Alvaro Borges Da Silva Madeira ~ My Maternal Great-Grandfather

Today I'd like to introduce you to my great-grandfather, Alvaro Borges Da Silva Madeira. He was born on October 5, 1859 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Joaquim Borges Da Silva and Maximiana De Sa Gomes Madeira. Joaquim was born in Madeira, Portugal and Maximiana was born in Sao Pedro, Rio Grande, Rio Grande du Sul, Brazil.

Alvaro married Rosalia Rodrigues Vasques on January 27, 1890 in Rio Grande, Rio Grande du Sul, Brazil. They were the parents of five children:

1. Maria Isabel Vasques Madeira (1890-?)
2. Agrippina Vasques Madeira (1894-?)
3. Alvaro Borges Madeira (1895-1960)
4. Lucia Vasques Madeira (1896-?)
5. Sarah Vasques Madeira (1900-1942) [My Grandmother]

According to some writing next to Alvaro's photo, Alvaro was a Naval Engineer. I'm not really sure what a Naval Engineer is or what a Naval Engineer did in Brazil during the late 1800s. I found the following definition for a Naval Engineer online.

TheFreeDictionary.com defines a Naval Engineer as

"a naval officer responsible for the operation and maintenance of the ship's engines"

So, does this mean Alvaro was in the Brazilian Navy at some point in his life? I do have another photo of Alvaro wearing what looks like a military uniform. Here it is -

What do you think? Does it look like Alvaro was wearing a military uniform in this photo?

Alvaro passed away on January 9, 1911 at 51 years of age in Rio Grande, Rio Grand du Sul, Brazil.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for October 25, 2013

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

1. Remarkable photos discovered in Civil War pension files by Laura for Fold3.com Blog
2. Caution: Link Requests Targeting Genealogy Bloggers by Thomas MacEntee, author of GeneaBloggers
3. THIS STUFF NEVER HAPPENS TO ME by Jenny Lanctot, author of Are My Roots Showing?
4. My favorite page! by Debi Austen, author of Who Knew?
5. Guide to Online Death Indexes for Chicago: Which Ones to Use When (with links) by Cynthia, author of ChicagoGenealogy: Research Insights from Study and Serendipity
6. DNA Results Leave us Gob-Smacked! AND Ancestor Look-A-Like - What's Your Story by Lorine McGinnis, author of The Olive Tree Genealogy
7. Curiosity is Allowed to Take Over by Jen Baldwin, author of Ancestral Breezes
8. Documents added to FamilySearch Photos and Stories by James Tanner, author of Genealogy's Star
9. Twitter and Today's Genealogist by Stephanie Pitcher Fishman for Archives.com
10. Military Monday (October 21, 2013) -- A Prelude to the Dorr Rebellion? Part II by John D. Tew, author of Filiopietism Prism
11. CEO Corner: 12-Millionth Source Challenge by Dennis Brimhall for FamilySearch Blog
12. Looking for beta testers by RootsMapper Blog
13. Treasure Chest Thursday: The Locket by Mary Perkinson Nelson, author of Celebrating Family Stories
14. My dad’s marker by Michele Simmons Lewis, author of Ancestoring
15. Eight Family Tree Tips to Take Away From "Genealogy Roadshow" by Diane Haddad – Genealogy Insider for Family Tree Magazine Blog
16. An Ancestral Doppelganger is Discovered! by Christine Blythe, author of Empty Nest Genealogy
17. And Now We Are Three! by Shelley Bishop, author of A Sense of Family
18. Why Are My Predicted Cousin Relationships Wrong? AND Determining Ethnicity Percentages by Roberta Estes, author of DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy
19. AncestryDNA = some known + some suprises by Deb Ruth, author of Adventures in Genealogy
20. Where Did My British Ancestry Go? by Marian Pierre-Louis

New Blog Discoveries

• Empty Nest Genealogy
• Czech Out Your Ancestors!
• imhoff.us
• The Naked Genealogist

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

Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog

• My Family Finder DNA Results Are In ~ Grandma Was Right!

Grandpa's Postcards

• Palms and Flowers in a California Residential District

Jana's Photo Journal

• Primroses and Poppies
• Our Visit to Avila Beach, California ~ Part 4

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

My Family Finder DNA Results Are In ~ Grandma Was Right!

