RootsTech 2016 Announces Opening Day Keynotes, Bruce Feiler and Paula Williams Madison

SALT LAKE CITY, October 27, 2015—RootsTech, the largest family history conference in the world, announced today the first three keynote speakers in its all-star lineup for RootsTech 2016. The first general session (Thursday, February 4, 2016) will feature three inspiring speakers, which include New York Times bestselling author Bruce Feiler, award-winning journalist Paula Williams Madison, and the president and CEO of FamilySearch International, Stephen Rockwood.

Bruce Feiler is a bestselling author and columnist for The New York Times, where he writes the “This Life” column about today’s families. He is also the writer and presenter of the PBS Series Walking the Bible and Sacred Journeys with Bruce Feiler.

His latest book, The Secrets of Happy Families, reviews best practices for modern-day parents from some of the country’s most creative minds, including top designers in Silicon Valley, elite peace negotiators, and the Green Berets.

“RootsTech is the premier event for people who care about family history,” Feiler said. “I've become a passionate believer in the importance of telling your family history as a foundational tool for having a happy family. I can't think of a better audience to share my own story with.”

Paula Williams Madison is an award-winning journalist who is a former NBC executive. Currently, Madison serves as chairman and CEO of Madison Media Management LLC, a media consultancy company based in Los Angeles with global reach. She’s been named one of the “75 Most Powerful African Americans in Corporate America” by Black Enterprise Magazine and was recently honored by the East West Players and AARP with their Visionary Award.

After a successful career in news journalism, Madison retired in 2011 and embarked on a search for her grandfather Samuel Lowe, who returned to his native China after living in Jamaica. Madison produced a documentary film on the topic, Finding Samuel Lowe: From Harlem to China. In April of this year, HarperCollins published a memoir of the journey Finding Samuel Lowe: China, Jamaica, Harlem.

Attendees can expect to hear about Madison’s compelling journey, including the resources that helped her. “I used FamilySearch.org to research and try to locate my family in China. This system will help people like me find their families,” said Madison. “Family to me means bloodline—past, present, and future. You have to honor the past as you live in the present so that you can guarantee a future for your family.”

Stephen Rockwood is the new president and CEO of FamilySearch International and managing director for the Family History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Prior to joining FamilySearch, Rockwood was a successful entrepreneur, creating unique service offerings for worldwide customers and building several businesses from the ground up.

“We look forward to another great RootsTech conference as we invite attendees to discover their families in a world-class setting. We are thrilled to welcome Bruce Feiler and Paula Williams Madison,” Rockwood said. “Their personal experiences will be highly inspiring for many as we kick off this exciting conference.

Visit RootsTech.org to reserve your seat now to hear Bruce Feiler, Paula Williams Madison, and Stephen Rockwood at the Thursday morning general session on February 4, 2016. Passes start at just $29.

RootsTech 2016 will be held on February 3–6 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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About RootsTech
RootsTech, hosted by FamilySearch International, is a global conference celebrating families across generations, where people of all ages are inspired to discover and share their memories and connections. This annual event has become the largest of its kind in the world, attracting tens of thousands of participants worldwide.
 

Disclaimer: I am a speaker and Ambassador for RootsTech 2016 and have been provided with free registration and other benefits.

Revised Proof Argument: When did the William and Lucinda Ballinger family move from Scott County, Illinois to Mahaska County, Iowa?

 © 2015, Michelle Goodrum Recently Dear Myrtle finished up a study group called The Written Conclusion based on chapter 7 of Thomas W. Jones's book, Mastering Genealogical Proof.

This post is the revision to the original draft posted on 9 April 2015 and includes the recommended changes from the group's feedback.

William and Lucinda Ballinger[1] married on 8 November 1849 in Scott County, Illinois.[2]

Earlier in the year, on 17 February, William purchased a bounty-land warrant for 160 acres from a man named Christopher Rian. The transaction occurred at Winchester, Scott County, Illinois.[3] The federal government issued bounty-land warrants for military service. They were awarded to encourage volunteers to enlist and to reward military service. Often the individual who received the warrant sold it. This is what occurred between Christopher Rian and William Ballinger.

On 10 April 1849, William went to the Iowa City Land Office and used the warrant to claim his property in Mahaska County Iowa.[4] He also made a sworn statement that, “after actual inspection of the said tract of land, on or about the 6th day of April A. D. 1849, there was not at that time, an actual settlement and cultivation upon any part of said land, nor was there any person or persons residing upon it.”[5] This clearly puts William in Mahaska, Iowa in April of 1849.

He would have returned to Illinois by November in order to marry Lucinda.

