Jim Panttaja’s Genealogy Research

I had a near catastrophe this weekend. I was navigating through my Family Tree Maker file, and got an error message saying that my data was corrupt, and I needed to go to the backup file. Family Tree Maker regularly creates such a file. But that file was also damaged. Yikes. I have done a lot of work over the last year - and the idea of losing my file was devastating. I regularly (perhaps once a month) make a copy of the file to CD. But I also have just started using TimeMachine on my Mac (yes, Family Tree Maker only runs on PCs, so I am running it under Parallels on my Mac).

It turns out that the file had been damaged for four days. But I pulled a back up from five days ago, copied in to the right place, and all was good. So I only lost the changes that I had made in the last five days. Fortunately, I hadn’t made many. And whenever find something on the web, I print to PDF, and save it in a directory. So I could easily check timestamps, and see those things I had worked on over the last five days.

But it is a lesson - backup often. Fortunately, I use TimeMachine now which updates every hour. But if you aren’t using TimeMachine on a Mac, consider copying your files to a CD (or DVD) once a month or once a week.

There are a couple of services that let you publish ‘books’. The one that I have the most experience with is Lulu. With this service, I can take a book that I have created using Family Tree Maker, upload it to Lulu.com, and then order printed copies of the book to share with my relatives. I could also choose to allow others to order copies directly either in printed form, or download a PDF file.

The process if fairly simple, and the books are quite inexpensive. I often print copies for myself that are spiral bound. The binding let’s me easily review them, mark them up, or use them for reference on a trip to the library. I often end up giving them away when I visit relatives. For smaller family groups, I have had them printed in booklet form (a staple in the middle like a magazine. I just order the latest revision that I have created of my personal genealogy (356 pages) in ‘perfect bound’, which is sort of like a paperback book.

The perfect bound is about $12/copy for 356 pages.

I usually request one first - take a look at it, make sure that the pages are right (odd numbered pages on the left), and proof it one more time. Then I order several (might be Christmas presents - or maybe some copies for my local library).

One trick you will have to overcome is to make sure that the fonts are all embedded in the .pdf file. I accomplish this by opening the PDF file on my Mac using PDFPen (which also let’s me do some simple editing - Family Tree Maker sneaks in a blank page for me at page 3 on all of my documents. I haven’t figured out how to tweak Family Tree Maker to not do that - so I just remove the page using PDFPen). Having opened the file, I ‘print to PDF’. That gets the fonts embedded, and I am good to go. On a PC, I had to use to accomplish the embedding.

Here is the cover of my book on John Miller Camron.

Recently I was researching one of my sister-in-law’s ancestors, and I ended up on a site that was in German. The site is genealogy.net. In the entry for Matthias Schmeisser, I found the following text:

“Sein Grabstein steht noch heute auf dem Friedhof von York; dort und auf Wolf’s Friedhof ruhen fast alle Smyser aus York und Umgebung. Matthias Schmeisser wanderte im Jahre 1731 mit seiner Mutter, seiner Schwester Anna Margaretha und seinem jüngeren Bruder Georg nach Amerika aus. In seiner Heimat hatte er den Beruf eines Webers erlernt und betrieb nun in der Neuen Welt - mit 16 Jahren- einen Textilwarenhandel in Kreutz Creek Yalley (York County).- Bald aber kaufte er, am 3. Mai 1745- mit bestem Grund und Boden- drei Meilen westlich der Stadt York eine grosse Farm, die 100 Jahre später, beim ersten grossen Familientag Smyser (Schmeisser) am 3.5.1845, zu Ehren seines Geburtsortes einstimmig den Namen “Riegelbach” erhielt. Matthias muss ein besonders gewandter, tüchtiger und fleissiger Mann gewesen sein, denn ersterworbenes Land tauschte er immer wieder gegen besseres, bis es ihm dann -14 Jahre nach der Einwanderung- möglich war eine Farm von ca. 500 acres (über 20,000 Ar), günstig zur Stadt gelegen, aufzubauen. Er selbst bewirtschaftete diese Farm vom 3. Mai 1745 bis1771, dann übergab er sie seinem Sohn Mathias, blieb aber bis zu seinem Tode dort wohnen.”

It has been a long time since I studied German in college. At least I could recognize it as German, and thought that I could sort it out with a dictionary. But them I remember Altavista’s Babel Fish. This site let’s you enter text in one language, and it automatically translates it to another. On the website, they support translation between English, and about a dozen other languages, as well as translation between some of those other pairs of languages. I cut and pasted the text above in to Babel Fish, and received this translation:

“Its gravestone stands still today on the cemetery of York; there and on Wolf’s cemetery nearly all Smyser from York and environment rests. Matthias Schmeisser emigrated in the year 1731 with his nut/mother, his sister Anna Margaretha and his younger brother George to America. In its homeland he had learned and operated the occupation of a weber now in the new world - with 16 year a textile trade in Kreutz Creek Yalley (York County). - Soon however he, on 3 May 1745 with best reason and soil west the city York a large farm, bought three miles which received 100 years later, at the first large family day Smyser (Schmeisser) to 3.5.1845, in honours of its place of birth unanimously the name “latch plate brook”. Matthias must have been particularly more turn, efficient and industrious man, because it exchanged firstonly country for better, to it it then -14 years after the immigration possible was a farm of approx. again and again. 500 acres (over 20,000 acre), favorably to the city convenient to construct. It managed this farm from 3 May 1745 bis1771, then it handed it to its son over Mathias, remained however up to its death living there.”

