I’m off to visit family for the holidays, and I hope your holidays are happy! I’ll be away from the computer for the next few days, so until I get a chance to write again, please enjoy these pictures I took during a snowstorm in Temple Square during my research trip to Salt Lake City in November 2004.
Assembly Hall
Diaphanous Christmas Tree
Salt Lake Temple
Nativity Scene
After finding the family of John Rawding in the 1901 Census of Canada, I searched for the family in the 1911 Census, but couldn’t find the family . I did find a John Rawding in Nova Scotia in 1911, but he is in Halifax County, not Kings County, and he is listed alone as an inmate in Nova Scotia Hospital . The rest of his family is nowhere to be found.
1911 Census Record for John Rawding (Left Side)
1911 Census Record for John Rawding (Right Side)
SOURCE: John Rawding, 1911 Canada Census, Schedule 1, Nova Scotia, District No. 45 – Halifax County, Sub-District No. 4 – Cole Harbour, Dwelling House 90, Family or Household 96, Page 17, Line 13, Library and Archives Canada Micropublication T-20359.
Click on the link for a PDF Copy of the Canada Census Record for John Rawding – 1911 . The record shows that:
Some of the information (Dwelling Number, Family Number, and Place of Habitation) are not listed on this page of the census, but are listed on page 10, where the enumeration of the residents of the Nova Scotia Hospital begins . In addition, some of the information (Place of Birth, Racial Origin, Nationality, and Religion) are noted on line 13 by ditto marks and are inferred from the lines above John Rawdings enumeration.
The location of this John Rawding in Nova Scotia is a good sign, but he is in Halifax County, not Kings County . He is, however, in the hospital in 1911 which may explain why he is in a different county.
John’s age is about right, and it is quite possible his wife died between 1901 and 1911, leaving him a widower . The birthplace of Nova Scotia is correct, and his Scotch origin, Canadian nationality, Baptist religion, and ability to read and write are all consistent with what is written in other records.
His occupation, however, is listed as “lumberman” in 1911 . In 1901 he was a farmer . Did John change occupations?
The questions remain, is this the correct John Rawding? Most of the information seems to match up, but the occupation is different . And, if this is John Rawding, where are his children?
Copyright © 2006 Stephen J. Danko
Yesterday I wrote about the World War I Draft Registration Card I found for Allister Rawding . The images I presented were downloaded from the internet and were fairly difficult to read.
While filing that record, I found I had electronic images from FHL US/CAN Film 1684748 that I had saved several years ago . To my surprise, the record I had saved from the Family History Library microfilm was of much better quality than the image I obtained from an online database . Compare the images below with those I published yesterday and see for yourself:
WWI Draft Registration for Allister Rawding – Front
WWI Draft Registration for Allister Rawding – Back
SOURCE: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, “World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918,” Allister Daniel Rawding, serial no. 1044, order no. 612, Norwood, Norfolk County, Massachusetts; FHL US/CAN microfilm 1,684,748.
Click on the link for a PDF Copy of the World War I Draft Registration Card for Allister Daniel Rawding . I was surprised at how much clearer these images are than the same images I had downloaded from the internet . This is especially surprising because the Family history Library microfilms and the images on Ancestry.com are reported to originate from the same microfilms held by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
Many historical documents have been microfilmed multiple times, by different agencies . Sometimes I’ve found that the Genealogical Society of Utah (the Family History Library) has, itself, filmed the same documents multiple times, with one filming of much better quality than another.
But even the Family History Library does not necessarily have the best microfilm copies of a set of records . Several years ago, I looked up some newspaper obituaries on microfilm at the Family History Library, but found them almost unreadable . I found a different filming of the same newspaper at a Local Public Library that was incredibly better.
The lesson here is, if one copy of a set of documents is of poor quality, there might be a better copy available through some other facility.
Copyright © 2006 Stephen J. Danko
Allister Rawding, the father-in-law of my Aunt Nat, registered for the World War I Draft on 05 Jun 1917 . In 1901, he was living with his parents and siblings in Nova Scotia, but in 1917 he was living in Norwood, Massachusetts, the United States of America.
WWI Draft Registration for Allister Rawding – Front
WWI Draft Registration for Allister Rawding – Back
SOURCE: Allister Daniel Rawding, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Micropublication M1509 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration), roll MA40.
