We had our monthly Research Group meeting today at the library - 14 people were there. Our usual format is to discuss the news of the month, ask for and discuss research problems that the attendees have, answer research questions, and tell success stories. We did that for the first hour today, with the usual results - lots of discussion and some very useful research tips.
Perhaps the most useful tip was showing how the Family History Library Catalog could be used to find resources that can be rented at the FHC. Another useful tip was that most libraries have an Interlibrary Loan program, but few people are aware of it or use it.
We discussed the content of the Drouin red and blue books (French-Canadian records) and how useful they are. We discussed surname spellings and how thinking creatively can lead to further ancestral lines. A member noted that a mention of one of his surnames at lunch on Monday led another member to offer information on that surname. I described my research on the living relative problem I posted about last week.
The last 45 minutes of the meeting were used to demonstrate a genealogy tutorial web site that is useful for any researcher - beginner or experienced. I'll post about that separately.
Unfortunately, the wireless signal in the library conference room is tenuous - we never had four green bars on the wireless icon, usually it had two red bars. The downloads took so long that we need to rethink doing wireless internet in the conference room. Frustrating, to be sure.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Looking for Maps?
I was looking for New York county maps last night to try and figure out my latest research mystery. Then this morning reading my favorite blogs (well, letting bloglines find them for me), I saw that George G. Morgan had posted an article on "Exploring the World With Historical Maps Collections Online."
This list looks interesting and I am going to explore these sites when I get home from my CVGS Research Group meeting today.
George's columns are always useful - I had a nice collection of them on my desktop computer before the crash, but they didn't get backed up.
This list looks interesting and I am going to explore these sites when I get home from my CVGS Research Group meeting today.
George's columns are always useful - I had a nice collection of them on my desktop computer before the crash, but they didn't get backed up.
Sandy Burglar to the Rescue
Chris Dunham at the Genealogue has a different take on things like the NARA fee increases - see http://www.genealogue.com/2007/02/company-offers-solution-to-high-copying.html for his "exclusive" story.
Rather than complain about them, "Sandy Burglar" has taken an entrepreneurial step and started a new business to obtain NARA documents at reduced prices. Of course, Sandy was caught the last time he tried this, so it is not recommended for "the rest of us" since we don't have access to high government officials to let us off with a slap on the wrist.
This is Chris at his best...original thinking far out of the box - funny and thought-provoking.
Rather than complain about them, "Sandy Burglar" has taken an entrepreneurial step and started a new business to obtain NARA documents at reduced prices. Of course, Sandy was caught the last time he tried this, so it is not recommended for "the rest of us" since we don't have access to high government officials to let us off with a slap on the wrist.
This is Chris at his best...original thinking far out of the box - funny and thought-provoking.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Will of Solomon Carpenter (1677-1750) of South Kingstown, RI
I mentioned the other day that I was collecting probate records for my ancestors who died in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. I transcribed three probate files today, including that of Solomon Carpenter (1677-1750). Here is the will transcription (transcribed from the clerk's copy in the South Kingstown (Rhode Island) Probate and Town Council Records, Volume 4, Pages 318-320, on FHL Microfilm 0,931,834) and abstract of the other records:
=====================================
"In the Name of God Amen the Thirtyeth Day of April Anno Domini one Thousand Seven Hundred fifty. I Solomon Carpenter of South Kingstown in the County of Kings County in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in New England yeoman. Being ancient but Perfect in mind and memory Thanks be therefore given to Almighty God and Calling unto Mind the Mortality of My body and Knowing that it is Appointed for men once to Dye do make and Ordain this to be my Last will and Testament That is to Say
"Principally and first of all I Give and Recommend my Soul into the Hands of God that Gave it and my body I recommend to the Earth to be buried in a Decent Christian Like manner at the Discrestion of my Executor hereafter Named And as Touching such worldly Estate wherewith It hath Pleased God to bless me with in this Life I Give Demise and Dispose of the Same in the following manner and form (Viz)
"Imprimis my Will is That my Just Debts be Duly Paid by my Executor herein and hereafter Named.
