Genea-Musings

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

NARA Virtual Genealogy Fair is FREE This Week - Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - Updated

The United States National Archives are hosting the second virtual Genealogy Fair from October 28 to 30 (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) this week. The live broadcasts start at 10 a.m. Eastern time (7 a.m. Pacific time). They will be available for FREE on YouTube. There is no need to register or download software. You can watch the live video stream on YouTube. Visit theNational Archives Virtual Genealogy Fair page for more details and links to the live feed.

The presentations should be available on YouTube during and after the live event. I found these links:

Tuesday, 28 October: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy8sqN1TUF8

Wednesday, 29 October: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIuirre9BN8

Thursday, 30 October: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUAq9bik8ZY

The link for the schedule of the three day event is http://www.archives.gov/calendar/genealogy-fair/2014/schedule.html which lists the presentations and has links to the handouts (probably after the talk).

Here's the Tuesday (28 October) schedule:

The Wednesday (29 October) schedule:

The Thursday (30 October) schedule:

As of 4:30 p.m. PDT on Tuesday, I don't see any links for Handouts.

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/10/nara-virtual-genealogy-fair-is-free_28.html

ISHFWE "Excellence in Writing" Competition Call for Entries

I received this press release from Tina Sansone and ISHFWE:

=======================================

International Society of Family History Writers and Editors (ISFHWE)

Website: ISFHWE.org Email Address: competition@isfhwe.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The International Society of Family History Writers and Editors (ISFHWE) is reminding writers IN ALL MEDIA (magazines, newspapers, journals, websites, blogs) that the 2015 Excellence-in-Writing Competition is now open for entries through 15 June 2015.

The competition is open to both MEMBERS and NON-MEMBERS of ISFHWE; both published and non-published authors may enter (see category list below). Members of ISFHWE receive a discount on the entry fee (after logging in to the ISFHWE members’ corner; new members allow up to ten days to receive login information). The categories are:

Category I – Columns. This is for columns of original content, published on a regular basis, in any medium, published in 2014. Each entry must consist of 2,000 words or fewer. These are entries from the author’s regular column - not features.

Note that these may be print or online columns (including blogs).

Category II -- Articles. These one-time articles (not part of the author’s column) must have been published in 2014 in a journal, magazine, newsletter, blog or website. Entries cannot exceed 5,000 words. Note that these may be print or online articles, including GUEST entries on a blog. Footnotes are not included in the word count.

Category III – Genealogy Newsletter. This category is for society or family association newsletters published in 2014. Entries should consist of two issues, each submitted as a single file in PDF format. The judging will be based on originality, content, visual appeal, writing and editing quality, and accuracy. The award is to the editor of the publication.

These may be print or online newsletters. The once-a-year newsletters usually sent at Christmas do not qualify for this competition as two issues from the same calendar year are needed.

Category IV –Unpublished Authors. Entrants in this category aspire to be published writers or columnists in the field of genealogy, family or local history. The submissions in this category are original and unpublished, between 500 and 2,000 words. Since these are UNPUBLISHED, blogs are not eligible for this category. The articles should be unpublished at the time they were submitted to the competition.

Category V– Unpublished material - Published Authors. This category is for original unpublished genealogically related articles by previously published authors. Entries should be between 500 and 3,000 words. Since these are UNPUBLISHED, blogs are not eligible for this category. The articles should be unpublished at the time they were submitted to the competition.

Category VI – Poetry. This category is for original content (published in 2014 or unpublished), that is related to family history. Entries should be no longer than 1000 words and have a title. This may include song lyrics (music is not judged).

Winners (1st, 2nd, 3rd) in each category will be awarded a cash prize and a certificate. Certificates may be awarded for Honorable Mentions. The awards will be announced in September 2015.

Entries must be submitted in PDF, Word, WordPerfect, or JPG format by e-mail in time to meet this deadline. Please note: Footnotes will not count toward word count. Send entries to: Competition@ISFHWE.org

Appropriate entry fee(s) - and membership dues to receive the discount - may be paid via PayPal on the ISFHWE website at ISHFWE.org.

