The Family Tree Problem Solver: Tried-And-True Tactics for Tracing Elusive Ancestors by Marsha Hoffman Rising Read Free Book Online Page A

community where you believe your ancestor attended church. I have had two unusually good experiences with this approach. I learned from another researcher that a volunteer had transcribed the church minutes from the Rocky Springs Presbyterian Church in Highland County, Ohio, and that they were housed at the Ohio Historical Society. I had the records copied and sent to my home, where I found a record of the baptism of my second great-grandfather and the baptisms of many of those in my family. Even more delightful were the minutes, which told of the “sins” — including horseback riding on Sunday and irregular church attendance — committed by members of my family that were brought before the elders for deposition. To my delight, my third great-grandfather, John R. Strain, had to apologize more than once to the ruling elders.
    On the other hand, researching Butler County, Pennsylvania, from my home in Missouri brought nothing but frustration. Finally, on a trip there in the 1980s I visited the courthouse, which allowed me to sort out many of the dilemmas I had encountered. In addition to there being a plethora of people named Hoffman in the area, I found two men named Michael Hoffman born the same year and both married to women named Mary. However, I was most interested in finding the ancestral home and, as the naturalizations had not provided the location, I had just about given up hope. To my surprise, translated versions of the marriage, death, and baptismal records of St. Peter's Reformed Lutheran Church in Zelienople, Pennsylvania, were housed in the town's historical society. There, I found the following entry in the death records for my second great-grandfather:
    Casper Hoffman born in Breunings in Gausersan 21 December 1803; married in 1830 to Eva Boehm with whom he had six children; came in 1848 to America; died in Cranberry Township, Butler County 13 October 1872.
    What a gift! I photocopied the translations. I also copied the originals of the records, which were kept in the kitchen cabinet of the house behind the reconstructed church. Although the translation of the records was very good, it did contain at least one omission from the originals: the birthplace of my second great-grandfather. Remember that if there is one mistake in transcribed records, it is most likely to be for the ancestor that you are seeking.
    As your research moves to the frontier regions of the upper south and middle west, you will encounter the more evangelical churches, such as various sects of Methodists and Baptists. The likelihood of finding vital registration in these churches is slim. These denominations primarily kept membership rolls, and usually the most useful information you can glean from these is a death citation.
    When researchers think of church records, they usually think of the minutes or regular records of the church's proceedings and activities. Too often, denominational newspapers are over-looked. Some excellent obituaries were printed in the late nineteenth century, for ordinary church members as well as the more prominent ministers. One of the advantages of religious newspapers is that they cover a wider geographic area than local church registries. Thus, one can trace migration patterns as well as locate vital records in ancestral towns. I don't know how I would have ever found the origins of James Miller if it had not been for an obituary in a published abstract from a newspaper: 4
    James Miller died April 25 1852 at his residence at Ebenezer, Greene County in his 77th year. He was born in Shenandoah Co., Virginia and migrated to Clarke County Kentucky. He was a Methodist from early life. He moved from Kentucky to Greene County, Missouri in 1836. Left children and grandchildren.
    Another often-neglected source for vital records is religious colleges' alumni records. Figure 2-3 on the next page is an example taken from the alumni bulletin (1903) of Miami College, a Presbyterian school in Miami, Butler County,