FAMILY HISTORY NEWSLETTER
Volume III, Issue 2
February 2009
York, Pennsylvania
SOME FAVORITE GENEALOGY
WEBSITES
Jack and Sylvia Sonneborn had the
opportunity in January to make a
presentation to the Susquehanna Trail
Genealogy Club. Jack had asked people to
bring their brick walls [dead end lines], and
then the club members had hands-on
experience. They had the chance to look for
ancestors with the help of Glenda Yacksich,
the FHC Director, and family history
consultant Pat Kratzer as well as the
Sonneborns.
One of the handouts gave some sites that are
popular for research. We will pass them
along to you, our readers, so that you can try
some unfamiliar ones. Obviously some will
be familiar to those who research online
frequently. [Try Ancestor Hunt.]
Some Favorite Family History Sites
http://www.accessgenealogy.com/
16 pages
http://www.familysearch.org
http://www.findagrave.com/
http://www.genealogy.com/cgibin/odl_browse.cgi?SUBDB=GLC
http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/default.aspx
http://www.myheritage.com
http://www.kindredkonnections.com/
http://www.linkpendium.com/genealogy/US
A
http://www.onegreatfamily.com/Home.aspx
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ or
http://wc.rootsweb.com Do the surname
search or go to “World Connect”
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cemeter
y/ National Tombstone Transcription Project
http://www.ancestorhunt.com/
http://www.ancestralfindings.com/
www.ancestry.com or
http://www.familyhistory.com/
http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/ Allen Public
Library
http://www.archives.gov/index.html
http://www.usgenweb.org/
You should be able to click on the address
and go directly to the site. SHS
This newsletter has been written and compiled
by Family History Consultants for the York 2nd
Ward and is passed out to others as a courtesy. It
is not an official publication of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If you do not
wish to receive a copy, please send an e-mail to
one of the co-editors asking to be dropped from
the mailing list:
JS & SHS
http://www.distantcousin.com/
Jack Sonneborn klompen@verizon.net or
Sylvia Hott Sonneborn slysyl@verizon.net
NEW FAMILY SEARCH
PROBLEM SOLVED
For some time I have been syncing names in
Ancestral Quest and new Family Search, but
I was not picking up all the ordinances. I
could not figure out how to get the sealing
data for parents and spouses into my records.
I kept seeing messages that said, “See
Parents/siblings,” but I could not make any
sense of that. I tried Help but just could not
connect. It had been a while since I watched
the tutorial, so I broke down and watched
that again. [Find it under the Family Search
tab, “View Tutorial.” Or
go to
http://www.ancquest.com]. It turned out to
be a little complicated, but if you are like me
and picking up only half of the temple work,
try this:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
In AQ, click on the person’s name
and then click on the Family Search
tab. Sign into new Family Search and
sync your person if he has not been
synchronized.
Go back to the Family Search tab.
Click on “Review Individual.”
Make any updates there.
Click “Review Individual” again, and
this time go to the bottom. There you
will find the “Parents Siblings”
buttons and the “Spouses Children”
buttons. Click on one.
The family information will come up
automatically, and you will be able to
click in the blocks and also the blocks
with + signs and follow the directions
to do the transferring of information.
If that doesn’t make sense, do what I
finally did – watch the video a few
times.
My ultimate piece of advice is to watch
the tutorial at intervals as your skills
increase. There are features you forget
about if you watch it only once. SHS
COMBINING IS NECESSARY
We just want to remind you that in new
FamilySearch, you need to check for
duplicates for parents and for every member
of a family. On occasion, duplicate parents
will appear (look beneath the mother’s name)
when you combine two or more records of
one child into one file, and you will need to
go back and combine the parents again.
Check the temple work and proceed; this
will help to avoid duplication.
SHS
WE AGREED – IN FACT, WE “PROMISED”
OUR ANCESTORS (OUR FATHERS)…THOSE
WHO WOULD COME TO EARTH BEFORE
THE GOSPEL WAS RESTORED - THAT WE
WOULD
PROVIDE
THE
SAVING
ORDINANCES FOR THEM BECAUSE WE
WOULD LIVE IN A TIME WHEN THE
SEALING POWER OF THE PRIESTHOOD BY
WHICH ALL THINGS BOUND ON EARTH ARE
BOUND ON HEAVEN WAS AVAILABLE.
Jeffrey R. Holland
BLOGGING FAMILY HSITORY
Our "Generations" newsletter has published
articles on blogs (web logs) and their
growing use in genealogy research. This can
be an intimidating thought to many of us, but
with the increasing use of the Internet for
genealogy purposes, it is becoming more
and more valuable for finding family
connections. With new options such as
"ping" that are specifically targeted for
finding blogs on the web, people researching
your surnames will have a better chance
of connecting with you.
Blogs are easy to set up. You can post
pictures and images easily. This article by
Kimberly Powell will spell out the basics and
(hopefully!) encourage you to get
started: Blogs
It's also important to understand the various
ways you can find and access blogs written
by others. Kimberly writes about this at
Blogs
101.
Source:
About.com:
Genealogy, Jan 6, 2009 & Aug 18, 2008
2
REWRITING FAMILY HISTORY
Judy Wallman, a professional genealogy
researcher here in southern California, was
doing some personal work on her own family
tree. She discovered that the great uncle of
Senator Harry Reid's (D - Nevada), Remus
Reid, was hanged for horse stealing and train
robbery in Montana in 1889. Both Judy and
Harry Reid share this common ancestor.