Normally the federal census is a good tool to place someone in a particular place at a specific point in time. Unfortunately, William and Lucinda have not been located in the 1850 census in any location. So an analysis of the births of the oldest children along with the Iowa State census records from the 1850s is required.

Iowa Census Analysis

The family clearly was living in Iowa by 1854. While the 1854 Iowa state census only lists heads of household by name, it also lists the number of males and females in the household. The William Ballenger household was listed in Adams Township, Mahaska County, Iowa and contained 2 males and 2 females.[6] These individuals were likely William, Lucinda, and probably their two oldest children. Adams Township is in the same location as where William made his bounty land warrant claim.[7]

The 1856 Iowa State census lists William, Lucinda, John, Nancy and Mary in the Ballinger household. In addition to their ages, they were asked how many years they lived in Iowa. The answer for each person was 8 years, except Mary who was listed as being 1 years old and living in Iowa for 0 years.[8] This indicates the family moved to Iowa in 1848. However, Nancy was listed as being only 7 years old so she couldn’t have been living in Iowa for 8 years.[9]

Further, when correlated with the November 1849 marriage in Scott County, Illinois and the February 1849 military warrant purchase at Winchester in Scott County, Illinois, an 1848 residence in Iowa seems unlikely.

Birthdates and places for the oldest children need to be established.

John H. Ballinger was the oldest son of William and Lucinda.[10] John lived a short but eventful life. Since his life was short, he left few records. But those he did cause to be created are helpful.

After the 1856 Iowa census, John next appears in records after the family moved to Boulder County, Colorado. It was during the Civil War and militia/troops were often needed to protect the frontier from Indian uprisings. John H. Ballinger enlisted as a private with Company D of the 3^rd Colorado Calvary for 100 days of service on 20 August 1864. He stated he was 18 years and old born in Scott County, Illinois.[11] His birthplace is consistent with where his parents married and the birthplace listed in the 1856 census. If he was 18 on his enlistment date, that puts his birthdate between 21 August 1845 and 20 August 1846. This is several years before his parents married and seems unlikely. It is possible he lied about his age in order to serve.

On 21 November 1865 “John H. Ballenger” settled on land next to his father in Boulder County and filed for a homestead under the Homestead Act of 20 May 1862.[12] That same day at the Land Office in Denver City, John signed an affidavit stating he was, “… a single man under the age of 21 years…”[13] Using this statement, the oldest John could have been was 20 years. He wouldn’t have been born before 22 November 1844.

John died 4 February 1871 in Boulder. His death was reported in local newspapers, which listed his age as 23 years.[14] While the informant is unknown, there is a good probability it was a family member.

To summarize John’s potential birthdates:

Date	Event	Info	Est. Date of Birth
1856	Iowa State Census	John Age 8	4 March 1847 to 7 July 1848	Census occurred from March 3 – July 7[15]
20 August 1864	Enlistment	Age 18	Between 21 August 1845 and 20 August 1846.
21 November 1865	Filed for Homestead	Under 21 years	Born after 22 November 1844.
4 Feb 1871	Death	Age 23	Between 5 Feb 1847 and 4 Feb 1848

Conclusion: The evidence regarding John’s place of birth is not in conflict. It appears he was born in Scott County, Illinois. His date of birth can only be loosely estimated as about 1847 to 1848. There is a good possibility he was born before his parents married. The age John gave at his enlistment is a bit of an outlier when compared with the rest of the information about his age. John did have motivation to lie and make himself older in order to serve.

Nancy Ballinger is the second oldest child of William and Lucinda Ballinger. Below is an analysis of the evidence regarding her birthplace and date.

Census Year	Place Born	Age	Birth Range	Notes
1856 (Iowa State)	Ills	7	4 March 1848 to 7 July 1849 [16]	Census occurred from March 3 – July 7[17]
1870 Census Day: June 1 Enum Day: June 23	Ills	20	2 June 1849 – 1 June 1850[18]	On 25 April Nancy Ballinger married Daniel Robinson[19]
1880 Census Day: June 1 Enum Day: June 9	Illinois	29	2 June 1850 – 1 June 1851	Nancy A[20]
1885 (CO State) Census Day: June 1	Ills	34	2 June 1850 – 1 June 1851[21]
1900 Census Day: June 1	Illinois	48	Census states born Sept 1851	Nancy A[22]
1910 Census Day: Jan 1	Illinois	57	2 January 1852  - 1 January 1853	“Nanca A” enumerated 23 April[23]
1920 Census Day: Jan 1	Illinois	67	2 January 1852  - 1 January 1853	Nancy A[24] Census day 1-1
1927 Death Cert	Illinois		[25]30 Sept 1850

A birthplace of Illinois is consistent throughout Nancy’s life. Most of the census records indicate a birth year in the 1850 to 1851 time frame. Both the 1900 census and the death certificate indicate a month of birth of September. The outliers are the 1910 and 1920 censuses in which she appears to be a couple of years younger. Also, some of the 1856 census information is an outlier and it’s reliability questionable. The enumerator indicated William, Lucinda and John had been living in Iowa for 8 years. Nancy who was 7 is listed as living in Iowa for 7 years but was born in Illinois, which does not make sense if the older family members were living in Iowa for 8 years.

