Volume 17-4, Winter: Programs & Events

Information provided by Mary Jane Law, Program Chairman.

January 10, 2005
Metes and Bounds
Peter Bradish

February 14, 2005
Civil War Prisons-Andersonville
Barbara Maloney

March 14, 2005
Thana Cottrell

Biographies

Peter Bradish,
Pete is our incoming President and will be speaking on METES AND BOUNDS. You will find his bio. in later pages.

If you had ancestors who came through one of the original 13 colonies and stayed long enough to own land, just knowing this fact doesn’t tell you all you can learn. Plotting and locating ancestral property will likely tell much more including clues to their family origins. Find out how, that it’s not hard, and what family history you might find.

Barbara Maloney
Will be speaking on the “Dove” at Andersonville. You will find a Bio at this page.

Andersonville was one of the many prisons during the Civil War. Two of my family, of the 32nd. Maine Reg., died there. There is a “Dove” on top of Lewis’s grave. Who put it

(17-4) Genealogy Classes

The BGS will present a newly designed beginner’s course in genealogical research and family history. The course will begin on Thursday, 20 Jan. 2005, in the Central Brevard Library n Cocoa and will be held each Thurs. for 6 weeks. Each class will b held from 9:30 to 11:30. Students will be expected to begin to research and record their own family history during the course. Fee is $10.00 which will include course notes and supplies.


GENEALOGY NEWS

GSNB, TITUSVILLE, FL.: Programs for 2005

4 Jan. Marion Harrison; Finding those elusive immigrants ancestors who did not pass through Ellis Island- Part 2
1 Feb. Connie Bradish; Cemetery markers –history and photo tips
1 Mar. Micheal Boostra; Genealogical generosities using GenWeb
5 Apr. Ben Dubose; Benedict Arnold
3 May Barbara Maloney; Andersonville Prison
7 Jun, Dave Stewart; Copyright Laws
Contact President Patrick Bowers at phbowere@covad.net


THE GREAT OUTDOORS GENEALOGY CLUB

TGO was formed Feb. 2004.Officers were Pres. Fred Davies, V.P., Don Greuey, Sec. Elaine Custer, Tres. Judy Grogg. They have 16 members, The mission statement is “ to Share Information and Researching Techniques” meetings will be the Third Fri. of each mo from Nov. to April, meeting in the Hobbyland in the Great Outdoors, at 11A.M. Fred Davies started the club and taught classes in Jan. 2004, unfortunately Fred passed away in Oct.
For more information contact Don Greuey at GREUEY@MSN.COM

(17-4) Information from fliers

January 8, 2005
HELEN F.M.LEARY,
C.G., C.G.L., F.A.S.G., F.N.G.S.

AVOIDING DEAD ENDS, Part 1
Birth, Death, and Marriage
AVOIDING DEAD ENDS, Part 2
Identity and Relationships
SPOTLIGHT ON THE RECORDS
Getting Them to Tell Us Everything They Know

Genealogy Society of Flagler County
Palm Coast, Fl. $30.00.
Contact JUANITA ADAMS 386-446-9508
juanitaa@pcfl.net


February 26.2005
ROGER P. MINERT, PH.D., A.G.

GERMANIC FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH
Church and Civil Records in Germany
Communicating With Agencies & Individuals in Europe
Deciphering Handwriting

Martin County Genealogical Society
Port St. Lucie, Fl. $30.00/$35.00
Contact: 772-220-1638
www.rootsweb.com/~flmcgs/

(17-4) The Presidents Messages

OUTGOING PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

2004 is almost over. The year started off with some wonderful publicity for our Beginning Genealogy classes and for our Cemetery Project, photographing the grave stones at Hilltop Cemetery in Cocoa.

This year the three genealogical societies in Brevard County joined in adopting the USGenNet web site. Posting information on this web site continues to be an important project for BGS.
Our year was disrupted by Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne and many of us are still picking up the pieces and trying to get our lives back to normal.

It has been a real pleasure to have served as President of the Brevard Genealogical Society for the last two years. The job has been made easier by my hard working fellow officers and board members. My personal thanks to each one of them and to all the members who have taken on part of the job of running the society.

