A Gentle Class of Landlord Copy Came from an 1880 History of the Fortes- Cue Family

Words The Newsletter of Family History Society

Volume 10, Number I Denver, Colorado January, February, March 2009 Cetebratipi,g .25- years!

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then in articles about Irish landlords. This A Gentle Class of Landlord copy came from an 1880 history of the Fortes- cue family. By then, the family's influence — Zoe von Ende Lappin was beginning to wane as the great estates were gradually being liquidated, but some- A little satire, plus precious old documents, body in the family must have had the sense of bring Irish history to life. humor required to include this bit of satire in the fat and stolid family history book.I This William Henry held the top job from 1776 to his death in 1806, and was succeeded by three indirect heirs. They were Protestants. My family was Catholic. The Fortescues, it seems, were rather benign as Irish landlords went. As a class, landlords often were detested and ridiculed even more than the English government. The Great Fa- mine of the 1840s forced evictions that re- sulted in constant criticism of one of these Fortescues — Thomas Fortescue, William Hen- ry's third successor as Lord Clermont. That was despite his generosity — he had donated land for a workhouse and coal to his tenants. The Dundalk Democrat and People's Journal, in its Nov. 10, 1849, edition damned him with faint praise: A NIE NE RABLP, PEER . "We acknowledge that Mr. (Thomas) Fortes- taken on the RAGE COURSE BRIGHTON. cue is one of the best landlords in Louth, but

[ %Chi arm- Hrnry. .Earl or Clermor, this is no praise at all because we maintain that there is not a really good landlord in the coun- The dude with the badge, the pigtail and the ty." The landlord class was the impudent hat astride a horse in the caricature here was newspaper's favorite target, and this Thomas William Henry Fortescue, Earl of Clermont, in 1854 won a libel judgment of 250 pounds County Louth, Ireland — one of four members against it.2 Dundalk, then and now, is the of his family who in the 18th and 19th centuries Louth county town (we'd say county seat). were my family's landlords. The original sketch by an anonymous cartoon- ist is dated 1802 and it pops up every now and cont'd on page 5 W.I.S.E. Words — - - 2 - JantIag,February, March 2009 necessary effort: (1) Book Review Editor, Zoe von Ende Lappin; (2) Photographer, John President's Mossman: (3) Elizabeth Brown, Proof Reader; and (4) Distribution Coordinator Bonnie L. Message Wright. Among your Officers and Board Members it It hardly seems possible, but the 2009 New was not unusual to see persons performing Year is upon us. This will be my last message mutual functions. Among the Country Editors, to you as President of our Wales, Ireland, certain familiar names, are again repeated: (1) Scotland, England Family History Society and Elizabeth Brown, Wales; (2) Zoe von Ende I wish to take this opportunity to extend a Lappin, Ireland; (3) John Mossman, Scotland; thank you to our membership, whose contin- and (4) Paul Kilburn, England. John and Paul ued generous support assisted in making the have also served as former Presidents of 2008 W.I.S.E. year the success it was. W.I.S.E. The 2008 Officers and Board Members of W.I.S.E. will be losing the services of our out- W.I.S.E. deserve special thanks for the dedica- going Treasurer Tommi Kadotani, who has tion each of them brought to their positions as served our society in this position for several they went forward and implemented the pur- years. In addition, our Membership Chair, poses of our Society. As you know our goals Bonnie L. Wright, made the decision to step are, in part, to foster an interest in the geneal- down from the vital membership position. ogy and family history of the British Isles, as Bonnie also carried out a project involving well as to increase the educational opportuni- British Isles publications at the Central Denver ties and knowledge of the members, of our so- Public Library, which time and effort must not ciety and the general public. go unrecognized. W.I.S.E. will miss the professionalism with As I look back on the year, I note with pride which Tommie and Bonnie approached their the outstanding effort put forth in behalf of Treasurer and Membership Chair positions. the purposes of our society by our Vice Presi- Just as importantly, were the important contri- dent and Program Chair Sandy Carter-Duff, as butions each individual brought forward in evidenced by the many outstanding quality board meeting discussions. We wish each of programs made available to an interested them well and appreciate the respective efforts audience. which were made in behalf of W.I.S.E. as they As you read our outstanding W.I.S.E. Words carried out their responsibilities. newsletter please take a moment to reflect The dedication of W.I.S.E. Secretary, Eileen upon the quality of this publication, its scho- Langdon, whose accurate board minutes were larly research findings, and educational mate- vital to the organization, as well as the British rials, brought together in a quarterly Isles publications project in which she partici- production process for distribution to our pated at the Central DPL deserve our special membership as well as those who have a spe- thanks. cial interest in the genealogy of the British Isles. An organization such as W.I.S.E. could hardly have operated without relying upon the com- The Newsletter Staff, so ably led by Judith S. petence of volunteers and board members such Phelps as Editor, deserves a very special rec- as Fran and Dan Parker. They hit the ground ognition. Judith, of course was backed up by running when asked to take on the important W.I.S.E. members who brought their respec- Publicity Coordinator positions, thereby al- tive professional talents as well as sharing un- lowing us to bring our programs and other in- selfishly of their time to this important and itiatives to the attention of the general public. W.I.S.E. Words January, February, March 2009 CCGS Delegate, and Hospitality Chair Thelma Woodard worked well with other organizations in the furtherance of the purposes Time to Renew Member- of our Society and was an important contribu- ships tor to our Society's efforts. Our longtime Members' Interest Coordinator, Terence Time flies when you are having fun Quirke performed his charge in a most compe- researching your family history. Once tent manner, whether at our programs or board again it is time to initiate new mem- meetings. A founding member of our 25-year- berships or renew existing member- old society, Ann Lisa Pearson, continued to ships to the W.I.S.E., Family History serve the organization as the 2008 Audit Society. Annual dues remain the same Committee Chair. at $12 per individual and $15 for couples. This covers a calendar year. Without the contributions of time, talent and A small reminder form is enclosed in resources from all the above, we could not this newsletter for your convenience meet the goals and purposes of our Society in in submitting your payment to: 2008. Thanks to one and all! N. G. Craig, W.I.S.E. Membership as a past Certainly, James K. Jeffrey, not just 3801 Windsor Avenue President of W.I.S.E., but considering the past Colorado Springs, CO 80907-4748. year's celebration of our Society's 25th Anni- versary, he was always there in an advisory You can also bring your checks to the role to offer his thoughts on issues, whether January 24th meeting. small or large, to the continued efficient func- tioning of our Society.

