Where in the World is Alexander Glover (1756-1826)?

Researching before the first United States Federal Census in 1790 finds researchers using other records that place our ancestors in a specific locale.  This is where one must search for land records, military records, jury lists, and other records.  I have been compiling my "Where in the World" series for awhile now.  Currently, I am to the point where I need to add records besides census ones.  The table below is for my fourth great grandfather, Alexander Glover, who married Sarah Salisbury.

FACT	DATE	PLACE OF RESIDENCE
Birth	20 Mar 1756	Lebanon, New London, Connecticut, British America
Marriage	1780 (to Sarah Salisbury)	Conway, Hampshire, Massachusetts, United States
Census	1790	Conway, Hampshire, Massachusetts, United States
Census	1800	Conway, Hampshire, Massachusetts, United States
Property	1803	Ontario County, New York, United States
Jury List	1808	Phelps, Ontario, New York, United States
Census	1810	Phelps, Ontario, New York, United States
Census	1820	Phelps, Ontario, New York, United States
Death	27 Jan 1826	Phelps, Ontario, New York, United States

Brazil Immigration Records for Francis Henry "Hank" and Mabel Glover

Watching the Rio 2016 Olympic Games reminded me of the time my Uncle Hank Glover and Aunt Mabel (Ruff) Glover lived in Brazil. My uncle worked for General Motors and after having spent time in South Africa, he was sent to work in Brazil. They lived in Sao Paulo, Brazil for a few years.

I remember when my uncle and aunt were in Brazil.  They visited once or twice while there.  I have a purple amethyst and yellow topaz from Brazil that they gave me.  My aunt and uncle enjoyed living in South Africa, but didn't find Brazil as nice. I remember my aunt talking about the lizards on the walls.  Conditions were not like they were use to.

Family Search has a record group: Brazil, São Paulo, Immigration Cards, 1902-1980. This record contains "registration cards for foreign citizens with permanent residency in São Paulo, issued by the Office of Public Safety and housed at the Arquivo Público do Estado de São Paulo", according to the Family Search description. Below are the cards for Francis Henry Glover and Mabel Louise Glover.

1975

Source:  Brasil, São Paulo, Cartões de Imigração, 1902-1980," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2S7-XMR8 : 3 June 2016), Francis Henry Glover, 1975; citing Immigration, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, certificate , registration , Arquivo Público do Estado de São Paulo (São Paulo State Public Archives, São Paulo).

Source: "Brasil, São Paulo, Cartões de Imigração, 1902-1980," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2S7-XMB1 : 3 June 2016), Mabel Louise Glover, 1975; citing Immigration, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, certificate , registration , Arquivo Público do Estado de São Paulo (São Paulo State Public Archives, São Paulo).

1977

Source: "Brasil, São Paulo, Cartões de Imigração, 1902-1980," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVV9-HK93 : 3 June 2016), Francis Henry Glover, 1977; citing Immigration, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, certificate 9466422, registration 364166, Arquivo Público do Estado de São Paulo (São Paulo State Public Archives, São Paulo).

Source:  Brasil, São Paulo, Cartões de Imigração, 1902-1980," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVV9-HSJ2 : 3 June 2016), Mabel Louise Glover, ; citing Immigration, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, certificate 9466421, registration , Arquivo Público do Estado de São Paulo (São Paulo State Public Archives, São Paulo).

The type of information included on these cards is

• Name of Immigrant
• Date of immigration
• Date and place of birth
• Nationality
• Marital status
• Parents’ names
• Profession or occupation
• Place of residence in country of origin
• Passport number with its date and place of issuance
• Signature of the immigrant

I knew a lot of the information on this record already but the information provided here is great for genealogists.  One note: Francis Henry Glover listed his mother as Sarah L. Glover.  Sarah L. Glover was his step-mother.  Francis Henry Glover's biological mother was Emma Winkler, who died shortly after giving birth to Francis.

This is a piece of family history that brought back fond memories of my aunt and uncle.  They were both very loving, caring and special people.  It was nice to see their pictures and information from a time I remember.

