Walter Allen Cornett Sr ~ UPDATED

My grandfather is being very elusive. I am having a hard time finding information on him. So far, I have some paperwork compiled by a family member of our family tree, some old black and white scanned photos, names, dates, and family members both past and present. Some are familiar to me and some are not. But that is the love of Genealogy research! Discovering family and learning, reading, and visualizing the lives they have led in the past.


But I will tell you what I do know of him so far. Walter Allen Cornett Sr. was born on December 29, 1909 and died nearly five years before I was born, he died on June 30, 1967. He married my grandmother, Lucia Rose Cornett on July 15, 1928. From what my mother tells me, they had 9 children together including a Dorothy Mae who was born on April 11,1930 and died May 10, 1930. She was only a month old when she passed away. I'm not sure what the cause of her death was. He was in the military, but I'm not sure which branch, what his rank was, military responsibilities, or even how long he was in the service.


According to the Social Security Death Index (SSDI), he was 57 years old and 5 months! Pretty exact I would say. I am still trying to find information on him, sent out emails, Facebook messages to family, and once I get more information I will be sure to post an update!


On Familysearch.org, I found the 1930 Census information on Walter's household during that time. The information found is below.


Name:Walter A Cornett
Census Event Date:1930
Event Place: Black Lick,Wythe,Virginia
Gender:Male
Age:21
Marital Status:Married
Race:White
Birthplace:Virginia
Estimated Birth Year:1909
Immigration Year: N/A
Relationship to Head of Household: Head (SELF)
Father's Birthplace:Virginia
Mother's Birthplace:Virginia
Enumeration District Number: 0004
Family Number:469
Sheet Number and Letter: 4B
Line Number: 59
Nara Publication:T626
Roll 2465
Film Number:2342199
Digital Folder Number:4547863
Image Number:00576


Walter A Cornett, Married at age 21 to Spouse Lucy R Cornett age 15.


Please Note: In the 1930 Federal Census- my grandmothers name is stated as Lucy R Cornett but in actuality her name is Lucia Rose Cornett. I guess that is the problem with Census takers, a lot of misspellings in the names and such, which makes it harder to discern your research at times.

Source Citation

"United States Census, 1930," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/CJPG-ZW2 : accessed 16 May 2012), Walter A Cornett, Black Lick, Wythe, Virginia.

Below are some of the photos I have of them. Since I am in the process of moving, I will have to wait until I unpack and get settled to see if I have any other photos I can add to this blog about Walter! Please be patient....

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Learning "Legacy" Family Tree Software

Good morning all! This morning I am finally learning and teaching myself more about the Legacy software created my Millenia. What's so great about this program versus others out there? I have tried many different ones, but I seem to get along with this one the best, and it has come in under the #2 spot in the Genealogy Software Review for 2011! But just to let you know, I tried the standard version, which is free by the way; but I absolutely love the options and features that are offered for the deluxe version!




PROS: "Legacy can directly search Ancestry.com, FamilySearch, Genealogy.com and many other online services."
CONS: "Although this is a powerful database application, some others are more visually appealing." 
(Data Source: Genealogy Software Review)


This program is cost effective especially when you look at what Legacy offers, some of the features that I found so far that I like the most are listed below.

• Mapping feature which allows you to utilize the Microsoft Earth to pinpoint the places in your ancestors lives, automatically from within the program.
• The Source Writer! I can't forget to mention that- and who wouldn't like to have their sources written out for them- just type in the necessary information, and you're good to go!
• Interview Reports- currently there are over 1000 pre-written interview forms you can use to interview family members or others when researching your family history. Cool huh?
• Along with attaching pictures, sounds, and video to individuals, events, locations, and sources, you can now also attach any other kind of document (PDFs, Word files, etc.).
• Recording DNA marker test results from different companies offering this type of service

But this is just a few of the features I like, that the deluxe version offers; there are plenty more! On the Legacy web site, they are offering several webinars on different topics, that you can listen in on, if you wish. I'll post the links below.

I'm not getting paid for the content of this blog posting; I am just merely expressing my opinion on  the software itself and the features that I enjoy so far.

Legacy Webinars- Listen Now

Legacy Family Tree Software Download

Image Source: Getty Images

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Finding Reliable, Trustworthy Sources To Aid In Your Genealogical Research

There are hundreds of web pages out there that display family trees, but are they your "go-to" source? Is it truthful or just word of mouth saying it's so? Where did they get this information from? If it was from family members, that's GREAT! But thinking back to when I was in elementary school, I remember my teacher playing a game with the entire class. She would call on one student at random, whisper something in their ear and tell the next person whatever it was she may have said. On and on it went around the room until the last student received the teachers' message. Let's just say that it wasn't the same as what the teacher had told the first student. I guess you know where I'm headed with this...and if not, then I'll explain. When people share things, no matter what the subject, in time they just become distorted.

One resource that I use almost daily to search my own family roots is the Mormon based website called Family Search. They place a religious emphasis on publishing materials or documents after a death, and therefore, baptism has inspired the creation of the world’s largest collection of genealogical materials. So with respect to this web site and others that are similar in nature, I thank you for this great resource tool. After all, do I just want a tree full of collected names or do I want the facts? Granted, sometimes you want to go to a resource that offers free information. But you have to think about what you will be getting in return. I, myself, want the facts that lead me on my journey to find out exactly who my ancestors were, how they lived, and where I come from.

From what I can understand through Family Search, they are in the midst of a gigantic project that will take the millions of records they have of microfilmed documents, for online viewing. When researching your family, think strongly about joining a genealogical society for the area in which you are searching. So for me, I would join one in Virginia, Kentucky, Scotland, and England; my ancestors from the Sutherland line originated from Denmark, Scotland, and England. So this is where I could start searching and collaborating with others that are trying to accomplish the same thing that I am. 

FamilySearch

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