Who Do You Think You Are, Season 2 Episode 6

Celebrity: Steve Buscemi
Aired: 25 Mar 2011

Presentation (Follow Up)

I know this is almost a week late, but I wanted to thank the Jefferson County Genealogical Society for allowing me to present my program at their meeting last Saturday. I had a great time and enjoyed all the great questions members asked about English and Welsh records.

If any of you have more questions, please use the contact tab at the top of this page, and I'll be glad to answer them.

Thank you! (I apologize for this being a bit late. I ended up with a weekend long migraine and then it completely slipped my mind afterwards.)

Records and Research: Edith Elizabeth Eckard (No. 3-4)

This series began with a randomly selected document that contains genealogical information. I will then take that information and outline what we can learn from the document and what I would do next to find more information on the person involved.

Records and Research: Edith Elizabeth Eckard (No. 2)

This series began with a randomly selected document that contains genealogical information. I will then take that information and outline what we can learn from the document and what I would do next to find more information on the person involved.


Document No. 2: Marriage License dated 13 May 1913
Link: Link (From Missouri Marriage Records, 1805-2002, via Ancestry.com)

Records and Research: Edith Elizabeth Eckard (No. 1)

This series will begin with a randomly selected document that contains genealogical information. I will then take that information and outline what we can learn from the document and what I would do next to find more information on the person involved.


Document No. 1: U.S. Passport Application for Edith Elizabeth Eckard, stamped 28 Feb 1923
Link: Link (From U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925, via Ancestry.com)

Name: Edith Elizabeth Eckhard

Born: 10 Aug 1888 Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England

Lived in England: Birth to 19 Nov 1904

Married to: Christian Eckhard on 14 May 1913, Husband born in St. Louis, Missouri and resided at 2741 Dakota Street.

Child Traveling with Her: Elizabeth Eckhard, age 8 in 1923

Other Important Facts from this Document:

• Her reason for returning to England was to visit relatives but didn't specify who.
• She planned on leaving aboard a White Star Line ship from Montreal, Canada on 2 Jun 1923 
• Her physical description: 35 years old, 5 feet tall, brown eyes, auburn hair, fair complexion. 
• Witness to her Identity: Richard D. Elliot has known her for 6 years as of 1923. (Note: Always take note of who is witnessing documents for your ancestors. There is a good chance they are related or close associates.) 

Next Steps: Since she married after her immigration, the next step needs to be a search for her marriage license so that we can find her maiden name and immigration information. With that information, we can find her birth and death records and proceed filling in the the time in between.

Kansas City Trip, Mid-April

I wanted to give people a heads up that I'll be heading to Kansas City for a birthday trip to visit a friend around April 17th. I will be able to fit in some time at the Midwest Genealogical Center, so if anyone seeing this needs a record for anywhere in Missouri (I can check for availability of the microfilm.) or Kansas City specific research, let me know through the contact me tab at the top of this page before that weekend and I can get you a bid estimate. Since I'm going there anyway, I won't be charging any travel charges, just my hourly rate and copies.

Thanks!

Quick Tips: North Carolina Vital Records

I just wanted to put the word out for researchers. If you are looking for North Carolina Vital Records that aren't available online because they're too recent, you're going to want to avoid the state level when ordering records for awhile. They have an enormous backlog (I ordered a record in December and still haven't gotten it. When I called in January, they said they'd only gotten to November requests.).

You're far better off ordering your records through the county vital records offices.

Resource: Trafalgar Ancestors

The National Archives has a database of people who served the British side during the Battle of Trafalgar, which includes any service histories and biographies that they've found. (Note: There are  multiple nationalities that served on the British side, and there are even Americans who were serving on British ships. Searching 'America' in advanced search for place of birth, lists 84 people, let alone if you search for specific American locations.)

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/trafalgarancestors/

Who Do You Think You Are, Season 2 Episode 5

Celebrity: Lionel Ritchie
Aired: 4 Mar 2011

Presentation

I'm wrapping up my work on the presentation I'm giving to the Jefferson County Genealogical Society on March 19th, including creating some hand outs. This is the reason I've not managed to review another season one episode of Who Do You Think You Are, though I want to try to get to that tomorrow if possible.

Here's the information on the presentation again, just in case you want to attend:

Presentation @ the Jefferson County Genealogical Society (Website: Link)
Date: March 19th, 2011
Time: 9:30 a.m. (Speaker begins between 10:15 and 10:30)
Location: Jefferson County Library, 5680 Hwy PP, High Ridge, Missouri
Presentation Title: Records of England and Wales: An Introduction
Description: Focuses on some of the basics of English and Welsh Genealogical Records for Researchers.
Public Welcome!