As I'm still participating in the Geneabloggers Winter Games, one of the categories suggests joining in on one of the genealogy carnivals offered now. The one that appealed to me most is hosted by the Graveyard Rabbits and this month's topic is Forgotten Cemeteries. I've only had one in-person experience with an inactive cemetery that is small and generally falls off the radar, Hillgrove Cemetery in Darke Co., OH. It actually falls right near the border of Eastern IN and Western OH and lies outside two cities, one in each state. I posted about it right after returning from my research trip last fall and managed to get some pretty decent photos of the rather small (thankfully) cemetery. Here's the link to the post with a google earth photo and a photo of the entire cemetery http://genealogist-in-training.blogspot.com/2009/10/part-2-hillgrove-cemetery-darke-co-oh.html
I was really in awe of this cemetery. I've walked cemeteries before, but most were more recent and/or still active. This was the first one I've been to that was older and abandoned. At one point however, it looked like someone had cared for it because there were many, many broken stones that had been stacked up. I couldn't tell whether the person had systematically gone through and tried to match up the broken pieces and then place them where they'd presumably fallen or if it was just a haphazard straightening up. I will pay more attention on my next visit. Fortunately, my ancestors stone was still in tact though it did lean back a bit. I'm hoping to be able to figure out a way to help preserve it as much as I can, though at this point I'm not even sure if there's anything that can be done. I'd hate to think of his stone becoming one of those unknown broken pieces stacked up somewhere. In any case, I am planning another trip to the cemetery, as often as I can actually since it's not very far from from some relatives so that should give me several opportunities to survey the broken pieces and even get a plat done to record who is there and where they are. I didn't have that benefit the first trip and I was extremely worried about whether or not I'd find my ancestor's stone.
There's also another cemetery just down the street from Hillgrove, called Snell Cemetery. I've heard this one is bigger but dates from about the same time. I don't know what kind of condition that site is in but know that there are other relatives buried there, so it's another place on my to-visit list. Hopefully I can stop by and take a look on my next trip out there. This cemetery is a little different than Hillgrove in that the local genealogy and history society has examined this one a bit more closely. They even have a book about Snell, and another Darke County cemetery called Hiller. So it's not quite what I would call a forgotten cemetery. Hillgrove wins the prize for that I guess. Perhaps because of its size...who knows. Whatever the reason, I found it to be a charming little cemetery complete with a huge, ancient tree at the corner spreading it's branches out over the site and shading the resting place. I can't wait to be able to see it in the Spring or Summer when the trees are full.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Some Genea-news, and an important link to share
Hey all, I had a couple of things pop up in my inbox this morning that I wanted to share. First off, thanks to Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter, found here http://www.eogn.com/, which had a topic today about the UK Archives in Kew giving away microfilm. Much of the inventory consists of census rolls but there are also baptismal rolls and rolls relating to seamen and other topics. The registry is worth a look and you can view what's available here, http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/microfilm_doc_for_pdf.pdf . Eastman's site also gives more information as well as contact info you have any questions on how to obtain any of the rolls. You can read more here http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2010/02/the-national-archives-of-the-uk-surplus-used-microfilms-offered-for-disposal.html
The second thing I wanted to share was a good place for some techno gadgets that may be useful. I'm not really into the technology side of things but even I have to admit that sometimes it can definitely make life a little easier, if not proving to be a necessity. So a good place that I've found to look for those gadgets, everything from computers to thumb drives and everything in between, is http://www.newegg.com . I am on their email list so I get to see what and when things are on sale. Today's star, for me at least, is an 8 GB flash drive for $22.99. 8 GB!! Can you imagine how much space you can have? Talk about a backup, that would be a great way to save your files from all of the junk swimming around on the web. So I thought maybe someone here might like to take advantage of that deal, and for everyone else, you might want to sign up for their email list. It's just a good thing to have and take a look at. They always seem to have some good deals for useful things.
The second thing I wanted to share was a good place for some techno gadgets that may be useful. I'm not really into the technology side of things but even I have to admit that sometimes it can definitely make life a little easier, if not proving to be a necessity. So a good place that I've found to look for those gadgets, everything from computers to thumb drives and everything in between, is http://www.newegg.com . I am on their email list so I get to see what and when things are on sale. Today's star, for me at least, is an 8 GB flash drive for $22.99. 8 GB!! Can you imagine how much space you can have? Talk about a backup, that would be a great way to save your files from all of the junk swimming around on the web. So I thought maybe someone here might like to take advantage of that deal, and for everyone else, you might want to sign up for their email list. It's just a good thing to have and take a look at. They always seem to have some good deals for useful things.