Full information on the competition is available on the ISFHWE website in the “2015 Excellence-in-Writing Competition - Information and Online Entry Form” link, which leads to: http://www.isfhwe.org/competition.php

For questions, contact the Competition Coordinator at: Competition@ISFHWE.org

============================

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/10/ishfwe-excellence-in-writing.html

New or Updated Collections at FamilySearch - 19-25 October 2014

I'm trying to keep up with the new and updated record collections at FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list). As of 25 October, there were 1,841 record collections on FamilySearch (up 2 from last week, which two were they?).

Here are the new and updated collections for the week of 19 to 25 October 2014:

* Indonesia, Jawa Tengah, Mungkid District Court Records, 1985-2013; Browse Images, updated 24 Oct 2014
* Georgia, Deaths, 1928-1938; 412,760 indexed records with images, updated 24 Oct 2014
* Ohio, Trumbull County Records, 1795-2010; Browse Images, updated 24 Oct 2014
* Tennessee, Probate Court Files, 1795-1955; Browse Images, updated 24 Oct 2014
* New York, State Census, 1865; 2,623,218 indexed records with images, updated 24 Oct 2014

* California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994; 106,375 indexed records with images, updated 23 Oct 2014
* Illinois Probate Records, 1819-1988; Browse Images, updated 23 Oct 2014
* Peru, Lima, Civil Registration, 1874-1996; 1,308,522 indexed records with images, updated 23 Oct 2014
* Peru, La Libertad, Civil Registration, 1903-1998; 155,924 indexed records with images, updated 23 Oct 2014
* Peru, Puno, Civil Registration, 1890-2005; 407,918 indexed records with images, updated 23 Oct 2014

* Peru, Municipal Census, 1831-1866; Browse Images, updated 23 Oct 2014
* Republic of Cape Verde, Catholic Church Records, 1787-1957; Browse Images, updated 23 Oct 2014
* South Africa, Church of the Province of South Africa, Parish Registers, 1801-2004; Browse Images, updated 23 Oct 2014
* Bahamas, Civil Registration, 1850-1959; 264,123 indexed records with images, updated 23 Oct 2014
* Washington, County Marriages, 1855-2008; 48,385 indexed records with images, updated 22 Oct 2014

* South Dakota, School Records, 1879-1970; Browse Images, updated 22 Oct 2014

Unfortunately, it is difficult to tell which collections are brand new and which ones are updated. The asterisk they use is for "new or updated." I am particularly interested in new collections, for the obvious reasons.

Each one of the collections listed above has a Research Wiki page (use the "Learn more" link). It would be very useful if the Wiki page for each collection listed the dates for when the collection was added as a new collection and the major updates also.

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/10/new-or-updated-collections-at_28.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Tuesday's Tip - NEHGS Subject Guides at the Learning Center

This week's Tuesday's Tip is to check the FREE Subject Guides available on the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) website, AmericanAncestors.org.

The AmericanAncestoes website has a Learning Center (http://www.americanancestors.org/learning-center/) with links to videos, logs and charts, and subject guides.

I clicked on the "Read" link on the screen above, and the "Read" page (http://www.americanancestors.org/read/) showed a link for Articles and for Subject Guides:

The available Subject Guides include:

Let's take a look at one of these - I chose the "New York Research" guide (5 screens below):

For New York, after a brief introduction, the first section is a list of Guides and Finding Aids, followed by a list of different Record Types (e.g., Census, Church Records, Vital Records, etc.). If there are NEHGS online databases, they are listed and linked.

These Subject Guides provide an excellent bibliography that can be found at the NEHGS Library in Boston, and most of them can be found at a decent genealogical, regional or local public library in the USA.

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/10/tuesdays-tip-nehgs-subject-guides-at.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Monday, October 27, 2014

Kinpoint Can Be Used To Find Research Opportunities

Donna Potter Phillips on her Tika's Teachings blog posted Tika & Kinpoint... A New Genealogy Opportunity today. This was the first I had heard of it, so I had to try it out.

The website is www.KinPoint.com, and it works in tandem with the FamilySearch Family Tree. The "About" page for KinPoint says:

When you first come to the site, you need to log in using your FamilySearch credentials (they are free). Usually, that identifies you as the #1 person on the pedigree chart.

