June | 2020 | Posting Family Roots

Remember dot-to-dot pictures? Each dot has a number, letter of the alphabet or other logical system for you to follow. The dots don’t appear to make sense at first. However, when you connect the dots correctly, a picture emerges. My current genealogy research efforts seem like that. Each piece of information is a dot. All I have to do is go to the next logical dot and a family picture will emerge. But, the dots don’t always present themselves in a logical manner. Dots are missing. The resulting picture looks more like a scribbled mess. In this post, I describe the status of my Posten files. Think of each file as a dot on the overall picture.

Early in my research, I discovered several published genealogies of Poston families. These narratives outlined Poston families who originated in Pennsylvania but subsequently moved south. One author even stated: “There are no Postons listed in the Pennsylvania census for that year [1790] .” [1] While that may be true, families with a similar surname, Posten (my maiden name) and its variations, lived in Pennsylvania from 1790 on. Are the Poston families and Posten families connected? I am not sure and keep an open mind.

Summary of my Posten files:

Dad’s direct ancestral line. I can trace our branch of the Posten family from Dad to Thomas Postens, born 1782 at New Jersey and died 1854 at Monroe county, Pennsylvania. Census records, birth and death certificates prove the lineage. With few exceptions, Dad’s family, including Dad’s siblings, lived in Pennsylvania from the 1800s to the present. I am working on collateral lines. In August, 2017, my husband and I visited the graves of Thomas and his wife, Esther Brown at Friends Burial Ground in Stroudsburg, Monroe county, Pennsylvania. [2]
New Jersey Posten families. Posten men paid taxes in New Jersey in the 1780s and 1790s. [3] I believe that at least two of those men – Richard Postens and William Postens- moved to Bucks county, Pennsylvania by 1800. [4], [5] Either one, or another man, could be Thomas’ father. Samuel Posten, born about 1794, has been identified as progenitor of a Posten family which still resides in Monmouth county, New Jersey. [6]
Jacob Postens and Anne Burson. Jacob, born about 1755 In New Jersey, identified as our family’s ancestor by an elderly aunt. [7] When I wanted to join the Daughters of the American Revolution, I pursued this assertion but found it to be false. Dad’s family is definitely NOT descended from Jacob and Anne. Given Jacob’s reported birthplace of New Jersey, my Posten family and Jacob’s family could still be related.
Elihu Posten family. Elihu lived in Monroe county, Pennsylvania in the early 1800s. (Note: Recall that Thomas Postens died in Monroe county). Elihu’s first wife was Eleanor Transue and they had nine children. Eleanor died in 1841 and Elihu married Elizabeth Eilenberger about 1842. They had two children. William Posten, son of Elihu and Elizabeth, moved to Wisconsin. [8] Elihu and our Thomas could be brothers.
Benjamin Avery Posten (1839, Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania – 1905, Pulaski county, Missouri). A chance meeting between Dad and one of Benjamin’s descendants led me to search for this family. The genealogy from Benjamin through the 20^th century is fairly clear. Researchers differ as to the identity of Benjamin’s parents.
Posten families in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania. I started this file as supplement to Benjamin Avery Posten’s file. Names from the early to mid-1800s include, among others, Cornelius Posten, Peter Posten and several men named William Posten. Research on these families is ongoing. Relationships are still tentative.
James Posten and Rhoda Shaffer, Iowa. James Posten (1790, Pennsylvania – ) [9] I believe that James is the son of Peter Posten, found in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania in 1800 and 1810. Both Peter and James were recorded next to each other on Licking county, Ohio, census in 1820. [10] Five of James and Rhoda’s six children were born in Ohio. Earlier this year, I was contacted by a descendant of James and Rhoda but we don’t share any DNA. On some online trees, James Posten of Iowa is mistakenly identified as son of Jacob Postens and Anne Burson. Jacob and Anne had a son named James but he never left Pennsylvania.
Miscellaneous Posten families. This file contains a mix of records for persons with Posten surname in various places including Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky. I haven’t followed up on any of these.

Are any of the Posten families named above related to Dad’s family? That question, my friends, is unanswered. Each file contains multiple dots (i.e. discrete pieces of information such as census records, BMD certificates, wills, letters, etc.). For some files, the picture is emerging nicely. In other files, it’s still a scribbled mess.

