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The JOHN E RANSOM COLLECTION
at Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, Buffalo, New York

by Michael J RANSOM; copyright 1994, 1997, 2006

HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT

John Elderkin RANSOM [1841-1912] ["JER"] of Buffalo NY devoted the last thirteen years of his life to a monumental work - the compilation of the genealogical record of all living and dead RANSOMS and descendants in America. In 1901 he retired and devoted full time to this task, collecting information on hundreds of RANSOM lines, sometimes to 12 & 13 generations. When he died suddenly, his work was donated to the Grosvenor Library in Buffalo. [This library merged with Buffalo Public Library in 1954; the collection was transferred in 1963.]

In 1903, JER had records of 3000 names. By 1907, he had more than 35,000 RANSOMS & descendants, with hopes to increase it to 100,000. NEHGR, July 1906 page 274, listed among "Genealogies in Preparation"

RANSOM Matthew of Saybrook CT and Robert of Plymouth MA by John E RANSOM, 26 West Avenue, Buffalo NY.

JER meticulously documented all correspondence, names, places and achievements as reported to him. The original correspondence from people all over North America is carefully folded, labeled & filed. He created a card index of names and places, and collected military records, photographs, news clippings, pages from books, and bible or other family records. He corresponded extensively with other major RANSOM researchers of the period, including Wyllys C RANSOM [WCR], Robert William RANSOM [RWR], and William Ziba RANSOM [WZR].

JER devised a form letter explaining his purpose, and requesting assistance. Click the link to see a transcribed copy.

The collection comprises two indexes [Names and Places], two "folio" systems [Robert RANSOM of Plymouth / Matthew RANSOM of Saybrook descendants, and "Unplaced RANSOMS"], a correspondence collection, and a "miscellaneous" drawer of manuscripts, typescripts, notebooks & documents. Later additions include RANSOM FAMILY 1955 by Albert RANSOM of Drexel Hill PA, and correspondence from Harry B RANSOM in 1958-59. The library general collection also has

INDEXES:

The NAME INDEX has two sections: non-RANSOMS are listed by Last Name; the RANSOM section lists by First Name. Most cards list the spouse, and the RANSOM cards list the line of descent. All cards refer the user to a file jacket ["folio"] and sheet number [Henry system]. In August 1994, there were 14 file boxes [17" long] holding an estimated 25,000 cards, size 3"x5". There are 9 boxes of non-RANSOMS, and 5 boxes of RANSOM names. [B&ECPL plans to place this index in a card catalog stand by September 1994, for ease of use and access.] Not all names are listed; it appears JER made cards for known descendants, and the primary names on the "Unplaced RANSOM" files. Many cards have glued-on newspaper clips about reunions, family information, or queries. Those listed in CB SEARS' book about Captain Samuel RANSOM have the page # noted in this index. The first name is ABBE, Martha Lucenath; the last name is ZWEIFEL, Ursula.

The PLACE INDEX comprises 4 boxes of [est.] 8000 tiny paper slips [2" x 3½"], listing exact place names found in JER's work. It appears two additional boxes are missing, as only names from A through R are listed. References are to place names [lake, city, town, township, creek, etc], and the file jacket ["folio"] is listed, with sheet #. The first place listed is Aarhus, Foylland, Denmark; the last listing is Ryegate twp, Caledonia Co VT. County names were too broad, apparently, and are not listed separately.

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FOLIO SYSTEM:

JER used the "Henry System" of numbering descendants and tracking generations. e.g., Robert of Plymouth is "1"; his children are coded "11", "12","13", etc, and his grandchildren are coded "111","112",..."131", "132", etc. Each unique number represents a person's place in the family and his ancestry. The problem arises when there are more than 9 children; for this JER uses 1/0,1/1,1/2,1/3,1/4, etc. There is some confusion in the file drawers at B&ECPL, where these digits are treated as "fractions" and filed out of sequence. To further compound the problems, each "Unplaced" RANSOM ancestor was assigned the number 1, so some files and folios appear to have the same "number" for wholly different families. In using this collection, always be aware of which "family" JER is referring to.

Each "folio" contains a basic record sheet, with correspondence records and miscellanous information attached on top. On the record sheet, JER records the Name and descent, birth/death/marriage dates & places, any spouse information, then miscellaneous information [where lived, wills, deeds], followed by children in order, listing birth date & place, spouses, and a reference to the child's folio #. Children's records may be in the same folio with the parent, or in a separate folio.

The correspondence record and notes by JER track all his information and contacts about each family. He frequently sent information to other genealogists for copying, assessment or research. People sent JER copies of bible records, photographs, and published articles; he affixed them in the folios. Each folio is glued together at the top edge, making photocopying difficult. To follow his trail of contacts about a family, you must begin at the center of the folio and work toward the top of the glued-on pages. All entries are dated, and tied to the correspondence files.

ROBERT OF PLYMOUTH and MATTHEW of SAYBROOK:

JER accepted [at least for filing purposes] that Matthew RANSOM c1661-c1686 of Saybrook CT was the first son of Robert RANSOM c1636-1697 of Plymouth MA. This is not considered accurate today [see RANSOM RESEARCHER p 47 [issue #2, 6/93]. In this collection, there are 373 folios, filling five file drawers. Generally, the folios are established at the 6th generation descendant, and include all subsequent descendants in that line [through 1900±].

Robert1 is folio "1". His "first child" Matthew2 is folio "11". Matthew's descendants are all cataloged under his only child Joseph3 ["111"] in 83 folios, showing 3 or 4 generations beyond Joseph3. Matthew4 ["111.2xx.x"] has 43 folios. Catherine4 m Samuel LORD ["111.4xx.x"] has 18 folios. Joseph4 ["111.5xx"] has 6 folios. Stephen4 ["111.7xx"] has 15 folios.

