Wordless Wednesday: Rayne Depot Edition

March 2010

Rayne, Louisiana

Tombstone Tuesday: Eternal Saint Edition

While photographing my own ancestors' gravestones at St. Joseph Cemetery in Iota, Louisiana, I came across this memorial. I'm not related to this person, I just thought it was a touching tribute. Hugh must have been quite a fan. Someone mourned his loss enough to come down to the cemetery and celebrate the Saints' Super Bowl victory (wife's name blurred as she is still living).

I love how the flowers are the team's colors. 

Louisiana Death Certificates

I recently ordered some older Louisiana death certificates.

You can do the same through this page of the Secretary of State's web site.

Here's the deal:

1. You can search this page for death records between 1911 and 1956.

2. If you find what you're looking for, you can fill out a form online*, then print it out to mail.

3. The cost to obtain a death record from this site is $5. A bargain!

4. You can send up to 10 requests in the same envelope.

I ordered some records for siblings of my great-great grandparents. I'm hoping they give clues to birthplaces or other little nuggets of knowledge. Always research the siblings. You find surprises that way.

The certificates I ordered were for the Bourgaux and Menou lines. I also ordered a record for Charles Matte, who was the second husband of my great-great grandmother, Eliza Eldridge Thibodeaux. How did her first husband perish, you ask? Here, let me refresh your memory.

I'll let you know what these records hold. Louisiana usually gets these documents out within a month.

* Note: I had to exit Google Chrome and use Internet Explorer to get the online applications to pop up and print. Just a heads up.

Fun With Search Terms

It's time for another great edition of "Fun with Search Terms." I employ a handful of different free services and search trackers that tell me how people find my blog. The details I receive don't tell me who you are, don't worry. Your privacy is protected. I do, however, get a list of the search terms people use when they click the search engine results that lead to my blog. Some are funny. Some I can provide with further information and I often do so. Here is a sample of searches for the recent past:

"family history expos 2010 vendors"
The best place to find vendor lists for these events is from the Family History Expos website (more specifically the Events page). Because these are regional events, the vendors will differ between locations. A full vendor picture will be available right before each event, so keep that in mind.

"oklahoma death certificates"
Here's where I get my Oklahoma death certificates by mail.

"one day my hard drive is there the next its gone"
Boy, don't I know it!

"arkansas tate wonder boys"
Do you mean Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys? Their mascots are the Wonder Boys and the Golden Suns. I couldn't resist this opportunity to give a shout out to ATU. It's built on the former homestead of my 4th great-grandfather, John Williamson. Represent!

"2 important events that happen in TX"
Sun comes up, sun goes down.

"houston texas birth record Jan 2009"
Your best bet is this page.

"amy coffin genealogy rock star"
Thank you. Thankyouverymuch.

Get Counted in the 2010 Census

Here's a map of 2010 Census participation rates. Take 10 Map - 2010 Census Participation Rates.

How is your ZIP code doing? Mine is at 14%, with 9% county participation (Harris) and 8% city participation. Ouch.

I did my genealogical duty and mailed my 2010 census form out today. Will anyone want to look me up in 2082 when (it is presumed) this information will be released to the public? Probably not, but they'll know where to find me.

Wordless Wednesday: Frog Capital of the World Edition

March 2010

Rayne, Louisiana

I Done Gone Changed Everything

I did an Extreme Blog Makeover, in case you didn't notice (or do the Google Reader thing). I may add some things and make small adjustments, but go ahead and get cozy with the new look.

What didn't change was the text. It's still big and dark for easy reading. I hope you like it. If not, just shrink it down until you have to squint and you're good to go.

Onward.

[Edit: This template and many others can be found in Blogger in Draft: http://draft.blogger.com/home . You won't see it in the regular Blogger.]

