Thursday, February 11, 2010

Utah Digital Newspapers

I have been searching the newspapers of Uintah and Duchesne Counties in Utah for tid bits of information about the Scogings on the website, Utah Digital Newspapers. One surprising find was that they were known as Scroggins. Myton is about 12 to 15 miles south of Cedarview.
On May 14, 1908, the Uintah Chieftain was launched in Myton with this fanfare: "Today the Uintah Chieftain makes its bow to the settlers of the former Uintah Indian Reservation".
The Myton Free Press
Feb 20 1919 page 2
Philip Scroggins has moved back to Bennett. He occupies the Rasmusen quarters. For the past two years he and his family have resided in Cedarview.

Mar 6 1919 page 2
Leeton: Mrs Philip Scroggins left Saturday for Cedarview to attend her mothers funeral.

Sep 18 1919 page 4
Leeton: Philip Scroggins and family also Richard Colton have moved from their ranches to Bennett for the school term.

Dec 4 1919 page 4
Leeton: Phil Scroggins has started building on the town site at Bennett.

Mar 9 1922 page 4
Alton Scroggins is reported to have tuberculosis in a very bad state.

Mar 30 1922 page 4
Leeton: George Evans and Oral Scroggins left last Tuesday for Salt Lake City where they were to be united under the bands of matrimony. They got as far as Roosevelt and the mud and failure of the stage to arrive forced them to remain their several days during which time they suffered a nervous shock but recovered the following Sunday when the mud laden stage started toward Price. Everyone here wishes them well in their new undertaking.
The place names are farming or ranching communities. Indian Bench is south of, Bennett, and Leeton is north of Bennett. Cedarview is about 5 miles west of Bennett. Montwell and Cedarview is in the same area. Montwell is no longer on the map. Roosevelt was the market or main community in the area now and then.
The Scroggins were part of the land grab that took place in 1905 when the government opened up Indian land for homesteading on the Uncompahgre and Uintah Reservations. It was reported that Alton Scogings was the first white to be born on the Indian land in 1905. The land was harsh and barren. Now to look at a aerial view it is just roads and empty lots where houses use to be.

I found some articles in the Salt Lake Deseret News pertaining to Rockville that are of interest. This is where William Bye Scogings was from 1862 to 1877. Rockville is 300 miles south of Salt Lake City. There are many articles pertaining to communities throughout Utah in the Deseret News. I could not get the search engine at the website to pull up Scogging. I found the article searching for Rockville.
Deseret News 1867 Aug 21 1867 page 6
Rockville, Kane Co., July 29
Editor Deseret News: Dear Brothers: - A few words from the upper valley of the Rio Virgin, will probably be interesting to the very numerous readers of the News. The weather has been hot and dry thus far through the summer. The wheat crop is light; there was but little cotton planted, and that is late; corn and cane are excellent; fruit is average. Health is generally good, though this climate is a little severe on children. Education is progressing, though feebly as yet. Improvements are advancing steadily. Religion is reviving. Our morals are not tainted with "regenerators." The Indians are quiet, and peace prevails. The 20th anniversary of the entrance of the Pioneers into Great Salt Lake Valley was celebrated in the usual manner, with a right good will, evincing that the people here duly appreciate the labors of that noble and honored band of veterans. Finally, "Mormonism" in these craggy regions is in the ascendancy. Yours, morst respectfully, G. Spilsbury

Deseret News Aug 19 1868 page 7
Celebration of the 24th in the Settlements
At Rockville, Kane Co., the people were fully up to the times in festive matters. They wasted their full complement of gunpowder, had a procession, music, speeches &c. In the afternoon the children had a dance in which a few of the Lamanites, attracted by the sound of the violin, participated. In The evening there was a ball for the citizens. Committee of arrangements, Thomas Bowman, H.B. Scogging, J.C. Hall
H.B. Scogging is William Bye Scogings.

Friday, February 5, 2010

London Marriage Registers on ancestry.com

I have a number of marriages that I identified through the civil registration indexes in the London area. Since there are a number of churches in each district it would be unlikely that I would find the specific church the marriage took place in. I don't have access to all the church records nor the time to search them. I was going to have to buy the certificates from the registrar office.
How complete is this ancestry marriage index? I found 12 marriage records of the Scoggins that I am researching. I found almost every marriage I was looking for. This tells me that this index, linked to images, is very extensive. Yes, I was able to download the images as well. I also found a marriage not recorded in the civil registration indexes. My pioneer ancestor, William Bye Scogings, married Sarah Raper about 1850 in London. I found that marriage in the parish of St Mary, Rotherhithe. Now I have the certificate. I thought I would never find that record. He joined the Mormons in 1853. Sarah never did join. The story goes that he had to choose between his family and the Mormons. William left his family in 1859 for Salt Lake City never to see his family again.
It use to be that a methodical search was required to find most records. Now with the indexing that is going on it is increasingly only necessary to know the name and the place and the search engine finds the records. The new term added to the genealogist vocabulary is 'wild card'. The methodology of genealogical research is changing with this massive indexing effort. It pays to know the subscription sites. Library's now have subscriptions to some of these sites so it may not be necessary to buy one. The largest free site is familysearch.org and there are many others as well.
I would imgine that a small portion of the records in the world are indexed, and the subscriptions sites focus on those records of most use to the researcher ranging from census record, church records, directories, military records, etc.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

John Rawling Scoging (1778 - 1827)

The will of Thomas Scoging in 1785 mentions his son Robert Scoging (1742-18??). It does not say where he is. He is not an executor in the will so it appears that he is not close-by. He is the oldest surviving son. He married Elizabeth Rawling in Ipswich in 1772. Elizabeth's father, John Rawling was a man of means. When he died in 1779 he left 20 pounds for his grandson, Robert Scogging then age 5. John Rawling had property in Lindsay. Lindsay is about 13 miles from the parish of Clare and about 13 miles from Ipswich in the opposite direction. The parish of Clare is where we next pick up the trail of Robert Scoging and Elizabeth Rawling. They had six children; Robert, Elizabeth, John Rawling,Susannah, Mary, and Thomas. Robert is married in Falkenham, Suffolk in 1796, and John Rawling is married in London in 1810 and he is a victualer. I believe that I have found Thomas in London as well. The burial record of John Rawling Scoging has recently been found in St Leonard Shoreditch. Lacking direct evidence the following clues provide convincing evidence of the connection of John Rawling Scoging in London to our Scoging family. Due to the rarity of the surname 'Scoging' and then being combined with 'Rawling' and his age being recorded on the burial record as 49, I feel certain that this must be the son of Robert Scoging and Elizabeth Rawling baptized in 1778 in Clare. His name at baptism was recorded as John Ralling Scoging. John Rawling Scoging married Elizabeth Stuckey in 1810 in Shoreditch and they had 6 children. When Harriet died in 1876 she left a fortune of nearly 5000 pounds. It appears that she inherited it from her marriage in 1829 to Daniel Hagen. This is the wealthiest Scoging family we have in our family tree. The search continues for the burial, and probate records of Robert Scoging (1742-18??). I think it may be in London.