Just An Update

It's been a few days since I posted so I thought I'd better at least update what little progress I've been making.

I spent a couple of days working with the Indiana databases found on the Family Search Pilot Site, updating information on my Rush County ancestors. That may not sound like much but I have lots of Rush County family:)

Then, I went back to the Ruch family and have been spending time with some of the descendants of Charles & Salome looking for death dates and obituaries primarily. The results have been mixed but some has been really great.

On a personal note, I've really had to get some housework done and I'm getting ready for a soon-to-come vacation. I imagine this coming week will be just as sparse for research and blogging as the last; however, my plan is to begin writing when I get home. I'll use what I know and, if necessary, add more later. The first quarter of 2010 is coming to an end and if I want to complete my resolution I'll need to stay on track!!

Great Alsatian Resource

Thanks to reading a tweet posted by BBPetura directing me the TransylvanianDutch  Genealogy and Family History blog's Weekly Genealogy Picks I was sent to another wonderful blog for French genealogy, The French Genealogy Blog by Anne Morddel. What a wonderful find for anyone doing French research and, as in my case, Alsatian research.

I've been wondering just how many members of Ruch/Siegler families of Bouxwiller, France opted to leave their homes in order to remain under French rule. I'm convince that Charles Ruch & Salome Siegler immigrated to America due to their choice but I've had not real proof of  that; in fact I didn't know if any such proof would exist.

One of Anne's categories is Alsace and Lorraine so, hoping for some new insight into the lives and times of the these families. In her post of 30 June 2009, Les Optants of Alsace-Lorraine, she gave a clear, concise and descriptive account of not only the demands placed on the people of Alsace but also the eventual documents created declaring the option to remain French.

Anne directs us to the Historical Society COMAD: The Seekers Optants Departments of Alsace and Moselle which was created specifically "to: search, collect, count and list the individuals who opted for 1871 to 1873 for the French or German nationality, collect all the historical documents and edit, publish and disseminate research results." The site is in French but do not despair Google Translate does a nice job of translating. (Go to Google, at the menu bar choose MORE, then TRANSLATE, choose translate from FRENCH to ENGLISH, copy the URL to the translate box, click TRANSLATE and, voila, you're reading English!) COMAD has created notebooks including great family information and an index to determine what notebooks in which your ancestor may be included. Type the surname into the search box and see what is returned.


 The name RUCH returned a large number of entries but because I know they resided in Bouxwiller I was able to narrow the list to 12. The name SIEGLER return was much smaller and I was able to narrow that list to 4. However, this does leave me with a dilemma. The cost of each notebook is 18 Euro and I'm not sure where to start. I'm finding the cost a bit prohibitive so I'll have to think it through:)
Regardless of what I do as to purchasing, both Anne's blog and COMAD's site have added much to my knowledge and understanding.

Orphan Train Rider Medallion

Though this item doesn't reside in my house, I treasure it just the same. The picture is of the tombstone of William Sydney Emay, my great-grandfather. The medallion on the stone was placed there by his descendants at a special ceremony on June 15, 2001 and identifies William as an orphan train rider in 1861.

Wordless Wednesday - Thomas Higgins

Thomas Higgins, husband of Emma Ruch

52 Weeks Challenge Week 10 - Family Search

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy Challenge #10:
Investigate Family Search Pilot (http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#start), which is part of FamilySearch.org. This is a wonderful collection of records which literally grows every day. In the middle left of the page is a link that says “Browse our record collections.” Click it and pick a region. Search collections outside your research interest. Investigate the types of records collected all over the world and see how they differ from those with which you are familiar. If you are a genealogy blogger, pick a type of record from another country and share your observations about it.


Okay, first of all this was very hard because, as is my way, I got caught up looking in the files that directly relate to my research. Now, I have been using the Cook County Illinois databases quite heavily while researching for the Ruch/Siegler project. What a help those records have been!! Of course, the images make all the difference since I now have copies of original records for collateral relatives for whom I probably wouldn't have expended the funds to get.