Yep! My Grandma Willis Webster was right! Many years ago, she told my mom that my mom had Mayan ancestry. Grandma Willis was my mom's step-mother. My mom's mother died when my mom was four years old.  Grandma Willis was the only grandma I ever knew on my mom's side of the family, so to me she was simply Grandma. And she was a very sweet and loving grandma.

Anyway, as I was saying, Grandma Willis claimed that my mom had Mayan ancestry through my mom's father (my grandfather) Debs Webster. Debs' mother, Esther Matus Villatoro (pictured below) was born in Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico on September 18, 1893. She was the wife of my "Traveling Dentist" great-grandfather, Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster, who was born in Coolville, Athens, Ohio on February 14, 1864.



According to History.com (The History Channel's website),

"…the Maya were centered in one geographical block covering all of the Yucatan Peninsula and modern-day Guatemala; Belize and parts of the Mexican states of Tabasco and Chiapas; and the western part of Honduras and El Salvador."

So, while it's true that my great-grandmother was born in Chiapas, and the Maya had lived in parts of Chiapas, and my grandmother claimed that my mom had Mayan ancestry, I still wouldn't have known for sure if part of my ancestry was, in fact, Mayan. Until now. You see, I took Family Tree DNA's autosomal DNA test called Family Finder. And I'd like to share my results with you.

Family Finder DNA Test Results

Here's the Pie Chart from my Family Finder DNA Test:

See that Native American slice? That's where the Mayan ancestry is listed.

Here we have the breakdown of the results by Continent, Population, Percentage and Margin of Error.




It's kind of hard to read, so here's the transcription:

• Europe (Finnish, French, Orcadian, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Tuscan) – 79.50% – Margin  of Error:  ±1.84%
• Middle East (North African) – 12.83% – Margin of Error:  ±1.61%
• Native American (Colombian, Maya) – 7.66% – Margin of Error:  ±0.67%

My Native American ancestry is populated by both Columbian (which I don't understand) and Mayan ancestry.

And here's a handy map that was provided with the results as well:

So, what about the rest of my DNA test results?

The Europe Result

I'm not surprised by the large European percentage. My father, Jan Albert Iverson, was half Norwegian and half Swedish. His ancestors go back for generations in both Norway and Sweden. And my great-grandfather on my mom's side, Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster, a.k.a. "The Traveling Dentist," was of English ancestry.

What is intriguing is that Sweden and Norway are not listed in the population list for Europe. Hmm. Orcadian is listed and Orcadians came from the Orkney Islands. According to Wikipedia, "Orkney was invaded and forcibly annexed by Norway in 875 and settled by the Norse."

Finland borders both Sweden and Norway. According to another article in Wikipedia, "From the 12th until the start of the 19th century, Finland was a part of Sweden."

Do these facts explain how my Norwegian and Swedish ancestry is listed in this DNA test?

The Middle Eastern Result

I have to say that at first I was quite surprised by the Middle East (North African) test result. But, after doing some research, I'm not quite as surprised. My grandmother, Sarah Vasques Madeira (my mom's mother who passed away when my mom was four years old) was of Portuguese descent.

I have Portuguese ancestors from the Azores and Madeira. It's interesting to note how close those islands are to North Africa, especially the Island of Madeira. It's quite close to Morocco, which is in North Africa.



According to an article about the Portuguese Empire in Wikipedia, sailors from Portugal started to explore the coast of Africa in 1419. And the Portuguese colonized several areas around the world, including parts of Africa. Could this explain my North African DNA result?

Conclusion

So it turns out that my Grandma Willis was correct about our Mayan ancestry. Unfortunately, I can't tell her that she was right because she passed away in 1991. I am left to wonder how she knew this interesting bit of information about our family history. Did she discover this when she and my Grandpa Debs visited relatives in Chiapas, Mexico in 1955?

DNA testing is quite fascinating. But, it's just one piece of the family history puzzle. More traditional research is still needed to find and put together all of the puzzle pieces of our family histories.