Senator Harry Reid is the Senate Majority
Leader
in the buttocks with shrapnel, and he had
problems sitting for the rest of his life. The
circumstances, according to a lawyer who
descends from him, were not too heroic. On
the other hand, the old aunts in the family
brag about their ancestor being wounded in
battle in the Civil War. To them it is a badge
of honor, and he is a hero. To the lawyer
who researched the circumstances, he says
the ancestor was not such a noble guy. SHS
Below is a photo of Remus as the platform is
about to collapse.
The only known photograph of Remus shows
him standing on the gallows in Montana
territory. On the back of the picture Judy
obtained during her research is this
inscription: 'Remus Reid, horse thief, sent to
Montana Territorial Prison, 1885, escaped
1887, robbed the Montana Flyer six times.
Caught by Pinkerton detectives, convicted
and hanged in 1889.'
So Judy recently e-mailed Senator Reid for
information about their great-great uncle.
Believe it or not, the Senator's staff sent
back the following biographical sketch for
her genealogy research:
'Remus Reid was a famous cowboy in the
Montana Territory. His business empire grew
to include acquisition of valuable equestrian
assets and intimate dealings with the
Montana railroad. Beginning in 1883, he
devoted several years of his life to
government service, finally taking leave to
resume his dealings with the railroad. In
1887, he was a key player in a
vital investigation run by the renowned
Pinkerton Detective Agency. In 1889, Remus
passed away during an important civic
function held in his honor when the platform
upon which he was standing collapsed.’
As always, it is interesting to read one’s
perspective on an ancestor. In my family,
one of the Civil War “heroes” was peppered
NOW THAT is how it's done folks! That's
real SPIN.
Story contributed by JS
LIVING IN BLESSED TIMES
Department of War Papers
Fire destroyed the office of the War
Department and all its files in 1800, and for
decades historians believed that the
collection and the window it provided into
the workings of the early federal government,
was lost forever. Thanks to a decade-long
effort to retrieve copies of the files scattered
in archives across the country, the collection
has been reconstituted and is now offered as
a
fully-searchable
digital
database.
http://wardepartmentpapers.org/
3
FACEBOOK – YES OR NO?
I had the chance to talk to a friend at Church
on Sunday. He has a great interest in finding
his ancestors. I asked him if he had any more
exciting finds to talk about? He DID! He
mentioned he checked on FACEBOOK, and
lo and behold, he found someone who had
information on a grandfather he was looking
for. Many additional generations opened up,
and there were even a bunch of pictures for
him to obtain.
I mention this opportunity because we really
are in the midst of a whole different way to
do our research. The Internet is here, and we
better get used to expanding our ways of
looking for information. I tried FACEBOOK,
and I am scared to contact anyone. I just
might find some information that I will have
to process. I haven’t finished my Frenchville
research yet! Too many ancestors…too little
time.
JS
ARE SOCIAL NETWORK SITES
A GOOD OR BAD IDEA?
One of the most popular features of the social
networking site, Facebook.com, is "We're
Related," a platform designed to connect
members with extended families. "We're
Related" was launched in October 2007 and
now has more than 16.5 million users. Do
you use this site? Tell us your stories. JS
If you have anything to contribute to the
newsletter, send it via e-mail to Jack or
Sylvia for consideration for publication.
MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGY
Robert Dunford has made available a
wonderful, free e-book entitled "How to Use
Technology to Strengthen Family Ties." You
can learn more about it and/or download it at
strengthenties.com/
MYTH IS FAMILY HISTORY
WITHOUT DOCUMENTATION
When I teach classes, I tell them that
"genealogy without documentation is
mythology." If you don't document where
you find the data, others won't know whether
it's accurate, or whether you made it up.
Even if the source is Aunt Tillie with
Alzheimer’s, at least there is some frame
of reference, and sometimes you can later
find additional proof that Aunt Tillie did
know what she was talking about on that one
(funny thing about Alzheimer’s with some
of the early stages--they may not remember
what they had for lunch, or if they even had
lunch, but are often perfectly lucid about
things that happened fifty or sixty years ago.)
Remember to document sources on your own
family and teach others to do it on theirs.
The more complete, the better. I have even
been known to suggest to students that
we write down the library's location if we
find things in out of town research when our
own FHC or library isn't the repository for
the source, just in case we decide
we want to try to find it again for some
reason. Thanks to Karen from our FHC
message board.
FOR MAC USERS
Just released is an updated version of
Personal Ancestry Writer II (PAWriter II),
which is a free genealogy program for
Macintosh systems. There are two versions
available: one for the OS X operating system
and another for OS 9.
Personal Ancestry Writer II is patterned after
the old LDS Personal Ancestral File program
(PAF) for the Macintosh [The last release
was 2.3.1.]
Ted Eastman
4
DIGITIZING GRANITE
MOUNTAIN RECORDS
The schedule for digitizing the church records at the
Granite Mountain is 5 years according to Steve
Brey, our Area Family History Manager from the
Salt Lake City Library, who spoke at a FH
conference this past October held in Kentucky.
That will be wonderful news in regards to lag time
in searching, funding the transportation of films,
and ability to search most productively.