The annual W.I.S.E. research trip to Salt Lake City so ably organized and coordinated by Zoe In This Issue Lappin is another society highlight. New or A Gentle Class of Landlord 1 renewed friendships and research finds of the nineteen participants proved memorable. President's Message 2 Time to Renew Membership Dues 3 Lastly, I strongly urge our Membership to be in attendance at the Annual Membership Irish Seminar a Success 4 Meeting, Saturday January 24, 2009. We will Salt Lake City Research Trip 4 elect two new officers for the 2009-2010 term. Two longtime members of W.I.S.E. who have Welsh Society Activities 4 consistently supported our Society, Zoe von W.I.S.E. Program Schedule 5 Ende Lappin, and Nancy Craig, are standing W.I.S.E. Annual Meeting 8 for election as President and Treasurer, respec- tively. Please be on hand to participate in the Old English Recipe for Ink 9 election of the officers of your Society and Book Reviews 10 enjoy another excellent W.I.S.E. program. United Kingdom Research Tips 11

I do want to thank you for the privilege of New Books Bibliography 12 serving you as your President in the past year. May all the best come the way of W.I.S.E. in Member Biographies 13 the New Year. Photo Album 15

tVuayte Iff:totiirretr Calendar of Events 16 W.I.S.E. Words _ — January, February, March 2009

Irish Seminar A Success W.LS.E. Family History Society The conference center of the Denver Public W.I.S.E. Family History Society is dedicated to re- Library filled nearly to the brim for the search in Wales, Ireland, Scotland, England, the W.I.S.E. seminar on Irish research held on Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Attention is also November 8. Eighty-three genealogists of all directed to the emigration and immigration of these levels of experience came to hear Dr. James peoples as well as heraldry and one-name studies. Monthly meetings are generally held the fourth Sat- Ryan of County Dublin instruct and advise. urday of most months , at the Central Denver Public Most were from metro Denver, ten came from Library, Gates Conference Room, 5th Floor. Mem- Colorado Springs, one from. Loveland, one bership is open to anyone with interest in family from Peyton in northeastern El Paso County history and genealogy. Membership dues for the calendar year are $12 for an individual or $15 for a and another all the way from Milwaukee. family living at the same address. The W.I.S.E. Fami- Kudos to W.I.S.E. program chairman and vice ly History Society publishes W.I.S.E. Words four times per year. A subscription is included with mem- president, Sandy Carter-Duff, for organizing bership dues. this superb event and to all those who helped make this event a success. Event photos can be Officers and Board Members found on page 15.o

President Duane Woodard LDThWoodard@ao1 co m Salt Lake City Trip Vice President Sandy Carter-Duff W.I.S.E. members will find a registration Secretary Eileen M Langdon sheet for our Family History Library research Treasurer Tommie Brett Kadotani trip included in this newsletter. The trip will Past President James K. Jeffrey be April 26-May 3, 2009 headquartered at the Membership Nancy G. Craig Carlton Hotel. The price covers hotel accom- Members' Interest Coordinator Terence Quirke modations with breakfast included. Members must arrange their own transportation to Salt Publicity Coordinators Fran and Dan Parker Lake City. Deadline for the $50 deposit is Archivist /Historian James K. Jeffrey March 19.o CCGS Delegate Thelma Woodard Projects Coordinator Gwen Mayer Welsh Society Activities Newsletter Staff The celebration of St. Dwynwyn, the Welsh Editor Judith S. Phelps be held on January jasp1 Aearthlink.net patron saint of lovers, will 24 at the Kirk of the Bonnie Brae, on South John M Mossman Photographer Steel Street near East Louisiana Avenue. This Book Review Editor Zoe von Ende Lappin fun evening will include skits and plays. There Proofreader Elizabeth Brown will also be a pot luck supper. Distribution Coordinator Bonnie L. Wright A St. David's Day Celebration is scheduled for March 2nd. Plans are still being arranged. Country Editors For details check the Colorado Welsh Society www.coloradowelshsocietv.org. Wales Elizabeth Brown web page at: Ireland Zoe von Ende Lappin For more information on these and other Scotland John Mossman events throughout the year, you may also call Sam Kuntz at 303.886.0632 or send an e-mail England Paul Kilburn to [email protected] ❑ W.I.S.E. Words January, February, March 2009