The default was five generations. The boxes for the four grandparent lines are color coded (the user can use the "Themes" menu to change the colors). On the right is information about myself, since I am highlighted.

I wanted to see eight generations, so I clicked on the "Generations" down arrow and selected 8, and saw:

If I run my mouse over a person on the chart, I can see the basic details in a popup window. If I click on a person, I can see more vital record and relationship information about the person.

If a person is color coded, then I think that means that birth, marriage, death, spouse and parents have been identified in the FamilySearch Family Tree.

If a person on the chart has a white background, that means that the person has been identified, but one or more elements of the vitals and relationships are missing. I clicked on Thomas J. Newton and saw that the death, father and mother were missing:

The boxes with a gray background indicate that no one in the FamilySearch Family Tree has been identified as a parent for the child with a colored or white background.

Some of the boxes with missing data have one or more orange dots, and some have one light orange dot. I clicked on Jonathan Keyes, who had a white background and one orange dot, and saw:

I think that this fan chart is useful in identifying information that is missing from the FamilySearch Family Tree. I can go to a specific person profile in the FamilySearch Family Tree by clicking the green "tree" icon next to the person';s name on the right-hand side of the screen.

Of course, if the FamilySearch Family Tree has sparse data, or the information is wrong, those problems will carry over to the KinPoint fan chart.

The best use of this chart is to identify missing data, not as a printable chart. There are other options for a large printable fan chart - see www.TreeSeek.com. Here is my current 9 generation TreeSeek chart, which also uses FamilySearch Family Tree data:

I still love this chart! Looking at it in detail, I see that I still need to do a lot of work in the 8th and 9th generations! Some relationships are wrong, and some are missing (assuming my research is correct).

My thanks to Donna Potter Phillips for the pointer to KinPoint!

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/10/kinpoint-can-be-used-to-find-research.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

NARA Virtual Genealogy Fair is FREE This Week - Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

The United States National Archives are hosting the second virtual Genealogy Fair from October 28 to 30 (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) this week. The live broadcasts start at 10 a.m. Eastern time (7 a.m. Pacific time). They will be available for FREE on YouTube. There is no need to register or download software. You can watch the live video stream on YouTube. Visit the National Archives Virtual Genealogy Fair page for more details and links to the live feed.

The presentations should be available on YouTube during and after the live event. I found these links:

Tuesday, 28 October: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy8sqN1TUF8

Wednesday, 29 October: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIuirre9BN8

Thursday, 30 October: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUAq9bik8ZY

Here's the Tuesday schedule available now:

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/10/nara-virtual-genealogy-fair-is-free.html

Amanuensis Monday - Post 241: 1873 Deed of Land in Taylor County, Iowa from Devier J. and Abbie A. Smith to James McMonigal

Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog) started a Monday blog theme years ago called "Amanuensis Monday." John offers this definition for "amanuensis:"

"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."

The subject today is an 1873 deed in the Taylor County, Iowa deed books for Devier J. and Abbie A. Smith selling land to James McMonigal.

The transcription of this deed is (handwritten text in italics, form fields underlined):

DEED RECORD, TAYLOR CO., IOWA

=================================================

FROM: } Filed for record, this 23 day of August

D.J. Smith & wife } A.D. 18 73 , at 4 o'clock, P. M.

TO: }

James McMonigal } E.G. Medford, Recorder

}

=================================================

Know all Men by these Presents: That We

. Devier J. Smith and Abbie A. Smith

of the County of Andrew and State of Missouri in consideration of the sum of

Seventeen Hundred Dollars,

in hand paid by James McMonigal

of Taylor County and State of Iowa do hereby sell and convey unto the

said James McMonigal the following

described premises, situated in the County of Taylor and State of Iowa to wit:

The South East quarter of the South East Quarter of Section Eleven (11)

and the North East Quarter of the North East quarter of Section Fourteen

(14) Township Sixty Seven (67) Range Thirty four (34)

and We hereby covenant with the said James McMonigal

that We hold said premises by good and perfect title;

that We have good right and lawful authority to sell and convey the same; that they are

free and clear of all liens and incumbrances whatsoever, And We covenant to Warrant and DEFEND the said premises, against the lawful claims of all persons whomsoever. And the said

Abbie A. Smith hereby relinquishes her right of dower in and to

the above described premises.

