Spring 2011 American Ancestors: SDBs, methods, and more

The current (spring 2011) issue of the New England Historic Genealogical Society's popular publication, American Ancestors: New England, New York, and Beyond, heralds the addition of back issues of the Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine to the NEHGS web site. Inside are numerous articles. I was struck by two with Midwestern angles, and one of methodological interest:

Shellee A. Morehead provides "A Genealogist's Guide to Seventh Day Baptists," a branch of the Baptists from Rhode Island founded in 1671. Many members settled in or near Milton, Rock County, Wisconsin as they moved west from New York and New Jersey; today their historical center is in Janesville. Although never large, this sect was exceptionally cohesive and generated good records. Those who stuck to their conviction that worship should be held on Saturday also found it convenient to live in clusters. So there was a good deal of intermarriage as well as an early well-developed system of national newspaper communication. You could have SDBs in your tree without knowing it, and Morehead provides a table of surnames and locations (although at least one later location in North Loup, Nebraska, is absent).

Sherill Baldwin outlines the hard-to discover life of Rev. E. W. Dunbar (1823-1893), an effective preacher and popular hymn author, who also did time in Minnesota for bigamy.

Even those without Huguenot ancestry will find methodological interest in Oliver Popenoe's research chronology explaining how he managed to break a brick wall and add generations of prosperous French ancestors to his tree. Two intertwined strategies are noteworthy: he spent a lot of time researching the papers of an unrelated patron of his known ancestor; and early on in his research push he established a web site to document it. Together the classic broaden-the-search strategy and the 21st-century approach got the job done.

News from Illinois and Wisconsin

Real articles with sources, not just record collections!

Illinois State Genealogical Society Quarterly 42(3), Fall 2010

"Kathleen Matson's Pioneer Heritage in Stark County, Illinois," by Donald D. Schmidt and Marty Matson Hawk, pp. 133-149

"Civil War Diary of Gideon Richardson Taxis of Gardner, Grundy County, Illinois," by Marjorie Vance Rice, pp. 154-156


Wisconsin State Genealogical Society Newsletter 56(4), October 2010

"American Apostles: John Cunningham and Henry Harrison Deam," part 4 of 5, by Gregory R. Cunningham, pp. 211-226

"She Came from Strong Stock," part 1 of 2, by Robert E. Ash, pp. 227-230

October 2008 Wisconsin SGS Newsletter --or is that SOS?

Two record compilations fill the latest issue of the Wisconsin statewide genealogy publication:

"Jenson Cemetery Edgerton Wisconsin," Rock County, tr. Bernie Farmer

"Deaths Among the Membership, Wisconsin WCTU 1927-28"

WSGS turns 70 this year, and will hold the annual Gene-A-Rama featuring Christine Rose, CG, 3-4 April in Madison.

Retiring editor David McDonald, CG, offers a farewell note that should be disquieting to those of us who think there's a lot of interesting genealogy to do in Wisconsin: "Since taking on this task in 2007, I have been truly surprised at how little correspondence from members it engenders. With two exceptions, nothing has been forthcoming from members to be included."

Wisconsin genealogy: focus on records

The contents of the current (October) Wisconsin State Genealogical Society Newsletter reflect in part the view of editor David McDonald, CG, that "it's great fun to see an article come forward that explores a hidden or largely unknown source":

"World War I 'Slacker' Lists"

"Wisconsinites on the Federal Payroll, 1880"

"Burials of Indigent Soldiers -- Sauk County, 1891-1902"

"Roster of Lodges, Knights of Pythias, 1899"

"The Woman's Club of Madison, 1895-96"

"Waupaca County, Saint Patrick's Cemetery, Lebanon Township"

"Rock County, Saint Joseph's Cemetery, Edgerton"