Ancestor April Fools Joke

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A page from the past drew her near,
By chance—or by fate unclear.
In a deed to a brother,
She found roots like no other—
And “forever” rang strangely sincere.

I had to share what had just happened to me on April 2nd. The universe played a very odd trick on me!

I began on Monday looking over all my accumulated research on my British families for my next family genealogy book I'll be writing later this year. I was insuring I had all proof of relationships and had the correct identities as between my husband and I we have a lot of common names - Smith, Porter, etc.

Our people came first to New England and then to Long Island, New York before the end of the 1600s. I was using Familysearch.org labs to help and found some amazing records but I'll save that for another post.

On Wednesday morning we had severe weather - hail, thunder, and lightning so I didn't want to go straight to work on my computer. Instead, I lingered over coffee and read my email. I subscribe for free to the AmericanAncestors.org weekly newsletter. There was an article about a New York project to help transcribe recently digitized records to identify the enslaved. Sounded interesting.

When the storm passed I decided to just check out the project. I randomly selected Records of Slavery-Town Records, Book 4, 1681-1712. I didn't even bother to create an account, figuring I'd just do the minimum of three pages and then get back to my own tasks.

When I opened the database I noticed that others had already started so I didn't want to begin where they left off, figuring they'd come back that day and continue. I randomly selected page 83.

I almost fell out of my chair. It was a land record in Oyster Bay, Long Island from Nathaniel Cole to his brother, Daniel. They are my 5th great uncles!

One brother was giving the other part of his land to his heirs FOREVER. Now I know forever doesn't really mean that - as the land was legally sold over the years but it made me laugh. I worked for a company that was headquartered near where this land was and one of my kids went to a university that was also close by. Gave me pause and the creeps.

How in the world did I randomly select a page out of all the options and land on one that was my ancestor? I have no idea but I decided the rest of the day was Cole Day so this universe late April Fools joke on me just might yield some further info on that family.

Why You Should Fill Out Lineage Society Apps

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I know some of you are rolling your eyes at the title. Many of us have had poor interactions with societies. Some are just tea parties - they only want the members they currently have and enough new ones to do the grunt work, but those folks stand no chance of ever being fully accepted as an equal. Some societies are so picky that they require only direct evidence. Others will gladly take your money and fall apart, leaving you no connections to your interest area. I've even encountered downright rudeness, which is just unacceptable.

Still, you shouldn't lump them all together, and even if you don't SUBMIT the lineage society application, COMPLETING one will help you. Here's why...

*By following the society's process, you can spot holes in your research. You may think you have proven a relationship to a father and son, but do you have a document that states that? How solid is that document? Was it a county history written 300 years after the individuals died? Remember, the farther from an event, the more likely it is that memories will alter the events.

*Completing the application will also allow you to check for discrepancies in your research. I wish I had a buck for every wrongly engraved tombstone I've encountered. I value the death certificate higher than the tombstone but even those can contain errors. I don't think I've ever completed an application that had simple, perfect direct evidence.

*You are reminded about the documents you previously found that you may have forgotten about. I'm notorious for forgetting second marriages if I'm related to the first. When I go back to an individual and am reviewing all the info, I gain much more insight into the individual's life. I noticed that one of my husband's third great grandmothers emigrated with her four siblings to the U.S., leaving behind her widowed father, who died two years after the migration. Can't imagine how hard that must have been for the father - your wife is dead, and now all four of your children leave. Wow, just wow!

*Lineage societies want just the relationship and identify facts proven and typical, nothing else. This means you can readily check your accumulated documents to see if you have those records.

*Once you've completed the application, you have a nice set of documents that were sourced in a timeline for several generations of your family. This is the perfect time to write a narrative and include other items you have discovered. Got writer's block? Turn to AI and make sure you ask whichever you are using to include footnotes or endnotes. Now you've started writing that family genealogy book you always said you would do.

*If you do choose to submit your work, you are having new eyes look at it, and that's especially helpful. We all process information differently,y so having someone who isn't emotionally involved is helpful to validate what you've acquired.

*Another plus for submitting is that your hard-earned research is now safely at an archive or repository outside of your home. You're increasing the likelihood that your information will be available to future researchers. Who knows what the future might bring, and your information might be the only proof of an ancestor someday.