"Item I Give and Bequeath unto my well beloved Daughter Elizabeth Braman the Sum of Fifty Pounds in good and Passable Bills of Publick Credit of said Colony to be paid by my Executor hereafter Named with in Twelve Months Next after my Decease.
"Item I Give to my Grandaughter Joanna Rogers the Sum of fifty Pounds in good and Passable Bills of the Colony before said to be paid by my Executor hereafter Named at his Discrestion and as he shall think she the said Joanna hath agreed thereof.
"Item I Give to my GrandSon Samuel Carpenter the sum of Twenty Shillings in good and Pasable Bills of Publick Credit in the Colony aforesaid to be paid by my Executor hereafter named when the said Samuel shall Arrive to the Age of Twenty one years and the reason why I Give him no more is because his Deceased Father had received his Part of my Estate in his Lifetime.
"Item I Give and bequeath unto my GrandSon Joseph Carpenter the sum of twelve Pounds in good and Passable Bills of Publick Credit in said colony to be Paid by my Executor hereafter Named when the said Joseph shall Arrive to the Age of Twenty one years.
"And as to the rest and Residue of my Estate both Real and Personal be it of what Kind or Nature soever or Where soever the Same is or may be found I do Give Demise and Bequeath the same unto my well beloved Son Daniel Carpenter to him and his Heirs and Assigns for Ever And I do hereby Nominate Constitute make and ordaine my said Well beloved Son Daniel Carpenter my whole and Sole Executor of this my Last will and Testament and I do hereby utterly Disallow Revoke and Disannull all and Every other Former Testament Wills Legacies and bequeaths and Executors by me in any wise before Named Willed and bequeathed Rattifying and Confirming this and No other to be my Last will and Testament. In Witness whereof I have herewith Set my hand and Seal the Day and years first before Writen.
"Signed Sealed Published Pronounced and Declared by the said Solomon Carpenter as his Last will and Testament in the presence of us the Subscribers
..............................................Solomon Carpenter (Locus Sigillus)
Rouse Helme
Job Gardner
Oliver Helme"
On 8 October 1750, the subscribers personally appeared before the South Kingstown town council and declared that they witnessed Solomon Carpenter sign, seal and declare this instrument to be his last will and testament and that they signed as witnesses in his presence, and that Solomon Carpenter was in his perfect mind and memory at the time.
No inventory of the estate, executor's account or distribution of the estate was found in the town probate records.
=======================================
The will mentions daughter Elizabeth Braman, granddaughter Joanna Rogers (perhaps a daughter of Elizabeth Carpenter or Sarah Carpenter), Grandson Samuel Carpenter (probably son of Solomon Carpenter Jr), Grandson Joseph Carpenter (probably a son of Solomon Carpenter Jr), and son Daniel Carpenter, who is my ancestor.
Are there any other researchers with Solomon Carpenter and his wife Elizabeth Tefft as their ancestors? If so, please contact me.
=====================================
"In the Name of God Amen the Thirtyeth Day of April Anno Domini one Thousand Seven Hundred fifty. I Solomon Carpenter of South Kingstown in the County of Kings County in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in New England yeoman. Being ancient but Perfect in mind and memory Thanks be therefore given to Almighty God and Calling unto Mind the Mortality of My body and Knowing that it is Appointed for men once to Dye do make and Ordain this to be my Last will and Testament That is to Say
"Principally and first of all I Give and Recommend my Soul into the Hands of God that Gave it and my body I recommend to the Earth to be buried in a Decent Christian Like manner at the Discrestion of my Executor hereafter Named And as Touching such worldly Estate wherewith It hath Pleased God to bless me with in this Life I Give Demise and Dispose of the Same in the following manner and form (Viz)
"Imprimis my Will is That my Just Debts be Duly Paid by my Executor herein and hereafter Named.
