Links To The Past: 

         Rhonda R. McClure of Family Tree Finders recently answered a reader's question in regards to the fraternal organization known as the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In answering the question, the URL for the I.O.O.F. prompted some other questions about web sites and information on other fraternal organizations.

         Before supplying the URLs for some of the many fraternal organizations, Rhonda looked first at what they did and whether or not they could be of help to genealogists. Fraternal organizations would not be able to supply you with information on the genealogy of your ancestor. What they will be able to help you with though is a glimpse into your ancestor's involvement in the society.

         Many of the fraternal organizations that exist are benevolent in purpose. They did much to help each other and their selected charities. When looking into the history of these societies, you will find evidence that many of the secret signs were their way of identifying each other when traveling and in need of aid. Today many of them have insurance to help their members and raise major funds to help various present day charities.

         However, for the members, their involvement in the organization goes much further. Most of them offer a series of rights or levels of progression. And this information was of course recorded in their organization records. This is the type of information you are likely to discover when contacting them. You will want to keep this in mind as you write to the appropriate lodge or repository.

         While most of the fraternal organizations have a central, national lodge, the Masons seem only to have their state Grand Lodges. Below are some useful links for some of the still active fraternal organizations. Just as the Masons have no national address to write to, it is not surprising that they also don't have a single web site. Those included below are being done so, as they include useful information.

MASONS

-- Masonic Service Association of North America http://www.msana.com/

-- The Grand Lodge F&AM of Ohio http://www.freemason.com/

-- The Grand Lodges of the United States of America http://thelonious.mit.edu/Masonry/GLs/

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

-- Knights of Columbus Web Page http://www.kofc-supreme-council.org/index.html

KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS

-- The Order of Knights of Pythias http://www.pythias.org/index.html

THE GRANGE

-- The Grange Connection http://www.grange.org/

For further information regarding this topic you may contact Rhonda R. McClure at: rhondam@sodamail.com

All rights reserved. http://www.sodamail.com

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*** For translation of the above document to a language other than English refer to the translators found at the top of the Hot Tips Index Page and follow the directions given within each link.

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Subject: Scottish Church Records or SRO information

"Scottish Roots : a Step-By-Step Guide for Ancestor-Hunters in Scotland and Elsewhere" by Alwyn James

"Scottish Roots : a Step-By-Step Guide . . .", tells how to use the SRO Registry by giving names of legal and general places in which research so information can be performed at a distance so as to gain genealogy information.

ISBN: 0-88289-802-7

This book lists:

Libraries in Scotland, offers names of trade directories with names of those within their workings, as well as an explanation of what a researcher can expect to find within each.

There are directories with historical write ups of past and present graduates and students of universities and schools at different periods of time within Scotland.

A list of ministers of Scotland of all the professions that exist in Scotland with accompanied documentation that pertains to each professional.

There are Session Books which refer to earlier periods of time (before 1855) in regards to civil registration found similarly in specifications for the parishes in which forebears lived.

Scotland's finder of the ministries system - a church's source of a massive statistical accounting.

This book has included all museums of Scotland which include all Clan museums with LINKS.

It has six (6) appendixes with application forms and information.

It gives examples of how to ask for what you want concerning all things, such as irregular marriages, illegitimacy, and other records (e.g. military) and provides lists of available local Scottish genealogists if desired.

This collection of information simplifies and tells you HOW-TO FIND what is available and how to do it, making your research painless.

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Scottish Church Records or SRO

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/GENEALOGY/PHILLIPS/phillips1.html is an SRO information link tro the Tri-City Herald and a column which was published Nov. 17, 1996 titled

"Scottish Church Records offers database on past"

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A Guide to Family History by the Scottish Record Office http://www-saw.arts.ed.ac.uk/misc/genealogy/guide.html

There are many books now on the market to help you with your research. The most detailed guide to the records in the Scottish Record Office is Cecil Sinclair's Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors (HMSO), which explains step by step how to use our records. Kathleen B Cory's Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry (Edinburgh, 1990) is especially strong on the records held by the General Register Office for Scotland (GRO).

The GRO holds old parish registers (pre 1855), statutory registers of births, marriages and deaths (from 1855) and census returns (1841-1891) and should be your first port of call in your family research. Information leaflets detailing their services and charges are available from their office at New Register House, Edinburgh EH 1 3YT Tel. 0131 334 0380. Details of baptisms and marriages from the old parish registers have been added to the International Genealogical Index produced by the Genealogical Society of Utah. This index is widely available in local libraries and family history centres.

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How can the Scottish Record Office help me?

