Dead Fred's Relatively Speaking
Unearthing Relevant News, Advice and Updates for the Living

v2.8.2002

©DeadFred.com

Share Dead Fred's Relatively Speaking with a friend.

Helpful Hint

If you do not know the complete spelling of a name (for example: Lieberwaltz), just add the % sign at the end of the spelling that you do know (for example: Lieber%). The surnames in the Archive beginning with "Leiber" will come up in your search results.

Call For Volunteer Site Testers

We are close to finishing the upgrades to DeadFred.com's server and database to better serve our faithful visitors. Again, we appreciate your patience, and we apologize for any inconvenience due to the delay. We are looking for volunteer site testers to ensure the transition to the new, improved model of Dead Fred's Genealogy Photo Archive goes smoothly. If you are interested in helping, please e-mail joe@deadfred.com. The testing requires only an Internet connection, e-mail access and a small time investment.

Look forward to the following upgrades:

• Maiden Name Search
• County Search
• Wild Card Search (for example: SMI$ = all names beginning in SMI)
• Age Search
• Year Search
• Photo Automatic Pop-Up
• Faster Server

Dead Fred's Meditation Corner
Submitted by ldpknives

''If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world.''

~Francis Bacon

If you have a quote or anecdote for our Meditation Corner, send it to us at meditation@deadfred.com.

Thanks for your help,
Bonnie Emmert
bemmert@telpage.net

-----

Barbara Klein of Reseda, California, is the first DeadFred.com visitor to find a "Photographer" relative! Her grandfather August Lundelius' stamp appears on the back of photo #142. She sent DeadFred.com a photo of her grandfather taken in Port Jervis, NY.

Have you found a relative? Be sure to write and tell us about your lucky discoveries at DeadFred.com! Share your reunion experience here.

www.deadfred.com/photos/16456.jpg
Photo of my godfather's uncle, George Gordon Minnich. From page 84 of the 1926 Tatler Yearbook for William Penn Senior High School (York High School), York, PA. I collect York High Yearbooks if anyone has any or is seeking information from one. Please e-mail me.

Thank you,
Christopher Buckingham,
lookin4treasure@aol.com

-----

I was very glad to stumble onto your web site as I had been looking for such a site for about a year. We have a photograph of my children's biological grandfather. We do not know his name as we did not know of him before the death of grandmother, who failed to identify him, but there is no doubt he belongs to us. So far we have searched the archives of two universities in an effort to recognize another photograph of this man which would at least give him a name that would aid our search considerably, but we've been without success. If he were alive yet, he would probably be 102 or so years old. We are looking for suggestions as to where to go now with this photograph. Have you any ideas that might help us at least get started on our search for the rest of our family?

Thank you,
L. MacLean

-----

I visited your site, and it's great! Hats off to you for a very well-done and informative site. Our readers will love to visit here; if you don't mind, we would like to mention DeadFred.com in our September newsletter and, of course, place a link to you.

Victorian and Edwardian Photographs
http://www.rogerco.frees erve.co.uk/index.htm

-----

I was just thinking the other day while I was combing through a pile of photos in an antique store that it would be amazing if someone could find a way to let people know what photos were out there. I would love to find a photo of one of my ancestors, but it would be a close second to be able to find one for someone else! Thanks for this forum. It's wonderful for all those people out there looking through stacks of old photos and wondering how they'll ever find their way home!

-----

Sure would like to know how to access the photos just to look. Please let me know how.... I am looking for a Soldier/Officer from the late 1800s with his pants partially down and displaying an arrow through his hip. I have seen it on the Web and cannot find it now.

Thanks,
Linda Cazares

Whether you have a bone to pick or a eulogy to offer, send your thoughts to letters@deadfred.com.

Subject: MONTGOMERY, JACOB ALBERT
Author: Renee Peterson
Date:   7/14/2002 6:28 pm CDT

I have been searching for any record of Jacob Albert Montgomery (my grandfather). He supposedly married a Mary Hoover - I don't know where. Possibly in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio or Kentucky? My mother, Alta O., was their daughter. She had siblings, but I do not know their names. Alta was supposedly born on 12/25/1896. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-----

Subject: Fort Delaware prisoners/soldiers
Author: Linda Thompson Worley
Date:   7/16/2002 4:23 am CDT

I recently visited Fort Delaware and purchased a book called They Died at Fort Delaware 1861-1865 Confederate, Union and Civilian. It lists all men by: name, alternate name, rank, co, unit, captured where, date, cause of death, dod. If I can look up any information for anyone and they would like the page scanned, I can do this for free here at home.

Just tell me what you want to know.