"Item I Give and Bequeath unto my well beloved Daughter Elizabeth Braman the Sum of Fifty Pounds in good and Passable Bills of Publick Credit of said Colony to be paid by my Executor hereafter Named with in Twelve Months Next after my Decease.
"Item I Give to my Grandaughter Joanna Rogers the Sum of fifty Pounds in good and Passable Bills of the Colony before said to be paid by my Executor hereafter Named at his Discrestion and as he shall think she the said Joanna hath agreed thereof.
"Item I Give to my GrandSon Samuel Carpenter the sum of Twenty Shillings in good and Pasable Bills of Publick Credit in the Colony aforesaid to be paid by my Executor hereafter named when the said Samuel shall Arrive to the Age of Twenty one years and the reason why I Give him no more is because his Deceased Father had received his Part of my Estate in his Lifetime.
"Item I Give and bequeath unto my GrandSon Joseph Carpenter the sum of twelve Pounds in good and Passable Bills of Publick Credit in said colony to be Paid by my Executor hereafter Named when the said Joseph shall Arrive to the Age of Twenty one years.
"And as to the rest and Residue of my Estate both Real and Personal be it of what Kind or Nature soever or Where soever the Same is or may be found I do Give Demise and Bequeath the same unto my well beloved Son Daniel Carpenter to him and his Heirs and Assigns for Ever And I do hereby Nominate Constitute make and ordaine my said Well beloved Son Daniel Carpenter my whole and Sole Executor of this my Last will and Testament and I do hereby utterly Disallow Revoke and Disannull all and Every other Former Testament Wills Legacies and bequeaths and Executors by me in any wise before Named Willed and bequeathed Rattifying and Confirming this and No other to be my Last will and Testament. In Witness whereof I have herewith Set my hand and Seal the Day and years first before Writen.
"Signed Sealed Published Pronounced and Declared by the said Solomon Carpenter as his Last will and Testament in the presence of us the Subscribers
..............................................Solomon Carpenter (Locus Sigillus)
Rouse Helme
Job Gardner
Oliver Helme"
On 8 October 1750, the subscribers personally appeared before the South Kingstown town council and declared that they witnessed Solomon Carpenter sign, seal and declare this instrument to be his last will and testament and that they signed as witnesses in his presence, and that Solomon Carpenter was in his perfect mind and memory at the time.
No inventory of the estate, executor's account or distribution of the estate was found in the town probate records.
=======================================
The will mentions daughter Elizabeth Braman, granddaughter Joanna Rogers (perhaps a daughter of Elizabeth Carpenter or Sarah Carpenter), Grandson Samuel Carpenter (probably son of Solomon Carpenter Jr), Grandson Joseph Carpenter (probably a son of Solomon Carpenter Jr), and son Daniel Carpenter, who is my ancestor.
Are there any other researchers with Solomon Carpenter and his wife Elizabeth Tefft as their ancestors? If so, please contact me.
NARA Rate Increases
Dick Eastman posted the news release about the National Archives and Records Administration increasing their rates for many records requested by mail.
Leland Meitzler posted much the same information, and included email and snail addresses for persons to comment on the proposed fee changes.
The consensus opinion among genea-bloggers and the APG list posters is that this is in response to the news some time ago that NARA funding would be restricted and the hours that the Archives branches are open were reduced significantly.
It is important to understand that many of these records are NOT on microfilm and available to researchers online or at an FHC - only the Revolutionary War Pension records are on microfilm, from what I've read.
On the APG list, one poster thought that this would be a boon for DC area professional researchers, since NARA's staff was their main competitor in providing Archives documents to researchers by mail. The researchers currently go to the Archives and copy documents available only at the Archives for their customers - they know how to deal with the system and find the documents efficiently.