Sasines and other property records (owners)

Estate records (tenants)

Valuation Rolls

Court Records: Details of criminals are to be found in the records of the Court of Justiciary (unindexed)

Church Records: The kirk session records of parish churches date mainly from the mid 17th century. They contain communion rolls, lists of heads of families, details of illegitimate births, payments to the poor (also in Heritors Records) as well as baptisms, marriages and burials before 1855, supplementing GRO parish records. The SRO also holds the records of a number of secession and independent churches (though not Baptist or Methodist churches) and holds photocopies of Roman Catholic registers (18th- 20th century). Burgh Records: These can include lists of inhabitants, apprenticeship and burgess rolls, and craft and guildry records. The records of some burghs, such as Perth and Stirling, are deposited in local archives. Many have been printed by the Scottish Burgh Records Society

Records for early family history As it becomes much more difficult to trace your family back into the early 17th and 16th centuries; the following may help: Register of the Great Seal: containing grants of land by the crown; as well as testaments and sasines . Printed 1306-1668 with index. Register of the Privy Seal: grants of minor offices, letters of protection, exemption from military service. Printed 1488-1584 with index.

Accounts of the Treasurer of Scotland (printed 1473 - 1580) and Exchequer Rolls (printed 1264-1600) record hundreds of names of those who came into a monetary relationship with the crown.

Using records in the Scottish Record Office.

You will find that many of the documents are written in early forms of handwriting which are difficult to read, or use unfamiliar Scots words and legal terminology.

The following guides will help:

Handwriting, Alison Rosie Scottish Handwriting 1500 1700: a self-help pack published by the SRO and the Scottish Records Association (1994, 9C8.00) and Grant G Simpson Scottish Handwriting (Aberdeen,1986).

Language, The Concise Scots Dictionary edited by Mairi Robinson, (Aberdeen, 1985).

Legal documents, Peter Gouldesbrough A Formulary of Old Scots Legal Documents (Stair Society, 1985).

Many original records have been transcribed and edited and are in print, see D and W Stevenson Scottish Texts and Calendars (Scottish History Society,1987).

Records held elsewhere

Local libraries: A number of libraries hold microfilm copies of Valuation Rolls as well as copies of the printed indexes to wills and Registers of Sasines and other SRO publications.

Public Record Office, London: Service records of the post 1707 British army (including Scottish regiments), many militia records (check with PRO for those held by SRO) and sources for emigration.

Private papers: Surveys of documents still in private hands are available in both our search rooms.

Sources for emigrants: There are unfortunately very few records in the SRO which list names of emigrants. If you are looking for information on your emigrant ancestors, it is important to try and find out as much as possible from local sources, documentary and printed, before consulting the records here or in the Public Record Office.

Address:

Scottish Record Office

HM General Register House

Edinburgh

EH1 3YY

Tel: 0131 535 1314

FAX: 0131 535 1360

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*** For translation of the above document to a language other than English refer to the translators found at the top of the Hot Tips Index Page and follow the directions given within each link.

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Searching Scottish Lines - What is in a Surname?

This article came from Family Tree Finders' information. It is information everyone should benefit from, note the links included. RH

In the past we have looked at the origins of some surnames. However, given names can also hold a clue as well. And, while not a given name, patronymics give you a little information about the next generation back.

It is important to search for records that might include a middle name. Marriage records and birth and death records will often have the full name of a given ancestor, but might not have the names of the parents, or the maiden name of a mother. In many instances, I have found where a child's middle name was the maiden surname of the mother. This was especially true in the New England states of the United States.

When researching an English immigrant, who left England as Edward NEWTH and arrived in Pennsylvania as George MORRIS, it was with interest that I discovered he had given each of his four sons the middle name of NEWTH. While my mother and aunt were not given middle names, my uncle was named David Bailey AYER. His middle name, Bailey, was the maiden surname for my grandmother.

When I discovered myself researching Scottish lines, I learned that they have a naming pattern for the children:

• 1st son - named for the father's father
• 2nd son - named for the mother's father
• 3rd son - named for the father himself
• 1st daughter - named for the mother's mother
• 2nd daughter - named for the father's mother
• 3rd daughter - named for the mother herself

When locating the children in a familial unit, through census for instance, you will have the order of the children and then can begin to search for certain individuals with your surnames and the given names you have just discovered. While this may not always be the case, it is a valuable clue for you to begin the search for others that may be connected to the family.

As your research progresses you may discover other naming patterns unique to a family line or ethnic region. Always keep these in mind as you progress. Such patterns usually were consistent for a number of generations and can be the turning point for you on a brick wall.

