It's SATURDAY NIGHT again - are you ready for some major GENEALOGY FUN tonight (or whenever you get around to it...)?
Your mission, should you decide to accept it (and I really think that you should do this), is to:
1) If you are not one already, become a FamilySearch Indexing volunteer so that you can work on the 1940 U.S. Census when it comes out after 2 April 2012. Go to https://www.familysearch.org/volunteer/indexing and sign up to index. If this is new for you, take the Test Drive, download the software, and do some tonight!
2) Once you have the software on your computer, then do some indexing. If you are new to indexing, then download a batch and work on it, learning the process along the way.
3) If you are an experienced indexer, then do a batch or two for SNGF.
4) Tell us what record collection you indexed, and how many records you did tonight.
5) Tell us in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a Google Plus stream post or Facebook status line.
Here's mine:
I have not done FamilySearch Indexing before. I used my FamilySearch ID and signed into the system, and downloaded the software. I was able to specify the group that I want my credits to go to (I chose my Chula Vista Genealogical Society). I watched the five-minute instructional video. Then I worked for awhile on the "test batch" of War of 1812 Pension cards, which included only the last and first names of persons. That was almost too easy, but it got me used to the process.
I then was able to choose a "real" database to index, and I chose the 1871 England and Wales census. I did one page of this census - 26 entries. The persons were all inmates in a home of some sort in Kent. It took about 30 minutes to perform this. The only problem I had was that it wanted me to add data to the 26th line when when there were only 25 names on the page. Here is an image of my indexing accomplishments for the
That was so much FUN that I'm going to try to do a batch or two every night.
One of my very best and long-lasting memories of the geneablogger visit to FamilySearch in October 2010 is sitting next to David Rencher for eight hours of presentations. He indexed the whole time we were there, never missing a beat with his keyboard or missing a word or image of the presentations being given by his colleagues. It was an impressive display of multi-tasking. I wish I could do that!
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/02/saturday-night-genealogy-fun.html
Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2012.
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2024.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Surname Saturday - LNU (Rhode Island)
It's Surname Saturday, and I'm "counting down" my Ancestral Name List each week. I am now up to number 367, who is Rachel LNU (????- before 1755), one of my 6th-great-grandparents. [Note: The 6th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts]
My ancestral line back to Rachel LNU ancestors is:
1. Randall J. Seaver
2. Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983)
3. Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002)
4. Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942)
5. Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962)
10. Thomas Richmond (1848-1917)
11. Julia White (1848-1913)
22. Henry Arnold White ((1824-1885)
23. Amy Frances Oatley (1826-before 1870)
44. Jonathan White (1806-1850)
45. Miranda Wade (1806-1850)
90. Simon Wade (1767-1857)
91. Phebe Horton (1772-????)
182. Nathaniel Horton (1730-1819)
183. Sarah Pray (1734-????)
Rachel Pray and her children were admitted to the town of Scituate, Rhode Island on 18 April 1741. The town council record (transcribed from Scituate (RI) Probate Court, Probate and and Council Records Volumes 1-3 (1731-1799), Volume 1, Page 71, on FHL Microfilm 0,941,155) reads:
"Att a Town Council held in Scituate in the County of Providence holden the 18th day of April Anno Domi 1741 Present
Jedidiah Harris / Samuel Cooper
Jeremiah Angell / Henry Whitmore
Thomas Realph / Benjamin Comeau (?)
"Where as Rachel Pray and her Children are Lately Removed unto this Town and have procured a Certificate from the Town Council of Smithfield from whence they Removed in the following words ---
"Att a Town Council held in in Smithfield September the 19th 1740 - Where as Rachel Pray, the wife of Richard Pray of Smithfield, Informed the Council that She hath a mind to Remove her Self and Children into the town of Situate Wherefore it is voted by this Present Council that if the sd Rachel Pray Should Remove her self and Children into the Town of Situate and Should become Chargable to sd Town of Situate: that this Town will Receive them again as Inhabitants of this town again.
"A true Copy as appears of ] Daniel Jenckes Council clerk
Record Examined ................. ]
"Whereupon it is Voted that the sd Rachel Pray and her Children be admited to dwell in this Town untill further orders from this Council."
I wonder why she wanted to leave Smithfield and go to Scituate without her husband in 1741 (Richard Pray died in Scituate in 1755)? Perhaps she had family there.
The probate records of Richard Pray were transcribed in
My ancestral line back to Rachel LNU ancestors is:
1. Randall J. Seaver
2. Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983)
3. Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002)
4. Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942)
5. Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962)
10. Thomas Richmond (1848-1917)
11. Julia White (1848-1913)
22. Henry Arnold White ((1824-1885)
23. Amy Frances Oatley (1826-before 1870)
44. Jonathan White (1806-1850)
45. Miranda Wade (1806-1850)
90. Simon Wade (1767-1857)
91. Phebe Horton (1772-????)
182. Nathaniel Horton (1730-1819)
183. Sarah Pray (1734-????)
366. Richard Pray, born about 1683 in Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States; died 10 July 1755 in Scituate, Providence, Rhode Island, United States. He was the son of 732. John Pray and 733. Sarah Brown. He married before 1725 in probably Rhode Island, United States.
