Michael John Neill's Genealogy Website
Due to some schedule changes, we have a few additional open spaces in our AncestryDNA class this coming June. If you signed up and have not heard from me, please contact me. If you would like to sign up, visit our information page.
An 1833 deed record in Coshocton County, Ohio, from Thomas Chaney to Abraham Chaney contains the following text at the very bottom of the record copy of the deed: Recorder’s Office Coshocton County Ohio This Deed was Filed in my office for Record Oct [22?]nd 1834 [And?] was Recorded same day & Year in book […]
Historical timelines fitting your ancestor’s life into larger historical events are a good analytical tool. However… One always has to give some thought to whether or not the historical event really had an impact on your ancestor’s life. Don’t just dump larger historical events into your ancestor’s personal chronology without thinking about whether or not […]
The War of 1812 widow’s pension application for Jemima Meads (widow of Elisha) in Harford County, Maryland, includes testimony from Thomas Tredway. Elisha served as a private in Captain James Rampley’s Company of the Maryland Militia in the War of 1812. Tredway was an 83-year old resident of Baltimore County, Maryland, at the time of […]
Working only with transcriptions can sometimes be a hindrance. Handwriting sometimes itself is a clue. The original wills of Antje Fecht and Mimke Habben appear to be written by the same person. They were written approximately thirteen years apart. There is no direct statement as to who wrote the wills. This is typical for the […]
Family tradition has it that my maternal grandfather, John H. Ufkes (1917-2003), served in the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. Traditions can often be wrong, so it’s possible that there are no such records. I’ve made a request for the records and will have an update when the records have arrived or I […]
I’m working on analyzing DNA test results for an individual whose mother was likely the result of a “short-term” relationship his grandmother had late in 1912 while she was married to someone else. Without going into details, the DNA matches (shared and, more importantly unshared) confirm this suspicion. While “short-term relationship” is a nicely worded […]
I search for a few of my unusual names in just about any database. It is a great way to find new people and take advantage of the unusual names that can be frustrating in so many other ways. It apparently is a great way to get fodder for blog posts. This time my search […]
War of 1812 pension records from the National Archives are currently in the scanning process and are being posted online at Fold3.com. Now including through the letters “N” and “O” for some states.
Ancestry.com has two seemingly similar record sets: “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America [ELCA] Church Records, 1826-1945” “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America[ELCA], Swedish American Church Records, 1800-1946.” Researchers can potentially get them confused. “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America [ELCA] Church Records, 1826-1945” does not contain records of every ELCA congregation. The digital images that Ancestry.com […]
