Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for May 31, 2013

My Fab Finds for this week are (in no particular order)

1. The Youth are Eager to Learn about Genealogy by Sweet Tea, Tart Lemons & Memories
2. GenVines - a new genealogical news aggregator about online collections AND In which I attempt to clarify my earlier remarks and probably fail AND Do blog scraping sites violate the blog owner's copyright? by Genealogy's Star
3. What You Can Learn about Your Ancestor from a Bounty Land Application File AND Pre-1850 US Census Research – Women as Heads of Household by Genealogy Decoded
4. Visiting the American Cemetery at Normandy by A Sense of Family
5. Splog Alert – Monkey In My Tree AND Did You Receive An Email From AncestryBlogs.com? by GeneaBloggers
6. Mystery Monday: Searching for Mary Ann AND Wordless Wednesday: Button Button by Jollett Etc.
7. Japanese Names and Naming Practices by Japanese Genealogy Blog
8. More “veterans of the late unpleasantness” or better known today as the Civil War by Cindy Freed's Genealogy Circle
9. PBS lines up “Genealogy Roadshow” for the fall by Kelly Anderson for RealScreen.com
10. Heritage Scrapbooks: Changing Printing Companies Slowed Me Down by A Patient Genealogist
11. SCGS Genealogy Jamboree to Offer FREE Live Streaming Sessions June 7-9 by SCGS Jamboree Blog
12. Giggling With The Pig by A Southern Sleuth
13. La Tienda Part I by Past-Present-Future
14. Looking For Louie - The College Years by Celebrating Family Stories
15. Family Tree Poster, A Work of Art by My Hawley Family
16. MY DIGITAL FILING SYSTEM FOR GENEALOGY (WINDOWS) by Are My Roots Showing?
17. Blow Us Up, Blow Us Down, We Will Stand by Gathering Stories

New Blog Discoveries

• Blog Blog Black Sheep ~ Have You Any Clues?
• Tika's Teachings
• Paula's Genealogical Eclectica
• My Hawley Family

In Case You Missed It….My Contribution to the Genealogy Blogosphere This Week

• Watson, Why Did You Change Your Name To Frederick?

And, I started a new blog in which I share my maternal grandparents' vintage postcard collection.  If you'd like to check it out, here's the link ~

• Grandpa's Postcards

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Watson, Why Did You Change Your Name To Frederick?

My maternal great-grandfather's name at birth was Watson Emory Webster. My regular readers may know that I affectionately refer to him as "The Traveling Dentist."  For some unknown reason, Watson changed his name to Frederick Emory Webster sometime in his life.

I have two questions.

1. Why did Watson change his name?
2. Why did Watson choose the name Frederick when he decided to change his name?

Why Did Watson Changed his Name?

Watson had an uncle named Watson Emery Webster.  The only difference in their names was a slight variation in the spelling of their middle names - Emory verses Emery.  Perhaps he wanted to avoid confusion.

Why Did Watson Choose The Name Frederick?

I could not figure out where the name Frederick came from and why Watson chose that particular name when he decided to change his name.  Then I had a "light bulb moment."  I remembered that Watson (Frederick) Emory's father, Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster, had a younger brother named Fred Lincoln Webster, who passed away in 1877 at 13 years of age.

Ebenezer was 25 years older than his youngest brother Fred Lincoln.  By the time Fred Lincoln was born, Ebenezer already had a wife and two children.  And he and his wife, Cynthia, were expecting their third child, my great-grandfather, Watson (Frederick) Emory.

When my great-grandfather, Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster, was born, Ebenezer's brother, Fred Lincoln Webster, was only four months old.  That would have made Watson (Frederick) Emory and Fred Lincoln contemporaries in terms of their ages even though Fred was Watson's uncle.

At the time the 1870 U.S. Federal Census was taken, Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster and Fred Lincoln Webster both lived in Benton County, Iowa in separate households.  Sadly, in 1871, Fred Lincoln's mother, Amanda Melvina (Carlisle) Webster, passed away.  That left only Fred Lincoln and his dad, Moses Augustine Webster, living together in their own household.

