Saturday Night Genealogy Fun

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: 

 It’s Saturday Night again – 

Time for some more Genealogy Fun!!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it (cue the Mission Impossible! music) is to:

1)  FamilySearch Full-Text Search continues to add databases and searchable images to their collections.  This is a gold mine, especially of land, probate and court records.

As Randy stated, the ability of these Full-Text Searches opens a gold mine of records. As I performed this task, I was cognizant of the fact that locked images will not show in the results when searching from home. Since these images may require being at an affiliate library or family history center to unlock them, I would need to re-do the search when at these facilities.

For this challenge, I did a search of the images for Hiram Currey. Since I have 4 generations of ancestors named Hiram M. Currey, I did not restrict the search to a time period or a place. The results uncovered a Mason County, Kentucky deed that is likely for my 4th great grandfather. Having uncovered numerous deeds, wills and court records with this ability to search the images, I elected to share documents that are a bit more unusual.

The first is a letter of inquiry to the Bureau of Pensions from Dell Kelso Mohlenhoff. Dell Kelso, wife of Rudolph Mohlenhoff, is my 1st cousin 3 times removed.

Cleveland , Mississippi 

August 3 , 1925

Bureau of Pensions

Washington, D.C. 

Gentlemen : 

( 1 ) Will you please give me any data you may have about James 

White who received a grant of two hundred acres of land for services 

in the Revolutionary War with the Virginia State Cavalry and of one 

hundred acres for services in the Continental line , both tracts lying 

near Frankfort , Ky . Date of both warrants June 13 th , 1783 , and their 

numbers are 725 and 726 .

 ( 2 ) Did Hiram H. Currey , or any other Currey receive a pension 

for services in the Revolutionary War ? If so , will you give me all the 

available data concerning them?

Thinking of you, I am,

Very Sincerely Yours,

Dell Kelso Mohlenhoff 

Mrs. R. H. Mohlenhoff 

Cleveland , Mississippi 

The next page is a reply from the bureau of pensions. Unfortunately, this reply only answers the first question about James White while ignoring the second question about Hiram Currey.

The second document of interest is a passport application for a great-granduncle, James Gilbert Currey.

 DUPLICATE .

EDITION OF 1915 . 

FORM FOR NATIVE CITIZEN . 

No . 64233 

Issued 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA . 

State of

County of D. C. 

I , James Gilbert Currey A NATIVE AND LOYAL CITIZEN OF THE 

UNITED STATES , hereby apply to the Department of State , at Washington , for a passport . 

I solemnly swear that I was born at Lansing, in the State of 

Kansas . my on or about the 10th day of October , 1871 , that 

my (father) Hiram Miles Currey was born in Illinois 

that he emigrated to the United States from the port of 

on or about ____, that he resided _______years , uninterruptedly , in 

the Untied States, from 1___ to 1___, at ______________; that he was 

naturalized as a citizen of the United States before the _____ Court 

of _______________, at ___________________

on ________________, 1____, as shown by the accompanying certificate of Naturalization ; 

that I am domiciled in the United States , my permanent residence being at Portland 

in the State of Oregon where I follow the occupation of passenger conductor 

that I am about to go abroad temporarily ; and I intend to return to the United States within 6 

months with the purpose of residing and performing the duties of citizenship therein ; and that I desire 

a passport for use in visiting the countries hereinafter named for the following purpose : 

Cuba Dispose of and acquire 

 property interests 

I intend to leave the United States from the port of Key West s

ailing on board the ( Name of vessel . ) on in a few days 191_

OATH OF ALLEGIANCE . 

Further , I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States 

against all enemies , foreign and domestic ; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same ; and 

that I take this obligation freely , without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion : So help me God . 

J G CUrrey ( Signature of applicant . ) 

[ SEAL OF COURT . ]  Sworn to before me this 31st day 

of Aug. 1917 

A. C. CB . XXX 

image 849 of 1117

Description of Applicant

Age : 45 years .  Mouth: Medium

Stature : 5xx feet , 8 inches , Chin: oval

Forehead : high  Hair: brown (bald on top)

Eyes blue gray Complexion: dark

Nose : straight regular Face : Oval . 

IDENTIFICATION . 19 -this section is not filled in

Applicant may be communicated with at the following address : 

PPT WILL BE CALLED FOR 

PHOTOGRAPH INCLUDED

M 21 — REPLY PLEASE REFER TO INITIAL , AND NUMBER LAMCD – EHS , 

3 — 1860

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

BUREAU OF PENSIONS 

OFFICE OF THE DISBURSING CLERK 

Washington

August 31 , 1917 . 

Hon Robert Lansing , Secy of State . 

Washington, D. C. 

Dear Sir : This is to certify that I am well acquainted 

with James G. Currey , of Portland , Oregon , and know 

that he is of the age that he represents himself to 

be , having been born in the year 1871 , and I can 

vouch for his character as a citizen . 

Very respectfully , 

Lawrence A. McDonald 

Pension Office

I sincerely doubt that I would have uncovered either of these documents without the assistance of the Full-Search feature. Thank you FamilySearch for making this tool available!