*You are memorializing folks that have been forgotten. This is especially true with woman who often just leave their first name, if that, in records. With an application for a pioneer society, I included photos of the church, worksites, and the home where a third great-grandmother once lived. I know that from church records, but I have no record of her birth/baptism or death/burial.

*If you are accepted, you might just find a new friend or colleague who shares an interest that you have for a particular region or time. I've met wonderful far removed relatives this way and value the connections we have because of a common ancestor.

*Last, you should give yourself a big pat on the back and be proud that all your hard work paid off. You made the discovery of your forefathers that you sought. They may not have been famous or even made choices that you would have, but you discovered information about people who were trying to make their way through this weird thing we call life so that someday, you could do the same.

Pretty neat!

And while ChatGPT created the graphic, it came up with a limerick to add:

To connect to your roots with some flair,

A form and some proof—show you care!

From laptop to scroll,

It’s a meaningful goal—

Your ancestors’ legacy laid bare.

William Baines of Stangerwaite

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This is the fourth blog I've written about my Baines family research. Thousands of online family trees have the wrong pedigree. Today I'm focusing on the errors regarding Mathew's purported father, William Baines, based on the research that I discovered that provided a pedigree in court records and due to a church porch that was once bought and sold.

I am not convinced that William Baines of Stangerthwaite is the father of Mathew Baines of Wyersdale. I mentioned previously that I don't hold much credibility when someone is known to be of a particular place as people do relocate. Perhaps they are considered from a certain location as they lived there for the longest period in their life or sometimes, it is thought of the place they were born. It also could be where they died and was buried. So, it is possible to have a father associated with one location and a son with another. That's not my concern.

The distance between the two locations is about 25 miles. Stangerthwaite is located in the parish of Kirkby Lonsdale, now Cumbria but at the time Mathew and William resided there it was Lancastershire. Wyresdale remains located in Lancastershire. The distance is also possible. It was discovered that a William Baines did have a bastard child so it is feasible he left Stangerthwaite and moved to Wyresdale for a time and started a new life there but he was more likely the father of the William purported to be Mathew's father and not Mathew's father.

As with Mathew, no baptismal record for William was found. He has been mis-pedigreed to have a father named Adam due to someone who found a birth record for a William but the poster neglected to understand that "d. an infant" meant that the child had died as an infant. That Adam did not have another child he named William. Thousands of trees copied the wrong information and therefore, the wrong pedigree.

William has been recorded as marrying Deborah Hatton but no marriage record was provided. Online trees show Deborah Hatton, daughter of Thomas Eaton and Isabella Lathom Hatton to have died about 1650, with no sources. She could not have been the Deborah who married William Baines of interest as that Deborah was living in 1660. It is understandable how Deborah Hatton was identified as William Baines's wife as her father Thomas was purportedly buried in Goosnargh, Wyersdale, again, with no source.

There has been one document found showing William Baines, Dorothy Baines, and Mathew Baines all in the same location at the same time - an arrest of the men for attending a Quaker meeting in 1660 in Lancaster. Dorothy was often a nickname for Deborah. Unfortunately, no relationship was provided.

Mathew remained a Quaker as he later married in that faith to Margaret Hatton and had his five children baptized as Quakers. He died while emigrating to Bucks County, Pennsylvania in 1686/7, likely on a William Penn ship.

No other records were found for Dorothy or Deborah Baines so she likely died shortly after the 1660 arrests of her probable husband and son.

But this leads us to another problem with the trees. William was said to have remarried a Sarah Hepworth but no marriage record was found. The couple have been recorded to have three children, James, born 1655, Joseph, 1657, and John/Jonathan, 1658, though Johnathan was likely confused with a son of James.

James, based on court document copies found in a local church, was a devout Quaker like his father William. The court record provided that James had a brother Joseph and they resided next to each other. James had purchased the land from his father, William in May 1685. William had purchased some of the property from his own father, William Sr., in 1651. The eldest William retained partial land as noted by another document that showed 2/3 of his estate was under sequestration in 1653. That portion was likely sold out of the family to John Robinson and Robert Hebblethwaite but was repurchased by grandson James in 1662 and 1677.

We also know that William [Jr.] had a brother named Joseph who was a Quaker. This was also confirmed by another source that noted both men were imprisoned for not paying tithes in 1664 in Sedbergh, Yorkshire.

