Donna’s Genealogy Blog

FGS Conference

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 22:40:13 -0400

It’s been a while since I blogged on general topics (hope you followed my Irish blog and trip to Ireland) and I’m just back from the FGS Conference in Knoxville. It was a great conference. Although a bit smaller than previous conferences, there was lots of new and exciting information. The respondents to a recent survey done by the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston showed that only 16% attended national conferences and a slightly higher number, 29% attend state or regional conferences. I would absolutely encourage you to plan to attend a national conference. In 2011 the FGS will be held in Springfield, Illinois from September 7 - 10, and the NGS conference will be held in Charleston, South Carolina from May 11 - 14.
The national conferences tend to be a place where new announcements are made, and this conference did not disappoint. Ancestry.com and FamilySearch both had a large presence in Knoxville. FamilySearch was promoting their new beta site, as well as document preservation and their Wiki. Maureen Taylor, the photo detective was also available in their booth to help identify old photographs. I would encourage you to check out the beta which combines the pilot site with original FamilySearch for record search. FamilySearch announced an additional 200 million records had been added since the NGS Conference in April, bringing the total number of records added to 500 million. Also visit the “Learn” section to see a number of resources to help with your research.
Ancestry provided a service where individuals could schedule a 15 minute appointment to have their photos and documents scanned. They also held a series of free classes on Saturday (separate from FGS) for anyone interested in their products. In their booth they were promoting their new search features, and provided a short preview of their upcoming Family Tree Maker for Mac.
Also present with a large booth was the New England Historic Genealogical Society with their announcement of their updated website, AmericanAncestors.org. The website, along with their new publication, American Ancestors: New England, New York, and Beyond, expands their focus out of just the New England area. If in the past you assumed that this organization only covered colonial New England, it’s time to take another look.
As I explore these resources look for some additional information.
Happy Hunting!

Check Out My Ireland Blog

Sun, 4 Jul 2010 15:47:12 -0400

If you regularly pick up this blog on an RSS feed and think I’ve died, check out my Ireland Blog. I decided to split off my Irish research information from my general methodology blog and as I was preparing for my annual research trip to Ireland, most of my focus has been there. I’ve been in Ireland for five days (nine to go) and have been writing each day about my experiences. Hope you’ll visit me there as well.
Happy Hunting!

