Heirlines Professional Genealogy Resources:

Historical Court System of New York State - Part 2: Courts of General Jurisdiction

1. Court of Burgomaster & Schepen/renamed Mayor’s Courts/renamed County Courts of Common Pleas, General Session

a. Court of Burgomasters Established 1653

1. Jurisdiction: General Jurisdiction at law, civil cases over 50 guilders, non-capital crimes, Bastardy, Probate, Divorce, Admiralty
2. Jurisdiction Abolished: 1664
3. Appeals From: Justice Courts
4. Appeals To: Director General

b. Mayor’s Courts Established 1664

1. Jurisdiction: General Jurisdiction at law, civil cases, non-capital crimes, Bastardy, Probate, Divorce, Admiralty
2. Jurisdiction Abolished:
3. Appeals From: Justice Court
4. Appeals To: Director General

c. County Courts of Common Pleas/General Session Established 1691

1. Jurisdiction: General Jurisdiction at law, civil cases, non-capital crimes, Bastardy, Probate cases under 50 pounds, Divorce, Admiralty
2. Jurisdiction Abolished:
3. Appeals From: Justice Court
4. Appeals To: Supreme Court of Judicature, Prerogative

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)
Ancestors are the People of History.● Do you know who yours are? ● Let the Professionals at HEIRLINES FAMILY HISTORY & GENEALOGY find your ancestry! ●1-800-570-4049 ● www.heirlines.com ● PO Box 893 ● Salt Lake City, UT 84110

© 2008, Heirlines Family History & Genealogy, Inc. All rights reserved.

Heirlines Professional Genealogy Resources:

Historical Court System of New York State - Part 1: Courts of Appellate Jurisdiction

1. Director General/Council

a. DG Established 1623

1. Jurisdiction: All judicial cases, capital crimes,criminal appeals
2. Jurisdiction Abolished: 1653
3. Appeals From: Court of Burgomasters
4. Appeals To: Amsterdam Chamber of Dutch West India Co.

b. C Established 1653

1. Jurisdiction: All judicial cases, capital crimes, criminal appeals
2. Jurisdiction Abolished: 1664
3. Appeals From: Court of Burgomasters
4. Appeals To: Amsterdam Chamber of Dutch West India Co.

2. Court of Errors (Upper Chamber of Legislature)

a. C of E Established 1691

1. Jurisdiction: Impeachments, appeals on errors of law
2. Jurisdiction Abolished: 1846
3. Appeals From: Supreme Court of Judicature
4. Appeals To: King in Council

3. Supreme Court of Judicature

a. SC of J Established 1691

1. Jurisdiction: Same as English Courts of King’s Bench, Common Pleas,
Exchequer
2. Jurisdiction Abolished: 1846
3. Appeals From: County Courts, Mayor’s Court
4. Appeals To: Court of Errors

4. Court of Appeals

a. C of A Established 1846

1. Jurisdiction: Appeals only
2. Jurisdiction Abolished:
3. Appeals From: Supreme Court
4. Appeals To:

5. Supreme Court

a. SC Established 1846 (1895 established as only court of general
jurisdiction in New York.)

1. Jurisdiction: General Jurisdiction, criminal (Oyer & Terminer) Civil
(Circuit), Probate Appeals, Became only court of general jurisdiction
in New York in 1895
2. Jurisdiction Abolished: 1895 - Became only court of general
jurisdiction in New York in 1895
3. Appeals From: Inferior Courts, Surrogate’s Courts – same after became
only court of general jurisdiction in New York in 1895
4. Appeals To: Court of Appeals – same after became only court of general
jurisdiction in New York in 1895

6. General Term of Supreme Court/renamed Appellate Terms of Supreme Court in
1895

a. GT of SC Established 1869/ AT of SC Established 1895

1. Jurisdiction: Appeals only/same
2. Jurisdiction Abolished: 1895/GT of SC
3. Appeals From: Both - Circuit, Oyer & Terminer, County,
4. Appeals To: Both - Court of Appeals

7. Commission of Appeals

a. C of A Established 1869

1. Jurisdiction: Backlog of appellate cases before the Court of Appeals
2. Jurisdiction Abolished: 1872
3. Appeals From:
4. Appeals To:

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)

Ancestors are the People of History.● Do you know who yours are? ● Let the Professionals at HEIRLINES FAMILY HISTORY & GENEALOGY find your ancestry! ●1-800-570-4049 ● www.heirlines.com ● PO Box 893 ● Salt Lake City, UT 84110
© 2008, Heirlines Family History & Genealogy, Inc. All rights reserved.

What is a Survey and Analysis Family Tree project and why do one?

Heirlines Professional Genealogy Tip:

A Survey and Analysis project is the initial phase of any Heirlines Professional Genealogy Custom Research Services Project that may be purchased separately from a complete block of research, analysis and reporting time, informing the client of the possibilities for research. It provides Heirlines with an overview of the types and extent of records available to us locally at the Family History Library and what must be ordered off site to help the client accomplish their research goal. It highlights the vast resources that are available to Heirlines to conduct research on the client’s family tree.

An example: Michael William Edward Doran of Wheeling, West Virginia - Irish immigration question prior to 1860.

