Eliza J Hilts

Today while searching for documentation for the Marriage of my Lawrence Hilts and his wife Nancy I came across a webpage http://www.samsgenealogy.com/index.html  (Handy Ancestors, Descendants, & Related Families) with his oldest known daughter Eliza Hilts who married Chauncey Charles Handy . This website had information that I didn't have. Even though I don't have any sources, I added the information to my tree making sure I sourced this webpage. This way I know this is someone elses work and when I find time, I should try to get supporting documentation for this information.

This is why I wish people would include their sources, because then I can review what they looked at, without having to start from scratch and find sources to prove this. However, I have heard that some genealogist don't include sources so that people who want to know more must contact them directly. This way they can find out if you are related and how and have you as a resource if they need it. This can be a smart way too, but then perhaps they should have a statement such as "Sources available upon request."

I personally, don't want to slow down anyone's research efforts for them to have to wait until I reply to their email. There are many times, when I am traveling that I don't check my email, I don't want to check my email or I don't have access to my email. For example, when I went to Peru, until I made it back to the hotel, I didn't have internet access and I only had it because I brought my iPAD along. I wasn't going to bring my laptop because it was too heavy to lug around.

When I was on a cruise this past spring, I didn't check my email because I was too cheap to pay the price for internet access. Plus it was vacation, I had my laptop only to download my pictures from my camera, so that I would have more space available to take more pictures.

Back on track... If you want to collaborate with cousins, you need to get your trees out there. I do want to thank the author of the Handy Ancestors... website for taking the time to publish it on the web. It was put out there in 2008 and four years later a distant relative (me) found it.

I publish/share my tree with Ancestry.com. I do keep my tree private so that people have to contact me to get to view the tree. However, they can match to my tree, it is not totally private. I always ask how they are related to the person they are inquirying about and if I can match them, they have access. If I can't match them, I give them a brief report about the person they are inquirying about.

One final note: don't be a taker without being a giver too. If you take from someone's tree, their information (don't forget to give them credit by sourcing it) perhaps you should give your information so they can update their tree. This way both trees grow into something bigger and more beautiful.

Good Luck in your Genealogy research!

Andrew Spring (1779-1852)

I have been trying to figure out who the spouse of Margret Hilts (1782-1818) daughter of Christopel Hilts b: 1738).

I have conflicting information on her. I was given that her husband is Philip Sternberg and they had two children: Catherine (b: 1808) and Christina Maria (b: 1817).

I was also given that her husband was Andrew Spring (b: 1779 Rowan, NC, USA d: 1852 York, Onatrio, Canada).

First of all, besides user submitted trees on Ancestry.com, I can't prove either relationship.

I can't really find Philip Sternberg at all through Ancestry.com or findagrave.com.

However, this is what I found on Andrew: He is the sone of Albright and Barbara Spring according to the Canadian Immigrant Records, Part Two (Berczy Papers) found on Ancestry.com.

I found an 15 Nov 1836 Ontario, Canada marriage between an Andrew Sping and Anne Nibls. If this is my Andrew Spring it would make him  57 years old at the time of marriage.

Finally, I found an 1851 Census of Canada West (Ontario) listing Andrew Spring, male, age 73 (est birth 1779) born in US, living in York County, District # 42; sub-district: East Gwillimbury; Sub District #: 406.

He is living with Samuel Spring age 23 (son) and son's wife Mary Ann Spring age 23 and another son John Spring age 22.

Based on this, it makes Andrew 50 years old when his son Samuel was born and 51 when John was born, therefore, if Anne Nibls is his wife, it would be a later marriage. However, I was given that Andrew wife Margaret Hilts was born 1780 and died 1855. If Margaret didn't die until 1855, why is she not living with her husband and sons? Perhaps she actually died in 1835 if he did remarry in 1836.

Based on all this information, I am just as confused as when I started. When I go back to the person who gave me this information, she claims it is correct because of all the user submitted trees that have this information. However, when I contacted those users, those that replied (which was alot of them), stated that they copied it from another user submitted tree. I wasn't able to get the information from the orginial user. Also, my person stated that she was listed on the 1855 census, but I can't find her.

Moral of this story: People should not copy into their trees, information that they haven't proven. Or at least include their sources and list whose tree you copied it from. I add it into my tree showing the source and then I can sort out those sources as those that I need to prove when I find more time. Another idea, mark it as speculation based on a user submitted tree and try to contact the submitter of the tree if they don't list any sources. If they did list sources, track them down and analyis that information.