Strategies for Starting Your Family History: Ancestry.com

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 19:50:57 -0400

Ancestry.com has one of the largest groups of databases online for genealogical research. Accessible by individual subscription, or through Ancestry Library Edition at a local library, these databases can help jumpstart your research by searching a large number of records, and in many cases, linking you to an image of the original record.
Today, Ancestry.com is much more than a collection of databases. The addition of online Family Trees provides a new level of networking, using the Web to help you find others researching the same family. Message Boards, which have been a long standing feature, allow you to exchange information with those who have similar interests and Publish allows you to create a book, calendar or poster size chart for your family. In 2007 Ancestry began providing DNA test kits to help find “genetic” cousins. Finally, the Learning Center allows both the novice and experienced researcher to learn how to start, or extend their family history.
Personal subscriptions to Ancestry are available at two levels: US Deluxe Membership and World Deluxe Membership. There are also many areas of Ancestry which are free, but do require you to register with your email address. (To sign up for a free account, go here. If you are asked for a credit card number, you’re in the wrong place! No credit card is required for a guest account.) The online Family Tree area allows you to create your family tree for free, as well as upload pictures and stories to share with family members. The Learning Center and the Message Boards are free and there are about 300 free databases.
Make sure you read (and print) any agreements in order to understand how the subscriptions work (automatic renewals) and what rights Ancestry has to any data you upload to their site.
Many public libraries have access to Ancestry through the Ancestry Library Edition. Not everything on Ancestry.com is in the Library edition, however. The Library Edition is hosted by ProQuest...if that sounds familiar, it’s the company that provides HeritageQuest. Some of the material on Ancestry is licensed from ProQuest and Gale Group. For example, some content in Ancestry’s “Historical Newspapers and Obituary collections” as well as some books in the “Families and Local Histories collection” are not on the Library Edition since they are available through competing ProQuest content. The same is true of “Filby’s Passenger and Immigration Lists” and some City Directories that are licensed from Gale by Ancestry, but cannot be hosted by ProQuest. Other things that are missing are the “OneWorld Trees” and the “Biography & Genealogy Master Index.” Even with these exclusions, Ancestry Library Edition provides all of the census and many other databases to search for free at your library. If your local library doesn’t have a subscription, try some of the surrounding libraries. Remote access to Ancestry Library Edition is not allowed, so you must go to the library to use it. Another option is to check with your local Family History Center, which may have a subscription.
One of the most important aspects of research for family historians is evaluating the data you find. Does it fit with what you already know? Does it make sense (did Mary have her first child at 8 or 80...not likely)? What is the source of the information? Every Historical Records database at Ancestry has source information attached to it and you should copy this, along with the detail into your database or notes. If an image is not provided you should attempt to find a copy of the original source. (If the source is a book, try using WorldCat.org to find the closest library with a copy.) Was the record abstracted or transcribed correctly? Where did the compiler get the information? Was it taken from original or derivative material? Is it primary or secondary information? All of this will help with your evaluation of the information, especially when there is conflicting data. Next read the complete description of the database (including the “Learn More”). This will explain any anomalies with the database. Was there an original book missing? Were certain years left out because they were lost or unreadable? If the database contained “selected” records, what was the selection criteria? Was the data compiled from multiple sources and if so, what were those sources? This might explain why your ancestor was not found in the records, not because he wasn’t in that location, but because of one of the situations mentioned above.
When you move to Family Trees you must be even more cautious of the information. These trees can point you in the direction to continue your research, but you should consider the information hints until you are able to verify and provide sources. Contact the person providing the tree to find about their sources. Maybe this is the long lost cousin who got the Family Bible. On the other hand, it might be someone who simply collects names from Internet sites or CD’s.
Depending on how common the name is that you are searching, you might want to begin with a general search for an exact match. Then unclick the “exact” box to see what other spelling variations come up. For a more unusual name, or one that tends to be misspelled, unclick the “Exact matches only” checkbox. At this point, depending on the number of “hits” or matches you get, you might want to refine your search further.
By using Advanced Search you can add additional information to limit your results...first name, age, place or year of birth or marriage. Even if you know all of this information you might want to fill in one or two criteria at a time to see the results. Databases usually require an exact match so if you type in a first name, and the database only has an initial or nickname, it will exclude that record. Likewise, if a field is left blank and you put in a value, that record will be excluded.
Also remember that just because there is a blank, you don’t have to fill it in. If you’re having trouble finding someone, especially when the surname is difficult or frequently misspelled, leave it out of your search. What else do you know about the individual. I was looking for my great grandfather David Moag in the 1910 census. I knew he was living in Livingston County, New York since he died there in August of 1910 (The census date for 1910 was 15 April). In his daughter’s June marriage announcement it stated the wedding was small as her father was ill. So my Advanced Search criteria was anyone with the first name David, in Livingston County, New York who was born in Ireland. There were about thirty individuals who met this criteria, however as soon as I saw the name “Maag” I knew I had found him. Viewing the actual census image confirmed this as his wife and all three of his daughters were listed. Another choice might be to search for a child with an unusual name. The younger the child the more likely you are to find him by isolating the age and place of birth. Start with a year ± 1, and work up until you find the correct individual.
Even if you’re not an Ancestry subscriber, you can still using the Learning Center. This site includes video tutorials with Megan Smolenyak, Ancestry’s Chief Historian. If you click on “Keep Learning” you will be taken to a page where you can search for information on a variety of subjects. The archive includes articles and blogs written for various Ancestry newsletters over the years, as well as articles from Ancestry Magazine. For example, type “naturalization” in the search box and you will come up with four pages of articles. I use this site to learn about new resources or record types and frequently to cite resources for a lecture syllabus.
Another option is to use the Family Trees tab to input (or upload a GEDCOM of) your family information. This allows you to share information either publicly or privately with your family (make sure you read the privacy and licensing agreements). If you are a subscriber to Ancestry, you will find “hints” (little green leaves) on the names of your ancestors where Ancestry thinks they have a match. If after reviewing the document, you can confirm that it pertains to your ancestor, you can link the document to that individual. Besides providing a place to share, this also gives you a backup copy of your file. If you come across documents that you’re not sure pertain to your family, you can save these in your “shoebox” to fit in later.
For more detailed information on Ancestry you can refer to George G. Morgan’s book, The Official Guide to Ancestry.com or Myra Vanderpool Gormley’s The Official Guide to Rootsweb.com.
Happy Hunting!

Strategies for Starting Your Family History: CyndisList.com

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 06:58:04 -0400

For genealogists and family historians, Cyndi is one of those people who only needs a single name (but in case you’re interested, her last name is Howells). In 1995, Cyndi began to keep a list of bookmarks to genealogical sites. As the list grew she lacked the ability to easily store all the bookmarks on her PC and CyndisList.com was born in 1996. According to the FAQ on her website, CyndisList gets about 70,000 page hits a day!
So what is it? It is a categorized and cross referenced list of over 270,000 links for genealogy and family history on the Internet. Cyndi says she adds about 1500 new links each month, as well as updating or deleting broken links.
One of the ways to become familiar with this site, is to just browse the categories which includes links for every state and country, for surnames as well as topics such as religion, genetics, photography, methodology and personal pages. You have a choice of browsing through the Main Category Index, a Topical Index, an Alphabetical Index or a No-Frills Index. There’s a topic for everything and if you find something new (or a broken link), you can let Cyndi know and she’ll update the list.
After you’ve become familiar with the site, you find yourself returning to it again and again, as your research takes you to new geographical areas or new record types. The search function will allow you to quickly see the topics of interest to you. At the top of the Main Category Index is a Google search box that allows you to search the Internet, or just Cyndi’s site. If you click on “Search” on the left side of the site, you’ll find a few additional search engines.
Another thing you’ll find here is Cyndi’s Genealogy Home Page Construction Kit in case you’re interested in setting up your own site. You can also sign up for Cyndi’s Blog or follow her on Facebook.
So bookmark CyndisList.com and you’ll find yourself returning to it again and again.
Happy Hunting!

