On this day in 1893, nearly a year after those famous “forty whacks”, a jury of twelve men found Lizzie Borden innocent of the murder of her parents despite the staggering amount of evidence suggesting otherwise.
From playground rhymes to in-depth legal and sociocultural study and even seances and ghost hunts , Lizzie Borden’s place will never be lost in history. Can you claim her as a cousin?
This branch of the Borden line hails from Kent, England, traced back as far as the late 16th century. Major surnames pertaining to Lizzie’s line are:
Borden
Bowen
Briggs
Brown
Cooke
Cornell
Cory
Davenport
Earl(e)
Felker
Fowle
Freeman
Gifford
Morrison
Morser
Perry
Reeder
Ricketson
Savage
Vinincum
Walker
Wood
I have some ancestors from Kent so I will have to do a little more digging before I can add this grizzly tale to my ancestral anecdotes. Do you have any connections? I would love to hear your thoughts! A large collection of links about Lizzie, including more genealogy resources, can be found here. Enjoy the search!
Are you having trouble finding clues for female lines? The World Bride Index is worth a look. Aside from a brief political plug, the first thing you will find on this website is a caveat: don’t just grab the information you find here and plug it right into your tree. Always verify, verify, verify! This is something we should always keep in mind no matter what site we view. This information is meant to give you clues and fresh perspectives, perhaps information on other females with the same or a similar surname. That being said, however, I can truthfully say that I have found some valuable information by searching here.
To begin your search, select the first letter of your female ancestor’s surname, then continue to narrow down the fields alphabetically. You will see snippets of vital information to guide your choice. Finally, click the link for the GEDCOM you would like and choose to either open or save to your computer. If you don’t want to see the GEDCOM using your family tree software program, you can search the host website for clues as well. For example, for an entry listed as http://www.marin-turpin.com/maringenealogy.ged, going to www.marin-turpin.com would allow you to visit the main website and see name indices and other tidbits without downloading anything.
Despite all the warnings, this site offers access to millions of surnames. Give it a try, I would love to hear your success stories!
Posted on June 18th, 2008 in
Databases | Author:
sherryc |
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I’m not a big fan of cruises for holidays. I prefer to spend my leisure time doing something more active than deck-side sunbathing and buffet hopping. Well, I’ve discovered a new kind of cruise that has gotten my attention and I just might start saving my pennies for an upcoming trip. More and more cruise lines are offering “genealogy cruises”, that are basically a floating convention with workshops, discussions and information centers. If this sort of vacation appeals to you, there are several sites you should check out:
Most of these are still booking for this year, with departure times later in the summer and early fall.
There is no question that history and genealogy are inextricably linked. It is very easy to get bogged down searching for names and dates, furiously entering data into our software programs, perhaps altogether putting aside the quest for information about their historical milieu. We are all products of our culture and society; knowing more about the era in which our ancestors lived can only help us learn more about them as people.
EyeWitness to History offers an extensive collection of eyewitness accounts of historical events from around the world spanning from ancient times to the 20th century. These accounts are drawn from personal memoirs, letters, and interviews with those who were there to experience these events as they happened.
Accounts are arranged according to time period or event, ranging from ancient times to the 20th century. Also included on the site are a small collection of recordings and historic photographs. All links provide references for further research or reading.
The events of the past compelled those that lived them to retell their tales. Go ahead and push aside the veil of time, take a peek at what these people have to say. You will certainly encounter some interesting reading, from the humorous to the heart-wrenching. Better still, you may come away with a whole new understanding of a person in your family tree.
If you are of French Canadian descent, chances are you have one of the “Filles du Roi” (King’s Daughters) as a female ancestor. During the early settlement of Québec, hundreds of women of childbearing age went to the colonies to find a new life. Distinct from the first wave of women, the “Filles à Marier” (marriageable girls), whose passages were funded by private sponsors and various religious organizations, the King’s Daughters had the cost of their voyage and settlement, as well as their dowries, funded by the King of France.
Selected for their child bearing age and overall good health, these women were recruited to come to New France after a 1660’s census revealed that there was only one woman of marriageable age for every 15 men, certainly not enough to grow a colony! Subsequently, groups between 50 and 200 women arrived regularly, most of whom quickly paired off with the settlers and soldiers in the region.
Much debate went into the quality of the girls chosen and whether or not it was morally right to recruit for marriage, but nonetheless, the subsequent population explosion gave way to a stronger colony. The legacy of these women beats in the heart of Québec even today.
For a list of these brave women, about 770 souls whose adult lives were spent founding a new colony, please visit the Société des Filles du roi et soldats du Carignan (available in English or French). Information obtained from the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
photo credit: Lauren Murphy
Technology is making the world a smaller and smaller place every single day. It is often hard for techies of this generation that there is information that ISN’T readily available online. As genealogists, we know that this isn’t always the case. Information is stored anywhere and everywhere, from the grandest public archives to shoeboxes in someone’s attic or even in the recesses of their minds.
Today’s thought is about the power of Internet message boards. Both free and paid genealogy search sites, like rootsweb.com or genealogy.com have message boards organized by surname, geographical area, historical event, or ethnic or religious affiliation. Regularly reading and especially posting to such boards can yield amazing results.
I know from personal experience. Very early in my genealogical quest, I came upon a post on a surname board by someone whose last name also fit into my family tree. I tried to reply, but his email address was no longer valid. Through Google, I was able to find another email address, and we were promptly in contact! Indeed, my great grandmother and his great great grandmother were sisters. I was able to share family photos with him, those of people who he had never seen before. My mother and I decided to send him a quilt that his great great grandmother had embellished by hand. Apart from names and dates for my tree, my “new” cousin gave me great insight into the history of Québec and sparked a great and enduring pride in my cultural heritage.
