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Archiver > TMG > 2001-05 > 0988934402


From: maverik <>
Subject: Re: [TMG] OT NGS Conference
Date: Thu, 03 May 2001 17:00:10 -0700
References: <5.0.2.1.2.20010501144349.00a11290@mail.cwnet.com><5.0.2.1.2.20010502091857.00a1acd0@mail.cwnet.com>
In-Reply-To: <3AF0C8C6.80ACD9B7@mailbox.syr.edu>


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Hi Mary, I think it would be possible for us to share some data with
you. However, I only have one vote. I will need to present it to the
Board and get their approval.

I am in the middle of preparing the membership directory and the next issue
of the News-Caster and trying to get ready to go to Portland for the NGS
Conference. So I don't have enough time to write up your proposal for the
board right now. I don't expect to be back until around the 27th of May. We
will be visiting friends also.

Could you write up your proposal for the board in plain English. I too
have a background in computers and web pages so I understood what you were
saying. Most of our board won't. If you can do that for me I can send it
to most of them right away. We have a couple that are not on computers and
I will have to mail it to them. If we can get that out to them before I
leave (probably next Thursday) We can go from there when I get back.

I have attached a couple of the files for you to see how they are laid out
and to make sure that they may be something you can use.

Patricia Caster



At 10:56 PM 5/2/01 -0400, you wrote:
>Patricia,
>
>You and I just might be able to help each other a bit. And I'm copying
>Lee on this message.
>
>I'm fairly new to this mailing list, having only acquired TMG in
>February, so I don't yet know who the regular contributors to this list
>are. Lee, I know you are one of them, but I'm not sure that I really
>know what your position is.
>
>Here's the situation:
>
>1) Patricia, you have lots and lots of text files that have things like
>names, dates and places in them, along with lots of other information in
>what I gather is a rather unstructured manner. You need access to this
>data, but it's buried, and getting it out of your files will be rather
>painstaking and laborious, with lots of room for error along the way.
>
>2) I have proposed a project for which I just happen to have a need for
>data of the very nature that you describe. The project that I proposed
>for the GENTECH 2001 Scholarship won, and now I actually have to do the
>project! For that I need data. The lack of good data has been a
>stopping point for me in my project (well, not stopping point actually,
>I just haven't gotten started yet....). You can read about the project
>that I proposed, and now have to do, on the following page:
>
> http://web.syr.edu/~mdtaffet/GENTECH_Scholarship_Proposal.htm
>
>
>While I understand that your issue is getting data into your program,
>the type of approach I have in mind for this project would be very
>beneficial to you in your need to extract the data from the text files
>that you have accumulated. Extraction of names, dates and places, and
>potentially the relationships between them, is what I have proposed to
>do for my project.
>
>The creation of an index based on the kind of tagging that I desire to
>do could be manipulated fairly easily to pull out for you the data that
>you want.
>
>I realize that my timeframe (completion by January in order to present
>my results at GENTECH 2002 in Boston) may not fit yours exactly, but I
>think I would be able to provide you with some preliminary results from
>your data that would show you the kind of information which could be
>extracted.
>
>If you're willing to help me by providing me copies of your text files
>(at least some of them), I would be more than happy to help you by
>providing you with hopefully useful and usable results in turn.
>
>Would you care to discuss this possibility further?
>
>As a graduate of two Linguistics programs (into language), a former
>computer programmer with over 10 years of full-time programming
>experience (into computers and programming), a graduate of a Library
>Science program (into organization of information & information
>retrieval), and an extremely avid genealogy hobbyist, not to mention the
>fact that I am currently working in the field of corpus
>linguistics/computational linguistics/natural language processing, I am
>uniquely qualified to be of assistance to you.
>
>Additionally, I plan to do my dissertation in an area that will be
>beneficial to genealogists (among others). I plan to do my dissertation
>on a methodology and system that will be useful for determining when two
>references to an individual are or are not talking about the same
>person, either within a document or across documents.
>
>Assuming that there was more than one person with the same name in your
>data, it would also make very good data for my dissertation.
>
>-- Mary Taffet
> Syracuse University
> Ph.D. Student/School of Information Studies
> Research Analyst/Center for Natural Language Processing
> 4-230 Center for Science & Technology
> Syracuse, NY 13244-4100
> E-mail:
> WWW: http://web.syr.edu/~mdtaffet/
>
>
>
>maverik wrote:
> >
> > At 09:14 PM 5/1/01 -0400, you wrote:
> > >If you can give us more detail of your situation, some of us here may be
> > >able to tell you what we have done in similar situations.
> > >
> > >----------
> > >Lee Hoffman/KY
> >
> > Hi Lee, I have 3000+ original text files that have been created over the
> > past 25 years by the family association There are probably close to 40 to
> > 50 thousand names in these files. I started moving these text files into
> > TMG about 2 years ago and have only made a nick into the data. What I would
> > like to do is be able to have the members help me by putting the basic
> > data, name, birth, place, death, place, father, mother, and spouse into an
> > Excel spreadsheet and be able to bring that into TMG.
> >
> > I would then be able to search for the names we have and fill in the data
> > as needed and as time permits. Over the past 2 years data continues to
> > come in and the text files are now approaching 5000 and I feel like I am
> > spinning my wheels.
> >
> > I know that they could input into TMG. However, I would lose consistency of
> > data input and source documentation. I have been working with a couple of
> > members trying to set up guidelines for data entry and source entry
> > according to Mills. It isn't easy to do when one lives on the west coast
> > and the other lives on the east coast and we are all very busy people.
> >
> > What I really need at this point is to know all of the names and basic data
> > about the people in the text files.
> >
> > I know that I can get help from the members to input into Excel. Most of
> > the members have it and can be brought up to speed on how to use it. I can
> > set up a template for inputting the data. Most of them have their own
> > preferences for a genealogy program so I couldn't expect them to buy
> > another genealogy program just to do this work, no matter how much I
> love it.
> >
> > I would welcome any suggestions on how to make it easier and quicker to get
> > the basics into TMG.
> >
> > Patricia