The translation is not perfect - but it is enough to get me going. It also helped me with some of the specific words on the site like geboren (born) and gestorben (died).

A quick google search of “Finnish to English” yielded links to dictionaries as well as online translation tools. So regardless of the languages you need to deal with, the internet may provide tools for you.

[Update 11/1/2007]

I am surprised that I missed this - but there is a translation feature in Google. Here is the German to English translation from that web site:

“His gravestone stands today in the cemetery of York; There and at Wolf’s cemetery almost all the rest Smyser from York and the surrounding area. Matthias Schmeisser emigrated in 1731 with his mother, his sister Anna Margaretha and his younger brother George to America. In his hometown, he had a professional weaver learned and now operated in the New World - with 16 Jahren- a textile trade in goods Kreutz Creek Yalley (York County) .- Soon, but he bought on 3 May 1745 - with the best soil and ground three miles west of the city of York a large farm, the 100 years later, the first big family Smyser (Schmeisser) on 3.5.1845, in honor of his native town unanimously named “Riegel Bach” was . Matthias has a particularly gewandter, competent and fleissiger man, because ersterworbenes country he exchanged repeatedly against better until he then -14 years after the immigration was a farm of about 500 acres (about 20.000 Ar) , favorable to the city, build. He even managed the farm of 3 In May 1745 bis1771, then handed it to his son Mathias, but remained until his death there live.”

This looks at first glance like a better translation.

Another tool that I use for my research is Google Notebooks. This allows you to create an online notebook. Whenever you are browsing the internet, and come across a page that you want to look at more (this could be part of a web page - or a lookup you have just done in ancestry.com), you can highlight some of the text, and then hit ctrl-mouseclick (on my Mac - a PC might be different) and choose “Note this (Google Notebook)”. The text, and a link to the page are inserted in to a notebook page.

Here is a sample. I found my William Berry in ancestry, but didn’t have the time to capture all of the information right now. So I highlighted his name, and hit ctrl-mouseclick to copy this to my notebook. Later, I can click on the link in my notebook and go right back to the page.

Here is another example of a reference you can insert. I was looking up William Scudder, and found this will in Google Books (This site is also searchable through World Vital Records which I mentioned in a previous post).  I can insert this image of the book in to my notebook (or in to a blog as I have done here) by selecting the ‘click’ icon on the Google Books page, and selecting the part of the page that I want to capture.

This ability to insert images in to Google Notebooks is currently limited to pages you find in Google Books. This is what the click icon (in Google Books) looks like:

And if you want to have text instead (or in addition), you can insert that. Of course it isn’t a perfect translation to text - but it is a good start.

The New England Historical and Genealogical Register WILLIAM SCUDDER of Darenthe Kent yeoman 27 July 1607 proved 4 November 1607 My body to be buried solempely according to the custom of the church of England within the parish churchyard of Darenthe as near as may be unto my father’s grave To wife Margery all my lands and tenements whatsoever and whereever during only her natural life After that to Parnell Scoodder my eldest daughter my lands in Dartford and Wilmington now in the tenure &c of James Pindén with remainder to Mary Scudder my youngest daughter To my two next daughters Margaret aud Joane Scudder my messuage of tenement called Frog Lane with mault houses &c belonging now in the tenure of John Ellis fee in Sutton at Hone To daughter Mary a parcel of land called Prieles Meade six acres or more in Sutton at Hone with remainder to Parnell my daughter And if they two both happen to die without issue &c to my other two daughters If all my four daughters shall happen to ffithout heirs of their bodies lawfully begotten then I give Parnell’s to Henry Scudder son of John Scudder my natural brother de i aj d to his heirs forever The lauds aud tenements bequeathed my Margaret and Joaue I then give to Henry aud Thomas Scudder

I have several Google notebooks, and can easily move among them - inserting text and links as I browse the internet. It keeps me from losing track of great sites that I come across.

World Vital Records has been adding databases at a dizzying rate (They say they have thousands of databases, and hope to add 10,000 in the next few months). Often they are available to everyone who accesses the site for free for a period of time. But it is only $49.95 for a two year subscription to the service – and it is well worth the price. In the last couple of weeks, they announced access to Find A Grave. Although you could find this, and search it yourself, I hadn’t found it… And the access to this data through World Vital Records does not require you to pay a fee to World Vital Records. I looked up one of my problem ancestors, Noah Scudder. It found him on the Find A Grave site – and not only identified where his grave is (something I already knew – in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Chester, New Jersey), but it also showed a picture of the head stone. It also has his wife, Chloe Topping Scudder. Here is the link to Noah Scudder in World Vital Records, that you can click on to get the data at Find A Grave.

Of course I could just go to Find A Grave, but with World Vital Records, as new sources are available, a look up will find those new sources as well.