The second time we met, we talked about how lucky we were to have found each other. The message that he posted was from the fall of 2002. It had sat there with no replies until I stumbled upon it in the summer of 2006. He said that creating that post was like casting a message in a bottle, that you just never know.
I can’t guarantee you that you will have the luck that I had, finding a cousin with whom to share photos, heirlooms, and a relationship that I know will continue for the rest of our lives, but I can guarantee you that it is worth the time to browse or post on a message board. The next time you are sailing the seas of Internet research, cast out a few messages. You just never know.
Posted on June 5th, 2008 in
Thoughts and Musings | Author:
sherryc |
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Have you ever wondered what your ancestors looked like? Are you a family historian who has few or no family photos? Are you fascinated with the hairstyles and fashions of bygone eras? Dead Fred can help you!
This website is a very popular genealogy photo archive where you can search user-contributed photos and yearbooks by name, surname, geographical area, photographer, photo type, or range of years. Those who especially enjoy the thrill of genealogical research can view the site’s large collection of mystery photos in hopes of making an identification or possible family connection.
Visitors to the website benefit from unlimited free searches. Anyone who finds a photo of a direct ancestor owned by the archive will receive the photo free of charge, though all photos can be saved to your personal computer by right-clicking on them. For an annual subscription fee of $19.95, you can become a “Friend of Fred”, which allows subscribers privileges such as the ability to upload more than one photo at a time, access to past newsletters, and other special features. The site accepts donations through mail, Paypal, or a purchase at Fredmart, the online shop for items printed with the site logo.
Dead Fred also offers links to other genealogy related blogs and websites, a monthly newsletter, and a corresponding moderated group on the Yahoo! network. The most poignant and inspiring part of this website is the testimonial section, where users have posted their success stories. This website has helped over 1,200 people reunite with their ancestors and meet other family members and researchers.
The ultimate success of this website relies on its users’ contributions. Scanning and uploading your family photos has multiple benefits: photos preserved electronically will certainly outlast their material counterparts, those researching your line will have free access to these priceless images, and you will have the opportunity to search and communicate with others who share your research interests. If you have a quantity of photos that you do not want or cannot care for, the webmaster will gladly accept this donation by mail and upload the photos for the good of all. For those interested in volunteering, rescuing “orphan” photos from antique stores, flea markets, and estate sales can be a rewarding hobby. Dead Fred is an excellent vehicle for reuniting ancestors with their descendants.
Do you have a story about seeing a picture of an ancestor for the first time? Feel free to post in the comments section. Remember to sign up for email or RSS updates to continue receiving reviews of great websites, books, and other genealogical musings!
Genealogy is all about names, and you can usually see how naming changes over generations when you start looking backwards. My daughter’s name is Emily, which has been the most popular name in the US for many years now. I hadn’t intended to give her a common-place name, but the “baby name book” I was using had a list of the most popular names. I made sure I didn’t choose one from that list. I didn’t realize until after she was born that my book had been printed in the early 1980s. So my Emily is among many thousands of other Emilys after all.
Though many names stay popular year after year, uncommon name are becoming the new trend. Choosing strange or unusual names is a way for parents to make their child distinctive. Not sure how good an idea that is. Ancestry.com has a new book out about Bad Baby Names that documents some of the worst. Check out this interview with the author. I can’t imagine naming a child Semicolon…..
Posted on June 2nd, 2008 in
Uncategorized | Author:
Terri |
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It might be a bit last minute for anyone not living in the area, but the OGS is holding their annual genealogy conference this weekend (May 30th - June 1st). The event is being held at Fanshawe College in the city of London, Ontario. It’s the largest event of its kind in Canada, and the theme is “Wired Genealogy”, using technology and the Internet to further your family tree research. There are talks and workshops on topics like:
- Family Tree Maker 2008
- DNA and Genealogy
- Writing an Interesting Family History
- Using the LDS FamilySearch website
- Forensic Photo Analysis
- Getting the Most out of Ancestry.com
If you are living in southern Ontario, you might want to check it out. You can purchase registrations for individual days, or the entire conference. Visit the Ontario Genealogical Society website for all the details on the conference.
On February 12, Kentuckians can be a part of history during the official national kickoff ceremonies for the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial at the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site in Hodgenville. This event is free and open to the public. KHS Celebrates Black History Month, Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday, and more in February.
Visit the KHS Web site to learn about how the Kentucky Historical Society is delivering the Kentucky’s Abraham Lincoln experience throughout the commonwealth through a variety of programs, exhibitions, and publications and more. In the coming weeks, the KHS HistoryMobile will travel across the state with its new exhibit, “Kentucky’s Abraham Lincoln,” with stops in Frankfort, Ashland, Paducah, Lexington, Louisville, and more. The exhibit celebrates our native son and allows Kentuckians of all ages to discover Lincoln’s many connections to Kentucky, which gives them perspective on the present and inspiration for the future.
In February, we also feature the contributions of African Americans to the history of the commonwealth and our nation. We are pleased to offer several excellent opportunities for you to explore the story of Kentucky’s African Americans in our children’s programs, museum theatre, and adult programs. You can read more details about these and other events and programs offered by KHS in the coming months in this newsletter or visit our online calendar of events.
