Join Me!

I haven't written on this blog for sometime now. But I have recently shifted some things around in my life and hope to blog more about my feelings towards family history, tips, adventures, and the strength it has in bringing people together.

This past week I created a personal Facebook page for my business "Hannah Z Allan Genealogy Services". I have been trying to create a website for months now, but it's just too time consuming and really doesn't do what I want. I realized that Facebook would be a better medium to share what I am doing, places I'm speaking, and more importantly share my enthusiasm for family history. My hope is that through my page and my work, others will find the joy in searching for their ancestors and fall in love with their family.

The attack on family is increasing and affecting every individual and every aspect of society. I care so deeply about families and want to share my passion through my talents and skills. It is my true belief that through family history and drawing close to our ancestors, we will be strengthened and changed individuals and families. I have seen it over and over again and hope to keep helping others do the same.

So here's my way of making a difference!

Happy Researching!

Hannah

Fun with Microfilm

Last week for five days, all day, we had two old ladies searching for obituaries on microfilm. They did nothing else. Each day my co-worker and I were surprised they had more to do; and each day we sighed with resentment because of all the work WE would have to do.

After the first day, their pile of used microfilm looked like this:

Here's the second day:

 And third:

 Mind you, this is a lot of microfilm for our historical society. So each morning we had to put all of these away. Unfortunately the boxes aren't numbered like at the Salt Lake City Family History Library. They are in alphabetical order by town and then the name of the newspaper. It takes a little while to figure out were they go. So you can imagine how excited we were to put all of these microfilm, from all over Oregon, from all time periods back in all of their drawers.

It really isn't that big of a problem but the best part of the story is when after their fourth day of doing this they finally come to us and ask, "Do you have an obituary index for all of Oregon?"

 Now you are asking??

 I guess the millions of microfilm were getting to them too.

 "Sorry, no..."

 Now that would be nice, now wouldn't it?

 So back they went to the microfilm room, and back we went to wondering where they got all of these names. The next day I finally asked them what was going on, and it was exactly what I thought.

 "So you're looking for obituaries?"

 "Yeah."

You've just done a lot of research and are finally having the chance to look for obituaries?"

 "Yeah."

 Cool. Ok...

 "So you're family's from all over Oregon?"Hence all the newspapers from Tillamook to Grants Pass. 

"No, Mostly from North Dakota."

Pause. Flash back to all of the microfilm from the past five days. 

"Ah. Well, let us know if you need anything."

They have gone now, and I will secretly miss the suspense of them coming in. But I do have to say, it's nice not having to put all the microfilm away. Perhaps now the librarians at the North Dakota Historical Society are having fun with microfilm. Yet again, they could have a master list of obituaries in their library.

Now that would be nice, now wouldn't it?

Moral of the Story: 

Ask for an obituary index before searching through hundreds of microfilm.
 Just in case. 

Genealogy: Bonanza Style

Last week a patron came in with a very curious genealogy problem.

His ancestor emigrated to the U.S. from Germany in the early nineteenth century. He married and settled in Pennsylvania; but when the man was in his fifties, his wife, apparently, “had enough of him.” She gave him $2,000 and told him to go away. So he went away-- to Oregon.  

Hmmmm…And what sources do you have for all of this? Family letters. Ok, whew!

In 1844, he bought 1280 acres of land (aka two sections) near Oregon City. Then two years later, he supposedly died. A will was left that bequeathed all his land to a doctor…. and witnessed by…. the same doctor.  

 

Uh oh. We have a Bonanza/Cartwright dilemma on our hands: Good man with lots of land. Bad man wants lots of land. Bad man tries to kill good man and steal all the good man’s land. 

Hmmmm… 

The wife then proceeds to dispute the will in the mid 1850s but is told by the Oregon government that all the records had been, you guessed it, burned. 

Hmmmm… 

The patron can't find anything more about his ancestor or any of the men associated with the land or the will. He can’t even find them in the censuses.

