November 11, 2022 - A Day to Reflect on Those Who Served Their Country

November 11, 2022 - A Day to Reflect on Those Who Served in War and those in our own families who have served to allow us the freedoms we now enjoy! We are grateful for those who have served and continue to serve.

While searching on CWGC, I discovered one of my ancestors by the name of John Trotter Clelland was a private in the East Yorkshire Regiment and died at the age of 40 on the 9th of April 1917, leaving behind his wife Alice Leeson and their little girl Kathleen Clelland. He has been remembered with honor at the Arras Memorial. 

If you search the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records and find one of your ancestors, please tell us about them in the comment section of this post. The world owes much to those in the armed services and their families worldwide for their service and sacrifice; they need to be remembered. The philosopher George Santayana (The Life of Reason, 1905)  stated: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Thank you!

Findmypast Record Collection

Findmypast Entire Record Collection is open for free from November 10th - November 14th for researching one's heritage. This is a beautiful opportunity for researching your family and to see what they have to offer and determine if you want to have a subscription. Also, you this opportunity may help you with a brickwall. Check it out at Findmypast

Remember it only lasts from November 10th through November 14th.

Fallen Heroes of Normandy - Military Cemetery & Memorial

In honor of those who have served in the military, I wanted to share a website about Normandy. This site allows one to search through the records for free, for those who served and fell at Normandy.  There website can be found here. The website provide information including some pictures regarding those who served and fell at Normandy from the following armed forces: American, Austrailian, Belgian, British, Canadian, Czechoslovakian, Dutch, French, German, Indian,  New Zealand, Polish, Russian, and South African.

Honoring Those Who Served

This past summer, I had the honor and privilege of meeting my cousin, Gilchrist Booth and his lovely wife, Grace, while taking my daughter to school in Utah. My mother had told me a great deal about her cousin Gil, and I finally had the amazing opportunity to visit with him with my brother. He and his wife are delightful, and so very wise. My cousin Gil, was a member of the 743 Tank Battalion, Company B. He shared with me his written memories of his experiences while serving our country and I cherish this written record.  As I read through his history, he brought light to things that I would have never considered as being challenges while serving.  This could be from my lack of knowledge regarding the workings of a tank.  He spoke about how loud it was inside the tank when shells would be fired; I had never thought about that aspect. He shared with us many things about his service and expressed his profound sadness in seeing how the people in the concentration camps had been treated.  Before we left to go home, my dear cousin Gil shared with me his written memoirs of his military service. Having read his memoirs has touched me deeply and helped me to better understand and appreciate the opportunities and freedoms I enjoy.  I am grateful to Gil for writing down and sharing some of his memories.

This year, my cousin Gil was honored for his service with others in Utah. Thank you cousin Gil for your honorable service!

 I would encourage all to take the time to visit with your family members ask them about their lives.  We all can learn a great deal from those we love if we will but take the time.  I hope that you will come away from reading this post realizing the need to document and/or write down the history of those we love and those who have served in a selfless way to preserve freedom and a cause which is greater than the individual, no matter what country they are serving.  I honor everyone who has helped to keep our freedom and express my deepest gratitude to them and their families.  Thank you!

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

In commemoration of all those who have served in the military and laid down their lives for their country, I have decided to revisit the Commonwealth Graves Commission site. This site is user friendly with the search box on the home page. I am grateful to the men and women who have sacrificed that I might live in peace and freedom. If you would like to search for your ancestors who might have served in the First World War from 4 August 1913 to 31 August 1921 and the Second World War from 3 September 1939 to 31 December 1947, click this link Commonwealth Graves Commissionand you will be directed to their site. Please note this site also has many classroom learning activities, events, and even resources for Boy Scouts.

Preserve and Honor

Richard "Ricky" Gilleland III, is a young man who has been preserving the records of the Arlington Cemetery. I stumbled across a video interview Ricky had with CNN regarding his desire to document all those who have been laid to rest in the Arlington Cemetery. Interestingly, he mentioned that the information about these people who sacrificed so much for their country, has been kept on indexed cards. Ricky has been going to the cemetery with his parents and photographing the headstones of every headstone. At this time, I do not believe that the documentation is completed. Ricky has designed the website, which is searchable and the pictures are clear and easily read. Each of the headstones, have a link that will take the reader to another website where, they can learn more about the individual buried. What an amazing job this one young man has accomplished. I am totally impressed by him.