As it is, if you go to the library catalog and search
for a film number, there will be some sort of red bar
come across the screen, and if this is the case, you
can look at the film online at that very moment. I
have not been so lucky to have had the ones I am
searching appear, but I keep checking before
ordering the films anyway.
Nancy Scott
Cincinnati, Ohio
SET FAMILY HISTORY GOALS
FOR 2009
Whether your goal is to finally find greatgrandpa in the 1900 census, to file that stack
of papers, label those photographs, or master
a new skill - make a list of things you'd like
to accomplish this year. Put it on your
desktop where you can review it regularly.
Then take each item and set up a plan to
make it happen. For example, you could set
aside a certain amount of time each day to
browse through the census for great-grandpa,
even if it's just ten minutes over that morning
beverage. Keep track of where you left off
for the next day. File or label photos for
fifteen minutes a day. Investigate webinars,
classes, or publications that can help you
further your research and grow your skills.
Let's make this a great year for your family
history! Source: Weekly Planner: Set Family
History Goals, 24- 7 Family History Circle.
Personally, I try to allocate one day a week –
JS
QUESTION
In the October 2008 Ensign, page 80,
"Family History Notes," it says in one
section that through FamilySearh.org access
to census images provided by Ancestry.com
and Findmypast.com will be available free to
Church members in 2009 when Family
Search will enable a member validation
system for registered users on its Web site. Is
this available yet?
ANSWER:
No
IMPORTING FAMILY LINES ON AQ
There
is
another
PAF
Add-In
available which will get your ancestors from
new FamilySearch with the ordinances.
Download Ancestral Quest (it should be
available on LANDesk, or you can get it
from www.ancquest.com), and go to the
"FamilySearch" menu, then select "Import
Family Lines." This will import as many
generations as you want from FamilySearch,
and it will also get the LDS Ordinances.
Ancestral Quest provides a 60-day free trial
for home use, and is always free for Family
History Centers. The feature to "Import
Family Lines" will continue to be free even
after the 60-day trial Period is up.
Ancestral Quest also has what I consider a
better tool to get your ancestors from new
FamilySearch than the "Import Family
Lines" feature. The "Import Family Lines"
quickly gets a lot of people, but gives you no
control over the specific data you download.
But the "Family Sync" feature of Ancestral
Quest lets you import one family at a time,
and lets you be very selective as to which
individuals are brought down, and what
specific data items are imported. Before you
import any individual or any data item, you
can view the notes and sources to make sure
it is something you feel confident in.
Gaylon Findlay, Incline Software
5
PENNSYLVANIA CIVIL WAR
ERA NEWSPAPER COLLECTION
I just received this from our illustrious
Susquehanna Trail Genealogy Club VicePresident – Mark. The above collection
contains all the words, photographs, and
advertisements from selected newspapers
published during the pivotal years before,
during, and after the U.S. Civil War.
Newspapers played a prominent role in the
conflict. They helped mobilize public
opinion for, or against, the war, relayed
battlefield developments to their readers, and
documented political life on the home front.
Beyond military or political concerns, there
is much on cultural topics, including travel,
arts and leisure, sports and contests, and local
social events.
Go to this url
http://digitalnewspapers.libraries.psu.edu/Def
ault/Skins/civilwar/Client.asp?skin=civilwar
&AW=1233688020411&AppName=2
FAMILY INSIGHT TRIAL
Just wondering how user friendly/ effective
FAMILY
INSIGHT
is
with
NFS
Why not try it and judge for yourself? You
can get a 60 day free trial at
www.ohanasoftware.com.
You can also install it free at your FHC via
LANDesk.
Aloha, John Vilburn
A NOTE FROM FAMIYINSIGHT
We have been asked by FamilySearch to
contact all of our customers with the
following message:
team is investigating this problem and
expects to have a solution in place in the near
future.
As an interim measure, we have added some
safeguards to FamilyInsight to help alleviate
this problem. It is essential that everyone
who is using FamilyInsight update to the
latest version (2009.1.23.0 or later).
SPIRITUAL FAMILY HISTORY
EXPERIENCE
President Eyring used to be over Family
History and would have regular devotionals
with the department and those working on
the new FamilySearch. In one of those
meetings with President Eyring in the Little
Theater of the Conference Center, some of us
came early and got front row seats. During
his talk President Eyring stopped and looked
straight into my eyes and spoke directly to
me for what seemed like many minutes.
He told me that the work we are doing is
vital for both the living and the dead, and that
we need to ensure we are designing the new
system so that people of all technical
abilities, from complete neophyte to expert,
can find the system easy to use and will find
joy in working to redeem their ancestors.
Submitted by James Anderson
GOOGLE YOUR FAMILY HISTORY
A 340-page book for $34.00 can help you
improve your skills in doing online research:
Google Your Family Tree
The FamilySearch team has discovered that
certain search requests can have a negative
impact on performance of the New
FamilySearch system. The effect of this
disables all access from third-party products,
including FamilyInsight. The FamilySearch
Check out GoogleYourFamilyTree.com
People in over 80 countries have gone online
to check out the book – a testament to the
world-wide interest in family history.
6
NEW AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY
COLLECTION NOW ONLINE
*Over a million pages of original documents, letters
and photos, most digitized for the first time.*
Lindon, UT - January 29, 2009 – In celebration of
Black
History
Month,
Footnote.com
<http://www.footnote.com/>is launching its African
American Collection
<http://go.footnote.com/blackhistory/?xid=391>.
