Cornett Research Inquiry

The following message is from a fellow researcher seeking information on the Cornett surname.

 If anyone has a copy of a Petition, filed in the 1860's in VA by two daughters of James and Polly Rankin Cornett against their half-brother and sister, David Blue Cornett (married Phebe Sutherland) and Sarah Cornett Shuler (think she married John Kendrick Shuler), I presume for land as their father, James, died without a Will in 1851 in Rockbridge, Greene Co., Il (but there is no record of him being buried there), please contact me at dorisjoann1@yahoo.com.  Thank you.

If you, my readers, have any information, no matter how insignificant you may think it is, please respond to the above email address. 


Thank you for your help in this matter :)


We are also seeking a Mae Berting who had the following email address back in 2002 but apparently she is no longer working in the school system according to the School Superintendent.
Any help in locating her or getting in contact with her would be wonderful, as the petition spoken about in the above email message is very important. It may be the only document in existence that we know of that will prove who David "Blue" Cornett's parents really were. We think that Mae now lives in the Asheboro or Greensboro area in North Carolina. bertinm@guilford.k12.nc.us


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Family Is Forever Graphic

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DAR~ A Free Genealogy Resource

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DAR Logo

DAR- Daughters of the American Revolution is a free resource for genealogists and offers aid in their research. The (GRS) Genealogical Research System is a collection of databases, which provides access to the many materials that have been collected over time. The DAR was founded in 1890, the members are passionate about their research findings and are committed to preservation of the history of our ancestors.


This genealogical resource has many volunteers who have scanned and indexed years worth of documents and other materials which can be found in the online database. There is a drawback to sharing this information with others, because of proprietary information and data, and under no circumstances may it be shared or published.


If you are like me, an amateur genealogist, or you may even be a genealogy expert, the DAR could be a stepping stone to finding your ancestral ties that you may have been seeking for so long. It is definitely worth a try, don't you think? Maybe we can knock down some of these brick walls we have encountered and find some really valuable documents that will only further our research and prove who we are and where we come from. It's not just about where you, your parents or grandparents were born and the dates of birth, or even how many children they may have had. To me, and this is my own personal opinion on the matter, genealogy research is about finding out more about who my family really was, what they looked like, their way of life, the career choices they may have made and so many other points of their lives and the direction that those points have taken them over the years. 


I recently received an email from a family member, who as it turns out, was researching the same family surnames that I was. Imagine not knowing that you had a family member and didn't even realize that they were family until you connected through a genealogy resource! Anyhow, back to the email! She has been verified by the DAR and is in the process of getting it signed by officials in Washington D.C. So I can't wait to find out if she was successful in finding the data she needs to prove her lineage and connection to James Canute Cornett! 


I am definitely going to be researching this DAR to gain a more in-depth understanding. So you may see future postings related to the Daughters of the American Revolution. Who knows, maybe I will also find information on some of my Sutherland and Canute ancestors.


Good luck in your research!

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The Fascinating World Of Genealogy

Has your family research come to a standstill? What about that proverbial brick wall that has you stumped? What will you do next? Many researchers both newbies and the more experienced, get stumped all the time. Myself included! It is very frustrating to finally get the lead you have been searching for only to find out that it really hasn't led you anywhere. Sometimes I feel like a dog who is running around in circles chasing its' own tail!


Here are a couple of ideas that might get you back on track. I hope the ideas help you and I also hope they help me in searching my ancestral roots.


U.S. Geological Survey Maps- Have you thought about topography maps to aid in your research? The U.S. Geological Survey web site can help you locate historical maps of interest that may help you in your genealogy searches. In addition, this site also features a National Atlas, which will help you by offering a number of maps that can include country boundary lines, cities, lakes and rivers, and other topographical points of interest. 
** Another idea that just came to mind: Blow up the map to a large wall size and use different colored "ball" tacks for different family surnames to give you the visuals that you may need in your research. It could help you track their movements especially if they have migrated from other countries.


Direct Line Software- A software program that is called Deed Mapper. Deed Mapper works with old land records. Whether you have one deed or a hundred, this software program will help you:

• Find the location of a particular plot by anchoring a group of neighboring plots against a stream.
• Discover genealogical relationships by showing that person X sold a part of person Y's land.
• Untangle people having the same name by analyzing their landholdings and transfers.
• Create a map of original landholders in a region. 
• Trace changes in parcel ownership over the years.

There is also an online community that you can interact with other members. Deed Mapper is designed for historical research so it handles surveys that have straight lines. So it may be worth checking out at least!

