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| Credit - IU School of Law, McKinney Lawyer. |
I'm very lucky that I can do what I do in support of a global Internet.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
From a Talk at IU Law
In October I gave a talk at IU School of Law at Indianapolis, on working in the Internet environment after law school. The school was nice enough to write about this in their Winter 2012-2013 edition of the McKinney Lawyer (page 28). The photo credit to Indiana University below.
This talk was a nice opportunity to explain to law students about the work that is done in Internet policy, and how there are options available outside of billing hours in a law firm. This was my first visit back to the school since summer 2001.
I'm very lucky that I can do what I do in support of a global Internet.
I'm very lucky that I can do what I do in support of a global Internet.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Travel Tuesday - The Power of Wind
The drawings below are taken from Vanishing Landmarks, a book of pencil illustrations and stories written by my Gumpy, Keith D. Jones, for his brother Robert P. Jones on his 80th birthday in 1997. This one is based on a photo (also below) near Canyon Lake, Texas.
I'll be sharing selected pages from the book during the month of February. I previously posted artwork from my grandfather in September, showing his painting and sketch of the Bridgeton Covered Bridge.
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| Art by Keith D. Jones, 1997 |
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Sepia Saturday - Rowing on White River?
The photo below is dated 1912. I'm not certain, this may be my great-grandfather Harry O'Brien. I suspect he's rowing on the White River near Broad Ripple in Indianapolis.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
The Will of Richard Thornhill
Tuesday's mail delivered a copy of the will of Richard Thornhill from the Hamblen County Archives in Tennessee. Richard was the older brother of my 4th-great-grandmother Elizabeth Thornhill Jones, and first born of Joseph Thornhill and Sarah Sally Westall. I was hoping that his will might contain some useful information, or perhaps a connection to Joseph and Sarah.
Richard was born in Culpeper County, Virginia in October 1805 (either 2 or 22 October). He lived a long life in the area of northern Jefferson and later Hamblen County, Tennessee. He married Margaret Cline in Jefferson County on 19 November 1825. Richard passed on 15 December 1876 in Hamblen County.
Last Will and Testament of Richard Thornhill
State of Tennessee, Hamblen County:
I, Richard Thornhill of said County and State, being weak in body but of sound disposing mind and [unsure of word] calling to mind the uncertainty of life and that it is appointed unto all to die, do make and desire this as my last will and testament hereby revoking and unwilling all wills by me made in manner and form follow now to wit:
First and perpetually, I will my body to the dust from where it is taken, to be decently buried in a plain Christian-like manner and my soul to almighty God who gave it, and as to my worldly goods it has pleased God to bless me with, I will them to be divided, distributed and apportioned in the manner and form following to wit:
Item 1st, as to my lands that I now own, I will them to be apportioned and divided as I now direct. It is my will and desire that my beloved wife Margaret Thornhill shall have my house farm of one hundred and seventeen acres, including all of the dividings and appurtenaments thereto also including the lands purchased by me from M. H. Skeen set forth in said deed, to have full control of the same during her natural lifetime.
Item 2nd, what I have or may have at death of personal property, I will to be disposed of as follows: I desire my wife Margaret Thornhill to have my yellow mare and one other horse of her own choice of my horse stock, two cows and calves of her own choosing if she desires them.
I also will that she have all my household and kitchen furniture or, so much of it as she may desire, to have full control of the same during her lifetime and at her death provided she remains in her senses and [unclear] to dispose of all or any of the same as she may desire. Whatever of the same she does not desire to retain at my death, together with all my other personal property of every description consisting of hogs, cattle, horses, sheep, farming tools, and implements except to the property heretofore bequeathed to my wife and [unclear] that I desire her to have and control one two-horse wagon and harness for the same, farming tools and implements sufficient to carry on and cultivate the farm of one hundred and seventeen acres before specified.
The remainder of my personal property I desire sold at public sale and the proceeds of the same disposed of as hereafter mentioned. Should my wife from age or other infermity become [unclear] and of disposing mind previous to her death all the household and kitchen property left and remaining [unclear] I wish divided between the girl children of Margaret E. Bowers.
Further more it is my will and desire that A. L. Cline and C. C. Cline have the land conveyed to them by me sometime previous and set forth in deeds of conveyance to them upon the following named conditions that they are not to sell or put any persons in association of said lands during my natural lifetime without my consent. The remaining portion of my lands I wish disposed of as follows to wit:
Item 1, I will to Margaret E. Bowers all my lands not otherwise disposed of the interest I have in the land belonging to Mill property also all interest in the Mill that I have as many of my[unclear] together with all the lands I have at the time of my death and that I have maintained and described.
Item 2nd, I will and it is my desire that Elizabeth Bowers shall have the one hundred and seventeen acres of land afore mentioned and described with the appurtenances thereunto by her complying with the following named stipulations and requirements. Should she marry a man not competent to take care of and control said land it is to belong to Margaret E. Bowers, her mother and Elizabeth Bowers to share equal with the rest of the children of Margaret E. Bowers.