The Family History Library here in Salt Lake City, Utah, has an extensive collection of records pertaining to Wheeling, and Ohio Co., West Virginia. We have microfilm and published histories, as well as published abstracts of many records including cemetery inscriptions, newspaper records, church records, and a number of other subjects. Our microfilm collection pertaining to this locality includes court minutes of various courts; probate files; birth, marriage, and death records; deeds, mortgages, land grants; immigration and naturalization records; military records, and many other sources. We also have the Iams Collection, an extensive genealogy datafile compiled in Washington Co., Pennsylvania that gathers records and information from around southwest Pennsylvania, including West Virginia, and Ohio counties. We also have passenger lists for all east coast ports, and federal court records relating to naturalizations.

In addition to records in Wheeling and Ohio Count, West Virginia, we have similar records for counties and states throughout the U.S., so we can search for other Doran families that might be related to Michael. The name Doran is not an uncommon name. There were twenty seven Michael Dorans in the Union Army during the Civil War. To learn about Michael’ brothers, we need to search records in Wheeling and neighboring communities near the time of their arrival in the 1830’s. Property records, marriages, court minutes, naturalizations, and church records should identify Doran individuals that were in the Wheeling area, and help Heirlines Professional Genealogy in locating those people in later years in different parts of the U.S.

It is important to locate as much informa6tion about Irish immigrants in American records as possible, because identifying them in Irish records requires knowing precisely which parish and county they were from. Irish records are extremely limited prior to 1860, both here and in Ireland as well. When Ireland rebelled and broke away from England in 1921, their Nation Record Office (Archives) was fire bombed, and most of the early records of Ireland, including many of the early church records, were destroyed and lost. Vital records in Ireland didn’t begin until 1863, and no census records exist prior to the 1901 census. Property records still exist, but prior to 1921, less than 5 percent of the Irish people owned any property. Property was owned by lords and manors. The Family History Library has microfilm of most of the existing record sources, including tax lists, manor records, and surviving church registers, and many other original documents.

One of the records we looked into we4re the series of volumes called THE SEARCH FOR MISSING FRIENDS - Irish Immigrant Advertisements Place in the Boston Pilot (newspaper) 1831-1878. Because we know there were 6 Doran brothers coming to America and scattering from there, suggests that Michael lost track of his family. These advertisements pertained to people all over the eastern U.S., often listing places of birth or origin and relationships. We search each volume, and while we found many Doran names, we didn’t find any reference to Michael or apparently any of his siblings, connected to a Michael.

In-depth research must be pursued on Michael Doran and his brothers to find the desired answers about his ancestry and ancestral home in Ireland. Please go to our website, www.heirlines.com and choose a Research and Analysis Package that best suits your needs. This is a challenging problem and the larger the project purchased, the greater the opportunity we will have to discover and investigate more records pertaining to the Doran lineage and to find answers about Michael Doran’s genealogy and family history.

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)
Ancestors are the People of History.● Do you know who yours are? ● Let the Professionals at HEIRLINES FAMILY HISTORY & GENEALOGY find your ancestry! ●1-800-570-4049 ● www.heirlines.com ● PO Box 893 ● Salt Lake City, UT 84110
Written originally by James W. Petty, AG, CG, February 21, 2003.
© 2008, James W. Petty, AG, CG. All rights reserved.

What does the Term "Free Blacks" mean?

Heirlines Professional Genealogy Tip:

Free Blacks were an oddity in the slave-oriented society of the American South. In the Northern States, most Black people were freed from slavery by the 1820’s or 1830’s, but the South stayed firmly with that system of slave society and slave economy. Never the less, a certain portion of that society was made up of Black Families that lived in "freedom", or rather were not in actual bondage. These were people who had been freed or whose parents or grandparents had been freed by former masters, for the most part, and they remained in that condition for several generations. Some free black families moved into North Carolina, but for the most part they didn't because there were strict laws against transporting black people across State lines. One such case pertained to Thomas Day.

He was a free black of some note in history, because he was a successful Cabinetmaker, and he kept both black slaves, and white apprentices. In 1830 he traveled from his home in Milton, Caswell County, North Carolina, across the border into Virginia, and married Aquilla Wilson, a free black woman in Halifax County, Virginia. When he returned to North Carolina with his bride, she was denied entrance to the state because of laws prohibiting interstate travel by free blacks. Day had to petition the General Assembly to get special approval for his wife to join him in North Carolina.

Other ways that these black people became free may have been, because they were born to a white mother and a black father. The law allowed such offspring to live free outside of slavery, but the child of a black woman and a white man was considered to be his property. Some black people were freed at the death of their white owner, who provided them with some small property to get started. Other former owners freed their slaves because of religious convictions, such as with the Quakers, who during the late 1700’sand early 1800’s freed most of their slaves, and in the process gained a reputation in North Carolina as dissidents and trouble makers, because it so disrupted the cultural society there. Some slaves were freed because of good deeds or service that they performed. This may have been the case with Jesse and John Day. John fought in the American Revolution and Jesse may also have been involved.

There also was a movement in the Chapel Hill and Hillsborough area where the University of North Carolina became established, to encourage a free black society. I am sure this movement had its roots in the strong Quaker community that existed in that area. It was a contradiction too, because of the strong slave advocates in the area.

Anna Roberson, the wife of Ceby Day and possibly the family of Fanny, the mother of Ceby, and wife of Anderson Day were likely of Slave origins. The Roberson name doesn’t appear among the free black families of that area but prior to the Civil War, Anderson Day, Reuben Day, and his father, Jesse Day, intermarried with other Free Black families; families which had been free, in some cases from the very beginning of the settlement in Virginia and North Carolina., Their involvement in American History is one of incredible struggle, because as I mentioned, the whole nature of the Colonial and Federal White culture was opposed to them. Free Blacks were a part of the American Story that their descendants need to learn and be proud of.