By the way, I've emailed Family Tree DNA to see if they can answer my questions about why Norway and Sweden were not listed in my Population List for Europe. And I also asked them about the Middle East test result and if that was representative of my Portuguese ancestry. We'll see what they say.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for October 18, 2013

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

1. This Is Why You Don't Skip Censuses by Amy Johnson Crow for Archives.com Blog
2. Term of the day: Mitochondrial DNA by The Legal Genealogist
3. A Flower Girl’s Memories, 50 Years Later by GeneaJourneys
4. Why it's best not to be heavy-handed when it comes to digitally cropping photos by Rosehaven Cottage
5. MyHeritage and FamilySearch Enter Into a Significant Strategic Partnership by Paul G. Nauta for FamilySearch Blog
6. Beta Test of Uploading PDF Files to FamilySearch Family Tree by Genealogy's Star
7. DC Thomson Family History and FamilySearch.org Announce New Partnership by Paul G. Nauta for FamilySearch Blog
8. Major Migration Milestone Coming for new.FamilySearch.org by Ron Tanner for FamilySearch Blog
9. PAGE 12 - ORGANIZATIONS' RIBBONS by Terwilliger Souvenir Album
10. Breaking my Silence: Genealogy Roadshow by Ancestral Breezes
11. Missing Men: Lost Husband Ads in Newspapers for Genealogy by Gena Philibert-Ortega for GenealogyBank.com Blog
12. Follow-up: MyHeritage's and FamilySearch's New Strategic Partnership by Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter
13. New Japanese Indexes Soon Available by Japanese Genealogy Blog
14. The Genealogy Generation Gap - Reality or Fiction? by Thomas MacEntee for Upfront With NGS Blog
15. Life Sketch: New Feature in FamilySearch Family Tree by TheAncestorFiles
16. History Hijinx by You Are Where You Came From
17. The Open-Minded Genealogist? by The Shy Genealogist
18. SLCC Genealogy Course: Post #8 - Grandpa Had Blue Eyes! by Renee's Genealogy Blog
19. A New Suit by A Family Tapestry
20. AncestryDNA's New Ethnicity Predictions Rolling Out to Customers by Your Genetic Genealogist

New Blog Discoveries

• you don't choose your family
• Édes-Orbán Family

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

Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog

• Tech Tuesday: Rootsmapper.com ~ Ya, this is pretty cool!

Grandpa's Postcards

• Parlor, General U. S. Grant Home, Galena, Illinois

Jana's Photo Journal

• Gibson Beach ~ Point Lobos, California

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Tech Tuesday: Rootsmapper.com ~ Ya, this is pretty cool!

Magda, author of the blog, hungarianfamilyrecord.org, recently shared the website RootsMapper.com on Facebook. I checked out the website and it's pretty awesome.

What is RootsMapper and what is its purpose? The website states the following:

"The goal of RootsMapper to is to allow you to visualize the origins of your ancestors and see how they migrated. We utilize the Google Maps API to plot and link up your family tree data that is pulled directly from FamilySearch.org in real-time."

You will need a FamilySearch account to use RootsMapper. Here's the start page.



To use RootsMapper, press the blue "Login to FamilySearch" button at the top left side of the page. You will be redirected to the FamilySearch login page.




After you've signed in to FamilySearch, the magic happens.

With myself set as the Root Person, RootsMapper mapped seven generations of my ancestors' origins and migration patterns. You can set the number of generations from one to seven.

The pink lines represent maternal ancestors and the blue lines represent paternal ancestors. The pin color represents the gender of the ancestor – blue for males and pink for females. The numbers on the pins represent what generation they belong to.

Here is my map showing seven generations. I cropped the map to show where my pins landed so it would be bigger and easier to see on my blog.



Isn't this just so cool?

As you can see, my paternal ancestors (represented by those blue lines) were born in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Some of these ancestors immigrated to the United States.

My maternal ancestors (represented by the pink lines) were from several different parts of the world. Those pink lines heading out into the Atlantic Ocean are actually landing on Islands - The Archipelago of the Azores and the Island of Madeira. Some of those ancestors from Portugal immigrated to Brazil. My maternal grandfather and his family, including my mother, were born in Brazil and immigrated to the United States in 1952. Other maternal ancestors were from Mexico. And still others were from the United States.