Footnote.com has been working with the National
Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in
Washington, D.C., to digitize records that provide a
view into the lives of African Americans that few
have seen before.
"These records cover subjects including slavery,
military service, and issues facing African
Americans dating back to the late 18th century,"
explains James Hastings, Director of Access
Programs at NARA. "Making these records
available online will help people to better
understand the history and sacrifice that took place
in this country."
Footnote.com has spent the last two years with
NARA compiling this collection and is currently
working on adding more records that will be
released in the upcoming months. African
American records currently on Footnote.com
include:
- Service Records for Colored Troops in the Civil
War – Records for the 2nd-13th infantries,
including enlistment papers, casualty sheets, oaths
of allegiance, proof of ownership and bills of sale.
- American Colonization Society – Letters and
reports relating to this colony established in 1817
for free people of color residing in the U.S.
- Amistad Case – Handwritten records of this
landmark case beginning in 1839 involving the
Spanish schooner Amistad, used to transport illegal
slaves.
- Southern Claims Commission – Petitions for
compensation resulting from the Civil War.
"The Southern Claims Commission records are a
very rich, often overlooked resource for African
American family research. They often contain
information that cannot be found anywhere else,"
says Toni Carrier, Founding Director of the USF
Africana Heritage Project. "These records
document the experiences of former slaves during
the Civil War and in the days immediately after.
Many contain detailed narratives that make it
possible for descendants to envision the lives and
experiences of ancestors."
Footnote.com is also working on additional record
collections that will be released shortly. Those
records include:
- Records of the US District Court for the District
of Columbia Relating to Slaves, 1851-1863 –
includes slave schedules, manumission papers and
case papers relating to fugitive slaves.
- Records for the Emancipation of Slaves in the
District of Columbia, 1862-63 – minutes of
meetings, docket books and petitions pertaining to
emancipation of slaves.
- Registro Central de Esclavos 1872 (Slave
Schedules) – registers from Puerto Rico giving
information for each slave: name, country of origin,
name of parents, physical description, master's
name and more.
- Records Relating to the Suppression of the
African Slave Trade and Negro Colonization, 18541872 - letters, accounts, and other documents
relating to the suppression of the African slave
trade.
- Correspondence of the Military Intelligence
Division Relation to "Negro Subversion" 19171941 - record cards and correspondence of the
Military Intelligence Division (MID) that relate to
activities of blacks in both civilian and military life.
In addition to these records, Footnote.com also
features member contributions that include topics
ranging from the Underground Railroad to Women
Abolitionists to African Americans receiving the
Congressional Medal of Honor.
"The contributions to our site have been
impressive," says Russell Wilding, CEO of
Footnote.com. "It's exciting to see people connect
with history and with each other."
To view the African American Collection on
Footnote.com visitors can go to
http://go.footnote.com/blackhistory/.
Submitted by Alan Whitcomb
I urge all of the people of this church to
give serious attention to their family
histories.
Spencer W. Kimball
7
TO CELEBRATE AFRICAN
AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH
Juliana Smith has written an article in the
Ancestry newsletter. She spoke of the
challenges that African Americans have in
tracing their ancestry.
Because of the
discrimination, African Americans were
segregated from whites, and they were also
segregated from their own records. After
1870 African Americans can use the standard
research tools, but before that, the research is
very difficult. So how can the African
American begin his family history research?
The old shoe box method is the first advice.
Start on the home front to collect any pieces
of family history that have been preserved by
the family. Then go to older members of the
family and conduct interviews to find out
what family traditions and stories have been
passed down about ancestors.
Ancestry also has a lot of African American
records to build this firm foundation. After
gleaning information from home and family,
begin seeking U.S. Census records, vital
records, military, and other late nineteenth
and early twentieth century records.
Remember that often the “Colored” section
of the microfilms may be separated from the
“White” section, so look at an isolated area
of the records. In the military, African
Americans served in segregated units up until
1952. Prior to the Civil War, there were also
many free African Americans. Tony
Burrough’s book, Black Roots announces
that there were “more than 200,000 free
Blacks living in the North and another
200,000 free in the South prior to the Civil
War.”
Don’t forget Freedman’s Bank Records,
1865-1874. These are available on Ancestry.
Many African American Civil War veterans
and ex- slaves had excess money after 1856,
and they needed somewhere to save it. The
Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company
(often referred to as the Freedman’s Bank)
was incorporated on 03 March 1865 to assist.
In 1874 fraud wiped out the bank and
savings, but some African Americans were
able to recoup some of their savings. The
records were preserved and have been
indexed by Ancestry. More…
[There is additional information in
Ancestry’s newsletter. To receive the
newsletter, one needs to subscribe to
Ancestry.com. Ancestry has also launched a
page for subscribers. Click here to begin
exploring your African American roots.]
OUR ASSOCIATIONS [FAMILY] ARE NOT
EXCULSIVELY INTENDED FOR THIS LIFE…WE
LIVE FOR TIME AND ETERNITY. WE FORM
ASSOCIATIONS AND RELATIONS FOR TIME AND
ALL ETERNITY… WE ARE CLOSELY RELATED TO
OUR KINDRED, OUR ANCESTORS TO OUR
FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES AND CO-LABORERS
WHO HAVE PRECEDED US INTO THE SPIRIT
WORLD.