By the time the 1880 U.S. Census¹ was taken, Moses Webster was living with his son Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster and his family.  You can see Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster listed here as well.  They lived in Kansas at the time of this census.

 

United States Census, 1880, Otoe Reservation, Marshall, Kansas

So, when did Moses move in with his son Ebenezer and his family?  Was it before or after Fred Lincoln died in 1877?  I wouldn't be surprised if it was shortly after Moses' wife Amanda passed away in 1871.

If it is true that both Moses and Fred Lincoln moved in with Ebenezer and his family shortly after Amanda passed away in 1871, then Fred Lincoln and my great-grandfather, Watson (Frederick) Emory, basically grew up together as brothers, even though they were uncle and nephew.  They could have become very close to each other.  Both boys were about 13 years of age at the time Fred Lincoln died.  The accident that took the life of Fred Lincoln could have been a very traumatic event in the life of my great-grandfather, Watson (Frederick) Emory.

Perhaps when Watson decided to change his name, he chose the name of Frederick to honor his uncle, Fred Lincoln Webster.

In a letter written by Watson (Frederick) Emory's brother, Rollin Waterman Webster, to my grandfather Debs Warren Webster, Rollin stated that Watson (Frederick) Emory (Debs' father), had indeed changed his name to Frederick.

Rollin Waterman Webster Letter

I'm glad Uncle Rollin confirmed the name change so we could be sure that Watson Emory Webster and Frederick Emory Webster were in fact the same person. I do wish, however, that Uncle Rollin had given the reason for the name change. Oh well, we can't have everything, right?

My theory about why my great-grandfather changed his name from Watson Emory to Frederick Emory is only speculation, of course.  I sure wish I could ask my grandfather Debs about why his dad changed his name.  But my grandfather passed away years ago, so I can only speculate about why Watson changed his name to Frederick.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

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1 "United States Census, 1880, Otoe Reservation, Marshall, Kansas, Line #23, Dwelling #24" index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MF5H-BBH : accessed 28 May 2013), Watson Webster in entry for E. P. Webster, 1880. ^↩

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for May 24, 2013

My Fab Finds for this week are (in no particular order)

1. Tech Tuesday's Tip: Making Timelines with TimelineJS - John Pape, 1851-1945 by ABT UNK
2. Explosion! AND Summit County in the Census by Ancestral Breezes
3. Genealogy ‘Society’ For Gen Y Update! by Across the Rolling Prairie
4. Join the Discussion by The Organized Genealogist
5. FamilySearch Naturalization Petition by Evidence Explained
6. Gen Y: The Top Lessons Learned From Genealogy by D. Joshua Taylor for The Huffington Post.com
7. Genealogists are not being pushed out, Reinforcements are being invited in by A Patient Genealogist
8. Observations from the edge: multi-generational needs in genealogy by Trials and Tribulations of a Self-Taught Family Historian
9. The Honor Roll Project by Nutfield Genealogy
10. HEADS UP ALL GENEALOGISTS! by The Olive Tree Genealogy
11. Search Stays True to Experienced Family History Users by FamilySearch Blog
12. Why do we blog about genealogy? by Genealogy's Star
13. FREE access -- Military Records at FindMyPast -- starts tomorrow! by Upfront With NGS
14. EVIDENTIA AND MASTERING GENEALOGICAL PROOF by Are My Roots Showing?
15. Tornadoes Present Remind Us of Tornadoes Past by Ohio Historical Society Collections Blog
16. The RETURN of Who Do You Think You Are? (not reruns!) by Dear Myrtle
17. Wishful Wednesday - Everyone and Not One More than the Other by Family Preserves
18. DO YOU HAVE A FAMILY TREE ON FAMILYSEARCH.ORG? by On Granny's Trail
19. Sterile Facts vs. a Person’s Story by Ancestoring's Ask A Genealogist

New Blog Discoveries

• Arbitrator's Point of View
• Family Tree Nat's Genealogy Blog
• Caroline's Chronicle
• Genealogy Lady
• Trees 'N Branches

In Case You Missed It….My Contribution to the Genealogy Blogosphere This Week

• "The Traveling Dentist" ~ A New Ancestor Landing Page

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

"The Traveling Dentist" ~ A New Ancestor Landing Page

Everything you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask about "The Traveling Dentist" is now at your fingertips and in one place.

