Fun New Feature on FamilySearch ~ Compare-a-Face

There's a fun new feature on FamilySearch. It's called Compare-a-Face. And it's really cool. It compares photos of you with photos of your ancestors.

Here's what the feature looks like on my FamilySearch home page.

Simply click on "Try Compare-a-Face"

and you will see the next screen where you can upload your photo, or photos. As you can see, I uploaded several different photos of myself.

Here are some of my results with two of the photos I uploaded:

Comparing photos with my maternal great-grandmother, Esther Matus Villatoro.

Comparing photos with my paternal grandmother, Ingrid Anna Gillberg.

Comparing photos with my maternal grandmother, Sarah Vasques Madeira.

Comparing photos with my Mom.

Comparing photos with my Dad, Jan Albert Iverson.

See the ancestor photos at the top of the page? To compare with another ancestor, just click on one of their photos.

This shows my photo compared with the photo of my 3rd great-grandmother, Amanda Melvina Carlisle.

See where it says "List" with the arrow at the top left of the page? Click on that and it takes you to a list of your matches.

You can also upload more photos.

It was fun and interesting to compare photos of myself with photos of my ancestors. If you'd like to give this fun new feature a try, click on the link below.

FamilySearch Compare-a-Face

Thanks for stopping by!

Jana

© 2018 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

Mary and Albert Webster ~ Why did they die only weeks apart?

While researching my maternal 2nd great-grandfather, Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster, on Ancestry.com, I found something that really struck me. I was looking at the LifeStory feature for Ebenezer, and found the following entries. (LifeStory is basically a narrative of an ancestor's life in a timeline format.)

Within about 2 weeks time, Ebenezer lost both his daughter, Mary Alice, and his younger brother, Albert.

Mary Alice passed away when she was only 2-1/2 years of age on 8 March 1862. Albert passed away when he was only 3 years of age on 22 February 1862.

Albert Gallitan Byers Webster was the son of my 3rd great-grandparents, Moses Augustine Webster and Amanda Melvina Carlisle.

Mary Alice the eldest child born to Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster and Cynthia Maria Waterman. Cynthia was expecting their second child when Mary passed away. In October of that same year, she gave birth to their second child, a little girl they named Lura Elizabeth.

Albert was the seventh of eight children born to Moses and Amanda. Unfortunately, Albert was not their only child who passed away at young ages. Only four of their eight children reached adulthood. I've written about two of these children in previous posts: Wednesday's Child ~ Remembering Asbury and Wednesday's Child ~ Remembering Fred Lincoln Webster, Asbury's Brother. I still need to write about Mary Irene Webster, who passed away when she was almost three years old.

Albert and Mary passed away only two weeks and one day apart. They both lived with their families in Winnebago, Illinois. I wonder what happened. Why did each of them die? Was there an outbreak of some kind of illness in the community or was there an illness isolated to these two families? Hopefully I will be able to find out the causes of death for Mary and Albert in the future.

It's so beneficial to use timelines when researching ancestors. These tools can provide a more complete and richer context about their lives. Thank you Ancestry.com for your LifeStory feature on your website!

Note: A comment brought to my attention that the timeline may be a bit confusing. Under both dates in the round circles on the left side it says "AGE 23" which refers to Ebenezer's age at the time his daughter and brother passed away.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jana

© 2016 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

52 Ancestors: #29 ~ Basil Marion Webster, Another Uncle of "The Traveling Dentist"

This is part of the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" Challenge begun by Amy Johnson Crow, author of the blog No Story Too Small.

Basil Marion Webster

Last week, I introduced you to George Washington Webster, who was an uncle of my great-grandfather, Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster, a.k.a. "The Traveling Dentist" here on my blog.

Today I'd like to introduce you to another of Frederick's uncles, Basil Marion Webster.

Basil was born on 22 January 1848 in Racine, Meigs, Ohio to his parents Moses Augustine Webster and Amanda Melvina Carlisle.

As I mentioned in last week's post about George Washington Webster, my great-grandfather, Frederick, apparently lived with three of his paternal uncles at some time during his life. Basil Marion Webster was one of these uncles that Frederick lived with.¹

Basil married Kittie B. Burnett, daughter of Isaac G. Burnett and Rebecca B. Bryant, on 15 July 1869 in Blairstown, Benton, Iowa.

Basil and Kittie were the parents of two children:

1. Carl Gordon Webster (1870-1871)
2. Nellie Webster (1872-1960)

According to the History and Genealogy of the Governor John Webster Family of Connecticut,² Basil was a banker and had previously been a physician.

