Rootstech is where genealogy meets geek. The annual Rootstech at Salt Lake City, sponsored by Familysearch (the website of the LDS church) unveils new advances in all sorts of technology to help us genealogists pursue our obsession.
Now Familysearch has put some of the keynote talks from the 2012 conference here on the Rootstech website. I found the video "Effective Database Search Techniques" particularly useful (it's in the top line of the available videos).
In a roundabout way, trying to view these videos taught me two other things - keep your device drivers up to date on your PC/Mac and use an up-to-date firewall which you have tweaked yourself so you know what you have allowed in and out. Worth checking every so often, as both of these factors were responsible for me initially not being able to play these videos at all ....
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Monday, 28 May 2012
Tuesday, 1 May 2012
One of the first mentions of a Fitzhenry in North America?
The book "Maine Wills 1640-1760" by William Sargent was published in 1887 under the auspices of the Maine Historical Society. The aim of the book was to document all the wills of the old County of York (Maine and Massachusetts) in whichever archive or record office they resided.
This book recently been imaged and indexed on the Geneanet.org website, and contains a very early reference to a Fitz-Henry in North America.
The capital I was interchangeable for both I and J, and hence Iames Fite Henry is James Fite (or Fitz) Henry.
James Fitz-Henry was a soldier serving in the army of King George 1, the first Hanover King of Britain and its colonies. I know nothing more about James.
The County of York embraced the whole Province of Maine until 1760, when it was divided into separate counties. The chief executive of the province exercised all the powers of a supreme probate court in England. Arundel is still in York County, Maine and a history of the town written in 1886 can be found here
William Huges uses a W for his mark rather than the more common X.
Notice the years when the will was sworn and probated. This was during the period when the Julian calendar year started on the 1st January, but the British Civil and Legal year started on March 25th. Dates in this range showed both the "old style" and "new style" year dates (here 1724-5). This is often seen in old parish registers.
In 1752, the New Year was standardised as January 1st with the introduction of the Gregorian Calendar throughout the whole of the British Empire (including North America). The one remaining exception is the British Tax year which continued to start on April 5th (which was the new Gregorian equivalent of the old Julian March 25th) until 1800 when it changed to April 6th.
Will reference Probate Office, 3, 163.
Page 290, Maine wills : 1640-1760
Author : Sargent, William M. pub. Portland Maine, 1887
Why not subscribe to this blog and get the updates sent to your inbox? Or send us an email about your Fitz(-)henry family links.
This book recently been imaged and indexed on the Geneanet.org website, and contains a very early reference to a Fitz-Henry in North America.
Arundel August ye 28 1724.According to the preface, the wills were copied "verbatim, literatim and punctuatim" so any variations from the King's English have been preserved in the writing! Huges was probably Hughes, and Iennet was Jennet, a common woman's name at the time.
The Deposition of William Huges & Ruth Huges of full
age Saith that they heard lames Fite Henry Say that he
Desired to make a wife of lennet McCulland and Some few
Days before he was killed by the Indians and he told us that
if he Should be taken away Suddenly it was his will and
that he gave unto his Girl lennet McCulland all the Estate
he had and that the above sd lames Fite Henry was at the
Same time in his Majesties Service and that this Deposition
was Comitted to writing within Six Days after it was known
he was Killed by the Indians.
William Huges W his mark
Sworn to 3 Nov. 1724, by William Huges, also 28 Jan. 1724-5, by Ruth Huges. Allowed
in Court and probated 28 Jan. 1724-5
The capital I was interchangeable for both I and J, and hence Iames Fite Henry is James Fite (or Fitz) Henry.
James Fitz-Henry was a soldier serving in the army of King George 1, the first Hanover King of Britain and its colonies. I know nothing more about James.
The County of York embraced the whole Province of Maine until 1760, when it was divided into separate counties. The chief executive of the province exercised all the powers of a supreme probate court in England. Arundel is still in York County, Maine and a history of the town written in 1886 can be found here
William Huges uses a W for his mark rather than the more common X.
Notice the years when the will was sworn and probated. This was during the period when the Julian calendar year started on the 1st January, but the British Civil and Legal year started on March 25th. Dates in this range showed both the "old style" and "new style" year dates (here 1724-5). This is often seen in old parish registers.
In 1752, the New Year was standardised as January 1st with the introduction of the Gregorian Calendar throughout the whole of the British Empire (including North America). The one remaining exception is the British Tax year which continued to start on April 5th (which was the new Gregorian equivalent of the old Julian March 25th) until 1800 when it changed to April 6th.
Will reference Probate Office, 3, 163.
Page 290, Maine wills : 1640-1760
Author : Sargent, William M. pub. Portland Maine, 1887
Why not subscribe to this blog and get the updates sent to your inbox? Or send us an email about your Fitz(-)henry family links.
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