If you would like to research in this database, please click the title for this post and you will be directed to the site.

What is the big deal about Footnote?

I have posted in the past regarding the great value of Footnote in your genealogical research. I had beta tested for the site before it was ever launched to the public. In the beginning it was a little awkward to navigate, but now the navigation is simple and streamlined. The site is always adding content that is important in genealogical research. There is a fee to research on this site, but it is nominal in comparison to some of the major genealogical sites on the web. This site contains census records and civil war service and pension records to name a few. A friend of mine posted on her blog that she found a great deal for Footnote. The big deal about Footnote is that it is 50% off for a years subscription. It is only $39.95 for an entire years access to the site. If you would like to check it out for your self click here.

US Land Patent Searches

One valuable resource for genealogists and family historians in tracing and documenting their family history includes land patent records. Researching land patent records can be very difficult and tedious, but some of the basic records are now available to research online at the Bureau of Land Management and General Land Office Records. You may be wondering what is a Land Patent. Simply stated a Land Patent occurred when a particular piece of property was transferred from the hands of the government to the an individual or when there was a land ownership transfer. This was encouraged by the United Staes government by many methods including land in lieu of payment for military personel and allowing people to have 160 acres of land for the cost of the filing fee to name a few.
This encouragement occurred as a way of assisting with the expansion of the country from the east coast to the west.

If you have not used land records in your research, you may not know what information is available in these treasure trove records including the name, location, size of the homestead, marriage and/or immigration information. The marriage and/or immigration information was occasionally requested by the government when requesting a Land Patent. To learn more, please refer to the FAQ of the site. The information that is available on this site includes the following information: patentee, date of issue, the land office, mineral reservations, a legal land description and the amount of acres issued. Unfortunately you are unable to view the application which would possibly include information about immigration, marraige, etc. This information can be obtained by contacting the NARA (National Archives and Records Administration).

If you would like to research in the Land Patent Record Search click
here. Have fun!

Mariners from Swansea

Bryan Richards has developed The Mariners from Swansea website in honor of his great grandfather, Captain R. W. Brisco. The Mariners from Swansea website provides search able databases for those researching their Welsh ancestors that were in the military and/org seafarers. The database is designed to allow one to search on the Mariner's name without having to know the name of the ship. When there no information available, a hyphen appears in the database field. The information can also be searched by the ship name, and ship owners if this information is known. This website is free to research in and is user friendly. If you would like to research this site click Mariners on Swansea Register Ships. Have fun!

Common Wealth War Graves Commission

The Common Wealth War Graves Commission (CWWGC) founded by Sir Fabian Ware, began in 1917 as memorial to those men and women from the Commonwealth who had died in World War I and II. Since the beginning of the Commission, the group has constructed 2,500 war cemeteries in over 150 different countries. They has also placed markers for those graves and in the case of missing remains, they have constructed memorials with the names of the missing inscribed. The Commission has the beliefs that:

1)Each of the dead should be commemorated by name on the headstone or memorial.
2)Headstones and memorials should be permanent
3)Headstones should be uniform
4)There should be no distinction made on account of military or civil rank, race or creed

Like many who perform genealogical research, Common Wealth War Grave Commission realizes the importance of remembering the past to protect the future. We hopefully will learn from the sacrifices of those who have come before and make a brighter future for those who come after us.

The CWWGC contains a searchable database that contains 1.7 million men and women of the Commonwealth military members who died during the first and second world wars and the 23,000 cemeteries, memorials and located throughout the world where they are remembered. The database also contains information regarding 67,000 Commonwealth civilians who died in the Second World War.

If you would like to learn more about the CWWGC or search in the database, click Common Wealth War Graves Commission. Have fun!

Fremantle Prison Experience in Western Australia

Freemantle, named after it's founder, Charles Fremantle an English officer, is a seaport located in SW Australia, near Perth. This small community began as Swan River Colony in the 1830's. By 1849, the fledgling community population had dwindled to approximately 4500 from 4600 the previous year. The colonists sent a petition to the British government requesting that some of the convicts be sent to the colony to provide a boost to the small labor force. Arriving in Fremantle in June of 1850, the first seventy five convicts were all male, who had almost completed their sentence. Over the next 150 years, the Fremantle prison's shows a wide variety of uses including housing of British convicts both male and female, local convicts, prisoners of war, military prisoners, and became was also a maximum security prison as well.

