Wordless Wednesday - Harshaville Covered Bridge

Harshaville covered bridge, West Union, Adams County, Ohio
August 2011
(Taken through car window)

Harshaville Covered Bridge
August 2011
(Not taken through car window)

Wordless Wednesday - Oconaluftee River

Oconaluftee River at Kephart Prong Trail

Wordless Wednesday - The Smokey Mountains

Smokey Mountains, Tennessee

Geni. - OH NO YOU DIDN'T!

Last week hubby and I went on vacation.  First one together since 2003.  We visited friends, spent the day in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and drove through the Smokey Mountains. It was wonderful! 


I totally expected that the next time I turned my computer on I would have to clean up my inbox.  But never in my wildest dreams did I expect Geni to yank the rug out from under me and knock me on my ass butt! 


When I logged on to Geni and noticed all the hub bub I thought I had better check it out myself.  I discovered Geni's announcement Geni Pro just got a whole lot better. (who are they kidding?) 


I also discovered that I can no longer add to my pedigree, I can't merge profiles, I can't search to see if one of my ancestors is already there.  The only way to request a merge now is to ask a Pro or curator. Let's just pile up more stuff for them to do, huh? 


Sure I can do that stuff if I become a Pro. Wait, you want me to pay $59.40 to continue my pedigree, to be able to search and merge, while I am trying to fit about that much in my budget to order documents to back up my genealogy research? 


I loved the whole idea of Geni. I like being a part of the big tree and seeing how I connect to the rest of the world. I love the project aspect of it as well. I even started one: Lord Mayors of London. 


You may have read (or not) an earlier post Madness Monday - I am a Geni Addict! Well, I am starting to feel Geni withdrawal symptoms already. Don't get me wrong, I wont be leaving you Geni, but I will certainly not make you my dealer (not at this point). 


Online family trees are an important TOOL. They are not 100% factual or documented, and in my opinion should always be free.  Sure, Pro  members should have cool benefits that free users don't. But to take away features from free users that they have used in the beginning is just plain wrong.  I can see restricting new members, but not current members.


Check out the two cents of other bloggers: 

1. Geni just got better - or worse
2. "Geni Pro Just got a Whole Lot Better." But what about Geni Free?
3. Geni.com didnt ask my opinion 
4. Dear Geni: It's Not Me It's You 
5. Where Keggers and Social Genealogy Intersect
6. GENI - STUCK ON STUPID

Wordless Wednesday - A Couple of Pioneers

Me and grandma Smedley sporting our Pioneer costumes for the parade in Paris, Idaho abt. 1970

Amanuensis Monday - Will of Henry Allen, Clothworker

Today I decided that I would share the will that I just finished transcribing for Amanuensis Monday.

The reason I ordered this will is to help prove and document that my 10th great-grandfather George Allen, immigrant ancestor who arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony on 6 May 1635 from England, was not the same George Allen who married Katherine Starkes (Slarkes) November 5, 1624, at All Hallows Church in London.

There are many genealogies and postings that claim the following marriage license is that of our George:

Guildhall, All Hallows Honey Lane, Composite register: baptisms 1538 - 1697, marriages 1546 - 1656, 1664 - 1666, burials 1538 - 1666/7, 1538 - 1697, P69/ALH3/A/A/01/Ms 5022
Ancestry.com. London, England, Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812 [database on-line].

This George is the brother mentioned in the following will of Henry Allen, clothworker of St. Michael Parish, Queenhithe, London, England which was probated June of 1640.