Item 3rd, it is my will and desire that my beloved wife Margaret Thornhill have and control the one hundred and seventeen acres before mentioned and described during her natural lifetime, that to Elizabeth Bowers if she complies with the conditions and stipulations in every [unclear] as above stated.
Furthermore it is my will and desire that all of my personal property not heretofore disposed of be sold at public sale, the money collected together with all my money on hand and debts due me collected the same to create a fund in the hands of my Executor or Administrator for the following named purposes to wit: Item 1st for the payment of funeral expenses and all my first debts. Item 2nd for the support of my wife Margaret Thornhill should she need to use any of the service so she may not [unclear] for the comforts of life while she may live and for any necessary expenses after her death. 3rd the remainder of money in the hands of my Executor or Administrator to be put in interest with the interest collected annually added to the general fund furnishing a new service to be expended in the following manner Equally in educating the children of Margaret E. Bowers with the exception of Elizabeth Bowers who has been heretofore provided for. Item 4th I desire that at the time the youngest child of Margaret E. Bowers arrives at the age of twenty one years that the land willed by me to Margaret E. Bowers together with all the money and debts in the hands of my Executor or Administrator be equally divided between the children of Margaret E. Bowers with the exception of Elizabeth Bowers which has heretofore been provided for.
In testimony whereof I have signed the same this the 31st day May one thousand eight hundred and seventy six and acknowledge it to be my act and for the purposes therein contained in the presence of W. H. Howell, Thomas Thornhill and called on to witness the same.
Richard Thornhill [Seal]
Signed in the presence of
W. H. Howell [x]
Thomas Thornhill [x]
--
Margaret E. Thornhill was the daughter of Richard Thornhill and Margaret Cline Thornhill. She married William A. Bowers in Jefferson County on 10 October 1861 (as referenced by Kate Livingston in her diary). Elizabeth Bowers was their first child. Margaret and William were living in Witts Foundry, Jefferson County, Tennessee in the 1870 US Census, not far from Madison Line.
Margaret provided an affidavit of support for Mary Gass Thornhill's mother's pension in her case following the death of Captain John Thornhill.
In the diary of Kate Livingston, she wrote that her father bought wheat and beef from "Mr. Thornhill" in early October 1862, which may have been Richard Thornhill. Kate knew the Thornhill family well, along with the Bowers.
Richard was born in Culpeper County, Virginia in October 1805 (either 2 or 22 October). He lived a long life in the area of northern Jefferson and later Hamblen County, Tennessee. He married Margaret Cline in Jefferson County on 19 November 1825. Richard passed on 15 December 1876 in Hamblen County.
Last Will and Testament of Richard Thornhill
State of Tennessee, Hamblen County:
I, Richard Thornhill of said County and State, being weak in body but of sound disposing mind and [unsure of word] calling to mind the uncertainty of life and that it is appointed unto all to die, do make and desire this as my last will and testament hereby revoking and unwilling all wills by me made in manner and form follow now to wit:
First and perpetually, I will my body to the dust from where it is taken, to be decently buried in a plain Christian-like manner and my soul to almighty God who gave it, and as to my worldly goods it has pleased God to bless me with, I will them to be divided, distributed and apportioned in the manner and form following to wit:
Item 1st, as to my lands that I now own, I will them to be apportioned and divided as I now direct. It is my will and desire that my beloved wife Margaret Thornhill shall have my house farm of one hundred and seventeen acres, including all of the dividings and appurtenaments thereto also including the lands purchased by me from M. H. Skeen set forth in said deed, to have full control of the same during her natural lifetime.
Item 2nd, what I have or may have at death of personal property, I will to be disposed of as follows: I desire my wife Margaret Thornhill to have my yellow mare and one other horse of her own choice of my horse stock, two cows and calves of her own choosing if she desires them.
I also will that she have all my household and kitchen furniture or, so much of it as she may desire, to have full control of the same during her lifetime and at her death provided she remains in her senses and [unclear] to dispose of all or any of the same as she may desire. Whatever of the same she does not desire to retain at my death, together with all my other personal property of every description consisting of hogs, cattle, horses, sheep, farming tools, and implements except to the property heretofore bequeathed to my wife and [unclear] that I desire her to have and control one two-horse wagon and harness for the same, farming tools and implements sufficient to carry on and cultivate the farm of one hundred and seventeen acres before specified.
The remainder of my personal property I desire sold at public sale and the proceeds of the same disposed of as hereafter mentioned. Should my wife from age or other infermity become [unclear] and of disposing mind previous to her death all the household and kitchen property left and remaining [unclear] I wish divided between the girl children of Margaret E. Bowers.
Further more it is my will and desire that A. L. Cline and C. C. Cline have the land conveyed to them by me sometime previous and set forth in deeds of conveyance to them upon the following named conditions that they are not to sell or put any persons in association of said lands during my natural lifetime without my consent. The remaining portion of my lands I wish disposed of as follows to wit:
Item 1, I will to Margaret E. Bowers all my lands not otherwise disposed of the interest I have in the land belonging to Mill property also all interest in the Mill that I have as many of my[unclear] together with all the lands I have at the time of my death and that I have maintained and described.
