Got Ancestors in Macoupin Co. Illinois?

AncestorsAtRest has the following Ledger Books on site for Macoupin County Illinois

Staunton, Macoupin County Illinois 1930 ~ 1957 Court Records

Four Skeletons Identified as Original Jamestown Settlers

The bodies of four original settlers of Jamestown Colony have been identified! They are minister Robert Hunt, Sir Ferdinando Wainman, Captain Gabriel Archer and Captain William West.

 

Read the whole story at New Jamestown Discovery Reveals the Identities of Four Prominent Settlers

Use A Relationship Calculator to Help with DNA Matches

If you are like me, whenever you get a DNA match that says the match is possibly a 3rd or 4th cousin, you can't remember or are not sure how to figure out where your common ancestor might be in your ancestry - a grandparent, a great-grandparent....??  In other words, how do you narrow the list of suspects candidates? 

Read more at

A Relationship Calculator Helps with DNA Matches

Favourite Canadian Genealogy Site?

Now's your chance to nominate your favourite site for Canadian genealogy.  Nominations are open until August 3rd so don't delay.

I'm happy to see Olive Tree Genealogy website on the list of pre-nominated sites! Check the list and see if there are some missing that you think need to be considered.

The Coffin Plates Of Jonathan Abrams And Mary Abrams

Jonathan Abrams 

Died April 28th 1918

Aged 64

Mary Matilda Abrams 

Died April 27. 1924

Aged 66 years 10 mons

This group of Coffin Plates is for a husband and wife. I am told Jonathan Abrams was from Ontario Canada.

Submitted by Brad Abrams

View more Coffin Plates at http://ancestorsatrest.com

J K Rowling on Who Do You Think You Are?

Who Do You Think You Are? “J.K. Rowling” (US premiere, originally aired in the UK)

Tune In: J.K. Rowling’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are? airs Sunday, August 2 at 9/8c on TLC

 Ancestry.com , the leading family history company, is teaming up again with TLC as a sponsor. As part of the show sponsorship, Ancestry provides exhaustive family history research on each of the featured celebrities to help make discoveries possible and build out the story of each episode.

Famed Harry Potter author and philanthropist JK Rowling is eager to trace the  French roots of her maternal side, having always been very close with her mother who’s passed away. She knows that her great-grandfather, Louis Volant, received the Legion d’honneur for his WWI efforts, but she doesn’t know why. 

She embarks on a journey in France to trace her mother’s roots. She discovers that a family war story might not be what she thought when military records reveal a surprising truth. Tracing the trail even further back, Jo learns of her 2x great-grandmother, who had plenty of struggles both as a poor, single mother and a witness to German invasion during wartime, which forced her family to choose sides in a time of turmoil.  

Digging up Bodies of Those Buried in Bedlam Insane Asylum

The Bedlam mental health hospital was established in 1247. A burial site, called Bethlehem and the New Churchyard, was opened after graveyards around London started to overflow.
The poor from London and inmates from the asylum were buried there and recent excavations have uncovered bits and pieces of skeletal remains.

Read more:

Digging up Bodies of Those Buried in Bedlam

Ancestry DNA Available in Canada

Great news! Ancestry DNA test kits are now available to Canadians. If you've been waiting for the chance to order a kit to Canada, now's the time.

I've had my DNA (and my parents) DNA tested at other companies and now is my chance to do the same with Ancestry DNA in Canada  

The more places you test, the better so I'm eager to do this! So far, with our DNA tests we've learned many new things - not just our ethnic background but family secrets. That's right.

We learned, for example, that the family rumours were true and that my grandfather's father was not the man married to his mother. Nope, the rumour that Great-Grandma had been messing around with the hired man named Cooper turned out to be true! DNA connected my husband and his mother with first cousins through the Cooper family. 

We also were able to verify our paper research showing my wife's Native American heritage, and my black ancestry. 

So if you live in Canada, why not find out what secrets lie in your family tree? Take the Ancestry DNA now.

Betsy Ross Buried in Neglected Abandoned Cemetery in Pennsylvania

Imagine a cemetery, an abandoned cemetery, the size of a small town. 

Well that is what Mount Moriah Cemetery in Pennsylvania is like. It is over 400 acres in size and in complete disarray with crumbling tombstones, weeds and thick vegetation. 

Betsy Ross (of American flag fame) is buried here. I'm sure she's turning over in her grave!

Continue reading this story at http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.ca/2015/06/such-huge-abandoned-cemetery-in.html

Why is Great-Grandpa's Death Registration Missing?

How many times have you looked for a Vital Registration of a Birth, Marriage or Death in Ontario and come up empty? Lorine of Olive Tree Genealogy tells us why this happens! Anyone searching for Ontario ancestors needs to read this.

Read more: Why You Can't Find Great-Grandpa's Death Registration

350 Year Old Body found in France with Heart of Husband

  The body of Louise de Quengo, a widow who died in 1656, was found in France, She was fully dressed and buried  with the preserved heart of her dead husband

Read more: Fully Dressed 350 Year Old Body found in France

Celebrate Canada Day with FREE Access to Ancestry....

Olive Tree Genealogy Blog: Celebrate Canada Day with FREE Access to Ancestry....: To celebrate Canada Day [FN1] , Ancestry.ca is providing free access to all 235 million Canadian records on their site.



The offer is in effect until July 1, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

Read more: http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/06/celebrate-canada-day-with-free-access.html#ixzz3eNk988ts

Find Your Ancestor in Ships Passenger Lists

Visitors to the website Olive Tree Genealogy often ask  for a list of all the free ships passenger lists the site has published online.