Yep, my great-grandfather, Watson Emory (Frederick) Webster, affectionately referred to as "The Traveling Dentist" has his own Ancestor Landing Page on my blog.

Want to see a photo of the Webster Dental Boat or the Webster Photo Boat?  How about a photo of a shark hanging in front of the Webster Dental Boat?  You can access all of that and more by checking out The Traveling Dentist's Ancestor Landing Page.

But wait!  There's more!

Did you know that Watson was an inventor?  Yep!  He was!  You can check out a copy of the Patent that was awarded to Watson in 1899.  And his D.D.S. Degree from 1896.    All you have to do is click The Traveling Dentist's Ancestor Landing Page to check these out, as well as other interesting photos and stories about Watson Emory (Frederick) Webster, a.k.a. "The Traveling Dentist." 

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for May 17, 2013

My Fab Finds for this week are (in no particular order)

1. Dear Mom...Thank You by How Did I Get Here?  My Amazing Genealogy Journey
2. Today Is an Important Date by 4 Your Family Story
3. Finding Death Information by Tina Sansone for Bella Online
4. I have exciting news! by Genealogy Certification:  My Personal Journal
5. One Ancestor ~ Two Mysteries by Adventures in Genealogy
6. Hiram Cronk: The Last Veteran of the War of 1812 by Preserve the Pensions Blog
7. Learning & Networking: Why Genealogy Conferences Are Important to Me by GenBlog
8. Do You Know? by Life From The Roots
9. GTD and Genealogy? Yes! by Desperately Seeking Surnames
10. "I" and "we" in genealogy writing by Midwestern Microhistory:  A Genealogy Blog
11. NGS 2013—Feedback on FamilySearch by FamilySearch Blog
12. They also served by The Legal Genealogist
13. Miss Libbie by sassygenealogist
14. Simplifying My Genealogy Life by The We Tree Genealogy Blog
15. Did the Vikings Bring Native American Women Back With Them? by The Olive Tree Genealogy
16. Looking Out by Granite in My Blood
17. findmypast.com Will Offer Free Access to U.S. and International Military Records on Memorial Day by Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter
18. #NGS2013 – Futures for FamilySearch Family Tree by The Ancestry Insider

New Blog Discovery

• My Channel Island Ancestry

In Case You Missed It….My Contribution to the Genealogy Blogosphere This Week

• Military Monday ~ Iver Iverson – A U.S. Civil War Soldier from Norway

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Military Monday ~ Iver Iverson – A U.S. Civil War Soldier from Norway

I'd love to visit Norway someday.  That's where my paternal 2nd great-grandfather, Iver Iverson, was born - Marteplads, Nes, Buskerud, Norway, to be exact.  He was born on August 2, 1827 and passed away on January 1, 1895 in Glenwood, Pope, Minnesota.  His parents were Iver Stenersen and Guri Olsdatter.

Nesbyen, Nes, Buskerud, Norway
Photo by John Erling Blad
Wikimedia Commons
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license

Isn't Iver's birth country gorgeous?  It's just so picturesque.  If this photo (above) looks anything like where he lived, I have to wonder why Iver would have ever wanted to leave his beautiful homeland of Norway.  Please don't get me wrong, I'm so thankful Iver did decide to immigrate to the U.S.A so I could be born here.  But I've still wondered why he decided to emigrate from Norway.  What were the driving forces behind his decision to leave?