Linda

-----

Subject: Charles Murrah Thomas/Rachel Chambers
Author: Catherine Williams Cooper
Date:   7/17/2002 3:29 pm CDT

I am looking for family photos of Capt. Charles Murrah Thomas and Rachel LaDosca Chambers of Noxubee Co., MS. Rachel was born in 1847 in MS and died 1923 in Noxubee Co. Charles was born in 1828 in NC and died 1905 in Noxubee Co.

I directly descend from this couple through their son Charles Murrah Thomas II and his wife Annie Calmes McGraw. Other children of the couple were:

Annie Rachel
Mary Annie
Sarah Love
Nannie Elizabeth
Lena Belle
Rosa Lee
William Love
Henry Jefferson
Addison Minor

I have no photos of this family and would greatly appreciate any help in obtaining one.

Sincerely,
Catherine Cooper
catcoop@bellsouth.net

-----

Subject: Photos of "Dale's" and "Burch's"
Author: Kathy Peck
Date:   7/18/2002 6:55 pm CDT

My mom's family came from Ireland to the USA before 1810; they were in NC, Georgia and other states. Dale and Burch are the pics I'm looking for. They were in Morganton, NC, Cherokee, NC, Hayesville, NC, Maysville, GA, Gainesville, GA, Gillsville, GA. If anyone has any photos of these families, let me know please.

Thanks,
Kathy

-----

Subject: Holloway/Mitchell
Author: Kimberly
Date:   8/5/2002 6:13 pm CDT

There was a family photo of Mitchells on Dead Fred about 2 weeks ago. I believe it was taken in Sumner Co., TN. The Mitchells are related to the Holloways of TN.

There were 3 women in the photo: Granny, Potiac (something like that) and I cannot remember the name of the other woman. They were gathered on a front porch and Granny Mithcell was sitting in a rocking chair. Any help would be great; I believe this is my ancestors.

Write kimbers671@yaho o.com.

Thanks,
Kimberly

Subject: RE: Holloway/Mitchell
Author: Joe
Date:   8/5/2002 7:47 pm CDT

Kimberly,
I looked through the Mitchells photos and the Tennessee photos, and I haven't run across any of three women on a porch. "Yet," if there is anything that might further help identify it, let me know; I will continue to keep my eye out for it.

-----

Subject: Found Daguerreotype 1863
Author: Michel Baecke
Date:   8/13/2002 3:55 pm CDT

I have a daguerreotype photocase from 1863 with glass photo and Blackwood imitation case, with a message (written in ink, but very faded (see scans at http://www.deadfred.com/photos/16471.jpg); I have identified the script with a microscope lens):

"yours truly Sam
Remember me when
This year see that
I should be forgotten 1863
a present to Barbarta Winters 1863"

There is no other reference by exception of the legal rights from "Littlefield Persolls and Co. Manufacturers of Daguerreotype Cases with the embracing Riveted Hinge."
Patented October 14 1856 and April 21 1857.
If anyone is searching for a Civil War connection with their family, I hope I can help you, because I feel that this is a very special heirloom that doesn't belong to me, even as a collector of old cameras and photographs.

-----

Subject: Worthingtons of NJ
Author: Beverly Benn
Date:   8/16/2002 4:49 pm CDT

Searching for my grandparents Edward Worthington and Catherine Nevins Worthington, died in 1920/1921. Had 12 children, Marie Reea, b 02/04/1907, Philadelphia, PA (her twin brother died at birth), Dorothy, Richard, John, Peter, others unknown. Marie, my mother, lost touch with her siblings in the early 1950s. Searched for birth, death, probate, church, obituary and school records, but none exist. If any of these names are familiar, please e-mail me. Thank you.

According to www.witsend.org/gen/gentest.ht m, the correct answer is B:

Grandma
Grandma and the rest of your older relatives should be where you start. The biggest regret family historians voice is they didn't ask questions when they had the chance. Since you always start from what you know and work back from there, you'll take what you learn from Grandma to make family group sheets and pedigree charts.

Next, you'll probably want to write to the county courthouses to get vital records (birth, marriage, death) of all the people on your pedigree chart. The National Archives, home of the census and important immigration and military information, is probably your next stop. Then you'll want to explore all the goodies at the Mormon library and on the Internet.