Joseph F. Smith
BULLETIN -
Ancestry Has Reduced DNA Testing to
$79.00.
RUSSIAN FAMILY HISTORY ANYONE?
There is not a lot on Russia, but there is some.
Odessa3.org is a good site, but it is for GermanRussian Families; the area was called Bessarabia; it
is now part of Moldavia and the Ukraine.
Here Are some links to just Russian Genealogy
http://www.genealogylinks.net/europe/russia/index.
html
http://genealogy.about.com/od/russia/Russian_Gene
alogy_Family_History.htm
http://distantcousin.com/Links/Ethnic/Russian.html
http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/european/russia/
resources/ru-genealogy.html
Submitted by Lisa Trudo
8
FAMILY HISTORY - NOT JUST FOR
THE ELDERLY
“Candy Spiegel, niche products editor for the
Livingston County (Michigan) Daily Press &
Argus, has written a great article entitled,
"Genealogy is No Longer Just for the
Elderly." She points out genealogy appealed
to the elderly only because they had the time
available to do the research. The advent of
the Internet has changed all that.
You can read Candy Spiegel's article at:
http://www.livingstondaily.com/article/2009
0126/NEWS01/90127028.”
The Baronage Press at
http://www.baronage.co.uk
American College Of Heraldry Web site at
http://www.americancollegeofheraldry.org
Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical
Studies Web site at: http://www.ihgs.ac.uk.
You can read all of Eastman’s articles at this
site, and for a fee, you can get the plus
edition: http://www.eogn.com.
Ted Eastman also recommends
www.ItRunsinMyFamily.com to use family
history to learn how to improve your health.
Ted Eastman
COLLABORATION ON FAMILY TREES
INTERESTED IN CHARTS?
Our genealogy club newsletter editor recently
sent me an email telling me to visit the
following site. You get to see some colorful
pedigree charts. Some are downloadable for
free , while others cost $4.00 each. Look at it
yourself. There just might be something you
like.
Print a neat family tree:
http://www.familytreetemplates.net/
Thanks to Mark Gagermeier for this tip.
Also, go to www.familysearch.org, in the
bottom left hand corner to print FH forms.
LEGITIMATE COATS OF ARMS
Ted Eastman has really discouraged us from
using Halberts, a company that sells
drawings of a family’s crest or coat of arms.
Eastman, in the article, lists some legitimate
companies if you are looking for a family
crest:
I have been having a lot of fun collaborating
on Bill Billotte’s private family tree on
www.myheritage.com. Private Family Trees
is a new trend – a site that allows you to
collaborate with other researchers, publish a
newsletter, post photos, get notice of the
updates on the tree, get smart matches,
contact tree submitters, keep information
private, etc. Another site that is doing a
similar thing is www.familypursuit.com.
This one was featured in one of Ted
Eastman’s articles. The creation of Private
Family Trees will help others researching the
same line to coordinate their efforts and
break down some of those brick walls.
Search for relatives around the world and
find those ties to royal families.
Recommended for this pursuit by Renee’s
Blog is this site: www.dynastree.com SHS
JANET BROOKS SUBMITS ANOTHER
INSPIRATIONAL FH ARTICLE
http://www.meridianmagazine.com/turnin
ghearts/090116have.html
Article in Meridian Magazine, By Carol Petranek.
9
CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF THE
FAMILY SEARCH WIKI
A wiki is an online encyclopedia. The
Family Search wiki is devoted to ideas abut
doing family history. The catch is that
readers can add their expertise to the subjects
already discussed, whether it is correct or
not. Arbitrators will decide whether the
addition is trustworthy before posting it.
The Church has decided to capitalize on all
the wonderful knowledge that is floating
around in the world, so they are continuing to
develop the wiki. They refer to an exerted
effort to revise certain topics as a “barn
raising,” and they are going to be doing that
to this site.
addition to whatever the users outside the
library, anywhere, spend on it. So, we
encourage you to use this to learn or to share.
http://wiki.familysearch.org/
Hopefully by March the wiki will be
accessible via a tab on the main
familysearch.org page. All the old research
outlines are going to be placed on the site so
everyone can pitch in and update many
already posted; the old text is the 'seed' text
to get the articles started. Some have already
been completely reworked, but many need to
be reworked. A few are not yet on the site,
but will be, and all one has to do is register
and start working on things at his or her own
convenience.
The Church wants everyone qualified to go
to the site and add his expertise on doing
family history in England. Last month they
updated Maryland research.
Combining
knowledge from the best minds makes a
worthwhile final entry on the wiki.
Submitted by James Anderson
https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/England_Ba
rn_Raising_Tasks.
For those of us who are bilingual, don't
forget the wiki is in other languages too!
While looking for some German records, the
wiki in English was bare, but in German .. it
gave me some clues.
From a contributor to the family history
consultant message board, he said, “I just put
the bare link onto the France Archives page
on the FamilySearch Wiki. The site is in
French, so navigating it without knowing of
French or at least enough to figure it out, is a
shot in the dark.” [James Anderson]
http://www.francegenweb.org/~archives/arch
ivesgenweb/?id=carte
Added by Regine
Brindle
During the reorganization of the FH Library,
Salt Lake City, it was decided that the staff
employees, whom you talk to when you need
help with a research issue, are now going to
spend 30 percent of their time at work adding
to the wiki. They will spend 20,000 man
hours + just this year alone. That is in
The wiki NEEDS to be beefed up. I have
been adding URLs to the wiki, and that
might be a better place for all of us to put
them.
