Keeping Track of the Clues

A couple of years ago, I posted several articles about using Excel to help with genealogy research.  I created my own version of Family Group Sheets and this week, I’ve begun making modifications to those to help me keep track of clues that I’m finding while I’m trying to determine if a certain family connects to mine. The time frame for this family is late 1700′s to early 1800′s so I’m not able to find potential birth dates based on census records or anything like that, so little clues from wills, deeds and court records can help me put the pieces together.

But I need to be able to keep these clues in an organized fashion – not on post it notes on my bulletin board or even in a notebook because sooner or later, I’ll lose track of those.  So I’m using hidden rows in my Excel Group Sheet. The beauty of hidden rows is that I can print a regular group sheet

or I can print an expanded version showing the clues that I’ve been gathering. A Group sheet fits on one side of a sheet of paper, but these rows can be whatever size I need to add every little clue that I find and I won’t have to worry about it ruining the look of my group sheet.  I can transcribe parts of documents or write out my thought processes to help me match potential ancestors with information I already have.

To include hidden rows in your Excel file:

1) Right click on the number of the row below the location you’d like to insert a row.  Select “insert”.

2)  I prefer for the row to be one cell with centered, red, italic print.  You can select all of these options by highlighting the cells, right clicking and clicking on the options you’d like.

3)  My group sheet has some areas for notes, but I usually add a hidden row under each child’s name and any other place which I might want to add information such as birth/death/marriage dates or parents’ names.  To hide a row, right click on the number at the beginning of the row you’d like to hide.  Select “hide” and the line will disappear.  Notice that the number also disappears, which can be a reminder that you have a hidden row.  If rows are hidden, they do not appear on your print out.

4)  To make the row visible again, highlight the rows above and below, right click and select “unhide”.  Once rows are unhidden, they will show up on your print out.

5)  If you have more than one hidden row, you can reveal them all by highlighting the entire group sheet or a group of rows, right clicking and selecting “unhide”.

Using hidden rows keeps me organized.  Knowing that I can add as much information as I want without messing up the look of my traditional group sheet makes it more likely that I will add the information to my sheet.  I won’t have to worry about missing the clue that ties everything together.

Would you like a copy of the Group Sheet in Excel?  Just click here!

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Wordless Wednesday – Herman Smith

Notice the squirrels on the line

I have learned so much about my family as I have been working on the old negatives that were my grandmother’s.  This is my mother’s father, Herman Smith.  I asked my mom if they ate those squirrels and she said, “Well, yes!” like it was an unusual question or something!

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My negative dilemma solved!

Before...

After!

I’ve known for a long time that if I have a “techie” computer question, I can always ask my kids.  Especially my 2nd son who is in college studying graphic design and seems to have ALL of the latest computer goodies and programs out there.  So after spending a couple of hours looking through negatives today and separating black and white negatives (older) from color negatives, I took a shot and asked my son if he knew of a program that would take my scanned negative and turn it into a digital image.  He said he couldn’t think of any. 

That’s when my 13 year old daughter piped up, “you mean like this?” and took my laptop.  30 seconds later, I had a great digital image!  I think this may be my great-grandmother, Mintie Scott Smith.  I was overwhelmed!  She used an online site called Picnik.com.  She said she uses it alot to add interesting effects to photos before she puts them on her Facebook page.  With one click of the “invert” button, she turned my negative into a photo!  So that got me to wondering if there was a similar button on my Adobe Photoshop program and there is!

At this very moment, she is scanning all of the black and white negatives that I had pulled out earlier today.  There are a couple of hundred photos that are black and white.  Based on a couple of test runs, I can see that some of the negatives are too scratched to be converted, but I’m hopeful that the majority of them will be good.  She says that it should also work with color negatives, so I’ll be anxious to give that a try!

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Saturday Night Genealogy Fun

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun for this week is to find your ancestors in 1909!  I used the 1910 census and found each of my living great and great-great-grandparents.  I only had 1 living grandparent and he is listed with his parents.  I had never noticed before the number of Russell County relatives that lived on the same road!

