Colonel Daniel Moore and the DAR Genealogical Research System (GRS)

I recently had the opportunity to visit the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Library in Washington D.C. to research my patriot, Col. Daniel Moore of Londonderry, New Hampshire.

I found my patriots (yes, two of them) in an unexpected place on my family tree. My maternal grandfather, Clarence Albert Gardner was born and raised in New York. Both of his parents were of Canadian descent. His father, Albert Gardner was born Almond Desjardins in the Long Island City/Astoria area of Queens County, in the City of New York in 1891. Albert's parents, Damas Desjardins and Malvina Ethier-Desjardins were both born and raised in Montreal but met and married here in the City of New York. My grandpa Clarence's mother, Mayme Sharp-Gardner, was born in Sherebrooke, Quebec, Canada and immigrated to the U.S. around WWI. She arrived in New York by way of Lowell, Massachusetts. When I think about my Grandpa Gardner's lineage I think French Canadian, not American Revolutionary War patriot.

My paternal grandfather, Edwin Earle's lineage can be traced back to early American settlers. I thought for sure this is where my patriot would be, right? Wrong. Grandpa Earle's ancestors lived on Long Island, New York which during the American Revolution was a loyalist stronghold which means they were probably shooting at the patriots. Makes sense if you consider how my mother and father got along but I digress...

No, it was Grandpa Gardner's line where I found my patriot. The line goes like this:

Grandpa:                              Clarence Albert Gardner
Great-grandma:                    Mary Elizabeth "Mayme" Sharp-Gardner
Great-great grandpa :          Daniel Sharp
3rd great grandma:              Ann Moore-Sharp
4th great grandparents:       Eleanor Moore and William Moore
5th great grandpas:             Patriot Colonel Daniel Moore and Patriot Lt. Colonel Robert Moore

When you trace your family tree you have to move backwards in time from you to your parents, your parents to your grandparents, etc. But for clarity here I will first tell you about Daniel  and Robert Moore and move forward. 

Daniel and his brother Robert were from Londonderry, NH which is now Derry, NH. The sons of John and Janet Moor. Daniel was at the surrender of Saratoga, NY; a pretty monumental British defeat. His brother, Robert Moore, also served in the Revolution. His line is less well-documented though. To explain some of the search process on the DAR website I will focus on Daniel.

Daniel had a daughter, Eleanor who married Robert's son, William Moore in about 1784. Yes, they were first cousins which was a common, socially-acceptable practice back then; to marry a cousin. Nowadays we cringe at the thought but back then it was common.

Eleanor and William moved from New Hampshire to an area of Quebec known as Kingsey. In fact, they were the second settlers to move to the area now known as St. Felix-de-Kingsey not far from Drummondville, Quebec.

Most Americans tend to think that people who emigrate to Canada do so because they have anti-American feelings. This is not always true but yes, it is the case. For example, during the Vietnam era some Americans headed to our neighbors in the north to avoid being drafted. Canada, though, is a beautiful country and many people move there for many reasons. Eleanor and William went there for land. 

It wasn't until 3 generations later, when my great grandmother moved to Lowell, Massachusetts, and that this line returned to the United States.

Now let's get down to brass tacks here. How does one use the DAR Genealogical Research System (GRS) online. Well, first go to the website: http://services.dar.org/public/dar_research/search/?tab_id=0  or DAR Genealogical Research System (GRS).
 
I'll tell you just the tiniest bit of how to get started on the DAR website. The second tab you will see is "Ancestor." Click on that and you will be presented with several search boxes. When constructing a search sometimes less is more; or in my case "Moor." 

The Moore family name sometimes appears as Moore, More, or Moor. Like marrying your first cousin, spelling didn't really count back then; nowadays we're all caught up on spelling. I get ticked when someone leaves the "e" off the end of my last name; Earle. In genealogy research though you have to let go of your modern day connection to spelling. In any case...

I did a search of the DAR Ancestor page for Last Name: Moor, First Name: Daniel, State: NH. This search returned the records of two Daniel Moores who are often mixed up in records. I am of the first Daniel Moore; the one born in Londonderry, NH on February 11, 1730 and who died April 13, 1811 in Bedford, New Hampshire.

In the search results there is a button called "See Ancestor Record." By clicking on that, one can view a list of accepted applicants listed by their national application number. Daniel has a list of 47 national numbers; that means 47 women have joined the DAR based on linking their ancestry to Col. Daniel Moore. Those are my cousins; none of which I know and none of which are descended from the same grandchild of Daniel as I am. I am descended from Ann Moore. Some of the member are descended from Eleanor and William like I am. Of those, some are descended from Ann's sister Elizabeth and some are descended from Ann's brother Daniel but none are from my Ann.

