Naming Electronic Files

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Like most genealogists, I love details. They work for me; meaning, I put them to work! I find, rearrange, and analyze details to help solve some of the most challenging research problems. I also use this affinity for details to get my computer to work for me. I enjoy finding new ways to streamline my genealogy research. I like to work quickly, effectively and efficiently.

One of the goals I had when I began electronically filing my research findings and images was to create a sound and consistent way to name genealogy files so that:

  • I can easily find the files again
  • the file names automatically sort in a meaningful way
  • no matter how many times a female in my ancestry married or remarried, I could find her electronic files.

I did it!

After a few incarnations, this is what I settled on. This is how I name my electronic files:

[surname (for males) maiden surname (for females)][first name][middle name][birth year][date of event or date document created][event or document name]

Example: The electronic file name of the death certificate of Jane (Mintus)(Jones) Handel born 1876 and died 1941.

  • Mintus Jane b1876 1941 Death.jpg

Example: The electronic file name of the scanned marriage certificate for Jane (Mintus) Jones born 1876 married 1896.

  • Mintus Jane b1876 1896 Marriage.jpg

Example: Autobiography dated 1932 of Jane (Mintus)(Jones) Handel born 1876 and died 1941.

  • Mintus Jane b1876 1932 Biography.jpg

Example: Samuel Jones’s marriage in 1915. He was born 1875.

  • Jones Samuel b1875 1915 Marriage.jpg

The four electronic files (above) will be automatically sorted by the operating system alphabetically. First, by name and then chronologically by date of birth and then chronologically again by date of event. The sorted list will be filed in your computer like this:

  • Jones Samuel b1875 1915 Marriage.jpg
  • Mintus Jane b1876 1896 Marriage.jpg
  • Mintus Jane b1876 1932 Biography.doc
  • Mintus Jane b1876 1941 Death.jpg

This same approach can be used for family photos and other types of documents associated with a particular name, client, company, etc.

Isn’t this cool? The filing work for all the electronic files is all done instantly by your computer … and it is just based on what you name your electronic files! With a consistent naming system (even if you re-invent some variation of this) you’ll be able to find your electronic files quickly and easily.

Posted in Organizing

Vinton County Ohio, Probate Case Files 1850-1864, Box 33-38, G-H

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Below is an incomplete (a work in process) list of case file papers filed in Vinton County, Ohio. The original records are online at FamilySearch.org https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-31337-11001-36 and there are a total of 1945 images. Most files deal with the estates of deceased persons, however, there are cases involving lunacy, minors, criminals, and more.

  • Catherine Graham Box 33 Image 1
  • Jack Grimes Box 33 Image 86
  • Ichabod Gummons Box 33 Image 117
  • Alfred B. Gray & Charles Gray Box 33 Image 192
  • Ely Gray Box 33 Image 233
  • E. H. Gabe (lunacy) Box 34 Image 330
  • Samuel N. Gadd Box 34 Image 340
  • John Gagan Box 34 Image 348
  • William D. Gale Box 34 Image 353
  • Owen Gallagher (lunacy) Box 34 Image 361
  • Peter Gallagher Box 34 Image 383
  • John Gibson and Sarah Gibson (minors) Box 34 Image 475
  • George A. Gold and William D. Gold (minors) Box 34 Image 481
  • Michael Giles Box 34 Image 493
  • John P. Glasgow Box 34 Image 497
  • Gustav Gossman Box 34 Image 520
  • George W. Grady, Earl P. Grady, William J. Grady (minors) Box 34 Image 532
  • Joseph Gregg Box 34 Image 549
  • Loton S. Green Box 34 Image 555
  • Thomas A. Green, Mary Green, Milton Green, Harriet Green (minors) Box 34 Image 360
  • Thomas A. Green Box 34 Image 621
  • William Green Box 34 Image 671
  • Smith Grubbs Box 34 Image 705
  • Catherine Gunning (lunacy) Box 34 Image 711
  • Martha A. Gunning Box 34 Image 721
  • David Gregory Box 35 Image 752

 

Posted in Ohio, Probate, Vinton

Isaac Gregory (1772-1852) of Augusta Co., Virginia

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Land records are frequently among the more illuminating documents for determining familial relationships in genealogical research. This is especially true in early U.S. history.

