Steve Szabados Genealogy

Family History in Colonial Records

Finding the family stories in colonial records is more challenging than using records from the 1800s and 1900s. However, I have found success by researching probate, land records, county histories, and written family histories. Be thorough in your research, and include all family members. These sources may be challenging to find but must be found and reviewed if a record or narrative could exist.

The following are some examples.

Probate

No one has found a marriage record for my 4^th great-grandparents, Peter Whittinghill and Catherine Gebhart. However, there is proof of the marriage in a probate record for her father.

The record stated, “Jacob Baylor had purchased land in 1780 from Mathias Gebhart, and the Conveyance of land had not been completed when Mathias Gabhart died in January 1798.” The bill listed the children of Mathias and stated his daughter Catherine had married Peter Whittinghill.

The most common benefit of probate records is the list of children’s names included in the wills. Another benefit is the inventory of goods, which measures the deceased’s wealth and points out areas of interest such as books or hobbies.

Land records

The following two examples show the timing of Peter Whittinghill’s moving his family from Virginia to Kentucky.

A county land record in Virginia indicated Peter Whittinghill sold his land in Rockbridge on April 5, 1796. The record also stated that Peter and Catherine were living in neighboring Amherst County at the time of the sale.

A Kentucky land record indicates Peter and Catherine purchased land in Mercer County, Kentucky, on January 26, 1798. The deed lists that Peter Whittinghill of Fayette County, Kentucky, purchased the land.

These two land records add details to Peter and Catherine’s story and also ask what they did between the two land transactions.

• What were they doing in Amherst County, Virginia?
• Did they make the 550-mile trek through the wilderness to Kentucky during the summer of 1796 or 1796?
• Knowing the beginning and end points of the journey may suggest their path.
• What were they doing in Fayette County, Kentucky, before buying the land in Mercer County?

To expand the narrative and answer these questions

• Searching for records of Catherine’s family, who may have accompanied her and Peter on their journey
• Review maps and historical trails that may indicate their route.

County History

Many county histories were published in the 1870s due to the impending Centennial celebration and are usually called “brag books.” The nickname refers to the exaggerated biographies at the back of the book that county residents submitted to the publishers. However, the historical narratives at the front of the book are based on county records and should give accurate comments about early settlers. If your ancestor was an early settler, this section may be a treasure trove of information.

I developed the following narrative from the county history, land records, and plat maps.

John Whittinghill bought land in Trisler, Kentucky, which was a few miles south of Fordsville. The county history indicates they settled on a farm on October 10, 1807, called Jones Station, and it was in the valley on the east side of the farm owned by John B. Haynes. While John built the cabin for his family on his land, they lived in a camp next to the East Fork Baptist Church, which is about two miles east of Fordsville. He also rented cleared land on the Gentry fields near Barrett’s Ferry, about eight miles away, to grow corn until he could clear his property for his crops[1]. I believe the Barrett’s Ferry land is near the present-day bridge on Highway 919 that spans the Rough River and is south of Fordsville.

Other Family Histories

Another source of family stories I use cautiously is family histories written by other researchers. Some were written in the 1800s, but most are from the 1900s. Some are more recent. I review them prudently because they may state information contradicted by recently discovered records or use confusing logic. However, I have found helpful information in most of the narratives. I have found these family histories in the Ancestry.com catalog, Familysearch.org’s Book section, and Google Books. I search using the family surname and then sort through the results for the books from the correct area and time period. I only use the information I have cross-checked with multiple sources, and it is logical.

The following example explains how I tried to sort out the family tree for my McDowell ancestors.

Various online trees list Charles McDowell with three different fathers (Thomas, Abraham, and Joseph) and three birth dates (1680, 1688, and 1697). I believe his parents were Joseph (1668) and Anne Calhoun (1655), and he was born in 1688. However, the date of his birth needs more research. I base my opinion on the following passage from Leo McDowell’s history of the McDowell Family that identifies Joseph McDowell’s parents and indicates Charles is his brother.

Charles lists his brother in his will as Joseph, who lived in Virginia and later moved to North Carolina. Other confirming details are that his brother Joseph has to be the son of Joseph McDowell and Anne Calhoun and the father of “Quaker Meadows” Joseph. This relationship fits the description of Charles being the grandfather of “Pleasant Gardens Joe” and the uncle of “Quaker Meadows Joe,” as I found in other narratives.

