Voter's Records

Photo courtesy Family History Daily

Next week, we go to the voting booths and make our selections to decide the fate of different candidates and issues in our area.

Have you ever wondered if you can access your ancestor's voting records?

The answer is yes, and no. While you can't see which way your ancestor voted, you can sometimes view their voter registration.

Voter's registers can be harder to find, but are well worth the effort. Along with census records, they place our ancestors in specific places at specific times.

You can:

• Fill in gaps between censuses
• Find middle names
• Find spouses and other family members registered at the same address
• Naturalization information
• Where born
• Political party affiliation 
• Migration from other locations.
• Physical characteristics

EXAMPLES OF REGISTERS:

1903 Mason Township Lawrence County, Ohio Quadrennial Enumeration.
This places my 4 X great uncle, William Tagg, in Lawrence County in 1903.
He disappeared after the 1900 Census and I have always assumed he died.
Now I know to start my search for his death record after 1903.

State Voter Registration Records:

• Ohio- Ohio counted adult men every 4 years in various counties to determine voting districts, called quadrennial enumerations. Some of them are view-able on the FamilySearch.org web site and the Ohio History Connection has some of them in their Library And Archives. 
• Historic records not available on FamilySearch yet. Ohio took quadrennial enumerations of men 21+ years old to determine voting districts from 1803-1911. Under taxation...
• Current registrations: Check Your Voter Registration
• Arizona - Has "great registers" similar to California's at Ancestry Library Edition (ALE)  (and Ancestry.com) , FamilySearch.org and at their State Library
• California - "Great Registers"
• 1900-1968 is available on ALE  under "California, Voter Registrations, 1900-1968
• Available on FamilySearch.org "Great Registers 1867-1890"
• California State Library has 1866-1898 and 1900-1944 on microfilm
• Chicago - (not a state!) have late 1800 voters records at FamilySearch and some are also available on ALE
• Georgia -  At FamilySearch.org - has the 1867-68 Returns of qualified voters
• New York - ALE has a list of registered voters in 1880
• Kansas 
• On ALE,  Leavenworth, Kansas Voter Registration, 1859 and Kansas Election List, 1854
• And for free on the Kansas GenWeb site
• Massachusetts  - on ALE Massachusetts, Applications of Freemen, 1630-1691
• Wyoming - The State Archives has poll lists and voting lists in their collection.

RESOURCES:

• FamilySearch - do catalog search for location "United States, Indiana" then go to bottom of list for "Voting Registers"
• Ancestry Library Edition - catalog search "voter" narrow by location or date. Returns many census records
• Fold3 - enter "voting" in search box.
• Cyndi's List  search for "voters"
• Worldcat.org - search under the location and "voting register"

WEAKNESSES: 

• Before 1920, will not include women in most locations in the US
• In earlier time periods will only include white men of property
• Convicted felons aren't permitted to vote

Arizona Voter Registration 1866-1955 on Ancestry Library Edition showing the EARP brothers, Wyatt, Morgan and J.C. (James) in Pima County (Tuscon) Arizona. Virgil Earp was listed several pages earlier.
The right half of the entries (not shown) provided information on date and place of naturalization.

This 1904 Voter Registration for Wyatt S. Earp shows his birthplace "Ills" for Illinois.
From  Ancestry Library Edition

These entries from the California Voter Registrations 1900-1968 on Ancestry Library Edition show Walt Disney and
his wife, Lillian. Interestingly, she is listed as a Democrat and he is a Republican.

SOURCES:

• "Reasons Why You Should Be Researching Voter Records - A Hidden Gem", The Ancestor Hunter , 12-8-2018
• Haddad, Diane, "Tracing Ancestors in Voter Records" Family Tree Magazine.
• Philibert-Ortega, Gena, "Genealogy 101: Voting Records", GenealogyBank, 6 Nov. 2018.
• "United State Voting Records", Family Search Wiki
• "Voting Created Some Fascinating Genealogy Records! Here's Where to Find them", Family History Daily.

Rutherford B. Hayes OHIO OBITUARY INDEX

Several weeks ago, the MCDL Genealogy Team took a trip to the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museum for training on the Ohio Obituary Index. I blogged about it HERE.


In the blog, I promised that in a future blog to provide some hints on how to get the best results when searching the index.

TA-DA! This is that blog!