You may have noticed that a lot of the pins on this map are overlapping each other. Not a problem! Just click on them, and they separate. You can see what that looks like in the screenshot below. Each of those pins represents an ancestor.



With the pins separated, you can click on each one to see the information for that specific ancestor. This can be helpful because I noticed that some of my ancestors were missing information. That could be a clue that I need to do more research, or that I simply need to add the missing information to FamilySearch.org.

Also, you can change the root person on your map by clicking on the ancestor's ID number in blue below their name.



On some of these ancestor information boxes, you will see a green "Expand Parents" box at the bottom right. If you click that, the map will show that ancestor's parents.



This is what happened when I clicked the "Expand Parents" button for Aaron Parsons, who was born in Massachusetts in 1737. The red arrows are pointing to the 8th generation pins that weren't there before.



When I clicked on the blue #8 pin, the ancestor information box for Aaron Parsons' father appeared. He was born in Massachusetts in 1712.



One more thing…you can also zoom in on the map to get a more detailed view of your ancestors' places of origin and migration patterns.



An important note – If you want an accurate map, it is very important to make sure the information contained in FamilySearch.org is correct.

So, what do you think? Pretty awesome right?

The website also has a helpful FAQ button on the bottom right side of the page. Have fun exploring RootsMapper.com!

Update:

Since publishing this blog post, RootsMapper.com has released version 1.0.3, which, according to their blog, includes these new features:

• You can now set the generation run to 8 instead of 7.
• There is no longer a green "Expand Parents" button. Instead there are pin icons.
• You can now view an ancestor in FamilySearch.org by clicking on the FamilySearch tree icon next to the ancestor's name.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for October 11, 2013

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

1. The Find A Grave sale AND DNA and the DAR by The Legal Genealogist
2. Step by Step Directions for dealing with a Splogger by Nutfield Genealogy
3. October is Family History Month by Steve Anderson for FamilySearch Blog
4. New Student Chapter - Utah Genealogical Association Is Growing by GeneaPress
5. Tuesday's Tip - Read Genealogy Aggregator Newsletters and Blogs to Keep Up with Genealogy News by Genea-Musings
6. A Word of Thanks: Genealogy Roadshow by Gena's Genealogy
7. Why Genealogy on TV is a Good Thing by Cyndi's List Blog
8. Interviewing Family Members – It’s Not As Easy As It Looks! by Thomas MacEntee for Saving Memories Forever
9. 142 Years Ago ~ The Great Chicago Fire by From Maine to Kentucky
10. Did you see the San Francisco episode of GENEALOGY ROADSHOW? by Circlemending
11. Ethnicity Results – True or Not? AND DNA Testing for Genealogy 101 by DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy
12. "Genealogy Roadshow" Seeks Guests for Possible Season 2 by Diane Haddad, Genealogy Insider – Family Tree Magazine
13. Resignation of Jen Baldwin by The In-Depth Genealogist
14. Spotting a Copy by Maureen A. Taylor, Photo Detective – Family Tree Magazine
15. What I Learned From Genealogy Roadshow by D. Joshua Taylor Blog
16. Introduction: Caitie Gow by Young & Savvy Genealogists
17. Understanding Your DNA Results: Comparison Charts AND YouWho - New Genealogy Website Sounds Intriguing! by The Olive Tree Genealogy
18. Re-Read what you have by A Worthington Weblog
19. Two Worthless Brothers by No Story Too Small

New Blog Discoveries

• Genealogy Lines
• Family Tree Frog
• jerseyrootsgenealogy
• Ascending the Stairs
• Deb's Delvings in Genealogy
• Leah's Family Tree
• Genealogy Puzzles
• Growing up in Willow Creek
• B&F: Jewish Genealogy and More
• D. Joshua Taylor Blog

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

Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog

• Thanks for Traveling Frederick! ~ An Emergency U.S. Passport Application from 1907

Grandpa's Postcards

• Greetings from Hollywood California

Jana's Photo Journal

• A Single Daisy

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Thanks for Traveling Frederick! ~ An Emergency U.S. Passport Application from 1907

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.