I will face the challenge of finding documentation that links Ann to her parents Eleanor and William Moore but I will not have to rigorously prove Eleanor to be the daughter of Daniel because the DAR has already accepted this fact.

Now if you want to see what documentation the DAR has accepted on a given patriot and his descendants you're going to have to either order the records or make a visit to the DAR Library in Washington D.C. I recommend the visit if you can because there, for a $6/day visiting researcher fee, you can view everything they have and print it all out for $0.25/ page. If you order it online it cost $15/ application and some packets contain more information than others. There is no guarantee that your $15 will provide you with any supportive documentation. $15 is one think if there was one accepted applicant for your patriot; it is another huge investment if you have 47 accepted applicants and you want to see everything. And what researcher doesn't want to see everything?

I say make the trip!

If you have any questions about using the site the "Home" tab provides much more detail than I have given you here about the variety of tabs and resources available to you. 

Happy hunting!

Dead People and Road Trips

When life gets me down and I need distraction I turn to my dead people. I mean, after all, their drama is over with, right?

Yeah, dead people and road trips.

My dead people sort of ground me. Road trips refresh me. Road trips give me the opportunity to get away and get some perspective.

In my first course of study I studied art, specifically painting. I had a painting teacher that told me that when you paint you must never stand with your feet together, you must always have one foot in front of the other. This helps you to moved towards and away from your canvas. If you stay static you will get caught up in the detail you are painting and never see the whole picture. You must move away to see the whole piece. Sound advice for life really. And so road trips give me  the opportunity to gain some perspective and see some peace.

This year has not started off well for me. A series of events related to significant relationships in my day to day life rose to a crescendo during the first week of this year. It sucks. I was trying to pour myself into my genealogy research to distract myself from it all but I needed out. Come the 6th I approached Cousin Mary of Threading Needles in a Haystack fame about a research road trip to the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Library in Washington, D.C. But that chickie is 6 months pregnant and can't sprint off on impromptu road trips. And so a call went out to Cousin Kelly; a daring young cousin who no longer suffers from a crappy job.

I thought we'd come up with a date to head down to D.C. You know, something soon. I was hoping in a week or two we could make a day trip when Kelly said to me, "I can be to your house in two hours." And we were off!

I spent the following day at the DAR Library in Washington, D.C. Kelly spent her day at the Smithsonian Institute National Museum of Natural History.

The DAR Library is a wonderful resource and their online library is very, very useful to those researching their patriot.

The DAR's online library has a collection of databases that provide access to the materials amassed by the DAR since its founding in 1890. When one applies to become a member they must provide documentation of their lineage through birth, marriage, and death certificates as well as other resources. These records then become part of the DAR's collection. They do not permit access to records of those still living but they do share what documentation they can with prospective members. In order to see this documentation, you can order a “record copy” of a membership application from them online for $15 OR you can visit their library in D.C. There is a visiting researchers fee of $6/day to use the library; members can research for free.

I highly recommend checking out the DAR Genealogical Research System (GRS) if you know or suspect one of your ancestors may have been a patriot in the American Revolution. 

In my next post I will explain how to use some of their website.

The Liebster Award, AWWWW

Thanks to Mary at  Threading Needles in a Haystack for nominating me for the Liebster Award! Mary, more often referred to as Cousin Mary, has one of the few blogs I faithfully follow and, yes, she is my cousin - my 6th cousin once removed; we met through our genealogy research. 

I myself have only been at this blogging bit for a few months but Mary is always so supportive of my writing and my research.  Presently, she is my only follower... Thanks, Mary.

 

 
Liebster is a German word that means friend, dearest, adored, beloved, chosen one. The Liebster Award is given to bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers, to encourage them to keep at it and to help spread the word about interesting blogs to a new audience.

Now as per Mary's instructions I must do the following:

• Thank the one who nominated you by linking back.
• List 11 random facts about yourself/your blog (if you want - it was much harder than I thought it would be to come up with 11!)
• Nominate five blogs with fewer than 200 followers.
• Let the nominees know by leaving a comment on their sites.
• Add the award image to your site (optional). 

Now for the 11 random facts about me/my blog:
1. I can name all 32 of my 3rd great-grandparents.
2. I have been to all 50 states. I like to boast about this one a bit because it was all fabulous!
3. I am the oldest child of oldest children but all my grandparents were the youngest child among their siblings - well, no, my paternal grandmother, a.k.a. Nanny, was the youngest girl she is actually #5 of six kids.

