Tuesday's Tip: Marian Pierre-Louis's Tips Re: 1940 Housing Census

The Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society blog has recommended Marian Pierre-Louis's blog, The New England House Historian, in a previous post.  Be sure not to ignore her blog because of the title - Marian's articles have relevance to any location and research effort.  For instance...

Once again I suggest you take a look at her recent post titled The New England House Historian: The 1940 Census of Housing. In this post, Marian informs readers about the 1940 Census on Housing, the training video by the National Archives about how the information was collected and what you'll find.

It was an "I didn't know that" moment for me.  Maybe for you also?

Tuesday's Tip is one of several topics suggested on GeneaBloggers created by Thomas MacEntee.  Let us post your genealogical tip; send it to rootcellarsgs.org or click the envelope below to add a Comment.
posted by Denise Hibsch Richmond 

Follow Friday - The New England House Historian

Today's article is a follow-up to Cath Madden Trindle's guest blog article about House Histories posted yesterday.  I forgot to mention that Cath is a wonderful and knowledgeable speaker.  Be sure to attend one of her lectures when the opportunity presents itself. 

Cath mentioned websites in her article and I want to recommend one for you to follow.  It's actually a blog by Marian Pierre-Louis titled The New England House Historian.  According to the blog, Marian is a House Historian and Genealogical Lecturer who specializes in southern New England research which includes the states of Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Her particular research interests include early (1700-1850) African Americans in New England.  She is a frequent presenter on Legacy Family Tree Webinars and at conferences, societies and libraries.


Leland Stanford House,
Sacramento, California
Built 1857
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons



The New England House Historian blog is for everyone, not just those with New England ancestors.  The guidance she provides has broad application.  Here's a sampling of Marian's article titles that could help in creating a house history for, say, the Leland Stanford House (pictured):

Using General Land Indexes

• How Long Does it Take to Do Deed Research?
• What Can You Find in Assessors Tax Records?
• 19th Century Panoramic Maps

Marian authors two other blogs: Marian's Roots and Rambles and The Symbolic Past.  She will be the featured presenter for Legacy Family Tree Webinars in January and February 2013.

Have you created a house history for one of your ancestors?  Tell us about it by leaving a comment on our blog or send an email to rootcellarsgs@gmail.com.

Follow Friday is just one  of several blog themes suggested by Geneabloggers.  Let the thousands of blog readers know about your ancestor's stories.  Send a short story and photo to rootcellarsgs@gmail.com. 

posted by Denise Hibsch Richmond.

Those Places Thursday - House Histories

I am pleased to introduce Cath Madden Trindle as my Guest Blogger for the following article. Cath has considerable experience in researching house histories.  Thanks Cath!

Building a House History

Do you know who lived in your house?  Have you found all the information on the houses your ancestors lived in?  If not, you might be in for some wonderful surprises.

My first house history was done for a friend.  She paid for the records and I put in the time, with the understanding that I could use the results to put together a class.  Over the years, the class has been quite popular.  That house was in San Francisco and was built before 1906.  If you have ever looked at the age of a house in San Francisco, those built before 1900 generally say 1899.  The deeds and many other records were lost.  Even so, we managed to pinpoint the birth of this house to a small period of time. 

Using Sanborn maps (they show the footprint of the building), water tap records (the date the water line was hooked up to the property), newspapers (sales notices), the few existing Deed Registers (there are no deeds, but a few registers survived), block books (owner's names written in property outlines) and much more, it was possible to find the original owners of the land, the builders, the first owner of the house, all subsequent owners and many tenants.  The civil sword found in the wall was explained by the first owner having served in the Vermont infantry. The house was sold three times within a few months in the early 1920s.  Apartments were added during the depression. It is a wonderful house with a lot of history.



Patrick Geraghty
(Photo owned by Cath Madden Trindle)

More recently, I decided to learn more about the houses that my mother’s family lived in in St. Paul, Minnesota. My great-great grandfather Patrick Geraghty was a big burly Irishman who had trouble finding a place to rent when he arrived from County Mayo in 1884.  Silly landlords, he was the only teetotaling member of my extended Irish family.  In 1885 Patrick decided to build his own house.  It must have taken every family member working many hours to cover that expense.  He built a 16x24 brick and bracket house with a peaked roof for $500.  Just two years later in 1887 they tore the house down, added a basement and rebuilt the house 5 feet higher.  He added a new kitchen on the side and spent another $500.  All this information came from building permits that are housed in the Ramsey County Historical Society.



House on Topping Street
(Photo owned by Cath Madden Trindle)



 Unfortunately, Patrick did not have clear title to the land.  The courts stepped in and Patrick and three other homeowners on the block finally received their deeds in 1888 when it is recorded that he had paid $450 for the land.  I knew the family had lived in this house on Topping Street.  It was here that my grandmother remembers living while her widowed mother was off working in the Ryan Hotel to support the family.  It was here that she, at the age of four, would watch her two year old sister for the day.  Their Aunt was just below in the basement apartment, but they were on their own.  Patrick in the meantime moved on to a bigger and better house.....but 465 Topping stayed in the family until the 1940s. 

 

This is just one of many stories I’ve uncovered working on house histories.  Among the others is the shuffling address on Litchfield Street, which was confusing  enough to baffle the building department.  These two houses with three addresses were lost by bankruptcy and redeemed by family members.   Then there is the tiny lake house, down payment loaned by the Doctor who wanted my grandmother out of the city during the Spanish Influenza. From the records, the stories emerge, so much more than births, marriages and deaths.

 

Looking for a place to start?  There are some websites* and blogs that are devoted to house histories.  Look on the websites of libraries in the area, many are adding information on researching local houses.  Trace the deeds.  Who paid the taxes?  When was the property originally subdivided?  What was it before?  What type of architecture is it?  Most of all have fun and gather those stories about those places your ancestors and about the house that you live in!

 

About Cath Madden Trindle

Cath is a Certified Genealogist, serves as Special Projects Committee Chairperson for the California State Genealogical Alliance and writes for its blog, and is Treasurer for the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS).  She is the former Publications Chairperson for the San Mateo County (California) Genealogical Society, and frequently lectures for genealogical societies in northern California, the Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree, the Salt Lake Institute and FGS. 

*Watch for Follow Friday tomorrow!

posted by Denise Hibsch Richmond