A search of the Pleasant Hill cemetery records at Find A Grave, yielded the following:  Entries for Noah, Chloe, and their children Harriet, Joseph S., Sophia and William. It is interesting that Harriet had married James Howell - but is buried as Harriet Scudder. James had gone to California and died in Plumas County California in 1854. Harriet’s son Matthias, and brother Jacob also went to California. There is also an entry for their daughter Nancy Scudder Drake.

There are a total of 510 entries for Scudders at Find A Grave.

Watch for the launch of the updated Scudder Association web site. The site was developed, and is managed by Scudder Stevens II, and much of the content has been collected, created, and uploaded by the Genealogy Committee Chair, Georgia Whitson. The Scudder Association has a long history of genealogical work, and this is a great extension to that. I have viewed the ‘development’ version, and it looks great. Scudder assures me that it will be soon moved in to production.

I have written on another blog about problem solving techniques. There are a variety of approaches - and they are all useful in genealogy as well. The problem today is related to Benjamin F. Jennings - and the problem solving technique is to make sure that you don’t look for what is missing where the light is better…

[The cartoons were done for us several years ago by Marc Schmid. His website is www.cartooncity.net ]

Benjamin F. Jennings was the first husband of Matilda Jane Heller. Matilda Jane later married Joseph Sparks, and then John Hawthorne Cameron. John Hawthorne Cameron is my connection. John Hawthorne was the nephew of John Miller Camron. John Miller Camron is my Great-great-great grandfather.

The following book: Bergevin, Charlotte, Daisy Sundberg, Evelyn Berg, Camerons, Westward They Came, (1983), contains information about Benjamin F. Jennings and Matilda Jane Heller. Benjamin was Matilda Jane Heller’s first husband. They were married 22 April 1852 in Fulton County, Illinois. She married her second husband in 1865, so I looked for them in the 1860 census - in Illinois.

There is a Benjamin F. Jennings in Pope County, Illinois. His wife is Matilda J. This is sounding really good. But she was born in Illinois, and the Matilda Jane I am looking for was born in Illinois. This is not enough to make me give up yet (the light is pretty good here). And the book Camerons, Westward They Came lists children for Benjamin and Matilda named Philip, John, Mattie and Fannie. So close - but not a match with the children listed in the census record: George, Elvira, Mahala and Angeline.

So I still haven’t found this Jennings family in the 1860 census. I have found Matilda J. Cameron (after her marriage to John Hawthorne Cameron) as head of household in the 1900 and 1910 census (John Hawthorne Cameron died in 1900).

But a reminder that you have to not just look where the light is good. It was compelling to think that there might only be one Benjamin F. Jennings/Matilda Jennings couple - in Illinois - of about the right age - in 1860. But in this case that that would be wrong.

In a previous post on John Miller Camron, I mentioned “challenges” and  “goldmines”. Noah Scudder is a challenge.

He was born in New Jersey in 1772, and I have quite a bit of information about his children - having corresponded with descendants of several of them.

I have extensive information about Noah’s brothers and sisters.

I have tried to connect Noah to the various Scudder’s. My great uncle, Hubert Scudder, was a member of the Scudder Association starting in the 1940s, and I have worked with their genealogists over the years to try to make the connection.

Georgia Whitson of the Scudder Association has researched this branch, and my current understanding of Noah’s connection is based on her research, and is primarily from two articles by her “The Westfield Scudders, Descended from Joseph son of John T122, Part 2″, and “Searching for Scudders in Westfield, NJ, an Introduction to the Descendent Report or John Scudder who married 1) Jane Davis and 2) Sarah(___)”.  These appeared in the Scudder Association Newsletter.

1.  Noah Scudder  (Joseph, John (Capt.), John, John, John, Thomas, Henry, Thomas Skudder, John, John, Henry) was born 28 Mar 1772 in ,Cumberland, New Jersey, and died 19 May 1858.  He married Chloe Topping 07 Mar 1798 in Roxbury, Morris, New Jersey, daughter of William Topping and Sarah Sandford.  She was born 07 Jan 1777 in New Jersey, and died 17 Nov 1862 in Chester, Morris, New Jersey.

More About Noah Scudder:
Burial: Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Chester, Morris, New Jersey

More About Chloe Topping:
Burial: Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Chester, Morris, New Jersey

Children of Noah Scudder and Chloe Topping are:
2    i.    Benjamin Scudder, born 15 Oct 1798 in New Jersey; died Aft. 1860.  He married Ann Phenix 30 May 1821 in Chester, Morris, New Jersey; born Abt. 1800 in New Jersey.
3    ii.    William Scudder, born 26 Sep 1800; died 11 May 1882.

More About William Scudder:
Burial: Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Chester, Morris, New Jersey

4    iii.    Sophia Scudder, born 14 Feb 1803 in Chester, Morris, New Jersey; died 07 Sep 1838.

More About Sophia Scudder:
Burial: Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Chester, Morris, New Jersey

5    iv.    Harriet Scudder, born 07 Apr 1805 in Chester, Morris, New Jersey; died 23 May 1868 in Chester, Morris County, New Jersey.  She married James Harvey Howell; born Abt. 1804 in Madison, Morris County, New Jersey; died 1854 in Plumas County, California.

