As one’s research approaches those ancestors living in the 17, 18 and 19th centuries, one faces monetary numbers no longer in use in the United States.
In order to create a reasonable description of the lives and times of those ancestors it is often useful to describe their wealth or lack thereof, to envisage what a particular cost in earlier times and to relate those dollars or coin to today’s coin. For the latter, a useful site is www.measuringworth.com.
What follows are the uses of coin and their worth in the English world of pounds sterling.
d is the abbreviation for a penny
s is the abbreviation for a shilling
Farthing = 1/4d (1/4 penny)
ha’penny = 1/2d
Penny = 1d
half-groat = 2d
thru’pence = 3d
groat = 4d
tanner = slang term for 6d
shilling = 12d
Florin = slang term for 2s (2 shillings)
Half a Crown = 2s 6d
Crown = 5s
Noble (1344-1464) = 80d (1/3 of a Pound)
Angel (1464-1645) = 80d (1/3 of a Pound)
Mark = 160d (2/3 of a Pound)
Pound = 20 shillings or 240d
Guinea = originally One Pound, in 1717 revalued at 21s
Sovereign = (1489-1605) worth 30 shillings; when reintroduced in 1817 it was worth 20 shillings
Tags: Family History, Genealogy, Genealogy Data
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One can better establish birth dates by knowing when the Census was actually taken. That date is nearly impossible to determine because it is generally not recorded. But one can get closer to the actual birth date by knowing the instructions given to the Enumerators.
U.S. Census enumerators were instructed to take down the names of the family and other data as it existed on the OFFICIAL DATE of the census – not the day of the actual visit and interview. Official census dates were:
–1790-1820 schedules – first Monday in August
–1830-1880 schedules – June 1st
–1890 – first Monday in June (most of this schedule was destroyed or badly damaged by a fire in 1921
–1900 – June 1st
–1910 – April 15th
–1920 – January 1st
–1930 – April 1st
See U.S. Census Records: Soundexes, Indexes and Finding Aids at http://rwguide.rootsweb.com/lesson9.htm
Tags: Family History, Genealogy, Genealogy Data
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A little known government genealogy service lets family history leap off the page. It is the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at www.Immigrationdirect.com.
The records include naturalization files, visa applications and citizenship tests, and may reveal family secrets and mysteries, said Marian Smith, the agency’s historian. “The details of the story have been told over time, and the edges kind of wear off,” Smith said. With the documents, “there are a lot of ah-ha moments.”
In the past, genealogy researchers had to file document requests under the Freedom of Information Act and sometimes waited years for a response. Under the genealogy program, which started in 2008, requests are usually completed within 90 days. For $20, the government will run a search of the name, as long as the person is deceased. If there are records available, the government charges additional fees for the files.
In fiscal year 2009, more than 5,300 requests were made, fewer than expected. In addition to relatives, historians or researchers can also request files.
Alan Latteri, 34, had a very practical reason for the document search. The Brentwood man wanted dual citizenship with Italy and needed to know exactly when his grandfather was naturalized to complete the complex application. After requesting the documents, Latteri learned that he was not eligible. But he did learn more about his grandfather.
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Savannah, GA Genealogy Exposition
The Southeast Family History Expo is a one full day event to be held at The Armstrong Center on the south end of Abercorn Street on February 20, 2010 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It is free and open to the public.
Speakers include:
Jan Alpert, President, National Genealogical Society
Dr. Scott Woodward, Director, Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation
Darius Gray, Co-director of the Freedman’s Bank Records Project
Margaret Blair Young, author and film producer
Bill Altstaetter, Past-President of The Heritage Library Foundation
Howard D. Wright, Executive Director, Sankofa Business Solutions
Charlie Bourland, Instructor and Author
Sharen Lee, Reference Librarian at Live Oak Public Libraries.
The documentary film “Nobody Knows: The Untold Story of Black Mormons”
DNA testing, booths and exhibits will also be featured.
See the following blog for additional details: http://southeastfamilyhistoryexpo.blogspot.com/
Tags: African-American, Family History, Genealogy, Genealogy Data
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The Public Broadcasting System (PBS) says its new show “Faces of America” uses the latest tools in genealogy and genetics to explore the family histories of 11 renowned Americans.
The series is to air Wednesdays from Feb. 10-March 3. Harvard scholar Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. will be the show’s host.
“Looking to the wider immigrant experience, Professor Gates unravels the American tapestry, following the threads of his guests’ lives back to their origins around the globe. Along the way, the many stories he uncovers — of displacement and homecoming, of material success and dispossession, of assimilation and discrimination — illuminate the American experience,” PBS said in a release this week.
“Professor Gates’s guests include poet Elizabeth Alexander, who composed and read the poem at President Barack Obama’s inauguration, chef Mario Batali, comedian Stephen Colbert, novelist Louise Erdrich, writer Malcolm Gladwell, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, film director Mike Nichols, Her Royal Highness Queen Noor, actress Eva Longoria, actress Meryl Streep and figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi.”
For more on Gates and his participation in a curriculum addition at Southern Vermont College. SVC is the first college in the United States to incorporate Gates’ genetic research into its curriculum. Students completed their own genealogical research, including DNA testing, and created an exhibit based on their individual histories for the Bennington Museum. See news article from the Rutland Herald.
Tags: Family History, Genealogy, Genealogy Data
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There comes a time when your brick wall is truly a brick wall and you have exhausted all known methods of obtaining data on a particular person or family. Perhaps it is now time to turn to a professional for help.
First would be a need for someone in a U.S. town, county or state because it is inconvenient for you to travel there. There are several possibilities in this case. The first would be a volunteer who might be found either on the Internet or by calling the local library, genealogical or historical society. This person may or may not wish to be paid since some own a hard to find book which may help or (s)he may refer you to another with greater knowledge.
Second might be help a writer might offer from his research and books. The one with which I am most familiar and who has written many books on Maryland families and records for example is:
Barnes, Robert W. Baltimore County Families- 1659-1759
Barnes, Robert W. Maryland Marriages 1634-1777
Barnes, Robert W. Maryland Marriages 1778-1800
I and a cousin hired him, and though he was unable to help on our particular problem, still he provided a useful review of data available.
Lastly would be one who offers research efforts for a fee. Here you need to be careful with open-ended searches. Restrict and announce the amount you are willing to spend and how you wish it to be accounted for.
To be safe you should hire a person who is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), or whop has been certified by the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG). Both sign a code of ethics and offer mediation services for disputes.
You can find more at www.apgen.org and www.bcgcertification.org.
Tags: Family History, Genealogy, Genealogy Data
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When one performs research for ancestors and the lives they lived in the past, it is worth consideration to include historical events and matters as they stood at a particular point in time. I will offer a few examples from my own efforts only to suggest a train of thought.
My father joined the Army in 1915 in anticipation of the first World War. In 1916 Poncho Villa attacked the New Mexico town of Columbus where at least 15 American soldiers were killed by some 500 Mexican troops. President Woodrow Wilson ordered General Pershing to take 14,000 Army troops and an additional 140,000 National Guard to guard that border, and at the same time gain experience under wartime conditions for the battle to come in France and Germany. The troops had to be on constant alert as border raids were still an occasional nuisance. This action was called The Mexican Punitive Expedition of 1916-1917. Continue Reading »
Tags: Family History, Genealogy, Genealogy Books, Genealogy Data
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