Direct Line Software Screenshots


Dead Fred- This web page is dedicated to genealogists and family researchers, who can search and post photos, search surnames and the like. It is a free, fun photo genealogy research site devoted to helping you visualize your heritage! Wouldn't it be great to find a lost ancestor on this site?  Your bonus would be a photo you may have been searching out for years! 


Image Source:
Dog Chasing Its' Tail

Dog Chasing His Own Tail

Image no. 700-00046138

Photo by  Graham French  (click to view more images of this artist)

  - model release: no release on file      - property release: no release on file   

700-00046138 [65 - Masterfile] / 4160133 [1]

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Stuart Marvin Cornett and Gincy Malinda Long

Stuart and Gincy were my great grandparents and Stuart was also the grandson of James Monroe Cornett and Mary Ann Cornett. He was born on September 22, 1881 in Grayson County, Virginia and died on February 3, 1966 in Smythe County, Virginia at the age of 84. His immediate family includes his wife, Gincy Malinda Caroline Long and their 14 children.

Stuart Monroe/Marvin Cornett (09/22/1881-02/03/1966)

Gincy Malinda Long (07/01/1886- 09/24/1978)

Married April 5, 1905 by Rev. Johnson Stamper

Children	Born	Married	Died
Della Pauline Wayne Wright	02/06/1906 02/14/1904	11/23/1924	02/07/1963 01/10/1979
Mary Frances Verlin Cornett Frederick L. Corriston	05/04/1908 01/19/1905 04/24/1910	N/A N/A N/A	N/A 04/16/1972 09/10/1979
Anna Mae James Dean Russell	07/12/1910 03/06/1908	07/01/1928	N/A 07/14/1986
Grover Fred Cornett Wave L. Kiser	08/31/1912 07/15/1919	10/07/1939	N/A 01/20/1987
Lucia Rose Cornett Walter Allen Cornett	07/08/1914 12/29/1909	07/15/1928	11/2010 06/30/1967
Pearl Mildred Harmon Harold Hash	05/08/1916 07/17/1913	04/07/1939	N/A 08/04/1986
Elbert Wayne Cornett Edith Roberts	05/04/1918 07/04/1926	07/12/1941	N/A N/A
Charles Estel Cornett Velma Louise Parks	05/02/1920 07/13/1925	10/04/1941	N/A N/A
Lillie Edna Millard C. Parks	04/10/1922 05/29/1921	05/22/1941	N/A N/A
Carl Wesley Cornett Margaret Emaline Watson	03/21/1924 02/22/1929	08/01/1949	N/A N/A
Ora Lee Stanley Franklin Anderson	11/10/1925 05/26/1927	12/16/1946	N/A 06/10/1993
James Donald Cornett Doris Jeanne Leonard	07/22/1928 07/03/1931	09/20/1952	N/A N/A
Billy Cornett Jackie (Wadie) Richardson	07/05/1930 01/19/193_	08/10/1949 (Divorced)	N/A N/A
Claude Scott Cornett Betty Sue Shepherd	11/30/1932 07/26/1934	12/05/1953 (Divorced)	N/A N/A

I have been researching the Cornett line for some time now and have been adding data as it becomes available to me. It is a long process when trying to incorporate data tables of the information supplied to me, in hard copy form I might add. But it is all coming together. Patience is a virtue I am learning, as I like things completed NOW. But in genealogy you have to be patient, so I'm taking baby steps!

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And the Plot Thickens!

This past week, I've been researching and reading on my Cornett relatives even though I haven't been posting new articles as I go along. In the beginning of the week I received a book that I purchased on Amazon's web site, entitled, "Grayson County: A History in Words and Pictures".
I found a few things about my family personally inside and a couple of photos also, which was very exciting. I can actually put a face to the name now. The book explains the history of Grayson County and how it came to be what it is today. 

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Grayson County, Virginia Map

Among the events that happened in the 1700's is a story, which caught my attention and it's the legend of Caty Sage. She was kidnapped at a young age and given to Indians. Caty's mother had been at the creek, and came back to get clothes for washing when she found her daughter was missing. Caty grew up among the Indians and even spoke their language, she even married a Chief of the tribe, so when she was eventually found some fifty years later, she needed an interpreter as she no longer knew the English language. The sad part of the story is that when she was about to be reunited with her mother, the mother was already in her elderly years, and died before she was able to set eyes on her beloved daughter. There is so much history regarding Grayson County as a whole; before white man settled here, it was the hunting ground of many different Indian tribes, not only was settling in Indian territory one of the events of the time but the families had to deal with the effects of war too. 