Non- Genealogy related articles - I was
tickled to find Mormontranslation.com
which has the goal of translating some LDS
books into other languages.
Submitted by Alan Whitcomb
In recent years we have begun using
information technology to hasten the
sacred work of providing ordinances for
the deceased. The role of technology in
this work has been accelerated by the
Lord Himself, who has had a guiding
hand in its development and will
continue to do so.
Howard W. Hunter
10
CANADIAN CENSUS REMOVAL
SYLVIA’S GENEALOGY CORNER
The 1916 Canadian census has been removed
for contractual reasons. However, they are
working on a method to positively identify
"members of FamilySearch" (which will
include all members of the Church and also
those people who are actively indexing and
perhaps a few others who are aiding the
Church in some significant way.) They have
indicated that they will have that done
sometime this year. After that is released, the
index and images will be available to
members of FamilySearch in their homes and
to anyone who comes into a Family History
Center. I am also told that the contract will
allow the index and images back on site in 3
years.
This past month, I have been working on
typing Barefoot Family records into my PAF,
and I am finding that a D. Blackburn (with
no collaboration information in nFS) has
done most of the temple work for the entire
Barefoot Family. But even though the work
is done, I would like to have the information
in my personal PAF. Because of this, I have
learned how to use Ancestral Quest to move
entire families of siblings of the next
generation from nFS into my PAF. When I
find discrepancies, I would love to contact
this Bro. Blackburn, but, alas, there is no
information with his name. So first, I would
suggest to you that you at least offer an email (or a phone number or address) when
you fill out your profile for nFS. Give others
the information to contact you to collaborate
and share family history.
For your Family History Center, make sure
that your "Family History Center services
portal" is working properly because I suspect
that will be the access point when it is made
available.
Thank you for your feedback and your
participation in this important work.
Reminder: This site is a Pilot site. That
means that this site may be unavailable at
times, the image collections may be
unavailable, and the image collections may
appear and again be withdrawn. It also means
that the site is not released nor ready for full
genealogical research, and we cannot accept
requests for certain records. If you find
information of value, that is great. Now is the
time to give comments to help make the site
better and easier to use. There will also be
program revisions.
Sincerely
FamilySearch Support
________________________
I also like to record little miracles of family
history. A rather funny thing happened as I
researched the Barefoot line while I was
working on it. I was working on a new site http://www.ancestorhunt.com/, and I typed in
Barefoot. I ended up accessing a biography
for a P. I. Bonebrake. What made it so
strange is that one of my friends had once
mentioned that this was his family name
before changing it to something more
common. As it turned out, the Bonebrake
bio yielded some interesting information for
my friend, and he was able to glean some
additional information on this man who is
one of his deceased relatives.
What are the chances that Barefoot would
turn up as Bonebrake? Perhaps within the
Bonebrake article, Mr. Bonebrake might
have gone barefooted. Who knows, but I
find that when you work on family history,
some amazing little miracles take place.
Sometimes they are so subtle that we call
them coincidences instead of recognizing
God’s hand in all that we do.
SHS
11
WHAT ARE SHELLIE AND DAVE
DEAN UP TO THESE DAYS?
Here is an article about Shellie [Wagner] and
Dave's ward [Utah]. They babysat for the
couple in the article, Daniel and Rose.
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/ne
ws-releases-stories/at-home-indexingrapidly-increasing-genealogical-recordsaccess
Submitted by Tina Wagner
Here’s another article on indexing:
http://rzamor1.blogspot.com/2009/01/athome-indexing-rapidly-increasing.html
E-MAIL FROM A SATISFIED CUSTOMER
Thanks so much for your help with the new
family search! My family thinks I've
become a hermit. I have been in the office
working on this all weekend. I have found
a lot of information and added some
information of my own.
My mom worked on our family, and she did
a lot of work on my husband’s family. And
it is so cool to see how thorough she was
in documenting her research. I have a lot
of info to add to some that is already
there….
It has been fun getting re-acquainted with
our ancestors. They have been liberated
from
the
cartons
in
the
attic.
It was fun, too, to learn that someone has
been doing a lot of work on my father's
family. I found out about 10 years ago
that my father's cousin was a member of
the church in Florida. I am guessing he is
the one who has submitted so much of
that line.
Thanks again for your demo. If people
knew how easy this is, they would jump
right in.
Note: This is a testimony of the joy we all can
experience if we just do our family history.
FAMILY HISTORY CLASSES
AND LECTURES
DEADLINE IS PAST, BUT WE JUST WANT TO
INFORM YOU OF FUTURE TRAINING
PROCEDURES
A new way of delivering Family History
training is being tested beginning with a
series of classes on handwriting. These will
be taught in person at the Family History
Library on January 31st and at the same time
will be broadcast over the Internet.
Interested persons need to register for the
classes by sending an e-mail message to
FHLClassReg@ldschurch.org with the words
“Internet Broadcast” in the subject line.
Registered persons will receive instructions
through e-mail on how to attend the event.
