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Periodically, we include a brief update of website news or geneaolgy research on our homepage. Since these updates may reflect news of discovery about one or more individuals in or related lines, we don't want them to be lost each time in order to make way for the newest update.
Stored in chronological order, from newest to oldest, we'll maintain this page as a running archive of past site news updates.
15 December 2005—Due to its importance, our headline item remains the online release of Williams and Allied Families, by Katie Maud Seale Ellis. This Williams line, the primary one documented at RelatedLines.com, dates to 1790 with the birth of at least four brothers in the Carolinas: Elijah, William R., Ezekiel, and George W.
Our ability to present an exact replica of this seminal work to new generations of researchers is possible only because of the assistance and generosity of cousins. Lloyd W. Smith, a descendant of Ezekiel Williams, was trusting enough to send his irreplaceable copy of the book cross-country so that it could be digitized. Lloyd's brother, Gordon, a RelatedLines.com Review Board Member, has facilitated the project from inception.
Threlkeld DNA Project
RelatedLines.com is pleased to host the Threlkeld DNA Project, using Y-chromosome testing to expand knowledge of the Threlkeld—and variant spellings—surname that dates back at least to the 13th Century in Cumberland, England. Special rebate offers are being offered for new participants through December 31, and the Project officially opens the week of December 18.
5 November 2005—Unavailable for almost 30 years, RelatedLines.com is pleased to offer the first online-accessible version of the book Williams and Allied Families, by Katie Maud Seale Ellis. This Williams line, the primary one documented at RelatedLines.com, dates to 1790 with the birth of at least four brothers in the Carolinas: Elijah, William R., Ezekiel, and George W.
Katie began actively researching her lines in the 1920s. Williams and Allied Families represents literally decades of her research and effort. In addition to Williams and Seale, other surnames that make significant appearances in the book include: Castle, Cottingham, Cross, Ellis, Harris, Holland, Hopkins, Hutchison, Lott, Pearson, Pollard, and Smith.
Our ability to present an exact replica of this seminal work to new generations of researchers is possible only because of the assistance and generosity of cousins. Lloyd W. Smith, a descendant of Ezekiel Williams, was trusting enough to send his irreplaceable copy of the book cross-country so that it could be digitized. Lloyd's brother, Gordon, a RelatedLines.com Review Board Member, has facilitated the project from inception.
7 October 2005—Our genealogy data at RelatedLines.com hit simultaneous milestones during the past two weeks: we exceeded 3,000 individuals on file, and passed the 1,000 mark for the number of families. As of July 1, we had 2,565 individuals on file. This achievement is thanks solely to our small but stalwart group of Contributors who submit updates about the connected families they are researching. Search through the names we have on file and, if you find a match with your line, please consider becoming a Contributor.
Similarly, through the kindness and interest of cousins, we are able to make an exciting announcement. The seminal work on our Williams line, Williams and Allied Families, was published in a very limited run by Katie Maud Seale Ellis in 1973, and has been unavailable for almost 30 years. Mrs. Ellis, arguably the first serious genealogist of this line, began work in the 1920s soliciting and compiling family information about our shared Williams heritage. Before the end of October, RelatedLines.com will make the book available online, imaged from the original hardcopy with not a single word omitted or changed.
This is possible only because a cousin, Lloyd W. Smith, was generous enough to send his irreplaceable copy of the book cross-country so that it could be digitized. Recent generations of this family who have been unable to obtain the book will benefit from Lloyd's contribution, and we thank him for it.
1 September 2005—Significant new information has been discovered about the Texas line of Samuel Brooks Horton and his wife, Ida Price. Ida's mother was Orinda Price and, despite years of research, her maiden name had escaped us—in part, it turns out, because we were looking in the wrong place. Samuel Horton's grandfather, William, came to Texas from Georgia and settled in Montgomery County. Samuel's father, James Jasper, moved to Lavaca County, and Samuel later moved to Karnes County, where he and Ida are buried. But William Horton's brother, John, was the first of the line to come to Texas in the days of the Republic, and John stayed in far eastern Texas, by the Sabine River.