Strategies for Starting Your Family History: USGenWeb.com

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:21:52 -0400

I want to continue to discuss free websites that you should find helpful in your genealogical research. I’ve mentioned a number of times the importance of location in your research. The USGenWeb Project is a excellent source of information on locations in the United States. This is a volunteer project which was begun in 1996 and today it continues to be dependent on volunteers. The organization of the site is by state and county and the goal is to have a site for each county in the United States. Because it is a volunteer project the content of each county site can vary greatly and occasionally you may hit an “orphan” site that is no longer maintained.
When I begin researching in a new area, this is one of the first sites I visit...typically I’ll find a county history (information on when the county first came into existence and the name of its parent county) as well as records that have been provided by local volunteers, lists of local repositories, vital records and courthouse addresses and frequently volunteers who will do look ups in local indexes. The date of origin of the county is important because records typically will remain in the county that created them. Today, for example, Pennsylvania has sixty-seven counties. If your ancestor had a farm in central Pennsylvania just after the Revolutionary War, he was most likely in Northumberland County. In 1795 Lycoming County was created out of Northumberland, and in 1804 Jefferson County was created out of Lycoming. If you were looking for records on your ancestors in 1788 you would look in Northumberland; in 1799 in Lycoming and in 1806 in Jefferson. Sometimes you can’t find a record, not because it doesn’t exist, but because it is in a different location. (This location information is important when you are recording information in your database...you should use the name of the location as it appeared at the time the record was created, not the location where it is today.)
When you first look at a county website, check what resources are available...there could be a bit of anything. Don’t be surprised if there are vital records, wills, deeds or obituaries, only to find a few names. Volunteers typically submit what they have (usually their own family). However, you may find that every cemetery in the county has been indexed, or someone has taken on a project to index local church records. I had a client tell me that a particular marriage had taken place in Long Island, New York only to find it listed in the church records of Onondaga County, New York on their GenWeb site. Look for a search feature on the page that searches for results just from that county. If you search on your surname you may find other members of the family listed.
If you have interest in a particular county or have records pertaining to your family, you might want to share the records with the site or if they have a registry of surnames, add your name. Others are probably doing the same thing, and if your ancestors came from that area, it’s likely that cousins are also trying to make connections through the site.
After you have discovered your immigrant ancestor you might want to also check out the WorldGenWeb Project. Here you will find similar sites for other countries or regions around the world.
Happy Hunting!

Strategies for Starting Your Family History: FamilySearch.org

Mon, 5 Apr 2010 16:57:12 -0400

One of the first sites you may want to use is FamilySearch.org. This is the site for the LDS Church, or the Mormons. You might think that this site won’t be of any value to you if your ancestors weren’t Mormon...wrong! Mormons have a very strong belief in family and have sacraments within their church that allow them to bind their families together for eternity. Since the Mormon religion is relatively new (1830) many individuals are converts so they collect genealogy records around the world and make them available to everyone free of charge. If you have an opportunity to visit Salt Lake City and the Family History Library, you will find a warm, welcoming community of people who will help you find your ancestors no matter what your religious beliefs. They have millions of rolls of microfilm at the library, with the originals stored in what’s known as the Granite Vault in the mountains outside of Salt Lake. If you can’t visit the library, most Mormon churches around the world have a Family History Center, usually just a small room or two with computers and microfilm readers, and for a nominal fee, you can order a copy of the microfilm sent to your local center for research. You can check their site for the location of your closest Family History Center.
FamilySearch was the name of the original indexes that the LDS put together on microfiche to assist patrons in finding their ancestors. This system later went to CD and in 1999 to the Internet. FamilySearch is currently undergoing major changes as they work on a project to digitize and index all of their microfilms. The original search function on FamilySearch searches through six major databases.
The International Genealogical Index (IGI) is one of the world’s largest collections of genealogical records containing over 600 million names. Information comes from individual research and original records. The majority of the names are from records of people who lived between 1500 and 1900. Many of the records in this database have been submitted by members of LDS church for Temple Ordinances and may not include any source information. Original records, such as English parish records and early Irish birth records, have also been indexed and if the reference is from an original record, the source will lead you to the original microfilm number. If no source information is provided, use the information only as a hint and try to find an original source record to corroborate the information.
Ancestral File contains over 35 million names organized into families and pedigrees. This information has been submitted by multiple people and does not include sources or notes. You may find the name and address of the submitter and you should try to contact them, but these records go back many years and the chances are the information is out of date. The information in Ancestral File should be used as a clue to further research.
Pedigree Resource File is a database of records that have been submitted through FamilySearch.org and currently consists of 145 volumes and over 200 million names. The online index contains references to individual records and includes submitter’s names. You can order the CD with the additional information or view it at your local Family History Center. You can also contact the submitter for further information. Again, without sources, this is only a hint.
The Census includes the index to the 1880 US Census, the 1881 Canadian Census and the 1881 British Census (including Scotland and Wales). These are indexes only and not digital images of the originals. You need to view the digital or microfilm original for additional information. Through a joint agreement with Ancestry.com, the 1880 US Census Index is linked with images on Ancestry.com however access to the images requires a subscription to Ancestry.com unless you are accessing the records at an LDS site. Additional cooperative efforts are ongoing to improve both the images and indexes for all US Census Records.
At the present time, the online Vital Records Index only includes Mexico (approximately 2 million birth, christening and marriage records from selected localities covering the period from 1500 – 1905) and Scandinavia (approximately 4.6 million birth, christening and marriage records from selected localities in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland).
The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) includes the names of deceased persons who possessed a Social Security Card and whose death was reported to the Social Security Administration (typically in an application for death benefits). The computerized database began in 1962 and 98% of the individuals on file died after that date.
FamilySearch has excellent resources for your research which you should use to understand more about the locality and time in which your ancestors lived. The site also has excellent tutorials you should check out. For details you can check out my blog from September of 2008 titled “FamilySearch.org.”
You should also be aware of the new FamilySearch Pilot site. This is where the new material that is being digitized and indexed can be found (both index and digital images). This site can be reached through a drop down menu under the search tab and is the result of the Indexing Project, contains well over 250 million new records. New records from all over the world appear here regularly and are not yet integrated into overall FamilySearch. You can browse all of the new records groups, or select a specific region of the world. You should check this site frequently additional databases.
Family History Archives (listed as Historical Books under the search tab) links you to the Brigham Young Library. The archive includes digitized histories of families, county and local histories, how-to books on genealogy, genealogy magazines and periodicals (including some international), medieval books (including histories and pedigrees), and gazetteers. It also includes some specialized collections. You may find your ancestors mentioned in a book of a different surname through a marriage (very helpful for identifying lost females).
Finally the Family History Library Catalog is a great resource for discovering what records have been microfilmed for the location where your ancestors lived.
Put in the locality (town, county, state or country) and determine which records you want to have sent to your local Family History Center for viewing.
Remember, you likely won’t find living people on this site but it offers tremendous resources for all genealogists.
Happy Hunting!