Basic information;

• This is an INDEX and as such does not give you all the information that the original death notice would. It just points to where to find a copy of the original.
• The spelling in the index is as the name as it appears in the newspaper. If the newspaper got it wrong, the index will reflect that.  

This obituary of my Mom appeared in the 25 June 1995
Marion Star. Her first name is misspelled. Although on
her birth certificate her name is given as "Janette" she
always spelled it as Jeannette - double n and double t.
The nickname shown is "JJ" which some of her friends
used. But by the majority of people called her
"Jeannie".

• Alternate spellings - try all the variations of spellings that can be applied to the name. Ex. SMITH, SMYTH, SMYTHE.
• The index covers all sorts of death notices, such as administrative & probate notices, news items and obituaries. It is called an OBITUARY index for simplicity. Not every entry is for a full biographical sketch.
• Periods, quote marks and hyphens are not used.
• If the name is hyphenated, it is entered under both names separately. Ex. PALMER-WILCOX, will have a listing under PALMER and a listing under WILCOX. 
• If you are searching a common surname, like JOHNSON, it is best to also use the first name.
• For uncommon names just using the surname may suffice.
• The Ohio Obituary Index has over 3.5 MILLION RECORDS. Medina County District Library only has about 150,000 ENTRIES - or less than 5% of the records. So you will see many entries from other libraries in Ohio.

The index is found at: https://www.rbhayes.org/main/ohio-obituary-index/

SEARCHING TIPS

Before jumping in, take a look at the menu on the right side of the page. It has lots of useful features to know about. Here are some of the most important features:

• List of Newspapers Indexed - 528 newspapers from around Ohio are indexed for obituaries. Maybe your ancestors' hometown is among them.
• Map of participating counties -  42 out of Ohio's 88 counties have participating libraries. See map below.
• Table of participating Libraries - 73 libraries participate in the indexing. Why is this more than the number of counties? Because some counties have multiple library systems participating - like MCDL and the Wadsworth Library!
• The Shopping Cart is only for items that can be ordered from the Rutherford B. Hayes Library.

Map of Ohio counties participating in the Ohio Obituary Index.

BASIC SEARCHES

• A last name MUST be entered.
• Optional fields are; First Name, Middle Name and Year of Death.

 ADVANCED SEARCHES - Requires patience.  Fields are:

• Last Name - search as Exact Match or Begins With
• First Name - search as Exact Match or Begins With
• Middle Name - search as Exact Match or Begins With
• Nickname - search as Exact Match or Begins With
• Spouse's Last Name - search as Exact Match or Begins With
• Maiden Name - search as Exact Match or Begins With
• Anywhere in Notes
• Year of Death Between ______ and ______

 LIBRARIES and NEWSPAPERS

• MUST enter a Last Name.
• Optional fields are; First Name, Middle Name and Year of Death.
• Choose one of the 73 participating libraries from the drop down menu and/or
• Choose one of the 528 newspapers.

 LIBRARIES and OTHER SOURCES 

• Some libraries have indexed other Sources on the Ohio Obituary Index.
• All of the other Sources indexed can be viewed on the menu.

ORDERING COPIES 

The Shopping Cart is only for items that can be ordered from the Rutherford B. Hayes Library.

For all other libraries, use the HOW TO ORDER button that is provided within  each listing and follow the instructions on that screen.

If you have any questions not answered here, contact the MCDL Genealogy Team at:330-722-4257 or me-team.genealogy@mcdl.info or the staff at the Rutherford B. Hayes Library at: 419-332-2081 or hayeslib@rbhayes.org

Stealth Genealogy

Does your family avoid talking about your shared
family history with you?

Do you dream of mining relatives' memories on family history during the holidays, but everyone runs and hides when they see you approaching with pen, paper and forms in hand?










Then it is time to employ some stealth genealogy tactics!

Your relatives may not even realize what you are doing,
if you use "stealth" genealogy tactics!

Here are ten steps to get you going that are especially useful at the holidays...

 Screensaver of family photos on my computer. 
Because of my file naming format,  people are 
displayed in alphabetical order. Hi Darrell!!

1. Put out the old family albums or use a digital display of family photos. I use the folder of family photos as the screen saver on my computer. Several holidays, I have caught my brothers staring at my computer screen only to find that they were really interested in the photos from the screen saver!



2. Talk about holiday traditions. Do you have favorite holiday traditions? Where did they come from? Relate the tradition to ancestors from that area.