For many years, there have been several researchers who have speculated upon the parentage of Isaac Gregory of early Augusta County, Virginia. He was born about 1772 and died in Aug 1852 in Braxton Co., Virginia (now West Virginia). Isaac married Sarah Given on 25 Mar 1790 1 in Augusta Co., Virginia. He was living in Nicholas Co., Virginia in 1850. 2

I discovered a land record in Bath Co., Virginia that documents the name of Isaac Gregory’s mother. An abstract of that deed is below:

On 2 Nov 1797 in Bath County, Virginia, Isaac Gregory and Sarah his wife of Bath County, Virginia sold land to Nicholas Harper of Pendleton County, Virginia. For £400, Gregory sold 142 acres to Harper, the land being part of a larger tract of 220 acres granted to Mary Gregory from William Lewis and from said Mary unto her son, Isaac Gregory, in Bath County on Back Creek joining lands of James Wright and Isaac Duffield beginning at 3 sugar trees on the W side of the creek and running thence S 55 degrees E 86 poles crossing the creek to 3 white oaks thence SW 80 poles to a maple, hickory, and white oak at the edge of the bottom thence S 5 degrees E 100 poles to 3 white oaks thence S 42 degrees W 102 poles to a Spanish oak and maple on the S side of the dry run thence corner the said run N 52 degrees W 34 poles to a large white oak and 2 dogwood saplings thence N 44 degrees W 80 poles crossing the creek to a smooth birch and sugar tree on a hill thence N 27 degrees E 245 poles to the beginning. Signed: Isaac Gregory. Wit: John Wilson, Robert McGuffin, Isaac Duffield, James McLaughlin, David McLaughlin, William Given. 3

Mary’s husband is not known at this time.

 

 

  1. Augusta Co., Virginia Marriages 1785-1813, http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/augusta/vitals/marriages/augm01.txt ↩
  2. 1850 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule), Western District, Nicholas County, Virginia, Page 340a, Dwelling 3, Family 3, Benjamin Hamrick household, http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1850usfedcenancestry&indiv=try&h=15366515 ↩
  3.  Bath County, Virginia Deeds, 1:414, FHL Microfilm 30607. ↩
Posted in Augusta, Gregory, Virginia

Napthalum Gregory of Paulding County, Ohio

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In researching the Gregory families of Meigs County, Ohio, I stumbled upon this interesting name – Napthalum Gregory. Napthalum was born about 1816-1817 in Virginia1 and his unique name belonged to one of the earliest settlers of Augusta County, Virginia.2 Of further interest, the Napthalum Gregory born 1816-1817 owned land in the exact section and township as my ancestral Gregory family.

Napthalum Gregory’s name was quite unusual; I’m not even sure how to pronounce it. Unsurprisingly, his name was commonly misspelled. Various documents list him as Napolean Gregory, Napthaliam Gregory, Naph Gregory, Nap, Nepthalum, etc.

I first discovered Napthalum Gregory in the land records of Meigs County, Ohio. On 28 Aug 1844, he and his wife, Harriet, of Scioto County, Ohio sold 26 acres of land in Columbia Township in SE 1/4 of Section 17, Township 9, Range 15 to James Nute, of Meigs County.3 From whom did he obtain that land?

A continued examination of the land records of Meigs County, Ohio, revealed that Napthalum Gregory’s 26 acre parcel was originally sold to John Gregory on 15 Aug 1829.4 Thus, it seemed likely that John Gregory was the father (or other close relative) of Napthalum.