I Once Was Lost, But Now Am Found

In July 2009, I shared my saga of trying to find the graves of my great-great grandparents and their son in a post titled Where the Sidewalk Ends. In short, I read they were in St. Joseph's Cemetery #2, but was told they were in St. Joseph's #1, though the church staff wasn't sure where in #1 they were. I was shown records that they were buried in #1, so I was convinced they were out there somewhere. I left Louisiana without success.

This past week, I returned to the scene in an attempt to locate the graves that have eluded me in the past. I went back to St. Joseph's Cemetery #1 and scoured the entire grounds. This wasn't easy, as the graves aren't laid out in neat, tidy rows. Sometimes I had to tread lightly on the bases of certain monuments to read the stones on the rows behind them. It's a delicate balance of respect, determination and trying not to sprain an ankle.

In the months between visits, someone had emailed me to say that the cemetery sidewalks were put in before the death dates of my ancestors, so it was unlikely they were under there. That made me feel better, but where were they? There were a few family plots where the information had simply worn away. Perhaps one of those held the Bourgaux name. I tried to channel my ancestors, beg them to point me in the right direction, bribe them with the promise of glowing tributes on my blog, but nothing worked.

I searched for about two hours and didn't find my Bourgaux names. My unwilling partner in crime was getting a little antsy, so I called it quits.

My son wanted to hunt for trains, so I told him we'd take a quick trip to St. Joseph's Cemetery #2 to re-take some photos of a few ancestors' graves. I promised him it wouldn't take long because I knew where everyone was located. So we roll into St. Joseph #2:

We get out of the car and head over to the familiar monuments of my great-great aunt and her family. For some reason, my eye wanders up and to the left and what do I see?

George P. Bourgaux

1907-1931

Emelie M. Bourgaux

1876-1944

Emile J. Bourgaux

1866-1948

It's my great-great grandparents and their son! They were in St. Joseph's #2 all along! But why did I have the paperwork that said they were in #1? They were originally buried there, but must have been moved at some point, perhaps by one or more of their adult children.

What matters most is that I found them! Or maybe they found me....

Emelie Menou Bourgaux

Emile Joseph Bourgaux

Anatomy of a Military Pension File, Part 14

Previously, I reported on the acquisition of my great-great-great grandfather's military pension file. The documents contained within paint a picture of a man and his family about which I knew very little. I've decided to share this 103-page treasure with you a few pages at a time.

Page 29: Statement of the Assistant Surgeon of the U.S. Army

The document is dated January 26, 1887 and Washington D.C. is given for the location.


To the Adjutant General, U.S. Army.


Sir: I have the honor to return herewith the papers received from your office in pension claim No. "O.W. [Old War?], with such information as is furnished by records filed in this Office, viz: that "Max Baerecke Pr. Co. I. 26 Wis. Vols. was admitted to Genl. Field Hospital  11. (?) A.C. Brooks Station Va. April 27, 1863 with Chronic Rheumatism and returned to duty May 28, '63; that he was admitted to Finley G H Washington D.C. June 14, '63 with debility and transferred to Convalescent Camp June 16, 1863.


Records of Convalescent Camp Alexandria Va. June 16 to 30, 1863 afford no evidence in this case."


By order of the Surgeon General:


F C Ainsworth [I think], Assistant Surgeon, U.S. Army
No. 432745


What did I learn from this page in the file?

It gives some of the military medical history of Max during the Civil War. Between the mentions of asthma and yellow fever in previous documents, as well as rheumatism and "debility" in this page, it appears that Max was sickly. Or was he? Is this long list of medical problems common in pension files? Are dramatic descriptions part of the application process when money is on the line? These are the questions I ask myself as I try to form a mental image of my great-great-great grandfather.

On to part 15.

Follow Friday Starring Ginisology

This week's choice in my sporadic Follow Friday series is Gini of the blog Ginisology.

I first met Gini at the 2009 Southern California Genealogy Jamboree. She is a genuine person with a kind heart. I am glad she is my friend.