• Great-grandfather Oliver Smith (age 39) and great-grandmother Mintie Scott Smith (age 35) were living on Parks Ridge Road in North Jamestown, Russell County, Kentucky.
  • My g-g-grandfather Elias Smith had passed away in 1885 and g-g-grandmother Victoria Coffey (age 62) had remarried and divorced and was living on Parks Ridge Road in North Jamestown, Russell County, Kentucky.
  • My g-g-grandfather Joseph Scott (age 72) and g-g-grandmother Nancy Jain Gilpin Scott (age 69) were living on Clear Fork Road in North Jamestown, Russell County, Kentucky.
• Great-grandfather Enos Bennett (age 22) was living with his sister and her husband – Laura Ellen and Uriah Stephens on Clear Fork Road in North Jamestown, Russell County, Kentucky.
  • G-G-grandfather Silas Jackson Bennett had passed away, and his wife, Mary Elizabeth Rumbo (age 50) is missing in action – although every census I have for her from 1870 to 1820 is from Russell County, Kentucky.
• Great-grandmother Lelar George (age 14) was living with her grandparents (Andrew Stephens and Lucy Stephens) on Clear Fork Road in North Jamestown, Russell County, Kentucky.  Both of her parents had passed away.
• Great-grandfather Wilford Howe Bushong (age 34), great-grandmother Ezza Brown Bushong (age 40) and grandfather Norman Bushong (age 10) were living on Middletown Pike in Harrison Twp, Henry County, Indiana.
  • G-G-grandfather Peter Polk Bushong (age 65) and G-G-grandmother Rozella McCormick (age 55) were living in Middletown, Henry Co, Indiana.
  • G-G-grandfather George Henry Brown (age 69) and Susannah Wilson Brown (age 67) were living in Washington Twp, Adams Co, Indiana.
• Great-grandfather Harry Comstock (age 37) and great-grandmother Alta Mae Rector (age 21) were living in Union Twp, Madison County, Indiana.
  • G-G-grandfather Robert Comstock (age 68) and his wife, Nancy Hawk Comstock (age 58) were living in Dodds Twp, Jefferson Co, Illinois.
  • G-G-grandfather Elias Jackson Rector (age 51) and his wife, Emma Little Rector (age 46) were living in Union Twp, Madison Co, Indiana.

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Elias Smith – Civil War Soldier

In honor of Memorial Day, I’d like to profile the military information that I have for my great-great-grandfather, Elias Smith. I am a complete novice when it comes to military information, so all of the military information I have on Elias comes from his pension packet and from information posted on http://www.geocities.com/~etelamaki_home/8thkent.html which states that the information for this company was supplied by Judy Shamp.  A transcription of the Adjutant General’s Report was supplied by Larry R. Henson.  (Thank you Judy and Larry!)

Elias served with the 8^th Kentucky Cavalry, Co C.  He enrolled in Casey County, Kentucky on July 28, 1862 to serve for 12 months.  He mustered into service on Sept. 8, 1862 at Russellville, Kentucky. 

This battalion (second) was organized by Colonel Bristow and commanded by Major J.M. Kennedy.  The second and third battalions were engaged in a number of skirmishes with the rebel Colonel Woodward, and, finally, by a night march under Major Kennedy, they came upon his forces at Camp Coleman, in Todd County, Ky., dispersing the whole force.  Upon the invasion of Kentucky by Bragg, General Buell ordered the second and third battalions to join his command at Bowling Green, Ky. In conjunction with a part of the 4^th Kentucky Cavalry, were assigned to the responsible duty of guarding General Buell’s immense wagon train across Green river. Upon returning to Bowling Green, two companies of the 8^th Cavalry were sent upon a scout into Tennessee, where they surprised and captured a party of over one hundred rebel soldiers who were engaged in collecting supplies for Bragg’s army.  During the winter and spring the first and second battalions were engaged in many skirmishes, and were assigned the duty of protecting the country west of the Nashville railroad.  This regiment and a battalion of the 3^rd Kentucky Cavalry, under command of Colonel Bristow, were in pursuit of John Hunt Morgan in his raid through Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio, and did good service in that long and fatiguing march, and were present at the taking of the notorious raider.

The regiment was mustered out of service at Russellville, Ky., September 23^rd, 1863.

Elias was reported “present” on October 31, but contracted the measles in November.  On the muster rolls for November and December, he was listed as “absent on detached duty in hospital”.  A note in his file indicates that he was “left at the hospital in Russellville, Kentucky for 15 days on or about December 24, 1862.  For January and February of 1863, he was present, but “sick”.  Considering the fact that 117 men from the regiment died, and 109 of those were from disease, I think Elias was one of the lucky ones.

Elias honorably mustered out of service on Sept. 17, 1863 in Lebanon, Kentucky.

I wish this could be more eloquent and detailed!  I plan to continue researching Elias’ military service and would love to hear suggestions and comments.

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Tombstone Tuesday – Oliver and Mintie Smith

 

These are my great-grandparents – my grandfather’s parents.  They spent most of their lives in Russell County, Kentucky, but moved to Franklin, Indiana around 1946.  They are buried in the cemetery of First Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Franklin.

Mintie was the daughter of Joseph Scott and Nancy Jain Gilpin – the subject of my Madness Monday!  Oliver Smith’s parents were Elias Smith and Victoria Coffey.

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Wordless Wednesday – Lester Smith family

Lester Smith, Rachel Johnson and children

I don’t know about “Wordless”, but this family leaves me speechless! My grandfather’s brother and his wife had a total of 28 children, 13 of whom survived.

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