Many records for William have been found: In 1661 he refused to take an oath, in 1662 he was imprisoned in Yorkshire Castle, he was again imprisoned in Yorkshire Castle in 1664, he paid a hearth tax in Pooley Bridge, Westmorland, near Sedburgh in 1669-1672, he received a fine in 1670 for attending a Quaker meeting, he was brought to court in Richmond for not paying his Easter tithe in 1674, he was imprisoned in Lancaster Castle for nonpayment of tithes in 1675, and returned to Richmond Court in 1675-1676 as a defendant in a case brought by a local minister.

He may or may not be the William who renounced being a Quaker in Lancaster in 1679.

No further records were found for William and he may be the William who was buried on 18 September 1687 in Lancashire, England.

From one additional document regarding an interesting panel in a local church, we are given a further pedigree of William Sr. The earliest Baine in the region was Adam Baines of Hegholme who acquired land in Whinfell in 1428. Adam had a son named William who was living in Hegholme Hall in 1497. William's son Adam inherited a portion of Hegholme known as Gilfoot but sold it before Easter 1546 to John Rigmaden and Anthony Rose. Adam's son was probably John, whose son Thomas Baynes of Hegholme was baptized on 14 December 1544. Adam likely had a second son, Adam [Jr.] who had children Mable, Thomas, and James. Adam's probable third son, William, became the heir of Hegholme after his brothers died. This was the William who was recorded as having a bastard child.

Thus, the correct pedigree for the family is as follows:

Although a William Baines was the father of Mathew Baines who died at sea in 1686/7, it was not likely the William Baines who had sons James and Joseph who lived on what had been Hegholme Hall.

The Mathew of interest's mother was still living when the William of Hegholme married Sarah and had two or three children. Bigamy is not accepted by the Quakers. No divorce record has been found.

If Mathew was the eldest son of William he would have been the son to have purchased Hegholme. An explanation for him not doing so could have been that his wife and three of his five children had died and he wanted a fresh start in the colonies. It is interesting that William sold Hegholme to James in 1685 and Mathew left the following year. It was more likely a coincidence as was the case of a woman named Deborah who happened to live in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and was placed as a daughter of Mathew when she was from a different family line.

Mathew was probably related to the William of Hegholme but not in a father-son relationship. William's brother, Joseph, purportedly purchased land in Bucks County, Pennsylvania where Mathew intended to settle, although I have not found a deed to verify that claim.

The problem here is the records are sketchy, there are too many men with the same name in close locations, who all joined the Quaker faith. Until additional records are located my online tree will not have William of Hegholme as the father of Mathew of Wyersdale.

Oppose HB 1148.03 – Preserve Access to Indiana’s History

This wasn't my plan for a blog post but I think it's vitally important for everyone interested in family history, whether you live in Indiana or not.

I'm copying the email I sent out to many folks who do live in Indiana yesterday. Even it you don't - this will effect you as records are disappearing. Don't believe me but believing your news source?! Think again. This is a bipartisan attack on all of us and we need to have our voices heard.:

This morning, I became aware of Indiana House Bill 1148.03, which just passed and is headed for the state Senate. I am emailing you because I know you have a deep love of history and genealogy. 

While the bill has been widely framed as addressing gender changes on birth certificates, hidden within its provisions is a major change that threatens the work of genealogists, historians, and all who seek access to historical birth records. Buried on page 10 of the bill is a proposal to extend the restriction on birth certificate access from 75 years to 99 years. This unnecessary change would significantly hinder the ability of genealogists, historians, and researchers to access critical historical records, delaying access for an additional 24 years—nearly an entire generation. 

This same legislative effort was attempted in January 2024 (HB 1365) but failed in committee. Now, it has returned—this time hidden within a broader bill.

Why This Change Must Be Stopped:

 A Reversal of Established Access – For decades, the 75-year threshold has balanced privacy concerns with the public’s right to access historical records. Arbitrarily extending the wait to 99 years serves no clear purpose other than restricting access to our collective history.

 Hindering Family Research – Birth records are vital for genealogical research, citizenship applications, and historical studies. This change would block access to information for countless individuals seeking to understand their heritage.

 A Threat to Historical and Academic Research – Many historical projects rely on birth records to reconstruct community histories, track migration patterns, and verify personal identities. Extending the restriction to 99 years would severely impede research and publication efforts.

 No Justification for the Change – There has been no demonstrated need for this increase. Indiana’s current 75-year access aligns with national norms, ensuring transparency while respecting privacy. This bill does not provide a clear reason why an additional 24-year delay is necessary.