W.I.S.E. Program Schedule

Resources Online for British Isles Research We'll learn about online catalogs, especially the new Family Search on re- 24 January sources of the Family History Library. We'll also learn about online databases — free and subscription — to aid our research in England, Scotland, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. If there is time, we'll explore resources for Australia and New Zealand.°

Synods, Sessions and Supplications Patrice (Fulton) Stark Learn how Presbyterian Church history and organization can explain Scots- Irish migration, communication and kinship networks in colonial America. 28 February Beginning with terminology and customs key to understanding presbyterian- ism, Patrice will highlight the significance of the subsequent divisions, mer- gers and acquisitions (New Side, Associate, Reformed, Associate-Reformed, United Presbyterian, etc.) and show the significance to genealogical research. This case study features the Donegal Presbytery and southside Virginia.o

The Whitcomb Family History: Idea to Book in Six Years Norman K. Whitcomb Norm Whitcomb is a Boston-born retired structural engineer who devoted six years to uncovering his family roots from Martock Parish in Somerset Eng- land. A non-genealogist, he had to learn the ins and outs of preparing a family 28 March history from self-help guides he purchased from the New England Historic Genealogical Society of which he is a member. He learned much by visits to the Somerset and Devonshire Records Offices in England as well as visits to the NEHGS Library in Boston, and other libraries around the country. His greatest source of information, strangely enough, was the Denver Public Library, which has one of the finest genealogical collections in the country.o