More About Harriet Scudder:
Burial: Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Chester Township, New Jersey

6    v.    Smith Scudder, born 27 Dec 1807 in New Jersey; died Bef. 1860.  He married Matilda Summers 10 Mar 1831 in Warren County, New Jersey; born Abt. 1810 in New Jersey.
7    vi.    Joseph Sanford Scudder, born 06 Feb 1811 in Chester, Morris, New Jersey; died 17 Jan 1841 in New Jersey.

More About Joseph Sanford Scudder:
Burial: Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Chester, Morris, New Jersey

8    vii.    Jane E. Scudder, born 27 Jul 1813 in Chester, Morris, New Jersey; died 28 Jan 1895 in Chester, Morris, New Jersey.  She married John Edgar Seeley 24 Jan 1835 in Chester, Morris, New Jersey; born 25 Feb 1813 in New Caanan, Fairfield, Connecticut; died 30 Apr 1867.

More About John Edgar Seeley:
Burial: Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Chester Township, New Jersey

9    viii.    Jacob Cosner Scudder, born 21 Jul 1816 in New Jersey; died 18 Apr 1886 in Analy Township, Sonoma, California.  He married Nancy D. Drake 26 Dec 1838; born 18 Oct 1819 in New Jersey; died 09 Nov 1895 in Petaluma, Sonoma, California.

More About Jacob Cosner Scudder:
Burial: Sebastopol, Sonoma, California
Residence: Nov 1852, California, Hunterdon County, New Jersey

More About Nancy D. Drake:
Burial: 10 Nov 1895, Sebastopol, Sonoma, California

10    ix.    Nancy Maria Scudder, born 14 Sep 1820 in Chester, Morris, New Jersey; died 31 Oct 1862 in Chester, Morris, New Jersey.  She married William Hart Drake 18 Apr 1848 in Chester, Morris, New Jersey; born 24 Jul 1822 in New Jersey; died 06 May 1890 in Boise, Ada, Idaho.
———————

