Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for June 28, 2013

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

1. Tracing Our Past, Discovering Our Genes (Top Dog) by The Olive Tree Genealogy
2. Letters from Germany - 1920 - Nearing the End for the Jews in Schubin by Braunhart Mania
3. Sentimental Sunday - Going Home by Digging Up Roots
4. Copyright and grandmother’s writings by The Legal Genealogist
5. Google Reader Update and Changes This Week at GeneaBloggers by GeneaBloggers
6. In Form vs. Substance, Substance Reigns Supreme in Genealogy Citation by Filiopietism Prism
7. What We Are Looking For Can Determine What We Find – Part One AND What We Are Looking For Can Determine What We Find – Part Two by Random Relatives
8. Petition to Bring 1921 Canadian Census online NOW! by Ancestors At Rest
9. Finding Ohio War of 1812 Soldiers: Tuesday's Tip by A Sense of Family
10. R.I.P. Bertha: I Got This by Ancestral Breezes
11. U.S. Seamen's Protection Certificates - Ancestry.com by Gene Notes
12. GIVE FAMILYSEARCH FAMILY TREE PHOTOS A TRY by On Granny's Trail
13. An Invitation to the White House by The Pendleton Genealogy Post
14. A Find-A-Grave Experience by A Worthington Weblog
15. The Dreaded Lockjaw by Sally Searches
16. Adoption in Genealogy by My Family Historian
17. Caution - Using Timelines to Display Your Family History by The Ancestor Hunt
18. The Tract Book Happy Dance by (Mis)Adventures Of A Genealogist
19. Legacy Family Tree 8 Revealed - Migration Mapping by Legacy Family Tree News

New Blog Discoveries

• Christina George Genealogy
• Roots, Branches, and a Few Nuts

In Case You Missed Them….My Contributions to the Genealogy, Vintage Postcard, and Photo Blog Blogosphere This Week

Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog

• "Left Forefinger Off"

Grandpa's Postcards

• Date Gardens On The Desert

Jana's Photo Journal – yep, I've changed the name and URL of my new photo blog.

• A Miniature Pink Rose
• Estero Bluffs State Park

NOTE: Jana's Fab Finds will be taking next week off, but will be back on Friday, July 12, 2013.

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

"Left Forefinger Off"

According to Carl Albert Gillberg's two Declarations of Intention to become a U.S. citizen, he had a distinctive mark.  This was listed as "Left Forefinger Off."  I hadn't really looked for this distinguishing characteristic of Carl's until now.  If you look closely at the two photos below, you can see that the tip of Carl's left forefinger is indeed missing.

Carl and Hilda Gillberg
and Family

Carl Albert Gillberg
in La Puente, California
1962

So, I wonder how it happened. How did Carl lose the tip of his left forefinger? Or was it that way at birth?

According to a passenger list, Carl was a Tinsmith in Sweden. Perhaps he had a workplace accident and that's how he lost the tip of his forefinger.  I can definitely understand how this could have happened after reading about tinsmithing. Wikipedia provided interesting information about the tools a tinsmith uses:

"Tinsmithing tools"

"The simple shapes made by the tinsmith required only a few basic tools. In addition to the big shears anchored in a hole in his bench he used hand snips and nippers for cutting. The tin was flattened on an anvil made of a block of steel. Straight and curved anvils (stakes) were used to turn and roll the edges of the tin. Solder was then used to join the pieces together; a soldering iron and fire pot were needed to do this."

Whether or not Carl's Tinsmith profession was the cause of his missing forefinger, I may never know.  But what I do know is that valuable and interesting information contained in two Declarations of Intention caused me to look more carefully at photos I've had for a while now.  And that's a good thing.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for June 21, 2013

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

1. Sepia Saturday: Dressed to Impress by Jollett Etc.
2. Genealogy Databases: Out With the Old In With the New by GeneaBloggers
3. Military Monday – Henry Sloas, a Disloyal Citizen by Denise's Life in the Past Lane
4. We Lost One by Ancestral Breezes
5. You can call me Crazy by Kinexxions
6. Web Browser Extensions: Power Up Your Genealogy by Thomas MacEntee for Archives.com
7. What’s on Your Bookshelf? by GeneaJourneys
8. Discharge Papers by Frequent Traveler Ancestry
9. Privacy and history: on a collision course? AND More records access trouble: California by The Legal Genealogist
10. Finding Ancestors’ Names Can Be Child’s Play: Paper Doll Comics by Gena Philibert-Ortega for GenealogyBank Blog
11. The First Day of Summer is Almost Here: What New Thing Are You Ready to Learn? by The Family Curator
12. 33 Reasons You Should Be Searching Old Newspapers for Your Family History by The Ancestor Hunt
13. R.I.P. Personal Ancestral File (PAF) by Genealogy's Star
14. Do You Remember? by Your Story Coach
15. Wow Wednesday: ThingLink for Genealogy by 4 Your Family Story
16. Be the Buzz, Share the Buzz AND Recent Changes to Family Tree—June 2013 by FamilySearch Blog