--cont'd from Page I "To preserve partridges and hares and to kill over half the dogs in the nation." It was de- Gentle Class of Landlord feated. William Henry Fortescue, our comic character and Thomas' predecessor for 50 years or so, Sharkey calls William Henry a friend of royalty was a member for Louth of the British Parlia- who spent most of his time in England running ment, starting in 1745. In his 2003 history of a successful stud farm. His horse won the 1785 County Louth, Noel Sharkey describes William Derby, and the reference to Brighton in the car- Henry's imperious style. He usually limited his toon refers to the race track there. William participation in parliamentary debate to those Henry once bet that he could find a heifer that closely affecting himself, Sharkey says, and in could eat 24 stone of turnips in 24 hours. That's the 1763-1764 session offered this proposal: 336 pounds, and Fortescue lost his bet. W.LS.E. Words January, February, March 2009 Nearly 200 years after William Henry Fortes- Derry) leaving only an infant son, Thomas, as cue's death, Sharkey, who has deep roots in his sole heir. Perhaps because of this, William, County Louth, heaped derision on the old boy. who had been living within lands belonging to "In this fashion (referring to the turnip wager) the lease of Dromiskin, attempted to stake a his life swept along, without any significant claim to the lease itself, thus hoping to gain all contribution to the welfare of his Clermont te- of the Fortescue lands within County Louth. A nants, his supreme achievement being to do legal wrangle ensued between William and the nothing ... magnificently," he wrote. Sharkey guardians of young Thomas over the future of illustrated his story with this same caricature the lease, a matter complicated by the fact that we see here. old Sr. Thomas (who lived until 1710) sided with each party at various stages of the pro- This Anglo-Irish Fortescue family, known as ceedings." landed gentry, were my ancestors' landlords in the parishes of Dromiskin / Darver and Hag- About this time, Smith writes, the family as a gardstown in County Louth on the east coast of whole had become involved in a dispute with Ireland in what is now the Republic of Ireland. the archbishop of Armagh, who accused Sir The Fortescues had settled in Ireland in the ear- Thomas and William Fortescue of surrepti- ly 1600s, and their history is laced with feuding tiously annexing church estates during the and intrigue, as well as complicated property upheaval of the 1690s immediately following claims and counterclaims. My family, surname the Battle of the Boyne. "The archbishop's Savage, is first recorded on the estate in 1776. lengthy grievances display a vivid picture of The Fortescue name suggests they were a Nor- local disorder in a kingdom in crisis," he writes. man (French) family, and their story is well (The Battle of the Boyne is the historical land- told by Philip Smith of Belfast in a summary mark in which King William III of England -- that accompanies the estate papers at the Public William of Orange -- defeated the deposed Record Office of Northern Ireland, known as Catholic King James II of England, who had PRONI. fled to Ireland to enlist Catholic support for his cause. It had been a rousing victory for The original owner of the Dromiskin lands was the English, a humiliating defeat for the Catho- the See of Armagh (the established Church of lics, and a pivotal event in the history of Irel- Ireland, Protestant). In 1622, Sir Faithful For- and, still celebrated each July 12 in Northern tescue of Carrickfergus, County Antrim, bought Ireland.) the lease from Sir Moses Hill of County An- trim. "Sir Faithful had settled in Ireland during "The Fortescue matter was finally settled about the early 1600s and had been knighted by his 1715, with the lease of Dromiskin coming into uncle Sir Arthur Chicester in 1606," Smith the possession of Thomas," Smith's summary writes. "He also acquired land both in County continues. "Thomas's descendants continued to Antrim and County Down. After he died, the hold the lease throughout the course of the 18th lease of Dromiskin passed to his eldest son, Sir century, whilst the descendants of William held Thomas Fortescue, who about 1660 purchased various other estates within Louth and else- several freeholds within the Dromiskin area. ... where. William's grandson, William Henry (Freeholds are lands held for life with the right Fortescue (the comic character on the horse) to pass them on through inheritance.) was created 1st Baron and Viscount Clermont in 1776 and two years later (was named) Earl of "Sir Thomas had two sons, Chichester, the Clermont. The Earl of Clermont died in 1806 Elder, and William. In 1684 Sir Thomas made a and was succeeded by his nephew, William will settling the lease of Dromiskin (i.e. the Charles Fortescue, 2 nd Viscount Clermont, who bulk of his lands in County Louth) on Chiche- in turn was succeeded by an English nephew ster and the freehold lands on William. Chiche- named Sir Henry Goodriche. After Goodriche's ster, however, died in 1689 (during the siege of death in 1833, all of the Clermont estates W.1.S.E. Words January, February, March 2009 reverted to another cousin, Thomas Fortescue and a Brodigan as tenants of Lord Clermont: of Dromiskin, who used this newly acquired Matthew, James and Patrick Savage and Patrick wealth to buy the fee simple of most of Dro- Brodigan. miskin from the See of Armagh in 1838. He was also able to acquire estates in Louth (in The exact nature of the relationship of my an- 1849). In 1852, Thomas Fortescue was created cestors to the Lords Clermont — aside from te- Baron Clermont, a new creation in the Irish nant-landlord — is lost in history. Three curious peerage, whilst his younger brother, Chicester documents in the United States link the Samuel Fortescue, was created Lord Carling- Savages to the Lords Clermont, but raise more ford in the peerage of the United Kingdom."3 questions than they answer. First was the mar- (Fee simple refers to absolute ownership of riage record of Rose and Patrick's granddaugh- land with unrestricted rights of disposal.) ter, Rose Quirk, to Thomas Blackbourn in Wisconsin, 1893.5 Rose named her mother as It was these four men, William Henry Fortes- Ann F. Clairmount Savage. The other two doc- cue (the decrepit fellow on the horse) and his uments were generated by this same Rose in nephew, William Charles Fortescue, Henry California in 1914. She wed John T. Ramsey Goodriche and Thomas Fortescue, who were there in January and gave her mother's maiden my Savages' landlords. They were known as name on her marriage certificate as Ann Clair- the Lords Clermont. mont.6 It really was Savage. Ten months later, when Rose's mother — known as Ann Frances The last landlord at Clermont Park was Major Austin -- died, Rose identified Ann's mother as Matthew Fortescue, who inherited the estates in Rose Clarmont.7 It actually was Brodigan, but 1891, long after my Savage family had left for the errors serve to show that there was a con- America in 1849 and 1850. He was heavily in nection of a somewhat familiar nature. The de- debt, demands for land reform and home rule tails lurk in the shady past. were swirling over Ireland, and by 1907 he was so short of cash he had to sell Clermont Park, The Fortescues' remarkable estate papers at the family home and adjoining land. It brought PRONI are mostly on velum or parchment. 