1830 Census Record for Noah Scudder,  (Chester Township, Morris County, New Jersey).
1840 Census Record for Noah Scudder,  (Chester Township, Morris County, New Jersey, page 164.).
1850 Census Record for Noah Scudder,  (Chester Township, Morris County, New Jersey, October 10th, 1850).
Alfred Seeley Bible Records, 3 September 1990 - in possession of Herbert K. Lodder, great grandson of Alfred Seeley..
Bergen, Teunis G., Register in alphabetical order, of the early settlers of Kings County, Long Island, N.Y,  (1881, S.W. Green’s Son, New York, New York).
Bigelow, Moses,, The Scudder family of Trenton: Compiled by Moses Bigelow for Antoinette Quinby Scudder of Newark.,  ([Newark, N.J.?] : Somerset Press, 1948. The Scudder Association, Inc. 2004.).
Bogatin, Pam, “Genealogy,” The Scudder Association Newsletter, Number 177..
Brown, Virginia Alleman, Morris County Heirs to Estates 1785-1900,  (Genealogical Researchers, New Jersey, 1984).
Chambers, Theodore, Early Germans of New Jersey,  (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. 1982. Originally Dover Printing Company, Dover, New Jersey, 1895.).
“Children of Thomas and Elizabeth,” Scudder Searches, Vol. I, No. 2, Summer 1989.
Cochran, Hamilton, Scudders In The American Revolution,  (The Scudder Association, Inc., 1976, Scudder Association CD, 2004.).
Cooley, Eli F. and William S. Cooley, Genealogy of Early Settlers in Trenton and Ewing “Old Hunterdon County” New Jersey,  (CD, The Scudder Association, 2005. William S. Sharp Print Company, Trenton, New Jersey, 1883.).
Daughters of the Americal Revolution, Patriot Lookup Service,  (members.dar.org), “Electronic.”
Endres, Mary, Across The Devils Belt, A Biography of William Smith Scudder,  (The Scudder Association, Inc., 1991).
“Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey.”
“Grave Registration of the Oldest Section of the Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Chester, Morris, New Jersey.”
Halsey, Herbert A., Guide to the Colonial Cemetery of the Presybyterian Church in Westfield, Union, New Jersey,  (Westfield Historical Society, Westfield, Union, New Jersey, 1987.).
Hutchinson, Elmer T., Documents Relating to the Colonial, Revolutionary and Post-Revolutioinary History of the State of New Jersey, First Series, Volume XXXVI,  (MacCrellish & Quiqley County, Printers, Trenton, New Jersey, 1941.).
Jackson, Ronald Vern , Index to Military Men of New Jersey 1775-1815,  (1977).
Littell, John, Family Records or Genealogies of the First Settlers of Passaic Valley,  (Stationers’ Hall Press, Feltville, N. J., 1852.).
Mary Powell Bunker, Long Island genealogies : families of Albertson, Andrews, Bedell,  (1895, Joel Munsell’s Sons, publisher, Albany, New York.).
McEntyre, Judy Scudder, “The 93rd and Final David Tallman Scudder Reunion,” The Scudder Association Newsletter, Number 198, 2006, #3.
McKinney, William K. Ph.D., Charles A. Philhower, A.M., and Harry A. Kniffin, Commemorative History of the Presbyterian Church in Westfield, Union, New Jersey 1728-1928 (electronic listings),  (Copyright 1929, Presbyterian Church in Westfield, Union, New Jersey).
Morris County Cemeteries - Pleasant Hill Cemetery,  (www.rootsweb.com/~njmorris/cemeteries/phc4.htm http://www.rootsweb.com/~njmorris/cemeteries/phc5.htm http://www.rootsweb.com/~njmorris/cemeteries/pleasant.htm), “Electronic.”
Names of persons for whom marriage licenses were issued by the secretary of the province of New York, previous to 1784..
New York (Colony) and New York (State). Secretary’s Office, Names of persons for whom marriage licenses were issued by the secretary of the province of New York, previous to 1784,  (1860, Weed, Parsons and company, Albany, New York).
“Partial Genealogy of Descendants of John Scudder of Westfield, Union, New Jersey,” Scudder Association Bulletin, Number 26.
“Presbyterian Church Session Records 1819-1883, Chester, Morris, New Jersey.”
Sanford, Grover Merle , The Sandford/Sanford Families of Long Island,  (Gateway Press, Inc., 1975.).
“Scudder Burial Records,” The Joint Free Public Library of Morristown & Morris Township.
Scudder, Alanson H., Genealogy of the Westfield, N. J. Branch of the Scudder Family,  (1902).
Scudder, Chris, Correspondence from Chris Scudder, 30 December 2005,  (30 Dec 2005).
Scudder, D. B., John Scudder III (1675-1738) of Essex County, New Jersey, Scudder Searches, Vol. II, No. 1, Winter 1990.
Scudder, D.B. compiler, “Status of Genealogical Research and Reporting on the Scudder Family,” Scudder Searchers, The Scudder Association, Volume VI, Number 1, Winter, 1996.
Scudder, D.B. compiler, “English Scudder Research: Taking Another step Forward and Tentative Lineage of the Rev. Henry and Thomas of Salem,” Scudder Searchers, The Scudder Association, Volume IV, Number 4, Fall, 1992..
Scudder, D.B. compiler, “Scudder Family in America: The Beginnings, Thomas (T) of Salem,” Scudder Searchers, The Scudder Association, Volume I, Number 2, Summer, 1989..
Scudder, Richard Alan, “Ancestry of Richard (Betts) Scudder and Hannah Reeder,” The Scudder Association Newsletter, Number 117, Winter, 1986.
Skudder, Simon, “Tentative Pedigree Chart of Thomas of Salem and the Reverend Henry Scudder,” Scudder Searchers, The Scudder Association, Volume IV, Number 2, Spring, 1992..
Soper, Edwin, “The Collected Scudder Genealogical Research of Edwin L. Soper, Historian of the Scudder Association, Inc.,” The Scudder Association, Inc., 2004.
Soper, Edwin L., researcher, “Genealogical Research of Edwin L. Soper, Historian of the Scudder Association, Inc..”
State Gazette Publishing Co., Trenton, NJ, Records of Officers and Men of New Jersey in Wars 1791-1815,  (1909).
“Thomas Scudder of Salem,” Scudder Searches, Vol. I, No. 2, Summer 1989.
Topping, Charles E.  and Grace Topping Fritsch, Topping Genealogy,  (Gateway Press, Inc., 1980.).
Ware, Josephine Sandford , Robert Sandford and His Wife Ann Adams Sandford with some of their Descendants 1615-1930,  (Printer-Tuttle Company, Rutland, Vermont, 1930.).
Westfield Presbyterian Cemetery Records,  (http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/5096/lr28.htm), “Electronic.”
Westfield Presbyterian Church Cemetery Tombstone Inscriptions,  (www.westfieldnjhistory.com), “Electronic.”
Whitson, Georgia, “The Westfield Scudders, Descended from Joseph son of John T122, Part 2,” The Scudder Association Newsletter, Number 180 (Spring, 2002).
Whitson, Georgia, Scudder Descendants First Five Generations,  (Correspondence, 30 Jan 2007), “Electronic.”
Whitson, Georgia, “Searching for Scudders in Westfield, NJ, an Introduction to the Descendent Report of John Scudder who married 1) Jane Davis and 2) Sarah(___),” The Scudder Association Newsletter, Number 179 (January, 2002).
Whitson, Georgia S., “Some Scudders in the DAR Lineage Books, Second in a Continuing Series of Published Data on Scudders,” The Scudder Association, Inc.  Newsletter, Number 186, 2003 #3.
Whitson, Georgia, Genealogy Committee, “Scudder Data Available in Published Resources,” The Scudder Association, Inc. Newsletter, Number 185, 2003 #2.
Will of Abijah Scudder, N. J. Archives Volume 36, page 197, excerpt.
Will of Noah Scudder, proved June 3, 1858.,  (Morris County, Book G, folios 723 and 724.).

One of the tools that I use for my genealogy research is Gensmarts. I got a copy of it when I purchased Family Tree Maker 16. I have used Family Tree Maker for many years - but decided to buy a new copy (rather than upgrade), partially because Gensmarts was bundled with it.

Gensmarts looks at your data file (for Family Tree Maker, as well as a number of competitive products), and identifies possible errors, as well as items for research. I use it with my Ancestry.com account to look up data that it suggests. I have about 8000 people in my Family Tree Maker database. When I first pointed Gensmarts at my database, the To Do list showed over 32,000 items to research. Fortunately, you can use radio buttons to limit the list. I started by only looking at information tied to my direct ancestors, that are available on Ancestry.com. I then moved on to items that fill missing data, and that are available to me on Ancestry.com.