The land tax records of Meigs County, Ohio were helpful in identifying more about John Gregory. John is taxed in Columbia Township from 1827 to 1832.5 He is also enumerated in the 1830 U.S. Federal Census for Columbia Township, Meigs County, Ohio.6 He and his wife were born between 1790 and 1800. They had male child in the household born 1815-1820, which is the perfect age category for Napthalum Gregory. In 1833, John Gregory disappears from Columbia Township tax records. Interestingly, a Lucretia Gregory appears in tax records in 1833. She is enumerated in 1834, too.7

Since Lucretia Gregory first shows up in personal property tax lists in the same year that John Gregory disappears, she is a great candidate to be the widow of John. Was there a marriage record in Virginia for John Gregory to Lucretia that occurred sometime before 1815? Indeed, there was. John Gregory Jr. married Lucretia Young on 29 May 1814 in Harrison County, Virginia.8

The 1840 U.S. Federal Census finds Naph Gregory in Green Township, Scioto County, Ohio.9 He has a wife and child and an older woman living with him. The older woman living with Napthalum was likely his mother, Lucretia. Notably, Scioto County, Ohio, marriage records document the marriage of one Lucretia Gregory to Asher Winkler on 3 May 1841.10 Was this Lucretia Gregory, the mother of Napthalum? The 1850 U.S. Federal Census for Asher Winkler’s household11 indicates that Lucretia was born in 1793 in Virginia, thereby making her the appropriate age to have been Napthalum’s mother, Lucretia (Young) Gregory.

Napthalum Gregory married to “Miss Sharp” in 1836,12 He served in the Civil War in Company H, 132 Regiment,13 and died 25 May 1865 in Paulding County, Ohio.14 His youngest daughter, Emeline (Gregory) Phelps, applied for a pension on behalf of her father’s service in 1887.15

Napthalum Gregory is not one of my ancestors, but he and his father, John, are closely related to them. If you have more information on any familial connection between John Gregory Jr. (married Lucretia Young) and James Gregory (married Matilda Race), please contact me.

  1. 1860 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule), PO Paulding, Paulding Township, Paulding County, Ohio, Page 93a, Dwelling 30, Family 30, Nathaniel Gregory household, http://ancstry.me/1F7ZAif ↩
  2. Lyman Chalkley, “Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia Extracted from the Original Court Records of Augusta County 1745-1800” Google Books (originally printed Rosslyn, VA:  The Commonwealth Printing Co., 1912), http://books.google.com/books?id=VzUPAAAAYAAJ ↩
  3. Meigs County, Ohio, Land Deeds, Book 9, Page 396, FHL MF 313484 ↩
  4. Meigs County, Ohio, Land Deeds, Book 3, Pages 185-186, FHL MF 313481. ↩
  5. Meigs County, Ohio, Tax Duplicates 1820-1829, FHL MF# 511800 and Meigs County, Ohio, Tax Duplicates, 1830-1836, FHL MF# 511801. ↩
  6. 1830 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule), Columbia Township, Meigs County, Ohio, Page 269, Line 5, John Gregory household. ↩
  7. Meigs County Ohio, Tax Duplicates 1830-1836, FHL MF 511801. ↩
  8. “West Virginia Marriages,” Harrison County, Virginia, Book 2, Page 450. ↩
  9. 1840 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule), Green Township, Scioto County, Ohio, Page 79, Line 15, Naph Gregory household. ↩
  10. “Ohio County Marriages 1789-1997,” FamilySearch.org, citing Scioto, Ohio, Reference Page 22; FHL MF 292694, https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XDP1-QK9. ↩
  11. 1850 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule), Wheelersburg, Porter Township, Scioto County, Ohio, Page 235a, Dwelling 91, Family 91, Asher Winkler household. ↩
  12. “Ohio County Marriages 1789-1997,” FamilySearch.org, citing Scioto, Ohio, reference Page 226; FHL MF 292694, https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XDPL-MR2. ↩
  13. The National Archives Publication M552, Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Ohio, Rol 41, 132nd National Guard Infantry, http://www.fold3.com/image/288494039/. ↩
  14. “Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans 1879-1903,” Ancestry.com, http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=try&db=CivilWarHeadstones&h=149810. ↩
  15. U.S. Civil War Pension Index General Index to Pension Files 1861 to 1934, Nephtalion Gregory Index Card, Application 350525 filed 18 Feb 1887 in Ohio. ↩
Posted in Gregory, Meigs, Ohio, Paulding, Scioto, Surnames