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9/96 (file Benjamin) Benjamin disk\0

Benjamin Castor was born in 1741, 1750 or 1756, depending on which reference is being
used. DAR papers report the earliest date. Examination of the ages of the children suggest that 1741
is the likeliest birth date for Benjamin. Noah Thompson's Early History of the Peters Creek Valley
tells us that Conrad Custard was his father. If this is so, then Benjamin was probably born in Tinicum
Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania along Tinicum Creek. This is a wooded and hilly area close
to the Delaware River and has much natural beauty. About 1764, Conrad and some of his children
moved to Brock's Gap, Virginia. At that time, Brock-'s Gap was in Augusta. County, but is now
part of Rockingham County, Virginia. This is mountainous country. About 1776 or earlier, Benjamin
arrived in Western Pennsylvania and settled about fifteen miles. south of Pittsburgh. This was later
to be known as Jefferson Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Benjamin was known by the
surname of Custard, but as time went on, he became known as Kaster, Caster or Castor. Benjamin
served in the Frontier Rangers from 1776 to 1778. He was appointed Constable in 1778. He enlisted
18 March 1782 in the 2nd Battalion of the Washington County (PA) Militia in Captain William
Bruce's Company , and is shown on the rolls of the Militia 22 June 1782 and 7 July 1784.
He was granted 350 acres of land by Virginia for settling. This was revoked when the
boundary dispute between Virginia and Pennsylvania was settled in Pennsylvania.'s favor, but
Pennsylvania then granted Benjamin 333 acres on 15 September 1784. He received his final patent
for the land 25 April 1786, and he called his land "Custard's Delight". This is located in AIlegheny,
County, Jefferson Township, about four miles east of Finleyville, Pennsylvania.
In 1797, Benjamin and Ruth sold 52+ acres of Custard"s Delight to their son-in-law,
Sampson Piersol for 50 pounds. In 1798, Benjamin appears on the tax roll owning one dwelling
valued at $10. Sampson Piersol appeared on the same tax with a dwelling valued at $42. Benjamin
was a farmer and cattle drover. He was a wood carver and made fine, hand carved furniture and
violins.
We know very little of his wife, except that her name was Ruth. We have recently obtained
a copy of the Will of James Thompson of Washington County, Pennsylvania (probated 1786) which
leads us to believe that Ruth his. daughter.
Benjamin died shortly before 28 January 1826, as his will was proved on this date. Ruth
survived Benjamin. Ruth Castor appears on the 1829 tax roll of North Sewickley Township, Beaver
County, Pennsylvania. where her son, James, lived. Perhaps Ruth lived with her son, James during
her widowhood. Ruth died in 1833 according to a deposition given by Samuel Heath. It is stated
by Noah Thompson that Benjamin and Ruth are buried in the cemetery at James Chapel Methodist
Church, (the Stone Church) located in Union Township of Washington County, Pennsylvania, close
to the Benjamin Castor home.

