Using JSTOR for Genealogy

I am at the point in my research where I want to dig deeper into my ancestor's lives. My ancestors are more than a birth, marriage, and death date. I want to know what it was like in the time they were living, I want to know more about where they lived and worked, even more about the events they would have experienced.

How do I do this when my ancestors and their family members have passed away and no family stories are available? One way is to use JSTOR. JSTOR is a digital library of articles, books, and primary sources. JSTOR's website says, "JSTOR provides access to more than 12 million journal articles, books, images, and primary sources in 75 disciplines". JSTOR has some free access with a registered sign in. Open access journals and books are available, but for some items a subscription is needed.

Many schools and institutions have subscriptions and you can access it through them. Students and some alumni can access JSTOR through their high school, community college, or college if the institution has a subscription. Libraries have subscriptions as well. Check the library where you live to see if they do. Some state libraries will provide access to their residents. If all else fails, you can get an individual JPASS.

I was able to access JSTOR through a library. I searched surnames and didn't have a lot of success unless they were important in history. 

I had luck with occupations. For example, my great grandfather, David Watt was an engineer for Duluth, South Shore, Atlantic Railroad, and I was able to learn more about the company. My grandfather Harry Glover was a cost estimator for Chrysler at their Highland Park offices, and I learned more about the history of Highland Park. My search for more information about Point Betsie lighthouse keepers in 1898-1900 came back empty, but Michigan lighthouse keepers was successful. I found if the search term is too narrow it doesn't work. 

Searching social issues and religion was successful for me. My second great grandmother, Adeline Dyer Glover, was involved in the Women's Temperence movement. I was able to read about the movement, what the organization did, and background information of WCTU. My mother's family has deep roots in Church of the Brethren and I was able to gather some history about their religion. One article explained the connection to the Mennonite religion. Some family members were Mennonite and some Church of the Brethren. Another search that was successful was Salem Witch Trials.

Military topics were extensive. My second great grandfather, Samuel S. Glover, Jr. was in the Michigan Mechanics and Engineers unit during the Civil War. My fourth great grandfather, Alexander Glover, was a Private in Capt. Seth Murray's company, Col. Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge's (25th) regiment. I found articles about both their companies at JSTOR. Other topics searched for with success included Green Mountain Boys, Taking of Ticonderoga, and Michigan Camp and/or Fort Custer. 

Places is another effective way to use JSTOR. I searched for Shoreham, Vermont and over two thousand hits were returned. Now, many of those I couldn't use, but there were early images I enjoyed seeing. I have found more articles are United States related and foreign articles are harder to find. Using the state name and another search term like immigration was helpful. German Immigration was a successful too.

I could go on with other examples, but you get the idea from my searches. JSTOR is an interesting website, and I could spend hours reading articles on it. You can download articles and I have done that. I put them in a "to read" folder and read them when I have time. 

My searches above have been about searching on JSTOR, but the same could be said about Hathi Trust. Some search terms worked better with Hathi Trust than JSTOR.

A few tips for success.

1. Search narrowly, but not too narrow. If no articles are returned, widen your search terms. 

2. Keep a log or list of your search terms and if it was successful or not. I made a table in Microsoft Word and highlight green, if found, red, if not.

3. Download the article for further reference.

4. Don't expect to find a specific named ancestor but look for areas where your ancestor interacted with the community whether that is a religious or community group, a specific regiment in a war, or an occupational reference.

5. Use the information for stories about your ancestor or to add to the notes in your genealogy software program.

If you have used JSTOR for genealogy, leave a message about how you use it.

JSTOR image courtesy of Original: Gwillhickers Vector:  Lệ Xuân, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

 

Church Baptismal Record of Ottilie Bertha Fredrich

Source: "Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1567-1945," database, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 7 October 2019), entry for Ottilie Bertha Fredrich; Mikrofilm Sammlung. Familysearch.org; Lutherische Kirchenbücher, 1567-1945. Evangelische Kirche Nakel (Kr. Wirsitz); City or District: Sadki u Wyrzysk; page 114;115.

The cropped version of the Lutheran baptismal record is for Ottilie Bertha Fredrich, daughter of Christoph Fredrich and Susana Konig. She was baptised 21 Jan 1852 in Nakel, Deutschland (Germany). Her birth date was 15 Jan 1852. The sponsors are hard to read, but I get Peter ?? and Wilhelmine Kuth??