This website includes a searchable convict database and a few biographies of some of the notorious convicts including: "Moondyne Joe". Enoch Pearson Barrett, members of the Fenian Movement and others. The crimes committed were various including larceny, "housebreaking", murder, and treason. If you would like to learn more click Fremantle Prison. To research in the convict database, click here or go to the history section located at the top of the website and click on the convict database link.

Have fun!

Great FamilySearch News

FamilySearch is teaming up with several groups to make your experience on FamilySearch and at the Family History Centers more rewarding. The first group they have teamed up with is FamilyLink which will increase the efficiency of the Family History Library Catalog by adding the Web 2.0 functionality allowing the catalog to be searched with the major online search engines. FamilyLink will also add an annotation feature encouraging user contributions to include other possible sources and to rate and review the sources listed. If you would like to read the press release click FamilyLink and FamilySearch Library.

Searching in the British Historical records will become easier as FamilySearch has also teamed up with FindMyPast and the National Archives of the United Kingdom. The National Archives of the United Kingdom has granted a license to FindMyPast and FamilySearch to digitize, index and make available for searching the Chelsea Pensioners retired soldiers records between 1760 and 1914, and the Merchant Seamen’s collection of records dating from 1835 to 1941. FamilySearch will digitize these records and FindMyPast will provide the indexes and transcriptions for ease of searching. If you would like to read this press release, click British Historical Records.

If you are new to Genealogy, Family Search has provided two new research aids for researching your English and/or your Scottish ancestors. These guides are available for you to review through FamilySearch. The English Ancestor Research Guide can be found Finding Records in England 1837 - 1901. This guide includes many helpful hints regarding finding locations, vital records, using church records, and many other valuable sources of information. The Scottish Ancestor Research Guide provides hints and suggestions for searching your ancestors for between the years of 1855 and 1901. The Scottish Ancestor Research Guide can be viewed by clicking Finding Records in Scotland 1855 - 1901.

The last bit of "teaming up" news involves FamilySearch and FootNote. I have posted about FootNote previously FootNote, FamilySearch, and the Revolutionary War. Footnote and FamilySearch will be allowing users to search two historic Civil War Era databases online—the 1860 U.S. Census and Civil War Pensions Index. The Civil War Pension Index not only includes veterans of the the Civil War but also include veterans who served between 1861 to 1917 in the Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection, and the Boxer Rebellion. If you would like to read this press release, click FamilySearch Teams with Footnote.com to Publish Historic Civil War Era Records.

Have fun searching!

Pennsylvania Volunteers of the Civil War

Civil War sites are always a great find and even greater when they are free. This Civil War site is specifically for Soldiers from the State of Pennsylvania. The records that are available for research are the extracted format with the original documents not available for viewing.

If you would like to research this database, please note that there is a search box at the top of the entry page, but this takes you directly to FootNote.com which is a subscription website. There are several databases which are available for searching using the sites search engine which is located only on the bottom of the Rosters page. This is not the most effective place for the search engine, but it will search the entire site which eliminates browsing which could be very tedious considering the number of records available.

The following databases that are available for research are:

Rosters
Biographies
Newspapers
Diaries
Flags
Medal of Honor Recipients
Prisoner's of War
Pensions
Deaths
Lists of Soldiers by Counties

If you would like to browse or research this site, click Pennsylvania Civil War Soldiers. Have Fun!

Missouri Soliders Database: War of 1812 - World War I

The Missouri State Archives holds approximately 1.5 million pages of documents regarding the men and women that have fought in the various wars ranging from the War of 1812 down to the First World War. The records contained on this site were extracted from individual service records and muster rolls. You might wonder what genealogical value can be found on these types of records. According the Missouri State Archives you can find the following information on the records:

Name
Race
Residence
Place and Date of Enlistment
Place of Birth/Age at time of Enlistment
Rank
Wounds or other Injuries
Dates of Service
Dates of Discharge

Please note that on the individual cards there are several lines for comments and these comments can provide useful information as well. Also please note the following comment by the Missouri State Archives: "A fire at the National Personnel Records Center in 1973 destroyed many military records. An estimated 80% of the U.S. Army personnel records created from 1912 to 1963 were destroyed. The fire did not damage U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps personnel files."