In my previous "Thanks for Traveling Frederick!" post, I mentioned a passport application filled out by my great-grandfather, Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster, a.k.a. "The Traveling Dentist." So, here it is! Frederick's passport application dated April 17, 1907.¹ He actually filled this out while he was in Mexico. The source citation states that this was an Emergency Passport Application (Issued Abroad). Hmmm. Interesting.



So, what information is contained in this passport application?

1. Frederick E. Webster stated he was a native and loyal citizen of the United States.
2. Frederick applied to the Consul at Guaymas, Mexico for a passport for himself. (Guaymas is located in the southwestern part of the Mexican state of Sonora. Why was Frederick there?)
3. Frederick was born in Athens, Ohio. (His birthplace is Coolville, Athens, Ohio.)
4. Frederick was born on February 14, 1870. (That's weird. His actual birthdate is February 14, 1864. So, why did he say he was born in 1870?)
5. Frederick stated that his father was a native born citizen of the United States.
6. Frederick stated that his permanent residence in the United States was El Paso, Texas. (Hmm. Why was he living in El Paso, Texas?)
7. Frederick's occupation was listed as a dentist. (No surprise here.)
8. Frederick stated that he left the United States on January 19, 1907.
9. He also stated that he was temporarily living in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico.
10. Frederick stated that he intended to return to the United States within eighteen months.
11. Frederick stated that he desired the passport for the purpose of traveling in South America. (This is an interesting tidbit of information. Frederick eventually ended up living in Brazil and passed away there in 1946. My grandfather Debs, who was Frederick's son, and my mother were born in Brazil.)
12. Hurray! Frederick's signature is on the document.
13. Hurray again! We get a description of the applicant (Frederick).
14. Description of Frederick E. Webster
1. Age: 37 years old
2. Stature: 5 feet 5 inches tall
3. Forehead: Very high (bald)
4. Eyes: Blue
5. Nose: Medium
6. Mouth: Large
7. Chin: Medium
8. Hair: Brown
9. Complexion: Light
10. Face: Full
15. Identifying Witness for Frederick Webster – R. M. Black from Little Rock, Arkansas (Hmm. I wonder how Frederick knew this man. Did Frederick ever travel or live in Little Rock, Arkansas? Actually, I know Frederick was in Clarendon, Arkansas in 1899. And that's not too far from Little Rock. Frederick was awarded a patent in 1899. In this patent it states that Frederick was from Clarendon, Arkansas. If you'd like to see this patent, I shared it in a blog post. You can read about it by clicking HERE. It's pretty cool. And yes, it has to do with dentistry. And there are sketches of his invention included too.)

As you can see, this emergency passport application contains a wealth of interesting information. I sure am glad my great-grandpa Frederick traveled as much as he did. Doing so has created a great paper trail for me to follow. Thanks for traveling Frederick!

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

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1 Source Citation: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; Emergency Passport Applications (Issued Abroad), 1877-1907; Collection Number: ARC Identifier 1187503 / MLR Number A1 515; NARA Series: M1834; Roll #: 21; Volume #: 35. Source Information: Ancestry.com. U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007.^↩

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for October 4, 2013

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

1. Friday Faith- Joshua Dennis by Sharing Apples from my Family Tree
2. Genealogy Joy by Mormon Missionary Mom
3. Mystery Monday: Mystery No More by Jollett Etc.
4. Using FamilySearch EXPORT function in Slovakian and Hungarian records by hungarianfamilyrecord.org
5. Victory via Google: Alfred Segree Michaels by Of Trees & Ink
6. The Ellis Island Myth by D. Joshua Taylor
7. Ohana Means Family Or Why You Should Use Facebook For Family History by Family Cherished
8. I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more AND Preview of FamilySearch's New Family Tree App AND The RootsTech Phenomenon by Genealogy's Star
9. Peeking behind the camera and production crews - GENEALOGY ROADSHOW AND Basic guidelines to select GENEALOGY ROADSHOW stories by Circlemending
10. Go ahead, ask. Might strike genealogy gold! by Adventures in Genealogy
11. FTDNA redesign: good, bad and ugly by The Legal Genealogist
12. Family History -- Memorializing Your Personal Experience of Big Events by Filiopietism Prism
13. The importance of proper preservation by Organize Your Family History
14. Bright Solid Changes its Name by The Olive Tree Genealogy
15. Getting Started on Your Genealogy: Part 1 by Heather Collins for Young & Savvy Genealogists
16. Connecting the Dots - My "AHA" Moment by Denise's Genealogy Journey
17. What did Our Ancestors Face? Settler's & Emigrant's Guides by Kimberly Powell for About.com Genealogy