Item 2nd, I will and it is my desire that Elizabeth Bowers shall have the one hundred and seventeen acres of land afore mentioned and described with the appurtenances thereunto by her complying with the following named stipulations and requirements. Should she marry a man not competent to take care of and control said land it is to belong to Margaret E. Bowers, her mother and Elizabeth Bowers to share equal with the rest of the children of Margaret E. Bowers.
Item 3rd, it is my will and desire that my beloved wife Margaret Thornhill have and control the one hundred and seventeen acres before mentioned and described during her natural lifetime, that to Elizabeth Bowers if she complies with the conditions and stipulations in every [unclear] as above stated.
Furthermore it is my will and desire that all of my personal property not heretofore disposed of be sold at public sale, the money collected together with all my money on hand and debts due me collected the same to create a fund in the hands of my Executor or Administrator for the following named purposes to wit: Item 1st for the payment of funeral expenses and all my first debts. Item 2nd for the support of my wife Margaret Thornhill should she need to use any of the service so she may not [unclear] for the comforts of life while she may live and for any necessary expenses after her death. 3rd the remainder of money in the hands of my Executor or Administrator to be put in interest with the interest collected annually added to the general fund furnishing a new service to be expended in the following manner Equally in educating the children of Margaret E. Bowers with the exception of Elizabeth Bowers who has been heretofore provided for. Item 4th I desire that at the time the youngest child of Margaret E. Bowers arrives at the age of twenty one years that the land willed by me to Margaret E. Bowers together with all the money and debts in the hands of my Executor or Administrator be equally divided between the children of Margaret E. Bowers with the exception of Elizabeth Bowers which has heretofore been provided for.
In testimony whereof I have signed the same this the 31st day May one thousand eight hundred and seventy six and acknowledge it to be my act and for the purposes therein contained in the presence of W. H. Howell, Thomas Thornhill and called on to witness the same.
Richard Thornhill [Seal]
Signed in the presence of
W. H. Howell [x]
Thomas Thornhill [x]
--
Margaret E. Thornhill was the daughter of Richard Thornhill and Margaret Cline Thornhill. She married William A. Bowers in Jefferson County on 10 October 1861 (as referenced by Kate Livingston in her diary). Elizabeth Bowers was their first child. Margaret and William were living in Witts Foundry, Jefferson County, Tennessee in the 1870 US Census, not far from Madison Line.
Margaret provided an affidavit of support for Mary Gass Thornhill's mother's pension in her case following the death of Captain John Thornhill.
In the diary of Kate Livingston, she wrote that her father bought wheat and beef from "Mr. Thornhill" in early October 1862, which may have been Richard Thornhill. Kate knew the Thornhill family well, along with the Bowers.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Tech Tuesday - UNESCO/UBC Vancouver Declaration
Last week UNESCO released the Vancouver Declaration on Digitization and Preservation (press release and declaration text pdf). The document was the result of UNESCO's 26-28 September 2012 conference on The Memory of the World in the Digital Age: Digitization and Preservation. In reading the text, this is an important document for the family history and genealogy community. It is a fairly short document, but has some key suggestions for private sector organizations and organizations in the cultural heritage sector.
For example, three recommendations at the end of the document urge private sector organizations to:
"a. cooperate with archives, library, museum and other relevant organizations to ensure long-term accessibility to digital information;
b. adhere to recognized metadata standards designed in cooperation with information professionals for description and/or management of digital resources, in order to enable interoperability of sources that can be presumed authentic and guaranteed reliable and accurate;
c. take digital preservation issues into consideration when participating in national and international standards initiatives and in their work on multi-jurisdictional and other partnership initiatives where information generated in a digital format is to be retained through the long term."
In my primary field I work to support a global interoperable Internet. As an enabler for the sharing of knowledge, the Internet works because it can be used across borders, devices, languages and character sets. The Internet provides the means to explore and understand our history in powerful ways.
When I read the Vancouver Declaration, I see the need for modern, open standards for the sharing and preservation of family history data (see 9 October 2012 - Information Standards in the Family History Space). A number of private sector entities took part in the Vancouver conference. Major players in the family history information standards community should be aware of this document and consider how it can be useful to their efforts.
For example, three recommendations at the end of the document urge private sector organizations to:
"a. cooperate with archives, library, museum and other relevant organizations to ensure long-term accessibility to digital information;
b. adhere to recognized metadata standards designed in cooperation with information professionals for description and/or management of digital resources, in order to enable interoperability of sources that can be presumed authentic and guaranteed reliable and accurate;
c. take digital preservation issues into consideration when participating in national and international standards initiatives and in their work on multi-jurisdictional and other partnership initiatives where information generated in a digital format is to be retained through the long term."
In my primary field I work to support a global interoperable Internet. As an enabler for the sharing of knowledge, the Internet works because it can be used across borders, devices, languages and character sets. The Internet provides the means to explore and understand our history in powerful ways.
When I read the Vancouver Declaration, I see the need for modern, open standards for the sharing and preservation of family history data (see 9 October 2012 - Information Standards in the Family History Space). A number of private sector entities took part in the Vancouver conference. Major players in the family history information standards community should be aware of this document and consider how it can be useful to their efforts.
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