In her genealogy blog, Gini honors her ancestors, shares her research experiences and avidly supports the genealogy community.

Gini also writes the "May I Introduce You" series at Geneabloggers.com, where she spotlights genealogy bloggers and shares their lives with others. It is a great series, even more so in Gini's hands.

Thank you, Gini, for giving all you do to the genealogy community. I can't wait to see you again at Jamboree.

Stand Up and Be Counted

Native American genealogy research can be tricky for many reasons. One of those is the fact that sometimes those of Native American descent did not state the fact on records. Fortunately for me, my ancestors had no problem claiming what was theirs.

The above page is a 1910 census page for the "Indian Population" of Ward 1 in Duncan, Stephens County, Oklahoma. This page is in the back of the regular population schedule for this ward. The second family on the list is my great-great grandparents and five of their six daughters.

Would you believe the enumerator got Jones wrong? He or she did by writing JONE. This is the Frank and Carrie (Colbert) Jones family. Their eldest daughter, Frankie (my great-grandmother), was married with a child of her own by this time and thus not part of this household. It's tough to see in this photo, but Frank is listed as "w" for white, and everyone else is listed as "In" for Indian. Carrie is a descendant of James Logan Colbert, who is a prominent name in Chickasaw history.

On the bottom half of the Indian Population page, it lists the tribe and degree of blood.

I'm not sure why my ancestors stood up to be counted in the 1910 Indian Population census. Was it pride? Or the land? I may never know why they did it, but I am glad they did.

[You can find this record by going to the 1910 U.S. census > Oklahoma > Stephens County > Duncan > Ward 1 > ED 232 > Sheet 21A (or page 21 in Ancestry.com). This Indian Population page is at the back of the population schedule  for this district on Ancestry.com.]

Anatomy of a Military Pension File, Part 13

Previously, I reported on the acquisition of my great-great-great grandfather's military pension file. The documents contained within paint a picture of a man and his family about which I knew very little. I've decided to share this 103-page treasure with you a few pages at a time.

Page 28: Page two of Max Baerecke's Disability Affidavit

The printed part of the form says at the top: "And during all of the said time my physical condition and ability to perform manual labor was as follows..."

And here is what Max said:

I had to give up my occupation as miller by reason of the disease of my eyes and am unfit to perform any labor which requires the use of my eyes, being also deaf on my one ear by reason of disease contracted, as aforesaid, I am disabled to perform one half of the labor that I could perform but for such disease [words cut off of copy]...to such disease. I have never since been able to return to my occupation as miller and it makes it most difficult for me [words cut off copy]...by reason thereof to find other employment.

The next statement on the form says, "I further state that the entire service rendered by me is as follows..."

And Max says:

I enlisted August 15, 1847 at Milwaukee, Wis. 15th Regiment Inf. U.S.A. commanded by Captain Mefford (?) and was honorably discharged on account of disability from hospital at New Orleans April 30, 1848; re-enlisted at Milwaukee August fifteenth 1862 in 26th Reg. Wis. Vol. served three years, discharged (mustered out) June 13, 1865, near Washington D.C.

Comments on this document:

I feel very fortunate to have this medical information about my third great grandfather. Most people don't get those types of details in their family history.

Max commented about his past as a miller and that he couldn't perform that job anymore. However, in my research, I learned that he was a barkeeper after he was a miller. This fact is evident in several city directories. Why didn't he include that in his work history? Were there concerns that the pension people would disapprove? A little selective memory? Or something else?

Coming up...a note from the Surgeon General's Office. Stay tuned...

On to part 14.

Personal Genealogy Day

You've heard of "personal days" at work? Well yesterday I took a personal genealogy day.

I haven't worked on my own family stuff in weeks. I've been doing homework for ProGen, writing articles, maintaining this blog, taking my kid to see trains, running a household, etc. So yesterday I just cleared the calendar and resumed working on my RootsMagic database that I started building from scratch last year.