Submitted by James W. Petty, AG, CG, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)
Originally written 02/11/1993
Ancestors are the People of History.● Do you know who yours are? ● Let the Professionals at HEIRLINES FAMILY HISTORY & GENEALOGY find your ancestry! ●1-800-570-4049 ● www.heirlines.com ● PO Box 893 ● Salt Lake City, UT 84110

© 2008, James W. Petty, AG, CG. All rights reserved.

How do I get a real family tree that is credible that I can submit to https://new.familysearch.org?

Heirlines Professional Genealogy Tip:

Application of professional genealogy research, analysis, and reporting methodology, adherence to proper genealogical research principles and sourcing use of standardized citation format are key to successfully establishing your real roots according to Heirlines Professional Genealogy "Certified Family Tree (R)" Program.

Recently a client sent Heirlines a very extensive Gedcom file of their family pedigree going into the 1700's. They want to have an accurate family tree so they can submit it to the new online world-wide family tree. This is found at https://new.familysearch.org that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is putting on the Internet for use by members and people of all faiths, cultures, nationalities, ethnic groups, and interests who want to help create a global family tree with sources.

This Gedcom came with no sources and no documentation which means that records will now have to be located that can be used to source and substantiate each name on the pedigree or establish the correct ancestry. This is the only way to create an accurate or authentic pedigree. It will involve collecting all the records that the client currently has on their genealogy and citing these documents on the family tree software program. The names that the client cannot document will require further research to substantiate the relationships or determine the correct ancestry.

This is a three-step program called Heirlines Professional Genealogy "Certified Family Tree (R)". 1. Do Professional Genealogy Research and Analysis using the correct application of professional genealogy research methodology and principles to properly determine the right person in the client's lineage. 2. Make a Report of Findings using professional genealogy standardized citation format for each ancestor's records proving the family tree that is added into the family tree software program. 3. Submit the correct family tree with all of the sources to the LDS new.familysearch.org family tree.

This online family tree is a great effort by the Church to bring everyone together who share a common ancestry. It is the best way we know for people who do have sources to contribute their family history and be credible. We encourage everyone who is serious about having an authentic family tree to work with professional genealogy providers like Heirlines who are committed to ensuring that their consumer rights are respected and professional genealogy research services code of ethics and standards of performance are followed in producing a "Certified Family Tree (R)" that can be added to this valuable online family tree.

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)
Ancestors are the People of History. Do you know who yours are? ● Let the Professionals at HEIRLINES FAMILY HISTORY & GENEALOGY find your ancestry! ●1-800-570-4049 ● www.heirlines.com ● PO Box 893 ● Salt Lake City, UT 84110
© 2008, James W. Petty, AG, CG. All rights reserved.

How do I think outside of the box to discover my Colonial Maryland ancestry?

Heirlines Professional Genealogy Tip:

A recent Heirlines in-depth family tree research project involved a difficult to solve problem in Colonial Maryland. The ancestor, Philip Cazier, whose family had come to America from France and settled in New York City in the mid 1600’s, moved with his family to northern Cecil County, Maryland, where they settled and spread out. Tracing early immigrant ancestry can be very difficult, but clues can be found, sometimes in the most unusual places. If the client is willing, they can be pursued and may produce genealogy gold.

When he first moved to Maryland around 1730/1731, Philip Cazier was a merchant, and may not have needed a large property to farm. He was known as a “Gentleman” as late as 1745, a term which in that society indicated a person of esteem. [1. June D. Brown, Abstracts of Cecil County, Maryland Land Records 1634-1751. (Family Line Publications : Westminster, Md. 1998)44, 122, 143, 160, 207, 217, 223. (FHL#975.238, R28b) (Document 7)] After that time period, he was termed “farmer”. His son John was called a shoemaker in the 1740’s, [2. June D. Brown, Abstracts of Cecil County, Maryland Land Records 1734-1753. (Family Line Publications : Westminster, Md. 1999)217, 241, 242, 257. (FHL#975.238, R28ba) (Document 8)], and by 1753 John was known as a cordwainer, which was a shoemaker specializing in soft leathers. Philip’s son Philip Cazier Jr. was described as a saddler in 1746; but by 1753 was known as a “Joiner” or carpentry framer. Using these known family relationships gave us an opportunity for a most unusual genealogical search using a very interesting set of deeds that took place in 1746 and 1747.

In 1746, Philip Cazier Sr., sold to his son Philip Cazier Jr., four negro slaves, a silver tankard, 4 silver cans, 10 silver spoons, 1 silver tea pot, 6 silver tea spoons, a pair of tongs, and all of his other moveable goods. On May 12, 1747, these same items were again named in a bill of sale, indicating to us that Philip Cazier Sr., was moving, and was obtaining a loan from his son. While the loan was in place, the property served as collateral. This was not unusual in an age when banks did not exist, and barter was the commodity.

Of special interest was that the silver tankard was marked “HCC”, the 4 silver cans (or drinking cups) had the same mark; the ten silver spoons were marked “PHC”, 4 silver spoons were marked “DHM”, and the silver tea pot bore the initials “CC”. These items may have been family silver, possibly bearing marks of the Cazier family. Philip Cazier may have been the “PHC” identified on the spoons suggesting that his name might have been something like “Philip Henry Cazier”. “HCC” might have been a father or grandfather; and “CC” may have pertained to another relative. In each case the final initial “C” is consistent with the Cazier surname. Only the four spoons with the initials “DHM” are out of order. These may pertain to a maternal relative, or may have been silverware purchased to fill in a set.

