Genealogy Gadgets

The Gadgets section of the website has been experiencing some problems. I've changed the hosting locations of all my genealogy gadgets so that they are now hosted by Google. As soon as the Google Content Directory is updated, you should be able to find them there.

I will also make the necessary changes so that anyone subscribing to the old gadgets will be automatically transferred to the new gadgets.

In the meantime, all the "Add to Google" buttons under the gadgets should subscribe you to the new gadgets.

Yet More Kornhauser Data

In the Jefferson Co, OH Naturalizations index I find the following:
- Markus Kornhauser, age 22, from Hungary, court date on 5/8/1875 & 9/19/1877, witness George Poth
- David Kornhauser, from Austria, age 21, court date 10/4/1888 & 7//3/1891

Also, birth record indexes for Jefferson County (same online location as above) show:
- Edgar Kornhauser, born on 3/13/1884 in the Fourth Ward, Steubenville, OH to Markus Kornhauser and Matilda (Fleischman) Kornhauser. Book Birth Records for Jefferson County, Ohio 1879-1894, page 142B, line 495.
- Tillie Kornhauser, born on 7/12/1889 in the Fourth Ward, Steubenville, OH to Markus Kornhauser and Tillie (Fleischman) Kornhauser. Book Birth Records for Jefferson County, Ohio 1879-1894, listed on page 3488, line 685.
- Kornhouser, Walter [note misspelling of last name], born 3/14/1883 in Steubenville 4th Ward, to Markus Kornhouser and Lillie Fleshman [sic]. Book Birth Records for Jefferson County, Ohio 1879-1894, page 1088, line 489.
- Kornhouser, Arthur Wm., no birth date recorded but listed in Birth Records for Jefferson County, Ohio, Vol. 3, 1894-1901, to Marker Kornhouser and Tilley Fleispman [sic]. Page 61C, line 843.


From the 1900 Census as found on FamilySearch Labs:

In Peekskill, New York:
-Lewis Kornhauser, b. May 1866 in Austria, parents b. Austria, married 10 years, Liquor saloon, naturalized 1891, in U.S. 9 years
-Clara (wife), b. Mar 1865 in Austria, parents b. Austria, marr. 10 yrs, mother of 5 children, 4 living
-Rose (daughter), b. Jul 1890 in Austria, in school 9 1/2 months
-Lewis (son), b. June 1895 in New Jersey
-Mary (daughter), b. Jan 1897 in New Jersey
-Lizzie (daughter), b. May 1899 in New Jersey
-Goldberger, Samuel (boarder), b. Mar 1877 in Austria, par. b. Austria, bartender
-Smith, Elizabeth (servant), b. May 1875 in New York, par. b. New York

In New York City, Ward 34, East 134th St. (apparently an apartment building):
- Armin Kornhauser, b. Oct 1869 in Hungaria, par. b. Hungaria, married 2 years, naturalized 1883, in U.S. 17 yrs, clerk
- Yolande (wife), b. Mch 1877 in Hungaria, par. b. Hungaria, marr. 2 yrs., mother of 1 child, 1 living, immigrated 1880, in U.S. 20 yrs.
- Secil (daughter), b. Feb 1899 in New York

In New York City, Ward 27, W. 37th St:
- Joseph Kornhauser, b. May 1864 in Hungary, parents. b. Hungary, married 12 years, naturalized, immigrated 1880, picture framer
- Jennie Kornhauser (wife), b. Jan 1872 in Hungary , mother of 5 children, 1 living, immigrated 1880
- Anna Kornhauser (daugther), b. Aug 1891 in New York, at school 6 months

In Youngstown, Ohio:
- David Kornhauser, a boarder in the Maurice Goodman home, b. May 7, 1870 in Austria, par. b. Austria, immigrated 1888, naturalized, single, Grocer (as is Goodman)


A few excerpts from Ohio Deaths 1908-1953:

- David Kornhauser d. 14 Dec 1951 in Warren, Trumbull, Ohio. Birth date: 15 May 1870 in Austria-Hungary. Widower. Grocer, owns store. Informant: Selma Kornhauser. Parents names unknown. Buried Children of Israel Cemetery, Youngstown, OH.
- Rae Brenner Kornhauser, wife to David, d. 6 Jan 1932 in Youngstown, OH. Born 24 Oct 1878 in New York City. Parents: Jacob Brenner & Hannah Freedman Brenner, both b. Austria-Hungary. Buried Children of Israel Cemetery, Youngstown, OH.
-Harold Kornhauser, d. 15 Jul 1909 in Youngstown, OH. Born 28 Jun 1907. Son of David & Rae above. Buried Children of Israel Cemetery, Youngstown, OH.
- (unnamed) Kornhauser, d. 18 Dec 1910 in Youngstown, OH. Born 30 Nov 1910. Son of David & Rae above. Buried Children of Israel Cemetery, Youngstown, OH.

Civil War Letters of Quincy Plaisted

The latest addition to my website can be found here. The Civil War letters of Quincy Plaisted were a huge find at the National Archives recently. The original letters and a page that was taken out of the family register from the Bible were all in Quincy's Civil War pension paperwork!

He was the brother to my ggg-grandfather, Edward Harmon Plaisted, but I had never heard much about him. My side of the family DID inherit the Bible though, and it has always been a source of great frustration that the family register showing all the births and deaths had been torn out. At least now I know where it is!

Quincy died within days of his disability discharge, and the letters here represent some of the last communications he had with his family. He was only 18 when he died.

Also included is one final letter from Quincy's quartermaster regarding how he disposed of a package sent to Quincy that arrived after his death.

I've transcribed, as usual, to be faithful to the original style. There is also an introduction with additional information on Quincy that I learned from his pension paperwork and sources about his regiment.

More Kornhausers

A follow-up with some more information for those of you who are interested in the name:

Many Kornhausers seem to have fled Europe during or just before the Holocaust. Several families seem to have settled in Mexico, Argentina, Australia, Israel, and the United States. The Central Database of Shoah Victims lists a number of Kornhausers who died in the Holocaust. Many are from Slovakia, Poland, Romania, and Hungary. The ancestorsonboard website lists 7 Kornhausers leaving the United Kingdom in the 1930s and 1940s, all en route to either Argentina or the US.

Bernard, Hermann, and Rosalia Kornhauser were on Schindler's list and there is a 1946 photo of Hermann with Schindler. Andre, Janos, and Tamas Kornhauser are pictured here, with a brief article. Here is an article about Jan Kornhauser who owned a jewelry store in Poland before the war. Pal Kornhauser is pictured here.

The 1869 Hungarian census on JewishGen (which is incomplete) lists 120 Kornhausers, although this is a little misleading as they looked at maiden names as well, and some of these individuals are children of female Kornhausers.

By about 1920, the name was relatively common in the U.S. Based on a quick Ancestry.com search:

• In 1900, 31 individuals were indexed as Kornhausers in the US census (this may be an underreporting, since many indexers have been unable to read the Kornhauser name and/or the original census enumerator misspelled it). All were in either New York or Cleveland, OH.
• By 1910, 79 individuals were indexed as Kornhausers in the US census. Most were still in New York, but a few had moved to other states.
• There were 31 young Kornhauser men who registered for the World War I draft in 1917-8. The majority were in New York. (Almost all men 45 years old or younger had to register for this draft.)
• New York Passenger lists for 1820-1957 list 301 Kornhausers, many of whom are probably duplicates and some of whom are American citizens travelling to/from New York. (For example, there are 4 separate records of Blanche J. Kornhauser traveling.)
• The 1920 US Census lists 133 Kornhausers.
• The 1930 US Census lists 189 Kornhausers.
• 142 Kornhausers are listed in the Social Security Death Index, meaning they probably died between about 1950 and the present. Women are listed under their married names, so some are Kornhausers by marriage, but women with Kornhauser names by birth are not represented.

Ellis Island, which did not open until 1892 lists 74 Kornhauser in the database. As noted above, many times the name was incorrectly spelled so this may be inconsistent with the number of Kornhausers travelling through Ellis Island. Some of these Kornhausers were US citizens.

Castle Garden, the site of an earlier immigration station that operated from 1830 to 1892, lists only 7 Kornhausers. One family, arriving in 1890 from Austria, is headed by Josef & Sali, with their likely son Blondin, age 10. Another, arriving 1888 from Germany, is headed by Heinr. & Doris with their infant Georg. The final traveler, Mali, apparently came over alone in 1889 from Austria.

Many Kornhausers may have come in using other ports, such as coming to Philadelphia, PA, Baltimore, MD, or Boston, MA.

Beginning in 1899, the American Jewish Year Book lists Kornhausers of prominence. 34 entries are included. In 1899, Mrs D.H. Kornhauser of 1428 Wilson Ave. was secretary of the Cleveland Jewish Women's Council. By 1900, she is listed as of 143 Arlington, Cleveland and is listed several additional years with varying addresses. In 1908/9, S.J. Kornhauser (Samuel J.) is listed in Cleveland as a member of The Educational League for the Higher Education of Orphans (the Jewish Orphan Asylum). David E. and Sidney I. Kornhauser make appearances in the 1922/3 list of Jews of prominence. David was a painter and Sidney was a zoologist.

Here are some additional records of Kornhausers that I found interesting.

NY Times Archives
February 5, 1903, Thursday; Page 16
Fanny Kornauser, age 9, of 54 East Third St, witness to shop murder of Mrs. Mary Fleischer, age 52, by Mary's brother Adolph Gross, age 38. Nathan and Harry Moskowitz, ages 13 and 11 of 57 Second Ave , were also in the store. Mary and Adolph spoke Hungarian; at least Nathan Moskowitz, and possibly all three children, did as well. Adolph shot himself following the incident. Mary's husband was Joseph Fleischer, a tailor at Broadway and 22nd St. The couple had three children.