44,000 pounds in 1908. That year, estate com- They are delicate, and a joy to hold and read. missioners handed over allotments varying The names of my ancestors — Savage, Brodigan from 36 to 50 acres among evicted tenants and and McShane -- appear primarily in lists of other residents. The list of those who received tenants; alas, there is no genealogical informa- lands includes only one person with a surname tion. of my ancestors, Thomas McShane.4 It's un- known whether he was a relative of mine. 'Fortescue, Thomas (Lord Clermont), A History of Throughout the recorded history of my family the Family of Fortescue in All Its Branches, second in County Louth, they were tenants on the es- edition, London: Ellis and White, 1880. tate of the Fortescue family, the Lords Cler- mont. The estate's boundaries changed in the 2Sharkey, Noel, The Parish of Haggardstown & 17th and 18th centuries, but suffice it to say it Blackrock; A History, Dundalk: Dundalgan Press was in the central part of the county and the (W. Tempest) Ltd., 2003; page 15. Copy in posses- largest entity in County Louth. Two principal sion of author. sources place the Savages on this estate: the 3Public Record of Northern Ireland series D/4074, estate papers and the 1854 Griffith's Fortescue described as "about 620 documents and four vo- Valuation, a tax list and census substitute that lumes. Records of the Fortescue Family of Dro- serves as circumstantial evidence since my an- miskin, County Louth, and their estates in Counties cestors, Patrick Savage, his wife Rose Brodigan Louth, Meath and Down, 1543-1939," document 1. and their brood, had already emigrated by the time it was compiled. It names several Savages 4Sharkey, Noel, cited above, pages 20, 22. W.I.S.E. Words January, February, March 2009 5Grant County, Wisconsin, longhand copy of certificate on file in Lancaster, Wisconsin; copy in possession of the author. Zoe von Ende Lappin Candidate for President, 6Sacramento County marriage license (number illeg- 2009-2010 ible) and certificate, local registered No. 31, January 8, 1914. I am a native of Wisconsin, doing genealogy research since 1981. My husband, Jack Lappin, 7California State Board of Health, death certificate, and I have ancestors in three of the four Elk Grove, Sacramento County, California, local registered number 133, November 6, 1914. W.I.S.E. countries, Ireland (north and south), England and Scotland. We also have German forebears. In addition, I have French-Canadian A personal note: The day that I was reading the ancestors, and he has early colonial Americans Fortescue papers at PRONI, the researcher sit- in his genetic stew. I have successfully ting next to me interrupted with a comment: researched most of them, but several of those "Those papers look familiar." Indeed He was colonial characters have me stumped as to their none other than Philip Smith, the archivist who place of origin. had originally catalogued the papers. He no longer was a PRONI employee, but was working I am a retired journalist -- reporter, writer, copy in other areas of historic research and preserva- editor -- with a total of 38 years on The Denver tion. Like me, he admired the collection, but, not Post and Rocky Mountain News, retiring from surprisingly, he couldn't further my genealogical the News in 1999. Journalism skills transfer efforts. He did answer one question, though: very well to genealogy -- sources, resources, Since most of the Forestcue / Clermont estate was research techniques are virtually the same in in what is now the Republic of Ireland, why are each -- plus all those years of writing and edit- the papers archived in Northern Ireland? The ing have eased the way to make my findings answer, he said, lay with a former director of into stories, and to write articles and book PRONI. He knew the custodian well, and was reviews. able to cash in on his friendship by persuading My husband and I are fortunate enough to visit him to place the records in Belfast instead of in the National Library of Ireland in Dublin. the British Isles at least once a year. Our daugh- ter lives in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where For those of you who would like to read about a she's a member of the architecture faculty of really nasty Irish landlord, I recommend The Queen's University, Belfast, so we fly over Killing of Major Denis Mahon by Peter Duffy, each spring for several weeks. I have re- HarperCollins, 2007. It's the story of Major De- searched on site at the Public Record Office of nis Mahon, an especially reprehensible landlord Northern Ireland in Belfast and the National in Strokestown, County Roscommon, during the Library of Ireland in Dublin, and we have vi- ❑ Great Famine. sited various of our ancestors' communities in Counties Louth, Monaghan, Clare and Down, plus Manchester and Liverpool, England, from W.I.S.E. Annual Meeting which our ancestors immigrated. We've also visited Inverness Shire, Scotland, where my and Election of Officers Scots ancestors originated, and we have called at sites in England from which some of my The annual meeting of the W.I.S.E. Family husband's colonial forefathers came. It's on History Society is scheduled for January 24th these trips that I pick up ethnic-type items that starting at 1:00 p.m. Items of business will W.I.S.E. uses as door prizes. include presentation of the budget for 2009 I have been a member of W.I.S.E. since 1999, and election of officers. Below are biographies served as secretary for two terms, 2002-2006, for the two candidates standing for election. and have represented Ireland on the W.I.S.E. W.I.S.E. Words January, February, March 2009 board since 2006. I'm also the book review editor for W.I.S.E. Words. I have organized four Old English Recipe for Ink W.I.S.E. research trips to Salt Lake City, and we're working on another for spring 2009. My Donna J. Porter found this item on the United overwhelming personal project at the moment Kingdom National Archives site. is writing a comprehensive book about my mother's paternal line from Ireland. Collecting "This recipe for ink is written in old English. It photographs is my favorite part of all this. is a fragment from a larger book or volume, and has long since been parted from the original source. It was found in the records of the Chan- Nancy G. Craig cery, a government department that wrote most Candidate for Treasurer and- official documents issued on behalf of the Membership Chairperson Crown during the medieval period. 