Today, I am still researching my Cornett family and just enjoying the time I get to spend learning about them, their hardships, their way of life, their occupations, the way they dressed and a little about how they raised their children back in the day. It is one never ending journey that I have been taking one day at a time! As a family historian, researching your ancestors will never, ever really be completed, no matter how hard you try. I can't imagine someone saying "I'm done with my family tree!" Ummm....really? That's nice, but HOW? I don't even consider that a possibility! There are so many people in your tree that could be studied and their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and siblings, for generations and generations. I just don't see it happening like that. I don't think my research will ever be complete, at least not in my lifetime! 

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Thinking About Acquiring An Education In Genealogy? Read This First!

I love learning new things and furthering my education and knowledge. I was even thinking about taking some classes in Genealogy. I thought that maybe acquiring additional knowledge or procedures might just help me in my own research. Below is an article I found on the Genealogy.com web site in regards to certain institutions offering a beginners genealogy course. If you are interested in these types of classes, please check the qualifications and reputations of the instructor and the educational institution! Granted some may be free, but why risk being led in the wrong direction which in turn, could be a costly mistake in your research.

Students Beware!

"The Genealogical Web Site Watchdog warns of a free online course offered by the Iowa Digital Education Association. The Watchdog says, "There are 15 lessons in the course covering what one would expect to find in a beginning genealogy course. Problem is, much of the information is too generic to be useful and there is a lack of qualifications on how different laws and time periods affected the records available. Additionally, the beginning genealogist is frequently referred to secondary sources, with no mention of the primary sources and their availability. Granted, the course is free, but the cost can be high to someone sent off in the wrong direction with bad information."



The Genealogical Web Site Watchdog also alerts genealogists about the Genealogy 2000 School of Genealogy which allows you to become an Ethel Torice Certified Family Genealogist (Certified Certificate Program), or an Ethel Torice Certified Professional Genealogist (Certified Diploma Program), or an Ethel Torice Certified Home-Based Business Genealogical Executive (Certified Diploma and Business Licensing Program). Watchdog states: The Ethel Torice Genealogical Society claims to be an umbrella group for a number of other organizations, some sharing the Torice name, but others with names that are deceptively similar to well-known national genealogical organizations with no connection to the organization. The society lists credentials of an unidentified "Educational Staff" that includes respected credentials awarded by recognized national accrediting bodies, but includes others unknown generally, like "Accredited Master Genealogist."
This demonstrates how vulnerable we are to seemingly credible education. To prevent the cost of poor education, check out the credentials of instructors. Compare a sample lesson with lessons from another Web site." Written by Kathleen W. Hinckley, CGRS


Kathleen W. Hinckley, is a Certified Genealogical Records Specialist, author, lecturer, and owner and operator of Family Detective. She also serves as the executive director of the Association of Professional Genealogists, and trustee for the Board for Certification of Genealogists.
 
But on the bright side, The National Genealogical Society offers this type of course free to their members, which only costs $60 for a one year membership. If interested, you can go to the following web site for further information. You can review the syllabus on this site also.
NGS Educational Courses




Source: 
Hinckley, Kathleen W. "Genealogical Education: Online and Home Study Courses." Genealogy.com. Genealogy.com Web site, n.d. Web. 11 Jul 2011. <http://www.genealogy.com/57_kathy.html>.

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A Rough Week

So, it has been a rough week for research. I have hit many brick walls when it comes to searching for my elusive ancestor, Alexander Sutherland. I may have to try a different avenue, other than the online searches I have been doing. As a member of Ancestry.co.uk, I still have been unable to get an exact match as far as retrieving any documentation on him. I have tried Scotland's People, Family Search and many other genealogical sites, and sad to say, have come up empty handed!

I have been making new contacts and sending out emails all week. My most recent email was to a Dr. Fenwick of Scotland, a researcher that covers all of Scotland. He has expertise in gentry, historical research, legal texts/document searches, parish records, and wills. He was very helpful and has offered to send me an informational packet regarding current research procedures, especially that pertaining to the wide range of relevant off-line and un-indexed Scottish records which I may now need an introduction to. I can't wait to see what this packet will include! I am ready to climb this brick wall already!


I wish there was a site out there somewhere that offered everything you needed such as documents for BMD, military records and the like. Maybe there is and I just haven't found it yet! I just dislike subscribing to multiple sites where you keep having to pay, as it is not in my budget! But it seems to me that the ones you do pay for, are the ones that give you the information you seek! When I researched in the past, most but not all of the links would lead me right back to Ancestry.com; so I decided to try it and now am paying for the worldwide membership. But there seems to be another site that is interesting me also, its called FMP, Find My Past. Maybe a 14 day free trial is in order, just so I can see what this site has to offer before I decide whether or not to become a member!


