Westerwald, Dünschman to Tinsman

    The searching and documentation continue.  Though I took out some time to get the last of the database webpages put back on line, this Tinsman research effort is the priority for my time.

    I began my effort on Ancestry.com and conducted a US Census search for the name Tinsman in the 1940 census.  The next step I took was to only begin documenting those persons that were "head of household, inmate, hospitalized".  I hope this will give me the basis for the family leadership that was extant during that snapshot window of 1940.

Missing Parameters?

    I am also wondering about adding those last names that are similar to Tinsman. Those that I have found over the years as seemingly affiliated to the Tinsman name.  Not sure I should take that path, but maybe Stinstman or Tinstman would be right to include.

   Another question I am wondering about is the inclusion of any person listed in the Canadian census records.  I think this is another venue for information and that I have also found references to members of the Tinsman line moving to Canada around the time of the revolutionary war.

     Progress continues on my Tinsman effort.  Though I have paused the US census data gathering effort and restarted my efforts in the Westerwald I think things are still coming together.  

     Many times I ask myself, "why am I doing this much work" just to be more certain of a specific ancestral line.  Heck, I am not sure I know the answer to that.  The effort within the Westerwald has me transcribing the church book records from a number of parishes.  I am starting with Altstadt, though I am also beginning to collect the Hachenburg, Kroppach, Alpenrod, Ruckeroth, Maxsain, Hochstenbach books.  I am still searching for Almersbach, but may have found that it is stored in the Boppard Archives.  Boy, that is all I need, another reason to travel to Germany!

    Much of this transcription work is very tedious, very frustrating. The work progresses, but it seems to take forever to get through even a single year of baptismal records.  I think I am on 1691 for now.  I also have worked the marriage records and believe I did them from 1661-1700 for now.  I am finding that there is no replacement for looking through actual records though.  I believe I am learning things that one cannot grasp by reading someone else's summary or index.  I know I find myself just wanting to skip over a record when it becomes so very difficult to read, or the record makes little to no sense.  Often I find myself just trying to struggle with the hand writing and the language.  I believe that in the end it will be worth it.  At least that is what I will tell myself when it is over.

    Oh, you might ask, why am I transcribing all of these records?

    I am trying to establish historical associations of families and people.  I hope that these associations will become helpful clues in determining my actual ancestral line in the American Colonies.  Seems the Tinsmans (Dünschmann) line had a large number of men that came to America sometime between 1700 and 1755.  Once they got here the records are even worse to find.  I KNOW which Tinsman I am associated with in 1800, now I need to find the link between him, and the pioneers that came from Germany.