It was that east Texas connection that led to the discovery of Orinda's background. Orinda was born 22 January 1837 to Dr. John Creed Lawhon and Eliza McFarland. Both the Lawhon and McFarland families arrived in Texas prior to the formation of the Republic, and both played important roles in the Republic and eventual statehood. For more information about Orinda and her lineage, click here to read a Forum post describing the recent discovery.
2 August 2005—We have been able to fill in a missing piece in our Williams line. Sarah Jane Williams (b. 26 August 1847), the eldest child of Isaac Williams (son of Elijah) traveled with Isaac's family from Mississippi to Texas in 1859-1860, but we lost her immediately thereafter, not knowing whom she married.
New information shows that Sarah married a William Peeler, born about 1842 in Illinois. William's parentage still needs research, but it is obvious that a number of his line migrated to Texas prior to 1870, and settled in the Fayette/Lavaca area. For one of Sarah's and William's children, Isaac William Peeler, we have been able to confirm two marriages and several children. Of note to Horton researchers is that, in the 1870 U.S. census, the families of William Peeler and James Jasper Horton appeared on the same page as dwellings 720 and 723.
The Peelers are a new Related Line.
1 July 2005—Thanks in large part to the June publication by Ancestry.com of "Texas Births, 1903-1997," we have added over 40 families and almost 100 individuals to the RelatedLines.com database. This birth index, maintained by the Texas Department of Health, was removed from the State’s own online site a few years ago. The microfiche remains accessible through interlibrary loan in Texas, but the Ancestry.com posting makes it easily searchable now from any location.
Most of these new additions have been in the Horton, Threlkeld, and Williams lines. More will follow, and it’s worth noting that since most of these new additions involve individuals who are still living, all information concerning them will be hidden from public viewing. The confirmed addition of new generations are invaluable in and of themselves, but they also help confirm relationships to past generations and link new surnames to the lines.
We have begun, albeit slowly, to add more images to our database. These can be found associated with specific people and families in the database. An example can be seen in the record for Isaac Williams. Coming soon in July, we will post and begin maintaining a combination master index and bibliography of these images.
18 June 2005—This past week, Ancestry.com published the index "Texas Births, 1903-1997." This is significant because the State of Texas, concerned for its residents and possible identity theft, permanently retired its own online postings of birth indices some time ago. Also significant is that images of the Texas State microfiche index pages are posted by Ancestry.com along with the indexed entries. For the Texas branches of our families that have 20th-century births, this information will prove quite valuable. Already, in our Williams and Threlkeld lines, new children and familes have been added this week. As an example, we have learned new information about the Texas descendants of Charles Overby Williams, himself a descendant of Elijah Williams.
Please note that, because most of these new additions involve individuals who are still living, all information concerning them other than their names will be hidden. If you view one of these individuals, you will see a message indicating their information is private. Still, the addition of new generations to some of these family lines is invaluable to concerned researchers.
14 May 2005—Coming later this summer, look for a new version of the RelatedLines database. The changes won’t be drastic, but version 3.3.1 will include enhanced online editing support, improved name handling, a new hourglass chart, and a new alive-in-year listing.
Thanks to researcher Debbie Cunningham, Willis P. Threlkeld has been confirmed as the youngest son of Henry Thomas Threlkeld and Leveda Pollard. Found in the 1947 archives of the Dallas Morning News were an article about Willis’s death in a traffic accident as well as his obituary, both of which have been transcribed in the Notes section of his record.
Also found in the Dallas Morning News archives was the obituary for Orion C. Swaim. This provided missing information like date of death and burial location.
War of 1812 pension records were received from NARA for William R. Williams. While there was no substantial new information, the records are nonetheless helpful. In the near future, portions of the documents will be transcribed, and portions will be scanned and posted.
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