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Thaddeus O'Malley's Timber Culture Grant

Earlier this year, I researched a man named Thaddeus O'Malley to determine if he could be related to my second-great-grandmother Catherine Ryan Gilbride. Thaddeus O'Malley and his wife Honora McNally are the common ancestral couple to several of my DNA matches. My hypothesis is that they are related to Catherine's line in some way, as I cannot account for them in any other direct line. This research at present is stalled...and a job for another day. I did learn something new, though, while looking into Thaddeus O'Malley's life. He was granted a land patent in Nebraska in 1892. It was a Timber Culture land patent—an unfamiliar type. The Timber Culture Act was passed in 1873, and followed the Homestead Act of 1862. It awarded up to 160 acres of public land after applicants made improvements, including planting 40 acres of trees on their land (later lowered to ten acres). The program aimed to provide lumber to residents of the Great Plains for building and fuel, and al
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Following Along the 14-Day Research Like a Pro Challenge

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In Another Comanche Connection in the Story of Morning Dew, I hinted that I would be doing some further research to determine Elizabeth Kite Stephen's birthplace. Elizabeth is my husband's 2x great grandmother. Identifying her birthplace is just one piece in verifying if there might be any kernel of truth to the family lore that she was of Comanche origin. 

This research will be part of the 14-day Research Like a Pro (RLP) Mini-Challenge offered by the RLP creators Diane Elder and Nicole Dyer, from January 16-29. The goal is to complete a small genealogical research project, using the RLP method, a step-by-step guide for seeing a project from start to finish. I'll be reporting here on what I find, and insights on the process along the way. 

The challenge sets out the 7 key steps of RLP methodology and devotes two days to each. It is recommended that researchers take on a relatively simple question given the time allowed, and the proposed time to be devoted to it each day—just 15 minutes. That piece will be a real challenge for me, as I do so love to be thorough and can spend hours deep in research. I'm looking forward to finding out more about Elizabeth Kite over the next few weeks.

Here's what I've accomplished in the first few days of the 14-day RLP Mini-Challenge:

Jan. 16—Research Question

To begin a project, the RLP method asks "What question do you have about an ancestor's life that you’d like to discover?" You do this by reviewing your family tree to determine what info is still missing or not documented fully.

While working on this question of Elizabeth Kite's identity, I noticed that there are conflicting places of birth listed in records such as censuses, her children's death certificates, etc. Some sources state Alabama, others state Georgia, while other sources note Texas, or specifically Comanche, Texas. A death record for Elizabeth has not yet been located where a birthplace might be recorded.

So, my overall question is:

Where was Elizabeth Kite Stephen born?

 

Jan. 17—Key Identifiers

Here, the task is to take a research question and turn it into a complete objective. A complete research objective contains "key identifiers." These help you determine if a record you found matches your ancestor. There would be nothing worse than investigating the wrong person! The best key identifiers are vital information, parents' and spouse's names, and locations, if known.

With this in mind, my objective is:

The objective of this project is to determine the birthplace of Elizabeth Kite born about June 1854 in either Alabama or Georgia to Caswell Kite and Harriet Kite. Elizabeth married James Howard Stephen on 20 September 1876 in Erath County, Texas. She died about 25 February 1901 in Erath County, Texas.

 

Next week, I'll report on what I've accomplished on these steps:

Jan. 18—Analyze Sources-Timeline

Jan. 19—Analyze Sources-Source and Information

Jan. 20—Locality Research-Background Information

Jan. 21—Locality Research-Identify Sources to Search

Jan. 22—Research Planning-Hypothesis

Jan. 23—Research Planning-Prioritize Sources

Jan. 24—Source Citations


Until next time...

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  1. Sarah BellJanuary 18, 2023 at 5:59 PM

    Nancy, this is a great overview of the challenge. I look forward to seeing what you can discover about Elizabeth's birthplace! Already knowing her parents will no doubt help :)

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    1. Nancy Gilbride CaseyJanuary 20, 2023 at 10:49 AM

      Yes, definitely lucky with that. I have some good ideas for how to go about this. Stay tuned!!

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  2. Diane HenriksJanuary 19, 2023 at 8:07 AM

    Good for you, joining the Research Like a Pro! You have your work cut out for you! Good luck! :)

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    Replies
    1. Nancy Gilbride CaseyJanuary 20, 2023 at 10:50 AM

      I've been following the RLP method for several years now. It really has changed how I research. Looking forward to the next couple of weeks, and making some progress on this question.

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