Genealogical Investigation

GENEALOGICAL INVESTIGATION. BY EDWIN JAQTJETT SELLERS, ESQ. AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BEFORE THE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA , AT THE ANNUAL MEETING , MARCH 2, 1925. - G S P Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : When I received the invitation to deliver the Annual Address I hesitated before accepting as I doubted whether I could say anything that would be of sufficient interest to an audience of experienced genealogists. I found it difficult to select a subject. I decided to confine my remarks to a few observations and comments concerning genealogical investigation. Let me, therefore, crave indulgence for any personal experience to which I may refer as explanatory of my remarks. Genealogical investigation today may be conducted under much different conditions than years ago. Genealogical work was very little pursued in our country until comparatively recently, for prior to about 1850 very few genealogies appeared , and there were very few works which the genealogist might consult. In those days compilers were obliged to rely chiefly upon original records for their information , although , of course, they were able to elaborate with biographi cal allusions. The work , however, was attended with much labor, visiting places to consult records, visiting graveyards to copy epitaphs, searching the parish registers and traveling to consult members of a family for information. Today we are aided by the publication of many printed gen ealogies. There are indexes to genealogical works, ' county and local histories have been printed , the number of historical and genealogical libraries has increased , and almost every library throughout the country has collected genealogical works. Many hereditary societies have been formed and have published synopses of wills, parish registers and other works of use to the genealogist. The lineages of the members of these societies alone constitute a great number of lines of ancestry amplified by dates and references that are as valuable as the meagre charts given by the heralds in the Visitations. f 120 ) 1924 Copyright The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania PGM Vol IX Genealogical Investigation. 121 Take, for instance, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania’s large collection of genealogical works, both American and Brit ish , not to mention those of other countries. We should greatly appreciate this rich collection which exceeds so greatly works relating to merely the history of Pennsylvania. That Society has shown a generous spirit in placating those who are inter ested in genealogy. History is the account of individuals. The modern genealogy is a work of which the historian has need and where he can find in exact form the information he often desires The genealo gist of today includes in his work much historical matter, as pedigrees are no longer mere statements of vital statistics. The historian and the genealogist, therefore, have much in common and are of great assistance to each other. Consider what a valuable collection is provided by our Gene alogical Society It is a manuscript collection , beautifully and clearly written , bound substantially and usually indexed , We have synopses of wills of many counties, parish registers copied and indexed , manuscript pedigrees, collections of genealogica 1 papers and other information of assistance to the genealogist The collection is well catalogued and the Society publishes a magazine which is a credit not only to our Society but of assist ance to the members of cognate societies. One can very quickly examine the volume of wills or the numerous parish registers, in consequence o'f their indexes, and information that has been sought for years may often readily be found . Often have we thought that the dues paid by us vrere fully compensated by the finding of a single date or the establishment of a marriage long sought for. Our Society is most satisfactorily carrying out its purposes. We should feel that our dues are a contribution to the field of genealogy and to the preservation of our ancestries for posterity. The photostat equipment recently acquired by the Society has been of great assistance and the members are now enabled to obtain exact copies of material that would have been most diffi cult to copy and have required much labor Fortunately , quite a number of libraries are obtaining these machines and one can very soon obtain and at a small cost copies of material that heretofore required much time to copy Recently I obtained from the Bolton Library in England photostats of newspaper clippings of an account of the Bradshaw family of Bradshaw that had not been printed in any other - - . - - P . S . G - - . , 1924 Copyright The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania . PGM Vol IX Genealogical Investigation. 