367. Rachel, died before 1755 in Scituate, Providence, Rhode Island, United States.
Children of Richard Pray and Rachel are: Rachel Pray(1725-????); Mary Pray (1728-????); Sarah Pray (1734-1819).
As you can see, I do not know Rachel's maiden surname. She was probably born in or near Providence, Rhode Island, and probably married Richard Pray before 1725, when their first daughter was born.
Richard and Rachel (????) Pray had only three daughters, so there are only a few clues to a family name. Rachel's mother's name may be Rachel or Mary or Sarah; Richard's mother's name was Sarah. The three daughters married - Rachel to a Hinds, Mary to Ezekiel Hopkins, and Sarah to Nathaniel Horton.
The only record that I've found so far concerning Rachel (????) Pray is:
Rachel Pray and her children were admitted to the town of Scituate, Rhode Island on 18 April 1741. The town council record (transcribed from Scituate (RI) Probate Court, Probate and and Council Records Volumes 1-3 (1731-1799), Volume 1, Page 71, on FHL Microfilm 0,941,155) reads:
"Att a Town Council held in Scituate in the County of Providence holden the 18th day of April Anno Domi 1741 Present
Jedidiah Harris / Samuel Cooper
Jeremiah Angell / Henry Whitmore
Thomas Realph / Benjamin Comeau (?)
"Where as Rachel Pray and her Children are Lately Removed unto this Town and have procured a Certificate from the Town Council of Smithfield from whence they Removed in the following words ---
"Att a Town Council held in in Smithfield September the 19th 1740 - Where as Rachel Pray, the wife of Richard Pray of Smithfield, Informed the Council that She hath a mind to Remove her Self and Children into the town of Situate Wherefore it is voted by this Present Council that if the sd Rachel Pray Should Remove her self and Children into the Town of Situate and Should become Chargable to sd Town of Situate: that this Town will Receive them again as Inhabitants of this town again.
"A true Copy as appears of ] Daniel Jenckes Council clerk
Record Examined ................. ]
"Whereupon it is Voted that the sd Rachel Pray and her Children be admited to dwell in this Town untill further orders from this Council."
I wonder why she wanted to leave Smithfield and go to Scituate without her husband in 1741 (Richard Pray died in Scituate in 1755)? Perhaps she had family there.
The probate records of Richard Pray were transcribed in
Amanuensis Monday - Probate Records of Richard Pray (1683-1755) of Scituate RI.
Rachel LNU is one of many of my "loose women" for whom I do not know the parents.
How will I (or others) be able to solve a research problem like this? I think it is only by finding a reference in a land, probate or town record that refers to Rachel Pray, or her children, in a way that implies a relationship to the subject of the record. My hope is that land, probate and town records on microfilm are digitized and then indexed by FamilySearch in such a way that these records become more available and easier to search.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/02/surname-saturday-lnu-rhode-island.html
Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2012.
How will I (or others) be able to solve a research problem like this? I think it is only by finding a reference in a land, probate or town record that refers to Rachel Pray, or her children, in a way that implies a relationship to the subject of the record. My hope is that land, probate and town records on microfilm are digitized and then indexed by FamilySearch in such a way that these records become more available and easier to search.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/02/surname-saturday-lnu-rhode-island.html
Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2012.
Friday, February 24, 2012
My Fold3 Subscription was Discounted Because I have an Ancestry.com Subscription
When my Fold3 subscription expired in late December 2011, I checked their website for a "special" subscription rate, and did not find one. So I subscribed for the full price of $79.95.
During January, Fold3 offered a substantial subscription discount, but I didn't pursue it at the time because I was busy. someone told me (I think on Facebook) that I could get a discounted Fold3 subscription if I had an Ancestry.com subscription. Then I asked the question in my questions for Ancestry.com at RootsTech and Ancestry responded (in Answers to Questions from Ancestry.com) that:
"Since Fold3 was acquired by Ancestry over a year ago, we have been offering Fold3 memberships to paying Ancestry subscribers for 50% off. We have continuously run ads on Ancestry for logged in paying subscribers giving them a 50% off link, and in December Ancestry sent an email to all paying subscribers making them aware of the 50% off option for Fold3 memberships. Any paying Ancestry member who contacts Fold3 will currently be able to get Fold3 for $39.95 instead of $79.95."
Somehow, I had missed all of the hints! So, today I remembered this and went to the Help page at www.Fold3.com and sent a message asking if I could have my $40 refunded (or my subscription extended for another year). Within an hour I had an email from Fold3 saying that they would refund the $40 to my credit card.
Cool. Hassle free. Just ask. Fast. Thank you, Ancestry.com and Fold3.com.
