Library Stuff

I haven't blogged in quite some time. My genealogical research has crawled to a halt while we did major home improvements during the spring/summer. It feels a bit too late to get back into the research mode before the holidays. I can already see that things are going to be as hectic as usual.
Now for a change in topic - a bit of Library Stuff. I attended the CODI Conference in Pittsburgh last week and came away with some interesting training ideas. A program called Learning 2.0 demonstrated success in a novel training idea - motivating and empowering library employees to participate in Web 2.0 technologies on their own rather than having to lay it all out for them in the training lab. A wonderful way of engaging them and it would certainly be a far more efficient use of my time. Traditional classroom training would take a long time to not only reach every staff member, but also not offer in the depth experience with each tool. It sounds fascinating!

Maryland Hooper Deaths - file

I have made quite a bit of use of the wonderful work by the Maryland State Archives where they have made the death indexes searchable online. This is a work in progress and they have published images derived from microfilm copies of the index cards. The years covered vary but these scanned images are searchable for the 23 counties and Baltimore City from at least 1898 to 1944. In addition, there are some indexes available for 1875 on for Baltimore City. I have gone through a lot of these indexes and pulled out the Hooper deaths and published them in the attached file - Hooper Deaths from the Maryland State Archives so that they are available to other Hooper researchers. I make no claims to total accuracy and completeness. I would recommend double checking the search before ordering any copies of death certificates. I hope that this proves helpful.

Searching for the will of James Hooper Jr.

I have now requested searches for the will of James Hooper Jr. (1804 - 1898) from the Maryland State Archives twice. The first time was almost a year ago. Since he died at his home at 121 North Front Street in Baltimore, I first requested a search of the city records and was told they couldn't find anything. I just recently requested a search of the county records. I just received a letter from the Archives. After she had listed all of the county sources that she checked and found nothing, the archivist wrote the following:

"A check of Baltimore City Register of Wills (Estate docket) 1898 through 1902 did show that letters of administration were granted to a Thomas J. Hooper on the estate of a James Hooper on November 28, 1899 (estate docket 39, page 123). Thomas J. Hooper died before he could administer this estate and letters de bonis non were granted to an Ann E. Hooper (securities were Adele B. Mahool and Emma R. Hooper) on October 3, 1911. Again there were no inventories or accounts filed for this estate. Also the 1911 docket entry gives this James Hooper's date as 1896, so he may not be the James Hooper in question."

Thomas Jackson Hooper did not die until November 10, 1910, over 11 years after the death of his father. What was with the delay in settling this estate? It is hard to imagine that the estate couldn't be settled from early 1898 until 1910.

As to the letters de bonis, I am assuming that these were granted to the daughter of Thomas, who had a daughter named Ann E. Hooper. Adele B. Mahool would have been the daughter of Julia Hooper Boyle, daughter of James Hooper Jr. Emma Rosalia would have been his daughter.

What to do next? I can't imagine that the estate was not finally settled somehow. I don't understand the delay and lack of resolution. Any suggestions out there?

More info on the children of James and Ann E Brannan Hooper

I just received the death certificates for four of the children of James and Ann above - Maria J.T. Hooper Kemp, James Hooper, Samuel E. Hooper, and Charles Henry Hooper. The death certificate for Charles was especially interesting. It said that he was living at the Mount Hope Retreat in Baltimore and that he was a laborer there. This retreat was a mental institution with a succession of names. The death information was also given by the personnel at the Retreat, not any of his remaining brothers and sisters. It would certainly be interesting to find out more information on the life of poor Charles.
Another tidbit turned up in the death certificate of Samuel. It said that he was a widower. We had never turned up any family information for him. So we might want to look for a marriage for him if we are going to try to locate all of the descendants of James and Ann.

The State of the Dittus Family of NY Research

I am also researching the Dittus family from WUE,DEU>Queens Co,NY. My great-great-great grandfather, Michael Dittus emigrated from Schömberg in Württemberg, Germany with his wife (Christina Kling Dittus) and five childen (Johann Jacob Friederich, Michael, Cristine Katharine, Gottliebe George, and Elisabethe). They aplied for permission to emigrate in 1846 as per my newly translated Application for Permission To Emigrate in 1846. I have definitely connected them as being the Dittus family in Manhattan (Ward 2) in the 1850 census. I have the Manhattan marriage certificate for my direct ancestor, the oldest son, Johann Jacob Friederich Dittus, born July 25, 1824 to Barbara Frey from September 3, 1854 which matches the birth date given in the Application for Permission to Emigrate.
I have gotten sidetracked recently from pursuing this further with all of the Hooper research that is proving to be so fruitful. However, I have just ordered the films for Schömberg from the local LDS library and will hope to have more to report shortly.

More requests from the Maryland State Archives

I just sent away to the Maryland State Archive for the death certificates of four of the children of James and Ann Elizabeth Brannan Hooper. I was easily able to find the certificate numbers for Samuel E., James, Charles, and Maria Hooper Kemp. The site is wonderful to use, but Tripp, you were right! Missouri records are even better!