Do you have an idea for an interesting pop quiz? Send us your input here.

www.deadfred.com/photos/16354.jpg
Titus Borbath
Hadikfalva, Bukovina
Hungary
Comments = Titus Borbath in Hungarian military uniform in Bukovina. Shortly after he had this photo taken, he slipped out of his parents' home and took a ship to Regina, Saskatchewan, where he married Helen Kocsis. He then lived in Hamilton, Ontario, and then he moved to Detroit, Michigan, and worked for Briggs Manufacturing. He died in 1986.

www.deadfred.com/photos/16385.jpg

www.deadfred.com/photos/16389.jpg
Martha Creamer
Chipley, FL
United States
Comments = Related to the Taylors of Northwest Florida. Her father was Darius Taylor. Was married to Charlie Crayton Creamer. Had three daughters. Their married names are Thelma Whitehead, Alma Lee Jones (later Alma Lee Sapp), and Elva Jane (Janie) Wells.

www.deadfred.com/photos/16390.jpg
Margaret Clark
Aberdeen,
Scotland
Comments = This is the wedding photo of my grandparents Alexander Hird and Margaret Clark - Aberdeen, 3 August 1917. I would like to identify some of the wedding party to help me find out more about Margaret, whose family has proved very hard to trace.

www.deadfred.com/photos/16510.jpg
William Softley
United Kingdom
Comments = Photo taken in Paris, whilst on holiday. From the album that belonged to Hendrika Softley nee Manceau.

www.deadfred.com/photos/16358.jpg
Country = England
Comments = Does anyone know him?

www.deadfred.com/photos/16349.jpg

www.deadfred.com/photos/16371.jpg
State = GA
Comments = This ladies name was Rose--she was involved with a man named Quinton Rowe in either Ware or Wayne counties--perhaps was in or from Waycross, Georgia. Need to know more about her. Thank you.

www.deadfred.com/photos/16394.jpg
State = Quebec
Country = Canada
Comments = Would love to know anything about this picture and the people in it.

www.deadfred.com/photos/16480.jpg
State = MS
Country = USA
Comments = From Hattie Rigsby FORE Photo Album.

www.davidrumsey.com
If you happen to be searching for some historic geographic perspective on the homeland of your ancestors, this web site is for you. This collection of historical maps is amazing.

www.mountvernon.org
I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Mount Vernon last week. It is an absolutely fascinating place of history.

www.friendsreunited.co.uk
The English version of Classmates.com. I am a member, and I strongly recommend any of you who attended a school in England to register.

www.earlyamerica.com
An abundant amount of information is available at this web site. Early America provides primary source material from the18th century.

members.shaw.ca/justgen/adp.ht m
For those who are adopted, this is a great starting place….

Give us your best guess. Send your feedback to jeannette@deadfred.com.

The following write up appears at http://boomersint.org/boomaug2002.htm:

Joe Bott, 56, and his wife Laurie Bott live in Springdale, Arkansas. They have four handsome sons (two teen sons are still at home), two fantastic daughter-in-laws and three beautiful granddaughters.

Joe, born 9 months from armistice day - give or take a month or two, is a "Founding" Boomer; he was raised in the Fairview section of Camden in Southern New Jersey. He joined the Navy and served on destroyers as a signalman from 1965 to 1969. He earned an associate's degree in Science at Camden County College. In addition, he attended Rutgers University and Glassboro State College (aka Rowan), where he ended his formal education with a B.A. degree in Biology. Joe has been a Food Scientist for more than 30 years.

Joe's passions include history, people and old photographs. An avid collector, he has over 15,000 vintage photos in his personal collection, mostly of ordinary people spanning from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s. This collection and a long recovery from a life-threatening illness introduced Joe to his latest and most rewarding passion, Dead Fred’s Genealogy Photo Archive (http://www.deadfred.com).

While recovering at home, Joe spent lots of time doing genealogical research online. During the course of his work, he noticed there weren't any comprehensive sites focused solely on genealogy photos. There were plenty of personal sites like Smith Family Genealogy of Southern New Jersey or Arkansas Jones Family Genealogy that had family photos, but no site was available to help visitors doing general research.

Around this same time, Joe discovered a photo of a woman holding a baby while sifting through his photo collection. Written on the back of the photo were the subjects' names and ages. Joe decided to track down this family online. Two days later, he had the adult son of the baby on the phone; until that phone call, the son never knew the photo even existed. The pictured baby died at the age of 95. One day following the phone call, the photo was sent home.

Dead Fred’s Genealogy Photo Archive (http://www.deadfred.com) began on an America Online web site; luckily, the sheer amount of photos to be posted (over 2,000 identified images from the collection) were too much for an AOL account to handle. Consequently, Joe contacted local web development company Vulcan Creative Labs (http://www.vulcancreative.com) and hired the creative staff to put all the pieces of Dead Fred together.

When the new site launched on March 16, 2001, there was bedlam. DeadFred.com received 20,000 hits almost immediately. After hours of damage control and frantic management of the growing site traffic, Joe and Vulcan Creative Labs realized the massive scope of DeadFred.com. Many of the visitors asked to add their own ancestors' photos, hoping they might discover extended family members and possibly fill holes in their own family history albums. Some
wanted to place photos that had been sitting for years in the closet of unknown relatives on DeadFred.com. Therefore, DeadFred.com, with a big nudge from Vulcan Creative Labs and the site visitors, expanded by adding an online photo uploader.