Reflection:

This post summarizes personal research on my Posten line. I wrote it as a ‘note to self’ type memorandum as I veer off in other directions. When I come to a hurdle for one person or family, I put it aside and move on. My 2012 Posten history now seems vary amateurish and incomplete. I was definitely a novice and amateur genealogist when I wrote it! I have a lot more information now about each family. As far as revising 2012 Posten history, I am stuck on Thomas and finding his parents.

What I learned: I have made good progress for some families, not so much for others. Goal of revising my 2012 Posten history led me to re-open files and look more critically at what I have. My analysis and research skills have improved over the years. Take extensive notes about searches, findings and initial analysis. Research logs are a must!

What helped: paper and digital files for each family group, including family trees in RootsMagic.

What didn’t help: Items in files with no idea about source. Incomplete source information. Sources that seem to have disappeared. Minimal and/or no research logs. Items not organized in any meaningful way. But, I guess that’s the way many of us start – copy an item and file it, organize later.

To-do: Record notes about searches and results. Continue to create research logs. Organize individual items in each file by family group or category—lots of paper clips! Continue revision of 2012 Posten history but leave chapter on Thomas for now.

SOURCES:

[1] Erma Poston Landers, A Poston Family of South Carolina: Its Immigrant Ancestor and some of his descendants: A Family Genealogy (Atlanta, Georgia: Erma Poston Landers [Lake City, South Carolina], 1965]. Digital copy accessed & printed, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 24 March 2010), page 5.

[2] Friends Burial Ground (Stroudsburg, Monroe, Pennsylvania), markers for Thomas Postens and Esther Postens; personally read, August 2017.

[3] “New Jersey, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1643-1890, database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed multiple dates, May and June, 2020); citing Ronald V. Jackson, Accelerated Indexing Systems, “New Jersey Census, 1643-1890,”, data from microfilmed records including indexes to 1772-1822 tax list.

[4] Richard Postens, 1800 census. 1800 U.S. Census, Northampton county, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Lower Smithfield, p. 618, line 24, Richard Postens; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed & downloaded 29 May 2020); citing National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C. microfilm publication M32, roll 37.

[5] William Postens, 1790 census at Bucks county. 1790 U.S. Census, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, population schedule, no town given, page 112, line 5, William Pofte [Poste]; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed & downloaded 30 January 2020); citing National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C. microfilm publicaiton M637, roll 8.

[6] Personal correspondence with [Name withheld for privacy], Monmouth county, New Jersey, circa 1990s.

[7] Typewritten genealogy, Posten family tradition regarding lineage of John Posten to Jacob Posten (b 1755) as reported by Ruby Gardiner, granddaughter of Daniel Posten & Phoebe Fulkerson to Vera Posten Brooks, ca. 1989; privately held by Ellerbee, [address for private use,] Yukon, Oklahoma. Copy sent by Ms. Brooks to Ms. Ellerbee about 1990.

[8] Wisconsin, son of Elihu and Elizabeth. 1880 U.S. Census, Grant county, Wisconsin, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 116, Millville, p. 243A, dwelling 6, family 6, William Poston [Posten] ; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 June 2020 ); citing National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C. microfilm publication T9, roll 1427.

[9] Susan Posten Ellerbee, James Posten-Rhoda Shaffer Family Group Sheet, Family charts and Group Sheets, privately held by Ellerbee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Yukon, Canadian, Oklahoma. In vertical file, “Iowa Posten Family”, data collected circa 2000-2020.

[10] 1820 U.S. Census, Licking county, Ohio, population schedule, Franklin, page 21, image 35, line 10, Peter Posten, line 11, James Posten; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 12 June 2020); citing National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C., microfilm publication, M33_94.

Time for midyear review of my 2020 genealogy goals. My overall assessment? Distracted. Minimal focus. Why? Multiple factors but nothing specific. I feel like I am in a rut. I have run out of steam to complete various projects. Due to possible impact of Corona virus? We are blessed that none of our immediate family here have been directly affected. One of my second cousins, who lives in another state, contracted the virus but isolated at home. An elderly relative suffered other health problems and the doctor deferred hospitalization due to Corona virus. She required 24/7 in-home care for several weeks.