Brick Walls

For a few more tricks on getting past those brick walls we all end up banging our heads against, check out some of these web sites:

How To Get Past Genealogy Road Blocks - http://www.firstct.com/fv/stone.html
First Name Basis - http://www.hypervigilance.com/genlog/firstname.html
Genealogy's Most Wanted - http://www.hypervigilance.com/genlog/firstname.html

Each of these sites offers a different approach to helping you with your end of line ancestor, otherwise known as your brick wall. One suggests various record types for various types of information. Another looks at what to do when all you have is a first name. And the Genealogy's Most Wanted site brings you in contact with many others who have a desperately sought ancestor. You never know what you will find.

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*** For translation of the above document to a language other than English refer to the translators found at the top of the Hot Tips Index Page and follow the directions given within each link.

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NARA Archives and Records - Udate -> 8/26/99

This article came from RootsWeb-Review@rootsweb.com -> 8/26/99.

Subject:

An Update and corrected information concerning holdings and references: WWI DRAFT REGISTRATION CARDS AT NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION, SOUTHEAST REGION (Date Issued: August 23, 1999)

The following information is provided by the National Archives and Records Administration, Southeast Region, in response to recent postings on several list serves concerning World War One (WWI) Draft Registration cards maintained at our facility. Unfortunately, the original posting, and subsequent, altered postings provided incorrect information about these holdings and related reference procedures. To better serve the public and the research community, we provide the following information and guidance concerning the WWI Draft Registration cards

1. The original cards, in excess of 24 million, were received at our facility a number of years ago. Upon their receipt, they were boxed and arranged by NARA employees. The original arrangement was by state, thereunder by county or draft board, and thereunder alphabetically by the registrant's last name. The cause for arrangement by draft board instead of county is due to the size of certain cities. For example, New York City had in excess of 180 boards, Chicago had over 80. As a result, we require a street address when searching for cards in most large cities.

2. The cards were later microfilmed by representatives of the Genealogical Society of Utah in the exact order they were originally arranged; each NARA regional facility has a copy of the microfilm for the states in the region that it serves. Any patron wishing to use microfilm will find the cards arranged exactly as they are in the box. The arrangement of the cards has never been changed.

3. NARA, Southeast Region, has provided a request form for these records for a number of years. The forms can be ordered via e-mail (archives@atlanta.gov), telephone (404-763-7383), or in writing (NARA, Southeast Region, 1557 St. Joseph Avenue, East Point, GA 30344).

4. At a minimum, the following information is required from the requester for NARA staff to conduct a search for draft registration cards:

• Full name of registrant
• Complete home address at the time of registration (to include county)
• Name of nearest relative

5. Additional information, if known, which can improve the thoroughness of a search includes:

• Birth date
• Birthplace
• Occupation of registrant

6. In July, 1997 NARA established an updated fee schedule for services provided to the public. The minimum mail-order fee for photocopies for each WWI Draft card was increased from $6.00 to $10.00, a fee which includes both sides of the card. Patrons need not request that both sides of the card be copied, and patrons need not submit a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) with their request.

Walk-in customers can make self-service photocopies of the original records for $0.10 per side. Please contact individual regions for their policies regarding microfilm copies. These fees are copying fees only; there is no charge for searches when a record is not located. The staff of the NARA, Southeast Region, remains committed to assisting our patrons in anyway possible, including the timely and accurate dissemination of information concerning our holdings and services. The WWI Draft Registration cards represent only one of many significant collections of historical records maintained by the Region that are invaluable for genealogical research. For additional information regarding our holdings and services, visit our home page at .

JAMES J. MCSWEENEY, Regional Administrator National Archives and Records Administration, Southeast Region

PERMISSION TO REPRINT articles from ROOTSWEB REVIEW is granted unless specifically stated otherwise, PROVIDED: (1) the reprint is used for non-commercial, educational purposes; and (2) the following notice appears at the end of the article:

Written by; JAMES J. MCSWEENEY, Regional Administrator National Archives and Records Administration, Southeast Region

Previously published by RootsWeb.com, Inc., RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Genealogy News, Vol. 2, No. 34, 25 August 1999. RootsWeb:

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*** For translation of the above document to a language other than English refer to the translators found at the top of the Hot Tips Index Page and follow the directions given within each link.