I worked on the Bourgaux/Menou lines in Acadia Parish, Louisiana. I entered in the details from the death certificates and obituaries of my great-great grandparents. I found a recent online obituary from a cousin I've never met from that line and added those details to the database as well.

Then I sent a letter to complete stranger/cousin asking for family information. I enclosed a picture of our ancestors in my letter to show that I'm sincere and not some stalker freak. We'll see how that goes.

This personal genealogy day came at the right time. I really enjoy working on this database, each fact having a source. It's so small right now and takes so long to add information correctly, but the end result will be worth it.

Now back to real life and the responsibilities it entails. Laundry doesn't care about family history.

Immigration Family History Expo Blogger of Honor

I am very pleased to announce that I have been chosen as a "Blogger of Honor" for the Immigration Family History Expo, March 18, 2010 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

What is the Immigration Family History Expo? Read on:

This event will feature World Trade Center Utah President and CEO Lew Cramer and the Center’s Executive Vice President and COO, Elizabeth Goryunova in an opening address at the event to be held at Historic Masonic Temple, 650 E. South Temple. At the door registration begins at 8 a.m., the day’s session will begin at 8:30 a.m. Cramer and Goryunova will focus on the importance of migration, immigration, and emigration today and in the future.

The Immigration Family History Expo, hosted by Family History Expos, Inc., will feature notable speakers throughout the day. The event will culminate with author, producer, and director Lorie Conway’s in-depth look in to the history of immigration to America. Her presentation will include a special screening of Forgotten Ellis Island: The Extraordinary Story of America’s Immigrant Hospital.

 Other notable speakers include:

Brigham Young University Professor Fred E. Woods. Professor Woods is the author or co-author of seven books and many articles, including three dozen on the topic of Mormon immigration/emigration in the 19th century. He is the editor and compiler of the Mormon Immigration Index CD released by the LDS Church in 2000. Dr. Woods will release his Mormon Migration website this year from the BYU Harold B. Lee Library.

Arlene Eakle, PhD, president and founder of The Genealogical Institute, Inc. Eakle is a consultant, lecturer, author and researcher specializing in the geographic areas of New York, Southern U.S., British Isles, Switzerland, and parts of Germany.

Kory L. Meyerink, MLS, AG, FUGA, vice-president of ProGenealogists, Inc. in Salt Lake City. Meyerink has worked with Ancestry and the Salt Lake City Family History Library. He is past president of the Utah Genealogical Association and founder of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. Meyerink is a nationally-known speaker, editor of Printed Sources, and adjunct faculty for BYU and San Jose State University.

Holly T. Hansen, Family History Expos, Inc. Founder and President, is a lifelong resident of Croydon, Utah. She has been a family history educator for more than 15 years. Although she sponsors elaborate events, she also enjoys helping people one-on-one as they learn how to make technology work for them. An author, lecturer, and editor, Hansen devotes time every day to education.

Exhibitors will be at the event to offer hands-on demonstrations and techniques and technology to help researchers trace their roots.

Extend your Stay! Make a weekend of it by joining us as we spend two extra days at the renowned Family History Library to apply all they have learned at the Immigration Family History Expo. Extend your stay and join us for this informal gathering at special rates negotiated by Family History Expos, Inc. for area Salt Lake City Hotels.  For more information see http://www.familyhistoryexpos.com/expos/.

Wordless Wednesday: Hang Up and Drive Edition

Sorry, I can't let this one be wordless. This picture is part of a stack that belonged to my grandparents. There are some travel photos in the stack, too. I don't know if they stumbled upon this while on vacation, or if this occurred during the brief time my grandfather worked for an oil company in Bartlesville, Oklahoma (which I'm guessing was Phillips 66).

Guess we'll never know, but judging by the crowd this was big news in some small town.