Silver service was then as it is now, indicative of family wealth. Silver was much more valuable then, than it is now. Initials on silver were generally given for the male head of the household because it was part of the wealth of the head of the house, and was accounted for as such for taxes and inheritance. Therefore “PHC”, “HCC”, and “CC” may be important clues to identifying Cazier paternal ancestry. It may be a long shot, but we can contact specialists in antique silver, to see if there is any other silver of that area and time that carry these initials. If we can find any of these monogrammed pieces still existing in Maryland or among descendants of Marylanders, it might be possible to match the style and markings with other antique silver from New York, or from Europe. A long shot, Yes; but an interesting idea, No? We hope the client sees the potential for this very difficult Colonial Maryland ancestry research in this outside of the box possibility for genealogy gold.

Submitted by:

James W. Petty, AG, CG, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)

Ancestors are the People of History. Do you know who yours are? Let the Professionals at HEIRLINES FAMILY HISTORY & GENEALOGY find your ancestry! 1-800-570-4049 www.heirlines.com PO Box 893 Salt Lake City, UT 84110

© 2008, James W. Petty, AG, CG. All rights reserved.

Heirlines Professional Genealogy Tip:

If you have Virginia-based ancestry, a great resource is the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy - published by the Virginia Genealogical Society (www.vgs.org). This scholarly publication composed of 4 issues per calendar year is worth purchasing for serious student of all aspects of Virginia Genealogy.

James W. Petty, CGRS, AG, BS(Genealogy) published "Thomas Savage, Headright of William Gany" in the May 2004 Issue of the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 42, no. 2. Due to Mr. Petty's extensive work in early colonial Virginia records, he discovered that the headright system had been improperly interpreted by the genealogical community. He received the Donald Mosher Memorial Award in 2005 from the BCG Education Fund because of his revolutionary work. This article on Thomas Savage is a an application of his discovery that those early headrights were used as currency. Contact the Virginia Genealogical Society to learn how to get a copy of his article and learn this professional genealogy methodology for using headrights to find your Colonial Virginia ancestor.

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)

Ancestors are the People of History.● Do you know who yours are? ● Let the Professionals at HEIRLINES FAMILY HISTORY & GENEALOGY find your ancestry! ●1-800-570-4049 ● www.heirlines.com ● PO Box 893 ● Salt Lake City, UT 84110

© 2008, James W. Petty, AG, CG. All rights reserved.

Heirlines Professional Genealogy Resource:

SCRAPBOOKING FAMILY IN HISTORICAL EVENTS by Laura Best

Scrapbooking is a great way to incorporate your genealogy and family history stories into a treasured keepsake. Here you can celebrate the life of a special ancestor or your unique heritage by through this fun medium. Using a timeline and the historical events connected to your family will preserve the context of their lives and how the historical events of their day shaped their daily life and activities.

HEIRLINES recommends Laura Best's excellent work SCRAPBOOKING FAMILY IN HISTORICAL EVENTS as the best book out there for helping you get started in this great craft using your family history and genealogy materials. She gives excellent instructions in this beautiful book on how to put your family into history through the records and documents that still exist about them.

Ancestors are the People of History. If you do not know who your ancestors are or you want to find those historical and genealogical records to accurately tell you your family' place in history, contact Heirlines Professional Genealogy for in-depth custom family tree research. Qualified professional genealogists are ready to discover, determine and document your true heritage. Heirlines will help you have the accurate genealogy and family history material needed to make a treasured scrapbook of their lives using Laura Best's great scrapbooking ideas found in SCRAPBOOKING FAMILY IN HISTORICAL EVENTS.

Contact Heirlines for further details: www.heirlines.com or toll free 800.570.4049

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)

Ancestors are the People of History.● Do you know who yours are? ● Let the Professionals at HEIRLINES FAMILY HISTORY & GENEALOGY find your ancestry! ●1-800-570-4049 ● www.heirlines.com ● PO Box 893 ● Salt Lake City, UT 84110
© 2008, James W. Petty, AG, CG. All rights reserved.

Heirlines Professional Genealogy Tip:

Update on GeneTree (Url: http://www.genetree.com:
Genetree does not require a paid subscription to access the site.

It's completely free to register an account. You can choose to purchase mtDNA or Y-DNA testing from them--but it's not required and GeneTree allows for traditional genealogy (family trees and such) as well as family networking in addition to their DNA based tools.

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)

Ancestors are the People of History.● Do you know who yours are? ● Let the Professionals at HEIRLINES FAMILY HISTORY & GENEALOGY find your ancestry! ●1-800-570-4049 ● www.heirlines.com ● PO Box 893 ● Salt Lake City, UT 84110

Italian Ancestry Research for Dual Citizenship Inquiry:

My family wants Italy nationality but for that we need the birthday of Cesar Puccini, who is Antonio Puccini father. Antonio's birthday is 17 of December of 1901, and the place is Macherata. Italy. I would be thankful if you can help me. Natalia xxx

Heirlines Professional Genealogy Tip:

Heirlines would be glad to assist you in securing proper documentation for Italian Dual Citizenship. The Family History Library ( wwww.familysearch.org )here in the Genealogy Capital of the World, Salt Lake City, Utah, has the birth records of Macerata, Italy up to 1910 in it's unsurpassed genealogical and historical records collection. We will be glad to search for the birth record you are requesting in those records. Heirlines is a full-service professional genealogy firm that offers a service called a "Specific Record Search" for $100.00 USD which can be purchased on-line by credit card at our website wwww.heirlines.com.