Strategies for Starting Your Family History: Online Resources

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:05:09 -0400

For people starting their family history today, the Internet has some amazing resources. Most people think of using the Internet to search for names and in fact, there are numerous sites on which to do this. But I’d like you to think of the Internet as “A Great Place to Learn.” There are great online classes, articles, blogs (like this one) all aimed at helping you learn how to do research. Once you know the basics, you need to learn certain records or localities. Research guides and outlines tell you about the records of a certain place or a certain time. Let’s say you just traced your ancestor back to Connecticut. The first thing you need to do is learn about the history and records of Connecticut...if you’re from the west, you might be surprised to learn that vital records are kept by the individual towns, not by counties and that land records are described in metes and bounds, not by township/range/section. By reading the RedBook or downloading the Connecticut Research Outline from FamilySearch.org, you’d also discover that Connecticut has some unique resources that aren’t found in other states, for example, the Barbour Collection contains vital records from the 1600s up to 1850; and the Hale Collection documented all the readable gravestones in the states in the 1930s.
If you’re looking for just about anything relating to genealogy on the Internet, don’t miss CyndisList.com. What started as a hobby has become the largest list of genealogical resources on the Internet...all neatly catagorized. By no means am I trying to compete with Cyndi, but check out my Links page for some ideas.
When you’re searching for your ancestors you’ll find a great deal of conflicting information on the Internet (remember, that’s one of the reasons it’s so important to cite your sources). Some of the information is great (i.e., sourced) and some of it is junk. It’s important for you to know the difference. Over the next few weeks I’ll discuss a number of genealogical sites, both free and commercial. One is not better than the other, they’re just different; both can contain great information and both can contain information that is just plain wrong! Information you find on the Internet can be in the form of an index, transcription or digital image. Remember that anything that is an index or transcription is a derivative source...someone had to create the index or transcription from another source (which may or may not have been the original). As a researcher, your job is to follow the path back to the original. Usually the index will only contain part of the information from the original, so you will want to see what other information is provided. Perhaps there are five Michael Dalys in the index and you need to know the additional information from the original to see if one of those is your Michael Daly. Finally, each removal from the original provides the opportunity for errors. Census and immigration records for example, are well know for errors. The handwriting can be difficult to read, the quality of the documents poor and some information may be completely missing!
If you started this series at the beginning, you should have a good basis for understanding source citation and evidence analysis. When you move to the Internet, these two skills will serve you well. Genealogy information can be found on lots of websites...it can be in databases on commercial for profit sites, non profit free sites or government sites, or it can be in blogs, individual web pages or volunteer sites. We are starting to see more digital images on the Internet which can be either original or derivative. Books and newspapers on line allow us to find information that would have been almost impossible to find in the past. You are beginning your genealogical journey at a great time.
I wrote two blogs a few years ago on finding information on the Internet. One is on using Google or other search engines, the other on using the search features of online databases. Hopefully these will give you an understanding of how to search for information. Next week I’ll discuss FamilySearch.org.
Happy Hunting!