Family Search Indexing Milestone

Back in August of 2009, I started volunteering with FamilySearch Indexing. I signed up, watched the video, and downloaded what I needed to get started. I like to keep my hands busy while watching tv, so the rhythmic entry of census information into spreadsheets fit nicely into my football watching schedule. Well, you know how much football I watched last season and it shows in my indexing stats. I just logged my 10,000th indexing name!

There are all types of records you can index. I prefer "beginner" level and like census pages because I can go through each page quickly. Sometimes I enter death certificates, but I find I get too involved in the information on them. I did death certificates for British Columbia for a while, but the stories on the records just got to me. It was hard to see a child's death, or a violent one due to the logging industry, or the suicides. I always wondered about the people left behind.

So then I got back on the census horse. My 10,000th record came from the 1910 census in Minnesota.

I've learned a lot from this experience: migration patterns, foreign names, the vast differences in the ways enumerators entered the information. My handwriting reading skills have also greatly improved. I'm real careful about entering the information because I want to make sure I have it right for the future researchers who may need it down the road. It's how I give back.

What about you? How do you give back? I'm always interested in new projects. Tell me about yours.

When Life Gets in the Way

I have no blog post for you today. Normally, I write Monday's post on the weekend. However, this weekend I was busy.

I have a son who loves trains. Not like "Thomas the Tank Engine" love, but like "I am so serious about trains, railroads and signals that I built my own web site when I was 8" serious. I don't care how much you know about train signals, my kid knows more.

Anyway, as a reward for his suspiciously good behavior, I drove him to the Ft. Worth area this weekend for a very rapid railfan excursion. Mostly this means we park the car and wait. I read genealogy magazines and he tells me about the Federal Railroad Administration accident reports for any given crossing. Fun times.

So here is my dude getting pictures for his web site.

Saturday night, stayed in a hotel and had a nice steak dinner. He was my date. The next morning, we ate donuts and went out for some more train hunting. We caught six.

Then about 10am, we started heading South. We took back roads so we could stop in the small towns and photograph their railroad crossings.

We made it home in the early evening. Then today I did all the things I was supposed to do this weekend, which is why this blog got pushed to the back of the line.

I'm ok with that though, because my son has some good memories. What does this have to do with genealogy? Everything.

The "No Program" Program

I want to draw your attention to a new carnival for bloggers. This one is the Carnival of Genealogy Societies. I am thrilled with the forces behind the California Genealogical Society & Library (who have an award-winning blog, by the way) for bringing this event to fruition. Blogging is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to shine the spotlight on genealogy societies. I hope more groups take the plunge.

Here's the task at hand:

Doin' Things Right!


Shine a spotlight on a specific program, project or publication and tell us why it worked.

Several months ago, I attended a meeting of the Atascocita-Kingwood Genealogical Society. This is a small group with a big heart. At this particular meeting, the schedule speaker did not show up. What to do now? The president decided that we would go around the room and give updates on our own personal genealogy research.  It doesn't sound like an exciting plan B, but it ended up being a really interesting meeting. We talked about brick walls, possible connections and what not. Everybody gave a little and took a little. It was simple and great.

This "no program" program worked well because we had such a small group. If you find yourself in a similar situation with a larger group, divide up and go from there. You can also have a couple discussion topics available for less talkative crowds. Also note that you don't have to wait for an absent speaker to conduct a "no program" program. Schedule some time for your members to socialize, share and learn from each other.

You can be a part of the carnival, too. Just post on the topic to your blog and then fill out the submission form. I look forward to reading the submissions from others about society ideas.

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy: Week 9

The 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy challenge was written by a birthday girl this week and is graciously hosted each week by Geneabloggers.com. You are welcome to join in the fun.

This week's task:

Pick five genealogy blogs and read them every day. Meeting new people and networking within the online genealogy community is a great way to expand your own research and experience. Reading the blogs of others will help you get to know others. Try to find some blogs that are out of your area of expertise. Lists of genealogy blogs can be found at Geneabloggers.com and Genealogy Blog Finder. If you already subscribe to many genealogy blogs, find five new ones that are "outside the box," perhaps in history or archives. If you have a genealogy blog, write about the blogs you discover and introduce others to them.