4. My blog started as a Family History Month project in October 2012 but I'm really at it to catch some researching cousins.
5. I a penchant for glittery shoes and sparkly nail polish. Woo hoo!
6. I am currently working on my application to become a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). I found my patriots, yes two of them, on a very surprising line; a line I consider my Canadian line - - go figure!
7. I like to instigate genealogy research. I drag many a cousin to libraries, archives, and cemeteries. And I have more than a few friends and colleagues now hooked on researching their family trees.
8. My family regularly debates about which grandchild looks most like Nanny. Um, open your eyes people! I look most like Nanny!!!
9. This past year, 2012, I became an aunt for the first time. So you can all stop asking me who I am leaving my research to.
10. If I could be any color crayon, I'd be green because it that color makes me feel calm and its one of the basic eight colors in a box of Crayola crayons - - I'd like to be one of the basic eight.
11. I do not identify myself with any ethnic background. I am not a hyphen American (ex. Irish-American, German-American, etc.). I am American. Reading through my family's history is like reading out of an American history textbook; each branch arrived at a different point in time with the wave of their ethnic group, they've participated in every American war, and their occupations are typical of their time, region, and upbringing. I used to think it "ho-hum", but really, I kind of love "ho-hum." 

At present I can not nominate anyone for this award because I don't follow any blogs that have less than 200 followers. How sad is that? But I commit to nominate the next 5 fabulous eligible blogs I come across.
 
When you get a chance, definitely check out Cousin Mary's blog; Threading Needles in a Haystack . She shares lots of great research tips, she is an excellent writer, and um, she's my cousin! Thanks, Mary! 

Friends with Family in the Right Places: Thanks!

While putting some research into my American Revolutionary Patriot ancestors, my 5th great grandfathers who were also brothers, Colonel Daniel Moore and Lt. Colonel Robert Moore of New Hampshire, I learned that Robert Moore (or Moor) was born on May 26, 1726, in Londonderry, NH and died on  October 25, 1778, also in Londonderry, NH.

Londonderry, New Hampshire is now known as Derry. And it just so happens that some of my very best friends have family in Derry. So this past summer, June 2012, my friends Andrea and Laszlo along with their children and mothers traipsed to the Forest Hill Cemetery in Derry, NH for me to find Moore family headstones.

From what I understand, it made for quite a field trip. Laszlo wasn't so sure they'd be able to find the graves. And sometimes it takes a lot of time to find graves if the cemetery lacks a directory or someone of the staff present to help you find the headstone. Nine out of 10 times my relatives don't even have headstones. They were generally a poor people who couldn't afford stones. Next time your walking through a cemetery and come across an "empty spot" in the middle of rows and rows of headstones, that empty spot is probably a relative of mine. In any case...

Andrea was kind of astonished that headstones from the late 1700s still existed. I was kind of astonished that she was astonished. See, in Hungary where Andrea was raised, gravesites must be financially maintained by the family in order to stay intact. I am hoping that Andrea will read this post and use the comment section below to explain the European practices in more detail.

Additionally, I think the adventure also provided her children with some fun. I think it was kind of neat that they got to see some history of their grandparent's town; a town that my family helped to found but that I have yet see.

Colonel Robert Moor(e) is interned in the Forest Hill Cemetery right near his parents; my 6th great grandparents John and Janet Moor. Colonel Daniel Moore is buried in a different location in a nearby town. When I have the opportunity to venture up that way I will be sure to visit his gravesite too.

Its incredibly wonderful to have real friends; friends who will take the time of their travels to do a genealogical kindness. Here are the pictures the family took for me of the Moore Family headstones in Forest Hill Cemetery in Derry, NH:

 Gate to Forest Hill Cemetery, Derry, NH

A memorial stone for my 5th great grandfather, Revolutionary soldier, Colonel Robert Moor(e)

 Headstone of my 5th great grandfather Colonel Robert Moor(e).

 Headstone of my 6th great-grandfather, John Moor(e), the father of Robert and Daniel Moore

and my 6th great grandmother Janet Moor(e)

 

 The nearby church

A little history about the settlement of Londonderry, NH (now Derry, NH).