Gensmarts uses the information in my database to project what records might be available. It suggests which states the person might be found in for a given census year, and also suggests things like birth and death records if it knows these are available for actual (or likely) years of birth or death.

I work my way down the list of suggestions - using Ancestry.com to look for the records.

Gensmarts hasn’t yet provided mappings to all Ancestry.com data. But I have found its suggestions on Census records, California birth and death records, and marriage records in a number of states to be very useful. I also look at the full search results from Ancestry.com for other records that might be useful. I tend to work through the list of suggestions from Gensmarts alphabetically by surname. This let’s me focus on a related family, and often find additional records.

There are a couple of other capabilities in Gensmarts that are useful. It’s Data Cleanup tab shows locations that probably aren’t correct (in my case, typos, or sometimes cities without states), or it suggests the appropriate county, given a city. I wish that it would let me choose some of its suggestions, and have it apply the changes to my Family Tree Maker file, rather than make me do it with find and replace - but the information is very helpful.

I am sure as I finish the 1100 remaining suggestions, I will find other ways to use Gensmarts to help me add to my research.

In my experience, genealogy research includes a lot of digging, a few ‘challenges’, and a few ‘goldmines’. The challenges include my ancestor Noah Scudder - after many years of research, I can’t satisfactorily identify his parents. More on Noah another day. John Miller Camron is in the goldmine category.

John Miller Camron had as a boarder, Abraham Lincoln, so he is mentioned in some of the biographies of Lincoln - and one book even includes a photograph of him. He was a 49er, first coming to California in 1849, so he is mentioned in some of the early California records. But most importantly, there was a pamphlet written in 1962 by one of his great-granddaughters, Alice Purvine Murphy, about John, and his descendants.

She includes a history of John, including his trip to California in 1849. She also includes birth, death and marriage information for all of the descendants that she could identify. What a treasure trove.

I have recently corresponded with Mrs. Murphy’s daughter Margaret Turner. Her note read in part “Mother had only a pencil and paper to keep track of all this information and my cousin Helen to help type it. Computers are wonderful”. I have also corresponded with Helen Purvine Kolb who typed it. She remembers the effort - and is pleased that others are still benefiting from that effort.

John and his wife had 10 children. The following provides the basic information on this first generation of John’s descendants.

JOHN MILLER CAMRON (THOMAS, THOMAS) was born 12 Aug 1790 in Elbert County, Georgia, and died 21 Feb 1878 in Sebastopol, Sonoma, California. He married (1) NANCY (POLLY OR MARY) ORENDORF 26 Jan 1812 in Enfield Twp.,Henderson, Kentucky, daughter of CHRISTOPHER OHRENDORF and ELIZABETH PHILIPS. She was born 13 Jan 1794 in Wilkes County, Georgia, and died 25 Mar 1875 in Sebastopol, Sonoma, California. He married (2) SARAH ANN ROGERS 12 Aug 1876. She was born 11 Apr 1811 in Alexandria, Virginia, and died 06 May 1887 in Oakland, Alameda, California.

Notes for JOHN MILLER CAMRON:
John Camron left Oskaloosa, Mahaska, Iowa on May 1, 1849 with a 40 wagon train, Camron arrived at Lassen’s ranch on the Sacramento River with 4 wagons on the last day of October, 1849.

More About JOHN MILLER CAMRON:
Burial: Sebastopol, Sonoma, California

More About NANCY (POLLY OR MARY) ORENDORF:
Burial: Sebastopol, Sonoma, California

More About SARAH ANN ROGERS:
Burial: Sebastopol, Sonoma, California

Children of JOHN CAMRON and NANCY ORENDORF are:
i. ELIZABETH PRESTON4 CAMRON, b. 13 Jan 1813, Hopkinsville, Christian, Kentucky; d. 03 Apr 1896, Sebastopol, Sonoma, California; m. BAXTER BELL BERRY, 02 Oct 1832, New Salem, Sangamon, Illinois; b. 25 Oct 1807, Near Nashville, Franklin, Tennesseee; d. 02 Dec 1891, Sebastopol, Sonoma, California.

More About ELIZABETH PRESTON CAMRON:
Burial: 05 Apr 1896, Sebastopol, Sonoma, California

Notes for BAXTER BELL BERRY:
Left Oskaloosa, Mahaska, Iowa, 26 April, 1852 with Charles Pruvine, Silas Martin for California. Served in the Black Hawk War in Captain Adam Smith’s company, 2nd regiment of Mounted Volunteers of the State of Illinois, commanded by Colonel James D. Henry, 4 June 1831 - 2 July 1831. Private When discharged, commanded by Brig. Genl. Joseph Duncan.

More About BAXTER BELL BERRY:
Burial: 03 Dec 1891, Sebastopol, Sonoma, California

ii. THOMAS PORTER CAMRON, b. 24 Feb 1814, Hopkinsville, Christian, Kentucky; d. 15 Apr 1854, San Pablo Bay, California; m. (1) ZILLA EMERY, 19 Apr 1837, ,Fulton, Illinois; b. 1816, Ohio; d. 1845, Oskaloosa, Mahaska, Iowa; m. (2) CYNTHIA Y. HILLS, 27 Feb 1847, Oskaloosa, Mahaska, Iowa; d. 1861, California.

