Thank you for your very kind note and excellent work.
I was very touched at the mention of 1620 names.

FLORIDA: WPA Church Records (http://www.floridamemory.com/collections/churchrecords/)

GEORGIA: Georgia’s Virtual Vault (http://cdm.sos.state.ga.us:8888/)

HAWAII: Genealogy Indexes for marriages, divorces, deaths and citizenship (http://ulukau.org/gsdl2.7/cgi-bin/algene)

IDAHO: Idaho Biographies (http://history.idaho.gov/idaho-biographical-index)

ILLINOIS: Illinois State Archives – IRAD (http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/IRAD/iradregn.html)

INDIANA: Periodical Source Index – (https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Periodical_Source_Index_(PERSI)

IOWA: Iowa Biographies – (http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~iabiog/)

KANSAS: Kansas Historical Society Names Index (http://www.kshs.org/p/genealogy-combined-names-search/15899)

KENTUCKY: Kentucky Biographies – (http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kygenweb/kybiog/index.html)

LOUISIANA: Acadian-Cajun Genealogy – (www.acadian.org) or (http://www.acadian-cajun.com/)

1st day of Christmas my true friends gave to me – Genealogy records for our tree

2nd day of Christmas my true friends gave to me – Two down unders loved
Australia
New Zealand
*See familysearch.org

3rd day of Christmas my true friends gave to me – Three islands’ kin
Guam
Micronesia
Samoa
*See familysearch.org

4th day of Christmas my true friends gave to me – Four calling words
Cote d’loire
Ghana
South Africa
Zimbabwe
*See familysearch.org

5th day of Christmas my true friends gave to me – Five Golden Kings
United Kingdom and Irish Collections

Vital Records
Irish Civil Registration – over 21 million
Births - over 70 million
Marriages – over 20 million
Deaths – over 15 million
Census
England and Wales– 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911
Scotland – 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891
Parish Registers and more for Bristol, Cheshire, Cornwall, Derbyshire, Durham, Dorset,
Essex, Kent, Lancashire, Norfolk, Northumberland, Plymouth, Warwickshire,
West Devon, Westminster, Yorkshire. Also, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands

Irish Estate Court Files, Prison Registers and Tithe Applotment Books

Miscellaneous records
*See Familysearch.org
*See Pricegen.com Resources / Links to over 500 important databases

6th day of Christmas my true friends gave to me – Six records staying
Census
Birth
Marriage
Death Records
Catholic Church Records
Miscellaneous
….for the Mexican states of:

Baja California, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, Distrito Federal, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacan, Morelos, Mexico, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla,Queretaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Sonora, Tabaso, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Yucatan, Zacatecas
*See Familysearch.org

7th day of Christmas my true friends gave to me – Seven Asians’ brimming
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Korea
Philippines
Sri Lanka
*See familysearch.org

8th day of Christmas my true friends gave to me – Eight records building
Civil
Church
Military
Immigration
Emigration
Census
Estate
Miscellaneous records
…for the European countries of:

Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Gibraltar, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine
*See familysearch.org

9th day of Christmas my true friends gave to me – Nine provinces branching
Canadian provinces of:

British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan
*See familysearch.org

10th day of Christmas my true friends gave to me – Ten countries leaping
South American countries of:

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
*See familysearch.org

11th day of Christmas my true friends gave to me – Eleven Typers Typing
Central and South American Countries of:

Bahamas, Barbados, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico
*See familysearch.org

12th day of Christmas my true friends gave to me – Twelve image groups coming
Birth, Marriage, Death, Census, Church, Military, Land, Probate, Court, Cemetery, Naturalization, Immigration for….
All 50 states except Alaska
*See familysearch.org Historical Records Collection
*See wiki.familysearch.org Digital Records Collections

It might also be fun to know that besides being excellent genealogical researchers, they have wonderful personalities and are quite fun to know. At a recent activity we learned some little known true facts such as………

She swam with sea turtles
He climbed inside one of the pyriamids at Giza
He drove up a volcano in South America
She rode a camel in Africa
He is a helicopter pilot
He ran four marathons
He swam in the North Sea
George Washington saved their ancestor’s life during the Revolutionary War
She used to be a figure skating instructor
She spent time working at an archeological dig site
He participated in a Christian CHurch service held ina Mosque in Bethlehem with a Jewish person lighting the candles.
She read every word of War and Peace and loved it
She once worked a graveyard shift as a pastrami-hanger and wiener-peeler at a Meat company
She traveled to three places on her bucket list.
She camped next to Loch Ness

Usually, it takes a combination of these sources to find where the family actually originated as can be seen in this research story…….