More on my Moores

On pages 40 and 41 of J. Clifford Moore's book, The Life and Times of a High School Principal in Rural Quebec, Mr. Moore writes the following about my 4th great grandparents, William and Eleanor Moore of Kingsey (outside today's Drummondville), Quebec, Canada by way of Londonderry, New Hampshire, U.S.A.:

"The Moores, the second settlers

"The second settler to arrive in Kingsey was William Moore, with his wife Eleanor, from Londonderry, N.H. in the year 1802. They staked out their claim on Range 3. Lot 22 or 23 on land later acquired by Joseph Henry Moore, about a mile distant from the Wadleighs [the first settlers in Kingsey]. After they had built their cabin and cleared some land, they returned to Londonderry. There, they gathered up their household goods, loaded them on the backs of oxen and, with their children, made the return journey to their new home. When they arrived there, Eleanor and the children had to wait while her husband cut a door into the cabin. Their first night was spent with only a drape for a door. Before long, William and his sons had erected a fine cluster of buildings. The house was a veritable mansion with a crescent-shaped driveway, bordered by some beautiful pine trees. The barns were sufficiently large to house their livestock, equipment and drygoods. All that remains of this once beautiful property is the Moore cemetery on the river bank across the road. Due to the interest and care of some concerned friends, this cemetery is kept in a state of good repair. Recent vandalism has spoiled their good work.

"William and Eleanor were first cousins. William, born in 1763, was the son of Lt. Colonel Robert Moore. Eleanor, born in 1767, was the daughter of Colonel Daniel Moore of Bedford, N.H. They were married in 1784. William died on July 8, 1817. Eleanor died in 1836 [October 19]. Both were buried in the Moore cemetery."

Moore, J. C. (1996). The life and times of a high school principal in rural Quebec. Lennoxville, Québec: Townships Sun. 

William and Eleanor Moore begat a daughter, Ann Moore.
Ann Moore married Peter Sharp. They begat a son, Daniel Sharp.
Daniel Sharp married Lydia Ann McLean. They begat a daughter, Mary Elizabeth "Mayme" Sharp.
Mayme Sharp married Almond Desjardins (a.k.a. Albert Gardner). They begat a son, my grandfather, Clarence Albert Gardner.
I do so love begats.

 The Moore Family Cemetery

The headstone of my 3rd great grandmother, Ann Moore-Sharp, 

and her son, my 2nd great grandfather Daniel Sharp

Photos of the Moore Family Cemetery provided by Mr. Guy Dussault.

Examine "Facts" Relative to the Sources: Finding my Patriot

For at least a decade now I have longed to join the Daughters of the American Revolution; the DAR. Don't ask me why really. I'm not a joiner for the most part. I guess I just think it would be cool for someone to acknowledge the quality of my genealogy research.

To become a member of the DAR one has to unquestionably document her direct connection to a soldier who fought for the cause of American independence from Great Britain. In many instances the women who belong to the organization enter on the coat-tails of their mothers or grandmothers; someone else had their genealogy accepted by the DAR. My mother, neither of my grandmothers, nor were any of my great-grandmothers members of the DAR. I'm on my own here and I just know, in my gut, that I am descended from a patriot.

One line on my father's side is well documented as early settlers in the New World. However, at the time of the American Revolution those ancestors of mine lived on Long Island, New York which was a loyalist stronghold. In other words, those ancestors of mine were probably shooting at the Daughters' ancestors; that's not going to get me into the DAR.

Earlier this year I started trying to push past my 3rd great-grandparents. Yes, I can name all 32 of my great-great-great grandparents. Some of their lines I can take back much further but still others of those 3rd greats represent the brick-walls in my research. In the push I began working on finding more information about Annie Moore-Sharp, my mother's, father's, mother's, father's mother (how is that for a wiggly branch?).

All I really knew was that Annie Moore was the mother of Daniel Sharp, the wife of Peter Sharp, that she lived in Kingsey, Quebec, Canada, and she was born around the 1780s. I knew that based on church records I found pertaining to her marriage and the baptism of her son, Daniel. That's quite a lot actually but I wanted to know more. I wanted to know who her parents were, where she was born, and when exactly she died.

I hit the ground running with the last ditch effort of broad Google searches; the "Hail, Mary" play of genealogy research. I uncovered a Google book, The History of Bedford, New Hampshire from 1737 being statistics compiled on the Occasion of the One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Town, May 15, 1900. There on page 995 of the 1903 edition was a Moore family genealogy which included the following:

"IV. Ann, dau. of William (3), b. 1785; m. Peter Sharp; res. in Kingsey, P. Q.  Had two ch.: Daniel (5) and Christopher (5)."

I had no reason to doubt that this was my Annie Moore-Sharp. The most interesting part was that reading back through that genealogy I learned that Annie's father William was the son of Lieutenant Col. Robert Moore of Londonderry, NH. Annie Moore's mother, Eleanor Moore, was the daughter of Col. Daniel Moore; yes, Annie's parents were first cousins and yes, her BOTH of her grandfathers had served in the American Revolution on the side of the Americans. I had not one but two patriots and of all places on a line that I considered to be my Canadian line.