2009-2010 "The written word has been an essential means My undergraduate degree was earned from of communication for many centuries. The Augustana College, a Lutheran institution in Romans used an ink made of soot mixed with Sioux Falls, SD. I moved "Out West" to attend water. The Egyptians made ink by mixing wa- the University of Denver's library school, ter, plant fluid and lampblack. These inks where I earned my M.L.S. degree. I retired were simple to produce and use, but they from a life-time career at Hewlett-Packard faded over time. Company and its spin-off called Agilent Tech- nologies. I worked at their offices and manufac- "In medieval times, scribes started to use iron turing facilities in St. Paul (Minnesota), and gall ink, which soaked into the parchment and also Englewood and Colorado Springs, CO. I so did not fade in the same way. There were a find family history and genealogy need all the number of ways of producing this type of ink, skills I learned along the way: reference libra- but they all involved mixing tannic acid with rian and data analyst along with being part de- ferrous sulphate and gum. The recipe here sug- tective and writer. gests the following ingredients: gall (growths on oak trees caused by insects or fungus), cop- I have been active in history and genealogy peras or vitriol (copper or other type of ferrous organizations for many years. Some of my as- sulphate) and gum. Gall ink was so successful signments have been: Programs Chair for Pikes that it continued to be used until Victorian Peak Genealogical Society; Treasurer for the times." Colorado Welsh Society; Treasurer and Mem- bership Chair of the HP/Agilent Alumni Club of Colorado Springs; served on CCGS as the PPGS Delegate and also as Council Secretary; Registrar for several Council and local semi- nars; a member of PPGS Book Selection Committee. My family history includes ancestors from Eastern Europe (Czech Republic), all the W.I.S.E. countries, and (we think, but not quite yet proven) a link to the Eastern Band Cherokee. I belong to historical and genealogical societies in the locales where my ancestors settled: Alabama, Texas, Minnesota and South Dakota. I enjoy square and round dancing, reading and crossword puzzles.❑ W.I.S.E. Words - 10 - January, February, March 2009 Old English Recipe for Ink True or false? Many vital records at the General Record Office of England are a mess. Some words are no longer easily readable and our suggested transcription for those True. The great depository of records of the words is in parentheses O. nation's births, deaths and marriages since civil registration began in 1837 is a nest of confusion. — always has been — and a one-eyed statistician To make ink. Take (oil) from New Zealand who is passionate and ex- and copperas and or vitriol (quarter) tremely knowledgeable about it has made it his and gum of (clyche) a quarter late life's work to figure it out. He is maybe the or half quarter and a half only person on the planet who understands the quarter of gall more and system, what there is of it, and in two little break the gall a 2 or a 3 books he lays out the problem in hopes he can and put them together every help genealogists overcome the obstacles, if the one in a pot and stir it that's possible. In the process, he's pushing for often and within change which isn't coming very soon. 2 weeks after you (mol) The author/researcher is Michael Whitfield write the (wyr) Foster, who lost an eye to cancer in 1992. His and if you have a quarter of books are entitled A Comedy of Errors, or, The clvyche take a quarter of Marriage Records of England and Wales, water if half a quarter 1837-1899, published in 1998, and A Comedy of Errors, Act 2, published in 2002. He concen- of cliyche then take half trates on marriage records, 1837 to 1899, occa- a quarter of water. sionally branching into birth and death records, All of the above information was quoted from and does not stray into the 20th or 21g century the www.nationalarchives.gov.uk site, word for It's those 19th century records that most intrigue word and spelled like it is on the site. genealogists, the ones you get by paying a fee after finding what you want, may- For those of you who might have an interest in to the GRO through the Family palaeography (study and analysis of old be, by checking the index recently, online at handwriting), the National Archives (U.K.) History Library or, more http://www.freebmd.org.uld hosts a practical on-line tutorial designed to help you learn to read the handwriting found in W.I.S.E. purchased his books for the Denver documents written in English between 1500 Public Library, and like the rest of the genealo- and 1800. For more information, go to: gy-Western history collection, these do not cir- http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/palaeography/D culate. GRO's problems lie in compiling of the records and the indexing, plus inconsistent quality of Book Reviews filming. Those of us who have used, or tried to use, the system may have had personal expe- --Zoe von Ende Lappin rience with the problems, as Foster has. He's been able to see the humor in some of it, hence One Million Errors: Comedy or the title of his books, taken from Shakespeare. Tragedy? The rest of us are more likely to turn away in frustration. Foster, Michael Whitfield, A Comedy of Errors, or, The Marriage Records of England and He generally has no concrete solutions for spe- Wales, 1837-1899, Wellington, New Zealand: cific problems, but his descriptions of the issues self-published, 1998; and A Comedy of Errors, at least let us know we're not alone. It would Act 2, Wellington, 2002: self-published. take a while to get accustomed to this arcane W.LS.E. Words - 11 - January, February, March 2009 arrangement at GRO, or lack of it, however, likely never will be found. Do the whole thing and American avocational genealogists simply over, he urges. aren't in a position to try to untangle it. Foster's Somebody in the Office of National Statistics, passionate attention to the problems, however, the bureau that oversees the GRO, did respond could steer you toward a solution, and his de- to the criticism voiced by Foster and others, scriptions of the disarray could make you laugh and produced a White Paper on the national — or cry. registration service. It falls far short of Foster's The GRO is in the city of Southport on the west expectations — he called it a sad surprise. "I coast of England, not far from Manchester. find it distressingly long on platitudes and woe- Since 1837, it's been charged with storing cop- fully short on specifications, ... a wish list ... a ies — not the originals — of local vital records. political document apparently based on a rosy Originals stay with clergymen, local registrars view ... that is so far from the facts that it is and a few others, who are charged with getting alarming." Once again, Foster puts forth the copies to the GRO. They're