Vera Booksh Zimmerman ...December 9, 2004

INCOMING PRESIDENT

Hello everyone,

As your new president I am designating 2005 to be the year of our members. Members are our society, and the focus this year is on you. More on that in a moment.

Shortly we will be enjoying the holiday season and welcoming in the new year. Dotty Rosales is new to holding a position in our society and will be your new Vice President and Program Chairman for 2005. The responsibilities of these two positions go together so please spend a few moments welcoming her. Please make any suggestions you may have which could give her ideas on what you would like to see presented in our coming meetings. I'm sure she will appreciate learning of your interests since the primary goal of our society is to educate our members on genealogical topics.

For 2005 I'd like to encourage each and everyone one of you to get to know several other members of our society whom you haven't met or known well in the past. Walking up and introducing yourself to a stranger at a society meeting may be hard for you, but try it. Chances are you will find someone who shares a genealogical interest with you. You won't find out if you don't give it a try. The worst that will happen is you will have gained a new acquaintance and probable friend.

Also take a little time to get to know your society leadership better as well. You already know a little about some of us because you see and hear us up front at each meeting giving our reports and making announcements. On the other hand, we don't get much of a chance to learn more about you because all we see is a sea of faces while we are up in front of you. Taking care of society business frequently brings us into contact with other officers but not often with members, certainly not often enough. But, we want to learn more about you, our members. The board has discussed the subject extensively this fall and we have all agreed we don't know our members well enough. We are all friendly and easy to approach, so don't be afraid to speak to an officer or committee chairman when you see one. You can expect us to enjoy and appreciate your effort. We want to get to know you.

For the time being, happy ancestor hunting and take care.

Peter Bradish

(17-4) Library News

Joan Bullard

We are expanding our collection for German research by purchasing the series “MAP GUIDE TO GERMEN PARISH REGISTERS.” This series will help you identify the parish where your ancestor went to church based on where they lived. If the parish has been microfilmed by the LDS Library, it will list the microfilm number. These books contain much information to help the researcher. We have the following books so far in the library: Grandduchy of Hessen, Grandduchy of Baden, Grandduchies of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Province of Schleswig-Holstein-Kingdom of Prussia and Grandduchyof Oldenburg, Kingdom of Wurttemberg 2 vols.

New books to our Florida Collection are: ORANGE CO. MARRIAGES Vols. 1-3, EARLY SETTLERS OF ORANGE CO., ORLANDO CITY DIRECTORY 1915, ORANGE CO. GAZETTEER, and BUSINESS DIRECTORY 1887, and OAK HILL CEMETERY in Osceola Co.


Michael Boonstra

The Library also now has an online subscription to NewEngland ancestors.org from NEHGS. This is a huge database with a focus on New England records and ancestry. Town records, church records, manuscript collection, photographs,ect. Available at Cocoa only.

(17-4) THE SHAPBELL'S

Brevard Genealogy Society Members Receive Florida State Genealogy Society Pioneer Awards

Two members of the Brevard Genealogy Society received awards at the 28th Annual Conference of the Florida State Genealogy Society (FSGS) held November 12-13 in Melbourne, Florida.

Betty Shapbell obtained two Florida Pioneer Descendant Certificate (State) which is given to any person, who provides documentary proof satisfactory to the committee, establishing a solid chain of evidence that they have an ancestor who settled in Florida (present boundaries) before the state was admitted to the Union on 3 March 1845. One of Betty’s certificates was awarded for her great, great grandfather, Henry DECAUSEY, son of Vard DECAUSEY and Catherine BILES who was born on 8 April 1823 in Thomas County, Georgia. The other certificate was for Henry’s wife, Elizabeth CONE.

She found first evidence of Henry being in Florida when he married Elizabeth CONE, daughter of Arnold CONE and Elizabeth TANNER, on 31 October 1844 in Jefferson County, Florida. All of Henry and Elizabeth’s children were born in Florida. Henry, age 27, is listed in the 1850 U.S. Federal Census as living in Jefferson County, with wife Elizabeth, age 23; daughter Elizabeth, age 5; daughter Sarah, age 4; daughter Mary, age 2; and twin daughters, Amanda and Martha, ages 6 months. Henry obtained a land grant on February 3, 1854 in Jefferson County, FL.

