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A Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society Est. 1973
Purchase or access free genealogy software to record and manage your information
1. legacyfamilytree is for a PC. Legacy has a free version and a paid version. The paid version is much more versatile and ‘Books’ are automatically produced by the paid version as you enter information. These books also automatically create an index.
2. reunion-for-macintosh.com is for a Mac. Reunion only has a paid version.
Your first stop on the internet: The U.S. Federal Census
1. After filling out a Family Group Sheet or Pedigree Chart etc., your next step is to use the U.S. Census.
2. The Census is taken every 10 years and began in 1790 (as stipulated in the Constitution).
3. Prior to 1850, only the head of the household was listed by name. All others in the household were divided into age bracket columns and were enumerated with a tick mark in the ‘age’ columns.
4. U.S. Federal Census information is released 72 years after the information is collected. The 1950 Census won’t be released until 2022.
The 1890 Census
1. The 1890 census was burned in a fire in the Commerce Building in Washington DC in 1921. What the fire didn’t destroy, water did. Of the millions of people enumerated only about 6,000 names survive.
2. Because there is a 20 - year gap in census information (1880 to 1900) you will need to fill in the gap with other documents.
Pioneer Stories: The Hitchcocks
Peter Hitchcock and Abigail "Nabby" Cook Hitchcock had 7 children, all born in Ohio. Peter went to Washington, D.C. in 1816 to serve a 2-year term as a Congressman representing Ohio. Century Village, in Burton, has the original letters written while Peter was away. Nabby’s salutations were “My Dear Husband” and Peter began his letters “Dear Wife.” Century Village also has Nabby’s journal, a good source of life in Burton mid 19th Century.
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