Basil lived most of his life in Iowa. He passed away on 6 March 1919 in Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie, Iowa at 71 years of age. He was buried in Walnut Hill Cemetery in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 Hand-written history of places Frederick lived during his life. It was written in Portuguese and most likely written by Debs Warren Webster, Frederick's son.^↩

2 Webster, William Holcomb, and Melville Reuben Webster. History and Genealogy of the Gov. John Webster Family of Connecticut, with Numerous Portraits and Illustrations. 1st ed. Vol. 2. Rochester, New York: E. R. Andrews Printing, 1915. 1184. Print.^↩

52 Ancestors: #28 ~ George Washington Webster, Uncle of "The Traveling Dentist"

This is part of the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" Challenge begun by Amy Johnson Crow, author of the blog No Story Too Small.



In last week's 52 Ancestors post, I introduced you to my 3rd great-grandfather, Moses Augustine Webster.

Today I'd like to introduce you to one of Moses' sons, George Washington Webster.

George was born on 8 September 1845 in Racine, Meigs, Ohio to his parents, Moses Augustine Webster and Amanda Melvina Carlisle. George's oldest brother was my 2nd great-grandfather, Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster. As such, he was an uncle to Ebenezer's son, and my great-grandfather, Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster, a.k.a. "The Traveling Dentist" here on my blog.

For some reason, my great-grandfather, Frederick, spent some time living with three of his father's brothers during his youth. George was one of those uncles that Frederick lived with. I don't know why Frederick lived at the homes of his three uncles, but it was very nice of them to let him live with them.¹

George Washington Webster married two times. First he married Josephine Hannah Bliss on 7 February 1868 in Blairstown, Benton, Iowa. George and Josephine were the parents of one child, a daughter named Josephine Augusta Webster, who was born on 21 November 1868 in Benton County, Iowa. Sadly, George's wife, Josephine Hannah passed away on 8 December 1868, just seventeen days after she gave birth to their daughter Josephine Augusta.

George married a second time. He married the younger sister of his first wife. Her name was Georgiana Bliss. George and Georgiana were married on 23 February 1870 in Blairstown, Benton, Iowa.

George and Georgiana were the parents of seven children, five of whom were living at the time the 1900 U.S. census was taken. Unfortunately, I don't know the name of one of the children who passed away.

George and Georgiana's children:

1. Georgiana Maie Webster (1872-1950)
2. Nettie Ann Webster (1882-1892)
3. Mary Grace Webster (1884-?)
4. Myrtle Amanda Webster (1886-1892)
5. Reverend Joyce Basil Webster (1891-1974)
6. Blaine Bliss Webster (1893-1969)
7. Unknown Child (died before 1900)

Through census records, I've learned that during his lifetime George lived in Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, and finally Oklahoma. George was listed as a farmer in the 1870, 1880, 1900, and 1910 censuses. In the 1920 census, George didn't have an occupation listed. He was seventy-four years old at the time the 1920 census was taken.

George passed away on 11 March 1927 in Luther, Oklahoma at eighty-one years of age. He was buried at Pond Creek Cemetery in Pond Creek, Oklahoma.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 Hand-written history of places Frederick lived during his life. It was written in Portuguese and most likely written by Debs Warren Webster, Frederick's son.^↩

52 Ancestors: #27 ~ Moses Augustine Webster

This is part of the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" Challenge begun by Amy Johnson Crow, author of the blog No Story Too Small.

In last week's 52 Ancestors post, I introduced you to my maternal great-granduncle, Frank Summers Webster, who was one of the brothers of my great-grandfather, Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster, a.k.a. "The Traveling Dentist" here on my blog.

Today I'd like to introduce you to Frank and Frederick's paternal grandfather, and my maternal 3rd great-grandfather, Moses Augustine Webster.

This is a picture of Moses that was found in a photo album that belonged to my 2nd great-grandfather, Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster. Ebenezer was Moses' oldest son. In an earlier 52 Ancestors post, I shared pictures of Ebenezer's photo album. If you'd like to see these pictures, click HERE.

Here's the page from Ebenezer's photo album that contained the photo of Moses.



I think it's so cool to see Ebenezer's handwriting on this page. He wrote, "My Father M A Webster."

Moses Augustine Webster was born on 25 September 1811 in Columbia, New York to Augustine Webster and Mary Tyler. He married Amanda Melvina Carlisle on 9 July 1835 in Meigs County, Ohio.¹

Moses and Amanda were the parents of eight children:

1. Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster (11 August 1838 – 6 May 1915) [my 2nd great-grandfather]
2. Asbury Bateman Webster (20 October 1840 – 2 December 1849)
3. Watson Emery Webster (27 May 1843 – 26 January 1882)
4. George Washington Webster (8 September 1845 – 11 March 1927)
5. Basil Marion Webster (22 January 1848 – 6 March 1919)
6. Mary Irene (Irena) Webster (28 April 1850 – 11 February 1853)
7. Albert Gallitan Byers Webster (26 September 1858 – 22 February 1862)
8. Fred Lincoln Webster (28 October 1863 – 21 August 1877)

Moses Augustine Webster passed away on 14 May 1885 in Marysville, Marshall, Kansas at 73 years of age.²

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 ]"Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-18059-120369-5?cc=1614804&wc=M94Q-K4F:1317686713 : accessed 09 Jan 2014), Meigs > Marriage records 1819-1852 vol 1. ^↩
2 Webster, William Holcomb, and Melville Reuben Webster. "Chapter 26." History and Genealogy of the Gov. John Webster Family of Connecticut. 1st ed. Vol. 1. Rochester, NY: E.R. Andrews Print., 1915. 618. Print.^↩

52 Ancestors: #2 ~ Amanda Melvina Carlisle

This is part of the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" Challenge begun by Amy Johnson Crow, author of the blog No Story Too Small.



