The Lottery Winners

     I have some Georgia ancestors who, for some reason, up and moved late in life.  Or who had random land half-way across the state in their estate records. Why on earth would they move like that or have than random land?  Because they won the lottery.

     In the early 1800s, Georgia was expanding.  In 1802 the western boundary of the state was established, though much of it was land belong to the Cherokee and Creek Native Americans.  As we all know, this land was taken piece by piece.  Once it was taken, the state government wanted to fill it with white settlers.... or cannon fodder.  Depends how you want to look at it, I guess. And of course, there were a ton of young families looking for land to building their lives on.

     The easiest way to settle Americans in the newly acquired land was to simply give it away.  Georgia used a lottery system and in 1805, 1907, 1820, 1821, 1827, 1832 (twice) and 1833, citizens received land.  You could purchase a ticket in the lottery if you met certain criteria, which changed each time.

    Searching for your ancestors in the lottery is a great way to find out if they fought in a war, were a widow, an orphan, or of a certain age.  Also, if you have an ancestor who lived in Georgia and simply disappeared around this period, it might be that they won some land and moved.  If you suspect that your John Smith from Elbert County is the John Smith who is suddenly living in Gwinnett County in the 1830 census, that might be because he won land there during the 1820 lottery.  Lottery records can help confirm your theory.

     Researching these records can be a bit confusing.  There were a lot of lotteries and a ton of records created through the process.  I highly recommend the book, "Georgia Land Lottery Research" by Paul  K Graham, to help figure things out.  It's on the shelf at the Georgia Archives, next to the books that index the winners.  The book has information on requirements for each lottery, maps of the land given away and, best of all, tells you the exact drawer and box of the microfilm you need.  And for each person you want to look up, you'll need to pull a series of four different films.  See why you need the book?

     One last hint, which I picked up from a fellow researcher while a friend and I were trying to figure out the lotteries: some books just list the winners.  If you can find it, look for indexes of eligible drawers, not just fortunate winners.  Even if you ancestor didn't win, you'll find out a bit about then simply knowing that they were eligible.

The War of 1812 at the Georgia Archives

     Last weekend I attended a symposium on the War of 1812 hosted at the Georgia Archives, along with some of my fellow DAR ladies.  First off, a shout out to the Friends of the Georgia Archives for the yummy snacks and all that they do for the Archives.  Also, thanks as well to all of the wonderful speakers.  I didn't realize that I really didn't know anything about the War of 1812, but now I have a good understanding of the events, the causes and the longterm repercussions of the war.

     One of the main reason I went was to find out how I could find out more about my ancestors and their participation in the war.  The Archives staff gave an overview of the resources that they hold that would be of interest to genealogists.

     They started off by talking about the history of the collection and how much of the provenance of the holdings are lost.  Back in the early days, the original organization of collections was not important.  If a researcher requested a certain record, the archivist pulled it and the record was never returned to its original location.  Many of these loose records have been reorganized into a collect called File II.  These documents are organized by names, subjects and counties.  They consist of both primary and secondary records.  Those files organized by name are searchable online.

     Other records include:

• General Name File
• Governor's Records
• Executive Minutes
• Governor's letter Books 
• WPA Transcription Project
• GA Military Affairs, 1775-1842
• GA Military Record Books, 1779-1839
• Creek Indian Letters, 1705-1839
• GA, FL and Yazoo Land Sales, 1764-1850
• Public Officer's Commissions
• Land Lottery Records (books & microfilm)
• Personal tip: start with Paul Graham's "Georgia Land Lottery Research"

     And they're not part of the Georgia Archives, but don't forget about the free War of 1812 Pensions that are available online at Fold3.com.  They've gotten partially through the 'M's so far.  

Skipping Page Two

     Thanks Lewis, for living to an elderly age.  Not that you didn't accomplish a whole lot in your life, but I appreciate that you lived long enough to be enumerated on the 1840 census.  You provided me with an ancestor that utilized the "Revolutionary War Pension" and exact "age" column.   Of course, if I'd skipped page two, I never would have seen that little fact anyway.

     There's so much information that can be found on the 2nd page of many documents.  Unfortunately it's often not clear that there is a page two.

     You do your search and come up with a document.  You get your information, download a copy, attach it to your tree, etc, and move on.  But in reality, there was a gold mine of information on the second page that you missed.  Such as the fact that Lewis Stowers wasn't just age "70 and under 80;" he was 76.  And by the way, he has a Revolutionary War Pension that you need to go looking for.

     Here's a short list of documents that you should always flip to the next page on - and sometimes keep flipping.

• 1840 & 1830 Federal Census Records
• Census Non-Population Schedules
• Military Service Records
• Military Pension Records
• WWII Draft Cards
• Veterans Headstone Applications
• Ship Passenger Records
• Naturalization Records
• Estates & Deeds

     In general, it's always a good idea to check the page before and after the record that you've found. Even if the information doesn't pertain to your ancestor, you might find family, acquaintances or neighbors (FAN) that can help you.

     It can also help to learn more about the record collection that you're looking at.  Both Ancestry and FamilySearch will have a link to "more about this collection."  This will sometimes include a list of the enumerated information or questions asked, or even a blank form that is more legible than the actual document.  If you know what information should be there, you'll know to keep looking if you don't see it right away.

     So remember to check the 2nd page and just maybe you'll learn someone's exact age from the 1840 census too.

  

Technology in the Library

     A few weeks back I visited the Washington Memorial Branch of the Macon County, Georgia, Library for the first time.  They have a large genealogy room there and I'd heard that it held a lot of Revolutionary War resources.

     As I was browsing books I did what I often do now: take photos of pertinent information using my cellphone.  As I sat in the isle (I didn't see the point in hauling a shelf and a half of books about Edgfield Co., SC to a table), a voice behind me asked, "You're not taking photos of the books, are you?"  I found out that the library does not allow patrons to photograph book pages.  Instead, you must make a photocopy (20¢).  I complied, but I was flabbergasted.

     The only reason I can see for this policy is to make money.  And yes, I understand that these libraries are all likely underfunded and need all the money they can make to provide services.  And the photocopy machine costs money to operate.  But to force patrons to use the copy machine if they want a copy of the book pages?  I'm sorry, but it feels greedy to me.  I hate to say that, because it's judgmental.  I don't honestly know the library's reasoning for the policy but, regardless of what the reasoning might be, I don't like it.

     Aside from the money aspect, I have to wonder what their thoughts are considering the technological aspects of their policy.  Every day more an more people, regardless of age, use smartphones.  Genealogists are buying portable scanners and tablets to make research easier when away from home.  Heck, there are cameras in eyeglasses!  The use of digital technology in libraries, archives and courthouses is on the rise. I'm not sure how long this library thinks to enforce this policy, but I just can't see it lasting long.  Technology is growing and changing so fast that there's no telling what it will look like in five years.  I'm betting this policy won't last that long though.