Click on the link for a PDF Copy of the World War I Draft Registration for . The document states that:
As a final note, not all copies of a record are equal . The images shown here are from the Ancestry.com database, but the microfilm copies at the Family History Library are of much better quality, even though the films are of the same records.
Copyright © 2006 Stephen J. Danko
While searching for the 1901 Canadian Census Record for John Rawding and his family, I came across several other records for this family . In particular, I noticed that some of the family members traveled back and forth between Canada and the United States and left behind the records of those journeys.
Many records of alien arrivals at various United States ports of entry have been preserved . These records include Card Manifests (Alphabetical) of Entries through the Port of Detroit, MI, 1906-1954, United States National Archives microfilm publication M1478, 117 rolls . The record for James Rawding, son of John Rawding, entering the United States at Detroit in 1923 is recorded on roll number 83 . Better yet, Ancestry.com has digitized these records and access to these records is free for the rest of the year 2006.
Detroit Card Manifest for James Rawding, Front
Detroit Card Manifest for James Rawding, Back
SOURCE: James Rawding; December 12, 1923, in Card Manifests (Alphabetical) of Entries through the Port of Detroit, MI, 1906-1954; micropublication M1478 (Washington: National Archives), roll83.
James Rawding’s Card Manifest was recorded on Form Spl. 187A, Primary Inspection Memorandum . The information recorded on the front of this card is similar to that recorded on the Ellis Island Passenger Manifests and is transcribed in the PDF copy of the Detroit Card Manifest for James Rawding – 1923 . The back of the card was used to record information if an alien appealed a decision barring him from entering the United States . The card for James Rawding has a few notes on the back of the card, but was apparently admitted . Information on the front of the card includes the following information:
Now that I know these records exist, I’m going to start looking for border crossing records for others I know entered the United States through Canada.
Copyright © 2006 Stephen J. Danko
Today, IÂ participated in an online chat for the Canadian Records courses I’m taking through the National Institute for Genealogical Studies . During that chat, I mentioned that I was interested in finding Canadian immigration records . None of my direct ancestors lived in Canada, but three of my aunts and two of my uncles married spouses with roots in Canada.
The instructor, Brenda Merriman, mentioned that Canadian immigration records were only maintained starting in 1865 . I knew that most of the families for which I was searching had immigrated before that, so I’d have no luck looking for immigration records for most of them . One family, the Rawdings, was still a possibility . I knew that my Aunt Nat’s father-in-law, Allister Rawding, was born on 19 May 1893 in Millville, Aylesford, Nova Scotia, but I didn’t know when the family immigrated to Canada.
Brenda suggested that I search the 1901 and 1911 Census Records for Canada to find the year of immigration . I quickly searched the Ancestry.com database and, to my surprise, I found Allister Rawding in the 1901 Census living with his parents, John and Melissa Rawding!
1901 Census Record for the John Rawding Household (Left Side)
1901 Census Record for the John Rawding Household (Right Side)
SOURCE: John Rawding Household, 1901 Canada Census, Schedule 1, Nova Scotia, District No. 36 – Kings County, Sub-District No. S – Millville, Dwelling House 1, Family or Household 1, Lines 1-8, Library and Archives Canada Micropublication T-6453.
Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Canada Census Record for the John Rawding Household – 1901 . The record states that:
Well, clearly, if John and Melissa were born in Nova Scotia in the 1850s, I don’t need to search Canadian immigration records, since their families were in Canada before the immigration records were maintained.
However, this clearly was an early Christmas present . I now have information on the Rawding family I didn’t have before, and this information may lead to more records, especially the Canadian Census records from 1861-1891.
Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko
Last night, I was searching the website of the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) for the Massachusetts Marriage Record for Adam Koscinczyk . Adam was to become the father-in-law of Anthony Chmielewski, whose birth record I described yesterday.
A search of the Massachusetts Vital Records 1841-1910 resulted in only two hits: the marriage of Adam Koscinczyk and Valerie Helena Burakiewicz, and the marriage of Joseph Koscinczyk and Rozalia (Bachon) Krawczyk . The marriage of Adam and Valerie was the record for which I was searching, but I found the other record, the marriage of Joseph and Rozalia much more interesting.