Daniel Fenn and Hopkins Rowley Vermont Land Records

Land records can provide relationship information on our ancestors and I wanted to make sure I didn't overlook these important records before I head to New England to conduct research on my Fenn and Rowley family.

Specifically, I was looking for Daniel Fenn's and Hopkins Rowley's Vermont land records.  I am trying to identify the parents of Daniel Fenn, who married Huldah Rowley, and to provide proof for Hopkins Rowley being the father of Huldah. Research already conducted shows Daniel Fenn and Hopkins Rowley in Pittsford, Rutland, Vermont and Shoreham, Addison, Vermont.

First place I went to look for Vermont land records was Family Search.org.  I ordered the following land records.

1. Microfilm No. 28954-Shoreham Grantee and Grantor Index v 1-18
2. Microfilm No. 28689-Pittsford, Vermont Index to Land Records (1770-1951) and Vol. 1, 1761-1790.

I photographed (old microfilm machines at my local Family History Center) the pages of Fenn's and Rowley's that bought or sold land. I went home and compiled a Deed Index chart for each surname and location and ordered the land records I needed. I ordered the following land records.

1. Microfilm No. 28690-Pittsford Vermont Land Records, 1787-1801, Book 2,3.
2. Microfilm No, 28957-Shoreham Vermont Land Records, 1812-1822, Vol. 5,6.
3. Microfilm No. 28958-Shoreham Vermont Land Records, 1822-1829, Vol. 7
4. Microfilm No. 28959-Shoreham Vermont Land Records, 1829-1851, Vol. 8

I spent hours going through these land records at my local Family History Center that is only open four hours a week.  One of the Shoreham volumes was so frustrating because the microfilm pages did not show the page numbers, so I am sitting there counting page by page and finding one and having to start counting from there.  I had to do this volume in two trips because I was getting a headache from concentrating so hard.  It might have been my bifocals, who knows.

I found land records for Daniel Fenn and Hopkins Rowley. Hopkins Rowley even sold land to Daniel Fenn.  I was so hoping for information about their relationship, but no luck.  I did find a couple of instances where Hopkins Rowley sold land to his sons, which was stated in the document, Silas and Myron Rowley.  Now, if I could prove Silas and Myron were the brothers of Huldah, I would be happy. 

Finding Daniel Fenn's parentage is going to take further research, but I found a few Fenn names in early Pittsford, Vermont that look promising.

Occasionally, I would find evidence of previous residences.  For example, Jonathan Rowley of Richmond, Berkshire, Massachusetts bought land in Pittsford, Vermont in 1773.  Jonathan Rowley is the father of Hopkins Rowley.  This was the first time I saw a record showing Jonathan Rowley having a connection to Richmond.

I haven't transcribed all the land records, but that is the next thing I will do.  I want to have it done before I leave for New England.

I have left land records for later in my research and I would encourage researchers to look at them sooner, maybe right after using Census Records.  It helps place a specific person in a specific place. In addition to providing locale, land records can provide relationship information.  Land records are some of the most important records researchers can use when conducting good genealogy research. You never know what you will find in land records, so don't overlook them.  

Vermont County Formations

It is important to understand the formation of states and counties when researching your family. Historical maps can help one in understanding this information.  I used the information found at mapofus.org and created a timeline for Vermont and its county formations.

Vermont County Formations

1764       Vermont region under New York jurisdiction

1777       Vermont declares independence from New York

1779       Original counties were Bennington and Cumberland formed by the Republic of Vermont

1781       Rutland county is formed from Bennington County

Cumberland County is divided into Orange, Windham, and Windsor.  Vermont asserted claim to adjacent areas by creating Washington County and extending Orange and Windsor counties into New Hampshire and extending Rutland and Bennington counties into New York.

1782-Abandoned claims to adjacent lands, Washington eliminated

1783-Orange and Windsor gained from Rutland

1785-Addison county formed from Rutland County.