122 work. It was .interesting to find that in England families have been printed in the newspapers just as they have been here. The accounts of Old Philadelphia Families, compiled by Frank Willing Leach, Esq , constitute a valuable and most interesting collection. Most, if not all, of the states have published their state records or archives and information from the earliest settlement has been made accessible Still, with all the aid that has been placed at our disposal , the genealogist has difficuly often in consequence of lost parish registers. Early wills have fallen from the dilapidated books in which they were recorded. Epitaphs have become effaced and tombstones sunken. Heretofore, it had been customary to compile a complete gen ealogy of a family, giving all the descendants from the settler. This, undoubtedly, was of great use to the family but a genealogy of that kind may involve a life work , at least, many years of great labor The printing of this sort of family history is expensive. The compiler of such a work often gives the best attention to his own branch and is apt to accept the information given him of the collateral branches as correct, without personal verifica tion , the consequence being that errors are often found in these branches and the reputation of the author suffers accordingly. It is quite a responsibility to gratuitously print the ancestry of others and one should be as careful concerning their branches as of his own . Possibly a more selfish method , but a very fascinating one, is to trace the allied ancestry, that is the lineal ancestry of all the families from which one descends. This is very interesting, especially to Americans, on account of their different nationalities. One has more chance of finding distinguished ancestors, and , of course, for those who desire to join hereditary societies , more opportunity of finding qualifying ancestors. In running out these allied lines, connecting links, or evi dences establishing the connection of the settler with a family abroad , are often conclusively proved and the compiling of the further ancestry is very interesting Connecting links, however, should be well authenticated . The pleasure of a pedigree is its reliability. Often circumstantial evidence may suggest very forcibly the establishment of a connection abroad but later it is found that the former in ference or conclusion is untenable It is safest , therefore, to . . P - . G S - . . 1924 Copyright The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania PGM Vol IX Genealogical I nvestigation. 123 strive to establish a connecting link by positive proof , for al though the compiler may feel satisfied as to the reasonableness of his theory , the public is more skeptical. Connecting links, of course, may be established by positive statements but rhere are circumstances which may lead to the establishment of the connection. For instance, property acquired by the settler may be named after a place This often leads to finding the baptism of the settler in the parish of that place or to the mention of his name in a will of someone of that . locality. As an instance, Alexander Draper, of Sussex County, Dela ware, named a tract of land “ Little Bolton ” and, in another reference, he gave his age in a deposition. Upon examining the register of Bolton parish, in Lancashire, I found his baptism and that he was born the same year mentioned in the deposi tion. Two circumstances, therefore, were required, the name of his land and his age as given in the deposition. Sometimes the will of the settler will mention a relative abroad , which often enables the connection to be made. The great number of genealogical works issued of late years are of the greatest assistance to those seeking to establish a connecting link. The works, of course, we are more familiar with are the English. Indexes of many of the wills in England have been printed, parish record societies have published many parish registers, county histories have given hundreds of pedigrees, and many authors have published works containing the pedi grees of numerous families. The Victoria County History of Lancashire is a wonderful work , having been compiled from original records. It is important that the social status of the settler should agree with that of the family with which connection is sought. Often a name appearing in the Visitation pedigrees agrees with that of the settler but upon careful consideration it will be found that it does not agree as to age and the social status is quite different. Places in England not only gave name to founders of manor ial families but also to persons of merely yeomanry rank. The latter descend in the same vicinity with the manorial families but it is difficult to establish the connection The wi ls of the yeomen may be found of several generations but often the wills of the gentry cannot. This is evidently due to the fact that the landed gentry relied greatly upon the various modes of convey- S P - G - . 1924 Copyright The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania PGM Vol IX 124 Genealogical Investigation. . Estates were entailed and land descended to the heirs. ancing Family settlements were made and properties were leased for long terms. Instances may be found in early deeds of testamentary disposition being included . The religious persuasion of the settler should also be consid ered , for a Roman Catholic settler was not apt to have been the son of a Protestant. Dr. Tymen Stidham , Surgeon of the Swedish Colony, men tioned in his will that he was of Hammel which Dr. Amandus Johnson says is Hammal, north of Sundsvall, Sweden. The allusion in the will enabled Dr. Johnson to locate Dr. Stid ham’s family in Sweden . An interesting marriage that took place at Swedesboro, New Jersey, was that of Baron Isaac Baner who married the grand daughter of Governor Jean Paul Jaquet. Baner was a grandson of Count General John Baner who succeeded King Gustavus Adolphus in command of the Swedish armies. After Baron Isaac Baner’s death , his wife and children went to Swfeden , and some years ago, when I visited Stockholm , I found at the Rid darhus ( Knights’ House ) an old pedigree of the Baner family which mentioned the marriage of Baron Isaac Baner and Maria Jaquett and the names of their children and the marriages of the latter with prominent noble families. The care of record ing such matters was thus apparent. In the Chamber of Nobles, at the Riddarhus, was a large table, at the head of which was the chair in which Gustavus Adolphus had presided. On the walls, placed together like large tiles, were the