Kinsearching July 15, 2012

RELEASE DATE: JULY 15, 2012



KINSEARCHING

by

Marleta Childs
P. O. Box 6825
LUBBOCK, TX 79493-6825
[email protected]
 

     This week we conclude the names of officers listed in the publication, TRANSACTIONS OF THE TEXAS STATE MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, TWENTY-FOURTH ANNUAL SESSION HELD AT TYLER, TEXAS, APRIL 26, 27, AND 28, 1892 (Galveston: J. W. Burson Co., Printers and Publishers, 1892). The roster gives the names of the officers from the formation of the organization on 15 June 1869 in Houston through the April 1892 session. Appearing on an unnumbered page, the list furnishes the date and place of the annual meeting, the person’s name, and the office he held.

April 1891 – Waco, TX

W. H. WILKES, president

P. C. COLEMAN, 1st vice-president

W.(?) L. ROGERS, 2nd vice-president

B. H. VAUGHAN, 3rd vice-president

H. A. WEST, secretary

J. LARENDON, treasurer

April 1892 – Tyler, TX

J. D. OSBORN, president

T. J. BELL, 1st vice-president

F. W. PITTS, JR., 2nd vice-president

T. J. BENNETT, 3rd vice-president

H. A. WEST, secretary

J. LARENDON, treasurer

(End)


     Genealogists who have succeeded in tracing their pedigree back to their immigrant ancestors know that their original surnames were often changed when or soon after their progenitors arrived in the United States. Sometimes the transformation was deliberate on the part of a forebear who decided to translate his or her surname into its English equivalent in order to blend more easily into the American populace. However, sometimes the modification occurred because the person writing down the data did not know or understand what the immigrants said, especially in major immigration centers like Ellis Island where the new arrivals spoke a wide variety of languages.

     Since the population of North America is known for its mobility and is composed of people from all over the world, have you ever wondered if or how censuses were affected by the persons taking the information? After all, individuals have their own experiences, viewpoints, and interests that can influence the way they create public records. An interesting article that focuses on this subject in Canada is “A New Prosopography: The Enumerators of the 1891 Census in Ontario” by Gregory Kennedy and Kris Inwood. The piece appears on pages 65-77 of the April-June 2012 (Vol. 45, No. 2) issue of Historical Methods. It discusses whether the enumerators (all male) were from the local community, practiced the same religion, or belonged to the same ethnic group as the people they questioned and counted.


     If you are related to some of the families whose roots extend into Armstrong County, Texas, for more than a century, you will want to read the article, “Adding a Family’s Touch to Armstrong County History” by Pamela Murtha. Her piece can be found on pages 9-13 of Volume 1 (2012) of the magazine, Texas Heritage. She tells about the county museum’s Heritage Hall, which contains displays pertaining to the BAGWELL, CAMPBELL, CHRISTIAN, HAMBLEN, HARRELL, HOGG, MCGOWAN, RUTHERFORD, and WOOLDRIDGE families--pioneers who settled in and around Palo Duro Canyon.


Kinsearching Home Page