Tombstone Tuesday...I know, it doesn't happen often here
I'm doing probably only the second, or possibly the first, Tombstone Tuesday here. I usually don't participate too much because I don't have very many tombstone photos in my collection. Last year however, I found a wonderfully kind researched through Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness, found here http://www.raogk.org/, who took photos of a group of family members who are buried in the Chester Rural Cemetery in Chester, Delaware Co., PA. Included among the burials was my 3rd Great Grandmother, Jemima McKeever Taylor. I don't know very much about her really, she was only about 33 when she died in 1873. She was born about 1840, probably in Philadelphia, PA where her father, J.B. McKeever as well as his parents and grandparents, were living at the time. She married Alfred Taylor, who is buried at Chester Rural Cemetery also, in 1861 at Marcus Hook, PA and had 5 children including one set of twins who both died shortly after birth. Her cause of death is unknown but presumably she died from complications during the birth of her twins in 1873 as all three died that year. Her husband, Alfred, raised their three remaining children, including Elizabeth (or "Bessie")-my Great Grandma Ward's beloved mother-and lived a very active life in the community until his death in 1897. Jemima's gravestone reads:"Jemima McKeeverwife ofAlfred Taylorborn 1837died 1873"Her twins, Alfred and Hill Engle, are buried with her and their information is included below her own.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Tally for Geneabloggers Winter Games
I haven't been doing a very good job at keeping a daily tally on my progress for the Geneabloggers Winter Games, but I have been working so here's the newest tally. For further details on what is involved for each of the categories, visit http://www.geneabloggers.com/competition-categories-winter-2010-gb-games/
I've been lucky enough to get several copies of vital records over the last week and have gotten my citation tally (for category one "Cite Your Sources") up to 23 and I still have a couple more to get done which may bring my total up to 30 by the end of the week bringing a Gold Medal my way. Woohoo!!!
Category 2: "Back up your Data"- This was a pretty easy one for me because I found that most of the requirements relating to protecting and preserving photos has already been done. Lucky break for me. I've signed up with Mozy to help protect my data, as well as backing up several files onto a thumb drive. As for things that are really vital to preserve, they are in two separate safety deposit boxes making everything safe, protected, preserved and it should make for a fairly transition should something happen to threaten everything. This one should bring me a Platinum Medal, the only one so far.
Category 3: "Organize your Research"- Still need to really get to work on this one, though I was able to get a start on it while working on category one. Photos still need to be organized better though so I'm at 3 tasks for this one. Three completed tasks gets me a Gold Medal, but I should be able to attack those photos at some point which would earn me a Diamond or even a Platinum Medal for 4 and 5 completed tasks respectfully
Category 4: "Expand your Knowledge" - This is another category I'm still working on. I've only completed one of the tasks, looking at one of the tutorials on genealogy.com, but I should be able to get 3 or maybe 4 done soon. I will definitely be returning to google maps for this category to map out an ancestral location. I had a great time playing with this program prior to my trip last fall to Darke County, OH and was able to use it to locate a tiny cemetery just outside of Greenville thanks to that program.
Category 5: "Write, Write, Write" - I've did a lot of posting yesterday and some were composed as drafts and pre-published so I've got one task completed. I will probably do one more task, such as participating in a carnival event (such as this one, does that count? :) ). I already have two of the items necessary for two separate tasks for this category so I don't think those count which leaves me with only a couple possibilities. So I'm guessing I'll only have about 2 or 3 tasks completed for this one.
Category 6: "Reach Out and Perform Genealogical Acts of Kindness"- I'm at 5 tasks on this one. I've commented at a new blog, I participated in some indexing at both ancestry.com and familysearch, I joined a society (actually renewed after I had let it lapse), I use the follow feature to follow other blogs, and I invited another genealogist to join facebook. Whew!
So that's the latest tally. Hopefully I can meet my goals, but even if I don't I've already gotten a ton of work done that probably would have just sat for another day (which basically means probably never). So it's already been a great experience.
I've been lucky enough to get several copies of vital records over the last week and have gotten my citation tally (for category one "Cite Your Sources") up to 23 and I still have a couple more to get done which may bring my total up to 30 by the end of the week bringing a Gold Medal my way. Woohoo!!!
