Ruth Maxine Cooper

With Brenda's help I completed a life story of RUTH MAXINE COOPER entitled "Mother in Zion".  If you are a family member and want to download a PDF copy of the story to your computer or your ipod, ipad or other electronic device for viewing or to print your own copy, please send me an email and I will give you the link to Drop Box to be able to do that.  Only family members will be permitted to download the story.

Sarah ??????

Sarah ????  PID L443-4PT

Download the documents related to Sarah and familiarize yourself with what we know. 
A good place to start looking is in Moniteau, Missouri.  She was alive and with the family in 1850, but was not there in the 1860 census nor in the Probate record for her husband Samuel McDonald in 1869. 
Look for marriage records for Samuel McDonald and Sarah ???? married about 1822 probably Moniteau, Missouri.  You might look to see what was happening in Moniteau, Missouri in 1820---were there white men even living there at that time?  What were the migration routes---look there.
If you can solve this mystery, it will open up a huge amount of descendancy research.

Charles C. Conway

Charles C. Conway:  PID  R9-WL9

Father of Jane Conway (wife of John Odle). 
Please download my documents and document extract to familiarize yourself with what we know at this time.  Charles C. Conway died in Moniteau, Missouri.  His probate mentions Jane, the wife of John Odle so we have a pretty definite connection to Charles C. Conway as our direct ancestor, but we need more information to be able to resolve a major looping problem in nFs.  The looping results because Charles C. Conway father's name was likely Charles C. Conway.  People have him sealed to the wrong spouse.  Elizabeth Roberson is shown as both his wife and his mother.  There isn't much reason to try to resolve the looping until we have documentation to justify our request.   Let me know what you find.

David's Searchology

This is a spreadsheet with macros to facilitate research on the web.  The spreadsheet was prepared by David.  Give it a try!
GENEALOGYSEARCHOLOGY

Research Forms

As you do research it is a good idea to use some method to keep track of your records.  Many different kinds are available.

I use xcel spreadsheets to good advantage for this purpose because of their ability to sort by any desired order in 3 levels of search (or more if you are using a later version of xcel) and because it is easy to do searches.

If I am searching in a given geographic area for example, I will copy every person I find into a spreadsheet with documentation.  Later as I continue to research it is very easy to find people later by sorting or searching.

Here is a link to my blank research forms.

RESEARCH FORMS

Why I do genealogy

Family History efforts can be both fun and frustrating.  I worked for years off and on and in 2000 I started searching for my ancestors in earnest because I wanted to take those names to the Temple.  I searched in vain and one night I threw my papers across the room, closed my computer down and told the Lord I was done.  That night I slept peacefully and in the morning as clear as a bell I had these thoughts which have motivated me ever since.
1.  "The worth of souls is great in the sight of God.  If I should labor all the days of my life and bring save it be one soul into the Kingdom of God--it is worth the effort--great shall be my joy".  Family history research is difficult, but worth it!
2.  Because of the miracle of newfamilysearch, I can join with others to present a Book Worthy of All Acceptation of the Lord.  That is, I can start with myself and go back one person at a time improving the pedigree of the family of Adam.  This means, that even if the Temple ordinances are completed I can go one person at a time doing the following:

• Correcting incorrect information in nfs
• Adding new "events" and documentation to each event in nfs
• Putting a "Watch" on those people I do research on so I can begin to collaborate with others.

3.  Learn as much as I can about each person going back in my pedigree.  Things about their life, the events of history of the times in which they lived, and the forces that were moving my ancestors for here to there.  When I die, I will know something about my ancestors and be anxious to converse with them.

Also, I believe participating in family history work, sparks the Spirit of Elijah in my life and the lives of my children.  I and my children will have greatter faith in God and be more willing to keep his commandments becuase we will want to be worthy to receive inspiration and to be able to participate in the saving ordinances in the Temple.
So why do I do family history research:

1. Because of the worth of the souls of my ancestors as well as my own.
2. To assist in preparing a record worthy of acceptation to the Lord.
3. To increase my knowledge of and appreciation history, places, and people of times past.
4. Because I know I and my children will be more worthy and faithful by participating in this work.

General Suggestions

Here are some ideas for you to help our family history.