However, while browsing through the US records, I found the database Indiana Marriages 1811-1959 and what a find that was!! Even though the index (and it is an index, no images yet:-( ) and is only 12% complete, my Leisure family from Rush county is well represented. Yesterday I made it through (adding new records and citations to my genealogy software) only 2 of the 29 pages! Yikes, I've got a lot of work ahead of me there and that's not the family I'm suppose to be working on! And that's not even counting the Miller, Kennedy, Blue, Stewart... families from Rush county.


But today I did take a look at what might be available for France from with the Ruch/Siegler family originates. Two databases are listed France, Coutances Catholic Diocese 1802-1907 [images only] and France, Protestant church records, 1612-1906. The latter is the one I reviewed since the Ruch family joined the Evangelical Lutheran church once they arrived in the US.This database is only 11% complete so as time goes by it will be more and more useful. So far nothing is online from the Alsace region, in fact most of the records are from the area in and around Paris. However, I did get two pages of results for the Ruch name; not my people but if they were the information would be great. Marriage data includes the event date and location, both spouses names, and their parents names; birth/baptism data includes the event date (probably baptism?) and location, the person's name and the parents' names (including mother's maiden name). I didn't see any death records but according to the FamilySearch Wiki about this database, death records include:

• Date and place where the person died
• Name of the deceased, age or date and place of birth
• Cause of death (illness, accident, senility, etc.)
• Residence of the deceased

That's it for now. I must get back to working with those Indiana records.

George Henry Ruch, Sr.

I've been spending some time looking at the children of Charles and Salome. Today my problem child is George Henry Ruch. I'm working my way through some very contradictory information regarding his birth date.
Though I know he was born in Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, I haven't found him on the Illinois Cook County Birth Certificates 1878-1922 database at the Family History Library pilot search site. I'm not overly concerned about that at this point since the only one I've found there was the first Chicago-born child, Mary Anna.

Looking at the census records for George creates at mishmash of a time line:

1900 - in his mother's household listed as born Dec 1883, age 16
1910 - in his mother's household listed as age 25 [1910-25 = 1885]
1920 - head of household (at same address) listed as age 32 [1920-32 = 1888]
1930 - head of household (at same address) listed as age 44 [1930-44 = 1886]

The cemetery plat record from Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago shows him as age 64. He died 12 Mar 1949. [1949-64 = 1885]

But, and here's the kicker, on his WWII draft registration his birth date is listed as 29 Dec 1880, age 61. Just as clear as day, mind you! Not more than five lines above his signature! Another interesting thing about this document is that he listed his daughter, Helen, as his contact person even though his wife was still living. The information was taken 27 Apr 1942.

Obviously, there's lots more research to be done here. I need to continue looking for his birth ceritficate and, perhaps with some luck, I will find a baptism record. I'm sure the truth will come out in the end:)

SS Ernst Moritz Arndt

Ships of Our Ancestors by Michael J. Anuta

Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc.; Baltimore, Maryland, 1993; Page 118

"Habana" was the ex-"Ernst Moritz Arndt". This ship was built by T.B.Oswald & Co, Sunderland in 1872 for the German company, Baltischer Lloyd. She was a 2,597 gross ton ship, length 317ft x beam 38ft, one funnel, two masts, iron construction, single screw and a speed of 12 knots. Launched on 22/8/1872 as the "Ernst Moritz Arndt", she sailed from London on her maiden voyage to Havre and New York on 27/2/1873. She made 6 transatlantic voyages, the last starting on 28/5/1874 when she left Stettin for Antwerp and New York. In 1879 she was sold to Lopez of Spain and renamed "Habana". In 1881 she went to Cia.Trasatlantica Espanola. I don't know her history between 1879 and 1886, but from 1886-96, the company ran a feeder service between Havana and New York and the "Habana" was, at various times employed on that route. She was scrapped in 1900.

[North Atlantic Seaway by N.R.P.Bonsor, vol.2,p.774/ vol.3, p.1245-6] [http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/descriptions/ShipsH.html]