New Blog Discoveries

• The Organized Genealogist
• Past Lives
• The Creola Genealogist

In Case You Missed Them….My Contributions to the Genealogy, Vintage Postcard, and Photo Blog Blogosphere This Week

Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog

• Happy Father's Day
• Carl Albert Gillberg's Two Declarations of Intention

Grandpa's Postcards

• Elsie And Beauregard In Person

Photos By Jana

• Stone Bridge In Yosemite

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Carl Albert Gillberg's Two Declarations of Intention

For some reason, my paternal great-grandfather, Carl Albert Gillberg, filled out two separate Declarations of Intention to become a United States citizen – one in 1924 and the other in 1939.

I thought it would be interesting to compare the two documents. I've highlighted these differences in bold.

Declaration of Intention - Dated May 5, 1924¹



Information gleaned from the May 5, 1924 Declaration of Intention -

1. Name: Carl Albert Gilbert (Gilbert instead of Gillberg)
2. Age: 42
3. Color:  White
4. Complexion:  Light
5. Height: 5 feet 7 inches
6. Weight:  178 lbs.
7. Color of Hair:  Blonde
8. Color of Eyes:  Gray
9. Other Visible Distinctive Marks:  Left Forefinger Off
10. Place of Birth:  Stockholm, Sweden
11. Date of Birth:  8 January 1882
12. Current Residence:  142 Hawthorn Avenue, Salt Lake City, Utah
13. Emigrated to the U.S.A. from: Eskilstuna, Sweden
14. Name of Vessel:  S.S. Canada
15. Last Foreign Residence:  Eskilstuna, Sweden
16. Marital Status:  Married
17. Name of Spouse:  Hilda Maria Carlson
18. Spouse's Place of Birth:  Eskilstuna, Sweden
19. Spouse's Current Residence:  142 Hawthorn Avenue, Salt Lake City, Utah
20. Port of Arrival:  Chicago, Illinois
21. Date of Arrival:  18 September 1909

Declaration of Intention - Dated July 24, 1939 ²


 
Information gleaned from the July 24, 1939 Declaration of Intention -

1. Name:  Carl Albert Gillberg
2. Current Residence:  4810 St. Elmo Drive, Los Angeles, California
3. Current Occupation:  At Home
4. Age:  57
5. Sex:  Male
6. Color:  White
7. Complexion:  Light
8. Color of Eyes:  Gray
9. Color of Hair:  Blonde
10. Height:  5 feet 8 inches
11. Weight:  188 lbs.
12. Other Visible Distinctive Marks:  Left Forefinger Off
13. Race:  Scandinavian
14. Nationality: Swedish
15. Place of Birth:  Stockholm, Sweden
16. Date of Birth:  8 January 1882
17. Marital Status:  Married
18. Spouse's Name:  Hilda M.
19. Date of Marriage:  3 April 1901
20. Place of Marriage:  Eskilstuna, Sweden
21. Spouse's Place of Birth:  Eskilstuna, Sweden
22. Spouse's Date of Birth:  17 February 1878
23. Spouse Immigration Information:
    1. Entered the United States at:  Salt Lake, Utah
    2. Date of Entrance:  9 July 1910
    3. Current Residence:  Los Angeles, California
24. Number of Children:  Eight
25. Children's Names, Dates and Places of Birth:
    1. Margit – 20 July 1902 in Sweden
    2. Maimi – 4 October 1907 in Sweden
    3. Ruth C. – 17 June 1911 in Salt Lake, Utah
    4. Ingrid A. – 5 November 1913 in Salt Lake, Utah
    5. Helen A. – 4 September 1915 in Salt Lake, Utah
    6. Ida M. – 26 October 1916 in Salt Lake, Utah 
    7. Edith E. – 26 October 1916 in Salt Lake, Utah
    8. Ruby H. A. – 15 July 1920 in Salt Lake, Utah
26. Current Residences of Children:  Los Angeles, California
27. Previous Declaration of Intention:  About 1924 at Salt Lake City, Utah
28. Last Foreign Residence:  Eskilstuna, Sweden
29. Emigrated to the U.S.A. from:  Eskilstuna, Sweden; Quebec, Canada
30. Lawful Entry in the United States:  Port of Entry Not Shown
31. Name at Entry:  Carl A. Gillberg
32. Date of Entry:  17 September 1909
33. Name of Vessel:  Canada

As you can see, there are definite differences in the amount of information provided in each of these declarations.