The question is though, can I back up this clue from this secondary source with factual evidence from primary sources? 

At this point I have found any primary sources to connect Annie to her parents. I have, however, several secondary sources. I have not yet applied for membership to the DAR and thus have not had my resources evaluated by them so I do not know the definitive answer to that question...yet.

Further investigation turned up another published Moore Family genealogy. This one included in a book titled, The Life and Times of a High School Principal in Rural Quebec by J. Clifford Moore. In this secondary source the following information was provided on page 89:

"William was born in 1763, while Eleanor was born in 1767, and they were married in the year 1784. We know little about their movements prior to their coming to Kingsey. However, four of six children were born in the United States, probably Londonderry.
"Ann, who was born in 1783, became the wife of Peter Sharp;..."

Later on in the same text, on page 107, the author records the headstones in a Moore Family cemetery situated mid-way between the towns of Richmond and Drummondville, Quebec.:

"Sharp. Daniel Sharp, died October 12, 1898, aged 76 years 7 months.
Anne Moore, wife of Peter Sharp, died January 14, 1868, age 85 years".

A few more internet searches led me to a man who lives not far from the cemetery who offered to photograph the headstones for researchers; I took advantage of his genealogical kindness. Headstones, for all intents and purposes, are also secondary sources though. They're usually created close to the time of the event of one's death but the information they provide about age and dates can be just as erroneous as a death certificate. The photos do serve as yet another secondary source, though.

Will these secondary sources be enough to replace the evidence of a primary sources?
As a group they provide much more proof than they do independently.

Will they be enough to secure my membership in the DAR?
In conjunction with other primary sources about Annie's son, husband, and brother, I may have enough of a case to satisfy the DAR.

We shall see.

But the lesson is that in the absence of primary sources gather as many secondary sources as you can. Conduct what is often termed a "reasonably exhaustive search." Search a variety of documents; obituaries, church records, census records, land deeds, etc. Examine the facts relative to the sources; understand where the information is coming from and why it was recorded. That birth date on that death certificate could very well be 100% correct; can you find the birth date on other resources from various points in time?? That is the best one can do to "know."

Primary Sources vs. Secondary Sources

I think I speak for all genealogy researchers when I say that primary sources get me all jazzed-up. I'm over the moon when I get my hands on an original document especially one written in an ancestor's own handwriting. Letter, diaries, family bible entries put me in such a state it would make you blush.

A primary sources is a source of evidence created at the time of the event. For example, a death certificate is a primary source for an individual's date of death, the cause, and the location at which the death took place. A death certificate is NOT a primary source for the individual's date of birth even though it often contains an accurate date of birth. A diary is a primary source for the writer's day-to-day experiences.

A secondary source provides interpretation and analysis of primary sources. Secondary sources are one step removed from the original event. So back to that death certificate, that is a secondary source for the date of someone's birth because the informant provided the most accurate information that they knew which of course is not always accurate. My grandfather always lied about his age; at the time of his death his own children weren't sure what year he was born. A book is a secondary source; the author may use that diary mentioned above as a resources for insight into writing about a historic event but the book produced is a secondary source.

There are even something called tertiary sources which I won't bother your pretty little head with...

As a genealogy researcher, one wants all the primary sources he/she can get; not only for that super tingly feeling one derives but also to be able to state facts. A death certificate let's a researcher say, "He did die on June 1st. His birthday may have been March 2nd. He was probably 90 years old when he died."

Facts are what researchers want. There are many instances though when primary sources just don't exist though. For example, civil registration of births did not begin in New York state until the later half of the 1800s. So your relative that was born in New Amsterdam in 1640 isn't going to have a birth certificate. A birth register may have been kept by the religious institution your family belonged to and perhaps you'll be fortunate to find such a resource still in existence in some archive somewhere. However, a lot of primary sources have been lost to the ravages of time; fires, floods, poor conditions, and handling.

So how do you know?

Well, you may never know. That is just the coldest hard fact. You may never know.

Can secondary sources be trusted?

Genealogy research does, however, require a wee bit of trust. Just because a source is not a primary sources does not mean it is wrong. If that were the case, why would we have any books at all?? Secondary sources CAN be incredibly reliable. Just remember to examine your "facts" relative to the sources.

In my next post I'll provide and example that clarifies exactly what I mean by "examine your 'facts' relative to the sources." Until then.................be skeptical.