Selected State Repositories with selected counties

Document Archives:   I created these files a while ago: Let me know if you find any broken links:

Wisconsin

http://gsocolic.tripod.com/html/wisconsin.html

Illinois
http://gsocolic.tripod.com/html/illinois.html

Maryland
http://gsocolic.tripod.com/html/maryland.html

Massachusetts
http://gsocolic.tripod.com/html/massachusettes.html

New Hampshire
http://gsocolic.tripod.com/html/new_hampshire.html

New York
http://gsocolic.tripod.com/html/new_york.html

Pennsylvania
http://gsocolic.tripod.com/html/pennsylvania.html

Click on the web Url to see which counties are covered.

Researching Hiram Coon Family of Palmyra, Jefferson County, Wisconsin

I am working on a project for the Coon family (1840 - 1950) as one of my assignments for the Pro Gen study group and plan to post it as soon as I have feedback from my group and have omitted living people. One of my online contacts is a cousin who has the original Coon Bible, family letters and photographs. She was gracious to send me copies of these and photos of the Bible.

I have a few letters written by Thomas Riddell Sankey (my grandfather) to various relatives that gave me clues to family relationships and helped me get started several years ago on the Coon family. The Dow family was also prominent in this area of Wisconsin. There are two items that won't be included in my analysis of sources: I have family photos which include other Palmyra, Jefferson, Wisconsin notables such as Washburn. I also have two letters written by Mirah Congdon to Thomas Riddell Sankey from 1949. In this letter she mentions George Riddell of Jacumba California (my great grandmother's brother who is buried in Fort Roscrans National Cemetery, San Diego County, San Diego) and Ada Charley (Palmyra) who lived at Route 1, Eagle, Wisconsin. Ada Charley was probably the daughter of Ada Coon's sister. (Ada Coon was the mother of Harriet (nee Riddell) Sankey and Ada was Hiram Coon's daughter.) Mirah (Congdon)wrote about family friends who she says are all of her generation in Palmyra Ethel Gates Bannerman, Alice Carlin, Emma Fairbrother Carlin. A letter from Nina Fisher whose grandmother was Susan Coon (sister of Ada Coon) in which Nina writes that she joined the DAR (so there should be an application on file...) and she tells of the Dow genealogy.(Ada Coon's mother's direct line)

The Dows came from Hollis and Hudson, New Hampshire and the Coons came from Manlius, Onondaga, New York to Palmyra, Jefferson, Wisconsin.

Jefferson County Wisconsin
(1850-1924) Other surnames from this time period in Jefferson County, Palmyra, Wisconsin:
Direct lines: Riddell, Bunker, Westcott, Dow, Thayer
Collateral Lines: Charley, Donaldson, Reisen, Wrightson,Congdon, Knapp, Woodruff, Knapp, Moore, Pattee, Brisbin, Avery, Boss, Pattee, Swinton, Bishop, McShane, Malcolmson, Brockway, Potter, Schultz, Phillips
I have quite a bit of info on Carlin family but not sure how they are related or if they were just family friends of the Dows.

New Discovery.... Article about Chicago Genealogy and Railroads

This is truly a thrilling discovery for me. I have three ancestors that worked on the Chicago North West Railroad during their life times.
http://www.examiner.com/genealogy-in-chicago/whose-been-working-on-the-railroad-a-genealogy-gem-berwyn-il

Christian DeYoung
1892: marriage certificate: ) marriage certificate: Dec 20, 1892. Christian's father is listed as John (could be Jan depending on how Dutch sounds when pronounced) DeYoung; Christian's Mother: Catharina Wassamarr (or Wassenaar) born in Holland. Wife's maiden name is: Jane Hausman.
Registration of Marriages: No. 495
name of husband: Christian DeYoung
name of father of husband: John DeYoung
name of mother of husband before marriage: Catharina Wassaman (or Wassamar) (Friesland, Dutch Archives website: spelling: Wassenaar)
Occupation of husband: Foreman on Railroad
residence of husband: Waukegan, IL
Birthplace of Husband: Holland
Full name of wife previous to marriage: Jane Hauseman, name of mother of wife: Hille Schilsten; Birthplace of wife: Holland: Date Marriage was contracted: Dec 1, 1892; Place or town, and county where marriage was contracted: Racine, Racine Co. WI
Names of subscribing witnesses: John Schlitz and Nellie Schlitz; name of person pronouncing marriage: CK Percival (Racine WI) Dec 15, 1892: Date of registration: Dec 20, 1892. Source: Marriage Certificate, Racine County, City of Racine Courthouse
working as a foreman of Irish and Mexican gangs who laid Chicago Northwestern Railroad in the late 1890's." (page 14) (Christian DeYoung helped build the Chicago NorthWestern Railroad when he brought his PARENTS from Holland to Racine, my mother's birthplace"(page 2)Source: Alice Sankey. Hey Don't Write Me Off . Unpublished Manuscript and interview with Alice Sankey on January 30, 2001
(Alice was my grandmother)

Philip Dahlberg and Gustav Dahlberg:
1903-1906: Illinois, Cook County, Chicago: worked with his step father (Gustave Dahlberg) as a carpenter and on Chicago Northwest Railroad in dining car. [Alice Sankey. "Hey Dont Write Me Off". Unpublished Manuscript.]

This month's assignment for ProGen Transcription

I felt a little intimidated by this assignment! I really enjoyed it after I got into it. I was unsure if I needed to put all that survey info (Chains and links anyone?) into my abstract. My friend who teaches a course on Land Records for our local genealogy society suggested that I keep the survey info in addition to the land description. I really like deeds because I worked with auditing deeds in mortgage banking. You never know what skills you will need later! Mortgage banking helped me understand some of the legalism that we find in deeds. I look forward to my group comments on my transcription. One transcription I could not do was a monument inscription in Europe. It was in Latin. My friend who is a writer helped me with it by working on it with her daughter when she was homeschooling and learning Latin. They tackled it together. Now we know what that Riddell family member did. I have other things I need to transcribe but mostly they are family letters and one of the other Riddell items has already been transcribed at: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/malquery.html search for Key word: John L. Riddell to Abraham Lincoln
Letter is dated December 1863: This one is already transcribed. John Leonard Riddell was my direct ancestor's brother. If you would like to know more about this interesting character please contact me by email and I will be happy to share with you.