NY Times Archives
July 11, 1902, Friday Page 14,
Charles Kornhauser, newsboy, witness to the death of another newsboy, Harry Ripkin, who was hit by an oncoming electric car

In 1911, the Madison, WI City Directory lists an Alexander Kornhauser and his wife Ethel. He is the proprietor of a dry goods store, milliner, dressmaking, etc. This is the same Alexander Kornhauser & wife Ethel who are listed as buyers in August 1906 in New York City by the New York Tribune.

The 1900 Cleveland, OH City Directory lists Albert Kornhauser, trav. agt. This is my gg-grandfather.

The Palo Alto, CA City Directory for 1926 lists Mrs. Kath Kornhauser.

The Elizabeth, NJ City Directory for 1921 lists Irving Kornhauser, a grocer, who resided in Newark.

Also, of note, in 1859 there were NO Kornhausers listed in the New York City Directory.

1900 Census, Manhattan
Series: T623 Roll: 1113 Page: 66
Joseph Kornhauser, age 36, married 12 years, b. May 1864 in Hungary, Picture Framer, immigrated 1880; of 5 children had with his wife Jennie (b. Jan 1872, age 28, b. Hungary), only 1 survives: Anna, b. 1891 in NY.

Joseph is mentioned in a variety of other records for NYC, including real estate transfers noted in the NY Times, the NY Tribune, and city directories.

This is also probably the same Joseph referenced in the New-York tribune (New York [N.Y.]): January 27, 1909, p. 10. He was being sued along with his wife and several others by the Woodhulls in the Supreme Court of New York.


A Few Patent Searches:

• Louis Kornhauser of Cleveland, OH invented in 1924 "an adjustable sphins attachment for closet seats", apparently a kind of hinge related to toilet seats.
• Max Kornhauser, of New York, NY, invented a certain kind of pocket in 1954.
• Daniel W. Kornhauser of Beachwold, OH invented an apparatus and method for template cutting
• Murray Kornhauser invented a car bumper in 1971.
• Sidney I. Kornhauser, co-inventor in 1923 of a dissecting table that converted into a humidor for human anatomy labs.

Elizabeth Mankin Kornhauser was an artist. Arthur Kornhauser was a sociologist. Both wrote a number of books. Janos Kornai, a prominent Hungarian economist (who also taught at Harvard for a while), was born a Kornhauser and changed his name at age 17. Many other Kornhausers have gone into academia.

Some old pictures of Kornhauser families may be viewed at this website.

Here's another Kornhauser genealogy site by Henry Kornhauser.

Sigmund Freud apparently had a Hungarian son-in-law, Adolf Kornhauser who may have been a counterfeiter.

Kornhauser Family

I recently wrote out for my mother what I've been able to learn about the Kornhausers in the U.S. I am actively searching this line, so please comment or contact me if you know more!

First, the name Kornhauser doesn't seem to appear in the U.S. until about the 1860s. It's a tricky name to find, because most indexers and/or original records creators couldn't spell it properly and you have to try any number of variations.

Many Kornhauser families lived in Cleveland early on. Later families seem to have clustered in the NYC area. All appear to be Jewish except for our branch down from Sidney. There is a Kornhaus family in Illinois, who have been in the U.S. for a long time and are almost certainly unrelated.

The Kornhausers in the early years often report their origins as Hungary or Germany or Austria. Hungary had massively shifting borders, so it is uncertain where people are referring when they say "Hungary".

With regards to our Kornhauser family, I can say this:

Albert Kornhauser was born about Apr 1851 in Hungary to parents Josef and Zeni (Gluck) Kornhauser.

His brother Dewitt Henry Kornhauser was born on 10 Mar 1857. His birth place variously mentioned as in Sebish or Karacsonymeza, Hungary. I suspect that Dewitt is an Americanization of "David". Dewitt is listed as David in the Hamburg passenger lists. "Sebish" may actually be "Szepes" a former Hungarian county that is now in the Spiš region in Slovakia. Karacsonymezo was in Saros county in 1913, district of Giralti, and is now in Slovakia. The Slovak spelling would be Kracunovce. The mention of Sebish is from his death certificate, which he didn't complete obviously, so I would guess that the Karacsonymezo is more accurate (it's from his passport applications). That said, I suspect that he probably spent some of his life living in Sebish, which is where his children had the reference. Szepes and Saros are adjacent. Here are some 1910 maps of the two counties.

Albert & Dewitt had a sister Resi born probably in Hungary. Her birth date is listed at death as 1 May 1861, but I am more inclined to believe the census reports which consistently indicate a birth date of June 1852 (probably early June based on the age changes).

There was probably one other child in the family, but I have no additional information on this yet. It's based on the fact that Zeni reported in 1900 that she was the mother of 4 living children.

As far as Josef and Zeni go, they were definitely Jewish, and at least Zeni was likely born in Hungary, though possibly in Germany as reported in the 1900 census. Josef may have been born in either Hungary or Germany. He is reported by Dewitt as having spoken German and being born there. Zeni came to the US in about 1880 and in 1910 was living with Resi in Cleveland. She is listed as Jennie, aged 68, widowed, and b. May 1832 in this census. Zeni probably died between 1900 and 1910. According to the census, she did not read, write, or speak English.

In 1871, Albert was naturalized in Cuyahoga Co, OH (in Cleveland). He probably arrived in the US that same year. Dewitt arrived 27 November 1872 on the S.S. Westphalia from Hamburg, but say he wasn't naturalized until October 3, 1883 in the District Court of Cleveland, OH. Resi may have come over with one of her brothers or with her mother about 1880 (she reports 1880 as does her mother in 1900, but in 1920, Resi reports an immigration date of 1875 and a naturalization date of 1884). I'm uncertain right now whether Josef or the remaining sibling immigrated as well.

Albert married Henrietta Goldberg in Rochester, NY on 9 Dec 1874. She was the Pennsylvania-born daughter of Sampson and Jeanette (David) Goldberg. Albert and Henrietta had at least 5 children, with possibly one additional child dying very young:
- Esther, b. NY in Apr 1876
- Samuel Jacob, b. 4 Dec 1879 in Parma, OH (just outside of Cleveland)
- Caroline, b. 28 Jan 1882 in Parma, OH
- David Emanuel, b. 15 Feb 1884 in Parma, OH
- Sidney Isaac, b. 3 Nov 1887 in Cleveland, OH
The family lived in Cleveland for most of the children's youth, but moved to Pittsburgh between 1900 and 1910. Albert died on 8 May 1920 in Pittsburgh and Henrietta d. 18 Dec 1921.

Dewitt Henry married Ida Lowenstein on 18 Jun 1895 in Manhattan, NY. Ida was born in NYC on Feb 22, 1873. I am still trying to determine who their children might have been (if any). They lived in NY and OH all their married lives, apparently concurrently. Dewitt had several passports that show him taking a pleasure trip to Calcutta in 1915, China, Japan, Korea, Phillipines, & Hawaii in 1917, and Cuba in 1920. They also describe him (and have photos) as 5'5", high forehead, grey eyes, straight or Roman nose, medium mouth with mustache, round chin, brown hair (but bald), fair or ruddy complexion, oval face, with a mole on his forehead. Dewitt d. on 26 Jan 1921 in Cleveland, OH of pneumonia. Ida d. 14 Jan 1956. At Dewitt's death in 1921 he had lived in the US in Ohio for 40 years. He was an insurance salesman for State Mental Ins. Co. He was buried at Mayfield Cemetery, Cleveland Hgts, OH.

Resi married Moritz Greenbaum on 18 Nov 1884 in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. They had 5 children:
- Gertrude b. Dec 1885 in Ohio
- Joseph E. b. Dec 1885 OH
- Hermine b. Aug 1890 OH
- Jerome I. b. Feb 1893 OH
- Selma b. abt 1901 OH
He died between 1900 and 1910, probably in Ohio. She d. 30 Aug 1942 in Shaker Heights, OH (near Cleveland) of a heart attack. In her obituary, she is listed as the mother of Mrs. Gertrude Kendis, Joseph E. Greenbaum (deceased), Mrs. Hermine Harmel, Mr. Jerome I. Greenbaum, Mrs. Selma Kane, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was buried at Mayfield Cemetery, Cleveland Hgts, OH.


Here are some of the records I've turned up about early Kornhausers in our family and in as yet unlinked Kornhausers:

Civil War
A Henry Kornhauer served in the Regular Army as a private. Absolutely no further information on him, so perhaps this is an indexing error.

Ship Records
Ship records will be incomplete for a variety of reasons, and contain various amounts of detail. Here are some of the Kornhausers I've identified from early ship records, however:
- Michael Kornhauser, arrived NYC in 1880, age 25
- Alphous Kornhauser arrived NYC on 25 Sep 1865 on board the ship Mercury which sailed from Le Havre, France. He was aged 23, b. about 1842.
- Armin Kornhauser arrived NYC on 28 Nov 1883 on board the ship Lessing which sailed from Hamburg, Germany & Le Havre, France. He was about age 9, b. about 1874, origins listed as Hungary. [an Armin Kornhauser later married a Yolande Adler in NYC in 1898]
- Cene Kornhauser arrived NYC on 16 Jan 1882 on board the ship Silesia which sailed from Hamburg, Germany and Le Havre, France. He was age 18, b. about 1864, origins Hungary.
- Fanny Kornhauser arrived 3 Nov 1880 in NYC.
- Hanora Kornhauser came to NYC before 1870
- David Kornhauser (almost certainly our Dewitt), age 18, arr. 27 Nov 1872 on ship Westphalia to NY (FHL film 0,472,904, page 1480)
I've not seen most of these Kornhausers in later records, so they may have changed names.

1870 Census
The earliest census records of Kornhausers in the U.S. begin about 1870. I find an Emanuel Kornhauser, age 22, clerk in store boarding with the Leary family in Penn, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. He was born in Hungary, as was Rebecca Leary, age 29 (the wife of the head of household). This could possibly be a brother/cousin.

CUYAHOGA COUNTY OHIO - Probate Court Naturalizations
From http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/oh/cuyahoga/probate/naturalizations/fr2le.txt
Natin Surname First_Name Middle_Name Name_Of_Vol Vol# Page# Country Date_Of_Arr Date_Of_Dec Date_Of_Natrlzn Problem
19409 Kornhauser Albert DOA 9 373 Hungary 5/1871 10/6/1883
19410 Kornhauser Albert NB 20 339 Hungary 10/9/1885
Transcription of Photocopied Records:
Probate Court in and for the County of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio
I, Albert Kornhauser, an alien and native of Hungary being duly sworn, depose and say that I first arrived in teh United States in the month of May A.D. 1871 and that it is bona fide my intention to become a citizen of the United States, and to renounce forever, all allegiance and fidelity to every Foreign Prince, Potentate, State or Sovereignty whatsoever, and particularly all allegiance and fidelity to Francis Joseph King whose subject I am.
Albert Kornhauser
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 6 day of Oct AD 1883
H.A. Schwab, Deputy Clerk

In the Probate Court, Cuyahoga County, O.
October 9, 1885
This day came Albert Kornhauser an alien and a native of Hungary and proved to the satisfaction of the Court that he made in the Probate Court for Cuyahoga County Ohio more than two years ago, the requisite Declaration of Intention to become a citizen of the United States: Thereupon the Court order that the oath of the person seeking to be Naturalized, and the affadavit of the person testifying in his behalf be taken, and the same is done accordingly, in the words and figures following, to wit:
Oath of Applicant
The State of Ohio
Cuyahoga County, ss
I, Albert Kornhauser do make solemn oath that I will support the consitution of the United States, and that I do absolutely and entirely renouce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to every Foreign Prince, Potentate, State of Sovereignty whatsoever, and particularly all allegiance and fidelity to Francis Joseph King whose subject I am.
A Kornhauser
Oath of Witness
The State of Ohio
Cuyahoga County, ss
I L. Salzer residing at No. 909 Pearl Stree, Cleveland, in said County, being duly sworn, depose and say that I am well acquainted with the above names A. Kornhauser that he has resided within the limits and under the jurisdiction of the United States for five years last past, and for one year last past within the State of Ohio, and that during the same period he has behaved himself as a man of good moral character, attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States, and well disposed to the good order and happiness of the same.
L. Salzer
Subscribed in my presence and sworn to by said A Kornhauser Applicant and said L. Salzer Witness before me in open court this 9 day of Oct 1885.
Dan R. Tildew Probate Judge
Whereupon is was ordered by the Court that a Certificate of Citizenship be issued said Albert Kornhauser on payment of the costs of this application and the same is done accordingly.

Jefferson Co, OH Naturalizations
Two Kornhausers listed, apparently unrelated (?) to ours:
- Markus Kornhauser, age 22, from Hungary, court date on 5/8/1875 & 9/19/1877, witness George Poth
- David Kornhauser, from Austria, age 21, court date 10/4/1888 & 7//3/1891

1874 Rochester City Directory
Albert Kornhauser, clerk, 17 State, bds 34 Clinton Place

1880 Census
In 1880, Albert was a farm laborer in Parma, Cayahoga Co., Ohio, living with his father in law Sampson Goldberg. (US Census, page 304C).

I can't locate Dewitt in this census.

Marcus "Cornhauser" b. Hungary, age 29, appears in Steubenville, Ohio in 1880. He appears to be living alone. Dry goods and notions dealer. Probably same Marcus as naturalized above.

Maurice "Cornhauser" age 33, b. Hungary, liquor merchant is living in Chicago, IL with wife Jennie age 25 b. Hungary; children Henry age 6, Solomon age 4, Fannie age 3, Sarah age eight months, all b. IL. Also, brother (prob. in law) Maurice Roth age 23 b. Hungary, brother Benjamin Cornhauser age 22, b. Hungary.

1890 NYC City Directory
- Dewitt H. Kornhauser, shirts, 41 White, h. O. [means that his home was in Ohio]
- Joseph, frames, 452 Sixth av
- Martin, tailor, h 84 Sheriff
- Samuel, artist, h 237 Sixth

The Fort Wayne Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 23 Oct 1894:
"Hotel Arrivals: Coming and Going of Fort Wayne Hotel Visitors"
Al Kornhauser, Cleveland

1900 Census
In 1900, Albert, age 49, lived in Cleveland, OH and gives his birth as Apr 1851 in Hungary. Immigrated in 1871, naturalized. Occupation illegible. Owns a mortgaged house. Listed are wife Yetta (noted as the mother of 6 children, 5 of whom are living indicating a child of theirs died and hasn't yet been identified), and children: Esther, Samuel J., Carrie, David E., and Sidney I. Also, sister-in-law Lina Goldberg. Esther was b. in NY, others b. in OH.

Rosa Greenbaum, age 38, b. Germany, is living in Cleveland, OH with husband Morris and children: Gertrude age 14, Joseph age 12, Hermine age 9, Jerome age 5. Married 15 years. Rose is mother of 4 children, all living. Jennie Kornhauser (Rosa's mother), age 68, b. Germany, widowed, b. May 1832, mother of 4 children all living is in the same household.

1902 Cleveland Business Directory
A D.H. Kornhauser (clothing manufacturer and wholesaler) is listed in the 1902 Cleveland Business Directory. Brother to Albert. Also, an Emanuel Kornhauser (age 22, b. Hungary, store clerk) is listed in the 1870 Census for Penn, Westmoreland, PA. Another possible brother?

The Chicago blue book of selected names of Chicago and suburban towns : containing the names and addresses of prominent residents, arranged alphabetically and numerically by streets, also ladies' shopping guide, street directory, and other valuable information.
Chicago: Chicago Directory Co., 1905
- Mr & Mrs. Maurice Cornhauser, 149 42nd Place
- Solomon Cornhauser 149 42nd Place

1907 Voter Registration, Cleveland, OH
- Dewitt H. 1877 E 75th
- Samuel J, 5621 Scoville
- Samuel J. 5000 Woodland

Ellis Island, 1909
Sydney Kornhauser (US Citizen, probably Albert's son) arrived in Ellis Island on Aug 5, 1909 from Hamilton, Bermuda on ship Bermudian. He was age 22.

David E. Kornhauser (US Citizen, probably Albert's son) arrived in Ellis Island on Sept 17, 1909 from Naples, Italy on ship Cretic. He was age 28.

1910 Census
Albert is in US 1910 census, Allegheny, PA, ED 0419, visit 44. He is age 58, white, born Hungary, a wholesale grocery salesman. Living with him are Yetta and children Carrie, David E., and Sidney S., and sister in law Lina Goldberg.

Esther has married Adolph Marx and is living with him next door to her parents. Two children: Jeannette I. and Richard I. Marx.

Rose Greenbaum, age 49, b. Aust.-Bohemia, is living in Cleveland, OH with husband Morris and children: Joseph age 21, Hermine age 19, Jerome age 15, and Selma age 9. Married 25 years, first marriage for both. Rose is mother of 5 children, all living.

1910-1920
In 1917, the Pittsburgh Jewish Community Book lists the following Kornhausers:
- Mrs. Albert living 5717 Pocusset St
- Miss Carrie, living 5715 Pocusset St
- Edgar S. living 5639 Wilkins Ave
- Mrs. T living 815 Hastings St. (probably Mrs. Tillie Kornhauser)
- Alter H. living Eldridge St (almost certainly a typo, meaning Walter... all others are alphabetical)

Also in this time period, David E. & Sidney registered for the WWI draft. Samuel J. and Sidney graduated from Harvard U. programs.

1920 Census
In 1920, Albert lived with his son-in-law, Adolf Marx (married to Albert's dau. Esther), in Pittsburgh, PA. Albert, age 68, came to the US in 1860 from Hungary where his parents also were born. He was naturalized in 1875. He could read and write and speak English, though his native tongue was Hungarian. He was apparently retired. Also living with the Marx family are Albert 's wife Yetta, age 64, b. in PA; Albert's dau Carrie, age 34, b. in OH; & Albert's sister-in-law Lina Goldberg, age 58 (widowed), b. in PA. This is according to the census of that area, Enumeration District: 489, Sheet: 7

Another Kornhauser family in Pittsburgh is the family of Tillie Kornhauser, a widow, age 63. She has three children: Edgar age 35, Blanch age 30, and Henrietta age 25, all born in PA. Unclear if or how they are related.

David E. Kornhauser (Albert's son) was living with wife Mary and son David H. in Camden, NJ.

Samuel J. Kornhauser (Albert's son) was living with wife Minnie and children Joseph W., Daniel W., and Betty J. in Cleveland Heights, OH.

Sidney I. Kornhauser was living with wife Anna M. and son Albert E. and mother in law Eolia K. Marshall in Granville, OH.

Dewitt H. Kornhauser (Albert's brother) was living in a large boarding house in Cleveland with his wife Ida (Loewenstein). Dewitt was age 62, born Hungary, immigrated 1873, naturalized in 1883. He lists his father's place of birth as Frankfurt, Germany and his mother tongue as German; mother's place of birth as Hungary, mother tongue Magyar, Hungarian. He is in insurance.