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   Links To The Past: 

Surnames, Historical Meanings within Crests, and History of Heraldry without ordering a product. http://www.fleurdelis.com/shields.htm

A Brief Historical Diagram of Heraldry (Meanings behind the symbols) with A Brief History of Heraldry http://www.fleurdelis.com/coatofarms.htm

Shields: There is some debate as to the meaning of the shape of the shield. Most historians agree that the shape was usually determined by the time period and geographic region. The shape is not a part of the official blazon, so modern heraldry artists choose shapes to suit the design. Some of the most commonly used designs are shown here http://www.fleurdelis.com/meanings.htm

Even the colors can have special meaning in a "family crest" or coat of arms the following descriptions and meanings are gleaned from a variety of sources, some of which disagree on those meanings. The most commonly accepted meanings are given, but scholars vary in the their opinions concerning the reliability of any "commonly held" historic meanings for coats of arms and crests. http://www.personalbyline.com/surnames.html

The Origin of your Surname

The word Surname means additional name and is the last name shared in common with other members of your family. Surnames were introduced in Europe from the 11th to the 15th century. The Normans from France were the first users of surnames and their introduction in England and Scotland followed on from the Norman conquest of 1066.

Not only did the surname act as a means of identification, it was also regarded as a mark of 'gentle blood' and marked out a gentleman from the lower orders of the classes of society. One of the most pressing needs for identification was to ensure that title to land and estates could be accurately recorded and the powerful 'Land Barons' were eager to adopt their unmistakable identity. The practice of using a surname later became common among all classes during the reign of Edward II in England between 1307 and 1327.

In these earlier times the use of first names must have led to much confusion in identifying a person being talked about. The range of first names was very restricted by comparison with today's inventiveness , which has created such a rich variety of first names. It was then common for sons and daughters to be given the same name as their mother or father and in a small village there could be many called William or Emma.

This led to the use of the four most common means of identification

1. The Placename or description
2. The Father's name
3. The Occupation
4. The Physical description

The Placename or description

William, who lived in the dale would have originally be referred to as William by the dale until the extra words were dropped and he simply became William Dale. This "extra name" or surname would be adopted as the family name. Other names would stem from physical features such as streams and springs and the Norman French word would often be used until it too became Anglicized and was adopted as the final form of surname.

The Father's Name

William, the son of John would become William John's Son and, ultimately William Johnson. The Scottish form of son is 'Mc' or 'Mac' and the surname would become e.g. MacWilliam

The Occupation

Typically, the name would be followed by the occupation, for example,"William the cooper" ( a maker of barrels ), "William the Fletcher" ( an arrow maker ) and "William the thatcher". In time the name was shortened and the occupation capitalized to become, for example William Cooper or William Fletcher.

Physical Description

Short or strong are words typically used and so "William the strong" would eventually become William Strong

The Domesday Book

In 1066, Duke William of Normandy, France successfully invaded and conquered England. Known as William the Conqueror he was regarded as one of the most able monarchs to rule England. He was also the only successful invader of England since the Romans 1200 years before. After the Norman invasion a large part of the land and property of the beaten Anglo-Saxons was taken over by the victors. This caused a great deal of administrative muddle, confusion and naturally a great deal of anger and dispute with the former holders. So, here was one compelling reason to undertake a comprehensive survey and registration of the land and property holdings.

The second compelling reason was the need to obtain funds from taxes and to assess whether land and property owners could contribute even more to the Exchequer. The urgency to raise funds was to fight off the threat of invasion from the Danish King, Canute, and to hold down the rebellious North of England, which had never been fully controlled by the Normans.

The King's decision to undertake this great survey of land ownership was taken during the Christmas of 1085. It was an amazing feat to complete the task in only 8 months. Equally amazing was the feat, attributed to just one man, of summarizing and rewriting the whole record of two million words. He was a Royal Chaplain who later became the Bishop of Winchester. The language he employed was medieval Church Latin. He was under great pressure to complete the work and as the record progresses his handwriting becomes less legible and some errors creep in.

This wonderful historic document is completely preserved and can be seen at The Public Record Office, in London. The Ninth Centenary celebration of the Domesday Book took place in 1986. To mark the occasion the U.K. publishers Editions Alecto produced a replica of the Book, together with an accompanying translation of the Latin wording. One such copy is kept at the Oregon State Library, 250 Winter Street, Salem and may be viewed by prior appointment.

Two explanations are needed at this point. Firstly the "Book" was not a handy volume like Chambers Dictionary. It was originally a collection of parchment booklets handwritten by the future Bishop of Winchester and later thought to have been bound into two volumes, if twelfth century accounts are to be believed. It was in the 12th Century that references were made to "the Book". The second explanation is of the use of the word "Domesday" in the description. The record of lands and their ownership, once recorded by the Commissioners at the County Courts, was the final word - or Last Judgment- and there was no appeal against the facts when they were finally written down. So, in popular parlance, it became known as the "doomsday" or Domesday Book.