Joshua2 RANSOM [1665-?] is folio "13", and most of two drawers of files follow the descendants of his son, Robert3 ["131"]. John4 ["131.1"] has one folio. James4 has 39 folios ["131.3xx"]. Joshua4 has 19 folios, most through his 7th & 8th children ["131.4xx"]. Robert4 has 50 folios ["131.5xx.x"]. Newton4 has 41 folios ["131.7xx"]. Amos4 has 11 folios ["131.9xx"]. There is a folio on each of Joshua3's other children ["132, 133, 134, 135"].

Robert2 RANSOM [c16691723] is folio "14", and over one drawer of files follow his descendants. Samuel3 has 20 folios ["142.xxx"] including Robert William RANSOM [RWR] in "142.586". Robert3 has 59 folios, mostly through his eighth son Captain Samuel RANSOM ["143.8xx"]. There is one file on Ebenezer3's grandchildren. Joseph3 has 35 folios ["147.xxx"] through his sons Peleg4 and Joseph4.

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UNPLACED RANSOMS

These 213 folios fill two file drawers. B&ECPL labeled them "Alphabetical Files", and they are filed alphabetically. Beyond that, the names on the files are a filing convenience only, and bear little relationship to the contents. Some are place names, others are first or last names. A Table of Contents was developed by Michael J RANSOM in August 1994, and is printed elsewhere in this issue. These files are the collection of all the information JER collected and could not attach to the Robert RANSOM line. When he subsequently did connect them, the files are cross-referenced. The files vary from a single sheet of paper to complete genealogies for many generations. There are obituaries, news & magazine clippings, bible records, and extensive correspondence records. For each folio, JER followed the Henry numbering system. There are extensive records on families WOODIN, WATTON, SAWYER, DUNHAM, and BORDWELL, and on many RANSOMS from England, Virginia, Tennessee, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire & Canada. Not always indexed in the card file system.

To see a listing of the files and a brief description of content, Go to UNPLACED RANSOM FOLIOS.

CORRESPONDENCE:

The Correspondence file is in four file drawers, arranged by non-RANSOM and RANSOM names. All letters are neatly folded, bundled and filed in correspondence boxes. The non-RANSOM section appears to be complete, A-to-Z. The RANSOM section contains only correspondence from first names A-through-J; boxes for K-to-Z were not found. There are occasional certificates of military service, photographs, newspaper, magazine and book clippings. JER usually made summary notes about the correspondence in his extensive folio system. Thus, when a folio contains an entry about what a correspondent reported, the original letter is also available.

MISCELLANEOUS:

This drawer contains a legal-size expanding file and nine 6"x9" notebooks, which appear to be JER's other lines and perhaps his original system. Most pages are "x"'d out, suggesting transfer to another system. I made only a hurried examination of this drawer, and further research is warranted. The expanding file contains:
  • William Ziba RANSOM files, a hand-written 38-page notebook.
  • Dorothy RANSOM GATES manuscript, ["duplicate"?]; "see 111.72".
  • Daniel Van Ness RANSOM manuscript copy.
  • A H BEECHER manuscript.
  • 1953 Blueprint family tree by Albert RANSOM, Drexel Hill PA.
  • IMER notes, about 100 pages regarding Stephen RANSOM 1724- and Theophilus LORD and others.
  • General Robert RANSOM of North Carolina manuscript.
  • Robert William RANSOM [RWR] research files, most typed, some manuscript, including #'s 1,2,3,4,5,6,7. It appeared these are extracts of vital records in New England; further review is suggested.

GENERAL INFORMATION AND LIBRARY ACCESS:

The collection is housed [December 2006] in 15 drawers in four steel file cabinets in the closed stacks at Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Most of the cards and file envelopes have a coat of coal dust [from 90 years of sitting], making them messy to use.

In 1994, the Grosvenor Room, then called the Special Collections Department, was organized to make accessible a wealth of unique genealogical and historical information previously stored in closed stacks. In 2004 it was renamed in honor of the Grosvenor Library, which merged with the Buffalo Public Library in 1963. The Grosvenor Library held what was once considered the 7th best genealogy collection in America. That collection was retained in the merger. For more about the collection, click h e r e.

The B&ECPL card catalog is online. There are also two separate card files, not online, for the "Grosvenor Card Catalog," unchanged since the merger, and the "Local History File".

The Grosvenor Room is open 10-6 Monday through Wednesday and Friday & Saturday. It is open 10-8 on Thursdays, and during the school year it is open 1-5 on Sundays. The Central Library is located at 1 Lafayette Square in downtown Buffalo, NY 14203-1887. For more information, see the library's home page.

The closed stacks truly are "closed to the public", but RANSOM files can usually be retrieved in ten minutes. The library suggests calling ahead for an appointment, so the staff can help you make the best use of your time and the library's resources. Click here to contact the library for any purpose.

The library will do minimal research and copying upon mailed or emailed request. They are unable to accept telephone requests. There is a $10 copy charge to out-of-county researchers, and copies are 50¢, maximum 20 copies. Copy machines in the library are 20¢.

While on site, researchers can use the Heritage Quest and AncestryLibrary genealogy databases and free wireless internet access. Beverages, soups, salads, sandwiches, and pastries are available at Fables, the library cafe.

Grosvenor Room
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
1 Lafayette Square
BUFFALO NY 14203-1887
phone 716-858-8900
http://www.buffalolib.org.

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Go to RANSOM FAMILY GENEALOGY HOME PAGE

(author of this guide.)
created 20 July 1996; updated 18 Dec 2006

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