If the birth record of Cesar or Antonio Puccini is recorded in Macerata, we should be able to find and make a copy of it for you. If the birth is not recorded there, it may have taken place in a nearby community and additional searches would be required. You may want to consider full-service in-depth professional genealogy research on this family in order to find all the needed documentation for your Dual Citizenship request. Please call Heirlines at 800.570.4049 to discuss these options.

Sincerely yours,

James W. Petty, AG ®, CGRS SM, B.A. (History), B.S. (Genealogy)

==============================================================

Ancestors are the People of History. Do you know who yours are?

Let the Professionals at HEIRLINES Family History & Genealogy find your ancestry!

1-800-570-4049 ▪ www.heirlines.com ▪ PO Box 893 ▪ Salt Lake City, UT 84110

Query: Why does it take so long to trace my ancestry? What is realistic to expect?

Heirlines Professional Genealogy Tip:

Genealogy and Family History research, analysis, and reporting are the scholarly and time-intensive efforts required to produce a family tree. All of your roots will not be discovered in one project, but through a lengthy series of multiple efforts or sessions of time. Whether you want to trace your own ancestry as a hobbyist or hire a research professional genealogist to "climb your family tree professionally", lots of time, skills, and resources will need to be expended. And time must be spent to achieve success in family tree research, whether it is money out of your pocket devoted to professional research services time or just hours of the day expended through your own efforts. To understand what is realistic, let’s look at both avenues.

Hobby Family History Research involves the following: You will need to get prepared or educated on how to properly establish your correct pedigree, then gather and layout what you already know, decide on your research goals, develop a research plan, and determine what records are needed to properly establish your family tree and how they can be accessed. You will need to decide if you are going to do research by telephone, by mail, by e-mail, or by traveling and how you will pay for all of this. You will need to decide if you are going to use the vast resources found on the Internet or do original research. The Internet is full of paid subscription databases and free websites with possibly valid or not applicable or true or untrue information for all the different branches and nationalities and cultures on your family tree. You will have to decide which sites have the credible information that you are willing to use either for free or for a fee. You will need to purchase the supplies, software and computer equipment that will make your searches and recording of your discoveries easy to understand, store, and share with others. As you can see, a lot of time and money must be expended before you do the actual searching and finding and documenting of your genealogy. Realistically, with as broad as the family tree is, many research projects will have to be pursued and completed until you arrive at a point where you are satisfied with what you accurately know about your family history.

Professional Genealogy Research Services is: Most people do not have all of the time, skills, and resources needed to trace their ancestry. They want the quality of outcome that can only be produced by professionally provided research services. Such authentic and accurate family tree information is produced by professional genealogy research services companies whose owners adhere to industry standards of performance and ethical codes of conduct, and practitioners are regulated by peer-review and periodic re-credentialing. And in the long run, it takes less time and is most cost effective to hire a full-services professional genealogy and family history company that uses the combined services of many research professional genealogists who are vetted and pre-qualified as experts. Hiring the right professionals who are prepared to perform this value-added level of discovery, determination, documentation, and display of your family tree is the most economical way to trace ancestry.

When you want to hire a professional genealogist or a professional genealogy company, make sure they are properly educated, trained and prepared, credentialed professional genealogists with years and years of full-time commercial career experience. Look for a full-services company with an owner/practitioner with the proper professional genealogy credentials (AG, CG), who has their college degree in genealogy, and years and years of full-time career research, analysis, and reporting experience in professional genealogy research services. Realistically, this will save you time and resources because they are qualified, capable, and ready to climb your family tree professionally.

Heirlines Professional Tip:

If you have Virginia Female Ancestry, and like online research, we recommend you check out the Virginia Historical Society's website( http://www.vahistorical.org ) for some possible clues about your family tree. Two search engines currently access their resources. To search their web site:on the home page go to the "Google Custom Search" box found in the lower right hand corner next to their contact button. To search the society's collections: go to the "Search VHS Collections" button located in the upper right hand corner of the homepage. Future plans include making both the collections and the web site search able by the easy to use Google Custom Search.

Virginia is the birthplace of America. Millions of Americans can find a tie to their roots here in America and in Europe through the records found in the Virginia Historical Society Records.

For Professional Genealogy Research Services, contact Heirlines Family History & Genealogy. Toll Free 1.800.570.4049. James W. Petty, AG, CG, President of Heirlines is a world-recognized authority on Colonial Virginia Research. In 2005 he won the prestigious BCG Education Fund Donald Mosher Memorial Award for his groundbreaking work on Virginia Headrights. We know how to climb your family tree professionally.

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)

Ancestors are the People of History.● Do you know who yours are? ● Let the Professionals at HEIRLINES FAMILY HISTORY & GENEALOGY find your ancestry! ●1-800-570-4049 ● www.heirlines.com ● PO Box 893 ● Salt Lake City, UT 84110

Heirlines Professional Genealogy Tip: Don't Let a Family Story hinder you from finding the Truth on your Family Tree - Be Willing to let it go so you can open up your options for discovering your elusive ancestry.

Today was a very fascinating day in research because we have been working on cracking open a client"s long-held family story. Family tradition is that their earliest known ancestor was a Revolutionary War Veteran and that one of his sons was born in 1791 in South Carolina and fathered their lineage. (For the sake of this discussion, this son will be called the father). Some census records that family tradition accepts, have added fuel to the fire by indicating that this father was really born in 1798 and had children by two women at the same time, while only married to his wife, who had 8 of his children, and not to her daughter, the mother of 7 of his children according to census and family church records. Pretty Bizarre and convoluted.