coats of arms of all the Swedish nobles and on the wall back of Gustavus’ chair were the Baner arms quar tered with those of Chancellor Axel Oxenstjerna. The pedi grees of all the noble families were preserved in vaults. I mention the foregoing as merely an interesting incident of the history of the early Swedes. Dr Johnson delivered an address a few years ago before the Swedish Society in which he gave an account of the archives or records to be found in Sweden likely to contain references to the Swedes who settled here. His scholarly work The Swedish Settlements on the Delaware is most interesting. At the capital of each of the provinces of Holland the archives are kept under the care of an archivist who is always a well informed genealogist. The records are well preserved and of early date. The genealogical material found is often quite elab- - P - G S - - - . 1924 Copyright The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania PGM Vol IX 125 Genealogical Investigation. . S P orate Certificates may be found of persona arriving from other places concerning their position and integrity. Depositions of descent were frequently made by persons of rank which contain considerable information. As an instance, the father of Maria de Carpentier, wife of Governor Jean Paul Jacquet, made a statement in which he gave an account of the ancestry of him self and wife and the marriages of all his children, mentioning the marriage of his daughter to Jaquet in Brazil and the dates of birth of their children. This was one of the most elaborate connecting links I have ever seen. The account mentioned Jacquet as Commissary in Brazil. Often those in the service of the Dutch Government may be found in several of the colonies. Just as Jaquet came here from Brazil and became Vice- Director and Chief Magistrate of the Colonies on the Delaware, so Jacob Alrichs, who was Director and Commissary-General of New Amsterdam , was previously a Director of the Dutch administration in Brazil.* I visited the offices of the Archivists at Arnhem and Dord recht, some years ago, and obtained considerable genealogical information. The Council of the Nobility in Holland , at the Hague, meets just as formerly at Stockholm , and the pedigrees of the patrician families are preserved in similar manner. Histories of the provinces and town histories contain many pedigrees and the libraries have many works of genealogical character. The works are frequently illustrated with engraved portraits A few years ago I presented to the Historical Society a num ber of Dutch genealogical works which those interested in Dutch ancestry will find quite useful. One of these was the History of Gelderland by Arend van Slichtenhorst, Arnhem , 1654 This work is quite rare, the only other known copy in this country being in Yale University Library, Slichtenhorst’s brother Brant Arentse Slichtenhorst was appointed Director of the Colony of Rensselaerwyck in 1646 A Dutch genealogy of the de Witt Family of Holland , accompanied with an English translation , will be found in the manuscript books presented by me to your Society, It is interesting in the Dutch cities to see the heraldric colors of a family painted on the shutters of the houses In Dor drecht, adjoining houses of the de Witt and de Carpentier fami lies, who were related , had the shutters of both houses so G . . . . - painted . 1924 Copyright The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania PGM Vol IX 126 Genealogical Investigation . I visited the old manor town of Culenburg, the seat of the Lords van Culenburg. This visit was especially interesting in view of Governor Jaquet’ s mother -in - law having been Sophia van Culenburg and of the family of that place. Heraldry appears to have received much attention in Hol land. Many of the cities have large sheets engraved with the arms of the prominent families. The work of Rietstap is well known and it is of the greatest value that the edition in progress illustrates all the arms given in the Armorial. An interesting work , in connection with Holland is the Ecclesiastical History of the State of New York which refers to certain Dutch Protestants who went to England during the Spanish rule of the Netherlands. A few years ago I visited Weinheim , Germany, where my Sellers ancestor was Burgomaster in 1686. The pew of the church he attended was shown me and I visited the town hall where he presided. 'his place had its local historian and his account supplied me with considerable information . My visit to Niiremburg was equally interesting. Jean Paul Jaquet was born there, his grandfather having come there from Geneva . The latter was buried in St. Sebald’s Church and , as this Church subsequently constituted part of the Germanic Museum , he is buried in the centre of that institution , A German work of considerable interest is Siebemaclier’s heraldric work , edition of 1856, consisting of many volumes and annotated with genealogical information , the original edition of 1609 having been quite a small book. The Swiss records are well preserved and are of early date. The late Mr. Louis Dufour - Vernes, State Archivist at Geneva , made an index of all names appearing in the records. I was much pleased in finding that this gentleman had compiled a genealogy of the Jaquet family published in 1884 , in Notices Genealogiques sur les Families Genevoisest Vol. V. I received much information from him relating to the family. Switzerland has produced many genealogical works and the heraldric works are of the highest standard, many of them beautifully illuminated and containing genealogical annotations. The archives throughout the country are quite similar to con ditions existing in Holland. The Church registers are of early G S P - date. 1924 Copyright The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania PGM Vol IX Genealogical Investigation. 