Volume 14; Number 3
Fall 1993
Volume 14; Number 3
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CIG Undertaking
Bringing 30,000 Names to Life! It has long been an ambition of those associated with Mt. Hope Cemetery, to computerize their 156 years of records. Holy Sepulchre is already midway through a four-year project to do the same. But Mt. Hope is a municipally-owned cemetery--one of the few in the country--and in these financially-strapped times, it is highly unlikely that the city would be willing or able to find the funds. So it is understandable that Mt. Hope officials might be a little incredulous when presented with a proposal from the RGS Computer Interest Group (CIG) to computerize the first volume of their burial records. It seemed too good to be true... it all began at the March meeting of the CIG. Ed Gaulin #687 suggested that perhaps it was time for the CIG to get involved in a project that would benefit the community. And everyone agreed. Some criteria were set: it needed, of course, to have genealogical value. But it also had to be practical and do-able. Several projects were suggested, including one by Bob Gustafson #13. Bob had acquired a microfilm of the first volume of Mt. Hope burial records and suggested that they be computerized. "It became apparent that Mt. Hope filled the bill," says Tim Carroll #816 who was named to coordinate the project. Dave Ellingham #701 offered to make printed copies of each page from the microfilm. ("That turned out to be yeoman work," says Carroll, "because it involved printing over 700 pages.") Dennis Gorman #612 volunteered to write a computer program that would allow researchers to input data from the records. He succeeded despite an electrical storm that "fried" his computer the night before one CIG meeting. "It also became apparent that we needed more understanding of the cemetery... including its layout and its record-keeping policies," Carroll says. They also needed access to the original records when the microfilm was unreadable. Bob Hesselberth #256 approached the Friends of Mt. Hope with the CIG offer. The Friends not only assist in the upkeep and tours of the cemetery, but frequently are asked to obtain record information from these old and incrcasingly fragile books and microfilm. A representative of the organization, Dick Brown, met with CIG, and became enthusiastic about the project. He offered to set up a meeting with the Mt. Hope manager, Mary Lou Tyndall. Carroll and his planning team met with her and Brown, and after some initial skepticism, negotiated the details needed to get the project onder way. "There was a fair amount of forthrightness of all sides," Carroll says. The net result was that both Mt. Hope officials and the Friends of Mt. Hope became eager to work with the CIG on the project. "After that," he adds, "more and more pieces fell into place." The group set about organizing packets for volunteers to work from. Each contains 10-15 pages of micro film printouts, a computer disc with the data entry program and instructions of loading and operating the program. The data is typed onto the disc. "We wanted to make it small so that there would be some sense of progress and completion," Carroll says. The packets began being handed out at the 8 July CIG meeting. By the end of July nearly 300 pages had been distributed and some people were already on their third packet. The packets are distributed and collected through the LDS Family History Center Library on Westfall Road. Ken Veneron #722 acts as data coordinator. The first volume includes about 30,000 burials from 1 May 1837 until 31 July 1860. Each record lists the date, name, age, cause of death, street address (no number) and burial location. "What is really interesting," Carroll says, "is that the city sextant recorded burials not just for Mt. Hope, but for 30 area cemeteries, including some as far away as Batavia." According to Brown of the Friends of Mt. Hope, some of these records are reconstructions from other records after an earlier manager walked off with the records in 1857. The project is expected to take from six to 12 months to complete with up to 30 people working on it at a time. "We want to include a quality control phase to double check the accuracy of what was typed," Carroll says. But the details of that have not yet been worked out. After completion, the information can be emptied into a main data base. Printed copies will be made available locally and at the major genealogical facilities. It is too early to determine whether the group will continue on with the other nine volumes. If they do, they would need to enlist help from RGS members and the Friends of Mt. Hope, Carroll says. "When you talk about cemetery records, perhaps exciting is not exactly the right word," he adds. "But I think this is exciting for Mt. Hope. This is kind of a pipe dream for them. Not only do they have little funding and little hope of funding, but they are generally at the bottom of the list of priorities." In the meantime, Mt. Hope also benefits from the program written by Gorman and may incorporate it into a cemetery management program. "It is a key enabler