Those attending the class through the Internet
will be able to see the computer presentation
and hear the presenter’s voice. They will
also be able to ask questions by typing the
question into a chat “pod.” The submitted
questions will be relayed in person through
the broadcast host and then answered by the
presenter. The number of computers that can
join these classes is limited, and registration
will end no later than Friday, January 30 at 4
P.M. (MST). Below are the classes that will
be offered.
1. Early American Handwriting
9:00 A.M. (MST)
2. Older English Handwriting
10:30 A.M. (MST)
3. Germanic Scandinavian Gothic
Handwriting
1:00 P.M. (MST)
Sincerely,
FamilySearch Support
support@familysearch.org
Note: These classes filled up very quickly, so if
there are future announcements, an interested
party must register quickly.
12
LECTURES ON FAMILY HSITORY
The
Banneker-Douglass
Museum
in
Annapolis will begin a series of free
genealogical lectures. There are lots of other
fun and family-centered programs as well.
Please see the attachment and share with
anyone
who
might
be
interested!
Check
out their
museum
blog
at
www.bannekerdouglassmuseum.blogspot.com
Maryland Room is exceptional, I was there
researching last week. Now they are
expanding their lecture series. Make sure
you scroll all the way down to see
everything!
Thanks,
Rebecca Koford
----Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009
4:07 PM
Subject: Pratt Library Genealogy Series
Rebecca Koford
************************************
To: Registered priesthood leaders, family
history consultants and center directors.
The brochure A Guide to Begin Using the
new FamilySearch is now available for
ordering from Church Distribution
Services. The brochure may be ordered
by leaders in stakes, wards, and
branches through their unit account. The
brochure is available in packages of 50,
and leaders may order up to 200 copies
of the brochure. This is a no-charge
item. Note:
Order through Ward
Account. Be aware of ordering lingo –
one pack = 50 copies.
To order, call Distribution Services at 1800-537-5971 or contact your local
distribution center and request item
number 06573.
Sincerely,
FamilySearch Support
support@familysearch.org
*********************************
PRATT GENEALOGY LIBRARY, MD
How many of you have heard me go on and
on about the value of the Enoch Pratt Free
Library? It is our own State Library. Their
GENEALOGY AND ETHNIC
HERITAGE
A series of free family history workshops in
March 2009
sponsored by the
Enoch Pratt Free Library/State Library
Resource Center
"Crossing the Pond: Techniques for
Finding Your Elusive Eastern European
Ancestors"
...traditional and online resources for tracking
Eastern European ancestors,
and overcoming common obstacles faced in
the research process...
presented by Lisa Alzo
Saturday, March 14, 10:30 a.m.
Southeast Anchor Library
3601 Eastern Ave.
"What's Different about Jewish
Genealogy?"
...about the aspects of Jewish-American
genealogical research
that make it distinct from American
genealogy...
presented by Sallyann Amdur Sack, Ph.D.
13
Sunday, March 15, 2:00 p.m.
Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Jewish
Community Center
5700 Park Heights Ave.
"Race, Ethnicity and Ancestry: Genealogy
and DNA Testing"
...considering DNA, the concept of race,
medical implications of specific ancestry,
and how some ethnic groups have maintained
specific genetic identities...
presented by Thomas Shawker, M.D.
Saturday, March 21, 1:30 p.m.
Central Library Building
400 Cathedral St.
"The Clues are in the Census: Finding
Former Slaves and Slave Owners"
...finding documentation about enslaved
persons from the years before abolition,
and uncovering links between these
ancestors, and those who controlled their
lives...
presented by Char McCargo Bah
Saturday, March 28, 1:30 p.m.
Central Library Building
400 Cathedral St.
To register for these programs, please call
(410) 396-5468 or email us at
mdx@prattlibrary.org
Submitted by Rebecca Koford
INTERESTING TIDBITS
Free Subscription to Church News
Go to this site for free online Church News
www.ldschurchnews.com
Note: Home subscriptions of Church News
will now also carry Mormon Times.
An Amazing “Amazing Grace”
This isn’t family history, but it is a lovely
performance of this age-old favorite song.
YouTube - Il Divo - Amazing Grace
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtrnB4FZyc&feature=related
HUMANITARIAN AID VIDEO
We hear about the humanitarian projects of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, but we cannot truly appreciate the
words of the project like we can this video.
This video touched my heart, and I would
like to share it with you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcHQ8L
OdmYM&feature=related
SHS
Volunteers Rally to Bring Last
National Census Online
7 January 2009
HANDLING DATES IN DIFFERENT
CULTURES
Sooner or later many of us here are going to
come across issues of names and dates in
different cultures if we haven't already done
so. So this blog post on LDS Tech will give
you a good idea of what is out there, and how
these things have an impact.
http://tech.lds.org/index.php?option=com_co
ntent&task=view&id=386&Itemid=1
Submitted by James Anderson
1875 Norway Census Transcription
Initiative Is Underway
Salt
Lake
City,
Utah—FamilySearch
International, the University of Tromsø, and
DIS-Norge announced today a joint initiative
to transcribe the 1875 Norway Census for
free online access. It is the only Norway
census that has not been indexed and the
first to be tackled as a global, Internet-based
effort. Volunteers who can read Norwegian
are being sought to complete the project at
www.FamilySearch.org.
(Go
to
14
FamilySearch.org,
then
click
Index
Records, and then click Volunteer.)
