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BRICK WALLS AND MYSTERIES

As we retype all of our books and data into the computer, and do the research to further document each family, we catch puzzle pieces that don’t quite fit.  And, we have found entries in our old books that don’t quite fit.  Some we solve through further research. Others continue to be mysteries. We will list a few here. Please let us know if your family is involved in any of these or if you have any clues to contribute.

Attention NEHEMIAH descendants:

The new book will have some corrections that we are finding necessary to make from the 1982 edition.  Nehemiah p 37 (John-1, Nehemiah-2, Selah-3, Joseph 4-5-6) and Nehemiah (John-1, Nehemiah-2-3-4, Stephen-5, Joseph-6) both need major corrections.  Nehemiah-7, b 1800, listed as son of the latter Joseph, lived next door in Cambridge, Somerset Co, ME to the first Joseph-6 (hints at a closer relation), whose family is described on p 37, but definitely is not the son of that Joseph-5. That Joseph-6 did marry Eliza Godfrey, but the children and any info after 1850 belong to another Joseph, lineage unknown. The unknown Joseph is the one who was born in 1782 and lived in Montville, Lincoln, and Cambridge ME (Roland’s line). That Lincoln ME tie also presents a conflict with the Samuel book.

We have also proven that this Nehemiah b 1800 is really part of a mysterious unidentified branch of Leavitt’s in Clinton ME, a son of Jeremiah and Lucy.  Jeremiah Leavitt was born 10 May 1773 in Waterborough, ME, and could be the son of Daniel Leavitt b 1748 in Exeter, NH and Bersheba Kimball b 14 Mar 1752 in Exeter [all the above are in Clinton ME Birth records]. We have scoured all 6 original Leavitt books to determine where this Daniel might fit in, with no luck yet.

William Leavitt-6 b 1802 (Nehemiah-2, Selah-3, Joseph-4, Edward-5) who m Lovina Kimball, p 21/46, is also really connected to this Clinton branch, a brother of Nehemiah. There are multiple Kimball family connections to this branch. We are using deeds and probate to try to document the connections. Many more records are now available than when Emily Noyes did her research.

Is all this confusing? You betcha! See what we are trying to resolve before publishing! Please contact Roland Rhoades if you have an interest in any of these lineages. If you have come across other branches that you have doubts about, let us know.

THOMAS LEAVITT book

The Thomas book has other puzzle pieces that don’t fit, including the line in Gilead and Magalloway ME p 50/79. We are not sure which pieces don’t fit.  Thomas and John, thanks to DNA testing, we now know are not related.  If you are a male Leavitt, descended of these Thomas branches, a DNA test could help us clarify where the branches belong.

Joseph Leavitt p 50, b 1746 in Rye or Deerfield NH, married Lois in 1804 (at age 58?) and had ch 1805-1813.  That might be correct, but needs verification.  Son Jonathan (p79) is given a birth date of 15 Mar 1805. He is given two wives, including Mary Bennett, but it may be that there are two different Jonathan's.  Census records also consistently give Jonathan a birthdate abt 1791.  The 1791 Jonathan and family lived in Gilead, Newry, Ketchum, and Magalloway, Maine.

More puzzles to come! Your research and input is warmly invited.


1. NEW!!    LEAVITT DNA PROJECT

  • DNA Surname Study headed by NALF Historian John Dow
  • While paper trails fail to show if there was an ancestral connection between the immigrants John and Thomas, such a link (if there was one--latest testing shows there was not)  is carried in the Y-chromosome, passed down from father to son, one generation after the next. In a simple test that involves nothing more than the swabbing of the mouth's interior or a mouthwash gargle, the answers can be found.
  • Read more about this project in the August 2007 Newsletter

2. ARCHIVE COLLECTION

  • Read new NALF Archivist Sara Leavitt Goldberg's first Newsletter article for July 2007 update on this collection.
  • Do you have photos of past reunions 1983-2000?  Visit the Reunion Page to see which ones are still not covered.

3. VITAL RECORDS (VR)

  • Check for Leavitt vital records locally in your state or province.  We would like to have them ALL.
  • Roland Rhoades is transcribing Maine Leavitt vital records on microfilm 1892-1955, and the few unofficial records Maine has on microfilm before then as well as the few towns that published their vital records.  It may take years, so contact Roland if you’d like to assist. This microfilm is now in libraries around Maine including Augusta, Portland, Springvale, Orono, Presque Isle, and Searsport. If you are near one of those libraries, please help us by recording a few years; contact Roland for what we still need.
  • John Dow is gathering most of the NH and MA records; contact him if you can help on those states.
  • Ray Thomas is gathering CT records.

4. CENSUS & INTERNET RESEARCH

  • Check online for Leavitt’s your choice of years and/or locations for 1850-1930 US census records, and Canadian census records.  We would like to have them ALL, with all the various spellings that census takers mangled the name into.  (You don't have to check every record; there are indexes to find where the Leavitt’s are.)  We can provide you with forms for recording so that the info can be shared via email instead of expensive photocopying and postage.  If you have a paid genealogy Internet subscription already, great!  You've got all the census records at your fingertips. 
  • Check local Family History Library or Archives for State and Local census records.
  • Many libraries have genealogy website Internet access. We can also recommend a $35/yr Internet subscription (comparable to the $200 subscriptions elsewhere) that has much to research. OR, we can refer you to FREE websites containing vital records and other data that we are looking for. Contact Roland for the latest updated list.

5. LOCAL HISTORY & DIRECTORY

  • Check your local genealogy library for town histories and family genealogies that have Leavitt’s.  Make notes of what books you check that DON'T have any data for us also, so we don't have to recheck them. 
  • Search old newspapers for Leavitt obituaries and other articles.
  • Contact Leavitt’s in your local phone book to let them know of our projects and research.  They may wish to become members or submit their family trees.

6. GENEALOGY PUBLICATION UPDATE

  • Work on updating all books continues, with current focus on Nehemiah, tentatively targeted for 2008 release. 
  • The other books, as they are done, will need to be proofread for spelling and formatting errors.  This can be done in sections using Adobe pdf files.

Don’t find anything above that strikes your fancy?  Start a new project for a branch or area that interests you most.


To contact Roland Rhoades for anything on this page, click here.
(Please use "NALF Research Projects" as the subject line.)
Last updated August 2009