While the proposed fee increase is not good news, it is not the end of the world. The documents are still available to all of us - but at higher prices by mail or in person at the Archives. It would be real smart to order documents now - at the current mail order prices - rather than wait until the prices rise. The date of the price increase is not given - but April 27, 2007 is the date for the closing of the comment process.
After the prices rise, using a professional researcher may be the best recourse. If the pertinent files are at a nearby Archives branch, going to the Archives branch will still be an option.
Does anyone know if the documents that have not been microfilmed (including the civil War Pension files) will be digitized and indexed by www.Footnote.com and offered on their commercial web site?
Leland Meitzler posted much the same information, and included email and snail addresses for persons to comment on the proposed fee changes.
The consensus opinion among genea-bloggers and the APG list posters is that this is in response to the news some time ago that NARA funding would be restricted and the hours that the Archives branches are open were reduced significantly.
It is important to understand that many of these records are NOT on microfilm and available to researchers online or at an FHC - only the Revolutionary War Pension records are on microfilm, from what I've read.
On the APG list, one poster thought that this would be a boon for DC area professional researchers, since NARA's staff was their main competitor in providing Archives documents to researchers by mail. The researchers currently go to the Archives and copy documents available only at the Archives for their customers - they know how to deal with the system and find the documents efficiently.
While the proposed fee increase is not good news, it is not the end of the world. The documents are still available to all of us - but at higher prices by mail or in person at the Archives. It would be real smart to order documents now - at the current mail order prices - rather than wait until the prices rise. The date of the price increase is not given - but April 27, 2007 is the date for the closing of the comment process.
After the prices rise, using a professional researcher may be the best recourse. If the pertinent files are at a nearby Archives branch, going to the Archives branch will still be an option.
Does anyone know if the documents that have not been microfilmed (including the civil War Pension files) will be digitized and indexed by www.Footnote.com and offered on their commercial web site?
Monday, February 26, 2007
Memories from my youth
We visited with my brothers and their families on Sunday. Unfortunately, my kids and their families couldn't attend. They missed out on some reminiscences and some fun.
I seem to recall events from my childhood and youth in a general way. for instance, when I was about 16, my brother and I went downtown on a Saturday and found a KDEO radio station "sweater girl" in an elevator, and won $25 (it was a station promotion). That's the extent of my memory - we did it, we won, hooray.
My brother, who is three years younger than me (but we often did things together), remembers more detail. We went downtown with my friend Paul, who had a '49 Ford tricked out, and sneaked into the San Diego Club (a men-only club) to play handball. As we were going up in the elevator, a female employee in a lavender cashmere sweater got on. After some consultation, my brother asked if she was the KDEO Sweater Girl. She responded that she was, took his name and phone number, and he received $25 for being in the right place at the right time. $25 was a big deal in 1960 for a young teenager, even if he split it three ways. My brother says he even remembers what the young lady looked like, and he said we were all focused on the sweater for some reason.
There were several other stories like that last night - one of us remembered more about an event than the other two.
It struck me that I, and other researchers, might be missing out on significant family history if we rely only on our own memories, or the memories of just one family member. We should strive to gather family memories from all of the family members we can.
One problem that is fairly common with family interviews is that some people will protect themselves, their siblings, or their parents, and not tell negative stories about people. Only by using multiple sources can you really gather all of the memories.
Age and gender make a difference too. My Aunt Geraldine was her mother's youngest child and lived with her the longest. In her mother's later years, she was her mother's confidante, and heard all of the stories from her mother's point of view. Aunt Gerry was objective enough to realize that her mother's stories promoted her mother's view, and told me not only her mother's view but also her view on the cassette tapes she made for me about 15 years ago.
Aunt Gerry and her sisters (or their female children) told me consistent stories about my father's love affair, and the outcome of it. My father's only brother said that it didn't happen (protecting him? or just unaware?). Who should I believe? I think the story rings true, but I value my uncle's view - perhaps he was unaware of the event since he was newly married and the girls kept the secret. I wish I had my father's version of his life. Unfortunately, he died in 1983 before I started doing genealogy research.