3. Talk about food traditions - "Remember how Mom loved the oyster stuffing and we all hated it? Did you know that oyster stuffing is a British tradition? Can you guess how many of our ancestors were British?"

4. Display old holiday cards - "See that card with the bird on it? Uncle John sent that home when he was in the Army in Germany. Yah, it was after he had been wounded in Korea and was visited in the Tokyo hospital by two Generals' wives." 

While it is tattered now, this card is
 still the treasured symbol of the
love that a younger brother
had for his big sister.

Three weeks after arriving in Korea, Pvt. John Mason was
hit by mine shrapnel, some of which he carried with him
the rest of his life.

This woodcut print accompanied the obituary of Joseph Heighton and
was published in an unnamed newspaper.

5. Keep it simple. Don't talk about the process of doing family research. Talk about the results. "Yah, the Heightons were abolitionists and the siblings formed a singing group that would perform at Anti-slavery meetings. Son Joseph Heighton barely escaped being tarred and feathered and had to move away for several years." This can lead to other ancestors' activities during the Civil War.

6. Bring an old family recipe. Mom made wonderful divinity fudge. That could elicit memories of other cooking traditions.

7. When someone starts talking, don't interrupt with questions. Let them fill the silence with more stories. Nod often.

8. Try to record the memories being shared. Most smart phones can do video and audio recordings. REMEMBER - it is illegal to record anyone without their permission. (Hopefully, your family isn't as camera shy as mine!)

This arcade photo of my aunt & uncle
with their spouses could trigger
memories of other family members'
real time behind bars!

9. Everyone loves a scandal! And all families have their share.





10. Use these ticklers to bring up family members memories of the same story. Maybe they remember parts of the story you don't have.

And as always, have fun telling the stories!

Family Search Web Site

As genealogists, we are all familiar with the Ancestry.com web site and it's sister site, Ancestry Library Edition.  Their TV commercials tell us to just click on the little leaf. Or if you are not familiar with it, be sure to come to the Medina Library's Genealogy Lock-In on April 22nd when Lisa Rienerth will be teaching a class on it.

Today, I want to talk about the other premiere genealogy web site. The  FREE  one!

Familysearch.org

When working with library members, Lisa and I use this site just as much as we do Ancestry. Most often, we have them both open on the computer screen.

What is it?

It is a FREE web site sponsored by the Church of Latter-day Saints - LDS  (Mormon Church). Because of their religious beliefs the LDS have been microfilming vital records from around the world for over 50 years. More recently, they have been digitizing and indexing those records. The FamilySearch web site is the result. And its FREE!

How do you access it?

All you need is internet access. Just go to FamilySearch.org  You can start researching immediately. To view some of the records, you will need to register. Registration is free. Just click the "Free Account" button. You will will need a valid email account to create a user name and a password.

The FamilySearch home page. The pictures change frequently, keeping the page looking fresh.

How do you use it?

Above is the homepage. Across the top are tabs for different parts of the site. You can upload your family tree on the Family Tree tab,  upload family photos, stories, videos etc on the Memories tab, execute different searches on the Search tab or help them with their ongoing work to index the records on the Indexing tab.

Across the bottom are icons for more functions, if you have uploaded your family tree, photos, etc.. If you have uploaded your family tree, you can display a Fan Chart. Next is a link to family photos stories etc under the Photos icon, then a place for viewing or printing a Family Tree. The next icon will take you to the basic search for the indexed records (more about this later). And lastly, if you have uploaded your family information, you can create a Family Booklet.

Today, we are just going to focus on the Search functions of the site. 

Click on the Search tab across the top, OR the Search icon below the picture. Either will take you to the:  Basic Search page.

The basic search page

The tabs from the home page are still there so you can quickly access them.

The next line contains the tabs for the different kinds of searches you can do.

We will be focusing on the Records, Genealogies and Wiki. Next week we will cover the Catalog search function.

First, let's take a quick look at the Wiki tab. This is where all of FamilySearch's tutorials are.

Now, I am a strong believer that if a site is well designed, you don't need a lot of tutorials to get you started. And this is a well-designed site. 

But it also has a lot going on. And the Wiki tab is more than how to use the site. It is how to do genealogy research! So if  you are new to genealogy, new to the FamilySearch site or have come across a new location, or a new record that you want to know more about, go to FamilySearch's Wiki page. Like Wikipedia, the information is input by volunteers.

