Genealogy Path

U.S. National Archives to Host Free Genealogy Fair April 23, 2008
WASHINGTON, April 3, 2008 — The following announcement was written by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA):
WHAT: The National Archives will host its fourth annual Genealogy Fair. This year’s program will highlight Federal records located at the National Archives relating to general genealogy, World War I, and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Sessions will offer guidance on topics including Civil War pension files, Freedmen’s Bureau marriage…

Read more at

The following article is from Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright 2007 by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. Information about the newsletter is available at http://www.eogn.com. 

New Zealander Kevin Anthony Osborne had a lucrative scam going. He applied to District Courts for birth certificates, sometimes ordering large amounts claiming he was conducting genealogy research. He then looked for males with birth dates near his own who had since died. He then assumed their identity, applied for admission at various universities, and then applied for student loans.

“A couple of occasions they wrote to the courts saying they were conducting a genealogy research and could they have the birth certificates for x amount of people and they were subsequently supplied with them,” says Detective Sergeant Nigel Hughes, from Christchurch police.

Today, ten years later, Osborne was sent to prison. The judge sentenced him to 14 months behind bars, ending his 10 years on the run.

“He is a low life he must have had no morals what so ever and go around cemeteries and look at gravestones,” said Ian Barker. Ian and his wife Margerate are victims of his scam… Osborne stole their son Brett’s identity in the name of greed.

You can read more about this story in the TV3 web site at http://tinyurl.com/2wan2z.

FamilySearch has announced the release of a new research tool that will help those with Finnish roots to find their ancestors. The research guide, “Finding Records of Your Ancestors, Finland,” features easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions, colorful graphics, and tear-out worksheets. A free copy can be viewed or printed online at FamilySearch.org.”Finding Records of Your Ancestors, Finland” helps take the guesswork out of Finnish genealogical research by simplifying the process and giving users a specific, proven strategy to use. In an inviting workbook style, the guide shows users which records to search, what to look for, and what tools to use. It colorfully outlines the steps and tools needed to navigate Finnish records to find ancestors. Users will learn where to start, how to find and use Finnish records, and what unique elements to look for in the records. The booklet provides expert advice every step of the way in a highly illustrative, user-friendly manner.

The guide also explains different types of records in Finland and instructs the user when and how to use specific records. A real-life case study allows readers to see for themselves how the research process works. Expert search tips, including tips on how to use the Family History Library Catalog, are included. Also included are maps, key dates in Finnish history, and guides for reading Finnish genealogical records.

Additional guides in the “Finding Records of Your Ancestors” series published previously include African American, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Jewish, Mexico, Norway, and Sweden.

FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization that maintains the world’s largest repository of genealogical resources. Patrons may access resources online at FamilySearch.org or through the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and over 4,500 family history centers in 70 countries. FamilySearch is a trademark of Intellectual Reserve, Inc. and is registered in the United States of America and other countries.

Attention genealogists, historians, researchers, and students! The Burlington County Library announces the availability of new microfilm for five regional newspapers:

* “Beverly Bee,” from its inaugural issue in 1999 through December 2006

* “Maple Shade Progress” offers coverage of issues from September 1993 to December 2006;

* “Register-News,” from Bordentown, includes issues from July 2002 through December 2006;

* “Central Record,” covering Medford and Mount Laurel, also covers issues for July 2002 through December 2006; and

* “Community News,” of Pemberton, includes issues from January 1994 to December1995.

The newspaper microfilm is housed at the Burlington County Library Headquarters in Westampton, the Burlington County Historical Society Library, and the New Jersey State Archives. In addition, two of the regional papers are available at their respective branch libraries - Bordentown and Pinelands (Medford) libraries. Microfilm readers/printers are available at all of these libraries.

Partial indexing of the “Beverly Bee,” “Central Record,” “Register-News,” and other newspapers is available online on the Burlington County Library’s website <URL: http://www.bcls.lib.nj.us/genealogy/ >.

A generous /Conservation of Historical Materials/ grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State, continued the previous preservation efforts of the Burlington County Library. In recent years, other preservation grants have permitted the filming of near-complete runs of the “Register-News” back to 1855 and the “Central Record” back to 1897. The preserved newspapers are useful to researchers looking for historical information about Beverly, Maple Shade, and Bordentown, as well as the areas surround Medford, Mount Laurel, and Pemberton.