 

Read the list at Find Your Ancestor in Ships Passenger Lists or Naturalization Records

Ancient Human Remains Found

Ancient human remains have been found at a construction site in St. Catharines Ontario Canada. Experts believe the bones may be over 200 years old. 

Read the full story at http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2015/04/20/ancient-human-remains-found-at-downtown-construction-site

Happy DNA Day! 20% off on AncestryDNA Kits

AncestryDNA is celebrating their annual DNA Day this April by offering a 20% discount on AncestryDNA. The special will run from April 23-April 27, 2015. Happy DNA Day! 

This link takes you to their offer DNA Day 20% off AncestryDNA 

If you don't have your DNA kit yet, maybe it's time. Don't miss out!

Keeping your genealogy research safe and sound is so important

Most of us spend years working on our genealogy. Keeping your genealogy research safe and sound is important. And the award winning iDrive is extending their special offer to the end of February.

iDrive is offering 1TB of automatic Online Backup Storage PLUS 1TB of Sync Space file storage, for $14.88 for the first year. This is a 75% savings off the regular price of $59.50 and saves you almost $45.00. Offer good until Feb. 28/15

iDrive just received the prestigious PC Mag Editors Choice award for online backup for 2015. iDrive is easy to install and easy to use. There's no learning curve and you can start protecting your years of genealogy research immediately. 

Use this link for the exclusive iDrive offer

The Coffin Plate Of Elisha Caleb Cary

Elisha Cary

Elisha Caleb Cary

AGED

13 years 2 mo 6 days

It is hard to tell from this photo if Elisha was 13 or 73. More research is needed.

For more Coffin Plates go to ancestorsatrest.com

Decorating My Genealogy Christmas Tree

Genealogy Mystery: What Happened to Cyril (Charles) De Meulenaere?

Lorine McGinnis Schulze of Olive Tree Genealogy is posting her Top 10 Genealogy Mysteries, and encouraging others to follow suit with their own.

You can read her Genealogy Mysteries at Top 10 Genealogy Mysteries

Here is my Top Genealogy Mystery: What Happened to Cyril (Charles) De Meulenaere?

My great grand uncle Cyrillus (Charles) De Meulenaere was born in Tielt Belgium in 1888. On 27 February 1937 he died in Detroit Michigan. The family lore has always been that he was killed - stabbed to death outside a bar in downtown Detroit.

Here is what I've been able to find out about Cyril (Charles):

• November 1915: Border Crossing states his last permanent residence was Berlin Canada (now Kitchener Ontario) and he is heading to Detroit. Has no relatives there
• March 31, 1916: Joined the CEF (Canadian Expeditionary Forces) during WW1. Says he was born in 1881 (a lie) and living in Berlin (Kitchener) Ontario
• June 5, 1917: Joined the American Expeditionary Force. Says he lives at  2166 Mack Ave, St Clair Michigan and works for J. A. Cornille (of Cornille Bros) driving a team of horses.
• May 15, 1919: A document from the US Pension service states that Cyriel was discharged from service on May 15, 1919, and provides the date of his death as February 27, 1937. His name is written as Charles Demenllenere & Demeulenere. 
• September 3, 1932: Cyril/Charles attempts to cross from USA into Canada at Windsor. Says he is going to visit brother "Arthur" [Note: this is actually his brother Archie] in Bridgeport Ontario. Lives Detroit Michigan, American, sister Marie in Tielt Belgium. He was REJECTED.
• February 27, 1937: Cyril dies in Detroit Michigan
• March 1, 1937: his brother Archie tries to go to Cyril's funeral in Michigan but is deported. Archie's son always said that his father was escorted to the funeral by officials (Border Guards? Police?) and then taken back to the border and deported. 

I contacted Mt. Olivett Cemetery , Detroit Michigan where Cyril is buried. Here is their information:

Cyril Demeulenaere

Date of Death: FEBRUARY 27, 1937
Cemetery: Mt. Olivet Cemetery
Location: Section 44, Tier 25, Space 84

The cemetery owns the grave and buried him for free due to a financial hardship of some sort.  They did not have an address of where he lived at the time.  Below is all the information that the cemetery had for him:

Date of death - 2/27/1937
Date of interment - 3/3/1937
Funeral home - VanLerberghe
Church - Our Lady of Sorrows
Age - about 48 

Next step was to contact the funeral home and the church.

VanLerberghe Funeral Home answered re Cyril's death:

Cyril Demeulenaere
Age 45, passed on February 27, 1937
Born in Belgium
Buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan
Funeral Services held at Our Lady of Sorrows Church on March 3, 1937 at 10am.

Our Lady of Sorrows Church burned down 1963 but I found the new church where the parish and the records went. They also replied to my email with this information:

Our Lady of Sorrows death records indicate that Cyril Demeulenaere died on February 27, 1937 and was buried March 3, 1937,at Mt.Olivet cemetery here in Detroit following a mass at Our Lady of Sorrows celebrated by Rev. H. Syoen. There is no further information listed.

I would like to know exactly what happened to Cyril!  There are two things I am hoping for:

1. An obituary or death notice or newspaper article about Cyril's death on 27 February 1937. I'm willing to bet there is a write up in a Detroit Newspaper. If anyone has access to these papers, I'd be very grateful for help.

2. A photo of Cyril's grave at Mt. Olivet Cemetery.

Homeless Man Arrested for digging in historic Salem graveyard

A historic Boston graveyard was vandalized recently when a man managed to dig about 4 inches into the ground of a grave, exposing the original headstone. A new stone had been placed on the grave and the original laid flat and buried with the grave.

The graveyard, which dates back to 1637, is supposed to be locked at night, but rarely is. Read the full story at Homeless Man Arrested for digging in historic Salem graveyard