The Passing of Jane (Pierce) Gregory, 1848-1942

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One could wish to live as long and as fruitful a life as Jane (Pierce) Gregory. She was 95 years old, and one of the “oldest residents of Vinton County,” when she died on 30 Mar 1942.1 She died just a few years before the birth of her great-grandson (my father) in 1944, and yet she was born 17 years before the Civil War. 

Arnold and Jane Gregory, 1929

Arnold and Jane Gregory, ~1929

“Mrs. Jane Pierce Gregory, age 95, one of the oldest residents of Vinton County died Monday afternoon at the home of her son, Melvin, near Dundas, of complications. Mrs. Gregory was born April 10, 1848, in what is now Vinton County. Her husband, Arnold, died in 1930 at the age of 90 years. She was the mother of twelve children, seven of whom survive as follows: Arch Gregory, McArthur; Mrs. Nevada Verigan, Springfield; Mrs. Loberta Cline, New Marshfield; Melvin Gregory, Dundas; Mrs. Rose Sutphin, McArthur; Mrs. Charity Knox, Gheer’s Mill, and Calvin Gregory, Allensville. Funeral services will be held today (Wednesday) at pm at the Radcliff U.B. Church, with burial in Radcliff cemetery by the Tinker Funeral Service.”2

These two records of Jane (Pierce) Gregory’s death are a good illustration of how records can disagree over some particular detail. When comparing information in her death certificate and obituary, there is a discrepancy regarding her year of birth. Jane’s obituary reports 10 Apr 1848 as her birth date, whereas her death certificate states it was 10 Apr 1846. There were no state or county birth records kept for Vinton County or Ohio in this time period. 

Census records indicate that Jane’s correct birth year is likely closer to 1848. Jane was 2 years old at the time of the 1850 U.S. Federal Census, when she was living with her parents and would clearly be identifiable as a “toddler.”3 In the 1860 census,4 Jane was 12 years old, which, again, places her birth year at about 1848. To underscore the consistency and likelihood of 1848 as the correct year of Jane (Pierce) Gregory’s birth, the 1900 U.S. Federal Census specifically lists “April 1848,” as the year of her birth.5 

Arnold and Jane Gregory, 1900

Arnold and Jane Gregory, 1900

In an upcoming post, we’ll learn more about Jane (Pierce) Gregory’s marriage to Arnold Gregory, as well as the identities of her 12 children.

  1. “Ohio Deaths 1908-1953,” FamilySearch.com (Online: Intellectual Reserve, 2013), Death Certificate #20369, filed 1 Apr 1942, Jane Gregory, https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X8SW-PKC, accessed Dec 2013. ↩
  2. “Jane Pierce,” The McArthur Democrat Enquirer, newspaper published Wednesday, April 1, 1942, Volume 82, Number 18, Vinton County, Ohio, Herbert Wescoat Memorial Library. ↩
  3. 1850 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule), Vinton Township, Vinton County, Ohio, Page 264a, Dwelling 70, Family 394, William Pierce head of household (Online: Ancestry.com, 2013), http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1850usfedcenancestry&indiv=try&h=14687317, accessed Dec 2013. ↩
  4. 1860 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule), Vinton Township, Vinton County, Ohio, Page 347b, Dwelling 476, Family 472, William Pierce household, http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1860usfedcenancestry&indiv=try&h=42562359, accessed Dec 2013. ↩
  5. 1900 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule), Vinton Township, Vinton County, Ohio, ED 115, Sheet 4b, Dwelling 73, Family 74, Arnold Gregory household, http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1900usfedcen&indiv=try&h=41688351, accessed Dec 2013. ↩
Posted in Gregory, Ohio, Pierce, Surnames, United States