 Hmmmmm…

 
(source of image) 

 Question 1: Were all the records  really burned?

Question 2: What happened to the doctor?

Question 3: Is there a real probate?

Question 4: Where are the 1200 acres?  

“Well, we can look at a few things here,” I tell him. “But your best bet would be to go to the Clackamas County Courthouse for land and death records, and probates.”  

Oh! You debated whether to come here or the courthouse, and you’re from Tennessee, and you only have this afternoon. Greaaaattt…”  

First, I check the validity of the fire. The Oregon State Archives website states: "The first Clackamas County Courthouse was built in 1850 at Oregon City and burned down a few days after completion…"

(source of image) 

Awesome. 

With that solved, I show him the items in the library that would be most helpful. We find nothing. Nothing about his ancestor and nothing on the men mentioned in his letters or will. 

I'm seriously starting to wonder if the man was even ever IN Oregon!

 I then get an idea. There is an add-on for GoogleEarth where you can plot the township and ranges grid over a current day map. We do this and decide to try to figure out where the land is. In one of his letters it says “9 miles up the Willamette River.” Or something like that.  

So I go 9 miles UP the Willamette River from Oregon City. That puts us just south of Portland.

Hmmm…

 The patron goes 9 miles up a tributary of the Willamette from Oregon City. Not much out there. Besides, that’s not the main Willamette River.

Hmmm…

 Wait. You say it was 9 miles from the MOUTH of the river. Well then, that’s from the Columbia River. And that puts, us...right...at…Portland?”  Hey! Your ancestor was the first man to own Portland!

(source of image) 

Ok, not really. 

 Well this is all very confusing.  

We decide to look at old maps showing who owned the property in the 1860s for all the places 9 miles up and down and diagonal from the river…minus Portland.

 Nothing. Again. Well at least we’re consistent! 

We try a few more things, but with no luck. I suggest again contacting the County Courthouse or trying the microfilmed land records and probates through FamilySearch. 

So sadly, the man left with little findings on his one afternoon visit. However he probably learned a lesson… 

Moral of the story:
If you only have one afternoon in a state faraway from home,
go to the county court house.

Never Give Up! Never surrender!

Last week I was reminded again of the phrase “Never give up! Never surrender!” As genealogists, we sometimes have to use this mantra to keep us going. 

 

The week before I received a request to locate an obituary or burial information for a man who she believe died in Eugene, Oregon in 1968 or 1967, but lived most of his life in Medford, Oregon. I immediately checked for him in the Oregon Death Index and located his exact death as June 28, 1968 in Lane County.

  

Eugene is in Lane County! Ah ha! She was right!

 So as any logical genealogist would do, I checked the Eugene Registar Guard for an obituary. But as any logical genealogist would know, it isn’t always that easy.

No obituary.

Ok. Lane County is big. Let’s check other cities.

I proceeded to check other cities’ newspapers in Lane County. No luck.

Alright! Never give up! Never surrender!

I remember the patron saying that the gentleman was from Medford, Oregon.

Ok! Medford Mail Tribune here I come!

And voila! One day after he died I find a short obituary stating that the man had died in Eugene but his body was being returned to Medford. It also provided the funeral home name and his burial place.

Moral of the story: Never give up! Never surrender!

(…even if you think there won’t be anything there.)

Welcome!

I have started this new blog in order to keep a journal of my daily interactions with genealogists. I am currently a Reference Assistant and On-site Genealogist for the Oregon Historical Society Research Library in Portland, Oregon. I am constantly working with genealogists both in-house and remotely, helping them locate their Oregon ancestors. I realized that through my work, I was accruing many stories about research and researchers - some funny, some unbelievable, but mostly educational. Many of the stories are valuable in teaching methodology, so I use them often in my workshops. But for those who can’t go to workshops, I didn’t want these stories to go to waste, nor for me to forget them.

So I hope you enjoy reading, find some funny quirks about genealogy, and learn a thing or two along the way.

Cheers!

Hannah