We have gone the rounds with the client over their family story, never finding enough evidence to prove the connection to the Revolutionary War Soldier's son born in 1791, and never finding enough evidence to disprove what has come down in family records of the guy born in 1798 who was the father of the 7 kids found in the church records the children made when they were adults, where the parents names are clearly given. We searched for land and probate records. None were found in the states where he was listed in the Census. We searched church records (when the children were in the home) guardianship records as well as military records, and got no where. Since no paying client comes to us with Fort Knox backing, it was time we stepped off the family story train for a fresh view of the known facts.

Today we had a break-through because we took a major step back and looked at everything again. We decided not to accept the family tradition at face value because it was using records with such wide variances in age that made it impossible to pin the guy down in the records. Census records are notoriously unreliable from decade to decade, whether we are dealing with names or ages or location of birth, etc. We put family tradition aside and went with the known facts, that the father was born in South Carolina and he did father 7 kids by a woman who the children identify in their adulthood as their parents.

And lo and behold, by doing a general search for the father's name in Census Records, we found a man in another State, who had been born in '91 in South Carolina which now opens up another whole avenue of research. And another wife. The plot thickens.

The story is not over yet. The client now has a new possibility for research in two other states where this father may have lived or will lead to a conclusive elimination to him even being related to the Revolutionary War soldier. I hope some day, with the client's permission to write this story in detail, showing there are more ways to skin a cat, than just holding on to family stories forever.

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)

Ancestors are the People of History.● Do you know who yours are? ● Let the Professionals at HEIRLINES FAMILY HISTORY & GENEALOGY find your ancestry! ●1-800-570-4049 ● www.heirlines.com ● PO Box 893 ● Salt Lake City, UT 84110

Mormon records may have the clue to help you unlock the mysteries on your family tree.

There has been considerable discussion about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their religious interest in family history research. They are the premier, number one professional genealogy corporation in the world because of their Family History Library collection of genealogical and historical records, documents, periodicals, books and other family history materials from over 250 countries, their online presence as wwww.familysearch.org, as well as LDS religious views and practices. Everyone climbing their family tree can benefit from Mormon collection of educational and self help materials provided at the FHL and online at www.familysearch.org, accessing the free family tree databases, utilizing their over 2000 Family History Center, using free down loads of PAF to store your personal family history information

Recently, we found this 10/11/08 Deseret News article, "Jewish family makes peace with LDS Baptism", by Chicago Tribune writer Manya A Brachear.
( http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700265520,00.html ) It provides a very enlightening Jewish perspective on the practice of "Baptism for the Dead" and the records associated with this ordinance. The article was first published in the Chicago Tribune on 09/21/08 entitled: Bridging a Jewish-Mormon Rift. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-mormon-jewssep21,0,1284438.story.

I recommend this as good reading for all those interested in using these important Mormon "Baptism for the Dead" records to search for answers to their ancestry.

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)

Ancestors are the People of History.● Do you know who yours are? ● Let the Professionals at HEIRLINES FAMILY HISTORY & GENEALOGY find your ancestry! ●1-800-570-4049 ● www.heirlines.com ● PO Box 893 ● Salt Lake City, UT 84110

Have you hit the proverbial brick wall in your family tree research? Has your local library or genealogy society run out of clues for you to try? Have all the films you ordered at your Family History Center from the Family History Library been searched, and you still have no answer to your genealogy puzzle?

Time and time again people reach this roadblock in their research and decide to hire a Professional Genealogist or a professional genealogy research services company. How do you choose the right one for your project? Most people look to the world-wide-web for the solution. A quick search on the Internet shows that there are thousands of people who want you to choose them to trace your ancestry and dig for your roots. How can you know which one is the best one for you? To be successful and a smart consumer, you must first answer these questions:

Who is qualified? What makes someone a qualified professional? Should I choose a professional who has "earned" the designation of professional genealogist or someone who has "self- appointed" themselves as a professional researcher? Do I want a full-service professional genealogy research services firm or a sole practitioner? Is my accurate, authentic, true family tree found on the Internet or in a book, or listed in a database? How much can be discovered about my family tree? Is the work guaranteed? How long will it take to do? How much does it cost? Is the research completed in incremental blocks of time of separately reported research projects or on a retainer basis? Will I receive a report of the professional genealogy research findings at the end of each job with an easy to understand narrative, abstracts, summary, and recommendations for future research along with applicable family group sheets, pedigree charts and gedcom? Is the research documented and are copies provided of all the evidence with citations and sourcing? Can I have a "Certified Family Tree©"? What do you do to ensure my Consumer Rights to safety, to be informed, the right to choose, the right to be heard, and the right to service? What do I do if there is a problem?

Professional Genealogy Research Services is a very new industry and is unregulated. You can and should get answers to all of your questions. To help you choose the qualified practitioner, when you are ready to hire someone off the Internet to climb your family tree professionally, use these "12 Hallmarks of a Real Professional Genealogist:

1. Bachelor's Degree in Genealogy - check out school's accreditation
2. Professional Genealogy Training - Internship prior to graduation
3. Full-time years of Experience in Client Research - how many years.
4. Career is Professional Genealogy Research - how many years in commercial business research services for client family tree discovery and documentation
5. Professional Genealogy Credentials - CG (Certified Genealogist - www.bcgcertification.org ), AG (Accredited Genealogist - www.icapgen.org ) - for Standards of Performance, Ethical Codes of Conduct, continuing education. requirements for re-certification and re-accreditation, and arbitration of problems.
6. Business License as per state and local requirements
7. Business owner or sub-contractor
8. Continuing Education - how do they keep abreast in this industry?
9. Member of APG (Association of Professional Genealogists - www.apgen.org ) - Ethical Codes of Conduct and for arbitration of problems.
10. Better Business Bureau - Accredited Business ( www.bbb.org ) - Consumer Rights issues and arbitration of consumer problems.
11. Chamber of Commerce Member
12. Contact Information and Access - Website, e-mail, toll free phone, mail address, professional membership - accountability and responsibility for project.