Obviously, the 1939 Declaration of Intention provides a lot more information, including the marriage date and place for Carl and Hilda and a list of their children with each child's date and place of birth. How great is that?

If you find a Declaration of Intention for an immigrant ancestor, congratulations! That's awesome! But don't stop there. Check to see if your immigrant ancestor filled out additional Declarations of Intention. Your immigrant ancestor may be like my great-grandfather Carl, who filled out more than one.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

---

1 Utah State Archives and Records Service; Salt Lake City, Utah; County: Salt Lake; Record Group: Salt Lake County, Third District Court Declarations of Intention Record Books, 1896-1959; Series: 85108. Ancestry.com. Utah, Naturalization and Citizenship Records, 1858-1959 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.^↩

2 National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Naturalization Records of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, Central Division (Los Angeles), 1887-1940; Microfilm Serial: M1524; Microfilm Roll: 54. Ancestry.com. U.S., Naturalization Records - Original Documents, 1795-1972 (World Archives Project) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. ^↩

Happy Father's Day

Tomorrow is Father's Day and I want to take this opportunity to wish all the dads out there a very Happy Father's Day!

And to my own dear father, if I could, I'd give you a big hug and a kiss to thank you for all you have done for me, and for our family.

A Fun Photo of My Dad and Me

My Dad and I Playing
The Hand-Clap Game

Dad, thanks for my lovely wedding!

  

Jan Albert Iverson (1936-2009)
20 Years Old
1956

Please enjoy this special Father's Day video from FamilyShare.com.

I miss you Dad….

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for June 14, 2013

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

1. My legacy: Woman, person of color, Mormon by Saving Stories
2. Shades The Magazine - GoldenRule Days by Shades of the Departed
3. Military Monday: Thomas Newton McCright ~ Civil War Letters #1 by Genealogy Sphere
4. Just Like Starting Over by My Family Historian
5. Pursuit of Family History Won't Be Around in 20 Years!?? As Bill West said, "Not Dead Yet!!" by Filiopietism Prism
6. 7 Tools for Your Next Family History Interview by The Armchair Genealogist
7. Family History Through the Alphabet – Timelines by GenBlog
8. The Gift of Time by A Southern Sleuth
9. MAVEN'S INTERNET GENEALOGY MAGAZINE AWARD by footnoteMaven
10. Who Put the Heads on Pez? My Cousin Curt! by Freud's Butcher
11. IGHR and historical maps AND IGHR and primary resources by The Legal Genealogist
12. Treasure Chest Thursday: Surprise Package by Past-Present-Future
13. Legacy Family Tree 8 Revealed AND Legacy Family Tree 8 Revealed - Q/A, new Tagging options, and other surprises by Legacy Family Tree
14. Jamboree 2013 ~ First Day ~ At Rose Hills by Heritage Happens
15. Legacy’s Search the Internet: Find A Grave by JLog
16. BillionGraves.com adds FamilySearch Tree Connect by Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter
17. Want Emotionally Healthy Children? Tell Family Stories - Church News and Events by Joseph B. Everett
18. Suitcases Left in New York Insane Asylum - Still Full of Belongings by The Olive Tree Genealogy
19. Did you have an ancestor who was also a great photographer? by Root, Branch and Twig

New Blog Discovery

• Sproule Genealogy

In Case You Missed Them….My Contributions to the Genealogy, Vintage Postcard, and Photo Blog Blogosphere This Week

Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog

• Thanks for Traveling Frederick! – A September 1913 Passenger List 

Grandpa's Postcards

• Watermelons For Sale ~ Trinidad, B.W.I. 
• Iguacu Falls ~ A Wonder of Brazilian Nature 

Photos By Jana

• A Pretty White Poppy

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Thanks for Traveling Frederick! – A September 1913 Passenger List

This is part of a series of posts in which I share the documents relating to the travels of Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster and his family.

S.S. Verdi Passenger List
for September, 1913
See Footnote

There he is on line 1…Frederick E. Webster, my "Traveling Dentist" great-grandfather. Where was he going this time? And why was he traveling again? In two previous posts I shared the U.S. Consular Registration Applications for the years 1917 and 1923. They were full of interesting information. They even provided the answer to why Frederick was traveling during those years.