Take Action Now

If HB 1148.03 is passed, Indiana will become one of the most restrictive states in the nation regarding historical birth records. We cannot allow this to happen.

I urge you to contact your legislators immediately and demand that they reject this extension to 99 years. Let them know that historians, genealogists, and the public deserve access to their past.

Find your representative and senator here:

Or better yet, copy the list of email addresses and paste them into the "To" field of your email composition window. 

If you prefer, you can call the Indiana Senate at (800) 382-9467 or snail mail them at:

Indiana Senate

200 W. Washington St.

Indianapolis, IN  46204-2786

Please make sure that your message is clear, concise, and respectful because that's who we are.

Together, we can ensure that our history remains accessible to future generations.

Sincerely,

Lori Samuelson, NBCT Emeritus & Genealogist

This is not just Indiana - Records are disappearing. Here are some other situations that need to be addressed immediately:

1. "An executive order was issued yesterday to reduce the funding for the Institute for Library and Museum Service (https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/continuing-the-reduction-of-the-federal-bureaucracy/). This appears likely to reduce grant funding to libraries that, in some states, is being spent on genealogical programming and resources. The current 5-year plan for Massachusetts, for example, includes “Goal 4: Build Thriving Communities - Massachusetts residents will have opportunities to discover and explore their personal and community histories[…].” To learn how money is being sent in your state, go to https://www.imls.gov/find-funding/funding-opportunities/grants-state/state-profiles/massachusetts , swapping in the appropriate state name."
2. "The other issue that needs attention is the National Archives where the current conversation is about shutting facilities and selling/leasing real estate instead of providing access to records. Please take a moment to read: "
    
   https://fundnara.com/

History SHOULD NOT be erased. We should have access to it and learn from it. Please take a moment to email ALL OF THE Indiana State Senators. Here is a letter you can copy and send:

Subject: Please Vote NO on HB 1148.03

Dear Senator,

I am writing to oppose the provision in HB 1148.03 that would delay public access to birth certificates from 75 years to 99 years. This change serves no clear purpose but blocks access to history for an entire generation.

Birth records are not just for genealogists—they help people reconnect with their family roots, preserve Indiana’s history, and even prove eligibility for heritage societies. The current 75-year rule has worked for decades—why change it now?

Please vote NO on this provision and keep Indiana’s history accessible.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

I also want you to know that Nextdoor refused to allow me to post the above letter. Said it wouldn't allow "election" information. This has nothing to do with elections - it has to do with the government not working for the people but I guess Nextdoor's view is that's the folks we elected so you get what you voted for.

One more thing - I had someone respond with this: "It is probably related to thousaads of deceased people age 104+ that have been fraudulently collecting Social Security. When you access the birth cert, do you have access to SSN? If not, I'm totally with you."

THIS IS FAKE NEWS! Here was my response:

I appreciate your concern about Social Security fraud, and I want to clarify that this bill has nothing to do with protecting Social Security numbers—those are already not included on publicly available birth certificates. In fact, no identifying personal financial data (like SSNs) are released when historical birth records become public. The current 75-year rule has worked effectively for decades, and there is no evidence that extending it to 99 years would prevent fraud. Instead, this change would only harm genealogists, historians, and everyday Hoosiers who rely on these records to trace family history, apply for heritage societies, and preserve Indiana’s past. This same proposal was already rejected by lawmakers in 2024 (HB 1365), which tells us that there was no compelling reason for this change then—and there isn’t one now. If you’re with me on this, I encourage you to contact your legislators and let them know that this unnecessary restriction should not become law. We need to protect public access to history, not block it.

My husband and I took a few minutes yesterday to email each Indiana state senator. Please do so as soon as possible. 

The Case of Gerald Longpellow: Separating Fact from Fiction in Pedigrees

 

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Recently I found a pedigree that contained a surname that I've researched in the past - Hollingshead. There was a minimal amount of dates and only some locations but it matched most of what I have found to be true.

My brick wall has always been Hugh Hollinghead but this pedigree goes back further - to 700 AD. WOW - now that's impressive. Or not.

According to this unsourced pedigree, Hugh's daddy was a man named Gerald Longpellow. Gerald was supposedly a son of Edgar Aethling of England.

Surname changes I can accept if there is proof that we have the same person who changed their name but in this case, I find absolutely no mention anywhere of a Gerald Longpellow.