======================================

Signed this 19th day of August A.D. 18 73

IN PRESENCE OF Devier J. Smith

Abbie A. Smith

STATE OF IOWA, Taylor County SS

On this 19th day of August A.D. 18 73 , before me

E.G. Medford a Notary Public within and for said County,

personally came Devier J. Smith and Abbie A. Smith

personally known to be the identical person s whose name s are

{ Seal} affixed to the above instrument as Grantor s , and acknowledged the

same to be their voluntary act and deed, for the purposes therein expressed.

In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name and

affixed my official seal at Bedford Iowa on the date last

above written.

E.G. Medford

Notary Public

============================================

I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the original deed, as filed for record on the

23 day of August 18 73

E.G. Medford Recorder.

The source citation for this Deed is:

Taylor County, Iowa, Taylor County, Iowa, deed records, 1855-1953; index, 1855-1902, "Deed Records (Land) v. O (cont'd), 1873-1874, v. P 1871-1873, v. Q (to p.391)" Volume Q, page 32 (stamped), Deed of Devier J. and Abbie A. Smith to James McMonigal, 1873; accessed 4 February 2014 on FHL US/CAN microfilm 1,535,635.

Devier J. Smith purchased the Southeast quarter of the Southeast quarter of Section 11 (40 acres), and the Northeast quarter of the Northeast quarter of Section 14 (40 acres) of township 67 North, Range 34 West on 18 December 1871 for $3000. In the present deed, he sold both properties for $1700 after two years of holding and improving this land. So he lost money, about $1300, on this deal.

Note that the deed says that Devier and Abbie Smith are of Andrew County, Missouri by this time. Devier's adoptive faqther, Ranslow Smith, had died by this date in 1873 and Devier probably moved his family to Andrew County, Missouri.

Devier J. and Abbie A. Smith are my second great-grandparents. By 1875, they were residing in Concordia, Cloud County, Kansas. Subsequently, they moved in 1885 to McCook, Red Willow County, Nebraska in 1885, and then bought land in Cheyenne County, Kansas before Devier died in 1894 in McCook. Abbie came to San Diego to live with her daughter's family in the early 1890s.

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/10/amanuensis-monday-post-241-1872-deed-of.html

Sunday, October 26, 2014

CVGS Program Meeting on 29 October - "Witness to Gettysburg"

WEDNESDAY, October 29th PROGRAM MEETING

from 12 noon to 2 p.m.

At Bonita-Sunnyside Library Community Room (4375 Bonita Road)

Annette Hubbell – “Witness to Gettysburg”

The pursuit of family history includes the desire to carve out a place for one's family in the larger historical picture, a sense of responsibility to preserve the past for future generations, and a sense of self-satisfaction in accurate storytelling.

It is that last point, storytelling, which brings Miss Hattie to our October meeting. Behind the discovery of dates and family lineage are the stories of family. Miss Hattie Elizabeth Turner was a witness to the Battle of Gettysburg. Inspired by the diary of Hattie Elizabeth Unangst, Miss Hubbell spent nearly two years researching and writing this performance after spending time in Gettysburg in 2007. Miss Hubbell also draws upon the words and experiences from other witnesses to the war’s fearful struggle, weaving a compelling story of American grit and determination that cannot help but leave one with a renewed appreciation for the sacrifice our forefathers made to preserve the ideals of this Country. The women, the soldiers, the boys who found themselves in uniforms, and how the sheer number of the war’s dead forever changed our burial customs and traditions is told.

Writer and actress Annette Hubbell takes us back to Gettysburg and its frightful aftermath. Thousands of soldiers converged, fought, and just as suddenly left, leaving 30,000 casualties. Just what does a town of 2,400 do when suddenly faced with this calamity? “Witness to Gettysburg” opens on the eve of the battle and ends with President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. “I love to tell her story,” Annette says. “It is one of courage and conviction and character.”