Conclusion: Nancy A. Ballinger was born in Illinois probably in September of 1850 or 1851.

Mary Ann Ballinger is the third child in the Ballinger family. She is listed in the 1856 Iowa census as being one year old, born in Iowa and having lived in Iowa for zero years.[26] There were only two unnamed females listed in the Ballinger household in 1854 (Lucinda and Nancy).[27] So Mary Ann was born after the census was taken probably about 1855. After the family moved to Iowa.

Conclusion:

Using this information points to a family move to Iowa around 1850 to 1851, after Nancy’s birth. It’s possible William went to Iowa the spring of 1849 to make his claim and returned to marry Lucinda in November. If Lucinda was pregnant, she may have waited until after the birth of Nancy to make the trip to Iowa.

A timeline will help visualize the information previously presented.

Date	Place	Event
1847-1848	Scott County, Illinois	John H. Ballinger possibly born
17 February 1849	Winchester, Scott County, Illinois	William Ballinger purchased a military bounty-land warrant.
6 April 1849	Mahaska County, Iowa	Inspected land
10 April 1849	Iowa City Land Office	claim
29 October 1849	Scott County, Illinois	William Ballinger & Lucinda Campbell married
September 1850 or 1851	Illinois	Nancy A. Ballinger probably born
1854	Adams Township, Mahaska County, Iowa	William Ballinger household enumerated in Iowa census
Circa 1855	Iowa	Mary Ann Ballinger probably born

To cite this post:
Michelle Goodrum, "Revised Proof Argument: When did the Ballinger Family Move From Illinois to Iowa?," The Turning of Generations, 9 April 2015 (http://turning-of-generations.blogspot.com/2015/04/revised-proof-argument-when-did-william.html : [access date].

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[1] The Ballinger surname has several variations in documents examined with the most common variation being Ballenger. For readability, Ballinger is used in the body of this paper. The spelling used in the source examined is used in the citation.

[2] Illinois, Scott County, Marriage Records, volume unknown, page 64, #875, William Ballinger to Lucinda Campbell; Illinois Regional Archives Depository, Springfield.

[3] Sale agreement, Christopher Rian (Pvt, Capt. Montgomery’s Company, 1^st Reg., Illinois Volunteers, Mexican-American War 1847) to William H. Ballenger, bounty land warrant file 12389; Military Bounty Land Warrants and Related Papers; Records of the Bureau of Land Management, Record Group 49; National Archives, Washington D.C.

[4] Receipt of warrant and location of property, Christopher Rian (Pvt, Capt. Montgomery’s Company, 1^st Reg., Illinois Volunteers, Mexican-American War 1847) to William H. Ballenger, bounty land warrant file 12389; Military Bounty Land Warrants and Related Papers; Records of the Bureau of Land Management, Record Group 49; National Archives, Washington D.C.

[5] Land Warrant Certificate, Christopher Rian (Pvt, Capt. Montgomery’s Company, 1^st Reg, Illinois Volunteers, Mexican-American War 1847) to William H. Ballenger, bounty land warrant file 12389; Military Bounty Land Warrants and Related Papers; Records of the Bureau of Land Management, Record Group 49; National Archives, Washington D.C.

[6] 1854 Iowa State Census, Mahaska County, Iowa, Adams township, no page, Williard Ballenger; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 November 2014); citing microfilm of 1854 Iowa State Census obtained from  the State Historical Society of Iowa via Heritage Quest.

[7] Receipt of warrant and location of property, Christopher Rian (Pvt, Capt. Montgomery’s Company, 1^st Reg., Illinois Volunteers, Mexican-American War 1847) to William H. Ballenger, bounty land warrant file 12389.