Strategies for Starting Your Family History: Census Records

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:29:40 -0400

After Vital Records, one of the most common resources used by genealogists is census records. When I began my research, the census records were only available on microfilm and I had to depend on soundex or printed indexes that only listed the head of the family. Today all of the surviving population schedules are available online from multiple sources most with complete indexes and links to connect you to the digital image online. Ancestry.com probably has the most complete set, but HeritageQuestOnline (available through local libraries), Footnote.com and FamilySearch also have some of the censuses and are working toward a complete set.
In the United States, our Constitution specifies that a nationwide enumeration or count of the population be done every 10 years. The first census in the United States was done in 1790, and the most recent is due this on April 1, 2010. Not all of the census records are available to the public…the most recent census available for research is 1930. The United States privacy laws require that the census data be kept confidential for 72 years. I’m going to discuss the “population schedule” here as it is the most widely available, however other schedules were completed and have additional information.
Like all of your research it’s important to start with what you know and work back. You can probably find either your parents or grandparents in the 1930 census (below). This census gives the greatest amount of information about the family unit, i.e., the head of the household, the relationship of everyone in the household to the head, age, marital status, year of immigration, whether naturalized, occupation, place of birth and native language of each individual and their parents, number of years married, age at first marriage, and the first technology question…did they own a radio. Frequently people will tell me they don’t know which of their ancestors was the immigrant. Each of the censuses back to 1880 will give you the place of birth of both the individual and their parents. If an individual was born outside of the United States, their citizenship status will be listed. The notation “Na” means they were naturalized (and will usually have a date); “Pa” means they had submitted their first papers or Declaration of Intent to Become a Citizen; and “Al” indicates they were an alien or had not started the process of naturalization. Make sure you note everyone in the family and their relationship if indicated.

Once you find your family, continue to work back every 10 years (the 1890 census was almost completely destroyed by a fire). This will usually allow you to match someone other than the head of the family to make certain you are tracking the correct family. There will be less information as you work back, but until you reach 1850 you will continue to see each individual in the household listed. From 1840 back to 1790, only the head of the household is listed with statistics regarding the age and sex of individuals in the household.

The 1900 Census (above) is one of my favorites. It is the only census that gives the month and year of birth, and also asks the question of women, “how many children have you given birth to and how many are still living.” This question, also asked in 1910, will frequently provides clues to children who have died between censuses.

The 1850 census (above) is the first census to list every individual in the household with their age, occupation, value of their real estate, place of birth and ticks in the column to indicate whether they were married within the last year, attended school or were a person over 20 who could not read. The final column asks whether the person was deaf and dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, a pauper or a convict.

The censuses prior to 1850 (1820 above) only listed the head of the household, along with the number of white males, white females, slaves and free colored persons within certain age brackets. Most of the earlier censuses were not taken on preprinted forms so you’ll need to copy the information onto a form with the headers (see below) as the age brackets changed for each census. These forms are free at most of the sites that provide the censuses.

Census records are invaluable in documenting your family history. I’ve listed a number of excellent reference books that provide additional information about census research. You can probably find one of them at your local library. I’ve also provided links to some online articles.
Happy Hunting!

Dollarhide, William, The Census Book, Heritage Quest, Bountiful, Utah, 1999.

Hinckley, Kathleen W., Your Guide to the Federal Census for Genealogists, Researchers, and Family Historians, Betterway Books, Cincinnati, OH, 2002.

Szucs, Loretto Dennis and Wright, Matthew, Finding Answers in U. S. Census Records, Ancestry, Orem, Utah, 2001.

Genealogy.com, “Making Sense of the U.S. Census”
http://www.genealogy.com/90_fs-census.html

Hogan, Roseann Reinemuth, Ph.D., “The Census in Historical Context, Part 1,” Ancestry Magazine, July/August 1994, Vol 12., No. 5. (Note: there are 3 parts to this article)
http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/article.aspx?article=2680

Moughty, Donna, “Who’s the Head of this Household?” Donna’s Genealogy Blog, September 3, 2007.

Neill, Michael John, “The Census Taker Cometh,” Ancestry Daily News Archive, 21 July 2004.
http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/article.aspx?article=8808

______, “Clues Found in Census Enumerations,” Ancestry Daily News Archive, 13 July 2005.
http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/article.aspx?article=10200

_______, “How Do I Know I Have the Right Family,” Ancestry Daily News Archive, 15 Dec 2006.
http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/article.aspx?article=11577