Annette reinvented herself, acting and writing after retiring as General Manager from a San Diego North County water district. Currently she is performing in Witness to Gettysburg (over 120 performances) and as Eleanor Roosevelt in Tea with Mrs. Roosevelt. Witness to Gettysburg is also available on DVD. Adapted from the stage play, the film adds music and original photographs to this dramatic story. The DVD will be available at the meeting for a special performance price of $10.00.

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/10/cvgs-program-meeting-on-29-october.html

Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver

Best of the Genea-Blogs - 19 to 25 October 2014

Hundreds of genealogy and family history bloggers write thousands of posts every week about their research, their families, and their interests. I appreciate each one of them and their efforts.

My criteria for "Best of ..." are pretty simple - I pick posts that advance knowledge about genealogy and family history, address current genealogy issues, provide personal family history, are funny or are poignant. I don't list posts destined for daily blog prompts or meme submissions (but I do include summaries of them), or my own posts.

Here are my picks for great reads from the genealogy blogs for this past week:

* NUCMC and It's Cousins by Paula Stuart-Warren on Paula's Genealogical Eclectica blog. Paula discusses the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections.

* How One New Associate Prepared by Certification by Judy Kellar Fox on the BCG Springboard blog. Shannon Terwedo describes her certification experiences.

* At Home in a Cemetery by Peggy Lauritzen on the Always Anxiously Engaged blog. Peggy has funny, but true, stories to tell.

* Tuesday's Tip: Try It! Illinois 2014 and Other State-Specific Online Database Services by Thomas MacEntee on the Geneabloggers blog. Thomas lists many free state-specific databases, most of which require a library card number.

* Emigration To and Within the United States in the 1800s by Lou Szucs on the Ancestry.com Blog. Lou provides a chronology of migration-type events in the 19th century.

* Re-evaluating the Evidence by Michael Lacopo on the Hoosier Daddy? blog. Michael reviews the evidence of his mother's birth, adoption and reuniting with her mother. But the question still is - who was her father?

* Sometimes, I Just Want to Kick Myself by Ellie on the Ellie's Ancestors blog. Ellie goes down the research rabbit hole...and finds a goodie.

* Joys of Geneablogging by Denise Olson on The Society Journal blog. 11 years of blogging...Denise discusses Tumblr and Disqus as blogging tools.

* Holland Land Company Records: Land Research in Western New York State by Karen E. Livsey on the Genealogical.com blog. Excellent article about these New York land records.

* The Way Names are Spelled by James Tanner on the Genealogy's Star blog. Interesting piece on this subject.

* The Grand Adventure Begins; Upper Canyon: 1st Day Impressions; The Cast of Characters; Settling Into the Daily Routineand Adjusting to Life on the River by Becky Wiseman on the Kinexxions blog. Geneablogger Becky rafted through the Grand Canyon. No genealogy, but wonderful pictures and commentary. Loved it!

These genea-bloggers wrote weekly pick posts and news summary posts this week:

* GAGS - GeniAus Gems - 24 October 2014 by Jill Ball on the GeniAus blog.

* What We Are Reading: October 24th Edition by Amy Johnson Crow on the Ancestry.com Blog.

* Friday Finds and Follows: 24 October 2014 by Miriam J. Robbins on the Ancestories: The Stories of My Ancestors blog.

* Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for October 24, 2014 by Jana Last on Jana's Genealogy and family History Blog.

* Friday Finds - 10/24/14 by Julie Cahill Tarr on Julie's Genealogy & History Hub blog.

* This Week's Creme de la Creme -- October 25, 2014 by Gail Dever on the Genealogy a la Carte blog.

* Saturday Serendipity (October 25, 2014) by John D. Tew on the Filiopietism Prism blog.

Readers are encouraged to go to the blogs listed above and read their articles, and add their blogs to your Favorites, Feedly, another RSS feed, or email if you like what you read. Please make a comment to them also - all bloggers appreciate feedback on what they write.

Did I miss a great genealogy blog post? Tell me! I am currently reading posts from over 1540 genealogy bloggers using Feedly, but I still miss quite a few it seems.

Read past Best of the Genea-Blogs posts here.

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/10/best-of-genea-blogs-19-to-25-october.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Pages

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Monday, October 27, 2014

Sunday, October 26, 2014