Genealogist's Prayer by Sid Russell
Dear Lord, Thank You for the many blessings bestowed upon me, including those precedent ancestors who made it possible for me to follow after-To live, to love and enjoy this wonderful world. And Thank You for the curiosity that prompts this probing Pinnochio nose to poke into statistics and records, which if the people were living, would be none of my business.
Dear Lord, I ask that you will guide my questing probiscus into appropriate channels, that I may amass the facts and figures to foliate my family tree. To better understand and appreciate our lineal heritage and history. Bar me from being a bore when the unwitting ask about my intriguing hobby.
Give me the patience of Job, Lord, to withstand the frustration of barren research and to continue my sleuthing through detour and empty cul-de-sac. Let me properly indignant at those who have reached too far and included names for the prestige factor on insufficient evidence. ('Tis said that royal blood is often anemic!)
In my search, lead me not into pathways of unproductive peeking and poking as I continue (pardon the expression) "to dig up" ancestors for my opus of origin-honor my desire to know. As divinely and retroactively as possible, make my ahnentafel tree free from horse thieves, con men, and other assorted scoundrels, so that I am not skulduggery's offspring.
In my seeking as I wander among Stonehenge Cemetery rows, toward the granite marker which will bear my name and year of demise, grant me time to finish my search, one hundred years such as old Lawrence Copeland enjoyed will suffice if you can manage. Is that too much to request for one wide-eyed and curious about heretofore?
For myself and every fellow genealogist, Lord, I ask it all.
WELCOME!! This is a attempt to start a newsletter, I know everyone is very busy and cannot answer letters or do research until they reach their "down" time.
A special note on any changes to the PAF (Personal Ancestral File) file that I send out: Please send me the changes or additions on paper, if you send me the changes using PAF I cannot tell what was changed without going thru all the individual records. This would take a very long time. So please send the changes on paper. I plan on sending out the corrected copy of PAF when enough changes have been made. For those of you out there without a computer, I will send you what I can on paper.
I am currently working on the Lee lineage, and also sending for copies of birth, marriage, and death certificates on all of my direct lines. I took a beginning genealogy course earlier this year and I am still trying to get reorganized. One of these days I will complete some photographs that I have scanned into the computer and print a few in the newsletter. Another project for this fall is to send out what information that I have on the family and send it to all on the mailing list. If you have a computer please let me know so that I could just send out a disk with the information on it instead of paper. (specify IBM type or MAC, also if you have the PAF or other gedcom program.) E-Mail addresses, if you have one, please let me know.
I received a response from Denmark concerning Andersen. I am enclosing what information that was obtained from the letter. "In the town of Hjorring with 18,000 inhabitants there are more than one thousand Andersen's. Totally around a quarter of a million Danes have the surname Andersen. The Andersen name (in old time spelled Anderson) means son of Anders ( a common christian name) and was not used as a fixed surname until around the middle of last century.
Here the administrative divisions of the country is of great importance. The larger areas are called Amt (county) e.g. Hjorring Amt which form the northern part of Jutland. The 'Amt's are divided into Herred, for instance Oster Han Herred as one of the six 'Herred's in Hjorring Amt. Furthermore the Herred is divided into Sogn (parish), for instance Oland as one of the ten parishes in Oster Han Herred. So from the larger to the smaller you have Amt-Herred-Sogn. Knowledge of this administration division system is essential when using the basic genealogical records such as church parish registers and censuses.
Birth place of Johanne Christine Pedersen you stated as Osterby, Northern Jutland, Hjorring County (Amt), Denmark. However there is no parish in Hjorring Amt called Osterby (must be Osterby in Danish spelling) but two villages. The one of them on the island called Laeso and the other in parish of Oland in Oster Han Herred.
On our local archive here in Hjorring they have copies of parish registers and censuses from Hjorring Amt but unfortunately not complete. The marriage of November 28th 1869 was not to be found on the island and Peder Simonsen Pedersen and Marianne Thomsen was not in census 1845 and 1850 in parish of Oland.
The sole verification came from the mormons IGI-index of Hjorring Amt. Although lots of Johanne Christine/Kirstine Pedersen were listed one could be found married November 28th 1869 and her birth parish was stated Broust/Brovst neighboring parish of Oland. So maybe you are not far from the track. I have enclosed some information about tracing Danish ancestors."