1786-Orange county exchanged with Addison.

1790-New York relinquishes all claims

1791-Vermont becomes a state.

1830 Map of Vermont (Fenn’s left Vermont in 1833)

The wonderful information and screenshots of maps were provided from mapofus.org.  If you haven't checked this website out, you need to.  It has each U.S. state and its history in map form. Each state has its own page with animated maps showing the changes throughout the years. There is a map showing the formation of the United States, a couple of military maps, and historical atlases on this website as well.  This website should be in every genealogist's toolbox.

                

Samuel Glover leaves Michigan for New York in 1840's

City Directories can be a great source of information on the residences of our ancestors. My ancestor Samuel Stillman Glover left Michigan around 1848 and tracing his whereabouts was made easier by the federal census records, but that only gave me information for 1850 and 1860.  What about the other years?  This is where city directories can be your friend and if they are available online, even better.

By 1860, Samuel Stillman Glover is living in Rochester, New York. I was able to trace the last ten years of Samuel's life by using Rochester City Directories, available at the Rochester District Library website.  Samuel's residence was his place of work, but if it hadn't been the directory would have had separate addresses for residence and work.  The Rochester City Directory referenced advertisements that businesses placed in the directory.  There wasn't one for Samuel, but there was one for his son, Alanson. Samuel lived in Rochester during the following years:

1863-16 East Avenue. Occupation: Varnishing and Repairing Furniture
1866-164 Main Street. Occupation: Chair Repairer
1867-164 Main Street  Occupation: Chair Repairer
1868-164 Main Street. Occupation: Chair Repairer
1869-164 Main Street. Occupation: Chair Repairer
1870-38 Stillson Street. Occupation: Chair Repairer

Samuel Stillman Glover died 30 May 1870 in Rochester, New York.

Why I like to use city directories in my research:

• Often lists the names of person, spouse, family members and their residence.
• Helpful in finding information about the occupation of your family member.
• Can narrow down the immigration year of ancestor.  When did your ancestor first appear in the city directory?
• Great for finding people in larger cities, especially if they didn't own their own home.
• Helps to know exactly what years your ancestor lived and worked in a certain place.
• Leads one to business advertisements that your ancestor may have placed in the directory.
• Leads you to area churches, schools, hospitals, funeral homes, etc, where you can look for more records.
• May list death information that occurred that year.
• It is a great place to check for other family members with the same, or different surnames.

A few places I have found city directories, online:

Free

U.S. City Directories

United States Online Historical Directories

Local Libraries-Check the local or state library in your area for online city directories.  I have found many libraries have them digitized and available for researching.

Paid (or free at some libraries and Family History Centers)
Ancestry.com-U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
Fold3.com-

For more information:
A fellow Michigander, Jasia, wrote an excellent series of ten blog posts about using City Directories at her award winning blog, Creative Gene.  I suggest to take a look at her posts, which are filled with a lot of helpful information.

Lester Graf Dies From Gun Shot Wound

Death certificates provide a lot of information of genealogical value and may lead to more places to research.  The above death certificate is from the recently released Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 at Ancestry.

The cause of death for Lester Elvin Graf, the son of Henry Graf and Mary Etta Walker, was gun shot wound.  Fortunately, it was listed as accidental.  The year was 1907 and the place of death was Harrison Township, Miami, Indiana.

I looked for his obituary or newspaper article at Genealogy Bank, but nothing was found.  I have added it to my to do list as I am sure there would have been coverage of such an accident in 1907.

It is important to read every line of vital records and look for clues that will lead to other records. I will let you know what I find.

Tombstone Tuesday: Aristine Blodget

Aristine Blodget was the daughter of Amos Criffin Blodget and Sarah Salisbury Glover. She died in 1925 and is buried in Highland Cemetery, Ypsilanti, Washtenaw, Michigan.  She is buried in the Blodget family plot: Block 100, Lot 20, Grave No. 7

 Blodget Family Stone

 1842-1925

Aristine

(Sorry for the view, I could not get it to load rotated.)