Henry and his wife, Elizabeth, are both buried in the Oakland Cemetery, west of Perry, Florida. Henry died on 21 September 1900 and Elizabeth died on 25 September 1900. Most of the DECAUSEY descendants are also buried in this cemetery.

An unusual aspect of the evidence submitted was that all the ancestral lines used for proof was through the female sides of the families.

Bill Shapbell received two Florida Pioneer Researcher Certificates, given to anyone who has successfully completed the research on behalf of a Descendant, to establish a new, previously undocumented Pioneer. Bill was awarded his certificates for the research done on Betty’s ancestors, Henry DECAUSEY and his wife, Elizabeth CONE.

(17-4) Genealogy Humor

Genealogy Humor:

Susie Lee fell in love. She planned to marry Joe. She was so happy about it all, she told her Pappy so.
Pappy told her,”Suzy gal, you’ll have to find another; I’d just as soon yer Maw don’t know, but Joe is your half-brother.
So Suzy fergot about her Joe, and planned to marry Will. But after tellin’ Pappy this, he said,”There’s trouble still.”
“Ye can’t marry Will, my gal;an’don’t tell ye mother, cause Will an’ Joe an’ several mo’ I know is yer half-brother.”
But Mama knew---and said,” My chile, jis’do what makes you happy. Marry Will or marry Joe—you ain’t no kin to Pappy.

INFLATION CALCULATORS
Nancy Sieck, G.S.N.B.

In our research many of us have collected will and estate papers. In many of these papers we have seen where an auditor has been assigned to evaluate the worth of the estate. We see where items are listed and the values seem insignificant. What we almost all fail to consider is the economics of the times.

One way to put the value of items in perspective is to use an inflation calculator. One such calculator is available on the internet. www.westegg.com/inflation. There you can calculate any given amount of money for inflation between 1800 and 2002. This is based on the Consumer Price Index. You enter the amount of money, the initial year and the year for which you want the inflation adjusted value.

I have printed some for those of you who do not have internet access, please ask me and I will get them to you.

(17-4) HICKAM FIELD, DECEMBER 7, 1941 [PART 1] by Jim Fulton

On 17 July 1939, at age 18, I enlisted at Philadelphia for the Army Air Corps in Hawaii. The bunks on the Army transport “Republic” were swarming with bedbugs so I slept on the cold steel deck from Brooklyn to Honolulu. The Army Air Corps was turning over Luke Field on Ford Island in the middle of Pearl Harbor to the Navy and moving to the new Hickam Field. I spent about six months building the Hickam base gym/theatre with salvaged lumber from Luke. Learned a lot about carpentry and how to ride a jack-hammer. Was then assigned to the Hickam crash boat crew for a few weeks until they saw I’d never make a sailor. They sent me to the 23rd Bombardment Squadron on 1 Feb. 1940. I asked for radio operator/mechanic’s school at Wheeler Field. The night we graduated, got drunk on blackberry brandy, outside the hanger we slept in on canvas cots. Didn’t realize my “buddies” had put a 2x4 under my mattress till the next morning. Fortunately got sick-as-a-dog, and haven’t been drunk since.


Back at the 23rd, I was assigned to a B-18 crew on flight duty. I loved flying and the pay was great: $31.50 per month, rather than the base pay of $21.00. Perhaps six months before 7 Dec. 1941 the 23rd Bomb got the new B-17 “Flying Fortress”.


Peacetime in Hawaii was pretty nice. Got to be a pretty good radio operator//mechanic. Aerial gunnery practice was fun. I Though I did more than my fair share of KP. We body-surfed, over in the big waves, near Bellows Field, and at Nanakuli. Roller skated in Waikiki and up at Wahiawa near Wheeler Field. Great Mango milkshakes, in Waikiki. The worse aspect of Island life was the shortage of girls. Tried Hotel Street--- once. A two-week R&R in Hilo on the Big Island was paradise —if I hadn’t missed a phone call, I might have married a beautiful (really) Portuguese girl over there.