Muddy road image by Lajos Peszt from Pixabay

I feel overwhelmed by the constant negative reports on the news. Perhaps that negativity bubbles over into my genealogy work? I continue to do some genealogy every day but lack momentum. Current work seems rote and routine – complete family group records, create and fill in research logs, clean up paper and digital files. Yet, these tasks are necessary to leave a coherent trail.

As I review my 2020 goals, I have made progress. I completed some goals quickly- copying BMD certificates from a Posten relative and responding to cousin requests for Tucker family. I sent my DNA to a third company based on request from a possibly related Posten descendant with Pennsylvania ties. Result? No shared DNA. But, we are still hopeful for a common ancestor!

Family cookbook project is almost done. So far, about 1/3 of total recipes are desserts. Shows obvious preference of our family and friends!

I received death certificate for Mom’s great grandmother, Anna Wolf Klee Mϋller/ Miller. Anna died in 1883 at New York City. I plan to write a blog post about the process and information on that certificate. Two death certificate requests, both from New York, are still pending. New York state has so many other issues than responding to genealogical requests! Because of Corona virus, I will defer making any more requests this year.

I started work (again!) on revising Posten history, initially written in 2012. Last year, I took an online genealogy writing course and revised outline for book. I realized how sketchy much of the information is. I am still looking for Thomas Postens in 1830 and 1840. This entails page-by-page search of those census records because Ancestry and Family Search yield no hints, even when I use variations and asterisks. No results found in Northampton, Monroe or Pike counties, Pennsylvania. Expanding search to nearby counties- Bucks, Chester, Luzerne, Wayne. I carefully document my search efforts and results.

I admit to following some rabbit trails in this search. I found some leads about Richard Postens and William Postens, either of whom could be Thomas’ father. I may have found three daughters of Richard Postens – Elena (baptized 1774), Jane (born 1785) and Elizabeth (born circa 1795-1802).

Last week, I followed a rabbit trail for Cornelius Postens who lived in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania. Huntingdon county is in western part of the state. Cornelius was born about 1778 in Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Rachel, had at least three children- John, James and Charles. Cornelius died about 1852. I am still piecing their story together. The Huntingdon County branch could be related to Dad’s family.

I am keeping a personal Corona Virus diary that I do not plan to publish. Daily entries have been reduced to once a week, or even less. I scanned and added articles from our local newspaper. Perhaps one of my descendants will find it interesting. I will probably print it and place with other personal papers at some point in the future.

To review, perhaps I have made more progress than I thought. My initial feeling of inertia is gradually being replaced by slow and steady. Daily research efforts aren’t totally without focus but have been scattered between different families. My original set of 26 goals now seems too ambitious. I continue to forge ahead.

As usual, writing my blog post helped. I see where I’ve been and the progress that I’ve made. Emotionally, I still feel overwhelmed but less so. What did I learn from this reflection?

Recognize the challenges to identify family members who lived in late 1700s and early 1800s.
Re-focus, set a specific research goal for each session.
Work in short spurts – maybe only 20-30 minutes at a time instead of hours!
Keep extensive notes.
Review information already in files before each session (i.e., avoid duplication).
When a specific goal seems unattainable or gets me bogged down, take a break then work on another question.

Apparently, others are experiencing similar issues. Read Thomas MacEntee’s “10 Ways to Jumpstart Your Genealogy”, posted 4 June 2020. https://genealogybargains.s3.amazonaws.com/10+Ways+to+Jumpstart+Your+Genealogy.pdf

Blog posts that I found helpful:

Amy Johnson Crow, “Avoiding distractions in our genealogy”, blog post, 19 August 2019, Modern Genealogy Made Easy (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/avoiding-distractions-genealogy/ : accessed 4 May 2020).

Amy Johnson Crow, “Genealogy Research: The WANDER Method,” blog post, 17 January 2020, Modern Genealogy Made Easy (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/genealogy-research-process-wander-method/ : accessed 4 May 2020).

“The Shiny Object Syndrome in Genealogy and How to Cure It,” blog post, 28 January 2019, Family History Foundation (https://familyhistoryfoundation.com/2019/01/28/shiny-object-syndrome-in-genealogy-how-to-cure-it/ : accessed 8 June 2020).