Strategies for Starting Your Family History: Genealogical Software

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:47:12 -0400

As you’ve looked through your home sources, you’ve probably come across at least a couple of vital records, birth, marriage or death certificates, perhaps some church records, military records or even some diaries or personal records. You can continue to keep track of your research on your family group sheets and with your notes, but you may want to look at genealogical software to help you organize the information you’ve found. One of the benefits of utilizing software is when you add information you can print out updated family group sheets and charts. The software that is available today enables you to store photographs and scans of documents, to print a large variety of charts and forms and even produce books. So how do you choose?
Do you want to keep track of your information on your personal computer, or save it online? You will have a great deal of flexibility by using your personal computer but remember to back up your work on a regular basis. You don’t want to lose all your work if your computer crashes or is damaged. One of the benefits of saving your work online is that the owner of the online database provides backup and the information can be accessed not only by you from anywhere, but also by others to whom you give permission. Also, if you are looking to connect with cousins, having your information available online is an ideal way to make connections. This past month an individual from England contacted me saying she had come across my website and knew an individual in my database. She put me in touch with the individual and reunited me with a branch of the family that had been totally lost to me. If you are going to select an online provider, make sure it is one who you believe will be in business in the future. You don’t want your information to disappear if the company folds.
I actually use a combination of the two approaches. I keep my main database in my computer. It contains all of my research notes, my sources and because it begins with my children, it includes both my husband’s family as well as mine. I can select particular branches of the family and produce reports, charts or web cards and share the information selectively. My database includes all individuals, however, for privacy reasons, I don’t publish information on living people online. You can see an example of my website databases by going to About Me and clicking on the icon for the Mitchell:Beighton Family on the lower right side. That’s not the only site for my information...I also maintain a tree on Ancestry. Why? Ancestry has one of the largest databases on the Internet and is a place that people may visit, just to see what’s there. The Family Tree section of Ancestry is free to both post and view and is an effective place to “troll” for cousins, the equivalent of posting a query in the past. I keep this Family Tree “private,” which means potential cousins will be told there is a possible match and I’ll be advised of the individual and can contact them. In addition, since I do have a subscription to Ancestry it also notifies me of potential matches as new information becomes available.
You might wonder how I have time to keep all of this information up to date. The answer is, that my personal computer database is my master. I can move information to other software, to my iPhone or to the Internet using a utility called GEDCOM. Most databases both online and off accept GEDCOM as a way to move data. You should know that it’s not perfect, but basic information moves quite easily.
To choose a genealogical software package, you should check with members of your local genealogical society (it’s nice to have some local support) or check some of the online genealogical forums. On my Links page I have a list of some of the more common software packages. Reunion (Macintosh), RootsMagic (PC), Legacy (PC) and The Master Genealogist (PC) all have either a free version, a demo or trial program that allows you to download the program and try it. I’ve also listed some articles below on software reviews and selections.
If you decide to go the online route, check out Ancestry. With the “Who Do You Think You Are” series running (sponsored by Ancestry) a trip to their website will bring up a “Start My Tree” icon on their home page. This service is free although you must register providing an email and password to access the information (no credit card information required). On the right side you’ll also see a 14-Day Free Trial icon. Whichever you decide to use, make sure to read the license agreements. If you elect the “Free Trial” you will be asked for credit card information and you will be billed automatically until you specifically tell them to cancel your subscription.
Happy Hunting!

Genealogy Software Reviews, Ratings & Comparisons
Genealogy Programs for Macintosh

Strategies for Starting Your Family History: Home Sources

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 11:32:13 -0500

Now that you’ve learned the basics of citing sources, analyzing evidence and recording your findings, it’s time to start digging. Where to start? We always start with what we know and move back, carefully, analyzing and recording evidence which will lead to new clues. Your search may start with yourself, or it may start with your children. I elected to start with my children, so both my husband’s and my families would be documented.
What documents do you have in your home? Your birth certificate or marriage certificate, or those of your children are probably around the house, or in the bank safety deposit box. You might also have baptismal or confirmation certificates, diplomas, or a family Bible. If your parents have passed away, you may have their death certificates, wills or other documents associated with their estate. Using the skills learned in the earlier lessons, create source citations for each of these documents, analyze the clues they contain writing a short report on the document, make a list of clues to other documents and record the information either on your family group sheets or input the information into your genealogy software or online family tree.
This is probably a good time to talk about paper...in case you hadn’t noticed, genealogy is not a paperless hobby! We collect all sorts of documents which we need to organize. There are all types of filing systems you can select. Most people I know begin with a binder for each family that contains their family group sheets, notes and documents. A pre-punched sleeve can hold original documents, photographs, newspaper articles, but it’s important to make sure that the sleeves you select are archival quality and acid free. You can usually find these at your local office supply store, or online (just google archival sleeves). If you are going to carry your binders with you on research trips, I’d suggest a photocopy of original documents, with the originals stored away in archival materials. Never store newspapers with photos or other original documents, as they have a very high acid level and will damage other documents. These documents should be stored in a safe place in your home where there are no drastic temperature or humidity changes (that means no attics, basements or garages). You’re probably thinking after the last comment that those home source documents we started discussing are in a shoe box in the attic. GO GET THEM NOW!
Another source of information for you are your older relatives. One of my biggest regrets is that I didn’t develop the genealogy bug until after all my grandparents had passed on. Maybe you’re still lucky enough to have those older relatives...don’t waste any time...go interview them! Aunt Sally may not be able to remember what she had for lunch, but can probably regale you with stories of her childhood. Family stores and traditions that are passed down frequently have inaccuracies (it’s like the game of telephone you played as a kid where you whispered sometime to the person next to you, only to get back a very garbled message) but there are usually some bits of truth in them that can be researched. Don’t forget to bring those unidentified photos. Hopefully some one of the older relatives can identify the people in them.
There are so many different types of documents you can find at home that it’s not possible to list them all here. One great worksheet on home sources was created during the Ancestors TV series and you can find it here. The website About.com:Genealogy has great articles including one on home sources. One of the best sources of information at my mother-in-laws was a drawer full of Funeral Cards...I don’t think she ever parted with one! To this day, I go back through those cards on a regular basis. Names that meant nothing to me when I started are now firmly fixed on the family tree. The cards from Ireland gave me the exact location of the family; one card from Queens, New York gave me the Section, Range, Plot and Grave number in Calvary Cemetery; all provided death dates, the name of the funeral home and some gave me maiden names.
You might want to check out some “How To” books at your local library. Below are some of my favorites, along with some online articles you might want to read.
So here is your assignment for the next week....go through you drawers, basement, attic and any other nook you use for storage and look for items that contain information about your ancestors. Cite, analyze and document your findings (either on your Family Group Sheet, software or online) and you’ll be off to a great start.
Happy Hunting!