Have you had experiences like this? Have you written down your memories? Have you asked your aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings and parents about their lives and family events?
I seem to recall events from my childhood and youth in a general way. for instance, when I was about 16, my brother and I went downtown on a Saturday and found a KDEO radio station "sweater girl" in an elevator, and won $25 (it was a station promotion). That's the extent of my memory - we did it, we won, hooray.
My brother, who is three years younger than me (but we often did things together), remembers more detail. We went downtown with my friend Paul, who had a '49 Ford tricked out, and sneaked into the San Diego Club (a men-only club) to play handball. As we were going up in the elevator, a female employee in a lavender cashmere sweater got on. After some consultation, my brother asked if she was the KDEO Sweater Girl. She responded that she was, took his name and phone number, and he received $25 for being in the right place at the right time. $25 was a big deal in 1960 for a young teenager, even if he split it three ways. My brother says he even remembers what the young lady looked like, and he said we were all focused on the sweater for some reason.
There were several other stories like that last night - one of us remembered more about an event than the other two.
It struck me that I, and other researchers, might be missing out on significant family history if we rely only on our own memories, or the memories of just one family member. We should strive to gather family memories from all of the family members we can.
One problem that is fairly common with family interviews is that some people will protect themselves, their siblings, or their parents, and not tell negative stories about people. Only by using multiple sources can you really gather all of the memories.
Age and gender make a difference too. My Aunt Geraldine was her mother's youngest child and lived with her the longest. In her mother's later years, she was her mother's confidante, and heard all of the stories from her mother's point of view. Aunt Gerry was objective enough to realize that her mother's stories promoted her mother's view, and told me not only her mother's view but also her view on the cassette tapes she made for me about 15 years ago.
Aunt Gerry and her sisters (or their female children) told me consistent stories about my father's love affair, and the outcome of it. My father's only brother said that it didn't happen (protecting him? or just unaware?). Who should I believe? I think the story rings true, but I value my uncle's view - perhaps he was unaware of the event since he was newly married and the girls kept the secret. I wish I had my father's version of his life. Unfortunately, he died in 1983 before I started doing genealogy research.
Have you had experiences like this? Have you written down your memories? Have you asked your aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings and parents about their lives and family events?
Della's Journal - Week 9 (February 26-March 4, 1929)
This is Installment 9 of the Journal of Della (Smith) Carringer, my great-grandmother, who resided at 2115 30th Street in San Diego in 1929.
The "players" and "setting" are described here. Pictures of some of the players are here. Last week's Journal entry is here.
======================================
Tuesday, February 26: Lunch with Mrs. Jones
Wednesday, February 27: no entry
Thursday, February 28: Went to town. got A[ustin] under clothes.
Friday, March 1: A[ustin] got pay. I gave Emily $20. She got two carpets. I got day bed for Ma's house $20.00. Congoliam rug for our kitchen $3.00. I went out with man to deliver bed to house.
Saturday, March 2: Ed over. Gave him $12. I went out to Ma's house had Mr. Van Beber help me an hour pd him 50 c[ents]. I stayed and fixed things. Mr. Schmidt sick in bed. Mr. Van B and I put old carpet down for them I gave them. Mrs. Nolan & girl & Mrs. Marvin got home, were gone North over a week.
Sunday, March 3: Lyle's went to country. We did not do anything. Mr. Roberts called, gave him box candy.
Monday, March 4: I went to town. Pd $200 on Bld & Loan & $25 (?) monthly pay. Fluffy had kittens, five. Willie, Lee & sisters called.
======================================
At the beginning of this week, Della obviously didn't journal much, even missing a day. The big news of the week is that the cat had 5 kittens - I never knew the cat's name, of course. Again, Della does all of the family business - banking, payments, etc.