A great feature of this site is that it allows you in many cases to view the original document. The wars that are covered in this database include:

War of 1812
Black Hawk War, 1832
Heatherly War, 1836
Seminole War, 1837
Osage War, 1837
Mormon War, 1838
Iowa (or Honey) War, 1839
Mexican War, 1846-1848
Southwest Expedition (Kansas-Missouri Border Troubles), 1860
Civil War, 1861-1865
Spanish-American War, 1898
World War I, 1917-1918

If you would like to read the abstracts for each of these wars, click War Abstracts to be directed to the history of the wars. If you prefer to just begin researching the database, please click Soldiers Database.

Illinois Trails History and Genealogy Site

The Illinois Trails History and Genealogy Site has much to offer those researching for information regarding their Illinois ancestors. The goal of the site is to provide free online data regarding the history and genealogies of the State of Illinois. Illinois Trails History and Genealogy is a well respected site and has been in existence since 1998 in some form. The earlier years focused primarily Jackson County Illinois, but the authors of the site had such an overwhelming response to the information that they provided that this site has grown to what is today. You kind find information in various degrees of completeness:

Various Census records
The 1850 Illinois State Mortality Schedule
1840 Statewide Census of Revolutionary War and Military Pensioners
The 1909 Cherry Hills Mining Disaster
Church Records
Fur Traders
Obituaries
Information organized by Counties
Military Data
Help for Illinois Research
and much more.

This has many hidden gems that require a little searching but it can be worth your while. Do not forget to look at the pages that are organized by Counties; many search able databases are found within the county pages.

If you are interested in researching this site, please click here and you will be taken to the main page of this site; a great jumping point for the rest of the site. Have fun!

Ohio Veterans Home Cemetery

As a companion note to my previous blog on Sandusky Ohio, I wanted to share another site that I found regarding the Ohio Veterans Home Cemetery. The Ohio Veterans Home Cemetery Database is organized to allow searching with ease. You can alpha browse or perform an advanced search for a particular surname at this website. The cemetery website not only provides the vital record information, but also provides you with a picture of the grave marker.

If you are interested in searching the Ohio Veterans Cemetery Database, please click here to begin your search on the first page. Have fun!

The Florida Memory Project

The Florida Memory Project site is a collection of databases including WWI Service Cards, Spanish Land Grants, historical pictures and music, Florida Confederate Pension Records and a few other databases.

In order to utilize this site you must search each database on an individual basis. Each database has it's own individual search engine with search criteria specific to the database. The databases contain the following information:

The WWI Service cards

"For each person, the cards provide name; age; serial number; race; place of birth; and residence at time of entering service. some cards also provide the organizations/ships served (with dates of beginning and transfer); engagements; wounds/injuries sustained in action; time served overseas; discharge notations; and general remarks. The Navy cards note the sailor’s rate as well as rank."

Spanish Land Grants

"The series consists of "dossiers" containing those papers which were filed in evidence and confirmed as valid claims before the Board of Land Commissioners. Each land claim with its supporting documents was later encased in a manila jacket on which appears the name of the applicant, the number of acres claimed, disposition of the claim, and page reference to the American State Papers. The supporting documents include petitions or memorials to a governor for land; surveys or plats; attests; deeds of sale, gifts, wills, bequests, and exchanges; applications; and translations of Spanish documents. Most of the documents for claims in West Florida are missing."

Historical Pictures and Music

"The Florida Folklife Collection includes approximately 150 cubic feet of paper records (including field notes and administrative files) and thousands of audio and video recordings, which date from the 1930s through 2001. Created by Florida folklorists, the Collection consists of 88 individual series that document the performances by, interviews with, and fieldwork surveys of folk musicians, artisans, storytellers, folklife interpreters, and other Florida peoples and their traditions. Topics include children's lore, foodways, religious traditions, Native American culture, numerous musical traditions, art, maritime traditions, ethnic folk culture, material culture, and occupational lore. These records document the living traditions of Florida's peoples."

Florida Confederate Pension Applications

"The series includes files on approved and denied pension claims from 1885 to 1954. Most files contain the original application, any supplemental applications, proof of service and residency, and occasional correspondence between the applicant and the Board. Veterans' applications generally include name, date and place of birth, unit dates and places of enlistment and discharge, brief description of service, wounds received, sworn statements on proof of service by comrades, War Department service abstracts, and place and length of Florida residency. Widows' applications generally include, in addition to the above, her full name, date and place of marriage to the veteran, and date and place of the veteran's death. Widows' applications are filed under the name of the veteran."