The 1875 Norway Census is valuable to
researchers because it was the last national
census taken just before the great
Norwegian immigration period that started in
1878. Researchers will not have to wait
much longer for convenient, online access
to the historic census. FamilySearch
digitized the census images and is using its
Web-based transcription tool and volunteers
to create the automated index. The
University of Tromsø and DIS-Norge are
sponsoring the project, but many more
online volunteers are needed to transcribe
the 1.6 million individuals found in the tens
of thousands of census sheets.
President-Elect Barack Obama
Inherited Speaking Skills?
7 January 2009
Popular Turn-of-the-Century Census
Now Free Online
Salt
Lake
City,
Utah—FamilySearch
International continues to feed the growing
appetite of family historians and researchers
worldwide with the release of its free 1900
U.S. Census online. The free collection
allows users to search the entire population
of the U.S. in 1900—over 76 million
people—and view high quality images of the
original census at www.FamilySearch.org
(Go to FamilySearch.org, then click Search
Records, then click Record Search pilot).
Using the online census, President-Elect
Barack Obama would learn that public
speaking skills and stage presence run in
his family—his maternal great-greatgrandfather, Charles Payne, was noted as
an auctioneer by profession in the census.
With just a few keystrokes, he'd find that
Charles and his wife Della were born
respectively in Missouri and Ohio and living
with their six children in Johnson County,
Kansas,
in
1900.
Obama's
greatgrandfather, Rolla, was listed as their
second child. More… www.familysearch.org
For copies of Genealogy News, go to
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~payork/
York2Ward/
Thanks to Don and Jeanine Hartman of
Utah for posting the newsletter online for
us. You can contribute your family
history of original York County ancestors
at
http://familyhart.info
NEW FAMILY HISTORY COURSES AT BYU
This short audio clip includes two stories,
one about BYU Idaho, and the other about
new family history courses being offered by
BYU.
This was broadcast Feb 5 on BYU Radio
http://www.byuradio.org/NewsAudioFiles/Fe
braury%205th.mp3
James W. Anderson
GETTING STARTED WITH FAMILY
HISTORY
Something as simple as a shoebox can
become an organizational tool to begin the
hobby of researching family history. A good
starting point is to gather all the records you
have on the vital statistics of family
members. For each relative, you ideally
should have dates for birth or christening,
marriage, and death along with the location
of each event.
Certificates, newspaper
clippings, announcements and programs,
wills, military service records, diplomas, and
immigration documents are just a few of the
things that go into the box. Collect family
bibles with genealogy records, journals, and
information from personal interviews of
family members.
Once documents are
15
assembled, it is time to begin to record the
information.
You will need to use two forms to organize
your information. One is the pedigree chart.
This chart will begin with you and branch out
to list your parents’ names, then their
parents’ names, etc. Most will hold at least 5
generations but will not list children. You
will need to do only one pedigree chart. The
second chart is the family group record. This
record has the father’s name and vital
statistics first and then the mother’s.
Underneath this couple’s record will be
spaces to list the children, their pertinent
dates, and their spouses’ names. You will
need to do a family group sheet for each
family, so the children of these parents will
each have their own family group sheet
unless they did not marry.
As you collect information on each family,
establish surname folders for each of these
families. Begin with one folder for your
father’s last name and another for your
mother’s maiden name. Add folders as you
begin to acquire information on the next
generation.
Some people like to use three-ring binders to
organize the files. It is nice to use plastic
sheet protectors to hold the family group
sheets and the documents that substantiate
the statistics, but the protectors cost, so one
could merely punch holes in the pages and
put the records into the binder. The plastic
pocket sheets would protect documents and
avoid punching holes in them. This is a
portable method and may go along for
interviews or research in libraries. At times
there will be no documentation for the dates
if you receive the information from primary
sources, such as parents.
It is a good idea to keep a research log.
Something as simple as a lined piece of paper
will allow you to write the date of research
and what you did that day, what records you
consulted, and what people you contacted.
When you go back weeks later, you will
know where to resume your work if you keep
the research log.
A computer is a helpful tool to record your
data, and the handwritten family group
records can then become your working
copies. There are many good programs for
recording genealogy: Family Treemaker,
Legacy, Ancestral Quest, Reunion, and
Personal Ancestral File, to name a few. Most
of the software has a cost. If you are on a
limited budget, Personal Ancestral File 5.2 is
downloadable and free. This program is
available at www.familysearch.org
by
clicking on “downloads.” Follow the
instructions to download.
Once you have exhausted the information
available in your home and from other family
members, it is time to begin additional or
“grunt work” research. Most communities
provide facilities for doing research. A free
source is the public library‘s genealogical
section. Most communities also have a
historical society with a yearly membership
fee or a daily fee. Older records, such as
marriages, wills and probate records, and
land records, may be available in the court
house. Our own community also houses
older records in the York County Archives.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints (LDS) maintains a family history
center free to the public; for a minimal fee
patrons may order films from the Salt Lake
City Family History Library. Their catalog is
available online at www.familysearch.org as
well as a listing of locations of family history
centers. Cyndi’s List will reveal every
imaginable site for online researching:
http://www.cyndislist.com/
This is just a word of caution. Looking for
ancestors is addictive. Once you begin to
find your roots, it becomes a consuming but
rewarding hobby.~By Sylvia Sonneborn ~~~
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