Thomas Schneider’s obituary stated he was from the village of Dorf Schorenburg in Scheswig Holstein, Germany.  Shouts of HOORAY dim quickly when this particular place cannot be found in the German gazetteers.  So, back to the drawing board.  A check of the 1900 census showed that Thomas immigrated in 1877.  A sister (named in his obituary) and her husband who are living in the same town as Thomas in 1900 also state they immigrated in 1877.  Thomas’ mother is enumerated in his family on the same 1900 census and her immgration date was 1880.  Thomas’ brother, Herman, (also named in his obituary) has an immigration date of 1880.  Armed with this information, the Ship Passenger Lists were searched for these individuals.  These are fully indexed and found at at some websites. As it turns out, Thomas and his sister with her husband are on the same ship…in 1877…..entering the port of New York and departing from the port of Hamburg.  Thomas’ mother, along with his father, another sister and the brother Herman are on another ship….in 1880…also entering the port of New York and departing from the port of Hamburg. YES!  Hamburg!  Now to the Hamburg Passenger Lists which are generally very easy to navigate, once a general date of departure and the name of the ship is known, which was found on the Ship Passenger Lists.    Thomas, his sister and brother in law are quickly found in these valuable lists with Thomas stating his last residence was Kiel and his sister and husband stating they were last living in Schönberg, Holstein.  Thomas’ parents with their daughter and son were also found in the Hamburg lists for 1880 and all of them state they were from Schönberg in Holstein.   There are more than one villages named Schönberg, but only one that is close to the larger city of Kiel.   Now, remember the obituary.  Where did it state Thomas was from?  Schorenburg, quite likely the same place as Schönberg with an Americanized pronunciation.  Thus, the family of Thomas Schneider is most likely from the town of Schönberg and so the German parish records may now be searched for their baptisms and marriages.

Note that it took more than one source to track down this town of origin.  Check all possible sources and you may find that home sweet home of your ancestor.

“When the material arrived we had a houseful of company. I was frustrated that I could not view it any sooner. What is very helpful are the pedigree charts that you include…I do want to continue with more work…I still have more lost ancestors. You may be doing this for some time!
When we finish one line then another and another. I will appreciate a fully complete pedigree chart for as far as we can go…You do a wonderful job. I am having fun learning about them, thanks to your diligent efforts.”

As a practically life long researcher, I have discovered that the more research that is done, the more likely cousins will be found who also share the passion of family history.  And the wonderful thing is that they are all friendly and fun!  The following expresses the joy in finding living family through researching those who have gone on before.

Hi Rick,

Thanks so much for all this. I can’t tell you what an impact you’ve had on my wife’s family. My father in law can’t get over it. It’s amazing that he probably has a bunch of living first cousins that he never knew about. If you have any suggestions about how we might go about finding them, please let me know. 

“Friends Pay Last Tribute “

“Funeral Services for Deceased Attorney Held at Residence on East Fourth Street.  The large concourse of friends which attended the last rites for the late RWM, yesterday afternoon, marked the high esteem in which the deceased was held.

An Appreciation.  (The following ‘Appreciation’ written by Judge Peter J. Blosser, by request, was read by Rev. A. b. Riker during the funeral service:)

“No early clinging, No lingering gaze,

No strife at parting, No sore amaze;

But sweetly, gently, He passed away

From the world’s dim twilight, To endless day.”

In the death of RWM this community has lost a sterling citizen; the Ross County bar, a prominent member; his family a loving, devoted and wise counselor; and many friends an incomparable companion.

Through a long line of substantial ancestry came an inherent honesty and a patriotism amounting almost to a religion.  He always sponsored any cause which he believed to be the good of the community the state, or the country.

Well educated and well read, he had clear cut and original ideas on all matters of government, politics and topics of the day.  When, through careful reading and fair reasoning, he arrived at a conclusion, he remained true to his convictions.  He did not listen with a kindly ear to many of the new fangled ideas of government which have been advanced from time to time.  He clung to, and was a strong advocate of those sound fundamental principals upon which the forefathers founded the nation.

Having a pleasing personality, an alert mind and an unusual gift of wit and repartee, he possessed the qualities of a great trial lawyer. And although he did not specialize as an advocate he acquitted himself with great credit when he appeared in court in that capacity.  Of a retiring nature he did not devote himself to this branch of the law, though, had he done so he would, no doubt, have ranked second to none as a trial lawyer.

While recognized as a good lawyer, a man of many interests, and a public spirited citizen in full sympathy with all movements for the upbuilding and betterment of the community, it is in the capacity of kind friend and cheerful companion that he will be most deeply missed and most happily remembered.

By his many acts of kindness, his delight in helping others, his optimistic spirit and his gentle sarcasm he lightened the burdens of others.  He was a good man, and, in the larger sense a true Christian.  “For inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

For years the younger members of the bar have not hesitated to apply to him for counsel and advice, and it was always freely and cheerfully given.  It seemed to be a pleasure and a privilege for him to lend a helping hand.

He was most interesting conversationalist and charming companion.  With his keen sense of humor, ready wit, cheerful disposition and abundant store of anecdotes, he possessed a rare combination of qualities which make up an unusual and delightful personality.

His outstanding characteristics were honesty and fidelity – fidelity to duty, to friends and to any trust, however large or small.  Those who have enjoyed his friendship can testify to his loyalty – unswerving under all conditions and circumstances.  After the death of his wife eight years ago, nothing could be more beautiful than this devotion to his son as a fatherly adviser and brotherly companion.

So while RWM has gone to his eternal reward, he has left an everlasting legacy of good deeds and pleasant memories, and his spirit lives on.

‘To live in hearts we leave behind, is not to die.’”