The following paragraph regarding economic difficulties in Norway could explain the reason why Iver and many other Norwegians left Norway.

The website "intro" states,¹

"....In the last half of the 1800s and the beginning of the 1900s, about 800,000 Norwegians emigrated to the USA.  Norway's economy was poor and it was difficult to find work.  Many people dreamed of starting a new life in the USA.  They had heard that there were many opportunities there.  Many people found life in this new country difficult at first, most did well."

The information I have states that Iver and his brother Ole immigrated to the United States in April of 1858, and that his parents and another brother, Christopher, immigrated in April of 1861.  I'd love to find proof of this someday.  Years ago, my paternal grandmother, Ingrid Anna (Gillberg) Iverson, hired a professional genealogist in Salt Lake City to research our Scandinavian roots.

Following the death of my Grandma Ingrid, my father, Jan Iverson, inherited her family history stuff.  My father was involved in researching his Norwegian and Swedish ancestry and for many years I've been researching my mom's ancestry.  Since my dad's death, I've felt the need to continue researching his ancestry as well.

The immigration dates I have for Iver, Ole, Christopher, and their parents are from my dad's records.  Perhaps he got this information from my Grandma Ingrid, who got this information from the professional genealogist.  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to locate the professional genealogist's report or source materials regarding these immigration dates.  And so far, my research hasn't produced any immigration information for Iver, his brothers, or his parents.

I know that Iver immigrated to the United States before February 23, 1860, because on this date Iver married Marit Thorsdatter in La Crosse, Wisconsin.  In the United States, Marit went by Mary, as you see her name listed as Iver's widow in the pension file page above.

Four years after Mary and Iver were married, Iver enlisted in the U.S. Civil War.  By then, Iver and Mary had one child and another one on the way.

Iver's enlistment date was February 19, 1864.  He was involved in the Siege of Spanish Fort and Battle of Fort Blakely, Mobile.  He was transferred to the 34th Iowa Infantry on July 12, 1865. Iver was honorably discharged on August 15, 1865.

By the time Iver enlisted, the war had been going on for three long years already.  I have some questions. 

• Assuming that Iver's immigration date of April 1858 is correct, what were Iver's thoughts and feelings when the war started only three short years after Iver arrived in the U.S.A.?
• How well did Iver speak English by the time he enlisted in the war?
• What was his citizenship status when he enlisted?

I can't help but wonder if Iver ever longed for the beautiful scenery of Norway as he faced horrific and terrifying scenes like this during the Civil War.

Battle of Fort Blakely
Wikimedia Commons
Public Domain

I'm grateful for Iver's service.  He suffered long-term health problems from his service in the Civil War.  I'm also grateful that he stayed in the United States after the Civil War ended so his many descendants, myself included, could enjoy the blessings of living in the United States.

I have Iver's Civil War pension file, which is very interesting.  I will be sharing information from it in future posts.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

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1 "Norwegian History: Immigration and Emigration." Norwegian History: Immigration and Emigration. Intro Student Book. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.^↩

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for May 10, 2013

My Fab Finds for this week are (in no particular order)