for them," Carroll says. The Friends of Mt. Hope are excited, he adds, since the records will not only be accessible, but VERY accessible. And there is a sense of excitement among CIG members, and a satisfaction with doing something people really appreciate. "The whole thing has tapped an enthusiasm in people," Carroll reports. "You mention a task and people came out of the woodwork... And I am amazed at the computer and genealogical knowledge of the group." "But the thing that has made it work is that everyone has turned into an aggressive volunteer." It has been estimated that computerizing all 10 volumes of Mt. Hopes burial records would cost $300,000. The CIG has elected to absorb the cost for doing the first volume. So far that is about $30, mostly the price of the computer discs. After meeting with Mt. Hope officials, Gaulin contacted the microfilming team at the Genealogical Society of Utah (LDS). "He gave them a terrific sales pitch," Carroll grins. "Look, there's over 300,000 people buried here and you don't have it... chance of a lifetime sort of thing... He probably had the guy on the other end of the phone drooling." "It's not formalized on this, but it looks like it will go to the top of their list. They say they can do it in two days." When done, a copy of the microfilm will be donated to the cemetery. If you would like to participate in this project, stop by the LDS history Center Library, or contact Ken Veneron or Ed Gaulin. |
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The Presidents Message -- James A. Hall As we look over the accomplishments of Ruth Metzler #385 during the past four years, it is with some humility that I follow in her footsteps. It will take the same dedication of the Society to continue on the path of excellence previously achieved. We know that there are always tasks to perform to provide support to our members and the community which now spreads from border to border, ocean to ocean. The program committee is dedicated to provide fresh and interesting presentations, seeking this year to focus on finding those elusice records that hold the keys to advancing our research. Many new members need advice on doing efficient and successful research, while more advanced researchers know there is aways some new procedure to document their difficult path to knowledge. We will examine our current meeting format to keep attracting the members to interesting topics and awareness of events and advances in understanding genealogy, whether in the local, regional or national scene. Technology is moving forward constantly to give us new tools and resources to solve our research problems, then to share that research and make it available to future researchers around the globe. The Society depends on its membership for its vitality, and each one of us must accept some share of that that responsibility. Your Society officers and Service Providers have accepted this responsibility, and it is your responsibility to keep us aware of your needs and willingness to be involved to make the Society grow and be effective. |
1993 Fall Meeting Programs
The Rochester Genealogical Society will continue to meet the third Thursday of each month (except December, July, and August) at Asbury First United Methodist Church in Fellowship Hall. Asbury is located at 1050 East Avenue (just west of Granger Place) with ample parking and handicapped facilities including ramp, two wheel chairs and an elevator to Fellowship Hall. The mini-workshops start at 7 pm (except as noted for special programs) followed by the business meeting at 7:30 pm and the main program at approximately 8 pm.
Visitors are very welcome.
Thursday, 16 September 1993
Mini-Workshop: "Genealogical 'How-To' and Reference Books"
RGS member Jim Swarts, who teaches introductory genealogical courses in the area, will share with us various books that are useful in our genealogical research.
Main Program: "Genealogical Resources"
Panel: Wayne Arnold--Rochester Public Library
Ed Gaulin--Mormon/LDS Family History Center
Monroe County Clerk Representative--Monroe County Records
Bob Rowe--Church Records
This panel will share with us some of the resources available at the indicated places.
Thursday, 28 October 1993 (Please note this is the 4th Thursday)
Mini-Workshop: "Making Sense Out of the Census"
RGS member "Ozzie" Salyards will discuss the use of the federal decennial censuses and their problems.
Main Program: "Local Government Records Services"
Under the New York State Archives and Records Administration, there are 10 district offices. Anne M. Filiaci, Regional Advisory Officer of our District 7, will tell us about this government function, some of the laws related to it, how they help various town and county offices preserve their records, and what legal rights we family historian have with regard to access to these various records.
Thursday, 18 November 1993
Mini-Workshop: "Open Discussion on Genealogical Problem Solving"
This will be an opportunity for members, in particular beginners, to bring their genealogical research problems and share them with the group. Someone will be able to help. Written questions will be accepted.
