BS: Ancestors in USA (Lowell Mass.)

Subject: BS: Ancestors in USA (Lowell Mass.)
From: Frug
Date: 10 Feb 08 - 06:10 PM

Hi all........................well as a family, given a few hard years of losing loved ones we're trying to put together an ancestry for the next generations while there's still some of us about to remember some of the facts. We come from a convoluted background which involves some American ancestors and which is linked to travelling show people etc etc. We are looking for some assistance from Mudcatters in Massachusetts particularly around the Lowell area who might make a few enquiries on our behalf. If anyone can and will assist you will have our deepest gratitude and we'll even send prezzies. Of course we'll also meet any costs if documents are available...................we've just about exhausted the potential of web sites and now need some local info re the mid to late 19th century records for Lowell area. Anyone prepared to help please pm me or email [e-mail].

Cheers

Frank

Subject: RE: BS: Ancestors in USA (Lowell Mass.)
From: Barry Finn
Date: 11 Feb 08 - 03:05 AM

PM sent Frank

Barry

Subject: RE: BS: Ancestors in USA (Lowell Mass.)
From: katlaughing
Date: 11 Feb 08 - 02:13 PM

Frug, there are some volunteers whom you could email listed on this site. I know you said you'd exhausted the online stuff, but it seems there is more new stuff everyday. I like to check back every once in awhile.

Subject: RE: BS: Ancestors in USA (Lowell Mass.)
From: GUEST,Frug
Date: 11 Feb 08 - 05:37 PM

Thanks Kat for those links

Frank

Subject: RE: BS: Ancestors in USA (Lowell Mass.)
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 11 Feb 08 - 06:44 PM

There are a lot of geneology clubs on the internet who would help. Is Lowell near CHicopee MA? There were a lot of people from the Dingle area of Ireland who ended up there, and I think Lowell as well..and them some, among them my relatives, ended up in Clermont, Iowa, after working on the canals.

If they are Irish, look at canal maps...I am too amateur right now to help..also ifyou have an LDS church nearby they can be really helpful, depending on which volunteers you get, also public libraries can help. mg

Subject: RE: BS: Ancestors in USA (Lowell Mass.)
From: Alice
Date: 11 Feb 08 - 07:58 PM

If the LDS happened to baptize any of your ancestors after death, which they do, then you can hit the jackpot http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp

click

None of my relatives are Mormon as far as I know, but my grandfather is in the
database, and from that I have reams of genealogy records going back to
year 800.

Subject: RE: BS: Ancestors in USA (Lowell Mass.)
From: Barry Finn
Date: 12 Feb 08 - 01:30 AM

Chicopee is a couple hours west of Lowell

Barry

Subject: RE: BS: Ancestors in USA (Lowell Mass.)
From: Barry Finn
Date: 12 Feb 08 - 01:36 AM

There are canals in Lowell but not the kind that one would work on or use for transportation. The canals in Lowell were used for the mills. The water would get diverted from the Merrimack River by canals, run along side the mills (as did the river) & the mills could use the water for their industry. I don't think the water was used for power but I could be wrong, I know that that wasn't a major use anyway. These are very short canals. Almost cute.

Barry

Subject: RE: BS: Ancestors in USA (Lowell Mass.)
From: Riginslinger
Date: 12 Feb 08 - 10:02 PM

Jack Kerouac was from Lowell, Mass. I think he grew up speaking French, until he went to school that is, if in fact you think he ever grew up.
                  Or maybe he grew up and the rest of the country didn't. It's hard to know sometimes.

Subject: RE: BS: Ancestors in USA (Lowell Mass.)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Feb 08 - 01:03 PM

I have a friend who specializes in history of immigration (Ellis Island) who has maintained strong family ties to his family in Lowell (he grew up there). Can you post some surnames, or send me a PM with them, and I'll pass the names along and see if he can tell me anything helpful.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Ancestors in USA (Lowell Mass.)
From: gnu
Date: 13 Feb 08 - 01:26 PM

I think I have an uncle there. Lori LeBlanc (Laurie, Loreul). Hmmm. Must check that out.

Subject: RE: BS: Ancestors in USA (Lowell Mass.)
From: Diva
Date: 14 Feb 08 - 08:30 AM

I'm now working in a local history and archive centre and we do lots of family history. At the risk of offending the LDS, their site is useful but don't take it as the absolute 'gospel' (sorry for pun)They tend to leave out the bits they don't like

Subject: RE: BS: Ancestors in USA (Lowell Mass.)
From: Frug
Date: 14 Feb 08 - 09:02 AM

Thanks to all for the offers of help. I will send necessary details out when I get back home. Currently working away.

Frank

Subject: RE: BS: Ancestors in USA (Lowell Mass.)
From: katlaughing
Date: 14 Feb 08 - 10:47 AM

Diva, good point. I emailed them about my maternal grandfather's name being mis-spelled. They wrote back there was nothing they could do to correct it! I shouldn't have been surprised. For years their pay site, ancestry.com, has had a file from some guy which has my paternal grandfather married to my grandmother's sister and my grandmother married to her sister's husband. I have written to them AND the guy to no avail. All I could do was put up my own correct version with supporting documents and hope folks find my posting. For an organisation which is so big on getting records, you'd think they would want to be as accurate as possible.

Ah, well, Frank I suppose you know about Gen Forum. Sometimes it is really helpful.

Good luck!

Subject: RE: BS: Ancestors in USA (Lowell Mass.)
From: GUEST,petr
Date: 14 Feb 08 - 04:44 PM

I didnt really believe in using the pay sites, such as ancestry.com
until I tried it a few months ago. Almost immediately I found useful information including a photo of a relative in the US passport archives.

Also I like the feature of the family treemaker software that will search the net for possible hints on people in your tree.

Finally, I also found two distant relatives who were also researching the same ancestors and we were able to share information. One of them sent us letters from the late 19th century from her ggg grandmother to her son, as well as from one son to another. It really did offer a glimpse into a life (full of some hardships).

one really good site that I found, was the http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/

Subject: RE: BS: Ancestors in USA (Lowell Mass.)
From: Diva
Date: 15 Feb 08 - 03:18 AM

Sounds really obvious..so I'll apologise...but talk to as many family members as you can and collect as many certificates BMD and if you land upon an old family Bible....you've hit the jackpot!!!!!

Records of immigration are held at the port of entry..as I'm sure you know.....and there's a really cool site called ancestorsonboard.com which is well worth a look.

Can you tell I really like my job?

Subject: RE: BS: Ancestors in USA (Lowell Mass.)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Feb 08 - 10:34 AM

Scroll down to page five of this UTA Library newsletter for an interesting article about an English professor of mine who called and asked for a recommendation for preserving some bible pages. I sent him to Special Collections and they referred him to the conservator who helped him.

Dallas Lacy's Hoodenpyl Bible.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Ancestors in USA (Lowell Mass.)
From: katlaughing
Date: 15 Feb 08 - 10:56 AM

That is really neat, SRS. Thanks for posting the link.

I was tickled one day when my dad's cousin (I call her my aunt) gave me photocopies from a family bible which chronicled by Nova Scotia ancestry including a great-uncle who'd been born a twin, which we never knew, AND my ggrandparents wedding date, etc. That's when my family learned we had twins on both sides and no wonder my parents then had twins, as well as my daughter!

Subject: RE: BS: Ancestors in USA (Lowell Mass.)
From: open mike
Date: 15 Feb 08 - 11:34 AM

I am climbing some family trees lately...
let me know some of your branches and I
will let yo know if i find anything...

I am currently researching a family that
had some folks from Ireland...near Carlow
in Ireland.

good luck. and I will help if I can.