Update on Individuals of Unusual Size

A few days ago I posted about a response from FamilySearch about a problem with a merge in Family Tree. (Individuals of Unusual Size.) After my father saw the post, he wrote some additional notes on his genealogy/technology blog. Click over to his post to see the response from FamilySearch:

A Very Disturbing FamilySearch Family Tree Issue

Rare Historical Find in the Overson Negative Collection

The scanning and digitizing of the collection of negatives and printed photos from my Great-grandmother Margaret Godfrey Jarvis Overson is proceeding slowly. Recently, I discovered a remarkable set of photographs taken in front of the home of Stake President Andrew Kimball in Thatcher, Arizona. There is a copy of the photograph in the Arizona Collection. Arizona State University Libraries, Department of Archives and Special Collections. The description of the photo is as follows from the ASU Arizona Collection:

St. Joseph's Stake High Council Members of Thatcher, Arizona. Photograph Taken in Front of Stake President Andrew Kimball's Home. Kimball is Seated Fourth from the Left. From the Ryder Ridgway Photograph Collection. The finding aid to this collection may be accessed electronically from Arizona Archives Online: http://www.azarchivesonline.org/.

If you are not aware, Andrew Kimball was the father of LDS Church President Spencer W. Kimball.

Here is a copy of the original photograph. If Grandmother Overson had this photo in her collection, she likely had the original negative from which this print was made. The photo does not appear to be a copy of a pre-existing photograph. Speculating, the photograph could have been taken by her father, Charles Godfrey (De Friez) Jarvis.

The photo in the ASU Arizona Collection appears to be slightly damaged and printed on yellowing paper. It also appears to have crop marks. See link above. For a biography of Andrew Kimball click here. However, the photo above, from Grandmother Overson, has a notation "11x" in white which would have been on the negative when the photo was printed.

The big news is not the necessarily this historic photo, but the one that accompanies it. Here is the photo of the men's wives taken at the same time in 1910 at the same place:

The existence of this second photo, taken at the same time and place, argues for the fact that the photos were taken either by Charles Jarvis or his daughter, Margaret Godfrey Jarvis Overson. I am sure both photos warrant additional research.

Was Thomas Tanner of Connecticut related to William Tanner of Rhode Island?

There is a commonly digitized book concerning the descendants of Thomas Tanner of Connecticut.[1] This book is available on Google Books at Google.com, Archive.org and similar websites. Unfortunately, the book begins its discussion of the advent of the Tanner family in America by reporting the common genealogical myth concerning the arrival of three brothers from England. A variation on this myth, also reported, is that one of the brothers stayed in England because of his inheritance and the other two brothers were the immigrants. Aside from the fact that there are absolutely no source citations, other than “family tradition,” these speculations are not supported by the scant facts that do exist.

It is undisputed that there was a Tanner family based primarily in Connecticut and at the same time there is also a well-documented family with the same surname in Rhode Island to which I trace my family line. But there is no demonstrable evidence connecting the two families. The Tanner surname is common in England and there is no reason to suppose that all the Tanners found there are descendants from some common ancestor. Since the origin of the name clearly refers to a common occupation, there is no need to question the distinct possibility that use of the name arose in different areas and at different times as adopted by unrelated individuals. Subsequent surname books on the Rhode Island Tanner family refer to the multiple origins of the surname and even add in a Coat of Arms.[2]

Samuel Shepherd and the RLDS Church

Tanner Family Line

This post is in response to an email from a Shepherd cousin wondering about the family's connection to the RLDS Church. As always, we enjoy hearing from cousins or others interested in the material on this blog.

* * *

Vermont natives Samuel Shepherd and Roxalana Ray Shepherd joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chagrin, Ohio, undoubtedly while living on land in the Western Reserve that they received due to Samuel's service in the War of 1812.

They moved to join the Church in Missouri, where Roxie died of cholera. Samuel remarried Charity Bates Swarthout, a woman with a large family whose husband had recently died.

The blended Shepherd and Swarthout family moved West with the Saints after Joseph Smith's death, three sons serving as members of the Mormon Battalion.

In 1851 a large group of Saints — mostly Southerners but also members of the large intermarried Tanner-Lyman-Shepherd family — moved across the Mojave Desert to create a settlement at San Bernardino.

William Tanner — The Immigrant

Historical marker in Westerly, Rhode Island. From Dougtone at Flickr.