Questions or comments?

1. Carmack, Sharon DeBartolo. Organizing Your Family History Search, Betterway Books, Cincinnati, 1999.

2. Croom, Emily Anne. The Genealogist’s Companion & Sourcebook, Betterway Books, Cincinnati, 1994.

3. Morgan, George G., How to Do Everything with Your Genealogy, 2nd Edition, McGraw Hill/Osborne. Emeryville, California, 2009.

4. Alzo, Lisa A., “What Do I Care About Those People? They’re Dead,” Ancestry Daily News, 24 January 2006.
http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/article.aspx?article=10892

5. Witcher, Cur B., “Digging Deeper: Home is Where the Heart Is,” Ancestry Daily News, 4 March 2006.
http://learn.ancestry.com/LearnMore/Article.aspx?id=11049

6. Cyndi’s List, Organizing Your Research

Strategies for Starting Your Family History: Recording Your Findings

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 21:58:33 -0500

Last week I discussed collecting evidence from documents, and beginning the analysis process. Where do you put the information you’ve collected and how do you develop a research plan for the next steps? You may have selected a software package to assist you in recording your findings, but at this point, a word processor will also work (or even hand written notes). Forms can be helpful at this point in recording your information, however it’s important that you focus on the evidence you’ve collected (citing each source) rather than just filling out information you “think” is correct on the form. People have a tendency to want to fill in all the blanks, whether it’s a form or a search box on an internet site...Don’t! Be methodical...it will save you a great deal of time in the future. You don’t want former ancestors! (Those are the ones that got into your database and you’ve been searching for years, only to discover they’re the wrong ones.) Proper research, evidence analysis and recording will prevent this problem.
There are many sites on the internet where you can download forms, and if you’re using genealogical software, you can print out the forms, either blank, or with the information you’ve input during your research. Here are some places to look.
FamilySearch.org
Ancestry.com
CyndisList
Here are the forms I think you need to start.
First is the Source Summary. This is one I’ve created myself. It is just a consecutively numbered worksheet where you fill in the appropriate information for the citation. The format for the citation can be taken from the resources listed in my blog Citing Sources. Remember to fill out the Source Summary first, that way you can refer to the citation number when you’re recording the information from your source. If it is a book or document with multiple references, always provide the detail when you use the source, for example, Date of Death: 20 Feb 1904.6 p204 That way you can later convert the information to a proper footnote or endnote.
Next is the Family Group Sheet. As the name suggests, this form collects all of the information about a family group. As you analyze your document, such as the death certificate of Patrick Moughty we looked at last week, you would fill in the appropriate places on the form with the information from the death certificate. For each piece of information you enter, you would use a superscript number that corresponds to the number on your source summary. For example, you would indicate that his birthplace was Ireland1 and that his mother’s name was Mary.1 You might find another document that contains the exact (or a different) location for birth or his mother’s maiden name, and you would cite that also on the Family Group Sheet. It’s fine to have multiple sources for your information because that will help you evaluate the information.
Once you have extracted the information from the record, you should write an analysis of your findings, and a list of next steps. You might put this in the “Notes” section of your Family Group Sheet, or simply type or write a report.

Patrick J. Moughty
Death Certificate

Evidence

Patrick J. Moughty died 8 May 1973 at his home on 34 Hassake Road, Old Greenwich, Fairfield, Connecticut. He was married to Beatrice Moughty, and born in Ireland [no location given] on 26 Oct 1889 to Bernard Moughty and Mary [maiden name unobtainable]. His Social Security Number was 043-03-2720 and he was a retired chauffeur for Electrolux Corporation. He was not a veteran. The informant on the death certificate was Mrs. Christine Dennis of the same address [his daughter].

According to his death certificate, the cause of death was “Myocardial Insufficiency, 1 wk.” This information was given by the assistant medical examiner (J. Colman Kelly, MD) who certified the death at 8:30 a.m. on 8 May 1973.

The undertaker was Leo F. Gallagher & Sons, Inc., 31 Arch Street, Greenwich, Connecticut. Patrick was buried at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Greenwich, Connecticut on 10 May 1973.

Analysis

Most of the information provided on the death certificate was known with the following discrepancies to be researched:

Middle initial “J” not seen on any other document. What does it stand for?
Wife was always known as “Bridget.” Where did Beatrice come from?
[If not already know, the name of the cemetery would confirm the religion as Roman Catholic.]