127 The entries in the parish registers of Europe contain com plimentary allusions and are quite in contrast with the abrupt entries of the English registers. In France marriage contracts were drawn up by notaries. These frequently contain allusions to relatives and properties and are of considerable genealogical value. Illustrations of such contracts may be seen in my Genealogy of the Jaudon Family. Many valuable manuscript genealogies may be found at the Bibliotheque Nationale at Paris, in addition to the printed works to be found. A work frequently mentioned is Histoire Genealogique dee Pais Bas ou Histoire de Cambray et du Cambresis by Jean le Carpen tier. Leiden, 1664 This work, of which have a copy , gives the early names of many French families and their arms and is filled with genealogical information The two volumes are quite scarce. Agnew’s Protestant Exiles from France, as its name suggests, mentions many Huguenots. Coming to the consideration of British records, those of Scot land differ from England. Prior to 1874 a Scotchman couldn’ t bequeath his land , which could only be disposed of by deed which , after his death , was registered and gave title to the heir An interesting Scotch work I might mention is the last edi tion of Douglas’ Peerage, edited by J. Balfour Paul, Lyon King at Arms, a work of many volumes. The branches of the younger sons are given and genealogical information is there found that had not been previously published. It is a most useful reference work. Concerning investigation in England , the small book of the late J. Henry Lea, Esq., Genealogical Research in England, Scotland and Ireland , published in 1906, is of great assistance. Space doesn’ t permit of mention of the many important works published and , of course, most of you are very familiar with them. I might refer, however, to the printed parish reg isters, lists of marriages, and indexes to wills that have issued of late years. Marshall’ s Guide to Genealogists is indispensable The His torical Society has most of the works referred to and many others can be found in the other libraries of our city. The Free Library has a duplicate card catalogue of the Library of Congress and many books may be found there that cannot be - , . P . S - . G - - . 1924 Copyright The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania - PGM Vol IX Genealogical Investigation. 128 obtained here, By sending references to Washington photostats can be obtained The Library of Congress has published a catalogue of all English and American Genealogies possessed by it which can be obtained for one dollar. This work adds few descriptive words to the titles. It is important to consult the Complete Peerage when con sidering such families for many corrections have been made of the accounts given in previous works and much information added. Concerning the Royal families, Anderson’s, Beth am’s and Huber’s Royal Genealogies are of great value, but the French work V Art de verifier Us dates should always be consulted for verification. This work gives accounts of many European fam ilies that are difficult to find elsewhere. The Historical Society has many valuable works on English Heraldry. A few years ago it acquired a collection of English Rolls of Arms, about 65 large sheets, containing several thou sand illuminated arms, arranged according to the kings’ reigns, showing their antiquity, and under each shield is the name of the person who bore them. This collection is of great value in connection with the general armories. It was surprising to find how many incorrect arms had been placed on the margins of the replica of the Magna Charta, Mr. Charles H Browning and I verified the arms of the sureties to this ancient document and we wore enabled to determine the correct arms, which are placed on the certificate of membership of the Order of Runnemede. A copy of the late Judge Penny packer’s certificate may be seen on the wall near Dr, Mont gomery ’s office, at the Historical Society. The discovery of the inaccurate arms on the replica of the Magna Charta shows the necessity of the greatest care in determining arms of even distinguished persons of an early date, and the collection of rolls previously mentioned is an invaluable aid. A most useful work on Heraldry is the Alphabetical Dictionary of Coats of Arms, by John W. Papworth , edited by Alfred W. Morant, London, 1874. This work consists of analyses of British arms, classified according to their symbols, by means of which one can readily identify a coat of arms and thus ob tain the name of the family entitled to them. The Introduc tion explains the method Each arms had certain initials S P . G . - - . 1924 Copyright The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania - PGM Vol IX Genealogical Investigation. 129 appended , referring to the authority for the arms, thus show ing their antiquity and authenticity. It is the only key to deciphering of arms I know of . The citation of authorities in genealogical compilation is most essential, for without them a work remains to be verified Unfortunately, many of the prominent early authors omitted authorities and one has great difficulty to prove the accuracy of their publications. A pedigree may not be as positively established as one might wish , but if it be shown that the authorities cited establish the possibility, possibly the probability, of the descent claimed , the pedigree is apt to be accepted. In concluding I might only add that our chief aim in genealogical investigation should be to establish a truthful descent . G S P . 1924 Copyright The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania PGM Vol IX