Main Program: "Oral History--How To Do It"
An integral part of genealogical research is interviewing various people, in particular, family members. Come hear Ann Schaetzke share her knowledge of this topic. Ann is on the staff of the Rundel Branch of the Public Library as well as a librarian at the Rochester Museum and Science Center. While at one of the branch libraries, she conducted extensive interview of older persons.
On 1 June of this year, in an attempt to learn how to make your RGS membership more valuable, questionnaires were mailed to 50 RGS members living in the area who had most recently (in the last two to three years) joined the RGS.
They were asked whether they had a computer and used it for genealogy; had any formal training in genealogy or would consider further instruction to be of value.
They were also asked to rate future program topics on a scale from 1 to 10. Thirty-four responded with the following results:
The 16 listed program topics and their score:
Other suggested topics included: NEHGS resources; professional genealogists; roundtable; before going abroad; native Americans; displays of charts, notebooks, authors tips; where to start; help form experienced members; NYS law changes; record preservation; Canadian immigration; compute use; land records; NYS immigration; sources, especially libraries; out-of-state records; overseas dead ends; NYS archives; linked ancestries; searching in a state where you have no reference points.
If anyone else is interested in filling out the questionnaire, they will be available on the up-for-grabs table.
New Officers
Director: Robert A. Rowe #790
Robert A. Rowe is a retired United Methodist minister with degrees from Syracuse and Boston universities. Her served churches in the Central New York Conference, where he was Chairman of the Archives and History Commission for the denomination. He has also served as a Town Historian, and as president of historical and genealogical societies in central, and western New York, including the Kodak Genealogical Society. His interest in locating, preserving, and making available, church records has led to speaking engagements to historical and genealogical groups and seminars in central and western New York and Canada. Bob will be speaking during Archives Week, 11-16 October and will also be teaching courses in basic genealogy at Irondequoit High School, and Nazareth College (if there is sufficient registration).
President: James A. Hall #381
James A. (Jim) Hall has been a member of RGS since 1984 and Facilitator/Editor for the Computer Interest Group since its founding in June 1991. He has been a member of the National Genealogical Society since 1987, attending three national conferences and completing the NGS course "American Genealogy: A Basic Course." He is also a member of the NGS Computer Interest Group.
Jim has been a resident of Monroe County for 62 years, currently residing in the Village of Webster. He is descended from two Pioneer Rochester families, those of John B. Klem and Joseph Aman on his father's side. He is a Mayflower descendent of John Howland through his mother's family, Sherman. The Hall family emigrated from northern Bavaria to Rochester in 1869. His computer database contains 3300 individuals.
Jim is a retired Chemical Engineer from Xerox after 30 years in Process Engineering. He also retired after 20 years service as Trustee on the Village Board of Webster. He is Membership Chairman for the Webster Museum.
Recording Secretary: Ann DeWitt #711
D. Ann DeWitt was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She attended Bowling Green State University, receiving a Bachelors in History and a Masters in Computer Science. She came to Rochester in 1982 to accept a position as Systems Analyst with Xerox Corporation. It was in that same year, upon being given her grandmother's journal listing over 100 years of family births, deaths and marriages, that she caught the genealogy bug. When not tracking down her ancestors, Ann maintains her ties to several local theater groups working both on and off stage. Ann resides in Henrietta with her two children Greg (7) and Meagan (4).
Eight new tapes were added to the RGS tape lending library in May and a ninth in July, bringing the total to 71 tapes. Members may borrow any tape for a month free of charge. Members who borrow tapes at meeting deposit $1.00 per tape which is returned when the tape is returned. Members may request any tape by mail by including $2.00 for postage and handling.
Mail requests should be addressed to the RGS address in care of Carter Livermore. Lists of the earlier topics have appeared in previous newsletters and in hand outs at meetings. The new topics that have been added since the last newsletter are:
The RGS tape lending library has grown from 2 tapes in October 1990 to a total of 71 in July 1993. During the 1992-93 year, 27 different RGS members borrowed tapes a total of 74 times. Fifteen of the 27 members had not used our lending library before. Since the library was started a total of 60 different RGS members borrowed 183 tapes. There have been 6 out of state borrowers since the library was started.