supposed to be in- benefit of the doubt: Ineptitude, not a contriv- dexed quarterly. Even on site at Southport, the ance or conspiracy, is to blame, he says. common researcher never gets to see even the Nobody thought it through. microfilmed versions of the original — you and I Foster provides appendixes galore and ends deal only with the indexes in microform (or the second volume with a list of surnames ad- digitized online), then request an abstracted dressed in his examples in both books. A simi- copy. Foster, however, was fortunate to earn lar index of place names would have been the trust of the powers that be and spent several helpful, too, but apparently it was a matter of weeks in three different years — 1998, 2000 and keeping the publication costs down. Neverthe- 2001 — in the bowels of the creaky office at a less, if you can bring a dispassionate mindset place called Smedley Hydro. It once was a to Foster's constructive criticisms, you may resort, and those vestiges remain. He found the even get a laugh out of some of these tragic task somewhat daunting, but, loved it as perhaps mistakes. ❑ only a statistician could love such a job. He's also a genealogist. Foster's initial task was to compare a sample of United Kingdom Research Tips GRO indexes with the GRO marriage films, --Donna J Porter and based on his sample, he guessed there are at least 1 million errors in the 19th century mar- Remember to research all available media riage indexes alone. The examples he cites are including microfiche. One of my favorite complicated, as are his insights into how the resources is: Smith, Frank, Smith's Inventories indexing went wrong. Sometimes, for instance, of Genealogical Sources, 32 Volumes, Salt entire blocks of material were completely Lake City, Utah, The Corporation of the Presi- missed by the indexers. (He presents a legion of dent, Church of Latter Day Saints, 1994. The examples of errors but, alas, it would take Family History Library microfiche numbers are another article to explain just one such.) as follows: He sees no nefarious intentions, but rather lays 6110526 — England the blame on well-meaning but incompetent 6110527 — Ireland clerks, lack of a standard system, the tedium of 6110528 — Scotland the job, terrible handwriting, lax record- keeping at the point of origin. Still, Foster has 6110529 — Wales great admiration for the work, unique in all the The above microfiche can be requested for a world, and urges not a revamping of the index- fee at a Family History Center for your use ing system, but a completely fresh start. As it is locally or the fiche can be viewed in the FHL in now, a mis-indexed or never-indexed marriage Salt Lake City.❑ W.I.S.E. Words - 12 - January, February, March 2009 Foster, Michael Whitfield A Comedy of Errors, New and Not So New Act 2. New Books Bibliography Fraser, Antonia. Weaker Vessel: Women in I 7th at Denver Public Library Century England-Heiresses and Dairymaids, Holy Women and Prostitutes, Criminals and --James K. Jeffrey Educators, Widows and Witches, Midwives and Mothers, Heroines, Courtesans, Prophetesses, Bailyn, Bernard. New England Merchants in Businesswomen, Ladies of the Court, and that the Seventeenth Century. New Breed, the Actress. Bailyn, Bernard. Peopling of British North Gallay, Alan. Indian Slave Trade: the Rise of America: an Introduction. the English Empire in the American South Bailyn, Bernard. Voyagers to the West: a Pas- 1670-1717. sage in the Peopling of America on the Eve of Girouard, Mark. Life in the English Country the Revolution. House. Barnes, Robert. Colonial Families of Mary- Glassie, Henry. Stars of Ballymenone. land: Bound and Determined to Succeed. Godbeer, Richard. Sexual Revolution in Early Bentley, Nicholas. Victorian Scene: a Picture America. Book of the period, 1837-1901. Gough, Richard. History of Myddle. Blythe, Ronald. Akenfield:• Portrait of an Eng- Hallam, Elizabeth M. Domesday Book Through lish Village. Nine Centuries. Brown, Kathleen M. Good Wives, Nasty Hatfield, April Lee. Atlantic Virginia: Interco- Wenches & Anxious Patriarchs: Gender, Race, lonial Relations in the Seventeenth Century. and Power in Colonial Virginia. Hartley, Dorothy. Lost Country Life: How Eng- Calloway, Colin G. Scratch of a Pen: 1763 and lish Country Folk Lived, Worked, Threshed, the Transformation of North America. Thatched, Rolled Fleece, Milled Corn, Brewed Chamberlain, Mary. Fenwomen: a Portrait of Mead... Women in an English Village. Henretta, James A. Transformation of Early Coldham, Peter Wilson. Emigrants in Chains, American History: Society, Authority, and Ide- 1607-1776. ology. Hill, Martha. 1607-1699 When Virginia Was Daniell, Christopher. Death and Burial in Me- the Wild West: the Story of the Seventeenth dieval England 1066-1550. Century Chesapeake and a Guide to Early His- Demos, John. Unredeemed Captive: a Family toric Sites in Maryland and Virginia. Story from Early America. Horn, James. A Land As God Made It: James- Divine, David. Hadrian's Wall: a Study of the town and the Birth of America. North West Frontier of Rome. Hume, Ivor Noel. Martin's Hundred. Dobson, David. Scottish Transatlantic Mer- Hume, Ivor Noel. Virginia Adventure: Roa- chants, 1611-1785. noke to James Towne: an Archaeological and Fischer, David Hackett. Albion's Seed: Four Historical Odyssey. British Folkways in America. Humphery-Smith, Cecil. Phillimore Atlas and Foster, Michael Whitfield. A Comedy of Errors, Index of Parish Registers. or, The Marriage Records of England and Kelso, William M. Jamestown the Buried Wales, 1837-1899. Truth. W.I.S.E. Words - 13 - January, February, March 2009 Kelso, William M. Jamestown Rediscovery 1994-2004. Member Biographies Kelso, William M. Jamestown Rediscovery: Search for 1607 James Fort. Kelso, William M. Jamestown Rediscovery II. Daniel 0. Parker Kelso, William M. Jamestown Rediscovery III. Kelso, William M. Jamestown Rediscovery IV. Montgomery, Dennis. Jamestown and the New I spent my early years in a home and a commu- World. nity soon to disappear under water. At the time, Messer, Sarah. Red House: Being a Mostly Ac- we lived with my grandparents on a dairy farm. curate Account of New England's Oldest Con- My parents took me to many of the places tinuously Lived-in House. which would soon be gone under the waters of Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts -- homes Morgan, Edmund S. Puritan Political Ideas. to about three generations or more of my fa- Noble, Allen G. To Build in a New Land: Eth- ther's family. On the other side, my mother's nic Landscapes in North America. family had lived in Plympton, MA, in the same house, for 155 years. Noel, Thomas J. Colorado Catholicism and the Archdiocese of Denver 1857-1989. We moved to Granby, MA, just after I turned 7 years old. My grandfather's farm was about a Porter, Charles W. III. Adventurers to a New mile away from the house we lived in. By World: the Roanoke Colony, 1585-87. age II, I was spending most of the summers