Fort Custer Friday: The Library

Panaramic view of Camp Custer, courtesy of Library of Congress

Fort Custer Training Center has a long history of training troops in Michigan starting as Camp Custer. It was heavily used in World War II. It was used in World War I and some in the Korean War. Currently, it is used by the Michigan National Guard for training. 

In addition to the training facilities at Fort Custer, there is a historical society, the Fort Custer Historical Society (FCHS). FCHS has a museum that is in an old WWII barracks and a library.

Entrance to the Library, photographed by Brenda Leyndyke

The library is in Moran Hall. Moran Hall was a theater at one time and the library is in what would have been backstage. The Calhoun County Genealogical Society was visiting the museum and it was mentioned that they were looking for volunteers to help with the library. I was the President of the Calhoun Society and talked to the President of FCHS.  I asked if he was ready to have volunteers. I would be willing to find society members to help. Another woman, Jan, a retired school librarian, said she would be interested in helping. The rest, as they say, is history. It has been a long project with a two-year interruption because of COVID19.

The Beginning

Jan and I met with Colonel Spackman and walked through the library to see what needed to be done. The main thing was getting an inventory of materials. There were books, magazines, newspapers, postcards, photographs, and more. Jan and I started with inventorying the books. Jan and I were familiar with the Dewey Decimal System, and we decided to use that. We looked up every book in OCLC classify, recorded, labeled, and shelved all the books. Just when we thought we were done with the books, more boxes would show up. 

Magazines were inventoried next.

A rare books room holds items prior to the Korean War

Manuscript materials of individual soldiers are being processed.

Current shelving for books

Currently, the library is only available by appointment. Policies and procedures are being developed for board approval. The logistics haven't been worked out for creating a lending library.  If you are interested in visiting the library, please contact the Fort Custer Historical Society via their website.

I plan to use my blog to let others know what is available at the library. Check back on the first Friday of every month for more information. I will be sharing manuscript information, unique resources, vertical file topics, postcards, photographs, and more.

A Sister's Death Certificate Furthers Ancestor's Research

"Michigan, Death Certificates, 1921-1946," Index and Images, , Michiganology (www.michiganology.org : accessed 1 May 2021), Entry for Amalie E. Engelhuber, 24 Dec 1930; Michigan Department of Community Health, Lansing

It took me the longest time to find the parents of my great grandfather, Johann August Fredrich. I found the names of his parents by researching his sisters that were named in his obituary.

The above death certificate is for Amalie (Fredrich) Engelhuber, J. August's sister. The informant was Amalie's daughter, Mrs. Charles Schoedel, Mae. The parents are listed as John Fredrich and Susana Koenig. The baptismal records of the children list the parents as Christoph Fredrich and Susanna Koenig. I am guessing the father might have been Johann Christoph, but until I see proof of that I use Christoph.

Amalie Fredrich was born 14 June 1842 in Prussia. She married Leonard Engelhuber on  27 January 1873, in Manistee, Michigan. Her death was 24th December 1930, in Saginaw, Michigan.

Don't rule out siblings when researching your ancestor, you may find what you have been searching for through one of the siblings.

 

My Great Rivers of Europe Adventure

If third's time a charm, what is the fourth time called? My husband and I had planned on taking a once in a lifetime trip for our 40th Anniversary, in 2021. We decided to take a Christmas Market river cruise along the Danube in December 2020. We would travel from Nuremberg, Germany to Vienna, Austria. Well, a little thing called COVID 19 got in our way. The trip was cancelled. Okay, no big deal. We wouldn't want to travel during a pandemic, we would wait until 2021. 

We signed up for the same Christmas market tour in 2021 and one week before our trip was to happen, Austria closed its borders and Germany followed soon after because of Covid. Dang! 

My husband and I talked and we thought maybe it would be better to travel in the Spring when we could be outdoors more. The river cruise company was offering a Springtime in Belgium and Holland tour. Perfect! There was even one day where we would be close to where Kirk's ancestors lived. I was going to hire a guide to drive us around South Holland. Covid didn't get us this time, but Kirk's heart did. We had to cancel our trip so Kirk could get treated for Atrial fibrillation. The cardiologist felt he may have gotten it due to his second covid vaccine. Who knows? The doctor wouldn't clear him to travel.  

Luckily, we had trip insurance for all three reservations and we weren't out any money, but we had to use the money before December, 2023. We looked over the trips available and decided on The Great Rivers of Europe tour. It was a 16 day river cruise that started in Amsterdam and ended in Vienna. It was kind of a combination of the three trips we didn't take, minus the Christmas markets.

