Google is Your Friend

Clara asked:

Do you know where I might find a copy of the book "History of Wellington County" by J. Hutchinson?  It is mentioned in "The Scottish Pioneers of Upper Canada, 1784-1855 by Lucille H. Campey as a source.

Sure thing. A Google Search for the book gave me the answer to your question. You can purchase a copy of The History of Wellington County on Amazon.ca

There is a cheaper copy (half the price!) available  here http://amzn.to/1MdVjLq

Searching for England Records Before Civil Registration

Christine asked about genealogy records in Durham England.

 I have stumbled on a brick wall that I cant seem to get past and wonder if you can help point me in the right direction.My Gt gt gt grandfather John reay( 1790c) and his wife elizabeth ? nee Barker(1796c born in whitby)  are named as parents of Edward REAY in Upleatham yorkshire in 1819 on the Baptism certificate( IGI).they then went on to have John and William 1926 [sic] Hannah 1831, Robert 1832, betsy ann 1836 in Shinclffe durham.

IN 1841 census  Elizabeth reay is listed as independant, and there is no sign of John.  I cant find birth certificates for the children, nor can i find any marriage for Elizabeth and John or any evidence he existed except for the baptism certificate. In 1851 elizabeth is listed as Murray and a widow in Hartlepool, but I have no idea who or when she remarried or when John ( supposibly died). Where can i search next??

Christine - You won't find a birth registration for the children because English Birth Registrations did not begin until 1837.

However you can search for Church and Parish records of baptisms and other vital records. Because I am not familiar with Durham research, I began with a quick Google search for Durham Church Records. Of course you can use any Search Engine you prefer such as Bing or Yahoo.

Durham Church Records are online at http://www.durhamrecordsonline.com/ and a very quick look under baptisms brought up the baptism record index for Betsy Ann, Hannah and Robert all baptised in Shincliffe. There is also a marriage in 1819 for John Rea [sic]. You may wish to consult this to see if it is the right couple.

I'd also check Durham University's databases online. I found that website with a Google search and notice they have Probate records.

You mentioned you checked the IGI but a better course of action might be FamilySearch collections that they have been putting online. I did a very cursory search and found the marriage of John and Elizabeth in the extracted marriages for York. They married 18 Aug 1816 in Loftus [Source: England, Marriages, 1538–1973]. So now you have other places to search. If I were you I'd start a timeline of findings so that you can get a sense of what location(s) you might find the family in.

Their son Edward is found in baptismal records as being baptised 01 November 1816 (not 1819 as you stated) in Loftus so it looks like they married just in time...

Finding What You Want Online

Sarah G. asked about my McGinnis Ancestors:

Where can I find your McGinnis material? I am a descendant of Edward's daughter Margaret, d 21 Oct 1843 in Limestone Co AL She m Stephen Brundidge,Washington

Dear Sarah,

It's always nice to hear from another McGinnis researcher - or any researcher looking for the same family names as I am! Here is a little tip for finding things on the 'net: go to Google and type in what you are looking for.

For example you wanted to see my McGinnis Family Tree. If you go to Google and type in my name (Lorine McGinnis Schulze) or the name of my website (Olive Tree Genealogy) followed by the words McGinnis Family, you will see the following (for me it was the first result displayed on the page, it may be in a different position for you)

You can then click on the link in Google to go directly to the page.

The link for my McGinnis family information is http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/can/ont/mcginnisfamily.shtml

The McGinnis Family of Puslinch Township, Wellington County Ontario - 13 visits - 6 Nov



Find ancestors on the family tree of The McGinnis & Bell & King Family of Puslinch Township, Wellington County Ontario.


www.olivetreegenealogy.com/can/ont/mcginnisfamily.shtml

Finding Out What a Fi.Fas. Is!

Yvonne asked:

I have puzzled over the following land transcription for many years, and hope you can help me understand the terminology.

"Southern Recorder, Aug. 22, 1829 -- page 4. Emanuel Sheriff's Sale.Will be sold on the first Tuesday in September next, at the court house, in the town of Swainsborough, Emanuel County, within the usual hours of sale the following property, viz 250 acres of pine land on the waters of Cannouche, adjoining Stephen Rich and others, levied on as the property of John Scott, to satisfy sundry fi.fas. issued from a Justice's court vs. John Scott, Britain Scott and John Scott, and John Scott and William Horton - property pointed out by the defendant; levied on and returned to me by a constable. Amos Snell, Sh'ff."

Here are things I need clarified:
1. What exactly is a fi. fas.?

OLIVE TREE ANSWER: Hi Yvonne. You asked several questions, here is my answer to one of the four. A google search shows that fi.fas. is an abbreviation for fieri facias.

There are many websites providing a detailed definition of the phrase but here is a brief answer:

A fieri facias, usually abbreviated fi. fa. (Latin that you cause to be made) is a writ of execution after judgment obtained in a legal action for debt or damages.

Continue reading at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fieri_facias

Using Google to Find Unknown Places

Robert asked

I have been doing research on my Swedish ancestors, and common places I see they are from are Sanna and Stodene. I cannot locate these areas; could you please tell me what county/counties they are in?

Olive Tree Answer: Robert, I'm not sure where you've been looking but I did a Google search for Stodene and found that it is a populated place in Varmland in Sweden.

This link provides you with nearby places and the latitude and longitude so you can find it on a map. I'll leave you to find Sanna using the same method I did but here's a little hint -- if you read the list of "Places near Stodene" on the page at the URL above, you will find Sanna... and a link to read about it.

The moral of this answer is "Never underestimate the power of an online search engine. Or a good map"

Using Google and Online Family Trees

Bill asked on Jan 15, 2009

I have traced my namesake to Moses Sarg b.1820 Berks Co. PA He married a Sarah Hasler date unknown. His parents were Jacob Sarg and Catherine ?. I do not have any additional info on them. Moses moved to Pickaway Co. OH abt 1850 and then to Wells Co. IN where he is buried. I have searched for years trying to find more on his parents and his grandparents. I would greatly appreciate ANY help you could give me. Where to search and anything else.

Olive Tree answers: Hi Bill, This is a time when using Google and looking for others searching the same family comes in handy. In general I don't think online family trees are the best research tool unless the researcher is willing to write to the submitter of the tree and ask for sources. You may want to have a quick look at I Found My Great Great Grandfather Online -- Now What!!??? (Verifying Records Found On Webpages)

A quick search of Google turned up a note from another researcher on an Ancestry.com Message Board for Pennsylvania Dutch:

Catharine Bernhar[d]t born 4 May 1792 married Jacob Sarg. Catharine is buried in Dunkel's Church Cemetery

Another search of Google for Dunkel's Church Cemetery records online brought up Jacob and catharine's cemetery transcription

SARG. Catharine 5-4-1792 9-19-1867
SARG. Jacob 9-7-1795 5-26-1852

This should be enough for you to make contact with some of the other descendants of the SARG family tree.