Tricks of the Tree

  This is a great video from Lisa Cooke of the Genealogy Gems Podcast!

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YouTube - Using Google News Timeline for Genealogy & Family History
  

I know I haven’t posted to this blog in a while.  I have been quite busy.  Thought I would take the time to let everyone know what I’ve been up to.

April marked the first offering of my course, “African-American Genealogy”, available through GenClass.com.  The course is email-based, and lasts for one month.  It currently includes 8 email lessons, though we are currently putting the finishing touches on a bulleting board system and a chat room function to enrich the learning experience.

I was also accepted to Examiner.com as the National African-American Genealogy Examiner.  I have already posted two articles:

• “Alex Haley’s ROOTS revisited”
• “The genealogical value of runaway slave ads”

Many more are still to come.  I look forward to this being a long-lasting endeavor.

Also, look for two articles I have written coming in the next few issues of Family Chronicle.  The first one is called “The Sources of your Sources” and explores the importance of identifying the informant for your record sources, and using this information to judge the reliability of the source.  There are examples using the major record groups.  The second article is called “Small Worlds and Clusters” and discusses the history of the development of network theory, in terms of social networks (and I don’t mean Facebook), and how to use the current knowledge to improve your “cluster genealogy” skills.

Finally, I have taken over the reins as administrator of the Prince George’s County, Maryland, and Charles County, Maryland, Genealogy Trails websites.  I have also taken over St. Mary’s County, Maryland, but have not yet been able to update the site.  These sites are dedicated to providing free record transcriptions for the benefit of genealogists.  If you are researching any of these three counties, and have records that you would be willing to transcribe or even just donate to the site (I’ll transcribe it!), please contact me at michael.hait@hotmail.com.  I’ll appreciate all of the help I can get!

There are a few other things that I have been working on, but I have to keep them under wraps for now – I will let you know about them as soon as things are finalized!

P. S. For any philatelists (stamp collectors) out there – I have also launched a store with mostly First Day Covers from around the world – and many other stamps and covers soon to come!  Visit Hait Stamps and Covers at http://www.haitstampsandcovers.com for my fully searchable catalog.  Check back often, as I add new products on a regular basis!

This week - by sheer coincidence I am sure - the Weekly Genealogy Blogging Prompt (#12) from Thomas MacEntee's Genea-Bloggers group and the Saturday Night Genealogy Fun assignment from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings blog both have the same theme:  use your blog to work on a brickwall.

Though I have many, I will focus on one that has bothered me for years:  George L. Obaugh/Orebaugh of Augusta Co., Virginia.

To give some information on this line:  my grandmother's grandfather was Owen B. Obaugh, born 4 May 1884 in Rockingham Co., Virginia, to James A. and Mary Jane (Propes) Obaugh.  James A. Obaugh was born 27 March 1854 in Augusta Co., Virginia, according to the minister's return on his marriage to Mary Jane on 9 Sep 1880 in the same county.  Mary Jane was the daughter of David and Rebecca Virginia (Rusmisel) Propes.

James A. Obaugh was the third child of George L. and Mary (Breneman) Obaugh.  George L. Obaugh (also called Orebaugh in some records) married Mary Breneman by 1850, when they appear together in the 1850 federal census of Augusta County (as George S. Orebough).  George L. and Mary Obaugh are also named in Mary's father Abraham Breneman's will in Augusta County in 1847.

Also in Augusta County in 1850 was a George A. Orebaugh of roughly the same age, indicating the presence of at least two lines, my own and that of George A.  There was an older man named Adam Orebaugh, living with his (presumed) son Adam's family.  It is unknown whether this Adam was of the George A. or George L. Orebaugh/Obaugh line.

I have also checked the Augusta County deed indexes, and have found several involving George L., but none involving him and another Orebaugh/Obaugh.  George L. and Mary both apparently died between 1900 and 1910, though their death certificates have not yet been located.

George L. Obaugh (also called Orebaugh) was born ca. 1822 (acc. to 1850 census), 1823 (acc. to 1870 census), 1824 (acc. to 1880 census), or 1828 (acc. to 1900 census) in Virginia.  Before 1847, he married Mary Breneman, daughter of Abraham and Elizabeth Breneman.  He died after 1900, probably in Augusta Co., Virginia.

George L. and Mary (Breneman) Obaugh had the following children:

1.  Samuel Obaugh, b. ca. 1848.

2.  Sarah Obaugh, b. ca. 1851

3.  James A. Obaugh, b. 27 Mar 1854

4.  William Obaugh, b. ca. 1857

Anyone who has this family in their ancestry, please contact me!

Now, the second part of this blog is to locate records groups that may help me break down this brickwall, in the Family History Library Catalog.  A few that I see that might help are listed below:

File index to loose papers, 1745-1952

Authors
Augusta County (Virginia). County Clerk (Main Author)

Notes:  Microfilm of originals at the Augusta County courthouse, Staunton, Virginia.

Publication
Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1953

Physical
1 microfilm reel ; 35 mm.

Personal property tax lists of Augusta County, 1782-1851

Authors
Virginia. Commissioner of the Revenue (Augusta County) (Main Author)

Notes
Microfilm of original records at Virginia State Library in Richmond, Virginia.

Publication
Richmond [Virginia] : Virginia State Library, 1986

Physical
7 microfilm reel ; 35 mm.

Now, I'll be honest - I will probably not order these microfilms from the Family History Library.  Instead, since I live in Maryland, I will likely take the trip (2+ hours driving) down to the Library of Virginia in Richmond, Va., which serves as the state archives.  There are sure to be additional records available there that the FHL does not have listed.

The theme of this blog comes from Randy Seaver's blog Genea-Musings.  He challenges us to list our paternal grandmother's (father's mother) patrilineal line, that is her father's father's father's etc., in the hopes of identifying Y-DNA candidates for this line.  Since I had already decided to try to include more personal genealogy in my blog, I will start with this one.

My grandmother was Marjorie Katherine Posson (1926-2002), daughter of Clarence Posson.  She was very special to me, and I will always regret that I was out of town when she passed.  I was supposed to visit with her the night before I left, but got tied up with other things, and told her I would come see her as soon as I got back.  It was the last time I spoke with her.  My grandma was the one who first got me into genealogy back when I was about 8 or 9 years old, and (as you may know) it has since become a passion.

I have used the Ahnentafel numbers for this line.

5.  Marjorie Katherine Posson (1926-2002)

10.  Clarence Posson (1898-1973)

20.  Fred Posson (1871-1954)

40.  William Henry Harrison Posson (1840-1906)  Civil War veteran - went to Rockford, Illinois with cousin Henry Posson - enlisted in Co. G, 45th Illinois Volunteers - moved to West Berne

80.  William Posson (1800-?)

160.  Peter Posson  (1771-?)

320.  Peter Posson  (1739-?)

640.  Conrad Posson

As for a Y-DNA line, my grandmother does have a brother, and he is still living, so I will not put his name here, but maybe I can talk him into a Y-DNA test?  Who knows?

Michael