Jewish Independent
May 21, 1920
Vol. 29, No. 14, pg 6
"Albert Kornhauser, aged sixty- nine, died May 8 in his home on Pocusset street, Pittsburg. He was born in Hungary andcame to this country when a young man. He moved to Pittsburg from Cleveland twenty years ago. He was a member of Rodelph Shalom congregation. Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Yetta Kornhauser; three sons, Samuel J., David E. and Sidney I. Kornhauser; two daughters, Mr. A. J. Marx, and Miss Carrie Kornhauser; one brother D. Henry Kornhauser; one sister Mrs. R. Greenbaum, and eight grandchildren."

Dewitt Henry dies
death certificate lists date of death as 1/26/1921.

Interesting quotation re: Sidney
Cradles of Conscience: Ohio's Independent Colleges By James A. Hodges, John William Oliver, James H. O'Donnell; Published 2003; Kent State University Press
page 153
"In the spring of 1922 dissatisfaction [with President of Denison University, Chamberlain] erupted into open opposition over the dismissal of Sidney I. Kornhauser, a popular professor of biology who was Jewish. Kornhauser had replaced a professor going on leave in 1919. He was a capable zoologist and a popular instructor in an era when many religious and political conservatives were coming to attack the teaching of evolution. When he refused to resign quietly in 1922, Chamberlain dismissed him, citing the trustees' declaration of 1913 that Denison was a denominational college and that its instructors "should not only be proficient in their departments, but... should also be men of the highest Christian character." Ironically, that declaration had probably been adopted back in 1913 to reassure the Denison constituency that the appointment of a scientist (Chamberlain) as president did not mean a departure from the college's commitment to piety as well as learning. But its use against Kornhauser touched off a controversy that would not subside for years."

More Sidney Kornhauser info/links:
Stazione Zoologica Napoli, Italy - History: http://www.szn.it/

Professor Locy @ Northwestern Univ.

Marine Biological Lab @ Woods Hole, MA Archives

Biological Stain Commission

Obituary from R.D. Lillie in Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry

Cytology of the Seaside Earwig by Sidney I. Kornhauser (1921)

Two papers presented at a conference in 1920 when at Denison University

Kornhauser offered admission bribes

Birth Certificate Murkiness, Same-Sex Marriage, and Other Genealogy Controversies

A prelude for the beginning of this post. Please note that this is not actually an invitation for invective regarding homosexuality. It is an opportunity to explore the murky situation of birth certificates, same sex marriage, and genealogy. How we as genealogists and family historians explore the related worlds of biology and family, the ethical dilemmas that result, and how we make changes based on the new definitions of family are some of my favorite topics.

Whether you share my opinions or not, you are welcome to comment. However, inflammatory or derogatory comments will be deleted.

One of my frustrations with my current genealogy program is that same-sex marriages are impossible to create. I use Personal Ancestral File from the LDS Church which doesn't recognize same-sex marriages, so I really shouldn't be surprised. Still, it is aggravating.

Before our son was born, I simply had two different files. One was for my partner's genealogy, and one was for mine and never the twain shall meet. However, after our son was born, I felt like we needed to merge the databases so that both of his parents were recognized. There were two possible work-arounds. One was to label my partner's sex as "male" (or change mine). The other was to add my partner as an "alternate parent".

Unfortunately, this second option would result in two issues. The first was that a marriage would automatically be created for each of us (since children get added to marriages). I could probably have deleted these marriages, but it was still awkward. The other problem was that only one of our trees would be seen at any given point, instead of the nice fan shaped pedigrees that typically result in a two-parent family. Aside from the aesthetics, ease of navigability was a factor in the decision I made to change her sex. I now have lovely report possibilities and so forth, and since I don't print the names of living people on my website anyway, it doesn't really make any difference to other researchers.

Still, I have been wondering how others have solved this solution. With Massachusetts legally recognizing same-sex marriages, there must be genealogy programs that have this capability now... so I went looking online, but instead came up with all kinds of other interesting stuff.

A 2005 blog from Eastman in which he questions the right of the non-biological parent to be on the birth certificate in Massachusetts, likening it to adoptive parents. The problem is one that I've discussed before, but not quite in this way.

In fact, there are a few problems with this whole debate. The first is the assumption that there is a known biological father for same-sex parents. The second problem is the assumption that there was no other way for same-sex couples to be listed on the child's birth certificate. And the last is that birth certificates are reliable indicators of biological parentage for anyone.

Many children who are born to same-sex couples were conceived using an anonymous donor (and for those of you new to this debate, it is always "the donor" and never "the father" in these situations). For many children born to same-sex couples, sperm banks were used (in fact this is the fastest growing segment of the sperm bank industry). The legal reasons for couples to use anonymous donors from banks is clear, since it alleviates possible paternity custody battles after the birth of the child.

The legal reasons to have both parents on the birth certificate are similar. Imagine (or just look in the news for) the custody battles if one partner were to die, be incapacitated, etc. Think about children's need for health insurance, Social Security, child support, etc. This issue was important enough that there have been (for years) ways for both members of a same-sex couple to be listed on the birth certificate. In some states, same-sex couples can put their names on the child's birth certificate after the child's birth by doing a "second parent adoption". Legally, this makes the situation much more clear for everyone, and paves the way for non-biological parents to interact easily with the child care program, school, doctors, and others. In situations where the biological father is known, he has to sign away his paternity rights for these to go through. Also, a federal court ruled that all states have to recognize these birth certificates.

Massachusetts was already one of the states allowing second parent adoption, so many same sex parents had their names on their children's birth certificates before the marriage law was passed. The change to the birth certificate only means that same sex partners don't have to jump through additional legal hoops to have their names listed, but instead do so at the time of the child's birth. It doesn't actually change anything for genealogists looking at these birth certificates.

Incidentally, this second parent adoption law was originally used for stepparent adoptions, but now also covers many same-sex parents and some parents who have used a surrogate to carry the child. Interesting biological and adoptive convolutions can result if a surrogate carries the biological child of another couple. Addressing that through a birth certificate would be pretty challenging!

As seen from the above example, same-sex couples aren't the only ones who create havoc with birth certificates. In all anonymous donor situations (like virtually all done by banks), you wouldn't have any name to enter on the birth certificate anyway. For heterosexual couples who used sperm banks (typically because of male infertility), the father listed on the birth certificate was usually the man who was married to the mother. Many of these children were actually not told how they were conceived.

This is no different (in practical terms) from the Massachusetts debates over the non-biological mother. The only difference is that future genealogists will come across the same-sex birth certificates and immediately know that two women or two men are unlikely to have been the biological parents of the child -- not something that can be said of the opposite-sex couples.

Further, birth certificates in the case of adoption have long been altered to reflect the adoptive parents' names. Birth certificates for children whose mothers are having children born of adultery nearly always reflect their husband's name. Birth certificates for single mothers often don't list a father at all. The many convolutions of the birth certificate make this argument regarding biology a moot point.

So here is the way birth certificates for same-sex couples seem to stand. It appears that Massachusetts still has the mother and father categories and that same-sex parents just cross out the category titles and write in "Parent A" and "Parent B". In Vermont (where there are civil unions), couples are listed on the birth certificate as parents at the time of the baby's birth. A New Jersey couple also recently won this right. In Texas, adoptive couples who are of the same sex must choose one of them to be listed as "mother" and another to be listed as "father". In Virginia, there was a court battle because adoptive homosexual couples had to choose only one of them to be listed on the birth certificate. The adoptive families won and now both parents are listed as Parent 1 and Parent 2. In Canada, Quebec and Ontario list same-sex partners automatically on the birth certificates.

As a complete side note, there was an interesting controversy with a newspaper birth notice as well.

Anyway after getting a little sidetracked, I did find that many other genealogy programs would allow me to add my partner and child. According to the other bloggers, I could switch to the Master Genealogist, Legacy, Reunion, or Family Tree Maker. So I can switch.

YouTube Videos

I thought this video from the Birmingham (Alabama) Public Library was quite entertaining...



Also, check this one out. A video/music version of "I am my own Grandpa"



Note: Neither of these are mine, and information on their authors can be found at YouTube.

Top Ten Things About Modern Culture that Will Annoy Future Genealogists

10. Frequency of modern moving (and distance of moves) - is this John Doe the same as that John Doe?
9. Single parents, adoption, sperm banks - who the &*#)@^$ are their parents?
8. Co-habitation - are they just roommates? were they ever married? who is the parent of these children?
7. The scattering of ashes - I have a relative who was never buried
6. Intransigency of electronic information - but it used to exist!
5. The downfall of the local paper - goodbye information about who is accepting visitors and who left town recently!
4. Distance between members of extended families - I am definitely NOT related to my neighbors
3. Illegal immigration - did they cross the border? when?
2. The abbreviated 2000 census - I hope they completed the long form!
1. The destination wedding craze - they were married WHERE?!

Rev. Martha Scott Newman

Rev. Martha Scott Newman, age 84, died August 14, 2007 at the Redington –Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan, Maine following a brief illness. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri May 16, 1923, the daughter of Harry G. And Lora E. (Whitworth) Scott.

Martha was educated in the schools of St Louis, Missouri. She received her Bachelors Degree in English from Central Missouri State College, her Masters of Library Science from the University of Denver, and her Masters of Theology from Eden Seminary.

As a minister, Martha served in small Unitarian Universalist churches in the mid-west and later moved to Maine where she served in several churches including five years service in Houlton. She was a member of the U.U.A. Of Ministers, Nature Conservancy, and was active in the Democratic Party. Martha also volunteered at the Clothes Cupboard in Skowhegan and attended the adult Sunday school at Centenary United Methodist Church in Skowhegan. Martha loved reading, listening to opera, studying theology, gardening, cooking and sewing.