Next Steps

Obituary
Birth Certificate
Marriage Certificate
Census Records (both US and Irish)
Immigration
Naturalization
WWI Draft Registration
Social Security Records
Church/Cemetery Records

Source

“Patrick J. Moughty,” Certificate of Death, Connecticut State Department of Health, 8 May 1973, Greenwich, CT, State File Number 211 (1973), Certified Copy.
Note that an analysis of each document in the Next Steps could provide additional (or conflicting) information and might suggest additional Next Steps. Patrick’s obituary, for example, mentioned he was born in Westmeath [one step closer to the information needed for Irish research], and that he had a sibling, Mrs. Ann Ledwith of Westmeath, still living at the time of his death (information not already known). His Naturalization gave his birth date as 18 Oct 1889, however his birth certificate recorded the date as 20 Oct 1888; his mother’s maiden name as Mary Lynn and the townland of birth as Aughnaboy.
If you follow this strategy of analyzing documents and working back one generation at a time, you’ll be more successful with your genealogical research.
One last thing, here’s a great blog from one of my friends, Tom Kemp, that showed up last week. Seems like we may be writing in parallel, so bookmark his blog as well!
Happy Hunting!

Strategies for Starting Your Family History: Evidence Analysis

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:24:08 -0500

Last week I discussed source citations. As we look at various sources, be they books, certificates, census records or other artifacts, we are gathering evidence from them and it’s therefore important that we understand what we’re looking at, why it was created, and where the information contained in that source came from. As genealogists and family historians, our goal is to find original sources...documents that were created at the time an event took place by someone with first hand knowledge of the event. We’re not always able to find original documents, but that is the goal to support our research. If a source does not meet the two criteria listed above, it is a derivative source.
The fact that a source is original doesn’t mean the information contained in it is correct. My father-in-laws original birth certificate spells his name incorrectly. All sources contain information and the information can be primary or secondary. Primary information is information given by someone who was a participant in the event or who witnessed it. Other information is secondary. Primary information may contain errors as well. A mother is present at the birth of her child, yet we all know of instances where the birthdate is incorrect.
The third concept is of evidence...direct or indirect. Direct evidence provides the answer we are looking for without the need for additional documentation. A birth certificate with the name of the father and mother of the child. Sometimes there is no direct evidence available and we need to write a proof summary presenting evidence from multiple sources not directly related to the question we are trying to answer. I needed to prove James was the son of David but there was no extant birth or baptismal record. By following James’ land deeds through three New England towns, and two states, along with David’s will I was able to prove that the James who lived in New York was the son of David who died in Connecticut.
If you are new to genealogy, one of the first things you’ll look for are home sources. So what original documents might you find? Birth, death or marriage certificates, naturalization papers, newspaper clippings, obituaries, a family bible, deeds, photographs, military records, legal records, church records...you might find any or all of these plus more. Or, if you family was like mine, you might find none <g>. This is where you want to hope that you are descended from a bunch of pack rats.
Let’s look at an example of a document and analyze the information. The document is an original document, the death certificate of Patrick J. Moughty. The purpose of this document was to register his death, it was created at the time of his death and signed by the medical examiner who was called to the house when he died therefore a witness to the death. A death certificate meets the criteria for an original document.
Next let’s look at the information contained in the death certificate. In the first section we have the name of the individual, the date of his death and the place of death, all primary information. The rest of the information, however, was provided by an informant, in this case, Mrs. Christine Dennis (the daughter). She was not there at her father’s birth, so she only has only secondary information about the events...the information could be right or wrong. Notice that the name of Patrick’s mother was listed as Mary “Unobtainable”...Christine didn’t know her grandmother’s maiden name. This document provides us with a clue to Patrick’s birth, 25 Oct 1889 in Ireland, but we need to find further evidence to confirm this information.
The next section of the death certificate is the medical information. In some states (including Florida) this information is only available to family members and you must request the “long form.”
This information is vital in creating a health history, so make note of the information you find. Patrick’s doesn’t give a great deal of information as he died at home and it was completed by the medical examiner. If he had died in the hospital, there would have been more information.
The last section of this certificate contains information about the funeral home and the cemetery, both of which can be helpful if you don’t know where a person is buried. Although funeral home records are private records, you may be able to obtain additional information if you call or write them. This section also contains the signature of the Registrar, as well as the seal if the record is certified. You do not need a certified copy for genealogical purposes, but some states (including Connecticut) will only provide certified copies.
To record the information from this death certificate, the first step is to create the source citation.
1. “Patrick J. Moughty,” Certificate of Death, Connecticut State Department of Health, 8 May 1973, Greenwich, CT, State File Number 211 (1973), Certified Copy.
Each piece of information you use from this death certificate will have the above citation. If you were putting this information into a pedigree chart it might look like this.
There is other information on the death certificate that doesn’t go on your pedigree chart, but rather on your family group sheet. It tells us that Patrick was married at the time of his death to Beatrice King; that he was a naturalized US citizen; that he was a retired chauffeur from Electrolux Corporation; his address at the time of his death; that he was not a veteran and that his parents were Bernard Moughty and Mary (?). He died of heart failure, he was buried at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Greenwich (which also tells me his religion was Roman Catholic). Based on the above information, what would be your next research steps?
Next week I’ll share where this document led me.
Happy Hunting.

Resources:
Elizabeth Shown Mills, Evidence Analysis - A Process Map, Board for Certification of Genealogists, 2006. http://www.bcgcertification.org/catalog/processmap.html