Just before the was, a few draftees showed up at Hickam. One was a former piano player with one of the big bands. He’d play Boogie=Woogie in the mess hall every morning. Man!! I’d stay till the last minute, then run like hell for the flight line, getting there just before takeoff, until the day Crew Chief T/Sgt. Joe Anselmi told me” One more time and you’re grounded.”


Our C. O., “Blondie” Saunders, was a West Point All-American tackle, and we’d have follow him anywhere.


Two weeks before 7 Dec. the entire island was placed on alert. Our planes were parked close together so that they could be better guarded against sabotage. On Sat. morning Dec. 6, the alert was called off and we turned in our weapons. Many guys headed for Honolulu. About six o’clock on Sunday morning I was awakened by several distant explosions from the direction of Ft. Kamehameha, the Coast Artillery base just east of the mouth of Pearl Harbor, and thought it unusual that they were practice-firing on a Sunday. Decided to skip breakfast and just lay in the sack. Awhile later, my dozing ended when there was the sound of diving planes and many very loud explosions over toward Pearl Harbor. Now we wondered why the Navy was practicing on Sunday—they never had before. We all ran to our windows on the top floor of the barracks. When we saw black smoke billowing up from Pearl, we knew something was wrong. A fighter plane came in at rooftop level. There was a big red ball painted on the side--- someone shouted “That’s a Dutch Plane” but we quickly realized it was JAPANESE.


The PILOT WAS CALMLY LOOKING FROM SIDE TO SIDE,. I FELT THAT OUR EYES MET, TWENTY YARDS APART. Fortunately he wasn’t firing—we’d have gone down like ducks in a shooting gallery... TO BE CONTINUED NEXT ISSUE...

(17-4) NEW OFFICERS 2005

Volume 17, Issue 4 Winter 2004


GET TO KNOW OUR NEW OFFICERS

PRESIDENT: Peter Bradish

Pete joined Brevard Genealogy Society in late 1996, where he was at once made Research Chairman, the position he is now setting aside to be our President. His family names are Bradish and Earnest. Pete’s expertise is the application of Technology for Genealogical Research. He writes often for Everton’s Family History, has taught classes on photographing Cemetery monuments. He started to work on Genealogy after his wife Connie took him to the National Archives in Washington, DC.

Peter is the incoming President of the Brevard Genealogical Society. He and his wife Connie are on the road in a motor coach 8 months of the year in retirement seeing friends, relatives and North America, doing genealogy research, writing magazine articles, giving seminars and attending RV rallies. They are members of NGS, NEHGS, NYGBS, and several local societies in the United States and Britain. To contact Pete by Email: bradish @ attglobal.net


VICE PRESIDENT/PROGRAM COORDINATOR: Dolly Rosales

Dolly is a new member joining us in 2003 and never has held an office. She is researching in the areas of Iowa, New York and Nebraska, with the family name of Dunscombe. She started working in Genealogy when she started working on her father’s name. Dolly has some wonderful programs set up for us this year. Dolly enjoys authoring DVD videos.
To contact Dolly by email: rrosales @ cfl.rr.com


SECRETARY: Betty Eichhorn

Betty had joined BGS by April 1995, and held many positions during her years with us. She has started the Cemetery Project, taught classes on immigration, and will be teaching classes in Jan. of 2005.