[8] 1856 Iowa State Census, Mahaska County, Iowa, Black Oak Township, page 742, William H. Ballinger household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 November 2014); citing microfilm of 1856 Iowa State Census obtained from  the State Historical Society of Iowa via Heritage Quest.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Declaration for an Original Pension of a Father (1896); John H. Ballenger (Pvt., Co. D, 3^rd Regt Colo. Cav., Civil War), dependent father’s pension file F. O. 630,269 (Act of July 14, 1862, amended by act June 27, 1890); Case Files of Rejected Pension Applications, Civil War; Bureau of Pensions and Its Predecessors, 1805-1935, Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C. Also, Declaration for Dependent Father’s Pension (1906); John H. Ballenger (Pvt., Co. D, 3^rd Regt Colo. Cav., Civil War), dependent father’s pension file F. O. 630,269 (Act of July 14, 1862, amended by act June 27, 1890).

[11] Compiled military service record, John H. Ballanger (Pvt., Co. D, 3^rd Regt Colo. Cav., Civil War), Carded Records, Volunteer Organizations, Civil War; Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1762-1984, Record Group 94; National Archives, Washington D.C.

[12] John H. Ballenger (Boulder County) homestead file, Proof Required Under Homestead Acts May 20, 1862 June 21, 1866, Denver, Colorado, Land Office: Land Entry Papers 1800-1908; Records of the Bureau of Land Management, Record Group 49; National Archives, Washington, D. C. For location of William Ballinger’s property see William H. Ballinger (Boulder County) cash entry file, certificate no 244, Denver, Colorado, Land Office; Land Entry Papers, 1800-1908; Records of the Bureau of Land Management, Record Group 49; National Archives, Washington, D. C. Also, William H. Ballenger (Boulder County) homestead file, final certificate no. 970, Denver, Colorado, Land Office;

[13] John H. Ballenger (Boulder County) homestead file, Affidavit, Denver, Colorado, Land Office: Land Entry Papers 1800-1908.

[14] “Deaths,” Boulder County News (Boulder), 8 February 1871, p. 3, col. 3. Also, “Deaths,” Rocky Mountain News (Denver), 11 February 1871, p. 4, col. 3.

[15] “Iowa State Census Information,” Iowa GenWeb Project (http://iagenweb.org/delaware/census/stateindex.htm : accessed 6 April 2015).

[16] 1856 Iowa State Census, Mahaska County, Iowa, Black Oak Township, page 742, William H. Ballinger household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 November 2014); citing microfilm of 1856 Iowa State Census obtained from  the State Historical Society of Iowa via Heritage Quest.

[17] “Iowa State Census Information,” Iowa GenWeb Project (http://iagenweb.org/delaware/census/stateindex.htm : accessed 6 April 2015).

[18] 1870 U.S. census, Boulder County, Colorado Territory, population schedule, Boulder City, pg. 7, dwelling & family 45, Nancy Robinson in household of Daniel Robinson; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 April 2015); citing National Archives microfilm publication M593, roll 94.

[19] Boulder County, Colorado, marriage certificate, J:88, Daniel Robinson to Nancy Ballenger,25 April 1870; Boulder County Clerk & Recorder, Boulder.

[20] 1880 U.S. census, Boulder County, Colorado, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 25, p. 21 (penned), dwelling & family 8, Nancy A. Robinson in household of Danl Robinson; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 April 2015); citing National Archives microfilm publication T9, roll 89.

[21] 1885 Colorado State Census, Boulder County, Colorado, ED 1, p. 76 [penned], dwelling 874, family 886, Nancy Robinson in household of Daniel Robinson; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 April 2015); citing National Archives microfilm publication T158, roll 2.

[22] 1900 U.S. census, Sweet Grass County, Montana, population schedule, Stillwater Township, Enumeration District (ED) 134, sheet 5, dwelling 116, family 116, household of Milton C. Lowe, familysearch.org (http://familysearch.org : accessed 22 May 2012), citing National Archives microfilm publication T623.

[23] 1910 U.S. census, Yellowstone County, Montana, population schedule, School District No. 6, Columbus Town, enumeration district (ED) 254, sheet 5A, dwelling & family 129, Nanca A. Robinson in household of Alfred A. Bryant; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 April 2015); citing National Archives microfilm publication, [publication T625, roll # 977.

[24] 1920 U.S. census, Stillwater County, Montana, population schedule, School District No. 33, enumeration district (ED) 128, sheet 1B, dwelling & family 129, Nancy A. Robinson in household of Milton C. Lowe; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 April 2015); citing National Archives microfilm publication T624, roll # 837.

[25] Washington Department of Health, death certificate no. 2443, Nancy Robinson (1927); Olympia.

[26] 1856 Iowa State Census, Mahaska County, Iowa, Black Oak Township, page 742, William H. Ballinger household.

[27] 1854 Iowa State Census, Mahaska County, Iowa, Adams township, no page, Williard Ballenger.

URL for this post: http://turning-of-generations.blogspot.com/2015/04/revised-proof-argument-when-did-william.html

© 2015, Michelle Goodrum