystery Monday: Origins of Mary (Miller) Munroe of Pembroke, Mass.

Artifacts5 Comments

Make sure to search your attics…

mblauss

Advertisements You never know what genealogical treasures you may find! This lovely photograph was found in a trunk of photographs that my mother-in-law inherited from her aunt. It’s a photograph of Carmela (DiBona) Salvucci (b. 1875) and her first child, Luigi (b. 16 Oct 1898) (he later preferred “Louis” “Lou” or “Gig”). At the time, they resided in San Donato Val di Comino, Province of Frosinone, Italy. The family immigrated to Quincy, Massachusetts in 1910. According to the caption on the back, the photograph was taken circa 1900. Continue reading Make sure to search your attics…

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Genealogie en francais!

mblauss

Advertisements I was working on French genealogy today, and came across a handy site, genealogie.com (although it does require a paid subscription). In addition to having some great records indexed, I couldn’t help but laugh at their advertisement on the page, “Who are your ancestors?”:(note the same smirk on each “ancestor”! The costumes may change, but the grin and wink remain the same) Continue reading Genealogie en francais!

Cemeteries3 Comments

Lakeville, Massachusetts Gravestone Inscriptions, 1711-2003

mblauss

Advertisements Jean A. Douillette recently published Lakeville, Massachusetts Gravestone Inscriptions, 1711-2003. I have eagerly awaited this book for several years, after reading an article about Jean’s work on Lakeville gravestone transcription work for their 150th anniversary in 2003. Transcription is a time-consuming process – but when they are compiled into books such as this, they serve as invaluable tools for genealogists and those interesting in family history! Earlier postings in this blog documented a few unsuccessful (but enjoyable!) trips to Lakeville and Middleborough to locate Ramsdell ancestors (Ammon-Booth, Richmond Cemetery). This book listed John and Sarah (Robbins) Ramsdell’s gravestones, as … Continue reading Lakeville, Massachusetts Gravestone Inscriptions, 1711-2003

Artifacts4 Comments

Letter to Mr. Otis L. Bonney of Hanson, MA, 1887

mblauss

Advertisements I run the USGenWeb website for the town of Hanson, MA, and have always been interested in the history and genealogy of the town. Therefore, I am always on the lookout on eBay for Hanson memorabilia. I just won a letter, which I have transcribed: The envelope is addressed to “Mr. Otis L. Bonney, Hanson, Mass.” and was stamped “Oil City, PA, NOV 5, 2 PM”. Otis must have handwritten, in a different script, “Answered, Nov. 10/ 1887” The letter is handwritten in pencil on white paper with red lines. =============================================================== Oil City, Pa. Nov. 4, 1887 Dear Cousin … Continue reading Letter to Mr. Otis L. Bonney of Hanson, MA, 1887