It was a glorious trip. We traveled the Rhine, Main Danube Canal, and the Danube Rivers with a short time on the Mosel. The cities we stopped in included:

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Leaning Ladies in Amsterdam

Cologne, Germany

Koln Cathedral, Cologne, Germany

Koblenz, Germany

Pieces of the Berlin Wall, Koblenz, Germany

Winningen, Germany

Winery Tour and Tasting

Heidelberg, Germany

Heidelberg Schloss

Wertheim, Germany

Museum in Wertheim

Wurzburg, Germany

The Alte Mainbrucke (Old Main Bridge) in Wurzburg

Rothenburg, Germany

Rothenburg Tower and Walls

Bamberg, Germany (No pictures)

Nuremberg, Germany

Nuremberg Rally Grounds

Regensburg, Germany

One of the entrances to  Old Town Regensburg

Passau, Germany

St. Stephen's Cathedral where we heard a pipe organ concert.

Melk, Austria (No photos)

Vienna, Austria

Riverboat Adagio

We traveled with Grand Circle Cruise Line and a group organized by Travel with Scott and Curtis, in Kalamazoo. Most of the people in our group were from Michigan. Grand Circle hires program directors who are with you throughout the whole trip. There were four program directors. Ours was Bob, he was fantastic. Young and energetic with a great sense of humor. 

Bob, or Bop as the Germans called him, our group's program director

Grand Circle is known for its educational component of the trip. We met a lot of teachers on the boat. The program directors went with their group on every stop we made and talked about the history of the place we were. Each person had a set of headphones. On board activities included a trafficking discussion, glass blowing demonstration, apple strudel making experience, kitchen tour, Ukranian refugee talk, and more.

The Amsterdam Replica

Although, it wasn't a genealogy trip, there were times we were able to think about our ancestors. Kirk's father's family was 100% Dutch. I have never found them living anywhere other than the Netherlands until his second great grandfather immigrated to New York. One of the experiences we had on our time in Amsterdam was a canal boat tour. While on this tour we saw a replica of the ship "Amsterdam". The name sounded so familar to me, but we were in Amsterdam so I figured it was just that. When I got home I checked my research and saw that Kirk's second great grandfather, Marinus van den Bos, his wife Lena, and daughter, Neeltje, arrived at the port of New York on 12 March 1881 aboard, you guessed it, The Amsterdam. They traveled in steerage. I wish I had remembered that because we would have toured the replica. Oh, well, it gives us an excuse to go back, which I would enjoy doing.

The closest I got to where my mother's family came from, a small village near Rockenhausen in the Rhineland-Palatinate, was when we were in Heidelberg, Germany. Heidelberg is about an hour away from Rockenhausen. We took a bus from Frankfort, Germany to Heidelberg. The drive through wooded areas reminded me of Northern Michigan. 

I enjoyed all the cities we visited but I did have two favorites, Rothenburg and Nuremberg. Rothenburg was a medieval walled city. In Nuremberg, we got to see Courtroom 600, where the Nuremberg trials were held. I could write a blog post on each city we visited, but I won't bore you. I took over 700 pictures and editing them down to a few to make a Shutterfly book with was hard. 

It was after Nuremberg that things got hard. A lot of people were packed into the courtroom and no one was wearing a mask, me included. A day or so after Nuremberg I got a sore throat. I wasn't too worried because any cold I get starts that way, it moves to the ears, and then the chest and it is gone. This one went that way as well. Many travelers were having the same symptoms. Mine was mostly a cough. In Germany, you go to an Apotheke and talk with a pharmacist and they give you the meds they think you need. I needed a cough syrup. Of course, Kirk followed with similar symptoms a day or two later. We were tired and tried our hardest to make it through. We did quite well. We wore our masks. We didn't go to the after dinner activities as we needed our sleep. I forgot to set the alarm one night and we missed the bus to Melk Abbey. The only other thing we didn't go to was Bamburg. Kirk woke up in the morning and said I am not going anywhere today. I didn't feel comfortable leaving him alone so I stayed with him. 

Sacher Torte, one of the many excellent desserts on board ship.

It was a great trip and I am already looking at what other trips we could take with Grand Circle. They are a great company. The staff was exceptional, the food unbelievable delicious.