Betty was born on Long Island NY but was raised in south Florida, mainly in Miami and Coral Gables. She attended the Univ. of Miami one semester but that was too expensive ($200.00 per semester). So when her twin brothers graduated two years after she did, the family move to Gainesville and the three of them attended the Univ. of Florida ($75.00 per semester). They all graduated from there in the same year. With a degree in mathematics, Betty went to work at the Cape doing data analysis on the Navaho, Thor and Minuteman guidance systems. She married her boss's boss while on the Minuteman project. The project was moved to California and they declined to follow it. Instead they opened a camping, canoeing, and backpacking store in Cocoa and after 15 years, they closed it and retired. Now they can take long trips and they have. Betty has been active in Audubon, Florida Trail Association, the Civil War Round Table, the garden club and BGS. She began researching her family in 1994. All of her ancestors arrived in the U. S. in the mid 1800s and settled in NY. Betty’s father's German grandfather had a farm in College Point, Queens County, NY. Her mother's father was of Irish descent and a farmer in western Monroe County (west of Rochester) and her mother's, mother's family was from Norfolk, England. They were farmers, too, in Orleans County, just west of Monroe County. Surnames are: German - Beresheim, Marr, Reinhardt. Irish - Rayburn (Reburn in Monaghan County, Ireland), Weir. English - Dyball, Reed. Betty’s quote “The main problem that I have is that I do not know when any of them arrived in the U. S. But I have not yet checked Ancestry's immigration records. Maybe, just maybe, I will get lucky one day.”
To contact Betty by email: BAEichhorn @ aol.com


TREASURER: Thana White Cottrell

Thana joined BGS after 1995 but has been here 8 or 9 years, where she has held the offices of Membership Chairman for 2 years and our Treasure for the last 2 years. Thana started to work on the family genealogy because of the stories that both her Grandmothers told her. This led her to do research in South Carolina, North Carolina, Mississippi, Illinois, and Missouri, working on the surnames of Milling, Owens, Mullen, White, Brittain, Brassfield, Nason, and Bartlett.
Thana’s expertise is in the fields of census and Newspaper work.

Interesting facts about Thana is that she is a former professional Girl Scout Field Director, and Camp Director.
To reach Thana by email: twcottrell @ earthlink.net


COMPUTER: Frank Byran

Sorry will have to add Frank’s in our next newspaper.
To reach Frank by email: fbryan @ cfl.rr.com

EDUCATION CHAIRMAN: Vera Booksh Zimmerman

Vera joined BGS around 1995. She has served as Corresponding Secretary and then as Secretary when the offices of Corresponding and Recording Secretary were combined. In 2002. She was Vice President and the last two years served as President.

Her research is mostly in Louisiana and Mississippi for the last 200 years. Before that she has branches in Arkansas, Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, not to mention Germany, France, Spain, England, Ireland, Belgium and Switzerland.

Some family names are Begue, Booksh, Buard, Carstens, Chalfont, Collins, Connelly, Coudray, Dardenne, Farnin, Francis, Gonzales, Harmeyer, Hasling, Hattaway, Johnson, Kraus, L'age, Lang, Leonard, McGuire, Moret, Neal, Obermeyer, Pratt, Shaffer, Schlatre, Tisdale, Wade... just to mention a few.

Vera loves old photographs and was lucky enough to inherit a lot of great old photo albums, so she's done a lot of research on dating photographs. She was editor for The History of Brevard County, Vol. 1, 2 and editor and wrote for Vol. 3, doing research on local history.

Way back in 1988 the National Genealogical Society conference was in Biloxi, Mississippi. Vera's mother and aunt had been doing genealogy research for over 20 years and she took her Mama to the conference. She was just going to put all their data on the computer, but got hooked.

Vera majored in Art and Anthropology. She painta and does etchings, often based on old photos. She belongs to the Indian River Anthropological Society, a local chapter of the Florida Anthropological Society, that does local archaeology, both prehistoric and historic. Her car license plate holder says "Genealogy, Disturbing the dead and irritating the living." I guess that applies to both activities.
To contact Vera by email: Zimmerman @ worldnet.att.net


HISTORIAN: Mary Jane Law

Mary Jane has been with BGS for about 4 years, and was our Vice President last year.

Mary Jane has been working on her family “Descendants of Deacon Richard Hall, of Bradford, Mass.” and has over 400 pages on this line. She started working on Genealogy to get DAR supplemental’s, and has been Lineage Chairman for the DAR. Her family manes are, Hall, Satterlee, Whitney, Berrian, and Eldredge.