He certainly wasn't the son of Edgar Aethling, whose father was Edward the Exile. Edgar had no children. Perhaps there was an illegitimate one here or there but I don't know that and scholars haven't found any.

What's twisted about this, though, isn't really the mystery of who Gerald was or wasn't. I had to laugh because, as I've been blogging about for the past few weeks, I've heavily been researching the Baines family. Although this pedigree does not mention any Baines family it indirectly does.

Edward the Exile had a daughter known at Saint Margaret of Scotland; she was then the sister of Edgar Aethiling.

St. Margaret was purportedly born in Hungary but went back with her parents and siblings to Great Britain. She married Malcolm III of Scotland. Malcolm's sibling was Donald III of Scotland, the head of the Baine family in which I was researching. Love when things connect up, well, even if in this case, they really don't.

Be careful of the pedigrees that you discover. They are helpful but unfortunately, unlike family group sheets, do not lend to having sources available. 

Turning Genealogy Research Into Rich Narratives

 

Every January, I set a new genealogy goal. This year, I challenged myself to transform decades of family research into engaging narratives—a goal as exciting as it was intimidating. I found myself wondering: Where should I begin? Should I start at my own story or dive into the farthest reaches of my ancestry, where brick walls often appear? How best to organize it all—by region, period, or perhaps by keeping different family lines separate? Once organized, what’s the ideal format: an eBook, a physical volume, or something entirely different?

I took the plunge in January and ended up self-publishing two family books. I’m now working on a third, with a fourth possibility on the horizon. Yet amid the progress, one thing lingers—I wished I'd discovered Doug Tattershall’s Storytelling for Genealogists – Turning Family Lineage into Family History sooner.

Doug’s book is a delightful, practical guide filled with creative ideas and actionable tips. With a background in journalism, he cuts straight to the heart of the matter: while meticulous research and accurate record-keeping are essential, they alone won’t preserve your family’s legacy. The true magic lies in writing compelling stories that breathe life into your ancestors. I especially appreciated his thoughtful examples for making people’s lives memorable and his sensitive approach to ethically sharing delicate family details.

For anyone feeling daunted by the prospect of writing family histories, Doug’s work is a must-read. By the end of this engaging and accessible book, you’ll not only gain confidence in your ability to craft captivating narratives, but you’ll also learn strategies that can help turn a mountain of research into a legacy that lives on for generations.

I do have one regret: I could have benefited immensely from the short planning guide included in the back of the book. It’s a reminder that just as we plan our research strategies—especially when confronting those stubborn brick walls—we should also plan our storytelling approach.

Whether your family’s memories are best captured on paper or through auditory storytelling, Doug offers creative ideas for every style. I’ve already recommended his book to several colleagues who had been hesitating to start their own writing journeys. If you’re ready to preserve your family history in a way that truly resonates, I encourage you to check out Doug Tattershall’s guide—available through Genealogical.com.

Using AI with Legacy Family Tree

 Tech, you've got to keep adapting! Last year I wrote a blog article in comparing how to get AI to write a wonderful narrative from your research stored in various places - like Legacy Family Tree, Family Tree Maker, RootsMagic, etc.

I just completed a Pioneer application for my husband and since I had been researching 5 generations of the family, decided to write a narrative about each generation. I wanted to use ChatGPT to help with the writing.

I tried to follow my own blog advice to go to Legacy Family Tree>Other Reports>Individual Summary but realized that Version 10 does not have that option any longer.

I tried finding where it was relocated through Legacy Help and through a general Google search and got nowhere.

I turned to ChatGPT and located my original prompt. It saves your work if you allow it to on the left hand side of the screen. Problem was, the file I uploaded had a long title and I couldn't read exactly what it was. I create titles based on my own formula so I can always go back to the original source. This usually works until, like now, it doesn't because I couldn't view the entire title. So, I asked ChatGPT and was informed that the .pdf had expired and it couldn't access it, either.

I then chatted about my problem and it told me that the report was renamed and moved. So, if you are using Legacy Family Tree and want to download an ancestor's information to use with AI, here's the new How To:

Click on the Ancestor. In my case it was Samuel Ericksson

Click on "Descendant Narrative Book" on the Ribbon.

In the Pop Up, adjust the "Generations." I just wanted one generation.

Click "Preview"

Click "Create PDF" and there is what you had before they changed the name of the report and the location where it resided. You can copy and paste it into your favorite AI and get a much richer narrative of your family.