She is survived by two children: Amy Rouse and husband Gene also of Skowhegan and J. Mark Newman and wife Anne of Surprise Arizona; two foster daughters: Kay Keaton and husband Jerry of St. Charles Missouri and Ruth Eltinge and husband Ervin of St. Louis Missouri; a sister Colleen Ferguson of Texas; 14 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren, and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. She is predeceased by her ex-husband John Newman and one granddaughter, Alicia Newman.

Before her death, Martha expressed her deep gratitude for the care of staff at Redington Fairview and at Dr. Oto Prokop's office.

A memorial service will be announced at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, friends may make donations in her memory to the Nature Conservancy or the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Arrangements under the care and direction of Dan & Scott’s Cremation & Funeral Service, 445 Waterville Road, Skowhegan.

Is Big Brother Archiving?

Recent news reports such as the one where 2.3 million financial records were stolen and where the government collected phone records, have made me wonder more about record management these days and in the recent past.

Obviously, the federal government is archiving most of its materials, as they always have, much of it presumably to become public information long after our deaths. Some of these materials will be of interest to future descendants, including passport and Social Security Applications, military service and pension records, and IRS tax information. I believe it is unknown whether the NSA phone records will be archived or eventually become part of the public record.

Certainly, current trends seem to be pushing for more classified information. According to a 2006 AP survey (referenced here), 616 laws restricting access to public government records and meetings have been passed since 9/11. Only 283 were passed to loosen access.

Vital records are among those discussed as not public information. Some genealogists are fighting these restrictions. News agencies reported that the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Act of 2004 has a clause that "requires minimum standards for the use of birth certificates by Federal agencies for official purposes." The federal government was attempting to restrict access to the certificates since they can be used as identification, possibly by terrorists. Most states were considering restricting access to the records, and some states have done so, though most seem to have a clause that opens them to the public long after we are all dead.

Some states (such as Colorado) have responded to the federal law by restricting genealogical access to vital records. Or at least, I assume that's what is meant by: "genealogists representing family members with appropriate credentials". I'm not sure what a 'family member with appropriate credentials' would be, and assume that the second clause is misplaced: that the genealogist is supposed to have the credentials. The COGenBlog reported that one searcher was told, "genealogy database printouts, research documents, family letters, genealogy society membership cards, etc., which show proof of genealogy research work related to that person will meet the requirement." The Wandering Author mentions the genealogy community controversy over restricting access to just professionals in a recent post.

But back to our subject.... of far more interest than these government documents (assuming basic facts are established), would be looking at credit card records and search terms. I mean, what better way to figure out what is driving a person? Just ask the advertising companies!

The trouble is that many of these documents are kept by private businesses. Some businesses do maintain archives. There is a listing of some of them here. However, most businesses probably go into and out of existence or through mergers too quickly. Also, I'm not aware of what most of these businesses keep in archives, but I suspect that data on the individual is not high on the list. Financial records for the agency, possibly a list of customers, but probably not your monthly credit card bills.

Still, thinking about all the information about me that is out there... utility and phone records, search information, driver's licenses, magazine subscriptions, credit card and bank statements... wouldn't that be a gold mine for some future descendant! I mean wouldn't you love to know who great-Grandma talked to on the phone, what she bought (and for how much), have a photo (even if it was a license photo), know what she read and what her hobbies were, and if she defaulted on her loans?

Genealogy Gadgets

I've debuted several genealogy gadgets/widgets here today, to be placed in genealogy blogs, personalized Google homepage, etc. They offer search functionality for a variety of genealogy, family history, and history-related sites, including FamilySearch, the Bureau of Land Management Patent Database, and the American Memory collection of the Library of Congress.

They are similar to the ad-related ones that you often see (i.e. for Ancestry.com), but I have no monetary interest in this. I just wanted one location from which I could search a variety of websites, rather than surfing to each individually. Most of them link to free sites (no subscription necessary) and are ones I visit often (see my links page). Each gadget does open a new window with the search results, but I think it will still save time.

You can learn more about how to embed gadgets in your page here. Hopefully, my gadgets will soon be linked to the directory. In the meantime, you can install them on your page by using the following code:

Family Search:
<script src=\"http://gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mabgenealogy/gadgets/ldsgadget.xml&synd=open&w=320&h=325&title=FamilySearch&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js\"></script>

American Memory:
<script src=\"http://gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mabgenealogy/gadgets/locgadget.xml&synd=open&w=320&h=135&title=American+Memory+Search&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js\"></script>

Interment.net:
<script src=\"http://gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mabgenealogy/gadgets/intergadget.xml&synd=open&w=320&h=175&title=Interment.net+Search&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js\"></script>

Bureau of Land Management:
<script src=\"http://gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mabgenealogy/gadgets/blmgadget.xml&synd=open&w=320&h=250&title=Bureau+of+Land+Management+Patent+Search&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js\"></script>

Making of America:
<script src=\"http://gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mabgenealogy/gadgets/moagadget.xml&synd=open&w=320&h=115&title=Making+of+America+Search&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js\"></script>

If you have a personalized Google page, you can add the gadgets by URL or by clicking on the "Add to Google" button below each on my web page.

Please let me know what you think of them!

Thanks!

Criminals

In the news today: "LONDON — More than two million Britons and about four million Australians are related to convicts deported from Britain to Australia in the 18th and 19th centuries, geneologists said yesterday."

I particularly like that they misspelled "genealogists" in the article.

Aside from that, though, I have to say that I have recently uncovered an Aussie ancestor of my own, and would love to know if she has a convict ancestry, although it looks dubious. Violet Chisholm was born in September 1853 in Ashby, Victoria, Australia. Her parents were Walter and Violet (Sanderson) Chisholm. (Much thanks is due to Margaret Chisholm of Australia for some of this information.)

Walter Chisholm and Jane Sanderson married 14 Oct 1850 at Borthwick or Galashiels. A cousin has a record of marriage at Borthwick but Walter stated Galashiels at the time of the birth of his children. The marriage may have taken place in one town and the banns may have been read in another church.

They came to Australia on the LANCASTRIAN on 29 April 1851 with Walter’s mother Helen Lees Chisholm, his sister Helen Purdie and her husband Robert and children John Chisholm Purdie, William Purdie and Helen Lees Purdie, his brother John and his sister Jessie. Walter’s brother William and his wife Isabella Weatherstone and children William and Thomas had arrived in Australia the previous October on the NAVARINO.

Walter and Eliza had four children in the Geelong area, William about 1851, Violet at Ashby in 1854, Helen or Ellen 24 May 1856 in Ashby and James 25 Jul 1858 at Manifold’s Vineyard, Fyans Ford.

The family returned to Scotland on the RESULT in April 1859. Two more children were born in Scotland, Walter on 23 Jan 1867 at Galashiels and Jane Sanderson 1 Jul 1869 at Galashiels.

Walter was mentioned in the 1871 Census in Scotland but was not mentioned in 1881 so he may have died by then.

Walter was born in 1822, the second child of William Chisholm and Helen Lee. The others were Helen 1816, William 1824, Jane or Jean 1825 – married John Johnston and remained in Scotland, Charles 1827 – presumed died before 1850, John 1829, Jessie c1832 and Agnes 1836 – presumed died before 1850. The father apparently died about 1837 in Scotland according to his son’s statement at the time of the mother’s death in Geelong in 1871.

With her parents, Violet moved back to Scotland. She was married to Andrew Wilson of Galashiels, Selkirkshire, Scotland around 1880. Andrew may have been a cousin (possibly a first cousin) since his mother's maiden name also seems to be Sanderson. Andrew and Violet appear together in the 1881 U.K. census in Melrose, Selkirkshire, Scotland. Andrew is age 26 and a "slatter" and Violet is age 27.

Andrew and Violet had 4 children that I know about: Alexander, born in Scotland in Nov 1881; Elizabeth, born Jul 1885 in Massachusetts; Walter, born Jul 1888 in Massachusetts; and Violet Chesholm Wilson, born 6/7 June 1891 in Amesbury, Essex, Massachusetts.

From the children's birthdates and places, I know that the Wilsons emigrated to the U.S. between late 1881 and 1885. Violet was naturalized in 1894. The family eventually settled near Amesbury, Essex, MA, where Andrew owned a roofing company that was eventually operated by his sons. In 1896, the Andrew Wilson Company advertised the following services: Gravel, Slate, Tin, and Copper Roofing; Two and Three Ply Ready Roofing; Concreting and Asphalting Sidewalks and Floors, Asphalt Roofing, Etc.

I don't currently know much about Violet Chisholm's early history, including what took her family to Australia in the first place. It is interesting to me that Violet moved (intercontinentally!) so many times.

1853 was a relatively early date for Violet to have been born in Australia, which at that point was still populated in large part by convicts and young men, with women fairly scarce, and settled families even more rare. A gold rush had brought many settlers to the vicinity in the early part of that decade and this may have played a part in her family's immigration.

Geelong, Victoria, AU is an industrial city with a strong history of wool manufacturing. I expect, based on the family's subsequent history, that there may be some connection to textile manufactures in Australia. Certainly, the area in Scotland that the Chisholm's lived was also a strong textile economy. The 1847 Gazetteer of Scotland says Galashiels, Scotland, a small village just south of Edinburgh was a primary site of woolen manufacturing with several factories operated by water power. It was a major component of the local economy, manufacturing both coarse and fine woolens. In 1831, the population of the whole town was only 2,100. Part of the town is in Selkirkshire and part in Roxburghshire. Lawrence, MA also has a strong textile industrial history.