The "players" and "setting" are described here. Pictures of some of the players are here. Last week's Journal entry is here.
======================================
Tuesday, February 26: Lunch with Mrs. Jones
Wednesday, February 27: no entry
Thursday, February 28: Went to town. got A[ustin] under clothes.
Friday, March 1: A[ustin] got pay. I gave Emily $20. She got two carpets. I got day bed for Ma's house $20.00. Congoliam rug for our kitchen $3.00. I went out with man to deliver bed to house.
Saturday, March 2: Ed over. Gave him $12. I went out to Ma's house had Mr. Van Beber help me an hour pd him 50 c[ents]. I stayed and fixed things. Mr. Schmidt sick in bed. Mr. Van B and I put old carpet down for them I gave them. Mrs. Nolan & girl & Mrs. Marvin got home, were gone North over a week.
Sunday, March 3: Lyle's went to country. We did not do anything. Mr. Roberts called, gave him box candy.
Monday, March 4: I went to town. Pd $200 on Bld & Loan & $25 (?) monthly pay. Fluffy had kittens, five. Willie, Lee & sisters called.
======================================
At the beginning of this week, Della obviously didn't journal much, even missing a day. The big news of the week is that the cat had 5 kittens - I never knew the cat's name, of course. Again, Della does all of the family business - banking, payments, etc.
Palaeography and Translation web sites
Dona Ritchie's list of handwriting (palaeography) and translation web sites include:
1) Old Style Handwriting and Printer's Ligatures - A Beginner's Guide (Smoot Family Association) - http://www.usgennet.org/family/smoot/oldhand/
2) Palaeography - Reading Old Handwriting tutorial - http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/palaeography/
3) Reading Early Writing - http://www.jaydax.co.uk/genlinks/palaeography.html
4) Early English Handwriting - http://www.btinternet.com/~tylcoat/handwrit.htm
5) Scottish Handwriting - online tutoring in the palaeography of Scottish documents, 1500 to 1750 - http://www.scottishhandwriting.com/content/
6) English Handwriting, 1500 to 1700 - an online course - http://www.english.cam.ac.uk/ceres/ehoc/
7) Deciphering Old Handwriting - from a genealogy course taught by Sabina J. Murray - http://www.amberskyline.com/treasuremaps/oldhand.html
8) Handwriting guide - German Gothic Resource Guide - http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/rg/guide/German_gothic99-36316.asp
9) Tutorials for reading Old German, French and English Handwriting - http://www.disknet.com/indiana_biolab/eg502.htm
The free online translation sites include (each of these also offers professional translation services for a price via email):
1) Free online translation of text (English to Spanish, French, German, Norwegian, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, and vice versa) - http://www.freetranslation.com/
2) Free online translation of text (the above, plus Arabic and Korean) - www.appliedlanguage.com/free_translation.shtml
3) Free online translation of text (the above plus Greek and Swedish, but not Norwegian) - www.worldlingo.com/en/products_services/worldlingo_translator.html [not available now]
Note that for the translations to non-Latin alphabets, you must have the proper character sets installed on your computer. All-in-all, these sites look fairly easy to use for short phrases. The prices to translate a fairly long document may be high.
I input the last paragraph into the English to French translator at the WorldLingo site, then translated it back to English - it came out:
"Note that for the translations with the alphabets not-Latin, you must have the suitable character sets installed on your computer. All-in-all, it looks at rather easy employing these sites for short expressions. The prices to translate a rather long document can be high."
That isn't too bad, actually. These sites generally will translate 150 words for free.
At the Free Translation site, it costs $40 to translate a paragraph like that into Spanish, or $50 to translate it into Chinese. If you need a translation of something short, the free translator may be the way to go. For longer documents, you may want to pay the price or try to find someone in a local genealogy society or an educational institution to help you get it right.
My thanks to Dona for letting me post these online resources.