Interesting facts about Mary Jane are, NOW GET THIS, She is a Commercial Pilot with Instrument rating, and also has Sea plane and glider. She is a 10 Generation American, as all her ancestors on both sides were here by 1700.Eight ancestors fought in the American Revolution. Mary Jane has a BA from William and Mary Col. in Williamsburg, Va.
To reach Mary Jane by email: merriejay @ aol.com


LIBRARIAN: Joan Bullard

Sorry, will have to put in Joan’s information in our next paper.
To contract Joan by email jbull99442 @ aol.com


MEMBERSHIP: Jodelle Wilson

Jodelle joined BGS in 2000, and was on the Nominating Committee in 2002, and then she was elected to Membership in 2003 and has held this position since then.

Jodelle has a very interesting life as she has collected pictures of her Grandparents, for her Family Tree of Pictures; this is what started her in Genealogy in 1968. She is a Reg. Dietitian in Fl., Miss., Was in the Peace Corps in Antigua, and the years from 1994 to 1999 she was in the US Virgin Islands.

Jodelle has a BS in Dietetics Nutrition from FIU, and a MPH in Public Health from Tulane School of Tropical Medicine, Tulane, LA.
As Jodelle has no email address, she asks you to contact her by phone: 321-638-8811.


PUBLICATION: Barbara Maloney

Barbara joined BGS back in about 1988, when she first came to Fl. then while her dad was ill she didn’t do much until a few years ago when she once again rejoined BGS. This year, 2005 will be her 2nd year as Editor of our newspaper. She started to first work on genealogy when her dad asked her, in 1969/70 to find out just who the persons in the small family cemetery were, and how they were related to him. This turned in many years of searching in old records, NH Historical Society, and the small towns around Rockingham and Strafford Co. in NH, along with many states in the northeast.

For years she knew who the persons were, as she has a “Brown Bess” belonging to one, but could not connect the two families together, then a neighbor, unknown cousin, put them together with an article written in 1800’s putting the Durham family to the Barrington and Northwood families, in 1976.

This has now been added to with many cousins from around the world, hopefully one day into a book of the whole Chesley family. Family names are many, with the major names of Chesley, Tuttle, Kimball, Russell, Wentworth, from New England back to the 1640’s. Just found out that JE and GW Bush are descended from the Aunt of the first generation
.
Barbara, has done speeches on Andersonville Prison, in Ga. to local Genealogical Societies, 2 years at Catskill Community Col, in Catskill, NY, been a over the road truck driver for 7 years, managed a mobile home park, and deep into Genealogy.
To contact Barbara by email: Bmal1487 @ aol.com


PUBLICITY: Lucy Brown

This will be Lucy’s second year with Publicity and she has had good coverage with our local newspapers.

Luck started working on Genealogy in the 1980’s in the Virginia, and North Carolina area with the family names of Francis, Henry, Parker, Chishire, and Rowe.

Lucy and her husband are square dancers and she is a volunteer in the Gift shop at the Central Brevard Library
To contact Lucy by email JKB1932 @ earthlink.net

RESEARCH: Jim Garmon, and wife Bonnie

Jim and Bonnie are new to BGS joining only 3 mos. ago, and this will be the first office held.

Jim and Bonnie started working on Genealogy in 1994 in the area of Fl., South Carolina, and Georgia, with the names of Garmon, Baylor, Howard, Roberts, Prather and Phillips.

Jim works with old handwriting, census research, computer databases, and Fl. migration. Both are retired, Jim from Intelligence Community and Bonnie from housework. (Good luck) Jim’s dad was born in 1875.
To contact Jim by email: JBGARMON @ aol.com


WEBMASTER: Patrice Green

Patrice joined BGS in1997 at the Christmas meeting, and has held offices ever since. Initially as the BGS representative to ECFGSC, then Chair of Publicity, Publications and now Wwebmaster.

Patrice acquired her love of Genealogy at her mother’s knee listening to the family stories. Her research areas are Georgia in 1850’s, S.C., 1800-1850, Va. 1760 up, Pa. 1730 -1760’s, Ohio 1910 up, and Florida 1910 to present. Her family names are Houser, Short, Hampton, Jones, and Woods.

Patrice has been a List Administrator for Roots Web since 1999 and is currently the Brevard Gen Web Coordinator. She is also a fan of Science fiction literature.
To contact Patrice by email: genealogies @ gmail.com