This is a photo of Amanda Melvina Carlisle, my maternal 3rd great-grandmother. Doesn't she have a sweet face? She looks like she was a kind and gentle woman.

Amanda was born on 31 October 1819 in Ohio. On 9 July 1835, she married my 3rd great-grandfather, Moses Augustine Webster, in Meigs County, Ohio. Here is their marriage record.¹



Moses and Amanda were the parents of eight children:

1. Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster (11 August 1838 – 6 May 1915) [my 2nd great-grandfather]
2. Asbury Bateman Webster (20 October 1840 – 2 December 1849)
3. Watson Emery Webster (27 May 1843 – 26 January 1882)
4. George Washington Webster (8 September 1845 – 11 March 1927)
5. Basil Marion Webster (22 January 1848 – 6 March 1919)
6. Mary Irene (Irena) Webster (28 April 1850 – 11 February 1853)
7. Albert Gallitan Byers Webster (26 September 1858 – 22 February 1862)
8. Fred Lincoln Webster (28 October 1863 – 21 August 1877)

I wish the marriage record for Moses and Amanda had listed Amanda's parents, because that's been a bit of a brick wall for me. Just who were Amanda's parents?

According to the History And Genealogy of the Gov. John Webster Family of Connecticut,² Amanda's parents were Basil and Arena Carlisle. Unfortunately, there aren't any sources listed in the book to prove this information.

I've also seen Amanda's parents listed as Basil Carlisle and Nancy Burnes on some Ancestry.com family trees.

Amanda passed away on 29 September 1871 in Blairstown, Benton, Iowa. I wondered if her death certificate would help me find out who her parents were, but it turns out that pre-1904 death certificates in Iowa don't list the parents of the decedent.

So, it looks like I will have to find other records to prove just who Amanda's parents really were.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-18059-120369-5?cc=1614804&wc=M94Q-K4F:1317686713 : accessed 09 Jan 2014), Meigs > Marriage records 1819-1852 vol 1.^↩

2 Webster, William Holcomb, and Melville Reuben Webster. "Chapter 26." History and Genealogy of the Gov. John Webster Family of Connecticut. 1st ed. Vol. 1. Rochester, NY: E.R. Andrews Print., 1915. 618. Print.^↩

Tombstone Tuesday–Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster

Photo by Dave Avery 2010 from Findagrave.com

This is the tombstone of my 2nd great-grandfather, Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster. He was born on 11 August 1838 in Racine, Meigs, Ohio and died 6 May 1915 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Ebenezer's parents were Moses Augustine Webster and Amanda Melvina Carlisle.

Ebenezer married Cynthia Maria Waterman on 25 July 1858 in Athens, Ohio. Cynthia was the daughter of Asher Waterman and Bathsheba Paulk. I first introduced you to Asher Waterman in my post Sunday's Obituary - Asher Waterman.

Ebenezer and Cynthia were the parents of six children, one of whom was my "Traveling Dentist" Great-Grandfather Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster. I introduced the rest of Ebenezer's and Cynthia's children in my post The Webster Brothers.

Ebenezer served in the U.S. Civil War in Company E of the 74th Illinois Infantry. He didn’t serve for very long and was discharged due to health problems.

I found this interesting document on Ancestry.com. It's a page from the U.S. Civil War Draft Registration Records.  Ebenezer is listed on line 18.  It states that Ebenezer had six months of former military service. This reflects his previous service during the Civil War. He first enlisted on 7 August 1862 and was discharged for disability on 18 February 1863.



Source Citation: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Consolidated Lists of Civil War Draft Registration Records (Provost Marshal General's Bureau; Consolidated Enrollment Lists, 1863-1865); Record Group: 110, Records of the Provost Marshal General's Bureau (Civil War); Collection Name: Consolidated Enrollment Lists, 1863-1865 (Civil War Union Draft Records); ARC Identifier: 4213514; Archive Volume Number: 2 of 3.

Source Information:

Ancestry.com. U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

I have Ebenezer’s Civil War Pension File and will be posting more about him in a future post.

Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster's FindaGrave Memorial

Thanks for reading!


Copyright © Jana Last 2012