1. Vintage Sewing Patterns and Family History by Thomas MacEntee for Flip-Pal Family History Blog
2. Been Missing WDYTYA? Ready for some more family history tv programming? If so, read on ... by Upfront With NGS
3. Eating Their Young by Ancestoring's Ask A Genealogist
4. CAN MEETING A COUSIN BE FRAUD OR A SCAM? by Heritage Happens
5. Miracles by Of Trees & Ink
6. Three Ways to Turn Your Blog Into a Book by Free Technology for Teachers
7. Researching Ancestors Who Were Committed to Asylums, Using Old Newspapers by Gena Philibert-Ortega for GenealogyBank.com Blog
8. Piecing Together Their Lives ---final post by A Southern Sleuth
9. Who am I? Data and DNA answer one of life’s big questions by Laura June for The Verge
10. A Message from the Indexing Workforce Team by FamilySearch Blog
11. Getting Ready for NGS 2013 Family History Conference AND NGS in Las Vegas AND NGS Day 1 by Family Cherished
12. Betty’s Prom – 1947 by GenieMom's Musings
13. A Genealogical Top 10 List, David Letterman Style by Our Lineage
14. Old Map, Current Map, Homestead - Mappy Monday by My Ancestors and Me
15. OGS 2013 Conference: Day Two AND Ohio Genealogical Society Conference Wrap-Up by A Sense of Family
16. National Photo Month Giveaway: Photo Preservation Kit! by Diane Haddad – Genealogy Insider
17. Still Loving Old Newspapers by Branching Out Through The Years
18. The Top Ten Reasons for a Genealogical Conference by Karen's Chatt
19. Thriller Thursday – The Disappearance Of Sena Roberg by ahnentafel
20. Avoid link rot, use Permalinks by Genealogy's Star

New Blog Discoveries

• Jeanie's Genealogy Journey
• Moments in Time, A Genealogy Blog
• Laws Family Register
• Sassy Jane Genealogy
• The Organized Genealogist
• Frustrated Genealogist
• ....Lynn's Waffles

In Case You Missed It….My Contribution to the Genealogy Blogosphere This Week

• Wordless Wednesday (well, almost) ~ Watson Emory Webster as a Child – How old would you say Watson is in this photo?  And isn't that an interesting outfit he's wearing?

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Wordless Wednesday (well, almost) ~ Watson Emory Webster as a Child

This is a photo of my great-grandfather, Watson Emory (Frederick) Webster, as a child.  My regular readers may know that I affectionately refer to him as "The Traveling Dentist." 

I'm not sure how old Watson was at the time this photo was taken.  He was born on February 14, 1864 in Coolville, Athens, Ohio.  So, what would be your guess?  How old do you think Watson was in this photo?

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for May 3, 2013

My Fab Finds for this week are (in no particular order)

1. Historical writing and when to use present tense by Planting the Seeds
2. A to Z April Challenge: X is for the eX Wife by Jollett Etc.
3. Military Monday--Thomas Gardner Bartlett by Of Trees & Ink
4. RALPH EVERETT ELLINWOOD by West in New England
5. FamilySearch Photos and Stories Update AND Tagging Photos on FamilySearch by FamilySearch Blog
6. Why I Will Not Seek Certification AND There is no credential war by Always Anxiously Engaged
7. Adding External Sources to FamilySearch.org Family Tree With Tree Connect by Genealogy's Star
8. Ding Dong, It's May by The Family Curator
9. Facebook and Google+ by Ancestoring's Ask A Genealogist
10. Gen Proof Study Groups – How To Get In by Adventures in Genealogy Education
11. Transcribing a Piece of History by The We Tree Genealogy Blog
12. Third American Civil War Challenge - I Found Him! The Elusive Ralph Fielding! by Calling all Cousins
13. The May Day Basket Tradition -- A Reminder From May 1, 1849 by Filiopietism Prism
14. Family Maps of….. Book Series by Genealogy Decoded
15. Treasure Chest Thursday - Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild by Digging Up Roots – My Journey Into The Past
16. Another Desperate Race AND About That Heart Trouble… by A Family Tapestry
17. Did Your Ancestors Reboot? by Clue Wagon
18. Piecing Together Their Lives part 2 by A Southern Sleuth
19. OGS 2013 Conference: Day One by A Sense of Family
20. Highlights from OGS 2013 by The Spiraling Chains: Kowalski – Bellan Family Trees
21. . . . and this is what I did over the weekend . . . by Genealogy Circle

New Blog Discoveries

• Ancestral Ties
• Jennealogy
• Calling all Cousins

In Case You Missed It….My Contribution to the Genealogy Blogosphere This Week

• Have You Heard Of Open Library?

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last