New Blog Discovery

• Young & Savvy Genealogists

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

Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog

• Thanks for Traveling Frederick! ~ Esther Travels Again – From which port did Esther and her two young daughters leave this time? And where were they going?

Grandpa's Postcards

• Dining Room in Gen. U. S. Grant's Home, Galena, Illinois

Jana's Photo Journal

• Our Visit to Avila Beach, California ~ Part 3 – The Giggling Goose?…What's that?

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Thanks for Traveling Frederick! ~ Esther Travels Again

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.

Esther (Matus Villatoro) Webster

This is my maternal great-grandmother, Esther Matus Villatoro. She was married to my "Traveling Dentist" great-grandfather, Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster.

The last time I shared a travel-related document about Esther with you, she was traveling with her one-year-old daughter, Carlota. They were listed on a passenger list dated October 19, 1911.

The passenger list¹ I'm sharing with you today is dated late January - February of 1913. As of this date, Esther was the mother of two young daughters, Carlota and Edna. And these two daughters were Esther's traveling companions on the S.S. Voltaire sailing from Santos, Brazil to the Port of New York.



Here's a cropped portion of the passenger list.



What information can we glean from this passenger list?

1. Esther, Carlota, and Edna sailed on the S.S. Voltaire
2. Port of departure – Santos, Brazil
3. Date of departure – January 29, 1913
4. Port of arrival – New York, United States
5. Date of arrival – February, 1913
6. Esther's age – 19
7. Esther's sex – Female
8. Esther's marital status – Married
9. Esther's place and date of birth – El Paso, Texas in 1893 (This is incorrect. She was born in Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico. At the end of this line under the column heading "Address In United States" the correct place of birth is listed for Esther. Perhaps there was some miscommunication here. I also see another bit of incorrect information listed on this line. See the words "Husband born in Chicago, Ill." in parentheses? That is also incorrect. Frederick was born in Coolville, Athens, Ohio.)
10. Under the column heading "Address In United States," El Paso, Texas is listed in parentheses. I'm wondering if that's where they were headed to meet their husband and father, Frederick Webster, a.k.a. "The Traveling Dentist."
11. Carlota's age – 1
12. Carlota's sex – Female
13. Carlota's marital status – Single
14. Carlota's place and date of birth – It looks like US is crossed out and the correct place and date of birth are in the next column listed as Arriaga, Mexico in 1911. Also notice that in parentheses it says "Daughter of USC." I think it's safe to assume that USC stands for U.S. Citizen, not University of Southern California. Haha!
15. Edna's age – 3 months
16. Edna's sex – Female
17. Edna's marital status – Single
18. Edna's place and date of birth – Again, the correct information is listed in the next column over. She wasn't born in Mexico like her sister Carlota. Edna was born in Santos, Brazil in 1912.

As you can see from looking at the information in this document, it contained some errors. If I had only relied on this one document in my research, I would have recorded inaccurate information in my family tree. It's really important to find all the documents we can when researching our ancestors so that we can make sure the information we have for our ancestors is as accurate as possible.

It's interesting that El Paso, Texas is listed on this passenger list. I think it's quite possible that Frederick was, in fact, in El Paso, Texas and that Esther, Carlota, and Edna were meeting him there. In a passport application for Frederick dated April 17, 1907, he stated that his permanent residence at that time was El Paso, Texas. Perhaps he had ties there and returned in 1913.

I find it amazing that Esther, as a young mother, was traveling alone with two very young children. She must have had her hands full on that ship all by herself. And if she was continuing on to El Paso, Texas, she still had about 2,000 miles yet to travel with her two young daughters.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

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1 Source Citation: Year: 1913; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: 2016; Line: 1; Page Number: 142. Source Information: Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.^↩