The October issue of The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record is out and available for NYG&B members to read online.
The final issue of Volume 152 is packed with useful and fascinating articles. This blog will preview each article in the issue and contains the full "Editor's View" column—a wonderful introduction to each issue written by Editor of The Record, Laura Murphy DeGrazia, CG, FGBS. Enjoy!
Click here to read the full issue
The Editor's View
Readers of The Record frequently write about genealogical research and conclusions, but how many of us think about our more casual jottings and how they might be used in the future by those seeking to learn more about us?
Some of us keep handwritten journals. Some use pen and paper to communicate; others prefer emails.
We scribble appointments on calendars, change entries in address books, and use social media to chronicle events, travels, accomplishments, and opinions.
Any of these informal records could someday be valued as a source, just as we treasure those types of records from years past.
When Abigail (Hedges) Osborn wrote from her new home in Schoharie County, New York, to people back in Suffolk County on Long Island, she could not have envisioned that her letters would someday be studied in an effort to learn more about her family.
Luckily, several letters survive and are part of the Long Island Collection at the East Hampton Public Library.
The chatty, newsy messages provide names, relationships, dates, and events, and also reveal some of the writer’s personality.
In “The Family of Conklin Osborn (1779–1845) of the Towns of East Hampton, Suffolk County, and Blenheim, Schoharie County, New York,” author Virginia D. Hansen utilizes correspondence, public records, published local histories, and other sources to construct an updated and corrected study of the family of Conklin Osborn.
Johannes Remsen of Flatlands memorialized family events in his Bible during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. His efforts, perhaps motivated by tradition, reflect his awareness of the significance of details in a family’s history.
As he dutifully entered information about family members, Johannes probably hoped his work would be important to those who survived him—and it is.
Two hundred years after Johannes’s final entry, author Steven Eustis (with gracious permission from the Bible’s current owner) provides a transcription and translation of the family record in “Remsen and Rapalje: Family Record From the Dutch Bible of Johannes Remsen (1745–1826) of Flatlands, Kings County, New York.”
None of us is able to foresee how the records we leave behind will be used in the future.
But each time we benefit from a personal document created in the past, we are reminded of the importance of preserving materials to help future generations understand us and the times in which we live.
Laura Murphy DeGrazia, CG, FGBS
Editor
The Family of Conklin Osborn (1779–1845) of the Towns of East Hampton, Suffolk County, and Blenheim, Schoharie County, New York
By Virginia D. Hansen
In Suffolk County in the early 1800s, three sons of Thomas Osborn married each married one of Stephen Hedges' three daughters.
Virginia D. Hansen investigates the family of Conklin Osborn—the youngest of the three brothers—including his parents, siblings, children, and grandchildren, with the aim of correcting previous accounts and expanding the record.
- Time Period: 1700s, 1800s
- Locations: Suffolk County, Schoharie County
Remsen and Rapalje: Family Record from the Dutch Bible of Johannes Remsen (1745–1826) of Flatlands, Kings County, New York
By Steven Eustis
Johannes Remsen’s family record, spanning 1709 through 1821, was written in a Dutch Reformed Bible published in 1741 in Dordrecht, Netherlands. The current owner of the bible kindly provided Steven Eustis with images of the pages, which he transcribed and translated from the original Dutch.
The bible records contain information on birth dates, death dates, and family relationships. A genealogical summary and analysis of the information found in the bible is included in the article.
- Time Period: 1700s, 1800s
- Locations: Kings County, Queens County
The Family of Salomon Schut of Kingston and Livingston Manor, New York (concluded)
By Michael Rudy
According to the author, there have only been mentions of Salomon and his children. One article written by Audrey Van Leuven listed Salomon Schut and his children, but only one son was carried forward in the article.
Two Schut daughters who married two Schouten brothers were further discussed in a 1985 Record article, "Symon Schouten and His Family." Michael Rudy contributes to the work left by others by tracing “Salomon’s male children and their offspring.” This installment is part four of a serialized article:
A comprehensive genealogical summary is concluded in this installment.
- Time period: 1600s, 1700s
- Locations: Ulster County, Greene County, Columbia County
The Origin and Families of the Brothers William and Thomas Becraft of New York’s Albany, Schoharie, Columbia, and Greene Counties (continued)
By John D. Beatty, CG
William and Thomas Beatty were the sons of an English father and a mother who was captured and left in Quebec during the Deerfield Raid of 1704. William and Thomas’ other siblings were captured along with their mother too.
This article uses a variety of sources to document the growth of the Becraft family in New York State while analyzing the family’s English and French Canadian origins. This installment is part three of a serialized article:
A comprehensive genealogical summary is continued in this article:
- Time period: 1700s
- Location: Albany County, Schoharie County, Columbia County, Greene County
Ackersons Across America: Descendants of John and Rachel (Lowe) Ackerson in New York and California (concluded)
By Harold Henderson, CG
Harold Henderson researched Rachel (Lowe) Anderson whose records did not include the names of her parents. Rachel was John Ackerson’s wife and relevant evidence regarding her is limited along with those of her children and grandchildren. This installment is part five of a serialized article:
A comprehensive genealogical summary is continued in this article.
- Time Period: 1800s
- Locations: New York, California, England.
The Elfinda Factor: Finding the Family of Abigail C. Dart
By William J. Utermohlen
When researching Abigail C. Dart’s family, the author had to face an interesting genealogical problem. Abigail, born in New York, did not have an officially recorded death date. Not only were her parents not mentioned in many records, but Abigail herself was not mentioned in two genealogies published in 1927.
The author uses a rare name to uncover the identities of people in Abigail C. Dart’s family, including her parents and siblings’ names.
- Time period: 1800s
- Locations: Genesee County, Cattaraugus County, Washington County
Who was the Jacksons’ Adopted Niece? An Original Census Record Offers a Clue (concluded)
By Karlene Howell Ferguson, CG
Previous researchers found that Thomas and Sarah (Wood) Jackson adopted their nephew and niece, but the adoption of Thomas Jackson Howell and Elizabeth Howell contains a sense of mystery. According to the author, only Thomas’ “informal adoption'' has reliable documentation. However, Elizabeth’s adoption does not. Building on that previous research, the author uses the Orange County copy of the 1850 census and a genealogical summary of Vincent Wood’s children and grandchildren to look for clues. This installment is part four of a serialized article:
A comprehensive genealogical summary is continued in this article.
- Time period: 1800s
- Locations: Orange County
Additions and Corrections to Articles in The Record
The Record publishes a series of additions and corrections in the last issue of each volume.
Make sure to read this article for any new information related to your favorite articles from 2021.