For further information contact the Project Manager, Paula Manzella <http://www.bcls.lib.nj.us/contactusform.phtml?id=10>, Local History & Genealogy Coordinator, Burlington County Library Headquarters, Westampton, NJ.

This week has been interesting just based on the fact that there have been some interesting new resources added to the Web to help genealogists in gathering data for their family research.  Read further for more details. 

The following article is from Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright 2007 by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. Information about the newsletter is available at http://www.eogn.com. 

National Burial Index for England and Wales Online

The National Burial Index (NBI) for England and Wales is is an index to help family historians find burial records. It is an ongoing project devised and orchestrated by the Federation of Family History Societies (FFHS). The burial records date back to 1538, the year that Henry VIII was excommunicated from the Catholic Church, up to 1837, the date when civil registration began.

These records come from different types of sources: parish registers, bishop’s transcripts (the copies of the original registers made each year for the bishop of the diocese in which they are situated), earlier transcripts or printed registers. Please note that the NBI for England and Wales does not contain memorial inscription records (MIs).

Note that this is an index; the results you are presented with will not contain images at the present time.

The records that have been transcribed to date are now available (for a fee) at FindMyPast.com at http://www.findmypast.com/national-burial-index-search-start.action?redef=0.

Old British Phone Books Now Online

BT is putting its entire archive of old phone books online for genealogists, or anyone else, to browse. The phone books date back to 1880 and contain 280 million names. They can be used to track down relatives, but you can also use the service to find out if your house has ever had any famous, or infamous, residents.

The first phone book contained 248 names but no numbers - callers were expected to call the operator to get connected.

All books before BT’s privatisation are public records. The service is available through http://www.ancestry.co.uk.

ScottishHandwriting.com

A new web site offers online tutorials in paleography (the study of old handwriting) for historians, genealogists, and other researchers who have problems reading records written in Scotland in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. ScottishHandwriting.com provides online interactive tutorials and weekly posers to help you study the characteristics of Scottish handwriting. The emphasis of the web site is on practical help to improve the paleographic skills, rather than on the academic study of Scottish handwriting.

The online tutorials are well thought out. The information is presented in small lessons, followed by images of typical Scottish handwriting. Below each image there is a test in the form of a “fill in the blanks” quiz. At the end of each “quiz,” you can click on a link to see the correct answers and thereby grade yourself.

The site also has numerous hints about spelling in past years and commonly-used words that may now be rare. For instance, you might find the word “cephering,” which today would be spelled as “ciphering.” It refers to bookkeeping and arithmetic using Arabic numerals in place of the earlier Roman numerals.

Best of all, ScottishHandwriting.com is available free of charge. You can start learning right now at http://ScottishHandwriting.com.

Nova Scotia History at the Click of a Mouse

Almost three centuries of records from one of Nova Scotia’s oldest churches can now be researched, thanks to a massive multi-year effort by dedicated volunteers and the summer-long attention of a professional archivist.

“We’re thrilled out of our minds, but the whole process takes an awfully long time,” said Fiona Day, a member of the archives committee of St. Paul’s Anglican Church on Halifax’s Grand Parade.

The committee began 10 years ago to catalogue the church’s records, which were disorganized and improperly stored after their removal from the parish hall just before that Argyle Street building was demolished in the 1970s.

The group of parishioners soon discovered the historic significance of the dusty old documents and fragile register books, which date back to a baptism and a burial on June 1, 1749, when Edward Cornwallis arrived in Halifax aboard the ship Sphinx.

You can read more about this new offering in an article written by Monica Graham in the (Halifax) Chronicle Herald at http://thechronicleherald.ca/Religion/994047.html.

The Nov 24 issue of Terra Haute (Indiana) Tribstar.com had a story about the current reprinted edition of the “Indian Tribes of North America” by John R. Swanson.  Originally published in 1952 by the Smithsonian Institution’s Bureau of American Ethnology, it encompasses every known tribe in North America from upper Canada, Greenland and Alaska, through the lower 48 states, and culminating in Mexico, Central America and the islands of the Caribbean.  The period of time used to document the different tribes is from 1650 before the Europeans began the relocation of the tribes to the Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma). 

The book is arranged in sections by state or other location, starting with a listing of all Indian groups who lived, hunted, or otherwise had a connection to that state.  A bonus in the book is four large fold-out maps that are bound within the book but can be detached for display.