Do you have other palaeography or translation options? Tell me about them!
1) Old Style Handwriting and Printer's Ligatures - A Beginner's Guide (Smoot Family Association) - http://www.usgennet.org/family/smoot/oldhand/
2) Palaeography - Reading Old Handwriting tutorial - http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/palaeography/
3) Reading Early Writing - http://www.jaydax.co.uk/genlinks/palaeography.html
4) Early English Handwriting - http://www.btinternet.com/~tylcoat/handwrit.htm
5) Scottish Handwriting - online tutoring in the palaeography of Scottish documents, 1500 to 1750 - http://www.scottishhandwriting.com/content/
6) English Handwriting, 1500 to 1700 - an online course - http://www.english.cam.ac.uk/ceres/ehoc/
7) Deciphering Old Handwriting - from a genealogy course taught by Sabina J. Murray - http://www.amberskyline.com/treasuremaps/oldhand.html
8) Handwriting guide - German Gothic Resource Guide - http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/rg/guide/German_gothic99-36316.asp
9) Tutorials for reading Old German, French and English Handwriting - http://www.disknet.com/indiana_biolab/eg502.htm
The free online translation sites include (each of these also offers professional translation services for a price via email):
1) Free online translation of text (English to Spanish, French, German, Norwegian, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, and vice versa) - http://www.freetranslation.com/
2) Free online translation of text (the above, plus Arabic and Korean) - www.appliedlanguage.com/free_translation.shtml
3) Free online translation of text (the above plus Greek and Swedish, but not Norwegian) - www.worldlingo.com/en/products_services/worldlingo_translator.html [not available now]
Note that for the translations to non-Latin alphabets, you must have the proper character sets installed on your computer. All-in-all, these sites look fairly easy to use for short phrases. The prices to translate a fairly long document may be high.
I input the last paragraph into the English to French translator at the WorldLingo site, then translated it back to English - it came out:
"Note that for the translations with the alphabets not-Latin, you must have the suitable character sets installed on your computer. All-in-all, it looks at rather easy employing these sites for short expressions. The prices to translate a rather long document can be high."
That isn't too bad, actually. These sites generally will translate 150 words for free.
At the Free Translation site, it costs $40 to translate a paragraph like that into Spanish, or $50 to translate it into Chinese. If you need a translation of something short, the free translator may be the way to go. For longer documents, you may want to pay the price or try to find someone in a local genealogy society or an educational institution to help you get it right.
My thanks to Dona for letting me post these online resources.
Do you have other palaeography or translation options? Tell me about them!
Excellent CVGS Meeting today
Our monthly Chula Vista Genealogical Society meeting was well attended today. It was our annual business meeting, and we presented the "state of the society" with a report of 2006 activities and the 2007 society budget report. CVGS sponsored over 50 events in 2006 - not bad for a small society of 86 members.
The program featured Dona Ritchie presenting "Interpretation of Handwriting." Her talk covered the handwriting peculiarities of early US and English records and German records. She covered the obsolete letter forms (the leading-S, the thorn (not a Y as in Ye), the double-f, the X for Christ, the ampersand, the I's and J's, the U, V, W, etc.) and showed pictures of many documents that had a variety of script types, and provided examples of "look-alike" letters found in the records. Dona also provided helpful techniques for transcribing and translating documents. Her handout included a list of useful web sites and reference books on deciphering handwriting and document translation. I will post her list of web sites, with her permission, in a separate post.
Our tradition is that the President treats the speaker to lunch at a nearby restaurant. Today, five of our board members joined us, and we had a lively discussion about our personal research problems, especially as they related to handwriting and transcribing records.
It was a fun and interesting genealogy day.
