Favorite Records: Homestead Exemptions

     One of my favorite records are Homestead Exemptions.  I've used these records to help better understand the lives of my ancestors and fill in the blanks between census years.  So far I've used them to research my Georgia ancestors.  Georgia's records began in 1852 but, as these were state created laws, they began at different times in different states.  According to the Georgia Archive, "the basic purpose of this exemption is to make a certain amount of person's property untaxable."

     Given the purpose of the records, you might be able to guess what kind of information is included: the person who is seeking tax protection and details on the property needing protection.  These records will list the head of the household and in some list his family members.  Often, every member of the household will be listed by name; it's like a mini census!  Then there is a list of property, such as acres of land, livestock, furniture, and seemingly random items such as sewing machines and guns.  Sometimes you'll luck up and the record will include a plat map.

     For example, you can see the Homestead Exemption application for my Great-Great-Great Grandfather, William W Sprouse.  This record was filed in 1889 - hey, look at that! It's like a stand-in for the destroyed 1890 census.  It lists William, wife Nancy, and children Tully, Walter, Nina, Miller and Bernie.  This was exciting for me, in part because my Great-Great Grandmother, Nina Sprouse, never appeared on a census record with her parents.  The record also lists the family's property and it's value.  It's interesting to see the price of things in 1889.

     Finding these records is always exciting for me, even though they tend to indicate that my ancestors were struggling financially.  They are a bit of a gold mine and may help you learn something new about your ancestors.

A Google Chrome Extension for AncestryDNA

     I was browsing Ancestry.com's DNA message boards the other day, when I saw a really interesting post.  A user of AncestryDNA was working on a Google Chrome extension to help fill in part of the features gap that is (in my opinion) a huge problem with Ancestry.com's autosomal DNA test.

     For those of you who might be unfamiliar with extensions, it's a little piece of code that you can download and attach to the Google Chrome web browser that modifies web pages.  In this case, the code adds a search function and the ability to download match lists and different data from your matches. The only hitch is that you have to view each match individually to allow the extension to log the data. The latest update sent out includes a feature that lets you pull all of your match's surnames with the click of one button.

     What I'm most excited about is the ability to search your matches by names or surnames. Take a look at the new search function that this extension adds:

     You can see a search box at the top of the screen with some search options. You can search by username or surnames.  In this example, I've searched for matches who have the surname 'Waters' in their family trees.  I have a results list of 10 matches.  Amazing! (Actually, what's amazing is that Ancesty.com doesn't already offer this feature).

     So, how do you get this awesome tool?  Email Jeff at jsnavely@cox.net. He will email you the extension and installation instructions.  Have fun!

Happy Dances Lead To Head Wounds

I didn't have to work today, so I slept in a little and then decided to go to the Georgia Archive.  It was an interesting and somewhat fruitful trip.      First off, I left my flash drive at home.  This is not the first time I've done this!  Since I realized this 45 minutes after leaving the house, I had to stop at CVS to get a new one.  Then, when I got to the Archive, all of the "good" (aka, electronic) microfilm readers were taken.  But it was close to noon by then, when the archive clears out a little as people break for lunch.      Indeed, this is what happened and I soon found myself at one of the good readers with a bunch of microfilm.  I had a few records to find that I had already researched using online indexes, so I was quickly doing a happy dance.  I then set about to research my McCurley and Shiflet lines.... and came up empty.      After a while of feeling like I wasn't getting anywhere I decided to switch over to my Alexander line.  I've traced this line back to my 4x Great Grandfather, George Alexander, but had gotten stuck.  I decided to look up all the wills in Elbert County, Georgia, for men named Alexander who died in a time period before my 4x Great Grandfather was 50 years old.  This resulted in only four men.  I then checked the listed children in the wills for sons named George.  This isn't full-proof (in fact there are numerous ways that this might not work at all), but it was my best strategy and it gave me one result: William Alexander.  He died in 1854 and his will mentioned a son named George.  After doing some at-home research, I think that this could be my guy.  More on that in a later post.      By this point it was about 1pm.  One of the employees made an announcement that, due to demand, they were setting up sign-in sheets for the good microfilm readers and asked that anyone who had been at one for more than an hour make room for other patrons.  I'd been at mine for an hour and a half, so I gathered up my things and moved to a hand crank machine.  I was the only person who moved. Guy next to me and ladies across from me who'd been there before me? They didn't even pause.  Good folks all around...      Standing at my downgraded machine, I went looking for a variety of records for ancestors who decided to up and move house in their later years.  Mostly, these are men who I can't find death records for, but online trees list as died in some random seeming location.  I had luck with one record: the will of John Cash, my 6x Great Grandfather.   As I was happily adjusting my machine to get photos of the record: THWAP!  I slammed (yes, slammed) the side of my head into the microfilm reader. Ouch! But yay...      A short time later  was able to get back on an electronic reader and I did a little more research before heading home.  All together it was a pretty good trip, even if a little painful.

HBO's Family Tree

     Thanks to my sister's HBO Go subscription, I was able to watch the first episode of Family Tree.  I found it to be an amusing show, though it's probably not for everyone.

     First off, it's on HBO and it's british, so there is some adult language and sexual humor (I'd rate it a strong PG13 at the very least).

     Although it's not a genealogy show, much of the show dealt with a family history theme.  The main character, Tom, is having a Sunday dinner with his family and learns that his Great-Aunt has died.  She's left him a trunk, seemingly full of junk.  When Tom starts to sort through the trunk he quickly finds an old photograph of a man in a military dress uniform.  Intrigued, he calls his father, who suggests that it is Tom's Great-Grandfather, Harry.  From there, Tom spends the rest of the show seeking help in uncovering more about the photo and his grandfather.

Tom looks for a resemblance between the man in the photo
and himself, with a glove draped on his head.

     I was a little surprised by the format of the show, and how it felt a little like an episode of Who Do You Think You Are.  It's filmed as a mockumentary with "interviews," as well as with regular sitcom style scenes (think The Office).  Tom calls relatives to ask questions about the photo, he consults experts, they meet in a cafe to discuss their discoveries.  Does this not sound like an episode of WDYTYA to you?

     There were certainly non-family-history related portions of the show, but even some of those tied into family history in off-the-wall sort of ways ("How far back do you go back? How many ancestors away do you go? Like to sort of dinosaurs times?").  Other aspects of the show were much like any other sitcom.  Since this was the first episode, much of it was taken up with introducing the characters. The show is a comedy, and it's a very British comedy. There's a lot of off-the-wall banter between very kooky characters and seemingly pointless banter.

     Overall, I enjoyed the show and will continue to watch it.  I would recommend it to others, but would understand if it's not for everyone.