If you have an Ancestry.com subscription and want to subscribe to Fold3, please go look for the notice on Ancestry.com. I've looked for ten minutes, even did a site search, and could not find this information, or a way to do it. I'm guessing that you can call Fold3.com at 1-800-613-0181 (Monday–Friday, 9am–4pm Mountain Time ) to inquire and subscribe.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/02/my-fold3-subscription-was-discounted.html
Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2012
During January, Fold3 offered a substantial subscription discount, but I didn't pursue it at the time because I was busy. someone told me (I think on Facebook) that I could get a discounted Fold3 subscription if I had an Ancestry.com subscription. Then I asked the question in my questions for Ancestry.com at RootsTech and Ancestry responded (in Answers to Questions from Ancestry.com) that:
"Since Fold3 was acquired by Ancestry over a year ago, we have been offering Fold3 memberships to paying Ancestry subscribers for 50% off. We have continuously run ads on Ancestry for logged in paying subscribers giving them a 50% off link, and in December Ancestry sent an email to all paying subscribers making them aware of the 50% off option for Fold3 memberships. Any paying Ancestry member who contacts Fold3 will currently be able to get Fold3 for $39.95 instead of $79.95."
Somehow, I had missed all of the hints! So, today I remembered this and went to the Help page at www.Fold3.com and sent a message asking if I could have my $40 refunded (or my subscription extended for another year). Within an hour I had an email from Fold3 saying that they would refund the $40 to my credit card.
Cool. Hassle free. Just ask. Fast. Thank you, Ancestry.com and Fold3.com.
If you have an Ancestry.com subscription and want to subscribe to Fold3, please go look for the notice on Ancestry.com. I've looked for ten minutes, even did a site search, and could not find this information, or a way to do it. I'm guessing that you can call Fold3.com at 1-800-613-0181 (Monday–Friday, 9am–4pm Mountain Time ) to inquire and subscribe.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/02/my-fold3-subscription-was-discounted.html
Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2012
Follow-Up Friday - More on Evidence-Based and Conclusion-Based Genealogy
For Follow-Up Friday, I'm delving into the comments left on recent blog posts over the past week that might have helpful hints from readers, or asked for my comments:
1) In my post Events, Assertions, Evidence, Facts, Sources, Analysis, Conclusions, Software, Oh My!:
* Michael Hait commented: "Mental evaluation is still evaluation. If you are searching for all available records (and citing them), correlating the relevant information and evaluating it, and reconciling conflicts, then you are doing "GPS evaluation." The only step missing is the "written conclusion." Entering the information in a database is partial completion of this condition. Adding notes to the database would be a little better. Writing out a full report for your files would be the best. But don't sell yourself short in your research process."
My comment: Well said, I think. I have started writing analyses and entering them into the Fact Notes for the person. I also have started adding research logs, and written conclusions to my Person notes when there are evidence conflicts or relationship uncertainty.
These discussions have helped me to realize that I am not as rigorous in my data entry, sourcing, analyzing evidence and drawing conclusions as I should be.
* Tolley Family Historian commented: "Don't sell yourself short, and don't beat yourself up about it. And importantly we shouldn't beat anyone else up over it either. We all "do family history" in our own way. We all learn how to do it differently (maybe better) as we do more of it. And for most of us - it's a hobby; it's FUN, or else it's not worth doing. So perhaps lots of folk don't know/understand or care about the GPS, but that's not a crime. And what if your/my conclusions are mistaken - there are worse things in the world than marrying one long dead and buried name on a census schedule to another equally long dead and buried name. If they were still around they might just enjoy the joke."
My comment: I think we're all realizing that each of us does things differently from others. I agree that it's not a crime to not know or understand the GPS, but that's an education issue. When I present it, people usually see the light. Genealogy education is an ongoing process, and I think that nobody can absorb it all at once. The light usually goes on once people realize that not all information is online.
This is a hobby for many, and a profession for some. Most of us understand this and refrain from telling people "you have to do it this way." The conference or society speakers, and the book, periodical and online writers, do try to educate researchers that "this is a pretty good way to do things - try it!" I classify myself as an addicted hobbyist still learning, but this blog provides an opportunity for me to be a "good example" to others.
2) In my post Are You an Evidence-Based or a Conclusion-Based Genealogist?:
* Sheryl commented: "This is exactly what has held me up in buying software or publishing the evidence I do have. I guess I am "evidence-based." I collect evidence, a lot of it is conflicting. I long for a way to publish the evidence with the image files and say this is what I think, what do you think? I never want to give anyone the idea that I am the all knowing one who has the answer. It would be nice to have a way to discuss research problems from many different angles."
My comments: The current genealogy management programs permit you to enter all of your evidence, cite it, attach document images, analyze it and draw conclusions (if you want) from it. You can discuss the evidence in your person notes or fact notes, or in a word processor file. I find that the program helps me collect "everything" so that I have it in one place.
There are several ways to discuss research problems with others - with your genealogy friends in email, on the phone or over coffee; with your genealogy society colleagues; or writing on your own website or blog. Your local genealogy society may have a regular meeting and/or several persons with expertise that can advise you with specific problems. They probably won't solve the problem for you, but they may give you ideas for further research. If you wrote your own blog, then your readers might help you with research advice or even links to online resources. This works really well for me!