1. One of the best things you can do is INDEXING.  It is suited to those with little time line devote to family history and is a geniune help that you can feel good about.  It is something that youth can do particularly.
2. Keep a personal journal.
3. Start a blogsite to post pictures and other family information.
4. Learn how to use PAF, Rootsmagic, Legacy, AncestralQuest or other genealogy software
5. Start with yourself on nFs and go one person at a time up the pedigree tree adding at least one source/documentation for the information on each person up the line.  If all of us were doing that, we would collectively be improving our lines a little at a time.  QUALITY is important.  Put a WATCH in nFs so you know when people are changing nFs.
6. Do research on our family lines.  See discussion below.

RESEARCH:  Click on a family you would like to research to take you to the page on this blogsite that speaks about that person.  You will find suggestions for that particular person or family---what we have found so far and suggestions what to look for next.

Favorite Internet Sites

The following are my favorite online genealogical research sites divided by area of interest.
    GENERAL   This is a sheet listing most of my research sites
    familysearch.org  This is the LDS church site.  Millions of records are added each week
    Ancestry.com  Subscription site well worth it's cost if you do research every week.
    Familysearch.org  (a free site which adds milliions of records every week)
    findagrave.com   ( good place to find headstones)
    usgenweb.com   Select the US state you are interested in and search their records

Where Do I begin?

If you are new to genealogy research you might try these sites to help you get started.  Don't get in a hurry.  Have fun along the way.  It is not a race.  If you are willing, you will learn more than you ever thought possible about your ancestors, the country they lived in, the forces that moved people around.  Their lives will put your own trials in perspective.
           How to begin a search?
           Classes for the Beginner
           Free Online Classes


If you would like my suggestion as to where to begin, see RESEARCH TOPICS of this blog site.  A good place to begin is to do INDEXING.

Documents

You can download these files from my Skydrive MSN account without permission or my knowlege.
Document Index  This is a spreadsheet listing people I have found in my various documents.  You can download the spreadsheet and sort alphabetically by person to see what documents I have.
Gencom file   This is a gencom of my personal family pedigree.
Family research research files:  These are spreadsheets of a timeline and document extract for the families I am researching.

You can also download a copy of any document in my file from my dropbox account.  Just send me a request so I can send you an email with a request to join Dropbox.
wallace_haws@msn.com

Indexing

Indexing is a service provided by people of all faiths all over the world to digitize the records in the granite vaults in Salt Lake City.  The extracted records are added to Family Search and are becoming a very valuable research tool.  Everyone interested in contributing to family history research should do indexing and most everyone will find it a rewarding activity.

Here is a link to get you started.  INDEXING

Grandma Haws is a regular indexer every day.  Can you keep up with her?  ( I will be posting her scores when I have a chance to talk to her next).

John Odle

John Odle PID:L7JJ-FBV

John Odle was born 1800 in Indiana.  He married Jane Conway in Indiana then moved to Moniteau, Missouri.  Using GPS coordinates of property owned by John Odle's son, John C. Odle, Edith and I located an old home when we visited Missouri in June 2010.  We had a wonderful time, but the location where John Odle and his wife Jane Conway died and were buried remains a mystery as does the name of the parents of John Odle.  You may review the timeline for the family and documents I have found so far under "Hotlinks".  At the present there is a lot of confusion as to who his father is.  Some sources on nfs, Ancestry.com and others say his father is John Odle and his mother is Nancy Moore, however no-one offers any documentation so I find it difficult to swallow yet.

I corresponded with Jack MacDonald who seemed to know a lot of information on the question of John's parents, but he does not have any documents to share.  He has posted an interesting PDF with a summary of research and a long list of documentation at the end of the document, but without giving a repository, page number or film number.    ODELL FAMILY     The following are records you might want to search for first.

1. Randolph County, Indiana, 1818-1990 compiled by the Randolph Historical Society. 
2. Ross County, Ohio families.  Vol. II.  Compiled by the Ross County Genealogical Society.
3. Tax Records, Ross Co., OH  (1808-1830)

I found mention of a possible record of a marriage for JOHN ODLE and NANCY MOORE in Jefferson Co., Tennessee (license date) November 21, 1797.  As usual though, the person did not give an documentation for the source.  It is worth checking out though.

19 Nov 2011 I just found a very interesting site listing a lot of information for the John Odle/Nancy Moore connection WITH documentation.  Worth checking out!  JOHN/NANCY

20 Nov 2011 I found another great site for Odles.  ODLEFAMILY

Online Storage of Information

There are a number of ways to store information online.  I have chosen to use Dropbox.com and Skydrive a service of MSN.com My genealogical files are referenced under the  "Hotlinks" tab at the right.    These files amount to my off-computer backup of my files.