The reasoning behind this challenge was to get genealogists in the habit of reading genealogy blogs. Since I already read way too many (and add more each week), coming up with new ones was tricky. Here are some that I recently added to my Google Reader:

Clue Wagon

This is a nifty blog by an author who is transitioning from the corporate race to the professional genealogy world. She has a lot of good stuff including a recent series about organizing family photos. 

Southwest Arkie

I added this blog because it mentions Arkansas and I have a significant interest in that state. In reading the blog, I was surprised to find we had a common Williamson connection. I've made matches before, but never with a fellow blogger. 

Asheville and Buncombe County blog

More and more society-based blogs are coming online. Imagine my surprise to find one that specifically targeted a major research interest of mine. My loved and dreaded JONES line hails from Asheville, Buncombe County, North Carolina. I signed up for this blog immediately. I can't wait to read more.

WorldCat blog

If you've been playing along with the challenges every week, you already know what WorldCat is. I follow their blog to keep current on the latest WorldCat news and ways I can better use their web site. 

Passing It On

I just discovered this blog by using the directories mentioned above in the challenge. I'm not quite sure why I never followed it before now. I am in the market for new writing tips and tricks. This blog fits the bill.

So, there you go. My five blogs for this week's challenge. I hope you enjoyed the task. I've enjoyed reading everyone's posts and I even found some new blogs to follow...which was the plan all along.

Fun With Search Terms

It's time for another great edition of "Fun with Search Terms." I employ a handful of different free services and search trackers that tell me how people find my blog. The details I receive don't tell me who you are, don't worry. Your privacy is protected. I do, however, get a list of the search terms people use when they click the search engine results that lead to my blog. Some are funny. Some I can provide with further information and I often do so. Here is a sample of searches for the recent past:

"rage about genealogy"
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!! Am I the angry genealogist?

"roots magic to go"
This search was likely in reference to RootsMagic's "Roots Magic to Go" software feature. Since I love RootsMagic and proudly drink the Kool-Aid, it's no surprise that I get many hits related to the software. The best place to get answers is from the RootsMagic site itself. Also check out the RootsMagic tutorials.

what to put in a genealogy blog
This.

East Texas Genealogy events
I get a lot of hits from people looking for Texas genealogy events, which is why I started the Texas Genealogy Events calendar. Consult that calendar as well as the Partner Page for the Texas State Genealogical Society for info on societies in this part of the state.

How many chapters of DAR are in Arizona?
This many.

toupee genealogy
Are you looking to track the provenance of bad rugs? I may need more information here...

Collin County Seminar with Lloyd Bockstruck

The good folks at the Collin County Genealogical Society are having a seminar and they've asked me to share the details. Since many We Tree readers hail from north Texas, I think that's an excellent idea.

Who: Collin County Genealogical Society

What: is having an all-day seminar featuring Lloyd Bockstruck

When: Saturday, April 24, 2010

Where: Collin College, Lecture Hall C104, 2800 E. Spring Creek Parkway, Plano, Texas 75074

Why: because Lloyd Bockstruck is a big name in genealogy circles and the CCGS knows how to put on a good program.

For more information, see the CCGS workshop flyer.

Can't make it to this session but want to keep tabs on Texas happenings? Check out the Texas Genealogy Events calendar.

Digital Cameras as Notepads (Extended)

[Recently, I wrote a quick little post about how I use my digital camera as a notepad. I was really surprised at the popularity of that piece, so I've expanded it a bit here.]

Digital cameras are very useful in the world of genealogy. Yes, they will capture images of grave markers in cemeteries, but they also are a handy recording tool. I often use mine as a notepad. It's much quicker to take a photo than to write down the same information.

