Look what I found

on an ancestry world tree late last night... the record hasn't been updated since 26 Oct 2003 and there are no dates except for the father's date of birth (his date of death, 23 OCT 1866, is recorded in the parents record). Virtually identical information on these people is in two databases here and here.

Update: 02/16 11:15 p.m. - I didn't realize the ancestry world tree required a login, so sorry. Here are the databases on WorldConnect:
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:3212394&id=I5619

http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=carlaforharry&id=I628

· ID: I5619
· Name: Jane Anne SHIDLER
· Sex: F
· Birth: 12 JAN
· Change Date: 26 OCT 2003

Father: Jacob SHIDLER b: 23 NOV 1819
Mother: Rebecca WISE
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:3212394&id=I5618

Marriage 1 Hugh MURRAY

Children:
1. Guy MURRAY
2. Harold MURRAY
3. Macy MURRAY

Now, check this out... this is part of what was written on that second note from my Grandmother:
Grandchildren of John Wise, brother of Jacob Wise
Jenny Murry
Guy Murry - Mansfield - children of Jenny Murry
Robert Murry (Ashland)
Mrs. Macy Hart - sister of Guy Murry - Ashland, Ohio

Grandma had the "wrong" sibling! The Murry's (Murray's) aren't grandchildren of John Wise, but of Rebecca Wise. So, is she the sister of my Jacob Wise?

In the Wayne County, Ohio Marriages (published in 1997) there is a Rebecca Wise who married Jacob S. Shidler on 16 Mar 1843.

I've located Rebecca Shidler in census records in Ashland County, Ohio from 1850 through 1870 and in Seneca County, Ohio from 1880 through 1910. In 1850 and 1860 her daughter is listed as Jane A. and in 1870 she is Jennie. [Note Added 02/16 11:15 p.m. The Rebecca Shidler in the Seneca County census 1880-1910 is not the right one! More on that later.]

Rebecca also has a son, William Shidler. In 1870 William is 32 years old, married and living in Orange Township, Ashland County. In his household, along with his wife and two children, is a 22 year old female "servant" named Minnie Huffman. Minnie was born in Indiana and her parents were born in Ohio. If my hunch is correct, Minnie is the daughter of Eliza Jane Wise Hoffman. Minnie married Perry M. Fluke and they lived in Ashland County, Ohio. In other words, Minnie was living with her cousin and his family.

I know, I know. It's not proof, but it sure is evidence that warrants more research! I'll also have to rethink my ideas on posting names only to online databases. I always thought it was pretty much worthless, but now, maybe not quite so much! I had already found Rebecca Shidler in the census records before I came across these databases, but I don't know that I would have made the link to this family quite as soon, if ever, without these databases.

=+==+= Added 02/16 11:15 p.m. =+==+=
An additional note about online databases... Miriam left a comment about using WorldConnect at RootsWeb rather than Ancestry World Tree. Apple responded to that comment before I was able to (thanks, Apple). Ancestry has several different "tree" databases (Public Member Trees, OneWorldTree, Personal Member Trees, Ancestry World Tree) and I'm not sure what the difference is, but the Ancestry World Tree appears to contain the same data as is on WorldConnect at Rootsweb. I have never directly submitted a tree to Ancestry but have used WorldConnect but my data shows up on Ancestry. I don't have a problem with that, they are owned by the same company but I prefer the flexibility with WorldConnect as noted by Miriam in the comments.

Here is my Bray-Wiseman database on WorldConnect.
http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=rwiseman_bray&id=I175

And here it is on Ancestry.
http://awt.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=rwiseman_bray&id=I175

There is no difference in the data. If I update my database on WorldConnect the update automatically feeds into the Ancestry World Tree with no intervention on my part. There may have been some confusion when I said I'd have to rethink posting names only. I guess what I should have said was posting names without dates. As the above post shows, sometimes that can be a good thing. Some information is better than none. Without sources it all has to be checked and verified anyway.

I currently only have the one database posted at WorldConnect, part of my Dad's lines. I'm still working on cleaning up the database for my mother's side of the family. When that is ready, it will probably be posted on WorldConnect. I thought about using WeRelate but quite frankly I don't have the time to invest on learning how a wiki works! It's easier to use WorldConnect and I think, with the link with Ancestry, it will get way more exposure than virtually anywhere else on the internet. There are pros and cons in regards to all choices...