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)
Ancestors are the People of History.● Do you know who yours are? ● Let the Professionals at HEIRLINES FAMILY HISTORY & GENEALOGY find your ancestry! ●
1-800-570-4049 ● www.heirlines.com ● PO Box 893 ● Salt Lake City, UT 84110

Query:

I was told that my family came from Clinton, Mississippi and that my Great Great Grandpa, fought in the Civil war and a lot of kin folk who were in the Confederate Army. The family story is that when they came over to America, the last name was maybe McBoggan or Mac Boggan but could have just been Boggan. I was also told our family name had a lot to do with General Robert E Lee. I want to find out while I can if in fact my Kin fought for sure in the Confederate war and maybe one was a high ranking officer.

Heirlines Professional Genealogy Tip:

Clinton, Mississippi is located in Hinds County, that was formed from the Choctaw Session of 1821. Hinds has two county seats where their records are housed, Raymond and Jackson, which is the capital of Mississippi today. Heirlines is located in the Genealogy Capital of the World. Daily we access the famous Salt Lake City Family History Library in our client-authorized research on their family trees. This is the premier repository for historical and genealogical research. We have access to records of the Confederacy as well as a wide variety of records for Clinton and Hinds County Mississippi, including but not limited to Federal Census Records, military records, local and state governmental records, church, cemetery, land and property, and court records. We can study the records in this collection to determine what the existing records will reveal about your family to document and verify your family tree and true ancestry.

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)
Free Consultation: 800.570.4049
www.heirlines.com
Climbing the Family Tree Professionally, Since 1969

Query:

I am having trouble finding my Polish American Ancestry. I would like to find the father and grandfather of a John Theodore Lemanski. He was born in Tennessee in 1845. I believe his father was a Charles on an 1840 census, on the Mississippi River in Tennessee and his mother was an Eliza Lemanski born in TN in 1823. I can't find him in 1850 so I guess the Federal Census for Tennessee is lost. I need to know if the father or grandfather was the immigrant to USA and who they were and country of origin. Family tradition is that he was born in Poland or Russia. I just want to know my ancestry.

Heirlines Professional Genealogy Tip:

#1 After all variations of Lemanske starting with a Capital L are considered in an online search of the Federal Census records of www.ancestry.com , then you have to look for the name spelled with a Capital S because these two cursive capitalized letters are often confused by Indexers. If you try this, you will find him listed in Michigan indexed as an S.

This entry is confirmed by the fact that the children were born in TN, Mississippi and Ohio with the father being born in Poland. We found Charles Semanske as a teacher who traveled up and down the Mississippi and Ohio River Valley which leads us to searching the property and probate records in each of these areas where he had children.

Then, using the documented information you have already acquired about this family, in-depth research must be done in governmental, church. land and probate records to find answers to your questions. The information here will lead us to immigration records. These records are available at the Family History Library in the Genealogy Capital of the World, Salt Lake City, UT . This is the number one historical and genealogical repository for professional genealogy research.

Located in Salt Lake City, Heirlines is available to search this collection for you and discover and document your ancestry and their origins. Call us today for help on your Polish American Research.

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)
800.570.4049
www.heirlines.com
Climbing the Family Tree Professionally, Since 1969

When you are ready to preserve, share, and enjoy your family history, Lasting Links is a great online resource. They offer scanning and digitizing services, family and friends websites, DVD slide shows, and heritage books. They take the pain and hours out of preserving your precious photos, slides and documents and store them on archive quality CDs or DVDs. By creating your very own family and friends website, you can share your special, memories, photos, documents, video and audio stream. It’s simple, safe and secure, with unlimited storage. You never have to worry about loosing your family history treasures in a fire or on your crashed computer. You can enjoy your family history and memories through the creation of Lasting Links’ Heritage books and DVD slide shows. Get started today by contacting Lasting Links at their website which is open 24/7 (http//:lastinglinks.com).

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)
www.heirlines.com
Toll Free: 800.570.4049
Located in Salt Lake City, the Genealogy Capital of the World, Heirlines has been “Climbing the Family Tree Professionally, Since 1969!” ● Do You Know Who Your Ancestors Are? ● Ancestors Are the People of History. ● Let the Professionals at Heirlines Help You Discover Your Ancestors Today.

Heirlines is committed to providing the highest level of professional family tree research. We are committed to the implementation of the Consumer Bill of Rights as we provide professional genealogy research services.

