Category: Occupations
Ancestors who were documented with a specific occupation.
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And how did he know it? George William Callin (1846-1921) was one of us: a genealogist. He was active during a time when Americans enjoyed a newfound sense of optimism and possibility about their place in the world and when average men, like those in his family, were documenting their own lives as if they…
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Some stories hide behind the records Born on 11 March 1870, James Henry Opp grew up in the small town of Dansville in Livingston County, New York. His father, Jacob Edward Opp, was a veteran of the Civil War, and his mother was Mary Elizabeth Palmer, descended from a family of New Jersey shipbuilders. Jacob…
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The Milton Township Diaspora (part 3) When we last talked about Sarah (Montgomery) Davidson and her family, they set out from Fulton County, Indiana, and took to the Oregon Trail in 1852: Sarah and Henry Davidson took their four children and their adopted niece, Sarah Farrell, on the trip; we have only talked about Sarah…
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Thinking about Hermeneutics in genealogy Stop and think before you read on: Did you answer the title question based on what you think “godly” means, or did you answer based on what your ancestors thought “godly” meant? Once you’ve fixed your answer in your mind, read on! The question in the title isn’t really about…
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Dr. Carolyn Elizabeth Putnam (1857-1917) Carolyn Elizabeth “Carrie” Putnam was the daughter of George C Putnam (1835-1873) and Elizabeth Ann Force (1836-1918), born in Jan 1857. She grew up in Rochester, Monroe County, New York, until her father moved the family to Brownstown, Wayne County, Michigan, to start a new business around 1870. George died…
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A close examination of Elizabeth Shown Mill’s Witter research Some time ago, I posted an essay about Finding John Witter. John Witter might be the name of my 5th-great-grandfather, on my paternal grandmother’s side. If so, his son was Abraham Witter (1786-1882), but I haven’t been able to prove that connection. I was reminded to…
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The burden of proof requires more evidence The most important question in any research is: “How do you know that?” If you’re lucky, the answer prompts you to say, “Huh, that’s interesting…” and you learn something new. If you saw last week’s post about William and Oscar Martin or the original “Family Reunion: Martin” post…
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A tale from when the West was still young Once upon a time, several families founded a town in Ohio. Benjamin Montgomery (1766-1841) brought his wife, Nancy, and their six children from Virginia to settle in Weller Township, Richland County, Ohio, where they laid out a town in 1816. Benjamin called the town “Olivesburg” after…
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Two brothers, both railroad men, led different lives In case you don’t recall from last year’s “Family Reunions” series, William F. Martin was the paternal grandfather of my wife’s maternal grandmother – he was one of Her Sixteen: That post did a quick overview of William and Hattie’s only son, Howard W. Martin, a successful…
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Then, as now, the media told the story they wanted to sell “If it bleeds, it leads.” Newspapers are a valuable resource for family history research. I frequently incorporate newspaper articles (often obituaries) into my WikiTree profiles. Newspapers helped me tell the story of when Martin Callin was killed in 1889: However, newspapers were never…
Mightier Acorns 