Tag Archives: kansas

The new era…

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So, now what do we do?  We have conducted research using family documents and public records; we have collaborated with family, relatives and other people online.  Some people are happy just to have documented their lineage.  Others like to include stories and some include pictures of the people or places they are writing about.

The old house and store on Chapelwell - Saltcoats, Ayreshire, Scotland

The old house and store on Chapelwell in Saltcoats, Ayreshire, Scotland

The way that is happening is changing.  Now days, we see blogs, such as this one, educating newcomers and publishing stories or family histories.  They include photos, whether scanned or digital born, and are integrated into these blogs to illustrate the stories as shown with the example of our great grandmother’s childhood home in Saltcoats, Scotland.

Other examples include the use of Flickr’s interactive slide shows.  The Ancestry Tour is a good example.

While it has been an interest among many genealogists and family historians to travel to the places where their ancestors lived there is a new trend emerging for people with an interest in genealogy and family history.  The travel industry and genealogical researchers have teamed up to offer travel, research and meet/stay with your relatives (whom you have never met) travel packages.  While we have seen these services advertised in the United Kingdom, we have not heard whether or not they are having success.  As for us, we chose a simpler option.  We knew the names and locations of our ancestors and simply chose to walk where they lived.   You can view our YouTube video series titled “Walking Where They Lived” by using the link below.



Walking Where They Lived:  Saltcoats

Genealogy is being taken up by the online generation and the trend is social oriented with Facebook pages, Twitter feeds and Pinterest Boards just to name a few. Whether you’re a professional genealogist, or an enthusiast looking to tell your family’s story, we hope this project has successfully demonstrated some of the applications of social media in the genealogy arena.

Public Records & the Name Game

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Now that we have successfully traced the Stuart family line it’s time to move on.  Tracing the Brittain family line was a different experience.  The recent ancestors, father and grandfather, were known by living relatives so verification of information was relatively easy.  Great grandfather, Elam Brittain, is well documented in public records as are the father and grandfather.  For example, Elam can be found in the US Federal Census for the years 1850 – 1920.

Census records for Elam Brittain

Census records for Elam Brittain found using the free search at Ancestry.com.

Continue reading →

Completing the trace… Stuart Chart 9

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After experiencing a successful collaboration with the US and Kansas GenWeb Projects we were able to complete our trace of the Stuart family line for the ancestor names we had to work with.  The information provided by our contact in Kansas clarified names, dates and locations.  At the same time, it also raised questions.  For example, much of the information found in family records and online indicates Margaret Stuart was born in Scotland.  However, as seen in our previous post, the 1851 Scotland Census reveals she was born in Ireland and lived in Scotland as a young child.  One will have to decide which to accept for their documentation.  We have chosen to accept the official recorded entries in the public records.

Surname spellings present a unique set of challenges.  Not only have we found different spelling in public records, ranging from accepted known variations to complete misspelling of the name, we have also seen the Stuart and Stewart spelling used within the same family (see ourJuly 2, 2012 post).  We have used the Stuart spelling as it is the most prevalent in both family and public records.  One needs to be aware of the spelling variations and consider other details about the person to avoid being led a stray in their research.  To see an example, take a look at the chart comparison below starting with Margaret Stewart from an online profile and compare it to Margaret Stuart from our chart. Keeping in mind the accepted variation in name spelling, we can compare the details for each ancestor and determine they are the same.

Margaret Stewart or Stuart Pedigree Chart comparison

Pedigree chart comparison. Margaret Stewart Pedigree by Gary D. McDougal. Used with permission. Margaret Stuart Pedigree by Kirk D. Brittain – Five Lines Genealogy.

Also, we know it’s the same family because our grandmother is listed as one of Margaret Stewart’s children from her second marriage.  This may very well be a descendant of Margaret’s older brother who came to America several years after Nancy and her daughters or perhaps another sibling.  We know, as previously discussed, Hamilton used the Stewart spelling of the name.  As to why there is a different spelling of the surname within the immediate family, we do not know.  We do know we’ll see the scenario again with the other family surname being featured in this blog.  Given names can be confusing as well.  Margaret’s mother, Nancy Agnes (Ferguson) Stuart is often times found as Agnes Nancy (Ferguson) Stuart or Stewart as seen above.

Continuing the trace… Whoa! A brick wall!

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On occasion, it seems as though information to the next step in the chart just simply does not exist.  This is the brick wall moment.  No one in the immediate family knows.  It appears as though there are no public records for the person.  What is one to do in this situation?  This is where a person has to be creative and resourceful.  Sometimes the “brick wall” really does exist.  Other times, it is a road block instead of a brick wall.  The direct path may not be available but, alternative routes can lead to the same place.

The Margaret Stuart detour is an example.  All that was known is that she was from Scotland.  Part of the problem was misinterpretation of verbal history.  Initially, the birth place was believed to be Del Rye, Scotland.  All searches for information failed.  We now know Del Rye, Scotland is Dalry, Scotland.  Regional dialect and pronunciation can have a misleading impact when recording verbal information.  However, Dalry, Scotland is still incorrect for the place of birth.

Collaboration provided an alternative means to the needed information.  By posting a query on the Kansas Board of the US GenWeb Project (now The Kansas GenWeb Project) I was contacted by an individual who told me we were researching the same family line.  We exchanged a few e-mails to make sure we were talking about the same person, and

Margaret Stuart 1851 Scotland Census

Record for Margaret Stuart from the 1851 Scotland Census. Matilda is also listed. Accessed via paid subscription at Ancestry.com.

we were.  It turns out the individual is a descendant of Matilda Stuart, Margaret’s older sister.  He was more than happy to share the information he had. Documentation included a copy of a hand written account of the family lineage (written by Matilda) and a copy of the promissory note signed by Nancy Stuart, Great, Great Grandmother and her son, Hamilton Stewart (notice the different surname spelling by mother and son).  The note was signed at the Dalry Branch of the Perpetual Immigrating Fund Company, Organized at Great Salt Lake City, Deseret, USA October 6th, 1849.

The information provided by the sibling’s descendant cleared the road block and allowed us to complete the trace for our Great Grandmother, Margaret Stuart.  Public records reveal Margaret lived in Saltcoats, Scotland and was born in Ireland.

Collaborative Genealogy websites, such as The US GenWeb Project and state affiliates, is one workaround that may be viable when it seems like there is a brick wall in front of you.   We were fortunate to find the descendant of a sibling.  There are other options which we’ll discuss in future posts.