William Tanner's arrival in America is still subject to controversy and lack of source records. If he was born abroad, his arrival in America is evidenced by scanty documentary sources. References to William Tanner subsequent to hie arrival by the Reverend Tanner locate him in Westerly, Rhode Island, and specifically, in the town of Hopkinton, which was formerly part of Westerly. [1]

Richard Litson Jr. Emigration Account, Part 7 of 7

Glade Family Line

Friday, August 10 — A fine morning. We travelled and the other trains were traveling also and we did not pass them until they camped and we went on again and had water at a creek. There was a mule train here. There was a notice here "To Bridgers Ferry, 15 miles”, "To Virginia City, 425 miles". We all went on again and camped by plenty of wood. We have had aplenty of wood this week and we shall have all the way now. We had a fair night.

Saturday, August 11 — A fair morning. We started very early and went 5 or 6 miles and then had breakfast between 10 or 11 a.m., and between that and night we traveled 20 miles or more. We had a warm day and fair night.

Sunday, August 12 — A fine morning. We crossed a creek and traveled on some distance and camped and had dinner and traveled about 18 miles. We had a fair night.

Individuals of Unusual Size (IOUS)

First the answer, and then the question.

From: [...]
Subject: Need Records Merged
Date: February 27, 2013 9:28:23 AM EST
To: [...] 

Dear Amy Tanner Thiriot,
RE:   John Tanner  KWJ1-K2F and MMM9-MM1
        Lydia Stewart  M5XK-TBR and LC3X-WJ5
Thank you for contacting FamilySearch Support.  Your concern deals with individuals of unusual size (IOUS) record.  There is not an easy solution at this time.  Currently our database can not handle records of this size. We kindly ask for your patience and understanding until increased functionalities become available in new FamilySearch.  At a future time, the expectation is that you, as the patron, will be able to independently resolve these issues as tools and technology are improved.
Sincerely,
FamilySearch Data Administration
----------------------
(CaseID:[...])
----------------------

Several days ago Claudia, the Tanner cousin who donated the Tanner Family Daguerreotype to the Church History Library, contacted me because someone had put a picture of John Joshua Tanner in one of John Tanner's FamilySearch Family Tree entries. For some reason it looked like I had added the picture. Although I hadn't, I told her I'd try and figure out how to get it off.

While looking at John Tanner's duplicate entries as listed in the email above, I decided to make sure the data in both his entries matched and see if his two entries would merge, since that might be the fastest way to deal with the picture.

They wouldn't merge.

Richard Litson Jr. Emigration Account, Part 6 of 7

Glade Family Line

Sunday, July 29 — The grass is wet this morning but it will be a fine day. We started and before we were a mile but of the camp a regiment of soldiers passed by us. We passed so many graves. Lawken K. Stevens, aged 14. E. Hunter, died 3 July, 1865. N. P. Wells, late of Biethan, Missouri, killed by Indians, aged 39 years. Ann Butler, died 24 July 1865, aged 12. John Cook, company C. Y., Iowa Cavalry, accidentally killed 28 Nov. 1865, aged 22 years, 11 months and 19 days. These were seen at the Old California Crossing and store of M. R. Beauvaise Star Ranch. We saw another grave named J. Louis Audiffre, died 10 June, 1866, aged 24 years. We intended to cross the Platte River but we did not cross (at) that place. We had a fair night.

Monday, July 30 - A fine morning. We traveled all day and in the evening we crossed the Platte River and we all got over except 2 or 3 wagons before dark. Then we had a little rain for about 3/4 of an hour and a little wind in the night. 

Richard Litson Jr. Emigration Account, Part 5 of 7

Glade Family Line

Wednesday, June 20 — Much thunder on the night of this instance.

Thursday, June 21 — A fine morning. Thunder and lightning all night. We got wet

Friday, June 22 — We had a fine day and night.

Saturday, June 23 — A fine day. A little lightning about 7 o'clock. A fine night.

Richard Litson Jr. Emigration Account, Part 4 of 7

1866 locomotive. From Wikipedia.

Glade Family Line

Saturday, June 9 [1866] — We were going very fast last night. It is a very fine morning and the train is going very fast. We saw engines Shannon, Bethel, Montpelier, Superior, Montreal, Grand Trunk Railroad numbers 12, 18, and 249, which is our engine, also 96, 72 and John Molson. It is very fine weather this morning and we are going beautiful. The most of all we have seen all the way is trees and we have come 400 miles. We got out of the train and went into a shed with seats all around. We remained in this place until 6:30 p.m. and (then) we went into it (the train). It traveled very fast. It stopped several times that night. This train shakes more than the other, in consequence of the road being rougher and we are not so comfortably situated. We are in cattle cars. We went well all night. Sunday is tomorrow.