* Tim Forsythe commented: "Randy, I'm definitely an evidence based genealogist and seem to have been from the start. I always try to include as many sources as possible in my data, even if they conflict. I even document every variation of every name. I do try to add notes when there are conflicting claims, and when claims have been disproved, I mark them as such and leave them in the database. My reasoning is that since I present my tree online at http://ancestorsnow.com/tree/tjforsythe
My comments: I appreciate Tim's website and admire his discipline at sourcing everything he finds, and like his idea of certainty assessment for each event. That might be something for the software developers to add - a certainty assessment for each event sourced. It's still an assessment based on the knowledge base to the researcher, but it's better than having none at all. My mindset is "form a conclusion based on the evidence at hand, go look for more evidence, and if the conclusion has to change, evaluate it in writing, and so be it."
* Sue Adams commented: "I disagree with Randy's apparent thinking that the difference between 'evidence-based' and 'conclusion-based' programs is whether you can enter multiple facts of the same type. To my mind all 5 of the programs he comments on are 'conclusion-based', even though some have multiple facts bolted on. Full and true support for an evidence-based research approach is much more complicated.
"We need both conclusion-based AND evidence-based data entry, because we all take both approaches during development as genealogists (usually starting off as conclusion-based and moving toward evidence-based - someone is bound to dispute this). All the current programs are really set up for are conclusions. People resort to a variety of ways of entering conflicting data because none of the programs support the research process very well."
1) In my post Events, Assertions, Evidence, Facts, Sources, Analysis, Conclusions, Software, Oh My!:
* Michael Hait commented: "Mental evaluation is still evaluation. If you are searching for all available records (and citing them), correlating the relevant information and evaluating it, and reconciling conflicts, then you are doing "GPS evaluation." The only step missing is the "written conclusion." Entering the information in a database is partial completion of this condition. Adding notes to the database would be a little better. Writing out a full report for your files would be the best. But don't sell yourself short in your research process."
My comment: Well said, I think. I have started writing analyses and entering them into the Fact Notes for the person. I also have started adding research logs, and written conclusions to my Person notes when there are evidence conflicts or relationship uncertainty.
These discussions have helped me to realize that I am not as rigorous in my data entry, sourcing, analyzing evidence and drawing conclusions as I should be.
* Tolley Family Historian commented: "Don't sell yourself short, and don't beat yourself up about it. And importantly we shouldn't beat anyone else up over it either. We all "do family history" in our own way. We all learn how to do it differently (maybe better) as we do more of it. And for most of us - it's a hobby; it's FUN, or else it's not worth doing. So perhaps lots of folk don't know/understand or care about the GPS, but that's not a crime. And what if your/my conclusions are mistaken - there are worse things in the world than marrying one long dead and buried name on a census schedule to another equally long dead and buried name. If they were still around they might just enjoy the joke."
My comment: I think we're all realizing that each of us does things differently from others. I agree that it's not a crime to not know or understand the GPS, but that's an education issue. When I present it, people usually see the light. Genealogy education is an ongoing process, and I think that nobody can absorb it all at once. The light usually goes on once people realize that not all information is online.
This is a hobby for many, and a profession for some. Most of us understand this and refrain from telling people "you have to do it this way." The conference or society speakers, and the book, periodical and online writers, do try to educate researchers that "this is a pretty good way to do things - try it!" I classify myself as an addicted hobbyist still learning, but this blog provides an opportunity for me to be a "good example" to others.
2) In my post Are You an Evidence-Based or a Conclusion-Based Genealogist?:
* Sheryl commented: "This is exactly what has held me up in buying software or publishing the evidence I do have. I guess I am "evidence-based." I collect evidence, a lot of it is conflicting. I long for a way to publish the evidence with the image files and say this is what I think, what do you think? I never want to give anyone the idea that I am the all knowing one who has the answer. It would be nice to have a way to discuss research problems from many different angles."
My comments: The current genealogy management programs permit you to enter all of your evidence, cite it, attach document images, analyze it and draw conclusions (if you want) from it. You can discuss the evidence in your person notes or fact notes, or in a word processor file. I find that the program helps me collect "everything" so that I have it in one place.
There are several ways to discuss research problems with others - with your genealogy friends in email, on the phone or over coffee; with your genealogy society colleagues; or writing on your own website or blog. Your local genealogy society may have a regular meeting and/or several persons with expertise that can advise you with specific problems. They probably won't solve the problem for you, but they may give you ideas for further research. If you wrote your own blog, then your readers might help you with research advice or even links to online resources. This works really well for me!
* Tim Forsythe commented: "Randy, I'm definitely an evidence based genealogist and seem to have been from the start. I always try to include as many sources as possible in my data, even if they conflict. I even document every variation of every name. I do try to add notes when there are conflicting claims, and when claims have been disproved, I mark them as such and leave them in the database. My reasoning is that since I present my tree online at http://ancestorsnow.com/tree/tjforsythe
My comments: I appreciate Tim's website and admire his discipline at sourcing everything he finds, and like his idea of certainty assessment for each event. That might be something for the software developers to add - a certainty assessment for each event sourced. It's still an assessment based on the knowledge base to the researcher, but it's better than having none at all. My mindset is "form a conclusion based on the evidence at hand, go look for more evidence, and if the conclusion has to change, evaluate it in writing, and so be it."
* Sue Adams commented: "I disagree with Randy's apparent thinking that the difference between 'evidence-based' and 'conclusion-based' programs is whether you can enter multiple facts of the same type. To my mind all 5 of the programs he comments on are 'conclusion-based', even though some have multiple facts bolted on. Full and true support for an evidence-based research approach is much more complicated.
"We need both conclusion-based AND evidence-based data entry, because we all take both approaches during development as genealogists (usually starting off as conclusion-based and moving toward evidence-based - someone is bound to dispute this). All the current programs are really set up for are conclusions. People resort to a variety of ways of entering conflicting data because none of the programs support the research process very well."
My comment: Sue is right about my apparent thinking - I think that a "conclusion-based" program forces me to select one set of information (say a name, birth date, and birth place) for an Event, while an "evidence-based" program permits me to add several Facts for the Event. Legacy Family Tree seems to be the only one I mentioned that permits only one Fact for an Event, but permits me to add alternate Facts for the record. The other programs I mentioned permit more than one Fact for an Event. My mindset has always been "there's a field to fill in, and I'm going to fill it with the best information I have. I like conclusions, but am willing to change them."
I am interested in learning about how genealogy programs can provide more support for evidence-based research. Are the research logs, fact notes, general notes, source notes and comments, etc. not enough? I know that I have not used all of these resources well in the past, but I'm trying harder now that I'm more aware of them. I appreciate Sue's second comment that we do need both conclusion-based and evidence-based data entry. I didn't mean to make it an "either-or" choice, but it came out that way!
* Russ Worthington noted that there are many very helpful comments on his blog post When to enter data into your Genealogy Software? on his A Worthington Weblog blog. I agree - good discussion!
Thank you to my readers for their comments, ideas and suggestions.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/02/follow-up-friday-more-on-evidence-based.html
copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2012
Thank you to my readers for their comments, ideas and suggestions.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/02/follow-up-friday-more-on-evidence-based.html
copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2012
Follow Friday - This Weekend's Genealogy Radio Shows
There are two genealogy-related radio shows on Blog Talk Radio (www.blogtalkradio.com) this weekend. They are:
1) GeneaBloggers Radio Episode 57 -- Thomas MacEntee hosts the show this week with co-host Robin Foster of Saving Stories, titled "African-American Genealogy Resources." This show is on:
Friday, February 24, 2012
* 9 pm-10:30 pm Eastern US
* 8-9:30 pm Central US
* 7-8:30 pm Mountain US
* 6-7:30 pm Pacific US
* 2 am London UK
* 1pm Saturday Sydney AUS
The show guests are:
* Tim Pinnick, Family Tree University instructor and a recognized specialist in Black newspaper research who’ll discuss where to find newspapers and how to use them for your research;
* Shelley Murphy of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Chapter of Central Virginia, whose current project is a book about the “free colored” families who homesteaded in Benzie and Manistee counties in Michigan;
* Drusilla Pair, of the Find Your Folks blog, will update us on her recent “Sunday Crowns” presentation and the role of hats and churches in African-American genealogy.
You can read more information about the guests at "African-American Genealogy Resources."
Don’t forget that there is a chat room where all the “cool kids” hang out on Friday night! Sign in to BlogTalkRadio with your Facebook account or set up a free BlogTalkRadio account to join in the fun.
2) FGS Radio - My Society, an Internet radio show on Blog Talk Radio presented by the Federation of Genealogical Societies. This week's show is "Society Leadership: Presidents’ Day." It will be hosted by Randy Whited. The show airs at:
Saturday, February 25, 2012
* 2-3 pm Eastern US
* 1-2 pm Central US
* 12-1 pm Mountain US
* 11 am-12pm Pacific US
The special guests and features include:
* Sue Kaufman, President of the Texas State Genealogical Society,
* Pat Oxley, president of theFederation of Genealogical Societies. Together they will discuss this integral role on the board of most genealogical societies and how they overcame challenges to move their organizations forward.
* We’ll be featuring FGS member society, Clarke-Oconee Genealogical Society, in our weekly Society Spotlight feature.
You can read more information about the guests at "Society Leadership: Presidents’ Day."
Tune in to FGS Radio – My Society each week to learn more about genealogy societies and join in a discussion of the issues impacting the genealogical community.
You can also listen to the archived shows on Blog Talk Radio by going to the two show sites:
* Geneabloggers Radio: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/geneabloggers/
* FGS Radio - MySociety: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mysociety/
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/02/follow-friday-this-weekends-genealogy_24.html
Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2012.
1) GeneaBloggers Radio Episode 57 -- Thomas MacEntee hosts the show this week with co-host Robin Foster of Saving Stories, titled "African-American Genealogy Resources." This show is on:
Friday, February 24, 2012
* 9 pm-10:30 pm Eastern US
* 8-9:30 pm Central US
* 7-8:30 pm Mountain US
* 6-7:30 pm Pacific US
* 2 am London UK
* 1pm Saturday Sydney AUS
The show guests are:
* Tim Pinnick, Family Tree University instructor and a recognized specialist in Black newspaper research who’ll discuss where to find newspapers and how to use them for your research;
* Shelley Murphy of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Chapter of Central Virginia, whose current project is a book about the “free colored” families who homesteaded in Benzie and Manistee counties in Michigan;
* Drusilla Pair, of the Find Your Folks blog, will update us on her recent “Sunday Crowns” presentation and the role of hats and churches in African-American genealogy.
You can read more information about the guests at "African-American Genealogy Resources."
2) FGS Radio - My Society, an Internet radio show on Blog Talk Radio presented by the Federation of Genealogical Societies. This week's show is "Society Leadership: Presidents’ Day." It will be hosted by Randy Whited. The show airs at:
Saturday, February 25, 2012
* 2-3 pm Eastern US
* 1-2 pm Central US
* 12-1 pm Mountain US
* 11 am-12pm Pacific US
The special guests and features include:
* Sue Kaufman, President of the Texas State Genealogical Society,
* Pat Oxley, president of theFederation of Genealogical Societies. Together they will discuss this integral role on the board of most genealogical societies and how they overcame challenges to move their organizations forward.
* We’ll be featuring FGS member society, Clarke-Oconee Genealogical Society, in our weekly Society Spotlight feature.
You can read more information about the guests at "Society Leadership: Presidents’ Day."
Tune in to FGS Radio – My Society each week to learn more about genealogy societies and join in a discussion of the issues impacting the genealogical community.
You can also listen to the archived shows on Blog Talk Radio by going to the two show sites:
* Geneabloggers Radio: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/geneabloggers/
* FGS Radio - MySociety: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mysociety/
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/02/follow-friday-this-weekends-genealogy_24.html
Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2012.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Ancestry.com's New Interactive Image Viewer
Ancestry.com announced before RootsTech 2012, in Interactive Image Viewer (Beta), that they were introducing a new interactive image viewer that helps the researcher understand the information contained in a record. The blog post notes:
"Record images are the foundation of your family history, and we want to create a rich viewing experience that will bring these historical documents to life. The new Interactive Image Viewer (currently in beta) includes interactive tools to help you view and interpret the information on the record as well as navigation controls that make it easy to focus on the part of the image you’re interested in. The Interactive Image Viewer is a work in progress; we are still adding new features and functionality. We value your suggestions for improving the viewer."
I was away in Salt Lake City when this was announced and so I did not have the opportunity to do a drive-through of it. I saw it demonstrated at RootsTech courtesy of their helpful staff.
Ancestry.com recently added the Interactive Image Viewer option to the 1930 United States census. On the Record summary page, there is a link beneath the thumbnail image that says "View Interactive Image (BETA)." Here's a record summary for my mother in the 1930 U.S. Census:
I clicked on the link and saw:
In the image above, my mother was highlighted with a yellow background, and other members of the household were highlighted with a green background. The screen above is dominated by the image itself. There is only one menu line just above the image. It has:
* On the left is a "Back to Record" link to go back to the record summary.
* In the center is the "State > County > City/town > Enumeration district" notification
* To the right of the above is the Image number, the number of images in the ED, and "previous page" and "next page" arrows.
* On the right of the line are the image manipulation links (drop-down menu) and the image zoom in and zoom out links.
In addition, the image can be zoomed in or out with the mousewheel.
When I ran my mouse over the specific column for age in my great-grandmother's line, a small box popped up and said "Georgia K. Auble was 61, which means she was born in about 1869:"
If I moved the image to see the right-most columns, then the list of person's names appeared on the left side of the image:
On the top Ancestry.com logo line, there is an orange "Save" button and a green "Actions" button. I clicked the "Actions" button:
The "Actions" button that permits the user to:
* Print
* Share
* View highlighting (on/off check - checked on for screens above)
* View index (on/off check - doesn't work yet)
* View source (on/off check - see screen below)
* Help and tips
* Settings - doesn't work now)
Here's the screen with the Source information showing:
The source citation for this image says:
"Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.
Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls"
I'm happy to see the NARA publication number, but the source citation does not have the ED number, the page number, or the roll number for the image. Perhaps it will be added later (hint hint!).
I love this implementation of the Interactive Image Viewer. It seems to work extremely well, with a lot of thought given to helping the user understands the contents of each column. The user does not have to scroll up to see the column titles (which are almost unreadable anyway).
I noted also that the interactivity does not extend to the state, county, city, or ED number, nor to the street name, dwelling number or family number.
As far as I can tell, the Interactive Image Viewer is applied only to the 1930 United States Census collection at this time. I hope that it is extended to many other record collections as time goes on.
Ancestry invites your feedback on this new feature - there is a "Beta" banner at the top left of the image with links to "What's New" and "Send comments."
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/02/ancestrycoms-new-interactive-image.html
Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2012
"Record images are the foundation of your family history, and we want to create a rich viewing experience that will bring these historical documents to life. The new Interactive Image Viewer (currently in beta) includes interactive tools to help you view and interpret the information on the record as well as navigation controls that make it easy to focus on the part of the image you’re interested in. The Interactive Image Viewer is a work in progress; we are still adding new features and functionality. We value your suggestions for improving the viewer."
I was away in Salt Lake City when this was announced and so I did not have the opportunity to do a drive-through of it. I saw it demonstrated at RootsTech courtesy of their helpful staff.
Ancestry.com recently added the Interactive Image Viewer option to the 1930 United States census. On the Record summary page, there is a link beneath the thumbnail image that says "View Interactive Image (BETA)." Here's a record summary for my mother in the 1930 U.S. Census:
I clicked on the link and saw:
In the image above, my mother was highlighted with a yellow background, and other members of the household were highlighted with a green background. The screen above is dominated by the image itself. There is only one menu line just above the image. It has:
* On the left is a "Back to Record" link to go back to the record summary.
* In the center is the "State > County > City/town > Enumeration district" notification
* To the right of the above is the Image number, the number of images in the ED, and "previous page" and "next page" arrows.
* On the right of the line are the image manipulation links (drop-down menu) and the image zoom in and zoom out links.
In addition, the image can be zoomed in or out with the mousewheel.
When I ran my mouse over the specific column for age in my great-grandmother's line, a small box popped up and said "Georgia K. Auble was 61, which means she was born in about 1869:"
If I moved the image to see the right-most columns, then the list of person's names appeared on the left side of the image:
On the top Ancestry.com logo line, there is an orange "Save" button and a green "Actions" button. I clicked the "Actions" button:
The "Actions" button that permits the user to:
* Share
* View highlighting (on/off check - checked on for screens above)
* View index (on/off check - doesn't work yet)
* View source (on/off check - see screen below)
* Help and tips
* Settings - doesn't work now)
Here's the screen with the Source information showing:
The source citation for this image says:
"Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.
Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls"
I'm happy to see the NARA publication number, but the source citation does not have the ED number, the page number, or the roll number for the image. Perhaps it will be added later (hint hint!).
I love this implementation of the Interactive Image Viewer. It seems to work extremely well, with a lot of thought given to helping the user understands the contents of each column. The user does not have to scroll up to see the column titles (which are almost unreadable anyway).
I noted also that the interactivity does not extend to the state, county, city, or ED number, nor to the street name, dwelling number or family number.
As far as I can tell, the Interactive Image Viewer is applied only to the 1930 United States Census collection at this time. I hope that it is extended to many other record collections as time goes on.
Ancestry invites your feedback on this new feature - there is a "Beta" banner at the top left of the image with links to "What's New" and "Send comments."
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/02/ancestrycoms-new-interactive-image.html
Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2012
Review - Genealogy at a Glance: Virginia Genealogy Research
The Genealogical Publishing Company in Baltimore has published another in its series of "Genealogy at a Glance" laminated research guides - this time for Virginia Genealogy Research by Carol McGinnis.
This "Genealogy at a Glance" booklet has four laminated pages on one 11" x 17" paper (folded). They are designed to give the user the basic elements of genealogy research in the allotted space. They provide an overview of the facts a researcher needs to know in order to begin and proceed successfully with research in the subject.
The Virginia Genealogy Research folder has these subjects:
* Contents list
* Quick Facts
* Settlement Background -- Ancestry of Virginia's Settlers
* Record Sources -- Vital Records; Church Records; Cemetery Records; Land Records; Probate Records; Military Records
* Census Returns and Tax Lists
* Supplementary Sources -- Bible Records, Biographies, and Family Histories; Periodicals and Indexes
* Major Repositories
* Online Resources
This booklet is designed primarily for the person who is not an expert, or has no experience, in Virginia genealogy research. It provides a summary of the fundamentals of research in Virginia, including online resources. Reference books, online databases and websites for each topic are cited in the text. A researcher wanting additional expertise should rely on quality published books with in-depth knowledge about the resources available.
For someone like me that teaches and talks about genealogy a bit, it is invaluable because I can pull it out and provide some guidance to my student or colleague interested in the subject.
The beauty of these "Genealogy at a Glance" folders is that they are very light and portable in a briefcase or laptop case. They are fixtures in my research case.
This four-page laminated booklet costs $8.95, plus postage and handling (4th Class Mail $5.50; FedEx Ground Service in the USA, $7.50). You can order it through the Genealogical Store, or use the link for the Virginia Genealogy Research booklet and click on the "Add to Cart" link.
Disclosure: Genealogical.com contacted me recently and asked me to provide a review of this booklet. They mailed me a review copy for my personal use as remuneration for this review.
Treasure Chest Thursday - Birth Announcement of Randall J. Seaver
It's Treasure Chest Thursday - a time to reveal another gem in my treasure chest of family history.
The treasure this week is the birth announcement that appeared in the San Diego Union newspaper on 28 October 1943 on page 12 (accessed on GenealogyBank (www.genealogybank.com):
The announcement says:
"IT'S A BOY
Frederick Seaver and Mrs. Seaver (Betty Carringer) announce the birth of a son, Randall Jeffrey, Saturday at Paradise Valley sanitarium. Grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Carringer of San Diego and Mrs. F.W. Seaver of Northampton, Mass."
This was just one of many articles that I found after GenealogyBank added the San Diego Union and San Diego Evening Tribune for the years between about 1895 and about 1970 to the collection. I'm still finding interesting stuff and saving it.
The treasure this week is the birth announcement that appeared in the San Diego Union newspaper on 28 October 1943 on page 12 (accessed on GenealogyBank (www.genealogybank.com):
The announcement says:
"IT'S A BOY
Frederick Seaver and Mrs. Seaver (Betty Carringer) announce the birth of a son, Randall Jeffrey, Saturday at Paradise Valley sanitarium. Grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Carringer of San Diego and Mrs. F.W. Seaver of Northampton, Mass."
This was just one of many articles that I found after GenealogyBank added the San Diego Union and San Diego Evening Tribune for the years between about 1895 and about 1970 to the collection. I'm still finding interesting stuff and saving it.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Review - Genealogy at a Glance: French Genealogy Research
The Genealogical Publishing Company in Baltimore has published another in its series of "Genealogy at a Glance" laminated research guides - this time for French Genealogy Research by Claire Bettag, CG, CGL.
This "Genealogy at a Glance" booklet has four laminated pages on one 11" x 17" paper (folded). They are designed to give the user the basic elements of genealogy research in the allotted space. They provide an overview of the facts a researcher needs to know in order to begin and proceed successfully with research in the subject.
The French Genealogy Research folder has these subjects:
* Contents list
* Quick Facts
* Immigration/Emigration -- Major Periods of French Immigration (to present-day United States), Who Were the Immigrants? Emigration/Immigration Records,
* Unlocking French Family History - Pinpointing the Town of Origin, Family Names (noms de families), Huguenots
* Political/Archival Organization
* Major Record Sources - Parish Registers, 16th century to 1792; Civil Registration, 1792 to present; Notarial Records, 16th century to present; Censuses
* Other Records -- Land Records, Military Records
* Repositories -- Municipal/Communal Archives; Departmental Archives; Archives of Paris; National Archives; National Library of France; family History Library, Salt Lake City
* Online Resources
This booklet is designed primarily for the person who is not an expert, or has no experience, in French genealogy research. It provides a summary of the fundamentals of French research in both the USA and France. Reference books, online databases and websites for each topic are cited in the text. A researcher wanting additional expertise should rely on quality published books with in-depth knowledge about the resources available.
For someone like me that teaches and talks about genealogy a bit, it is invaluable because I can pull it out and provide some guidance to my student or colleague interested in the subject.
The beauty of these "Genealogy at a Glance" folders is that they are very light and portable in a briefcase or laptop case. They are fixtures in my research case.
This four-page laminated booklet costs $8.95, plus postage and handling (4th Class Mail $5.50; FedEx Ground Service in the USA, $7.50). You can order it through the Genealogical Store, or use the link for the French Genealogy Research booklet and click on the "Add to Cart" link.
I reviewed several similar works in Book Review: Genealogy at a Glance: "How-To" Series (French-Canadian, Scottish and Irish), Book Review: "Genealogy at a Glance: German Genealogy Research," and Review: "Genealogy at a Glance: English Genealogy Research."
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/02/review-genealogy-at-glance-french.html
Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2012.
Disclosure: Genealogical.com contacted me recently and asked me to provide a review of this booklet. They mailed me a review copy for my personal use as remuneration for this review.
(Not So) Wordless Wednesday - Post 193: I Don't Look Happy Here...
I am posting photographs from my family collections for (Not So) Wordless Wednesday (you know me, I can't go wordless!).
Here is a small photograph from the Seaver/Carringer family collection handed down by my mother in the 1988 to 2002 time period:
It had been a long day of picture taking, and baby Randy was feeling, well, um, grumpy (perhaps hungry? or constrained by his diaper? or my knees were cold? or I wanted to eat some grass?). Maybe she was pinching me? She certainly was holding me back from something!
This is a picture of my mother, Betty (Carringer) Seaver holding her first-born son (moi) on the front steps of her parents home (2130 Fern Street), probably taken early in 1944.
I showed this picture at my talk at SOCCGS on Saturday, and a wag noted that I have the same hairline then as I do now. Ah, genetics!
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/02/not-so-wordless-wednesday-post-193-i.html
Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2012.
Here is a small photograph from the Seaver/Carringer family collection handed down by my mother in the 1988 to 2002 time period:
It had been a long day of picture taking, and baby Randy was feeling, well, um, grumpy (perhaps hungry? or constrained by his diaper? or my knees were cold? or I wanted to eat some grass?). Maybe she was pinching me? She certainly was holding me back from something!
This is a picture of my mother, Betty (Carringer) Seaver holding her first-born son (moi) on the front steps of her parents home (2130 Fern Street), probably taken early in 1944.
I showed this picture at my talk at SOCCGS on Saturday, and a wag noted that I have the same hairline then as I do now. Ah, genetics!
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/02/not-so-wordless-wednesday-post-193-i.html
Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2012.
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