Children of Benjamin and Ruth:
1. Conrad Caster born about 1760-1765, tradition says he married Hannah McDonald; lived
Montgomery County, OH; died 1814 leaving widow, Elizabeth (surname unknown).

2. Susannah Castor born 1766, married Sampson Peirsol about 1784; lived Marion Township,
Beaver County, PA; died 15 February 1837.

3. Rebecca Castor born 1769; married John Babb, lived in Hampshire Co, VA until 1800; then
Columbiana County, OH.

4. James Kaster born 31 August 1776, married Ruth (surname unknown), lived North Sewickley
Township of Beaver County, PA., died 11 September 1847.

5. Benjamin Kaster born 20 September 1778, married Orpha Heath; married second Catherine
(surname unknown); died December 1870, buried Moorefield Cemetery, Hickory Twp, Mercer
County, PA.

6. William Castor born 2 December 1783, settled in Preble County, Ohio, married Polly Chotter 17
July 1804, married Chloe Niccum 18 March 1845, married Mary Flagg (widow) 31 October 1867,
died 31 July 1878.

7. Paul Castor married Elizabeth (surname unknown), settled Richland County,Ohio; died 1847.

8. Gabriel Castor born 1786; married Catherine Huffman; died 1863.

9. Sampson Castor born 21 January 1789; married Sarah Huffman; died I8 April 1869.

10. Edward Castor born 4 November 1789; married Catherine Snee 18 May 1810 Trinity Episcopal
Church, Pittsburgh, PA, lived Allegheny County, PA; died 12 October 1841 Hancock County, OH.

Sources:
Thompson, Noah; Early History of the Peters Creek Valley and the Early Settlers; 1973.
Hastings, Charles Cummins, Sr.; Pioneer Settlers of Western Pennsylvania; 1976.
DAR Patriots Index; page 120.
Letter Richard St. Clair-25 August 1986

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, SS

WHEREAS in Pursuance of the Order of the Board of Property of the Fifteenth day of
September, 1784, and the Seventh day of March, 1785, and of certain Instructions by :You given
conformably thereto, a. Survey hath been made by Nevill & Ritchie two of your Deputies, on the 13th
day of May 1785, of a Tract, containing Three hundred & thirty three acres. & 80 pers., on Peters
Ck., Washington County, for Benjamin Custard and returned into our Office, on the thirteenth day
of March in the Year One Thousand Seven Hundred and eighty, six as appears by your Certificate
thereupon to the Secretary of the Land-Office. AND WHEREAS the said Benijamin Custard hath
paid (to the Receiver-General) the Purchase Money due for the same. THESE are to authorize and
require you to accept the said Survey into our Office, and to make Return thereof into the Office of
the Secretary of the Land-Office in Order for Confirmation, by Patent to the said Benjn. Custard.
And for so doing, this shall be your Warrant.
IN WITNESS whereof the Able Peter Muhlenberg Esq. Vice President of the Supreme
Executive Council, hath hereunto set his Hand, and caused the Lesser Seal of the said Commonwealth
to be hereunto affixed, the eighth day of April in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred
and eighty eight. John Lukens, Esq. Surveyor-General

The Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. To all to whom these
presents Sh-B.11 come Greetings. Know that in Consideration of two Pounds fifteen Shillings and
Six pence lawful Money paid by Benjamin Custard into the Receiver Generals Office of this
Commonwealth there is Granted by the said Commonwealth to the Benjamin Custard A Certain tract
of Land called Custard's Delight Situate on Peters Creek in Washington County Beginning at a Beech
tree near a run thence by land of R Little North fifty one degrees and an half West one hundred and
eighteen perches to a White Oak and South eight three degrees West one hundred and fort.,/ four
perches to a White Oak thence by vacant Land North nineteen degrees West fifty two perches to =(
White Oak an North fifty nine degrees East one hundred and nine, Six perches to an Ironwood thence
by land of one Wickerham North twelve degrees East one hundred and +our perches to a White Oak
thence by vacant Land South forty Seven degrees East one hundred and Sixty perches to a Black Oak
North eighty nine degrees East forty eight perches to a Sugar tree & South forty eight degrees East
twenty eight perches to a post thence b land of Samuel Heth South forty one degrees West two
hundred and forty two perches to the place of Beginning Containing three hundred and thirty three
acres and eighty, perches strict measures with the Appurtenances Which tract was Surveyed +or the
said Benjamin Custard in Pursuance of the Order of the Board of Property of the 15th September-
1784 & the 7th March 1785 for whom -A Warrant of Acceptance issued the 8th Instant.) To have
and to hold the said tract or parcel of Land with the Appurtenances the said Benjamin Custard and
his heirs to the use of him the said Benjamin Custard his heirs and assigns forever free and clear of
all restrictions -and reservations (?Mines) royalties quit rents or otherwise - and reserving only the
fifth part of all (?Gold) Silver Ore for the use of this Commonwealth to be delivered at the Mouth
clear of all Charges. In Witness whereof the Hon'ble Peter Muhlenberg Esq Vice President of the
Supreme Execuve Council hath hereto Set his hand & caused the State seal to be thereto affixed in
Council the Sixteenth day of April in the year of our Lord One thousand Seven hundred -and eighty
eight & of the Commonwealth the twelth. Attest James Trumble for Chas Biddle Sec .
P Muhlenberg (seal)
Inrolled 25th April AD 1788

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Draught of a Survey lying on Peters Ck (Washington County), cont'g 333 Acs &- 80
Ps without any Allowance - executed May 13th 1785 for Benj Custard in pursuance of a Certificate
granted him for 400 Acs by the Commissr. appointed by Virga. to adjust the Titles to unpatented
Lands in the counties of Mononqalia, Yoga.. & Ohio, and regularly, entered with the County,
Surveyor as appears from the authenicated List of Entries transmitted from the Office of the Surveyor
Genl.
Presley Nevill
Mattw. Ritchie
Dep. Surv.

John Lukens Esq
Surv. Genl.



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Benjamin:1.1

\Mary Caster\born about 1793 in Pennsylvania, daughter of Conrad and Elizabeth Caster. Mary married 20 September 1811 James Stadehouse/Stackhouse in Montgomery County, Ohio. James was born about 1784 in Virginia. They lived in Grant County, Indiana. James was a farmer.
Their children:
1. _______ Stackhouse (male) born 1820-1825.
2. Jane Stackhouse born about 1823 in Ohio.
3. _________ Stackhouse born 1825-1830.
4. Priscilla Stackhouse born about 1833 in Ohio.
5. James T Stackhouse born about 1837 in Indiana.
6. Caster H Stackhouse (female) born about 1839 in Indiana.
Sources:
1840 census Indiana, Grant Co, Pleasant Twp, p 82
James Stackhouse 1M 50-60 1F 40-50
1M 15-20 1F 15-20
1M -5 1F 10-15
1F 5-10
1F -5
1850 census Indiana, Grant Co, Pleasant Twp, p 221, #240
James Stackhouse 66 farmer Va
Mary " 57 Pa
Jane " 27 Ohio
Priscilla " 17 "
James T " 13 Ind
Caster H " 11 (f) "

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