If you would like to research in the Florida Memory Project, please click
here to be directed to the main collections page. Once you have navigated to the main collection page, you can determine which of the databases you would like to search and begin your search.

The Felt Collection Or The Scrapbook Series

The Commonwealth State of Massachusetts has a searchable archived database that contains early records from the state of Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire covering dates from 1629 through 1799. This collection contains 328 Volumes of records. The collection was originally organized by a man named Reverend Joseph Felt (hence the name) in 1830's. The records contained in this database not only have Revolutionary Records, Shay's rebellion, military records, census and tax schedules.

According to the website, they state:

Topics covered by the collection range from international affairs to local and individual concerns. Records reflect the activities of the governor and General Court within the framework of the British empire, focusing on Massachusetts's relations with London, other British colonies, the French colonial government in Canada, and the Indian nations in New England and New York. They document the prosecution of military actions and negotiations for peace. Treasury records, census schedules, tax lists, judicial actions, and legislative orders provide the opportunity to study the administrative functions of the colonial/provincial government. Additionally, many volumes trace the General Court's involvement with localities and individuals. Documents range from tavern licenses, divorce petitions, and land grants to records pertaining to the compensation for the loss of a horse or the siting of a meeting house.

Click here if you would like to read more about what is contained in these indexes.

If you would like to search the database, you may do so by clicking here and you will be redirected to the website to begin a search. You can also search the documents by utilizing the search engine on the bottom of my blog if you would prefer. Have fun in your quest.

Mormon Battalion Records and Images

Have you ever wondered what your ancestor looked like? Or wondered if your Mormon Pioneer Ancestor was apart of the Mormon Battalion that served the United States during the Mexican war. The number of men that served in the Mormon Battalion numbered at 500. Some of the officers of the Mormon Battalion chose to take their families, their belongings and wagons with them at no expense to the United States and was acceptable to the US Army at the time. The number of families that went along with the Mormon Battalion numbered at 15 - 16 and also included 50 - 55 children. Some of the women served as laundresses for the unit and received a privates pay. The Mormon Battalion made the longest march in military history covering 2,000 miles beginning at Council Bluffs Iowa and ending in San Diego California.

This website has the complete transcribed company rosters including the officers, privates, and guides. One of the guides that might spark you interest is Jean Baptiste Charbonneau (the son of Sacajawea and Toussaint Charbonneau). The women are listed with the companies and also includes the names of the children. The databases include pictures which are searchable under the Gallery Link. Some of the men that served in the battalion also have a short biography on this site. If you have ancestors that participated in the Mormon Battalion or think that you might have an ancestor who was in the Battalion, this site is worth checking out. Click here to be redirected to the Mormon Battalion website. Have fun in your quest.

Civil War Soldier And Sailors System

The National Parks Service have a website that is dedicated to the soldiers and sailors of the Union and Confederate Army during the Civil War. The site has an easy to use search functions that allow you to search by regiment or individual names. The total data base contains over 6 million names available for searching. This number includes records from both the Union and Confederate states and territories.

Civil War Soldier & Sailors System (CWSSS) contains information regarding each of the units in the Civil War including the battles in which each unit participated, the date of organization of the unit, and when the unit was mustered out of service. The individual searches for soldiers will provide you information about the regiment name, whether fought on the Union or Confederate side, the company's name, the rank at time the individual mustered in and out, any alternate names, and the reference to the film number. The sailors portion of this site provides the same information as the soldiers but with an important addition of personal information such as birth place, physical characteristics, and some listings include the occupation of the individual. This site does not provide with a digital image of the documents but only the transcribed information that was obtained from the images.

CWSSS also provides a searchable database for prisoners of war for Andersonville and Fort McHenry prisons. The cemetery database like the other databases are easily searched and some of the information found includes pictures of the headstone. The last database that I wanted to mention is the Medal database. This database could prove extremely valuable to one as it provides information about the individuals birth place and date and also describes the circumstance that lead toward their award of a medal. Very interesting information.

This project was completed with partners such as The Genealogical Society of Utah, Federation of Genealogical Societies, and many more. If you have Civil War Military in your heritage, this site is definitely worth visiting. The searches are totally free which makes it nice as well. Click here to go to the main page of Civil War SOldier and Sailors System.