More About THOMAS PORTER CAMRON:
Burial: Cypress Hill Cemetery, Petaluma, Sonoma, California

iii. VIENNA MITCHELL CAMRON, b. 30 Dec 1815, White County, Illinois; d. 11 Apr 1906, Burnett, Los Angeles, California; m. (1) WILLIAM PROSISE, May 1835, Fulton County, Illinois; b. Kentucky; d. 12 Feb 1846, Mahaska County, Iowa; m. (2) HENRY LYSTER, 18 Dec 1848, Oskaloosa, Mahaska, Iowa; b. 21 Mar 1806, ,Shelby, Kentucky; d. 31 Jan 1889, Burnett, near Long Beach, Los Angeles, California.

More About VIENNA MITCHELL CAMRON:
Burial: Signal Hill Cemetery, Long Beach, Los Angeles, California

More About HENRY LYSTER:
Burial: Signal Hill Cemetery, Long Beach, Los Angeles, California

iv. NANCY MILLER CAMRON, b. 16 Jan 1818, White County, Illinois; d. 27 Jan 1890, Two Rock, Sonoma, California; m. SILAS MERCER MARTIN, 30 Oct 1838, Birmingham, Van Buren County, Iowa; b. 12 Jan 1816, Muhlenburg, Kentucky; d. 26 Feb 1894, Two Rock, Sonoma, California.

More About NANCY MILLER CAMRON:
Burial: Two Rock, Sonoma, California

More About SILAS MERCER MARTIN:
Burial: Two Rock, Sonoma, California

v. MARY JANE CAMRON, b. 31 Jan 1820, Sangamon County, Illinois; d. 28 Jan 1898, Petaluma, Sonoma, California; m. CHARLES PURVINE, 16 Jan 1839, Birmingham, Van Buren, Iowa; b. 14 Sep 1815, Chattanooga, Hamilton, Tennessee; d. 08 Sep 1869, Petaluma, Sonoma, California.

More About MARY JANE CAMRON:
Burial: Two Rock, Sonoma, California

More About CHARLES PURVINE:
Burial: Two Rock, Sonoma, California

vi. MARTHA (MARTY) M. CAMRON, b. 06 Jul 1822, Springfield, Sangamon, Illinois; d. 27 Mar 1905, Ocean Park, California; m. (1) JOHN B. THOMSON; m. (2) DR. BENJAMIN BLACKMAN BONHAM, Feb 1839, Fairfield, Jefferson, Iowa; b. 01 Jan 1814, Maryville, Blount, Tennessee; d. 28 Jan 1884, ,Los Angeles, California; m. (3) REV. NOAH MCCUISTION, 25 Mar 1891; b. 04 Oct 1822, Tennessee; d. 10 Jun 1903.

More About REV. NOAH MCCUISTION:
Burial: Fair Haven Cemetery, Santa Ana, Orange, California

vii. SARAH N. CAMRON, b. 31 May 1824, Sangamon County, Illinois; d. 07 May 1854, Green Valley, Sonoma, California; m. REV. ANDREW MCNAMAR, 30 Oct 1846, ,Mahaska, Iowa; b. 20 Jun 1819, ,,New York; d. 25 Jul 1891, Willits, Mendocino, California.

More About SARAH N. CAMRON:
Burial: Spring Hill Cemetery, Sebastopol, Sonoma, California

More About REV. ANDREW MCNAMAR:
Burial: Willits, Mendocino, California

viii. SOLENA CAMRON, b. 1827, Sangamon Valley, New Salem, Illinois; d. 1848, Oskaloosa, ,Mahaska, Iowa; m. SAMUEL T. MCMURRAY, 17 Jun 1846, Mahaska, Iowa.

More About SOLENA CAMRON:
Burial: ,,Iowa

ix. SORENA CAMRON, b. 1827, Sangamon Valley, New Salem, Illinois; d. 29 May 1915, San Francisco, San Francisco, California; m. REV. BAXTER NEWTON BONHAM, 20 Jan 1846, ,Jefferson, Iowa; b. 06 Oct 1819, ,Blount, Tennessee; d. 15 Feb 1889, Santa Clara, Santa Clara, California.

More About SORENA CAMRON:
Burial: Sebastopol, Sonoma, California

More About REV. BAXTER NEWTON BONHAM:
Burial: Sebastopol, Sonoma, California

x. ELIZA ARMINDA CAMRON, b. 13 Feb 1832, Petersburg, Maywood County, Illinois; d. 03 May 1916, Long Beach, Los Angeles, California; m. (1) CAPT. HIRAM FOGG, 01 May 1850, Sacremento, Sacremento, California; b. 1816, ,,Massachusetts; d. 18 Feb 1861, Martinez, Contra Costa, California; m. (2) GEORGE BRUNSON, 31 May 1862; m. (3) HUGH MUNDELL, 14 Jun 1864, Austin, Nevada; b. 21 Jun 1823, Salem, Hamilton, Ohio; d. 13 May 1900, Long Beach, Los Angeles, California.