The publications committee now has available bound copies of "Marriage Records of Rev. George Washington Montgomery, 1846-1879" by Karen E. Dau. Reverend Montgomery was the founding minister of the First Universalist Society of the city of Rochester, New York. The 80 page document is available for $8.00 ($10.00 postage paid) from RGS.
The publications committee is available to assist anyone with their own publications. The committee is currently looking for ideas of material that either should be published, needs re-publishing, or is ready to be published. If anyone has any suggestions or material that might benefit RGS members or the local genealogical community, please contact Scott Chase 716 227-8956.
| Queries and Things | |
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KEESIN/KEESEN: URGENT elderly first cousin wishes to find the daughter of Nathan Keesin and his wife Dora who immigrated to Rochester from Russia. The daughter was born in Rochester and also got married in Rochester, probably in the early to mid 1900s.
Joel K. Ettinger,#875 65 Harbor St, Branford CT 06405 |
KONICK/KONIKOW: Seeking information about Abraham Konikow and his family, Abraham had six children, who all changed their last name to Konick: Monis, Morris (born Binghamton NY), Motke (born Binghamton NY), Ethel (born Binghamton NY), Chaim and David. Morris had five children: a daughter was born in Rochester and another in Syracuse.
Joel K. Ettinger,#875 65 Harbor St, Branford CT 06405 |
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KOEHN/KOLHN, WELCH, HOLTZ PHOTOGRAPHS: Wanted, a home for seven family photographs taken in Rochester and Lockport NY (except for one taken in Wrightstown NJ) between 1900 and 1920. The photos are of a bridal couple, cousin August and his wife; a boy's confirmation?, cousin Carl Koehn/Kolhn; cousin Herman Koehn/Kolhn and his wife; Man in Army uniform, cousin Frank Koehn/Kolhn; bridal couple, cousin Frank Koehn and Emily Welch; a young girl, cousin Augusta Koehn (later Mrs Frank Holtz); two young boys, Raymond and Bill Holtz. These photographs were found in an antique store in Wisconsin.
Barbara Odette, 8219 S Kilbourn, Chicago IL 60652-3063 |
LOVELL: Seeking information on Pelina (Patience?) Lovell born ca 1803 MA/MD. Lemuel Pelton lived Monroe Co NY and then to Eaton Co MI where both probably died after 1864. Did she have a brother Rufus who also moved to Michigan?
Olive B. Hoffman #834, 341 Via Bissolotti, Chula Vista CA 91910-1019 |
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GLYNN: Seeking information of the marriage and early life of Willard and Sarah Glynn. They were both born in 1805 or 1806, he in VT and she in Otsego Co NY. Her maiden name unknown. They were both living in Lockport at the 1880 census. Found in the 1830 census for Elbridge, Onondaga Co: Willard Glynn, 1 male -5; 1 male 20-30; 2 females -5; 1 female 20-30.
Ed Gaulin #687, 1346 Creek Street, Webster NY 14580-2237 |
SMITH: Peter Jeremiah Smith was born in 1820 NY and died 1879 Lockport NY. Corporal, Co. K, 65th Volunteer Infantry, Civil War. Married, in 1841 at Lewiston NY, Roxania7 E. Needham (Jeremiah 6-4,Anthony 3-1). Seeking information on his origins in New Jersey.
Ed Gaulin #687, 1346 Creek Street, Webster NY 14580-2237 |
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NEEDHAM: Jeremiah6 Needham was born 1796 VT and died after 1860 Lockport NY. Married about 1818, perhaps in what is now Monroe Co NY, to Roxania6 Beach (Philip5, Gershom4-3, Thomas 2,John 1). Her aunt was the daughter of Major Isaac Scott of Scottsville. Their last known child, Roxania E. was born 1824 at Northampton, now the Town of Gates. Seek information on their marriage, other children and death (burial).