Next, we will take a quick look at the Genealogies tab. LDS members have been sharing their family research with other members for years. They first made this research available through the IGI, International Genealogical Index. My first exposure to the IGI was on microfiche cards. This was an earlier, not-Internet-based way of gaining access to the records the LDS was microfilming as well as the genealogies its members were sharing.

Notice the Genealogies Search page is more streamlined than the basic search page. And it has the ability to
search by the ID of the person who submitted the family information.

Use this area cautiously, as you would any information that is submitted by an unknown user. Not everyone does their research thoroughly or well. And even the best researcher can make mistakes. If you find useful information when searching other people's genealogies, look to see if they include the source of the information. If they don't, be certain to verify it in reputable resources before adding it to your tree. If the search function doesn't find any matching information to your query in the genealogies area, it will bounce your request over to the Historical Records search.

Records Search

This is where the good stuff is, and probably where you have already been playing around while reading my blog. I know I would be!

You'll notice that the page is divided into three sections: Search Historical Records, Research by Location and Find a Collection. I have never found the Find  a Collection search useful because you have to type in the title of the collection exactly. But you can Browse all published collections to see what they have on a particular area. More on that later.

Let's Search Historical Records:

• Enter your ancestor's name
• Include some information that you know is factual. 
• If you know when and where he/she died, click on the blue "Death" link and fill the information on the form.
• Click the Search button or hit the Enter key
• You can browse through the returned entries on the right.

• Note the kind of information the results show:      

Excerpt from Search Results

• At the top it tells you how many results you have
• Under the individual's name is the name of the resource for the record
• The event's dates and places are next.
• Any relationships revealed in the record are listed next.
• A detail icon/link is next.
• Next in this example is a camera icon that tells you there is an image of the record. In the example above, clicking on the camera will take you to the Findagrave entry for his death information. 
• As always, evaluate the information. What is the source? Is it a primary or secondary source? Do they give corroborating evidence? (HINT: the "parents" information on Joshua Johnson's Findagrave listing is wrong. I have not been able to convince the submitter to correct the information.)

THAT is your basic search.  Now let's tweak it.

Across the top of the search results are two tabs. The first, labeled Records, is the default. That is what we have been looking at. Now click on the Collections tab. This breaks down the search results into the type of the Records:

• Birth Marriage & Death
• Census & Lists
• Migration & Naturalization
• Military

Under each of these headings are the Titles of the resources. It only shows the top five titles. Just click on the Show All link to see all the titles. This is a quick way to narrow down your search results to the particular type of information that you are looking for. In this case, I found Joshua Jonston's (Johnson's) enlistment for the War of 1812.

You could spend hours and hours just browsing and tweaking your searches in the Basic Search of Historical Indexed records.  But you could be missing out on a lot of good information that is available in the Unindexed Records.

The FamilySearch staff is digitizing the microfilmed records faster than they can be indexed. But they put the digitized images on the site under the Unindexed Records portion of the site.

My favorite way of accessing these records is using the map on the basic search page. It is under "Research by Location"

To use:

• To use the map, click on the country you are interested in. 
• For Europe, just click on the part of the map that represents Europe. 
• A drop down menu will pop up. 
• Choose your location by name
• What appears first are the indexed records. You've already searched those, so scroll down to the Image Only Records.

Unindexed Ohio Records

• Note what records they have. Choose the records you are interested in. They will not have every record that you want them to.
• Once you choose the record group, you will click on "Browse through  1234??? images"
• Is the record group subdivided by a smaller denomination? This won't be the case for all records.
•  For example, when I chose Ohio Probate Records 1789-1996, it was subdivided by counties.
• Choose the county.
• Look for an index.
• If there is no index, you will need to browse the records.

Harrison County, Ohio Probate Records that have been microfilmed, but not indexed.
Notice there is NOT a general index to these records

By browsing the wills for the time period that William Johnson died in Harrison County, I found his will listed in Volume C page 77.

Excerpt from William Johnson's will, purported father of Joshua Johnson as listed on the Findagrave site. Notice the names of his heirs. No Joshua Johnson listed, even though Joshua lived until 1858.

This was a very quick tutorial on using the FamilySearch.org web site. Be sure to use the Wiki to explore many other functions available on the site.

And come back next week when....       

Next week, we will explore searching the catalog and ordering microfilm from the FamilySearch website.