The program featured Dona Ritchie presenting "Interpretation of Handwriting." Her talk covered the handwriting peculiarities of early US and English records and German records. She covered the obsolete letter forms (the leading-S, the thorn (not a Y as in Ye), the double-f, the X for Christ, the ampersand, the I's and J's, the U, V, W, etc.) and showed pictures of many documents that had a variety of script types, and provided examples of "look-alike" letters found in the records. Dona also provided helpful techniques for transcribing and translating documents. Her handout included a list of useful web sites and reference books on deciphering handwriting and document translation. I will post her list of web sites, with her permission, in a separate post.
Our tradition is that the President treats the speaker to lunch at a nearby restaurant. Today, five of our board members joined us, and we had a lively discussion about our personal research problems, especially as they related to handwriting and transcribing records.
It was a fun and interesting genealogy day.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Genealogy is in the news
So I take a day off from genea-blogging, and look what happens.
1) Noted genealogists Megan Smolenyak and Tony Burroughs break the news that Al Sharpton's ancestors were probably owned by Strom Thurmond's ancestors - see the New York Daily News article here.
2) Some of Mitt Romney's ancestors were Mormons who practiced polygamy. The original Boston Globe story is here.
We heard about the biracial ancestry of Barack Obama a while ago (and I found out that he is my distant cousin). Hillary Rodham Clinton's ancestry has been known for many years. Some researchers and authors make a living tracing the ancestry of the rich and famous.
It should be only a matter of time before we know more about the ancestry of John McCain, Rudy Guiliani, John Edwards and other presidential hopefuls.
One Bible saying is interpreted as saying "the sins of the father will be visited on the children for three or four generations." However, many Biblical scholars (I am NOT a scholar) say that this is not what God meant (see this article). In 2 Kings 14:1-6, the Bible says "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin."
The latter sums up my own attitude - let every person be evaluated and judged on their own acts, words and deeds - not on the acts, words or deeds of their ancestors, or other family members.
The newspapers and commentators are trying to make political hay from the ancestry of our candidates for office. We in the genealogy community should monitor these efforts, correct any errors in the research, and appreciate the publicity that the articles generate.
The reactions and attitudes of the candidates toward the revelations about other candidates will tell me more about their character. Likewise, the candidate who says that he has learned lessons from the words, deeds and acts of his ancestors, and tells us what the lessons are, will be rewarded.
I am reminded of the famous Mark Twain quote - ""Why pay money to have your family tree traced? Go into politics and your opponents will do it for you." So true!
1) Noted genealogists Megan Smolenyak and Tony Burroughs break the news that Al Sharpton's ancestors were probably owned by Strom Thurmond's ancestors - see the New York Daily News article here.
2) Some of Mitt Romney's ancestors were Mormons who practiced polygamy. The original Boston Globe story is here.
We heard about the biracial ancestry of Barack Obama a while ago (and I found out that he is my distant cousin). Hillary Rodham Clinton's ancestry has been known for many years. Some researchers and authors make a living tracing the ancestry of the rich and famous.
It should be only a matter of time before we know more about the ancestry of John McCain, Rudy Guiliani, John Edwards and other presidential hopefuls.
One Bible saying is interpreted as saying "the sins of the father will be visited on the children for three or four generations." However, many Biblical scholars (I am NOT a scholar) say that this is not what God meant (see this article). In 2 Kings 14:1-6, the Bible says "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin."
The latter sums up my own attitude - let every person be evaluated and judged on their own acts, words and deeds - not on the acts, words or deeds of their ancestors, or other family members.
The newspapers and commentators are trying to make political hay from the ancestry of our candidates for office. We in the genealogy community should monitor these efforts, correct any errors in the research, and appreciate the publicity that the articles generate.
The reactions and attitudes of the candidates toward the revelations about other candidates will tell me more about their character. Likewise, the candidate who says that he has learned lessons from the words, deeds and acts of his ancestors, and tells us what the lessons are, will be rewarded.
I am reminded of the famous Mark Twain quote - ""Why pay money to have your family tree traced? Go into politics and your opponents will do it for you." So true!
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