Ed Gaulin #687, 1346 Creek Street, Webster NY 14580-2237 |
EFNER/EFFNER/EFFINER: I am interested in the parents/ancestry of John V. Efner. I have his descendants. John Efner, age 65, b.p. New York, Occ: Painter and his wife Mary, age 64, b.p. NY are listed in the 1880 Federal Census for Monroe Co, Parma Twp.
Joyce Carver, 320 E. Hanover St, Marshall MI 49068-1820 |
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JOHNSON: Looking for ancestors/ descendants of Alexander E. Johnson (1805-1895) born Oneida Co, died Monroe Co, married Emeline ____ (1810-1852).
Olive B. Hoffman #834, 341 Via Bissolotti, Chula Vista CA 91910-1019 |
SMITH: Having difficulty tracing my grandfather's family. His name was Royal Lucius Smith born 4 Aug 1853 (State Census Records 1855). His father was Lucius Smith and his mother was Mary Catherine Willet. Supposedly they lived in Rochester NY. Seeking research suggestions and information as to when they were born, married or died.
James J. Benn, M.D., 625 Vera, Ripon CA 95366 |
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COOK: Searching for the place of birth of Merritt Cook, b. 18 Apr 1787. Who were his parents? He married Sally Owen, b 27 Jan 1789, daughter of William Owen, Rev. War soldier who is buried in the large cemetery at Penfield along with his wife Lucy Kellogg. Where were he and Sally married? From 1812 to 1816, her father was living in Salisbury CT. In 1814 (Sep) Merritt and Sally Cook were in Henrietta NY at which time their son Asa was born. A daughter Caroline and a son Merritt, Jr. were born in 1817 and 1820. He and Sally bought property at Freedom NY from the Holland Land Co. in 1822 and then went on to Chautauqua Co. NY where they remained and died.
Mrs. Donald R. Jerge, 8700 Slayton Settlement Rd, Gasport NY 14067 |
McKINNEY: I am seeking information on the McKinney line of my husband's family and have been told that they resided in Monroe County NY, in the mid 1800s before migrating to Erie PA by way of Warren County PA. I have been told that some descendants still live in the Monroe Co area.
Peggy Rudd McAndrew, 214 Heatherwood Dr, Rocky Mount VA 24151 |
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KELLEY/KELLY: I am searching for a Kelley family who lived near Rochester NY 1825/1845. James Kelley born 1773, Sarah his wife, and their children: William born 1803 VT, Orlando born 1801 VT, Russel born 1815 VT, Samuel born 1809. There was an Annie Kelley who lived in Henrietta about 1840 who was related to this family.
Frances Porter, 1658 Eleventh Aye, San Francisco CA 94122 |
CLEVELAND: Around 1890, a private work called Descendants of Moses Cleveland was published. This was a three volume set commissioned by the family. One set is in the Rundel Library. Somewhere families retained another 80 or more copies. If anyone has a set of these books or a part of the set I would be interested in buying them.
Jackie Coniglio #802, 27 Park Acre Rd, Pittsford NY 14534-2735 |
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McCUMBER, SILSBY: Trying to verify the marriage in Rochester NY of Lyman McCumber (Macomber, McComber, etc) and Ann Langley Silsby on 5 Apr 1827.
Virginia F. Settle, 60855 Raintree Drive, Bend, Oregon 97702 |
JOHNSON: I am trying to find out about Robert Johnson who is supposed to have been farming near Rochester NY about 1920. Robert Johnson, born Ballydehob, County Cork, Ireland 1845; parents: Robert John Johnson, Margaret Skuce; married: Eliza Edwards, Fenelon Township Ontario 15 Nov 1866; no record in Canadian Census after 1881. Reported to have been visited by his nephew about 1920 on a farm near Rochester.
J. Victor Johnson, 36 Knoxdale Road, Nepean Ontario, Canada K2G 1A3 |
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ARNOLD: Searching for data, including parents and wife's names, on the Samuel Alonzo Arnold family who came to Michigan from New York State with the Carleton family of Rush NY sometime after 1826. His son Samuel A. Arnold, Jr was born in NYS 11 Jun 1826. His sons Alva and William were also born in NYS (no birth dates).