I hope you all have had better luck this week than I have :) 

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Now Where Did I See That Surname?

Have you ever thought about how much genealogy research you accumulate over time? I have papers, personal notes, photos, and other documents that just keep piling up and thrown into a folder, then filed away into my filing cabinet. How will I ever stay organized and find what I need without having to search each paper individually for a particular surname or date? I found it! A program called Evernote; I'll only have one account and can use it on a multitude of devices! 


Evernote works by connecting all the computers and phones you use daily, which in turn, enables you to capture something in one place and then access it from another. What a genius idea! Imagine creating a folder for each project, surname, location, or however you see fit. You can capture everything, every bright idea, every little post-it you may have attached to one of your documents, so if you can see it or think of it, Evernote can help you remember it. "Everything you capture is automatically processed, indexed, and made searchable. If you like, you can even add tags or organize specific notes into different notebooks."
 Evernote Download






Using Evernote will help me remember tons of things! I will be able to clip text from different web pages on topics of interest, I can then tag them for easy reference later. What's even greater? The fact that I can use my smart phone to automatically sync my account with the program I have installed on my laptop! I could be in town and see something that sparks an interest that relates to genealogy in some way- snap the pic and off I go! I love this program because I can also use it in my library research. If you decide to use Evernote, let me know what you think of it. You can download a free version, the link to the website is above. 

Email notes from anywhere and they end up in your Evernote account to access later. A scribble from your iPad, a voice memo from your phone, a typed memo from your desktop, a clip from a website, a snippet form a blog, a photo, a link - absolutely anything! The world is your oyster...

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In My Ancestral Garden...

Today hasn't been a very successful day in locating research on Alexander Sutherland. I have been searching all day long on the different web sites after "Googling" his name and birth date. I keep finding the same information over and over; it's weird though, because being a member on Ancestry.com, I have come across several other members trees that have his parents listed as two separate couples- different names and all that. Very confusing as I haven't found anything concrete yet. The research I have so far states that Samuel J. Sutherland and Jane Barbour Sutherland are his parents, then I come across several members' trees on Ancestry's web site which states the opposite- the parents names were listed as John Sutherland (1726-1781) and Jean McCleland (1720-1789)- in those days it just seems strange that Jean is 6 years older than her husband, John Sutherland. In this day and age it doesn't sound so odd, but back then, I'm not so sure. It was usually older men and younger women, some women in fact were just mere girls of 12 or 13 years of age when they married. Does this not seem strange to you? Or is it just me over analyzing again? Probably the latter :)



glitter-graphics.com

If I'm doing my math correctly, Alexander Sutherland was born in 1743 and his wife, Margaret Bryan was born 1771~ that would make Alexander about 28 years older than she. I have paperwork that my Cornett family gave to me that has all the names and dates and whatever else needed to be compiled together with photos, obituaries, etc. This paperwork lists Jane Barbour and Samuel J. Sutherland as the biological parents of Alexander. I just need something more concrete such as a birth certificate or some kind of other document that would have his parents names on it. 


If anyone reads this and has information to share regarding this Sutherland line, please share!!

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Searching For the Root of Your Family Tree...

Are you ready to throw in the towel? Have you come to, what seems an endless brick wall? Are you looking at the big picture or just an element of that picture? If the wall seems endless, are you able to go around it? No? Then climb over it! There's always a different way to approach an obstacle, than the one that seems to be right in front of your face. In my experience with my family tree, I have faced plenty of obstacles! But there has to be a different resource to utilize right? Have you thought about seeking out classes on Genealogy? You can do this online, if you aren't the type to be on campus with the younger generation of students. Which is okay; you may be younger, older, and wiser, or already have your desired degree. Nobody says that you have to go back to school again, just to be fulfilled with your family tree results and research. So what will your next step be and where will it take you?


You may just want to organize what research you have already accumulated; or you may want to research your family to pass on to the younger generation, namely your own children or grandchildren one day. But for whatever reason, the online classes may help you. It sure couldn't hurt right? One day, you may find your perfect family treasures!

Image Source

Treasure Chest

Below you will find a link to the classes that are offered. This isn't your run of the mill mini-course!
There are four different sections, the first section is more or less your introduction and leads into other topics as you go. So in this first section, there are 14 lessons; in the second section there are 31 lessons! I won't drone on about each section here because you can view it for yourself!


I am seriously thinking about starting this course too! Can't have enough knowledge right? What are you waiting for? Let's DO this!


Online Genealogy Classes~ Click Here To Learn More!

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