at Powell, Sumner Chilton. Puritan Village: the the farm, coming home to sleep. It was during Formation of a New England Town. these teen years that my mother and I would work on the family genealogy, visiting cemete- Savage, James, [Patty Barthell Myers, compi- ries and the homes of Town Clerks to record ler]. Female Index to Genealogical Dictionary the basic data for my relatives. I shifted my of the First Settlers of New England interest to history during my undergraduate Smith, Leonard H. and Norma H. Smith. Nova years in "Lincoln Country" at Illinois College Scotia Immigrants to 1867. Vol II from Non- in Jacksonville, IL. During my years at Andov- Nova Scotia Periodicals and from Published er Newton Theological Seminary located in a Diaries and Journals. suburb of Boston, I was the student minister in a Congregational Church in Beverly, MA, Smith, Philip D. Tartan For Me! Suggested across the river from Salem, MA. Tartans for Scottish, Scotch-Irish, Irish, and North American Surnames with Lists of Clan, Upon receiving the Master of Divinity degree Family, and District Tartans. and my marriage to Fran, wanderlust overtook us and we received a call to serve a rural church Townsend, Camilla. Pocahontas and the Pow- in Madison, MN. There we became involved in hatan Dilemma. the history of the first Anglo-European Protes- Wilson, D. G. Victorian Thames. tant mission to the Lakota Indians at Lac qui Parle Lake. Wood. Michael. Domesday: a Search for the Roots of England. When we moved to Colorado in 1966, I was on the staff of the United Church of Christ as sec- Wood, Margaret. English Mediaeval House. retary for rural issues and traveled over much Woodward, Robert Irving. Saint John's Church of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains. If I in the Wilderness: a History of St. John's was going to be in a community for a couple of Cathedral in Denver, Colorado, 1860-2000.o days, I would secure an unpublished history of W.I.S.E. Words - 14 - January, February, March 2009 the community from individuals and read it grandfather came from Ireland in 1883 and during the evenings or on the plane back to then returned to Ireland and married my Denver. By the time I left the position with the grandmother, returning in 1885. His sister went UCC, many people would comment I knew to Australia about the same time settling in more about their community that they did. I West Australia. continued that practice as I worked with the It was my mother's side of the family who had local soil conservation districts in Colorado most of the history that went along with the from 1975 to 1997. In 1975 I completed work history of the area. She was a Thayer and their on a Master of Education Degree from Colora- family went back to about 1636. At one point I do State University specializing in adult educa- remember a seventh cousin by the name of tion. The family traveled extensively during the Kinchen Exum visiting from Mississippi. I was years from 1966 to 1980 including several trips amazed that we were related to someone so far back to New England so our daughters could away, and he was a Confederate at that! Our become acquainted with family history there. Aunt Josie had a notebook with all the families Both of them spent summers with their grand- listed and how we were related but unfortunate- parents and my mother took them to all the ly she didn't put in any dates. Now I can only cemeteries and old houses connected to the wonder how and where she found the informa- family tion. I do know that when we visited the ceme- Since retiring in 1997, I have continued to be teries in the area my mother kept pointing out active with the Plains Conservation Center, an all the folks that we were related to. Why didn't environmental education center in southeast I think to ask more questions? My sister, Aurora. We have visited many historic sites in Dorothy Van Dyke, and I have studied that Colorado and I have become more active in the notebook for years, appreciating the work she genealogy of both sides of our family. We have had done. made four trips to Australia and become ac- I graduated in 1955 with a diploma from a quainted with Fran's many cousins there. We three-year nursing school in Boston and worked have visited England twice to gain a feel for most of our married life in the field of nursing. our "country of origin" for much of our family. I've been active in many nursing associations Last year we visited Northern Ireland to come and the American Cancer Society. I finished in touch with more of Fran's family history. my B.S. degree in 1991 after the rest of the I am currently a member of Colorado Genea- family had their degrees and were on their way logical Society and Wales, Ireland, Scotland, in their chosen fields. and England Family History Society (W.I.S.E.) A friend invited me to attend Columbine His- and serve as co-chair for publicity with my torical and Genealogical Society meetings and I wife, Fran. I am also a member of the Swift got hooked from there. I became a member of River Valley Historical Society, which is head- Columbine and here we are. I joined the Thayer quartered in New Salem, MA. That society op- Families Association, Colorado Genealogical erates a museum covering the four communities Society, and W.I.S.E., where I currently serve which disappeared under the waters of Quabbin as pUblicity co-chair with my husband, Dan. Reservoir in 1938.❑ We have kept in close contact with the Skilling family in Australia. I write a family newsletter once a month that goes to 40 households in three countries — North America, Canada and Frances Skilling Parker Australia. That is my contribution to keeping the family and generations connected. Of course, my own family history research is full I was born in a small New England town south of "if only I had asked that question when I had of Boston, the youngest of three girls. My the opportunity!" ❑ W.I.S.E. Words — - 15 - — January, February, March 2009

Photo Album: Irish Research Seminar with Dr. James Ryan W.I.S.E. Words - 16 - January, February, March 2009

Calendar of Events

Date Time Place Speaker/Sponsor Topic

Kirk of Bonnie Brae Colorado Welsh Society Celebration of January 24 TBA S. Steele and E. Louisiana Contact: sam.kuntzZcomeast.net St. Dwynwyn

Gates Room, 5th Floor, Contact W.I.S.E. Program Chair: Resources Online for January 24 1:00 p.m. Denver Public Library sandvacarduff.eom British Isles Research

Gates Room, 5th Floor, W.I.S.E. Family History Society A Case Study of February 28 1:00 p.m. Denver Public Library Patrice (Fulton) Stark Scots-Irish Migration

Colorado Welsh Society St. David's Day March 2 TBA Details to come Contact: sam.kuntzgcomeast.net Celebration

The Whitcomb Gates Room, 56 Floor, W.I.S.E. Family History Society March 28 1:00 p.m. Family History: Idea Denver Public Library Norman K. Whitcomb to Book in Six Years

For details about upcoming programs sponsored by W.I.S.E., please turn to page 5.