I've found that Australia has done a particularly good job of putting many of its records online. You can link to some of these records at my Links page.

Harry Potter Genealogy

I just finished the last Harry Potter book, and was thinking about genealogy and family history stuff and decided to see whether anyone has written up the family trees in the books. This newest book should give plenty of data to work with. Trying not to give too much away about the plot, there are cemetery inscriptions, obituaries, births, and general family histories in Book 7.

Since wizarding lines showing "pure" wizarding blood (not mixed with Muggle or giant blood) are valued highly by some, genealogy is rampant in the wizarding community. A wizarding community genealogy (Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy) is even listed by this site, as among the texts mentioned in the Harry Potter books. Plus, like many insular communities, genealogy might help if you are worried about marrying your cousin.

Nonetheless, there does seem to be some confusion among Harry Potter fans at least about what "half-blood" means. Here's an example. Say you are the child of a Squib and a wizard. I think you are pure-blood. But what about the child of a wizard who married a half-blood. Well, if any of your grandparents were Muggles, you are a half-blood too, despite being actually only a quarter muggle.

I went looking for trees online to see whether anyone had traced all the trees mentioned. Of course they have...

Harry Potter's Family Tree
Harry Potter Lexicon
Rootsweb's WorldConnect Project: Harry Potter Genealogy

and here's one for J.K. Rowling.

No promises about accuracy, and I suspect all the new data from Book 7 hasn't been added to these trees.

Kimlin Genealogy

Some time ago, I was contacted by a researcher looking into the history of the Kimlin Cider Mill in Poughkeepsie, NY. The 1853 mill was in danger of being demolished by developers, and she was hoping to save it by declaring it a historic landmark. More information on the mill, including a picture, is here. Additional pictures are available here and here. The Cider Mill Friends of Open Space and Historic Preservation, Inc. were successful in saving the mill, which is now listed as a historic landmark.

In the process of looking at my Kimlin family, I found a great deal of information about other Kimlins in Poughkeepsie and elsewhere. This information may be useful to other researchers.

Kimlins first appear in the United States in the mid-1800s as best I can tell. There are several families listed in the 1850 census, with a big contingent in Illinois.

John Kimlin (1792-after 1850)

The Illinois family seems to be descended from John (son of William) and Florence Sloan (b. Ireland, daughter of James Sloan; d. Sept 1842).

John Kimlin was born in County Armagh, Ireland on 26 Aug 1792, and immigrated to Ohio in 1816. He was "a weaver of double coverlets". He also lived in PA and IL, moving several times throughout his lifetime. John and Florence had several children, leading to a productive mid-western an mid-atlantic branch of Kimlins. A good history of the family can be found in: History of Crawford and Clark Counties, Illinois. Chicago: O.L. Baskin & Co., 1883.

Children:

1. William Kimlin, b. 12 Sep 1816 in Belmont Co, Ohio; m1. Rebecca Prevo; Children: Mary Jane (abt 1844-?) and Samuel (abt 1845-?); m2. Elzina Spenny; Children: Benjamin F. (1851-?)
   
2. James Kimlin, b. abt 1820, OH; m. Julia Ann McNary in 1846; lived IL in 1883; Children: Charles (abt 1849- prob before 1860), John (abt1848-?), Rachel (abt 1850- prob before 1860), Mary (abt 1852-before 1883), Perry (abt 1859-?), Zarena (abt 1863-before 1883)
   
3. Jane Kimlin, d. before 1883
   
4. Elizabeth Kimlin, m. John Alexander; d. before 1883; Children: James Alexander
   
5. Mary A. Kimlin, m. James V. Hedges; d. before 1883; had children
6. John Kimlin, b. about 1835, PA; m. Elizabeth; lived in KS in 1883; Children: Thomas (b. abt 1855, IL) Catherine (b. abt 1858, IL), William (b. abt 1862, IL), John (b. abt 1864, IL), Florence (b. abt 1866, IL)
   

John Kimlin (probably father?) and William Kimlin (John's son) purchased IL land in 1838 and 1840, respectively. There is a John Kimlin who received a Civil War pension in Illinois, probably a descendant of the original John (son or grandson?).

I am unsure that there is any connection between the Illinois family or any of the other early Kimlin families and my branch in Poughkeepsie. John Kimlin's birth was in the same county of Ireland (Armagh) that the Poughkeepsie Kimlins came from, however, he was somewhat older than they were (though not by much).

William Kimlin (abt. 1803-1877)

My first Kimlin to come to the United States was William Kimlin. He was born about 1803 in Ireland. Family records say that he was the son of William Kimlin and Mary Proctor... confusing and probably an error, since this William was married to a Mary Proctor as well. William was married to Mary Proctor, probably in Ireland. William's brother, who is mentioned in his will, was named John.

According to family history and his tombstone, William left Parish Laugall, Armagh, Ireland for America on April 27, 1839. I find a record of a William "Kenlin", almost certainly him, who arrived in New York on June 8, 1839 on the Ship Dauntless. He was age 30 of Ireland, though the ship had left from Liverpool (a common port of departure for Irish emigrants). Mary "Kenlin", age 28, matron, is also on the ship. No children seem to be listed, and the first child I know of was born in Nov 1839. It is possible, therefore, that William and Mary were newlyweds at the time of their emigration or at least that they had not yet had children.

Oddly, I cannot find them in the 1840 census. By 1850, however, they were in Poughkeepsie, NY, where William is also found in 1860 and 1870. In 1850, he was a "gardner" with real estate of $400. In 1860, he was a laborer with real estate valued at $6000 and personal estate of $200. In 1870, he does not list an occupation.

William and Mary Proctor Kimlin had at least three children, and a stepdaughter:

1. Thomas I. Kimlin, b. 24 Nov 1839 in New York; m. Mary _____; d. 31 May 1882; buried Poughkeepsie. Listed as a carpenter, 1860 and 1880. Died age 42. Buried 2 Jun 1882 at Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery. Children: Ezra (1876-?), Frank (1878-?), Mabel (1885-?), Blanche (1887-?)
   
2. William Richard Kimlin (my gg-grandfather) b. 7 Oct 1843 in New York; christened 1843 in Christ Church (Episcopal), Poughkeepsie; m. Mary Ann Conn 17 Sep 1873 in New York, New York; d. 8 Dec 1891; buried Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery on Dec 11th. Listed as a mason in 1870, mason and builder (1889-1891), mason plaster and brick (1880). Had children: William Thomas (1875-1946), Stewart Tyng (1876-1904), Charlotte Sarah (1879-1953), Rachel Victoria (1885, d. infant), and Edith Belle (1887-1961).
   
3. John Hamilton Kimlin, b. 12 Dec 1847/9 in Poughkeepsie, New York; christened 23 Dec 1847 in Christ Church (Episcopal), Poughkeepsie; m. Susan Anderson at Christ Church on 24 Dec 1879; d. Feb 1926; buried Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery. Listed as a carpenter in 1870 and 1900, carpenter and builder (1890-97), and builder by contract (1880). Children: Florence Anderson (1881-?), John Jr. (1883-?), Isabella (1884-?), John Henry (1884-?), Harold (1889-?), Leslie Russell (1892-?), Carlotta (1893-?), Duane (1895-?), Charles (1897-?).
   
4. Mary Ann Proctor is mentioned in William Kimlin's will as his stepdaughter. I'm a little unclear on whether she was Mary's daughter from a previous marriage or possibly a niece, or whether the surnames have simply been confounded over the years. I do not see that she came over from Ireland with the Kimlins.
   

William Kimlin died April 3, 1877, age 77 years, in Poughkeepsie, New York. He was buried in the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery on April 5th. His wife, Mary Proctor Kimlin, died October 15, 1892 age 84 years, and was buried with him. Other family members in the same Kimlin plot include their son, John H. Kimlin (1847-1911) and John's wife Susan Anderson Kimlin (1861-1946).

In 1880, I looked for Mary Proctor Kimlin. It is possible that she is the Mary Kimlin, age 69, who is listed as a patient at the Hudson River State Hospital for the Insane. This Mary Kimlin was formerly a "housekeeper", probably not in the modern sense of the word, but in its former meaning of "keeping house" for her own family. Mary Kimlin is widowed and was born in Ireland. She lists her mother's birthplace as England and her father's as Scotland.

Robert Kimlin (abt 1820/30-1881)

Robert Kimlin was born in Ireland about 1820-30. He married Margaret _____ (b. about 1826, Ireland).

Robert and his family immigrated on the Arabian on June 29, 1850 to Castle Garden. Robert "Kimlohan", age 23, was a laborer. Margaret, age 23, was a "spinster" (presumably meaning that she spun, not that she was an old maid!). James was age 2 and Thos. age 0 m.

In 1850, Robert is listed as a "gardner" in Poughkeepsie, NY. In 1860, he is a laborer with no real estate listed and only $100 in personal property. By 1870, he is a "gardner" with $3000 in real estate and $300 in personal property. In 1880, he is a farmer. He died 17 June 1881.

Robert and Margaret had the following children:

1. James, b. about 1846, Ireland; probably the James Kimlin, age 26, who married Mary Jane Tweedy, age 20, on Oct 24, 1872 at Christ Church and who died 2 Apr 1911 at age 65; buried 4 Apr 1911, Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery. If so, children: Eliza (1873), Jennie Tweedy (1875), John Edward (1877), Robert James (1879), Matilda Elizabeth (1881), Harry Truman (1887), Isabella Viola (1888), Helen Montgomery (1893), Edna Dorothy (1896).
   