All the cancellations were worth it. It was a trip of a lifetime. We got home safely and two days later tested positive for Covid. Yes, it finally got us. I guess our 40th anniversary will be remembered as the Covid one, from start to finish. 

State vs. County Death Certificate Differences, If Any

Marquette County, Michigan, death certificate no. Local File No. 69 (22 March 1945), David Watt; Marquette County Clerk Office, Marquette, Michigan.

I ordered and paid for the above death certificate before David Watt's certificate was available on Michiganology.org. The type written one above is from the Marquette County, Michigan clerk's office. The information was taken from their death records. The typewritten one is easier to read, but it is a derivative source, meaning it was transcribed from a previous record. 

There are only minor differences between the two records. 

1. The Michiganology copy has a state file no. 252 4952, in addition to the local file no. 69. 
2. The Michiganology copy has industry or business as D.S.S.&A Ry, meaning Duluth, South Shore, and Atlantic Railway, the company David Watt worked for as an engineer.
3. The Michiganology copy doesn't have the sex or race completed.
4. The Michiganology copy has a more complete medical certification section.

"Michigan, Death Certificates, 1921-1946," Index and Images, , Michiganology (www.michiganology.org : accessed 1 May 2021), entry for David Watt, 21 March 1945; Michigan Department of Community Health, Lansing

One of the things I thought was interesting is that David's wife Catherine McGee Watt's name wasn't recorded on either copy. The informant was their son, Burt. I know he knew her given name later in his life. 

Other than David's wife's name not being recorded the information missing on the county copy isn't anything crucial to a researcher, but it is a good reminder to always check the original copy of any record you are seeking. Don't rely on someone else's transcription.

1791 Elk Lick Pennsylvania Tax Records

If there are any records older than two hundred years available, you can bet they are tax records. Tax records, and land records, are some of the oldest records that genealogists can find in the United States.

Pennsylvania. Bedford county. "1791 Elk Lick Township." Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Call number 974.081B39TAE

That is true for Elk Lick Township in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, now in Somerset county. I was fortunate to find Elk Lick Township tax records for the years 1788, 1789, 1791, 1792, and 1793 at the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Now these tax records are available online at Family Search.

Pennsylvania. Bedford county. "1791 Elk Lick Township." Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center, Fort Wayne, Indiana n.p.. Call number 974.081B39TAE

I have many ancestors that bought land and paid taxes in Elk Lick Township. Surnames include Beachy, Hershberger, Livingood, Maust, Forney, Schrock, and Seese. 

What good is it to know how much one paid in taxes? It may not be as important to know the tax paid as it is to know where your ancestor owned land and when. We follow our ancestors through the census every ten years, but if we can't find them in the census or it is 1890 then you can use tax lists to know their whereabouts in between the census years. In this case, before the every name census year(1850).

Was the county your ancestor owned land in a burned county? Some states required tax records sent to the state level. The example above shows the payment for state and county taxes. Other burned counties would ask tax payers to show proof of the tax paid. The govenment wants to make sure they got, or get, their money. No one wants to pay taxes twice. Hopefully, your ancestors saved their receipts.

What is the earliest tax record and where that you found for an ancestor?

Research in the Great Lakes at the University of Wisconsin-Superior

Often times when researching the Great Lakes as a Michigander I am tempted to research only in Michigan because Michigan has borders on four of the five Great Lakes. If you do this you will be missing a lot of information that could be helpful. The states that border a Great Lake besides Michigan are New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Don't forget areas of Canada, too.

Wisconsin has a helpful resource in the Maritime Collection at the University of Wisconsin, Superior. The maritime collection has a wealth of information for those who would like to research maritime history.

The Maritime Collection at the University of Wisconsin, Superior is at the Jim Dan Hill library in Superior, Wisconsin. It's online presence is excellent and some research can be done online. Archivist contact information is included for further help.

What will you find in the Maritime Collection? Lots! Information on over 7000 ships, the shipping industry, ship blueprints, ports, shipping statistics, record books, ship log books, periodicals and newsletters, newspaper clipping files, publications, reports, manuscripts, and maritime links is available in the collection. The topic headings of each one of the above topics takes one to a separate page with more information.

The concentration of information is on Lake Superior, but there is a lot of information on the other four Great Lakes. The ports section has Detroit, Buffalo, Cleveland, Toledo, Alpena, and even some Canadian ones, Sarnia, Windsor, and Collingwood to name a few. 

If you are researching Great Lake maritime history be sure to check out the resources at University of Wisconsin-Superior.