Will of Henrici Allen

1. Memorandum that on or about the tenth day of April Anno Domini
2. One thousand Six Hundred forty Henry Allen of ye parish of St. Michael in
3. Queenehithe London clothworker beinge of perfect mind & memory though sicke in body
4. did make and declare his last will & testament Nuncupitive or by word of mouth in
5. manner & form followinge or to the like effect Item appoynted his body to be buried
6. in the charnell of the parish Church of St. Michael Queenehithe above said And his
7. worldly goods & Estate be disposed as followeth Item first he gave & bequeathed all
8. that his customary or coppy hold tenement & ye barnes stables Gardens banksides
9. & nyne Acres of Lands with the______ there unto belonginge _______ lyeing and
10. beinge within ye parish of Denham in ye county of Bucks holder of ye mannor of
11. Denham in the county of Bucks there in ye ________ compound of Thomas __________
12. and he the said Henry Allen bought & purchased of William Codman deceased unto ye
13. six children of his sister Susan Willmott ye wife of Edmund A. Willmott. Item
14. William, Edmund, Richard, George, Susan & Ann Willmott and to their heirs
15. and assigns forever and he willed and appoynted that ye said Edmund Willmott
16. and Susan his wife their father & mother should from ye tyme of his decease receive
17. ye Rents and profitte of ye said tenement & Lands to & for ye use of their said children.
18. And to be by them employed for theire best benefitt & advantage until they should attaine
19. their severall & respective ages of one & Twenty years for the better raisinge of pounds
20. for them. And ye said Testator then declared that he _______ (if it should please god
21. to permitt him) to surrender his said tenement & lands to the use of his said will to the
22. end ye same might owe to ye said children according to his said intente & bequest Item
23. he ye said testator did recind & forgive unto his brother George Allen (unto whome he
24. ________ his said tenement and landes would come by the custome of ye mannor whereof
25. they are holden in case he should not live to surrender the same to the use of his said will)
26. All such debts and somes of mony as he should owe unto him the said testator at the tyme
27. of his decease by bond specialty or otherwise howsoever upon _______ only & soe as his said
28. brother George Allen ____ his said Tenement and land should fall unto him for want of such
29. surrender to be made by the said Testator as aforesaid Doe and shall surrender the same
30. Tenement & Lands to ye use of his said sisters children & their heirs according his
31. __ist bequest thereof made to them as above said and in case his said Brother upon
32. request to him in that behalfe made should refuse to surrender the same as aforesaid.
33. Then he gave and bequeathed to his said sisters children equally to be divided amongst
34. them all such debts & somes of money w^ch his said Brother George Allen should owe
35. unto him at his decease And in that case he wills his Executrix should doe her best
36. indeavor to recover ye said debts for ye said children by course of lawe so soone as
37. possible she could. Item he gave & bequeathed to his cosen Joseph Usher sonne of his
38. late sister Joane all that his lease estate interest & terms of yeares to come of in ___
39. ye shopp & warehouse in Townesend Lane within ye parrish of St. Michael in
40. Queenhithe in London aforesaid w^ch he bough[t] of William Graves for a certaine time
41. of years Then & yet inducting at the Rent of a pepper corne or so upon ________ &
42. so as he the said Joseph should within six monthes next after decease of him the
43. said Testator pay unto his ye said testators brother John Allen ye some of Twenty
44. & six pounds of Lawfull mony of England w^ch if the said Joseph shall not
45. accordingly pay then ye said testator willed & appoynted that ye said lease & interest
46. should come & be to his Executrix she paying ye said Twenty & Six pounds to his
47. said brother John Allen w^ch if she refused to doe then he gave ye same lease and in
48. interest to him the said John Allen his Brother to make the best thereof for his own
49. benefitt & use Item ye said testator gave and bequeathed to ye poor of the parish of St.
50. Michael Queenehithe aforesaid ye some of Ten pounds to be paid within one month
51. next after his decease to be distributed unto & amongst ye same poore where most
52. needs should bee accordinge to ye disecions of ye Churchwardens & Sidemen of ye said parish
53. Item he gave to Mr. Bill Parson of ye said parish Three pounds for his serman to bee
54. preached at his burial & he gave to Mr. Glover Curate of ye said parish Twenty Shillings.
55. The rest and residue of all and singuler his leases plate moneyes debts goods chattelles
56. what soever after his debts and legacies aforesaid & his funerall expenses were paid & discharged
57. lawfully and wholly gave and bequeathed unto Susan Allen his wife whome he made and now
58. instituted the full & sole executrix of his said last Will and Testament and ye said Testator being
59. then of good and perfect memorie did give directions and instructions to have his said will
60. _______ ________ in all perticulers as is above expressed or to ye very like effect there beinge then
61. present ______ & well observinge ye ______ _______ Glover Curat _______ sancti (?)
62. Michaelis ad______ Reginalem (?) Alexander C______ Senr /

Source: National Archives

There will be more about the Allens in another post.  If you are researching the Allens, Willmotts, or Ushers of Queenhithe, please contact me. Thanks.