Exerts from “My McDowell Family” by Leo G. McDowell[2]

“Charles and Joseph McDowell came from Donegal, Province of Ulster, Ireland, lived for a time in Pennsylvania, where they landed, and from there moved to Augusta county, Virginia. This was along with Ephraim, John, Robert, and Archibald. Unquestionably, they were all related, but to what degree it is impossible to determine with exactness at this late day.

“However, we know that Charles and Joseph were brothers because in the will of Charles, which is the second oldest recorded will in Anson County, NC, he says: ‘I do leave to my well-beloved brother Joseph McDowell of Frederick county in Virginia, one brown broadcloth coat, one beaver hat, and one pair of shoe boots.”

---

[1] Obituary of John’ son Peter T. Whittinghill, The Ohio County News, HARTFORD, KENTUCKY, Wednesday, June 16, 1886

[2] Webpage: “My McDowell Family – Settling the Frontier” by Leo B. McDowell, 2000, Per Findagrave: His parents were Abraham MacDowell & Ann Colquhoun/Calhoun of Ulster, Northern Ireland

Creative writing vs. Encyclopedic statements

Excerpt from “Writing Family Histories for the Nonwriter”

The new book will be available in June 2023 on Amazon.com

My strategy for writing my family history is initially to transcribe the information from documents to summaries for each ancestor. These entries can be bullet points. They can also be sentences, but they do not have to be. This method helps me start the process and should help most people overcome their fear and reluctance to start writing their family history.

I visualize my initial entries for an ancestor as just recording information. As a result, my first entries have an encyclopedic format and could be considered boring. Here is an example:

“The baptismal record for my grandmother, Anna Chmielewska, indicates she was born on June 26, 1899, in Pierzshaly, Poland, to Aleksander Chmielewski and Julianna Zaluska.”

This format is mechanical. After using it frequently, remembering specific words, phases, and the sentence structure for each type of record is easy. Each entry begins with the name of the record type, followed by a verb such as lists, indicates, or shows. Next, enter the person’s name and then list the information in the document. Using this method, you can record the information quickly and accurately in your summaries for each ancestor because the words should flow freely. In addition, frequent use will train your eyes where to look for the information in the document.

Using summaries as your primary research document, you should update them conscientiously with more details and facts. Having all the information for an individual in one place is another benefit because it helps find further info faster. Additionally, list the information in chronological order, which will slowly tell the stories. Finally, the latest info, details, and stories will help you expand the initial encyclopedic entry into an appealing narrative. For example, here is the current entry describing my grandmother’s birth after I added details I gleaned from pictures and other documents:

“Anna was born at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 26, 1899, to Aleksander Chmielewski and Julia Zaluska in a small cottage in the farming village Przezdziecko-Pierzchaly, Polish Russia.

“In Poland, fathers choose the names of their sons, and mothers select their daughters’ names. Additionally, Polish parents often give their children saint’s names, and usually, the name is associated with the saint for the day of the birth. However, the saint’s name for June 26 was not Anna, so I do not know why my grandmother received her name.

“On the day after Anna’s birth, Aleksander put Julia and the baby onto his horse cart and led them down the dirt road three miles to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church in Andrzejewo for Anna’s baptism. Walking behind their father were Anna’s four siblings – Marianna (age 17), Boleslaw (age 14), Stefania (age 12), and Hipolit (age 6).

“Also joining the procession were Grandfather Adam Chmielewski and the godparents Franciszek and Emilia Uscinski. Emilia was Julia’s first cousin, and, as godmother, she was responsible for dressing the infant for the christening.

“Another group accompanying the family to the church included Jozef Sutkowski, age 42, and Aleksander Sutkowski, age 40, who were needed as witnesses to the birth. They were farmers in Pierzchaly and brothers to Anna’s grandmother Teodora who had died four years prior.

“Grandmother Franciszka Zaluska and other family members met them in Andrzejewo because they lived near the church.”

You may think I am taking some liberties with the creative writing in the second example, but I did not make up the details. They came from the documents and photos:

• Birth and baptismal dates – from Anna’s baptismal record
• Birthplace and location of church – from Anna’s baptismal record
• Size of the cottage – from vintage pictures of the village
• Condition of roads – from vintage photos of the area
• Origins of her name – from books on Polish customs
• The list of people attending the baptism- from birth, marriage, and death records for the friends and family of the Chmielewski family and the village of Pierzchaly
• Distance to the church – calculation from a map