Arnold K. Stewart, 146 Lummi Drive, La Conner WA 98257 |
SHAW: Proof needed of parents of William Shaw whose wife was Helen Radcliffe Shaw. He was buried in Rochester Aug 1840.
Helen McCloskey Jackson #882, 10002 Ella Lee La, Houston TX 77042-2912 |
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FULLER: Looking for information on Daniel Fuller who was born in 1782 in MA? and married (Sus)Anna Ames. They resided in Mindon (Montgomery Co), Sackets Harbor (Jefferson Co) and Victor (Ontario Co) NY. Daniel Fuller, his wife and children moved to the woods of Wayne Co MI in 1832 when Detroit was just a small trading post. George Fuller was born 20 Aug 1820 in Mindon NY, married Aug 1845 Emily Smith a Kent Co Michigan resident, and cleared a farm there.
Stephen Chinn, P0 Box 121473, Nashville TN 37212-1473 |
CARTER/MALTBY: Interested in more information on the James Carter family from 1820 to 1840. Tombstone in Flint MI has James Carter Jr. born in England 1812. Family listed in 1830 census for Henrietta. Chandler Maltby deeded to James Carter, among others, part of his farm for a cemetery plot (later known as Tinker Cemetery) in 1832. 1834 article in Rochester Gem noting the marriage of James Carter Jr., and Sabra Maltby, the daughter of Chandler Maltby. Listed in 1840 census. In 1838 James and Sabra Carter bought land form Orrin Maltby in Henrietta NY which they sold in 1841 and then moved to Flint MI.
Harriet K. Ploeger, 18713 - 66th Ave NE, Seattle WA 98155 |
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DeFRIES: Would like to find information on John William DeFries MD and his wife Susanna (Hergenga) DeFries who were supposed to have been born in Monroe Co, he in 1816 and she in 1818. They both died in 1871 in Paineville Center NY. Do any biographies out of a county history exist?
Ken Tessendorff, 45 Claremont Aye, Redwood City CA 94062 |
SQUIRE: Looking for information on John Squire who was born 24 Mar 1792 in Washington Co NY, married Mary W "Polly" Lampman and resided at Fort Edward, Washington Co NY. They removed in 1841 to Rochester NY and located on a farm.
Stephen Chinn, P0 Box 121473, Nashville TN 37212-1473 |
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ENGLAND: Would like information on Thomas Henry England and/or his parents, William Henry England and Elizabeth Holland England. The family immigrated from Ireland to Rochester around 1886/87. Thomas was born 24 May 1880/81, William was possibly born Sep 1832 and Elizabeth was born Oct 1844.William and Elizabeth were both born in England. Other children in the family were Robert H., James, William George, Sara Jane, and Rachael (Rae).
Family group sheets available in the correspondence file. Carol J. Sundeen, 1108 Pratt Drive, Yardley PA 19067 |
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| RGS Officers (1993 - 1994)
Directors: Julie Steitz (1994) & Robert A. Rowe (1995) |
Activity Chairpersons are:
Computer Interest Group (CIG): Edward H. Gaulin |
| The HEARYE is published three time a year in Winter (January), Spring (April) and Fall (September).
The HEARYE is mailed Bulk Rate. Bulk Rate does take a little longer to mail, but should not take any longer than 10 days. If there is a problem please notify us. Also please notify the membership chairperson if you have moved. Because Bulk Mail is not forwarded if will cost RGS the price of a first class stamp for the Post Office to notify us of your new address. | |
Marriage and Death Notices from the "Western Luminary," a weekly Universalist newspaper published in Rochester NY; Vols. 1, 3, and 4 (1842, 1844, 1845). This material is from a microfilm copy at the Andover - Harvard Theological Library, Cambridge MA. and a partial bound edition of v. I in the Rochester Public Library. Marriages are given in the order of their appearance and deaths are listed alphabetically. Entries are followed by the date of publication. Compiled and contributed by Karen E. Dau #605, 54 Starling St. Rochester NY 14613-2261.
Wayne County
MARRIAGES
DEATHS
Ontario County
MARRIAGES
DEATHS
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