Unfortunately, this passenger list¹ (above) doesn't give an answer to why Frederick was traveling in September of 1913. Perhaps the reason he was traveling again was to practice dentistry. That's what he stated as the purpose for his travels in both of the U.S. Consular Registration Applications.

So, what information can we glean from this passenger list?

• We already know his name, but there it is as Frederick E. Webster
• He left Santos, Brazil on September 8, 2013
• He sailed on the S.S. Verdi
• He arrived at the Port of New York on September 28, 1913
• Age – 43
• Married or Single – Married
• Date and place of birth – Athens, Ohio, February 14, 1870 (Actually his birth date was February 14, 1864. I don't know why this passenger list states his age as 43 and year of birth as 1870.)
• Address in the United States – Brooklyn, New York

I have some questions:

• Why was Frederick traveling alone?
• Where were his wife, Esther and children Carlota and Edna Lillie?
• Why was his address in the United States listed as Brooklyn, New York?
• Did he know someone there?
• Did he travel from Brooklyn to some other destination in the United States? If so, where?

Unfortunately, I may never know the answers to these questions. What I do know is that my great-grandfather, Frederick Webster, traveled a lot during his life.  And it turns out he wasn't the only member of his family who traveled.

In my next "Thanks for Traveling Frederick!" post I'll be sharing a passenger list which contains the names of two of Frederick's close family members.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

---

1 National Archives, "New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital image, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com: accessed April 15, 2013), National Archives Microfilm Publication M237, 675 rolls); Records of the U.S. Customs Service, Record Group 36; National Archives, Washington, D.C.;Year: 1913; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: 2187; Frederick E. Webster, Line: 1; Page Number: 122.^↩

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for June 7, 2013

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

1. Google Reader Demise Forces Changes at GeneaBloggers by GeneaBloggers
2. Your Cousin May Not Have Done It All by Genealogy Tip of the Day
3. CONFESSION OF AN ONLINE GENEALOGIST by West in New England
4. Friday Fotos (May 31, 2013) -- One Hundred Years Ago Today! by Filiopietism Prism
5. Ship Ahoy by Who Knew?
6. Was Great Great Great Great Grandma an Indian Princess? by Ellie's Ancestors
7. Ideas to make remembering ancestors fun for your family by Barry Ewell for the Deseret News
8. FamilySearch Family Tree Prints Pedigree Charts and Family Group Records by Genea-Musings
9. Tuesday's Tip: Share Those Stories! by Many Branches, One Tree
10. FamilySearch.org Search Futures by The Ancestry Insider
11. Simplifying Your Online Genealogy Life by The We Tree Genealogy Blog
12. La Tienda Part II AND Featured Interview on Geneartistry.com by Past-Present-Future
13. Old Homestead, New Photo, Street Address - Mappy Monday by My Ancestors and Me
14. A Guardianship Question by Begin with 'Craft'
15. Time to evaluate - my social media shakeup by Geniaus
16. Wearing Courage by Ancestors from the Attic
17. How Much Should a Man Spend on a Date? Hundred-Year-Old Advice by A Hundred Years Ago
18. Thankful Thursday: Friends On Facebook Are Extremely Helpful! by How Did I Get Here?  My Amazing Genealogy Journey?
19. Follow Friday~Disasters in our Past by Carolina Family Roots

New Blog Discoveries

• A Jewish Genealogy Journey
• Dance Skeletons
• AncestorChasing
• Jim's Girl Family History Blog
• Down In The Roots

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

• The Other Watson E. Webster

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

• Montauk Point Lighthouse – Long Island, New York

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

The Other Watson E. Webster

Remember when I told you in a previous post that my great-grandfather, Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster, had an uncle named Watson Emery Webster?  Well…this is him!

May I introduce you to Watson Emery Webster.

Watson was born on May 27, 1843 in Racine, Meigs, Ohio.  He was the third of eight children born to Moses Augustine Webster and Amanda Melvina Carlisle.

Watson was a Civil War veteran, like his brother Ebenezer.  In fact, they both served in Co. E.,74th Illinois Infantry together.

On March 3, 1864 in North Grove, Ogle, Illinois Watson married Malinda R. Eavey, daughter of Isaac D. Eavey and Caroline T. Hammond.  Watson and Malinda were the parents of two girls:

1. Carrie Estelle Webster (1865-1944)
2. Mertie Webster (1869-1885)

Watson passed away on January 26, 1882 in Des Moines, Iowa.

I will be sharing more about Watson Emery Webster's life in future posts.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

*Photo Courtesy of My 3rd Cousin Norma