2. Thomas, b. about 1850, Ireland
3. Sarah Jane, b. 24 May 1851; bapt 31 Aug 1851 Christ Church (Episcopal), Poughkeepsie; possibly the Sarah Jane who married Isaac Mabey and had Charles William in 1868 -- this Sarah had Mary Louisa and Margaret Jane Kimlin as sponsors for the baby's baptism at Christ Church
   
4. William John, b. 24 May 1851; bapt 31 Aug 1851 Christ Church (Episcopal), Poughkeepsie; probably died as a young child, since William Henry was born in 1859
   
5. Robert Truman, b. 13 Jul 1852, New York; bapt 12 Mar 1853, Christ Church (Episcopal), Poughkeepsie; d. 27 Dec 1914 age 62; buried 31 Dec 1914 at Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery
   
6. Benjamin, b. 9 July 1854, New York; bapt. 21 Dec 1854 Christ Church (Episcopal), Poughkeepsie
7. Richard Courtney, b. 2 Dec 1857, New York; bapt. 17 Jul 1857 Christ Church (Episcopal), Poughkeepsie; married Anna Catharine Reichardt on 13 Apr 1884; Children: George Henry (1889-1890); Robert (1894-?)
   
8. William Henry, b. 21 Feb 1859, New York; 5 Aug 1859 Christ Church (Episcopal), Poughkeepsie
9. Mary Elizabeth, b. 4 Apr 1862, NY; bapt. 26 May 1862 Christ Church (Episcopal), Poughkeepsie
10. Margaret, b. about 1866, NY
11. John Charles, b. about 1867, NY

In the 1870 census at least one child who is not theirs is enumerated with the family (John). I base my knowledge that he is not a son of Robert and Margaret on his sudden appearance at age 22, and the fact that there is another John in the records.

1. John, b. about 1848, Ireland

There is also a child listed in the baptism records for Christ Church (Episcopal), Poughkeepsie, with parents named as Robert and Margaret Kimlin. However, John Charles Kimlin was baptized on 17 Jan 1876 (no birth date given). This could be the John C. listed above if he received a late baptism. It seems highly improbable that this Robert and Margaret could have had a child in 1876, and since they already had a son John Charles, this is likely to be him.

In 1850, a Mary Burphy (age 60) with James (age 32) and Timothy Burphy (age 28), and John Ryan (age 28) were also listed with the family. They may or may not be related.

Robert Kimlin is listed with his family within the same house as William Kimlin (above) in 1850. He is, however, probably not a son of William. As noted above, William emigrated in 1839. However, Robert's two children were apparently born in Ireland as late as 1849. In addition, Robert is significantly older than any of William's other known children. It is, of course, possible that William Kimlin had children prior to his emigration and that Robert is a son who later moved to be closer to his father. It seems more likely, however, that Robert is either a cousin or (most probably) a nephew.

John Kimlin (abt 1810-1882)

John Kimlin was born about 1810 in Ireland. John "Kimlahan" immigrated with his family on the ship Marmion from Ireland to Castle Garden on 1 Dec 1847. He was age 40, and a carpenter. Listed with him are Julia (age 40), Charlotte (age 20), Thomas (age 9), Richard (age 5), and John (age 3). It is unclear what relationship Charlotte was. She could have been a daughter, but there is a sizeable gap between her and the next child, so I'm not sure.

He first appears in the 1850 census in Poughkeepsie, New York, age 40. He is a carpenter and has $500 of real estate. John is married to Julia, age 40. She and all of their children were also born in Ireland. I cannot find the family in 1860 or 1870.

Julia died at age 65 and was buried 9 Aug 1876 in Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery. John appears in the 1880 census with his son Richard. They live near Robert Kimlin (above). He is a farmer. John died on 13 Aug 1882.

John and Julia were the parents of:

1. Thomas, b. abt. 1838, Ireland
   
2. Richard J., b. abt. 1842, Ireland; m. Marcia M. _____; d. 10 Jul 1910 at age 68; buried Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery 12 Jul 1910; Children: Ralph Richard (1887-?). Carpenter.
   
3. John, b. about 1844, Ireland. Probably d. young.
   

Listed within the same household are John Morrow (age 26, carpenter) and James Morrow (age 10). They may or may not be related.

Also living in the house, though enumerated as a separate family are Hamilton Kimlin (age 26, carpenter) and his wife Anna (age 25) (more info on this family below). Given the ages of John (40) and Hamilton (26), I am uncertain as to relationships here. It is possible that Hamilton is a much younger brother, a cousin, nephew, or even a son of John (assuming that ages were approximated).

I have no doubt that these Kimlins are not only related to each other, but are also somehow related to the William Kimlin line above. All are listed as carpenters, and Kimlin is not a common name. In addition, first names are repeated in both families, including Hamilton, a fairly uncommon name. It is distinctly possible that the John Kimlin listed here is William Kimlin's brother, especially since we have information indicating that William had a brother named John.

Hamilton Kimlin (abt. 1824-??)

Hamilton Kimlin was born about 1824 in Ireland. He married Anna _____. Between 1861 and 1870, he seems to have remarried to Maria _____. He lived in Poughkeepsie in 1850, 1870, and 1880. In cursory looking, I haven't found him in 1860. Hamilton was a carpenter.

As noted above, he is almost certainly related to John Kimlin in some way.

Children with Anna:

1. Ann Eliza, b. 19 Nov 1861; christened 8 Dec 1861, Christ Church (Episcopal), Poughkeepsie; probably died as child before 1870 census
   
2. Margaret Jane, b. 4 Aug 1849, New York; bapt. 30 Mar 1852 Christ Church (Episcopal), Poughkeepsie

Children with Maria (probably):

1. Alice, b. about 1870, NY

James Kimlin (1810-?)

James Kimlin was born about 1810 in Ireland. He married Margaret _____, who was born about 1820 in Ireland.

I find a record of the family's immigration on the John Bright into Castle Garden on the 24 Apr 1858. James "Kimlahan" was a farmer, age 40. Listed with him are wife Margaret, age 30, Patrick, age 4, and Sarah, age 6.

In 1860, James was a laborer in Poughkeepsie, NY. He died at age 64 years, 3 months and was buried 25 Dec 1874 in the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery. James and Margaret had the following children:

1. Sarah, b. about 1852, Ireland
2. Patrick, b. about 1854, Ireland

Richard Kimlin (abt 1820-???)

Richard Kimlin was born about 1820 in Ireland and married to Elizabeth Jane _____. In 1850, the family lived in LaGrange, Dutchess County, NY, in 1860 in Pawling, Dutchess County, and in 1870, the family lived in Dover, Dutchess County, NY, the only early Kimlin family in the area who did not live within Poughkeepsie. Richard was a "waggonmaker" in 1850 and farmer in 1870, perhaps explaining the distance from the city.

Children:

1. Thomas William, bapt 29 Jun 1844 Christ Church (Episcopal), Poughkeepsie (no birth date is given, a relative rarity in the Christ Church records, so it seems likely that Thomas was born elsewhere, possibly in Ireland or en route)
   
2. Richard James, b. 8 Mar 1846; bapt 29 May 1846 Christ Church (Episcopal), Poughkeepsie
3. Robert Erskine, b. 19 Jul 1847, NY; bapt 3 Jan 1848 Christ Church (Episcopal), Poughkeepsie; possibily the Robert married to Jane ___ who had Jane in 1869?
   
4. Julia Maria., b. 8 Jun 1851, NY; bapt. 13 Jul 1851 Christ Church (Episcopal), Poughkeepsie
5. Charlotte Elizabeth, b. 17 Mar 1853; bat. 25 Mar 1853, Christ Church (Episcopal), Poughkeepsie; not at home by 1880
   
6. Henry Seymour, b. 20 Feb 1854, NY; bapt. 17 Nov 1854, Christ Church (Episcopal), Poughkeepsie
7. Maria A., b. about 1857, NY
8. Eliza Jane, b. 18 Nov 1858; 28 Nov 1858 Christ Church (Episcopal), Poughkeepsie; not at home (dead?) by 1880

Unconnected (so far) Early Kimlins

In this section, I have listed information I have found related to the surname Kimlin, but which does not fit nicely into the family histories above or which is not definitively linked. Most of this info is from before about 1875, when the surname becomes so frequent as to make this unfeasible.

1850 census:
28 Kimlins show up in the 1850 census, although more can likely be found under variations of the surname. Of these, all but one are represented above. The one that isn't included is:

• Ann Kimlin, age 15, b.Ireland, living with an apparently unrelated family in Derby, CT (possibly as a servant?)