It is important to note that this was not intended to be a General Census of the whole population, so it does not record the names of everyone alive in 1086. Because it does record the heads of households and the important landowners it is the first record of those of English or Norman descent. It was the first such formal record made in Europe and preceded others by several centuries. This is its importance to those whose interests lie in the origin of surnames and to genealogists.

Large numbers of the names in the Book are first names only. These are thought to be persons of lesser importance, such as the lowlier (and conquered) Anglo-Saxons. In any event, surnames were by no means common at this time and many were simply known by their first name or by an added description e.g. son of John. There had been no hereditary system of surnames before the conquest and it was the Norman's who introduced them. It became fashionable among the higher social classes to adopt French names as the family surname and gradually these became Anglicized into the forms we know today.

There is much information about the Domesday Book, on the Internet. Just enter "Domesday Book" on your favorite search engine and you will have a wealth of links to pursue. You can download sample pages (in Latin!) and have fun tracing the names in today's society. The Domesday Book also lists crops grown, the location and number of beehives, and vineyards. If you can link your name back to a village mentioned in the Book you will be able to reconstruct the type of life your ancestors led.

Although I would be very careful a about purchasing any of these products, the history lessons about crests and English History is wonderful! Take a look and learn.

http://www.traceit.com/

http://www.traceit.com/hon/Origin.htm

The origin of surnames

For what's worth to each individual, read through the history and pick up a few points whatever they may be of interest to you. Don't order anything because they don't GIVE you anything to go on. Here's what they gave me for my maiden name.

The History and Coat of Arms of the WARMACK family

(Left is a sample of what your surname history scroll may look like!!!)(but I can't read anything on it which I would like to)

The history of this ancient Ayrshire family traces its ancestry as a family of Strathclyde Briton origin before the year 1100 and appears first in the ancient records in Ayrshire . This completely researched parchment history of the WARMACK family not only includes in full colour the most ancient family name Coat of Arms but traces the surname origin forward from the 11th or 12th century. This beautifully detailed history includes the WARMACK nobles & titles, the family castles, estates and manors, the battles, wars and feuds they overcame, the branches as they formed throughout Europe, pioneers and settler's and also the notables of this distinguished family who lived during this century.

To learn more about my WARMACK family in this 1700 word 'beautifully' illuminated parchment I have to buy it and I still don't know if I'm from such a great distinguished family as they say although I am still researching which are also recommended as a guide or roadmap of where my family held branches during the centuries for family historians or genealogists. So, until I run across those Warmacks that I KNOW are from England, I won't be buying this product but learning as much as I can.

Probably one of the most informative books concerning this that I would like to resend came from Chris & Tom Tinney, Sr. from [vctinney@dcn.davis.ca.us]

DOMESDAY PEOPLE: A prosopography of persons occurring in English Documents 1066-1166 [over eight thousand entries]. A valuable new book has been published in 1999, by The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, Suffolk; printed in Great Britain by St. Edmundsbury Press Ltd., Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.

It has the following Library of Congress Classification: DA 177 K4 1999 Vol. 1

"This is the first of two volumes offering for the first time an authoritative and complete prosopography of post- Conquest England, 1066-1166 . . . the two volumes contain over eight thousand entries on persons occurring in the principal English administrative sources . . . Domesday Book, the Pipe Rolls, and Cartae Baronum." "[D]iscussion of family" is part of the focus of the book. The author is Dr. K.S. B. KEATS-ROHAN, Director of the Linacre Unit for Prosopographical Research and Fellow of the European Humanities Research Centre, University of Oxford. http://www.linacre.ox.ac.uk/research/prosop/home.stm

"What is Prosopography?" http://www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/PBE/pbewhatis.htm

See also: http://www.everton.com/GENEALOG/GENEALOG.CHARLAN1 [THRU CHARLAN7]
Respectfully yours,
Tom Tinney, Sr.
http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~vctinney/geneal.htm
Listed in: Who's Who In The West, 1998/1999
Who's Who In Genealogy and Heraldry,
[both editions]

http://insects.org/ced4/crests1.html
http://insects.org/ced4/issue4.html
http://insects.org/ced4/japanese_crests.html
http://insects.org/ced4/mythology.html

Shows how Insects were of utmost importance in Japanese Crests, American Native Myths, and Ancient Mexico.

An e-mail address for those of you with European crest questions: ideasandimages@fleurdelis.com

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*** For translation of the above document to a language other than English refer to the translators found at the top of the Hot Tips Index Page and follow the directions given within each link.

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