This 726-page authoritative volume with its four maps is priced at $75 and can be ordered from the Genealogy Publishing Co., 3600 Clipper Mill Rd., Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21221, toll-free order line 1-800-296-6687. Orders can be taken online at www.genealogical.com. There will be a shipping charge of $4 for one book. This is a “must have” for anyone interested in a definitive encyclopedia of the American Indian.

To read the news article, click here.

The Winslow Genealogical & Historical Society of Winslow Township NJ announced today the unveiling of its newest image gallery.  The image gallery allows the Society to present images of historical documents and photos of historic buildings that either still exist or are no longer standing.  The Society has also enabled their service to allow visitors to register and upload their own photos and scanned images of documents.  The users would retain full control and ownership of these images and photos.For those that wish to donate the scanned images for use by the Society but do not have the means to scan those items, the Society will compelte those scans at no-cost.  To view the gallery, go to http://www.winslowghs.org/gallery/.  For more information about the scanning service that the Society offers, e-mail the Society’s Archivist at archivist@winslowghs.org.

The Town Historian, John Hammond, of Oyster Bay, New York has released a guide for genealogists called “Historic Cemeteries of Oyster Bay”.   Cemeteries are an important resource for many people delving into genealogy, and John has done the leg work by documenting every known pre-1920 cemetery in the Town.

This guide includes a list of 121 cemeteries, some of which no longer exist and some of which are still active, and where transcription records can be found. The listing is done first by present day locality and then alphabetically by the most commonly known name. The graves of several thousand individuals can be looked up in the guide.  Because of the importance cemeteries play in piecing together a family history, the information contained in the pages of this comprehensive guide will prove invaluable to genealogists who trace their family history to Oyster Bay.

For those seeking a hard copy fo the guide, call Town Historian John Hammond at (516) 624-6359.   For a PDF version of the guide, CLICK HERE. 

You can read more about this new resource at: http://www.northender.com/northend_news_details.jsp?id=1262
 

We’ve been working hard to bring the users of Genealogy Path the most current tools that we can find.  And all for FREE.  Genealogy Path does not charge a dime for any of the services or features that are provided for the genealogists/family researchers. 

So, we are proud to announce a new resource for genealogists to use.  The feature is called GED Viewer and allows users to upload their family tree data and make it available to other users to view.  In conducting our own research into this tool, it looked like this tool would be great for those who want to take their research to the next level of collaboration.  It seems that users can add to currently uploaded GED files.  The originals would still remain in the possession of the original uploader.  You can check out this new feature at http://www.genealogypath.com/GEDView/.  I’d be interested to hear other people’s thoughts on this new feature.

The following article is from Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright 2007 by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. Information about the newsletter is available at http://www.eogn.com. 

I have written several times about Google Books and occasionally about Microsoft Books. Those two organizations are working with some major libraries to scan millions of older books. However, some libraries are no longer cooperating. They do not like the restrictions placed by those companies.

Several libraries, including a large consortium in the Boston area, are instead signing on with the Open Content Alliance, a nonprofit effort aimed at making their materials broadly available.

Google pays to scan the books and does not directly profit from the resulting Web pages, although the books make its search engine more useful and more valuable. However, Google does not allow the scanned books to be made available on other commercial search services. Microsoft Books has somewhat similar restrictions. Some libraries, like the Boston Public Library and the Smithsonian Institution, refuse to accept such restrictions. Instead, they are now affiliating with the Open Content Alliance, a nonprofit effort aimed at making their materials broadly available.

Last month, the Boston Library Consortium of 19 research and academic libraries in New England that includes the University of Connecticut and the University of Massachusetts, said it would work with the Open Content Alliance to begin digitizing the books among the libraries’ 34 million volumes whose copyright had expired. These 19 libraries are not willing to accept the restrictions that are in the Google and Microsoft agreements.

“We understand the commercial value of what Google is doing, but we want to be able to distribute materials in a way where everyone benefits from it,” said Bernard A. Margolis, President of the Boston Public Library, which has in its collection roughly 3,700 volumes from the personal library of John Adams.

It is interesting to note that Bernie Margolis of the Boston Public Library is well known as one of the leading library experts of today. His opinions will carry considerable weight.

You can read more about these issues in the New York Times at http://tinyurl.com/2mzhbb.

NOTE: The New York Times often places articles online for only a few days but then removes them. The article is available as I write these words but may disappear soon.

My thanks to Amelia James for telling me about this article.

Posted by Dick Eastman on October 22, 2007