1860 census:
51 Kimlins show up in the 1860 census. Most are listed above, with many of the new Kimlins being from Germany, so probably not related to our Irish ones. Ann Kimlin from 1850 does not reappear. The Kimlins that are not listed in families above include:

• Michael Kimlin (age 28, b. Germany) and family - Fredericka, 22, b. Germany; and William, 2, b. IN - living in Wayne, IN
• Mathew Kimlin (age 28, b. Germany) and family - Celia, 25, b. Germany; John, 3, b. MI; Eliza, 1, b. MI - living in Erie, MI
• H. Kimlin (age 25, b. KY) and family - M., age 21, b. MO, female; J., age 3, b. MO, female, D.A., age 2, b. MO, female - living in Washington, MO
• John Kimlin (age 40, b. Ireland) and family - Bridget, age 37, b. Ireland; Patrick, age 18, b. Ireland - living in Brooklyn, NY
• Fred Kimlin (age 50, b. Germany) and family - Mary, age 38, b. Baden; Fritz, age 9, b. Baden; Christiane, age 7, b. Baden, female; Joseph, age 5, b. PA; John, age 2, b. PA - living in Scranton, PA
  

1870 census:
There are 89 Kimlins in the 1870 census, including a new Irish contingent living in Pennsylvania. Interestingly, none of the Kimlins listed as "new" in 1860 seem to reappear. Possibly the 1860 Kimlins had their name mispelled in that census? The new ones are:

• Elizabeth Kimlin, b. abt 1841, Ireland, living in Boston, MA (in boarding house?)
• Rebecca Kimlin, age 19, b. MO; living in Campbell, MO as a servant
• Thomas Kimlin (age 31, b. Ireland) and family - Louisa F., age 21, b. Illinois; Henrietta, age 3, b. MO; Clara, age 2, b. MO - living in Marion, MO (this Thomas is a physician and is probably the same as the Dr. Thomas Kimlin listed in the directory below)
• Jacob Kimlin (age 62, b. Bavaria) and wife - Margaret, age 48, b. Deutschland - living in Newark, NJ
• Christopher Kimlin (age 70, b. Ireland) and wife - Ellen, age 59, b. Ireland - living in Newburgh, NY
• Andrews Kimlin (age 50, b. Saxony) and wife - Mary, age 29, b. PA - living in Allegheny, PA
• Ann Kimlin (age 38, b. Ireland) and children - John, age 14, b. PA; Thomas, age 11, b. PA; Anthony, age 8, b. PA; Susan, age 4, b. PA - living Allegheny, PA
• Anthony Kimlin (age 50, b. Ireland) and family - Ellen, age 50, b. Ireland; John, age 20, b. Ireland; Anthony, age 16, b. PA; Winifred, age 30, b. Ireland - living Schuylkill, PA
• Mathew Kimlin (age 46; b. Ireland) and family - Mary Ann, age 36, b. TX; Edmund, age 8, b. TX; Carles, age 6, b. TX; Mathew, age 2, b. TX; Rade, age 4, b. TX, Ellen, age 2/12, b. TX- living Live Oak, TX
• Fenton Kimlin (age 40, b. VA) and family (?) all b. VA - Sallie, 28; Mary, age 20; Abner, age 14 (?); Kittie, age 13; Ellen, age 11; Allice, age 4 - living in Newport, VA (This family is listed as black and mulatto)
• Mary Kimlin (age 8, b. WV, mulatto) - living in Lewisburg, WV (relationships in household unclear)
  

Military Pensions:
There are several military pensions for Kimlins. Some of these are likely to be connected above, but most would require further research to definitively identify.

Civil War/War with Spain pensions:

1. William Kimlin, served NJ, widow Mary (died in 1922)
2. John Kimlin, served IL, filed in KS, widow Maria
   
3. Anthony Kimlin, served PA, filed 1863, widow Annie & minor pensions (guardian of minor James M. Cooper)
4. Arthur John Kimlin, filed Indiana in 1932?
5. Thomas Kimlin, widow Louisa F., filed Illinois (served NJ?)
6. Walter H. Kimlin, served Hosp. Corps, filed Colorado in 19--?
   
7. Stewart T. Kimlin (War with Spain), served NY, widow d. 1918

In addition, Civil War lists include Augustus Kimlin who served in Ohio.

Passenger Lists/Naturalizations:
Included above when relevant. However, here are a few not listed above:

Passenger lists for NYC list a Fred Kimlin (age 44, occupation "minor") and Gustave Kimlin (age 15) who arrived on the ship City of Montreal in steerage on 16 Aug 1875 from Liverpool, England. Origins are listed as England. (the same Fred as appears in PA in 1860? That Fred was b. Germany, but the name "Gustave" seems to point to a German origin for this Fred also.)

Passenger lists also list a very early Kimlin family apparently bound for Georgia from Germany in 1741: Conrad Kimlin with wife Maria and son John.

Anthony Kimlin (probably the same one as above who served in the Civil War) is listed in an index to naturalization papers for Blair Co, PA as having arrived in 1850.

Thomas Kimlin is listed in the NYC naturalization indexes for the Court of Common Pleas on Oct 11, 1876. He is a shoemaker, living at 40 W. 11th St., NYC.

Directories/local histories:
A Dr. Thomas Kimlin is also listed as a Bookseller, Druggist, and Physician in Trenton, Missouri in 1881 according to the State Directory of that year.

Another Thomas Kimlin, originally of Poughkeepsie and son of one of the Richards above, moved to New Milford, CT about 1868 where he established a building and contracting business in 1880. (History of the towns of New Milford and Bridgewater, Connecticut, 1803-1882)

Follow-up on DNA testing

In reading my most recent book, I came across a statistic related to the "milkman" problem I referenced in my last post. In this post, I noted that DNA testing for genealogists could potentially raise problems, especially in the future, with the increased use of sperm banks.

The book I am reading now is Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation by Olivia Judson (Metropolitan Books: New York, 2002). Before you jump to conclusions, let me explain that it is a natural history book that discusses genetics and the many ways that plants and animals have evolved to reproduce. Here is a quotation (p. 163-4) that directly relates to the milkmen:

"For example, in England, children usually get their last name from their father. Boys get something else from their father: their Y chromosome. Thus, if all living males bearing a particular last name are the direct descendants of one man, they should all have the same genetic markers on their Y chromosomes. In the absence of infidelity (or adoption), last names and Y chromosomes should match up. One study analyzed the Y chromosomes of men called Sykes, a name that first appears in written records about seven hundred years ago. It turns out that almost all the Sykeses investigated did indeed have the same markers on their Y chromosome, suggesting that most living Sykeses have the same distant ancestor. The rate at which females married to Sykeses were unfaithful (or adopted sons) over the period of seven hundred years is estimated to be 1.3 percent per generation."

Judson references: Sykes C. and B. Irven, 2000. Surnames and the Y chromosome. American Journal of Human Genetics 66: 1417-19.

That's pretty incredible if you think about it. Of course, I can think of any number of possible flaws with the study, and since I haven't read it directly, have no idea how accurate it might be. Still, a 1.3% infidelity rate seems astronomically low. Added up, though, it can create a huge possibility for biological error (never mind all the possibilities for documentary or research error).

Here's the math based on the 1.3% above: a 98.7% chance you are related to your father, 97.4% chance you are related to your paternal grandfather (but 98.7% for the maternal grandfather), etc. There is a 96.1% chance that you are biologically related to your grandparents... yes, the ones listed on your parents' birth certificates.

By the time you hit your ggg-grandparents, there is only a 59.6% chance that you are biologically related to all of them. The only person you can be sure of in this model is your mother's mother's mother's mother.

This means that there is an exponential rate at which you are likely to not be related to your ancestors. Based on the math, in under 2000 years, you are guaranteed to not be biologically related to your father's father's father...

Ironically, of course, there is also evidence that with the world's population size about 2000 years ago, we are all likely to be related somehow. Just not the way we think.

In another similar study, Y-chromosomes and the extent of patrilineal ancestry in Irish surnames, the authors note that: "Notwithstanding differences in their early origins, all surnames have been extensively affected by later male introgession." In other words, although we were all once 'pure' lines descended from one or multiple males (depending on the surname), we're mostly all bastards now! There was about a 50% likelihood of relatedness in this study between two males with the same surname. Not bad, but less than you'd expect without the 'introgession'.

The Genius Factory

I just finished reading The Genius Factory by David Plotz the other day. In brief, it is a summary of a sperm bank that tried to sell sperm from Nobel Prize winners and "geniuses". The author connected a number of the children with their anonymous donors.

I think that the book has some interesting relevancy to genealogy. Or, not so much the book itself, but the topics it covers. For example, there is a chapter devoted to eugenics, which was a huge movement in the early part of the 1900s Basically, eugenics is the belief in engineering "better" human beings through careful breeding. In its worst moments eugenics was a cover for racism and the castration of individuals with disabilities (or murder - see Hitler). "Positive" eugenics focused more on the selection of "fitter families" that could pass on their traits of intelligence or physical attributes to their children. I actually think there is some connection between members of my family and the eugenics movement, which I am exploring, so more on that in another post.

The concept of sperm banks is also an interesting dilemma for family historians. Many of the children conceived by sperm banks were never told. Especially early on, children who were conceived were usually born to couples where the husband was infertile, and then raised as though they were his biological children. Now, things tend to be a little different and banks are working more with lesbians and single women. Still, I think this is an interesting issue.

With the advent of genealogy through DNA, anyone in the future may have difficulty connecting descendants. Siblings may have had different donors. And although the dad might be on the birth certificate and in other documentary records, his DNA won't be a match to his kids' DNA. As someone once said about genealogy, "all it takes is one milkman". This, of course, has always been true. It is definitely one of the limitations of genealogy with or without DNA testing.

Jess's family has an ancestor who was adopted in the mid-1800s (Ella Shaw). She was adopted into the Mikeworth family, appearing with them in every census, beginning when she was just 5 years old. She was born in 1863 in Illinois, and from her death certificate, it seems her father's name was Samuel. Samuel Shaw is just too common a name for me to be able to identify him based on that. However, it is an interesting conundrum to think about. I'm not sure whether her birth family is necessarily all that important. After all, the people who raised her were almost certainly more important to her. Nonetheless, she maintained her birth name, staying a Shaw until she was married (to Lewis Bowman). I could probably track down her father with a little more effort, but am uncertain what to do about this adoption/birth family business. Do I research the Mikeworth family? How important is the biological connection?

This bears an interesting relationship to our nuclear family, where Jess is not Asa's biological mother. Nonetheless, she is clearly his mother, and I felt it was equally important for me to investigate her family tree (although I fully expect him to have NO interest in these topics).