Here are some ways to use your digital camera:

1. Take pictures of title pages and labels. 

While viewing films at my Family History Center, I decided that it's much easier to just take a picture of all this information than to write it down. I later used this photo when I was entering citation information into the database. I've also photographed book spines and title pages for the same reason. These aren't keepsake images, just quick notes.

2. Make note of your location.

Masonic Cemetery, Las Vegas, New Mexico, 2009

If you're taking photos at a cemetery, make sure the first picture you snap is of the cemetery sign. That way, when the photos are uploaded on your computer, the first one out the gate will have the name of the cemetery in it. You think you can remember these things, but after a long day all the cemeteries start to look the same. Taking photos with identifying information is a handy way to take digital notes.

3. Transcribe what is difficult to see

Shiloh-Williamson Cemetery, Russellville, Arkansas

Ok, for this tip you need a dry erase board, but I swear by this technique. If you take a picture and can't read what it says, take another picture with a dry erase board and write what can't be seen. That way you have the original, and one with notes. 

I also use this board and camera combo when I need to make notes. For example, let's say I want to take pictures of a field. In order to remind myself which field, I will write a note on the board and take that picture first. My board picture might say "Ruppert field where N. H. Thibodeaux was killed." Then I take pictures of the field. When I upload all the photos, the picture of the board with the notes will remind me what the heck all these field pictures are about.

4. Don't just take pictures of the house

If you photograph your ancestors' homesteads, be sure to get the little details as well. Take pictures of the house numbers, the mailbox and the street sign. These will help you remember which house goes with which ancestor. 

Once I went on a whirlwind driving tour of a rough part of Los Angeles in an attempt to photograph my ancestors' former homes. This was not the place to get out and set up panoramic shots so I just took quick photos from the car. I'd snap the house, the house numbers and get on down the road. Having these detail shots helped me later sort out which house belonged to whom. 

5. Use photos in place of copies

Microfiche machine with no printer or online connection.

In certain cases, photographs come out better than copies of records. In other cases, there are no copy options so photographs are your only choice. Use discretion when photographing items, however. 

Parting thoughts

Though digital cameras are wonderful tools for taking notes, please use discretion when photographing subjects in your genealogy research. Ask permission of property owners, learn and observe repository rules and respect copyrights. Most importantly, keep a little camera with you at all times, you never know when you need to document a little family history.

Anatomy of a Military Pension File, Part 12

Previously, I reported on the acquisition of my great-great-great grandfather's military pension file. The documents contained within paint a picture of a man and his family about which I knew very little. I've decided to share this 103-page treasure chest of information with you a few pages at a time.

Below is part two of page 27:

As before, I will enclose the handwritten parts in quotes.

I further state that the disability for which I claim a pension arises from "a disease of my eyes" which was contracted "while in the service of the U.S. as aforesaid and as a result and consequence of the disease from which I suffered while in such service, as above stated. My eyes being inflamed, watery and mattery and so weak that at times I was almost blind and am nearly deaf on left ear."

From my said discharge to the present time, I have received the following medical treatment for said disease: "Immediately upon my return I entered the treatment of Dr. August Luening at Milwaukee, Wis. under whose medical care and treatment I remained for 3 years. In 1862 when I re-enlisted in the 26th Reg. Wis. Vol. I consulted the regimental surgeon, Dr. Huebschumann at Milwaukee Wis. and remained under his medical care and treatment for 2 years." [Then there's a line drawn from the end of this sentence to the right end of the page.] "Both Dr. August Luening and Dr. Francis Huebschumann are dead. Both died at Milwaukee Wis."

[Then there's a paragraph where Max says he has suffered from no diseases since the disability stated above.]

What did I learn from the second half of this page? Way more medical history than most people know about their ancestors. Online, I found references to Dr. Frederick August Luening and Dr. Franz Huebschmann that may be the same people described in this document.

Coming up...page 28 talks more about disability and medical history, thus filling in Max's life timeline. Stay tuned...

On to part 13