US Consumer Bill of Rights
1. the right to safety
2. the right to be informed
3. the right to choose and
4. the right to be heard
5. the right to satisfaction of basic needs
6. the right to redress
7. the right to consumer education
8. the right to a healthy environment

Drafted in 1962 by the US Consumer Advisory Council to President Kennedy
Embraced by the United Nations’ General Assembly in 1985
World Consumer Rights Day - March 15

submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BS (Genealogy)
Vice President Heirlines Professional Genealogy Research Services
800.570.4049

Here is an Heirlines Professional Genealogy Tip - From Salt Lake City, Utah, the Genealogy Capital of the World, comes Genetree (http://genetree.com, who are taking social networking and genealogy to a new level. This free site provides an online intuitive interface combining the expertise of Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, Sorenson Media and Sorenson Genomics with a complex and extensive social networking and genealogical tool. Heirlines is excited to see such advancement and technology become available online that will enable users to create their own ancestral homepage where family members from all over the globe can gather, share and learn about one anotherNA, genealogy, video, and family history information. We will be keeping our eye on this innovative Utah professional genealogy resource.

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)
Vice President - Heirlines Family History & Genealogy
For authenticating your family tree, contact www.heirlines.com
Toll Free: 800.570.4049

From: PR
Sent: Friday, October 03, 2008 11:54 AM
TSubject: SISTER FOUND

Hello,

To all of you who helped me in my search for my sister, I say thank you. On Monday I was so blessed to find her through my own "walking" through many processes, including obtaining the death certificate of an aunt, which gave me the information I needed about my sister's married name. Wow!

What an experience when I contacted her by telephone. She was at first stunned, then extremely happy to find that she has a family she never thought she'd have! She is 76 and her husband is battling cancer, so it was very timely that I found her. My children are delighted and I know that each of them will contact her telling her how delighted they are.

Thanks for the help. Now the "getting to know you" process begins. Isn't it grand? I now have two sisters, my adoptive one and my blood one! How lucky can an old dame be?

Blessings to all,

PR

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)
www.heirlines.com
800.570.4049

We are thrilled to learn of the new collaboration between FamilySearch and Ancestry.com. They will publish new online indexes and images of the U.S. Federal Census (1790 - 1930). By this exchange of resources, the public will now have access to improved digital copies of the original census on Ancestry.com and enhanced census indexes on FamilySearch.

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, B.A.
Vice President, Heirlines.com
Free Professional Genealogy Consultation: 800.570.4049

New York City, Directories – Keeping an Eye on the World of our Ancestors
By James W. Petty, AG, CG

City directories are well recognized as an important research tool for genealogists, because they provide a kind of time line for an ancestor during his residence in a community. Year by year we can see where a person lives, what his occupation was; we can watch his family grow and move out on their own, and we can see people die and leave their widows to live on in their place. This is especially important when tracking family lines in big cities, because in large population centers people moved around. They didn’t own property generally, and jobs were their focus. City directories are our eye on this world of our ancestors, but we need to understand some of the nuances of searching the records.

An example of searching for a New York City family which disappears between censuses is found in the family of Michael Quinn Jr. and Mary McKay. They last appear in the 1910 Census of New York City with two of their eight living children. Michael was a marble polisher by trade. He was born in New Brunswick, Canada, in 1857, to Michael Quinn Sr. and Mary Kinley. Since Michael Jr. did not appear in the 1920 Census of New York City, we assume he died, or they both died, or they moved to another city. The Quinn family had not been identified previously in another city, but their children were later found, scattered, with a couple of them remaining in the New York City area, and others settling in Philadelphia, and Minnesota.

Searches in New York City records were made to determine what happened to the family between 1910 and 1920. Examinations of the Death Indexes for New York City proved inconclusive because of the many Michael Quinns who appear in these records.

We needed some type of data that would help us define what happened to Michael and Mary in this brief period of time. A search of the City Directories for New York City was undertaken. City directories are like an annual census record. Their principle function in a world where door to door sales was so important, was to provide businesses with a ready-made list of customers. The businesses then advertised their goods and services to their desired consumers. These published “business guides” provided a listing of residences on an alphabetical basis, and even sometimes street by street. The information (especially in a metropolitan setting such as New York City), was limited to one short line, per household, which entries would fit on a three or four column page. Researchers can expect to find the name of the head of a family, his work address, his residential address, his occupation; and for a woman, if widowed and of whom. In a large city, like New York City (and we are referring only to Manhattan, which is also classified as New York County) early city directories were very large and expensive to publish. Consequently, in order to control expenses, directories for big cities often did not record names year after year unless an address changed. This was not so of persons of special importance such as doctors, or policemen, who provided necessary services.

This concept proved true with Michael Quinn. He appeared in the 1909/1910 City Directory (at the same time as the 1910 census), listed as a Polisher, residing at 324 East 117th Street. He next appeared in the 1913 directory, at 329 East 122nd Street; and lastly in 1916, at 207 East 188th Street. He was Michael Quinn, Polisher, in each entry. All years were searched between 1910 and 1934, and in the years in-between 1910, 1913, and 1916, entries for Mary, widow of Michael, were examined looking for a widow at the same address of the preceding year’s address. After 1916 there were many entries for “Mary Quinn, widow of Michael” at various addresses, but we were unable to identify any of them with the target family. But now we have a narrower time period to search for death certificates.

The important thing here is to recognize that individuals and their families can be identified in a type of microcosm of society. However, they might not be listed every year in a series of city directories, and it is therefore important to search a broad range of directories to watch for new entries of a known individual.

Heirlines Professional Genealogy Boston Research Trip has been scheduled for 11/09/08-11/14/08.

Professional Genealogist Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy) will be conducting research in the Boston area this coming November 9-14, 2008. We will focus on Salem, Plymouth, Cape Cod, and Boston in our research efforts.

If you have a research problem requiring onsite research in these areas, please contact Heirlines to arrange for professional genealogy research services.

Heirlines
1.800.570.4049
Free Consultations are available www.heirlines.com