More About ELIZA ARMINDA CAMRON:
Burial: Signal Hill Cemetery, Long Beach, Los Angeles, California

xi. CAROLINE THIELIA CAMRON, b. 05 Jan 1834, Bernadotte, Fulton, Illinois; d. 14 Jan 1922, Martinez, Contra Costa, California; m. THOMAS ALLEN (JUDGE) BROWN, 20 May 1851, Martinez, Contra Costa, California; b. 16 Oct 1823, Greene County, Illinois; d. 05 Aug 1889, Martinez, Contra Costa, California.

More About CAROLINE THIELIA CAMRON:
Burial: Alhambra Cemetery, Martinez, Contra Costa County, California

More About THOMAS ALLEN (JUDGE) BROWN:
Burial: Alhambra Cemetery, Martinez, Contra Costa County, California

xii. MARGARET ANGELINE CAMRON, b. 15 Jun 1836, Canton, Fulton, Illinois; d. 14 May 1928, Pomona, Los Angeles, California; m. JESSE CLARK THOMPSON, 10 Nov 1852, Green Valley, Sonoma, California; b. 17 Feb 1829, ,Greene, Missouri; d. 18 Mar 1908, California Hot Spr, Tulare County, California.

More About MARGARET ANGELINE CAMRON:
Burial: Garden Grove, Orange, California

More About JESSE CLARK THOMPSON:
Burial: Garden Grove, Orange, California

I am including below my current ’sources’ that contain information about John Miller Camron:

• 1852 California State Census, Schedule 1 - Population, (County of Sonoma, August 1983).
• Bergevin, Charlotte, “Research of Charlotte Bergevin, 1975-1984.”
• Bergevin, Charlotte, Daisy Sundberg, Evelyn Berg, Camerons, Westward They Came, (1983).
• Death Certificate for John M. Camron.
• Dodd, Jordan., Kentucky Marriages, 1802-1850, (ancestry.com), “Electronic.”
• Drake, Julia A., Flame O’ Dawn, (Vantage Press, 1959.).
• Drake, Julia A., Alfred Lueck and Emil Flender, The Christian Ohrndorf Family in Germany, (Anchor Publishing Co., San Angelo, Texas, 1968.).
• Hamilton & Ostendorf, Lincoln in Pictures, (University of Oklahoma Press, 1963).
• History of Contra Costa County, California, (Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, CA, 1926.).
• Howell, Esther Hyde , “The Story of John Miller Camron and Nancy Orendorff Camron,” 1962.
• “John M. Camron Cemetery Plot, Sebastopol, Sonoma, California.”
• Land Patent, (Bureau of Land Management, General Land Records Office, http://www.glorecords.blm.gov), “Electronic.”
• Lorant, Stefan , Lincoln His Life in Photographs, (Duell, Sloan and Pearce, New York, 1941).
• Lorant, Stefan , Lincoln, A Picture Story of His Life, (W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1969).
• Marko, Ruth Z., Transcribed, Federal Census, 1830, Sangamon County, Illinois, (Sangamon County Genealogical Society of Illinois).
• Marriage record of John Camron and Nancy Orinduff, (Kentucky marriages to 1850), “Electronic.”
• McClure, Evelyn S., Sebastopol’s Historic Cemetery, (Belle View Press, Sebastopol, Sonoma, California, 2000.).
• Murphy, Alice Purvine, The Rev. John M. Camron and Descendants 1790-1962, (1962).
• Native Daughters of the Golden West, Native Daughters of the Golden West Records, (http://cagenweb.com/cpl/ndgwmaster.htm).
• Native Daughters of the Golden West Index, (http://www.cagenweb.com/~cpl/ndgwmaster.htm), “Electronic.”
• Native Daughters of the Golden West Roster of CA Pioneers.
• Paull, Margaret Martin, The Valley of the Trail Between The Two Rocks.
• Pension Records, Baxter Bell Berry.
• Sandberg, Carl, Abraham Lincoln, The Prarie Years.
• Sebastopol Cemetery, 2/83, notes from visit to cemetery, Jim Panttaja.
• Sonoma County Deeds.
• Sonoma County Genealogical Society, Inc. Santa Rosa, Sonoma, California, Sonoma County, California Death Records, 1873-1905, Second Edition, (Heritage Books, Inc., Bowie, Maryland, 2001.), “Electronic.”
• Sonoma County Genealogical Society, Inc. Santa Rosa, Sonoma, California, 1999, Sonoma County Cemetery Records, (Heritage Books, Inc., Bowie, Maryland, 2001.), “Electronic.”
• Sonoma Searcher, Vol III, #3, April, 1976.
• Spears, Zarel C. and Robert S. Barton, Berry and Lincoln Frontier Merchants, The Store that “Winked Out”, (Stratford House, Inc., New York, 1947).
• Thomas, Benjamin P., Lincoln’s New Salem, (The Abraham Lincoln Association, Springfield, Sangamon, Illinois, 1934).
• “Vital Records from Cemeteries in California, Sonoma County Cemetery Records 1846-1921.”
• Walsh, John Evangelist, The Shadows Rise, Abraham Lincoln and the Ann Rutledge Legend, (University of Illinois Press, 1993).