The left side of the marriage register shows that Joseph Koscinczyk and Rozalia (Bachon) Krawczyk were married on 22 Nov 1905 in Holyoke (Massachusetts) . Joseph was 28 years old, and this was his first marriage . Rozalia was a 23-year-old widow, and this was her second marriage . Joseph was a laborer from Russia-Poland residing in Worcester, and Rozalia was an Operative from Austria residing at 21 Oliver St., Holyoke.
On the right side of the marriage register, Joseph listed his parents as Anton Koscinczyk and Margaritte Niewiem . Rozalia listed her parents as John Bachon and Mary Scribek . The marriage was officiated by the Rev. St. [Stanisław] Tarnowski, Holyoke, Clergyman, and the event was recorded on 23 Nov 1905.
What’s so interesting about this record? Well, Joseph’s mother’s maiden name is listed as “Niewiem”, which is not a Polish surname at all . “Nie wiem” is a Polish sentence that means “I don’t know”.
It appears that, when asked for his mother’s maiden name, Joseph answered in Polish, “Nie wiem”, and the clerk dutifully recorded that response in the register.
Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko
While I don’t have any information on my Chmielewski ancestors further back than my great grandparents, I do have a number of documents from the descendants of my great grandparents, most of which are from the State of Massachusetts.
The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) has posted a database of Massachusetts Vital Records up through 1910 and has digitized and linked many of the original documents to the database . The database is restricted to members and access to this database is only one of the many reasons I faithfully renew my membership each year.
One remarkable aspect of the digitized records on the NEHGS website is that the images are apparently digital photographs of the original registers, not just digitized versions of the microfilms . The microfilm copies of these registers are generally of poor quality, but the digitized images at NEHGS are excellent . Compare the image in today’s post with that in yesterday’s post to see the difference.
One of the records I found recently was that for Anthony Chmielewski, a younger brother of Harry Chmielewski.
The Birth Register for Anthony Chmielewski
Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth Record for Anthony Chmielewski – 1907 . The record states that:
SOURCE: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Massachusetts State Archives. Record of Birth. Worcester County. 1907. Volume 568, Page 475, Number 659. Anthony Chmielewski.
The maiden name of Anthony’s mother is listed as Katie Kwarket . Most records list her maiden surname as Warchol.
These registers were not completed at the time of the event . They were prepared periodically from the records accumulated over a number of months . This record is an exact image of an original document . I consider this record to be an original source of primary birth information for Anthony Chmielewski, but because these records may have been compiled several months after the actual events by people not present at the event, is the birth information really secondary, rather than primary?
Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko
Harry Chmielewski was born in the year 1898 at a time when births in Massachusetts were recorded by the state in a register . These registers were microfilmed by the Massachusetts State Archives and the quality of the microfilm record is rather poor . For a charge of three dollars, the Massachusetts Archives provided me with a photocopy of the microfilmed record and a certified Copy of Record of Birth . When I compared the two documents, I found that the Copy of Record of Birth is an accurate and complete transcription of the actual register.
Copy of Record of Birth of Harry Chmielewski
The Birth Register for Harry Chmielewski
Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth Record for Harry Chmielewski – 1898 . The record states that:
SOURCE: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Massachusetts State Archives. Record of Birth. Worcester County. 1898. Volume 475, Page 735, Number 577. Harry Chmielewski.
While the Copy of Record of Birth is a complete and accurate transcription of the register, other documents indicate that the correct spelling of Harry’s mother’s maiden name is Warchol, not Varchol.
Harry’s father was Joseph Chmielewski, my grandmother’s half brother and Stefania Chmielewska’s full brother . Harry is my half-first cousin, once removed.
Harry Chmielewski’s surname was later changed to Meleski.
Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko
My grandmother’s half-nephew, Harry Meleski, was a prominent attorney in Worcester, Massachusetts . His Death Certificate is filed with the City of Worcester, with a copy to the State of Massachusetts . I obtained this copy from the State of Massachusetts, Registry of Vital Records and Statistics.
The Death Certificate for Harry J. Meleski
Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Death Certificate for Harry J. Meleski – 1981 . The record states that:
Harry and his wife died childless . Their grave has been largely neglected.
Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko
