The 48th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy was posted tonight by Jasia on her Creative Gene blog - the Carnival post is http://creativegene.blogspot.com/2008/05/carnival-of-genealogy-48th-edition.html.
The subject of this Carnival is Mom, how'd you get so smart? It's a tribute to the wisdom and knowledge of our beloved mothers and mother figures. There are 23 tributes to mothers, all of them written from the heart. My own submission was "How did mom get so smart?"
Please go to the Carnival and read all of the posts - you'll enjoy it!
The topic for the next Carnival of Genealogy is: Swimsuit Edition! Why should Sports Illustrated have all the fun? This is your chance to show off the bathing beauties in your family. Pull out the old photos of Grandma Moses in her seaside bloomers, Auntie Mae in her pin-up girl suit from the 1940s or 50s, cousin Paula in her psychedelic bikini from the 1970s, or even yourself in your Speedo! Let's have some fun here! Memorial Weekend is knocking on the door and that means the start of the summer sun, sand, and seaside season so let's get in the mood with summer fun photos. What? You don't have any swimsuit photos you dare to share? No problem! Tell us your best family beach stories instead! The deadline for submissions is June 1st.
Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
CGSSD Meeting today - Discovering Genealogical Treasures
I posted the program summary the other day about the Michael Kratzer talk on "Discovering Genealogical Treasures in Attics, Yard Sales, Swap Meets, and Internet Auctions." Needless to say, this was different! Michael is from Orange County and volunteers at the Huntington Beach FHC when he's not hunting artifacts, photos and other treasures.
He started his talk off with "I used to be a normal guy – we took vacations in Hawaii, we rode bikes for recreation, we had friends and family over for fun and games on the weekend, etc." Then he discovered genealogy research, and collecting family treasures. Now he collects other people's family treasures too.
Michael had a number of books, papers, photos and artifacts laid out on the table beside him, while he went through a nice presentation showing some of his most interesting treasures, each of them with a story behind them. He talked about visiting museum gift shops, historical sites or societies,
He does research on the person who is featured on or owned the artifact - and often sends the research to relatives in hopes that more treasures will be shared. Michael has visited many areas of the country in his treasure hunts, visited close and distant relatives, and likes to show his collection at family get-togethers.
This was an interesting presentation that went quickly - the audience received insights into how to find the artifacts, obtain them, study them, display them, and preserve them.
I was late to the first part of the CGSSD meeting, but didn't miss much in the FamilyTreeMaker meeting. Lance talked about organizing your files in directories on the computer, how he doesn't like Microsoft Vista, how he doesn't use FTM 2008, how FTM 2008 looks and feels (he does have it!), and how to split your FTM file to create a file with only part of a larger file.
He started his talk off with "I used to be a normal guy – we took vacations in Hawaii, we rode bikes for recreation, we had friends and family over for fun and games on the weekend, etc." Then he discovered genealogy research, and collecting family treasures. Now he collects other people's family treasures too.
Michael had a number of books, papers, photos and artifacts laid out on the table beside him, while he went through a nice presentation showing some of his most interesting treasures, each of them with a story behind them. He talked about visiting museum gift shops, historical sites or societies,
He does research on the person who is featured on or owned the artifact - and often sends the research to relatives in hopes that more treasures will be shared. Michael has visited many areas of the country in his treasure hunts, visited close and distant relatives, and likes to show his collection at family get-togethers.
This was an interesting presentation that went quickly - the audience received insights into how to find the artifacts, obtain them, study them, display them, and preserve them.
I was late to the first part of the CGSSD meeting, but didn't miss much in the FamilyTreeMaker meeting. Lance talked about organizing your files in directories on the computer, how he doesn't like Microsoft Vista, how he doesn't use FTM 2008, how FTM 2008 looks and feels (he does have it!), and how to split your FTM file to create a file with only part of a larger file.
Friday, May 16, 2008
A quotation challenge
See if you can figure out the genealogy quotation on John D. Reid's Anglo-Celtic Connections blog in this post - http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com/2008/05/genea-cyberquote.html.
John has to approve comments so perhaps he will hold all of the responses for awhile.
I think I got it - I believe it's true, too!
This may start a whole new meme! Thanks a lot, John!
John has to approve comments so perhaps he will hold all of the responses for awhile.
I think I got it - I believe it's true, too!
This may start a whole new meme! Thanks a lot, John!
CVGS Research Group summary
The May meeting of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society Research Group was Wednesday at the Chula Vista Library, with 11 members in attendance.
We went around the table at the beginning of the meeting to see what each person was doing in their research.
* John tried to find his ancestors in the 1776 Census book for New Hampshire, but struck out.
* Dearl has a collection of the US state resource guides from Family Tree Magazine available.
* Dave was able to GEDCOM his data files into FTM 8.
* Myrna described her recent trip to New England and walking cemeteries all over western CT and MA.
* Bobbie is working on her father's German Titus line, and is looking for a living male to do a Y-DNA test.
* Virginia received a surname book and family newsletters from a distant cousin.
* Shirley has been adding to her Pearsall database with information from surname books.
* Dick is trying to find his father's military records from World War 1, and made his uncle's criminal and prison records into a timeline.
* Julie wondered where she could find cemetery records in Texas.
* Joan went down to the Social Security office recently and is now confident that SS does not know John Robinson Hall's death date.
* Randy shared his Russell Smith research status, the email from his newly found second cousin, and the SCGS Jamboree program.
Randy then shared a bit about the genealogy news for the month, especially the new Ancestry and FamilySearch Record Search databases, and passed around examples of the different records.
Joan shared the military pay records that she got from the National Personnel Record Commission in St. Louis for her John Robinson Hall. He apparently was in the Air Service from 1918 to 1920 and again around 1930. She had to pay $50 for these records on about 8 pages. Shirley made a handwritten timeline for the records and gave it to Joan to help sort them all out. Joan is still searching for a death date for JRH, who probably died in Philadelphia after 1942.
Myrna shared her search for Bounty Land records on the http://glorecords.blm.gov/ site with examples for several of her ancestors. She also sent away for the War of 1812 Widow's Bounty Land Warrant for Elias Beach of Huron County, MI. She received many pages for $25, which provided the widow's maiden name, the wedding date, and former residences of the family. Myrna also mentioned that she looked again at some older papers and gleaned a few clues and leads from them with this new information at hand. She passed out a one-page summary of her BLM and BLW pension research.
The group suggested that Julie find the US Genealogy Web site (http://www.usgenweb.org/) for her Texas counties of interest to see if they list cemeteries in the county, or have transcriptions from the cemeteries. She could also check http://www.interment.net/ and http://www.findagrave.com/ to see if her family is listed.
This was a very spirited meeting, and everyone was amazed at the records found and the research in progress. I found it interesting that the papers shared by the group today were all obtained the "old-fashioned way," by writing to a repository and receiving a package of paper.
We went around the table at the beginning of the meeting to see what each person was doing in their research.
* John tried to find his ancestors in the 1776 Census book for New Hampshire, but struck out.
* Dearl has a collection of the US state resource guides from Family Tree Magazine available.
* Dave was able to GEDCOM his data files into FTM 8.
* Myrna described her recent trip to New England and walking cemeteries all over western CT and MA.
* Bobbie is working on her father's German Titus line, and is looking for a living male to do a Y-DNA test.
* Virginia received a surname book and family newsletters from a distant cousin.
* Shirley has been adding to her Pearsall database with information from surname books.
* Dick is trying to find his father's military records from World War 1, and made his uncle's criminal and prison records into a timeline.
* Julie wondered where she could find cemetery records in Texas.
* Joan went down to the Social Security office recently and is now confident that SS does not know John Robinson Hall's death date.
* Randy shared his Russell Smith research status, the email from his newly found second cousin, and the SCGS Jamboree program.
Randy then shared a bit about the genealogy news for the month, especially the new Ancestry and FamilySearch Record Search databases, and passed around examples of the different records.
Joan shared the military pay records that she got from the National Personnel Record Commission in St. Louis for her John Robinson Hall. He apparently was in the Air Service from 1918 to 1920 and again around 1930. She had to pay $50 for these records on about 8 pages. Shirley made a handwritten timeline for the records and gave it to Joan to help sort them all out. Joan is still searching for a death date for JRH, who probably died in Philadelphia after 1942.
Myrna shared her search for Bounty Land records on the http://glorecords.blm.gov/ site with examples for several of her ancestors. She also sent away for the War of 1812 Widow's Bounty Land Warrant for Elias Beach of Huron County, MI. She received many pages for $25, which provided the widow's maiden name, the wedding date, and former residences of the family. Myrna also mentioned that she looked again at some older papers and gleaned a few clues and leads from them with this new information at hand. She passed out a one-page summary of her BLM and BLW pension research.
The group suggested that Julie find the US Genealogy Web site (http://www.usgenweb.org/) for her Texas counties of interest to see if they list cemeteries in the county, or have transcriptions from the cemeteries. She could also check http://www.interment.net/ and http://www.findagrave.com/ to see if her family is listed.
This was a very spirited meeting, and everyone was amazed at the records found and the research in progress. I found it interesting that the papers shared by the group today were all obtained the "old-fashioned way," by writing to a repository and receiving a package of paper.
Ancestry Adventures at Borders Bookstore
Borders Bookstores announced their "Concept Store" on 14 February 2008 in Ann Arbor MI, and Dick Eastman was probably the first to notice that the announcement included a sentence:
"Customers interested in tracing their roots can access 'Borders Genealogy Services' provided by Ancestry.com, and because many Borders customers are authors looking to publish their own work, the Digital Center also includes 'Borders Personal Publishing' powered by Lulu.com."
In March, DearMYRTLE also wrote about the Concept Store and the opening of a store in Las Vegas that included this sentence:
"The store blends digital and Internet options with a fresh new look, enriching in-store services, and a number of exciting features to create a uniquely satisfying customer shopping experience. "
My CVGS colleague John Finch told me the other day that a new Borders Bookstore had opened at the Westfield Bonita Plaza shopping center in National City, and that they had Ancestry.com on their computers for patrons to use.
Rather than stay in a warm house today, I chose to go to the shopping center today for lunch and to check out the new Concept Store and see what they had for family history researchers. I am really impressed!!!
First, they do have Ancestry Institution (which is an Ancestry World Deluxe collection, minus some features, such as DNA, Publish and Store) on three computers in the central technology area, plus six more computers scattered around the books and other products. You can check out the historical records, family trees, stories and publications and photos and maps sections. The Ancestry capabilities are identical to what are at the 13 Regional Family History Centers (including San Diego). At this time, a customer can print out pages for free in this store! The guy who I talked to said someone was there for three hours the other day and printed a whole handful of papers.
The central technology area has several kiosks - one for Family History, one for Personal Publishing using Lulu, and one for creating Photo Albums. In the Family History area, there is a book display for family history books, including "Using FamilyTreeMaker 2008," "Finding Your Mexican Ancestors," "Finding Your Irish Ancestors," and several others.
They are also selling FamilyTreeMaker 2008 software (plus a training DVD and several other e-books) in three different forms -
* $29.99 with a one-month Ancestry US Deluxe subscription.
* $69.99 with a three-month Ancestry US Deluxe subscription.
* $99.99 with a six-month Ancestry US Deluxe subscription.
Each of those is a pretty good bargain if you want FTM 2008 and an Ancestry subscription.
This seems like an excellent marketing strategy by both Ancestry and Borders. Ancestry gets people interested and sells their software and subscriptions, and Borders makes something from the sales. And it's a one-stop shop for people who want to make a photo album easily, or publish a book easily. However, they are not offering Internet access.
My second thought was how can my genealogy society take advantage of this opportunity, and I thought of:
* Encourage our members to use the Ancestry Institution down at Borders - the more people who use it, the longer they will keep it. Even if they charge for printing at some time, it is still a bargain. It's also closer and more accessible for our members who don't want to go all the way to or on the freeway to the FHC.
* Determine if Borders will refer patrons to our society if they ask about it. Perhaps we can put our brochures in the Family History area.
* Offer beginning genealogy classes to Borders patrons - see if they will take signups for classes at the library.
* See if they want a "genealogy consultant" on a regular basis to help people use Ancestry. Sounds like fun!
To top it off, they have a coffee shop inside the Borders store and the food court is right outside the front door. I may go shopping more often! Linda will be surprised by my newfound eagerness to go to Plaza Bonita - I always go to the bookstore anyway while she shops for gifts, jewelry or clothes.
It was interesting to see the emphasis on technology items - CDs, DVDs, photos, e-books, audio-books, genealogy, etc. in addition to the traditional book selections. They aren't selling expensive hardware (not computers or cameras) but they are selling MP3 players, photo frames, music by the song, CDs, DVDs, movies, etc. They are also selling "bring-it-in-services" and software.
The fellow I talked to said that Borders Concept Stores were scheduled soon for Riverside, San Francisco and Seattle ... and many more locations, I'm sure.
UPDATE 5/17: Schelly Talalay Dardashti in comments pointed our her Tracing the Tribe blog post back in February about this super store - she even called the company for more information, which resulted in a list of locations. Read Schelly's post here.
Lisa Louise Cooke commented that "On March 1, 2008 I published Genealogy Gems Podcast episode #43 which featured an extensive interview with Dylan Barrell, Director of Digital Business at Borders, all about Ancestry at Borders. To listen to the interview go to www.GenealogyGems.TV, click PODCAST and go to Episode 43, or you can find it in iTunes. Lisa Louise Cooke, The Genealogy Gems Podcast." You can find Lisa's post at http://genealogygemspodcast.com/index.php?post_id=312569.
"Customers interested in tracing their roots can access 'Borders Genealogy Services' provided by Ancestry.com, and because many Borders customers are authors looking to publish their own work, the Digital Center also includes 'Borders Personal Publishing' powered by Lulu.com."
In March, DearMYRTLE also wrote about the Concept Store and the opening of a store in Las Vegas that included this sentence:
"The store blends digital and Internet options with a fresh new look, enriching in-store services, and a number of exciting features to create a uniquely satisfying customer shopping experience. "
My CVGS colleague John Finch told me the other day that a new Borders Bookstore had opened at the Westfield Bonita Plaza shopping center in National City, and that they had Ancestry.com on their computers for patrons to use.
Rather than stay in a warm house today, I chose to go to the shopping center today for lunch and to check out the new Concept Store and see what they had for family history researchers. I am really impressed!!!
First, they do have Ancestry Institution (which is an Ancestry World Deluxe collection, minus some features, such as DNA, Publish and Store) on three computers in the central technology area, plus six more computers scattered around the books and other products. You can check out the historical records, family trees, stories and publications and photos and maps sections. The Ancestry capabilities are identical to what are at the 13 Regional Family History Centers (including San Diego). At this time, a customer can print out pages for free in this store! The guy who I talked to said someone was there for three hours the other day and printed a whole handful of papers.
The central technology area has several kiosks - one for Family History, one for Personal Publishing using Lulu, and one for creating Photo Albums. In the Family History area, there is a book display for family history books, including "Using FamilyTreeMaker 2008," "Finding Your Mexican Ancestors," "Finding Your Irish Ancestors," and several others.
They are also selling FamilyTreeMaker 2008 software (plus a training DVD and several other e-books) in three different forms -
* $29.99 with a one-month Ancestry US Deluxe subscription.
* $69.99 with a three-month Ancestry US Deluxe subscription.
* $99.99 with a six-month Ancestry US Deluxe subscription.
Each of those is a pretty good bargain if you want FTM 2008 and an Ancestry subscription.
This seems like an excellent marketing strategy by both Ancestry and Borders. Ancestry gets people interested and sells their software and subscriptions, and Borders makes something from the sales. And it's a one-stop shop for people who want to make a photo album easily, or publish a book easily. However, they are not offering Internet access.
My second thought was how can my genealogy society take advantage of this opportunity, and I thought of:
* Encourage our members to use the Ancestry Institution down at Borders - the more people who use it, the longer they will keep it. Even if they charge for printing at some time, it is still a bargain. It's also closer and more accessible for our members who don't want to go all the way to or on the freeway to the FHC.
* Determine if Borders will refer patrons to our society if they ask about it. Perhaps we can put our brochures in the Family History area.
* Offer beginning genealogy classes to Borders patrons - see if they will take signups for classes at the library.
* See if they want a "genealogy consultant" on a regular basis to help people use Ancestry. Sounds like fun!
To top it off, they have a coffee shop inside the Borders store and the food court is right outside the front door. I may go shopping more often! Linda will be surprised by my newfound eagerness to go to Plaza Bonita - I always go to the bookstore anyway while she shops for gifts, jewelry or clothes.
It was interesting to see the emphasis on technology items - CDs, DVDs, photos, e-books, audio-books, genealogy, etc. in addition to the traditional book selections. They aren't selling expensive hardware (not computers or cameras) but they are selling MP3 players, photo frames, music by the song, CDs, DVDs, movies, etc. They are also selling "bring-it-in-services" and software.
The fellow I talked to said that Borders Concept Stores were scheduled soon for Riverside, San Francisco and Seattle ... and many more locations, I'm sure.
UPDATE 5/17: Schelly Talalay Dardashti in comments pointed our her Tracing the Tribe blog post back in February about this super store - she even called the company for more information, which resulted in a list of locations. Read Schelly's post here.
Lisa Louise Cooke commented that "On March 1, 2008 I published Genealogy Gems Podcast episode #43 which featured an extensive interview with Dylan Barrell, Director of Digital Business at Borders, all about Ancestry at Borders. To listen to the interview go to www.GenealogyGems.TV, click PODCAST and go to Episode 43, or you can find it in iTunes. Lisa Louise Cooke, The Genealogy Gems Podcast." You can find Lisa's post at http://genealogygemspodcast.com/index.php?post_id=312569.
Cousins finding me
One of my main reasons for writing my genealogy blogs, having a genealogy web site, and putting family tree information online is to provide enough Google crumbs for cousins who search for Seaver ancestors (or my other ancestral surnames) to find me. The hope is, of course, that I can share my research with them, and they will share their research and family information with me.
This works pretty well. I think it could work even better if I made a specific genealogy web site with smaller pages than the current site has. I just haven't done it due to the amount of time it will take to create.
In recent months, I've had the following types of emails from correspondents:
* A second cousin once removed found my Richman/Richmond data on the web sites and contacted me. My Seaver family lost track of her Shaw family in the 1940's due to a sibling conflict. We each have pictures and information that the other hasn't seen.
* A historian in Michigan is researching the Auble family, one part of which settled in Kent County, and wants to use my online genealogy report to document the ancestry of the Aubles there.
* A researcher in Michigan found the Seaver ancestry of her relative on the web site and provided information on the family that moved to Ontario in about 1790. I had no information on this family.
* A Kemp cousin in Ontario contacted me with additions and corrections to my Genea-Musings post about my Abraham James Kemp family. We hadn't corresponded for several years, and she found my blog.
* A correspondent asked if I knew the ancestry of Mehitable Dill born in 1808, based on my web page information.
* Several emails come each week asking for more information as a result of my posting a Personal Family Tree on www.ancestry.com. I need to be more diligent in answering these, because these requestors may have more information for me.
* Two Feather researchers saw my blog post about Cornelius and Mrs. Feather and shared their information and frustration that none of us can find anything more on this line.
* The fellow who had the key information about Cornelia Bresee's birth date contacted me and is looking for the source he found it in.
* A researcher in Idaho found my web site report on my wife's Leland family and contacted me with updated information.
* Occasionally I get a notice from www.WeRelate.org and www.MyHeritage.com that someone has added information or has matched one of the persons in the Seaver database that I have posted on these sites.
* And many more over the years!
If my email archive is passed on to my heirs, they will be tremendously confused by the number of contacts and variety of information shared by and with other researchers. I need to save my email archives into directories so that the important contacts can be saved rather than die when my hard drive does.
My point here is that putting your genealogy information on the Internet, in a controlled way that protects privacy of living relatives, can provide a means for other researchers, and even close cousins, to contact you and share information.
This works pretty well. I think it could work even better if I made a specific genealogy web site with smaller pages than the current site has. I just haven't done it due to the amount of time it will take to create.
In recent months, I've had the following types of emails from correspondents:
* A second cousin once removed found my Richman/Richmond data on the web sites and contacted me. My Seaver family lost track of her Shaw family in the 1940's due to a sibling conflict. We each have pictures and information that the other hasn't seen.
* A historian in Michigan is researching the Auble family, one part of which settled in Kent County, and wants to use my online genealogy report to document the ancestry of the Aubles there.
* A researcher in Michigan found the Seaver ancestry of her relative on the web site and provided information on the family that moved to Ontario in about 1790. I had no information on this family.
* A Kemp cousin in Ontario contacted me with additions and corrections to my Genea-Musings post about my Abraham James Kemp family. We hadn't corresponded for several years, and she found my blog.
* A correspondent asked if I knew the ancestry of Mehitable Dill born in 1808, based on my web page information.
* Several emails come each week asking for more information as a result of my posting a Personal Family Tree on www.ancestry.com. I need to be more diligent in answering these, because these requestors may have more information for me.
* Two Feather researchers saw my blog post about Cornelius and Mrs. Feather and shared their information and frustration that none of us can find anything more on this line.
* The fellow who had the key information about Cornelia Bresee's birth date contacted me and is looking for the source he found it in.
* A researcher in Idaho found my web site report on my wife's Leland family and contacted me with updated information.
* Occasionally I get a notice from www.WeRelate.org and www.MyHeritage.com that someone has added information or has matched one of the persons in the Seaver database that I have posted on these sites.
* And many more over the years!
If my email archive is passed on to my heirs, they will be tremendously confused by the number of contacts and variety of information shared by and with other researchers. I need to save my email archives into directories so that the important contacts can be saved rather than die when my hard drive does.
My point here is that putting your genealogy information on the Internet, in a controlled way that protects privacy of living relatives, can provide a means for other researchers, and even close cousins, to contact you and share information.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
New York Ancestors web site
The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) in Boston announced today the launch of a new Web portal highlighting the wide variety of New York resources available on their award-winning Website, www.NewEnglandAncestors.org. This new portal, located at www.NewYorkAncestors.org, will direct members to a wide range of databases, publications, and articles focusing on New York state research.
What databases are on the new web page? Here's a list:
* Albany County First Settlers of, from 1630 to 1800
* Records of St. Paul's (P.E.) Church, Syracuse, New York, 1830-53
* First Settlers of Schenectady, from 1662 to 1800
* New York Wills, 1626-1836
* Death Notices from the New York Evening Post, 1801-1890
* Marriage Notices from the New York Evening Post, 1801-1890
* The Settlers of the Beekman Patent, Volume 1 [Dutchess Co., NY]
* Record of Deaths and Marriages from the Albany Argus, 1826-1828
* Otsego County, New York, Newspaper Records
* Marriages Published in the Christian Intelligencer of the Reformed Dutch Church From 1830 to 1871
* Marriages Performed by Rev. Ezekiel W. Mundy in Syracuse, New York
* Marriages of Dutchess County, New York
* Marriages and Deaths in New York State from the New Canaan [CT], Era
* Jacob Benson, Pioneer, and his Descendants (1915), by Arthur T. Benson
* Guardianship Records of Onondaga County, New York
* Genealogical and Biographical Notes on the Haring-Herring, Clark, Denton, White Griggs, Judd, and Related Families
* Estate Assessment Roll, Thurman, New York - 1806-1809, 1812
* Deaths Published in the Christian Intelligencer of the Reformed Dutch Church From 1830 to 1871
* Death Records of Rensselaer County, New York, 1847-1851
* Abstracts of Wills, Administrations and Guardianships in NY State, 1787-1835
* Abstracts of Wills in Onondaga County, New York, 1791-1841
There are also articles about New York research at http://www.newenglandancestors.org/research/services/2757.asp.
Of course, you have to be a member of NEHGS to use the databases at the site.
NEHGS is offering a $15 (single member is $75 a year) discount for new memberships through June 30, according to the www.newyorkancestors.,org web page. between now and June 30, 2008. Alternatively, you can receive a free copy of the book, "New York Essays" by Marian S. Henry. This offer is only available for new memberships and only by calling the membership department at 1-888-296-3447.
I am a member of NEHGS and enjoy the publications, but I find that the online databases are frustratingly difficult to use.
What databases are on the new web page? Here's a list:
* Albany County First Settlers of, from 1630 to 1800
* Records of St. Paul's (P.E.) Church, Syracuse, New York, 1830-53
* First Settlers of Schenectady, from 1662 to 1800
* New York Wills, 1626-1836
* Death Notices from the New York Evening Post, 1801-1890
* Marriage Notices from the New York Evening Post, 1801-1890
* The Settlers of the Beekman Patent, Volume 1 [Dutchess Co., NY]
* Record of Deaths and Marriages from the Albany Argus, 1826-1828
* Otsego County, New York, Newspaper Records
* Marriages Published in the Christian Intelligencer of the Reformed Dutch Church From 1830 to 1871
* Marriages Performed by Rev. Ezekiel W. Mundy in Syracuse, New York
* Marriages of Dutchess County, New York
* Marriages and Deaths in New York State from the New Canaan [CT], Era
* Jacob Benson, Pioneer, and his Descendants (1915), by Arthur T. Benson
* Guardianship Records of Onondaga County, New York
* Genealogical and Biographical Notes on the Haring-Herring, Clark, Denton, White Griggs, Judd, and Related Families
* Estate Assessment Roll, Thurman, New York - 1806-1809, 1812
* Deaths Published in the Christian Intelligencer of the Reformed Dutch Church From 1830 to 1871
* Death Records of Rensselaer County, New York, 1847-1851
* Abstracts of Wills, Administrations and Guardianships in NY State, 1787-1835
* Abstracts of Wills in Onondaga County, New York, 1791-1841
There are also articles about New York research at http://www.newenglandancestors.org/research/services/2757.asp.
Of course, you have to be a member of NEHGS to use the databases at the site.
NEHGS is offering a $15 (single member is $75 a year) discount for new memberships through June 30, according to the www.newyorkancestors.,org web page. between now and June 30, 2008. Alternatively, you can receive a free copy of the book, "New York Essays" by Marian S. Henry. This offer is only available for new memberships and only by calling the membership department at 1-888-296-3447.
I am a member of NEHGS and enjoy the publications, but I find that the online databases are frustratingly difficult to use.
ISFHWE Award Winners
DearMYRTLE, Dick Eastman, Leland Meitzler and probably others have listed the ISFHWE award winners from last night's Banquet and Awards Dinner at the National Genealogical Society Conference in Kansas City.
The Winners of the 2008 International Society of Family History Writers and Editors Excellence in Writing Contest are:
Category I - Newspaper Columns
** First Place: Mary Alice Dell, "Land Ho" - link.
** Second Place: Julie Miller, "Dear Lucy, Love Phil: A Cotton Family Legacy" - link.
** Third Place: Mary Penner, "Union Vets Joined Posts Across Nation" - link.
Category II - Articles
** First Place: Colleen Fitzpatrick, "Clues Left Around a House" - link
** Second Place: Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak: "Found! Serial Centenarians" - link
** Third Place: Schelly Talalay Dardashti: "Planting the Family Tree" - link.
Category III - Original Research Story
** First Place: Hazlehurst Smith Beezer, "Dr. James Hill: Skeleton in the Hall Family Closet"
** Second Place: Terry R. Barnhart, "Unraveling the Mystery in Ginghamsburg"
** Third Place: Nancy Waters Lauer, "When a Brick Wall Crumbles Onto the Wrong Path"
Category IV - Want-to-Be Writer/Columnist
** First Place: Debra A. Hoffman, "Bricks & Mortality"
** Second Place: Harold Henderson, "City Directories as Clue Factories"
** Third Place: J.H. Fonkert, "Celebrate Minnesota's History by Starting Your Own"
I want to add my congratulations to these writers for earning these awards in competition with their peers. I note that there are several genealogy bloggers on the list, including Schelly Talalay Dardashti, Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, and Harold Henderson.
When they make these awards, I would really appreciate that they would note where these efforts have been published - the book, newspaper, periodical or web site. The only one I've read is Megan's in Ancestry magazine.
UPDATE 5/19: Gary in Comments provided links to some of these works. I've added them to the list above. Thanks, Gary! I looked for the others and didn't find them online.
The Winners of the 2008 International Society of Family History Writers and Editors Excellence in Writing Contest are:
Category I - Newspaper Columns
** First Place: Mary Alice Dell, "Land Ho" - link.
** Second Place: Julie Miller, "Dear Lucy, Love Phil: A Cotton Family Legacy" - link.
** Third Place: Mary Penner, "Union Vets Joined Posts Across Nation" - link.
Category II - Articles
** First Place: Colleen Fitzpatrick, "Clues Left Around a House" - link
** Second Place: Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak: "Found! Serial Centenarians" - link
** Third Place: Schelly Talalay Dardashti: "Planting the Family Tree" - link.
Category III - Original Research Story
** First Place: Hazlehurst Smith Beezer, "Dr. James Hill: Skeleton in the Hall Family Closet"
** Second Place: Terry R. Barnhart, "Unraveling the Mystery in Ginghamsburg"
** Third Place: Nancy Waters Lauer, "When a Brick Wall Crumbles Onto the Wrong Path"
Category IV - Want-to-Be Writer/Columnist
** First Place: Debra A. Hoffman, "Bricks & Mortality"
** Second Place: Harold Henderson, "City Directories as Clue Factories"
** Third Place: J.H. Fonkert, "Celebrate Minnesota's History by Starting Your Own"
I want to add my congratulations to these writers for earning these awards in competition with their peers. I note that there are several genealogy bloggers on the list, including Schelly Talalay Dardashti, Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, and Harold Henderson.
When they make these awards, I would really appreciate that they would note where these efforts have been published - the book, newspaper, periodical or web site. The only one I've read is Megan's in Ancestry magazine.
UPDATE 5/19: Gary in Comments provided links to some of these works. I've added them to the list above. Thanks, Gary! I looked for the others and didn't find them online.
Family Tree Magazine - July 2008 Table of Contents
The Table of Contents for the July 2008 issue of Family Tree Magazine (Volume 9, Issue 4) includes:
FEATURES
* Recharge Your Research - Try these 12 techniques to give your genealogy a jump start - and break through those brick walls, by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack - page 16
* Your Ancestors Slept Here - Want to add a family history twist to your summer travels? From Colonial quarters t Civil War cabins, these historical lodgings let you rest your head where your forebears did, by Sunny McClellan Morton - page 22
* French Made - Follow our five-step research guide, and say bonjour to your French roots, by Nancy Hendrickson - page 26
* Charmed Life - Create your own genealogical serendipity by using these five methods to connect with distant cousins and find long-lost heirlooms, by Maureen A. Taylor - page 32
* Apple Picking - In the market for Mac genealogy software? Choose the best programs for you with our exclusive comparisons and ratings, by David A. Fryxell - page 46
* Dwelling on the Past - Three professional historians share their secrets for bringing bygone days to life and understanding your ancestors' world, by David A. Fryxell - page 54
* Top Shelves - Check out what you're missing at genealogical libraries large and small: Our Libby awards highlight the strengths of collections across the country, by Lauren Gamber - page 58
* COLUMNS AND DEPARTMENTS
* Branching Out - What's new in discovering, preserving and celebrating your family history, including: special report on online etiquette; social networking applications for genealogy; endangered Civil War battlefields, by Diane Haddad - page 8
* State Research Guides - quickly access the essential facts, advice and resources you need to find your family anywhere in the country. In this issue - Ohio and Florida -- page 37.
* The Toolkit - Reviews and roundups of the latest, greatest family history resources: checkup on software for recording family health history; The Master Genealogist 7 review; quick guide to online passenger-list collections; Google Book Search; The Book Report, by Allison Stacy - page 74
---------------------------------
The full table of contents is on the web site http://www.familytreemagazine.com/jul08.asp. The Hendrickson and Morton articles are offered online. You can also download a PDF of the 7 page list of web links from this issue.
There is an excellent Genealogical Source Checklist on page 20, as part of the Carmack article. Perhaps FTMagazine will eventually put it on their web site for researchers to use. I've already scanned a copy for my own use.
As always, there are many excellent research tips in these articles, and a nice list of libraries to visit on your travels!
FEATURES
* Recharge Your Research - Try these 12 techniques to give your genealogy a jump start - and break through those brick walls, by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack - page 16
* Your Ancestors Slept Here - Want to add a family history twist to your summer travels? From Colonial quarters t Civil War cabins, these historical lodgings let you rest your head where your forebears did, by Sunny McClellan Morton - page 22
* French Made - Follow our five-step research guide, and say bonjour to your French roots, by Nancy Hendrickson - page 26
* Charmed Life - Create your own genealogical serendipity by using these five methods to connect with distant cousins and find long-lost heirlooms, by Maureen A. Taylor - page 32
* Apple Picking - In the market for Mac genealogy software? Choose the best programs for you with our exclusive comparisons and ratings, by David A. Fryxell - page 46
* Dwelling on the Past - Three professional historians share their secrets for bringing bygone days to life and understanding your ancestors' world, by David A. Fryxell - page 54
* Top Shelves - Check out what you're missing at genealogical libraries large and small: Our Libby awards highlight the strengths of collections across the country, by Lauren Gamber - page 58
* COLUMNS AND DEPARTMENTS
* Branching Out - What's new in discovering, preserving and celebrating your family history, including: special report on online etiquette; social networking applications for genealogy; endangered Civil War battlefields, by Diane Haddad - page 8
* State Research Guides - quickly access the essential facts, advice and resources you need to find your family anywhere in the country. In this issue - Ohio and Florida -- page 37.
* The Toolkit - Reviews and roundups of the latest, greatest family history resources: checkup on software for recording family health history; The Master Genealogist 7 review; quick guide to online passenger-list collections; Google Book Search; The Book Report, by Allison Stacy - page 74
---------------------------------
The full table of contents is on the web site http://www.familytreemagazine.com/jul08.asp. The Hendrickson and Morton articles are offered online. You can also download a PDF of the 7 page list of web links from this issue.
There is an excellent Genealogical Source Checklist on page 20, as part of the Carmack article. Perhaps FTMagazine will eventually put it on their web site for researchers to use. I've already scanned a copy for my own use.
As always, there are many excellent research tips in these articles, and a nice list of libraries to visit on your travels!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Family Photographs - Post 5: Massachusetts Seaver family
I'm posting old family photographs from my collection on Wednesdays, but they won't be wordless posts like others do - I simply cannot have a wordless post.
Here is one of the more interesting images from my Massachusetts Seaver family collection:
Here is one of the more interesting images from my Massachusetts Seaver family collection:
This picture was probably taken in Leominster, Massachusetts in about 1919 (I'm guessing that the little girl is about age 2). The setting may be the Seaver family home at 290 Central Street in Leominster.
The people in the picture are (left to right):
* Roy Mansour (in back, I have no clue who he is - a boyfriend of Evelyn perhaps?)
* Edward R. Seaver (in front, 1913-2004, son of Fred and Bess Seaver, my uncle)
* Frederick W. Seaver (in back, 1876-1942, my grandfather)
* Alma Bessie (Richmond) Seaver (in back, 1882-1962, my grandmother)
* Geraldine Seaver (in front, 1917-2007, daughter of Fred and Bess Seaver, my aunt)
* Evelyn Seaver (in back, 1903-1978, daughter of Fred and Bess Seaver, my aunt).
I have no pictures of the complete Fred and Bessie (Richmond) Seaver family with all of their children.
I had no clue who the fellow on the left was until I saw the picture in Aunt Gerry's album labeled with the name Roy Mansour. He looks pretty dapper, doesn't he? Is he trying to curry favor with Fred by wearing the same type of hat?
This photograph is in the possession of Randy Seaver, and was obtained from the Seaver family photograph collection handed down by his parents.
The people in the picture are (left to right):
* Roy Mansour (in back, I have no clue who he is - a boyfriend of Evelyn perhaps?)
* Edward R. Seaver (in front, 1913-2004, son of Fred and Bess Seaver, my uncle)
* Frederick W. Seaver (in back, 1876-1942, my grandfather)
* Alma Bessie (Richmond) Seaver (in back, 1882-1962, my grandmother)
* Geraldine Seaver (in front, 1917-2007, daughter of Fred and Bess Seaver, my aunt)
* Evelyn Seaver (in back, 1903-1978, daughter of Fred and Bess Seaver, my aunt).
I have no pictures of the complete Fred and Bessie (Richmond) Seaver family with all of their children.
I had no clue who the fellow on the left was until I saw the picture in Aunt Gerry's album labeled with the name Roy Mansour. He looks pretty dapper, doesn't he? Is he trying to curry favor with Fred by wearing the same type of hat?
This photograph is in the possession of Randy Seaver, and was obtained from the Seaver family photograph collection handed down by his parents.
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