Since its unveiling, DeadFred.com has been featured in the media on NPR (National Public Radio) KUAF 91.3 of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Northwest Arkansas Times, Fayetteville Free Weekly and numerous nationally distributed genealogy publications. According to Family Tree Magazine (http://www.familytreemagazine.com), DeadFred.com is considered one of the top 101 Genealogy sites on the Internet. Furthermore, DeadFred.com has the largest Genealogy PhotoBase on the Internet; it has grown from 2,000 images to over 18,000 images with over 6,500 surnames and hits averaging over 22,000 daily.

DeadFred.com's popular monthly newsletter, Dead Fred's Relatively Speaking: Unearthing Relevant News, Advice and Updates for the Living, has over 1,300 subscribers, and the mailing list continues to grow at a rapid rate. Most importantly, DeadFred.com has had over 54 orphaned ancestral photos discovered, all of which have been sent home or are in the process of going home.

Joe began DeadFred.com to keep himself busy during his retirement after he turned 62 years old. On the other hand, now the site has taken on an incredible life of its own. To manage DeadFred.com, he has partnered with Vulcan Creative Labs and his daughter-in-law Claire Bott. Together, the Dead Fred Archivists handle advertising, database upkeep and enhancements, promotions, newsletter distribution and photo submissions. DeadFred.com is a work-in-progress. The site fills a specific need, and it's going to be an invaluable beneifit to the growing online genealogy community.

"It's unbelievably rewarding to see these photos find homes," Joe said. "Hopefully, the rest of my Boomer cohorts out there can get those old boxes of photos out of the attic and get the contents scanned onto DeadFred.com. If you cannot scan the photos, make and mail copies to me. I'll scan the images for you. The service is free, and donating the old photos is definitely a cool thing to do."

So why is the site named DeadFred? According to Joe, a photo of Frederick the Great in eternal repose was offered on eBay for a bargain. Joe snatched it up. He and his family exhausted long lists of candidates for the site name for two weeks, and they finally decided poor Fred deserved some increased popularity. The poor fellow had throat cancer by the time he ascended to the throne, and he could not say one word while in power. He died 99 days later. Furthermore, Joe's ancestors are of German descent. By having Fred, King of Prussia, as the guest of honor, Joe pays tribute, albeit with a touch of irreverence, to his heritage.

Send your questions or comments about this story to jeannette@deadfred.com.

Send your questions or comments about this story to claire@deadfred. com.

Did we miss your name despite your donation? We want to give you your due credit. Let us know who you are; click here.

Our hope is for each and every one of our unique visitors to donate at least one dollar (we'll take less and certainly more) for the upkeep and betterment of DeadFred.com.

Be a philanthropist! All it takes is a big heart and a donation of any amount.

If you would like to help, please click on the ''Donate'' or ''Click to Give'' links on our home page on the right, or you can mail a check or money order to:
Dead Fred
P.O. Box 6937
Springdale, AR 72766-6937

Thank you!

Send your questions or comments about this story to jeannette@deadfr ed.com.

Get Your Free Subscription

Did a friend forward this to you? Want to receive Dead Fred's Relatively Speaking every month in your inbox?

Sign up today!

About The Co-Editors

	Claire Bott, Joe's daughter-in-law, maintains the phenomenal traffic flow of DeadFred.com. She conducts essential research for site content development, reviews and edits records and responds to e-mail correspondence. Contact her at claire@deadfred.com.
	Copywriter Jeannette Balleza writes and edits promotional materials for DeadFred.com and related projects. With public relations as her primary focus, she assists in marketing and advertising efforts to both attract support and generate awareness for the site. Contact her at jeannette@deadfred.com.

Join the industry leaders by making your web site into your marketing cornerstone. We design visually appealing web sites without compromising usability, and we completely guarantee your satisfaction with your online company image.

Vulcan Creative Labs will provide you with a powerful web presence by combining custom graphics and informative copy, allowing you to eclipse your competitors and attract both new and repeat business.

With over 17 years of design experience, we will build a digital reflection of your real business that includes the following:

• Creativity in design
• Ease of navigation
• Quickness in loading time
• Multi-browser compatibility

We offer bold, professional graphic design for web because we believe your...Company Image Matters.

Be Bold. Get Vulcanized. Contact us for a free consultation and quote at mail@vulcancreative.com or 479.973.0600. For additional information, check out our web site at www.vulcancreative.com, or call us toll-free at 1.866.424.5079.