Category 2: "Back up your Data"- This was a pretty easy one for me because I found that most of the requirements relating to protecting and preserving photos has already been done. Lucky break for me. I've signed up with Mozy to help protect my data, as well as backing up several files onto a thumb drive. As for things that are really vital to preserve, they are in two separate safety deposit boxes making everything safe, protected, preserved and it should make for a fairly transition should something happen to threaten everything. This one should bring me a Platinum Medal, the only one so far.
Category 3: "Organize your Research"- Still need to really get to work on this one, though I was able to get a start on it while working on category one. Photos still need to be organized better though so I'm at 3 tasks for this one. Three completed tasks gets me a Gold Medal, but I should be able to attack those photos at some point which would earn me a Diamond or even a Platinum Medal for 4 and 5 completed tasks respectfully
Category 4: "Expand your Knowledge" - This is another category I'm still working on. I've only completed one of the tasks, looking at one of the tutorials on genealogy.com, but I should be able to get 3 or maybe 4 done soon. I will definitely be returning to google maps for this category to map out an ancestral location. I had a great time playing with this program prior to my trip last fall to Darke County, OH and was able to use it to locate a tiny cemetery just outside of Greenville thanks to that program.
Category 5: "Write, Write, Write" - I've did a lot of posting yesterday and some were composed as drafts and pre-published so I've got one task completed. I will probably do one more task, such as participating in a carnival event (such as this one, does that count? :) ). I already have two of the items necessary for two separate tasks for this category so I don't think those count which leaves me with only a couple possibilities. So I'm guessing I'll only have about 2 or 3 tasks completed for this one.
Category 6: "Reach Out and Perform Genealogical Acts of Kindness"- I'm at 5 tasks on this one. I've commented at a new blog, I participated in some indexing at both ancestry.com and familysearch, I joined a society (actually renewed after I had let it lapse), I use the follow feature to follow other blogs, and I invited another genealogist to join facebook. Whew!
So that's the latest tally. Hopefully I can meet my goals, but even if I don't I've already gotten a ton of work done that probably would have just sat for another day (which basically means probably never). So it's already been a great experience.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
When one computer crashes...
Alright, you'll have to excuse this post. It's probably going to be a bit random. But as I posted a few days ago, my netbook crashed so I lost all of the favorites that were on that computer. So this afternoon I was on the desktop, which was my primary computer prior to last May, and rediscovered some favorites that I had saved there. Some of them I thought were worth sharing so here they are:
The ISRR (International Soundex Reunion Registry) http://plumsite.com/isrr/ - This site just looks like a fun thing to keep in mind, especially if you have clients who are preparing for a reunion or who are looking for relatives
The Workhouse http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.html?Bristol/Bristol.shtml - This was a site that I saved when trying to figure out if there was some truth to a family legend that said one of my Stevens ancestors, the emigrant who supposedly left England for America probably in the 1770s, was a prisoner in Bristol, England during the War of 1812. This site does allude to the fact that what had been a 19th century workhouse, had a history as a prison and more specifically, as a POW prison during the War of 1812. Its name is Stapleton and I have since found out that the FHL has microfilm of prisoners who were released from Stapleton after the war. So far, there's no sign of my Charles T. Stevens, but I haven't finished looking at the film. This site is important because it gives a good deal of background information on a very little known prison during this time. Most people think of places like Dartmoor when they think of War of 1812 POWs and if their ancestor doesn't appear in the lists of for that prison or one of the other biggies, the family history can get discredited. So this is a good site to be aware of just in case one of those POW stories comes your way.
A Primer for New England Research http://www.genealogy.com/genealogy/25_kory.html - Ok, obviously a "primer" can be helpful for whatever basic information it can provide. So for that alone, this was a pretty handy dandy site to keep in mind. But the author of this one, written for genealogy.com, is Kory Meyerink who is also the author of a book on finding hidden sources which is a greatly important resource. So that's two good reasons to check this one out. It may be a little dated, yes, but the basic foundation is still solid. If you need another reason, he gives several recommendations for reference works that are also helpful.
Bureau of Land Management Land Patent Search page http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/PatentSearch/Default.asp? - Pretty self-explanatory. You can search and view original images right from the site. If the images are not included, you can order the files.
Kentucky Land Office site http://www.sos.ky.gov/land/search/ - Have an ancestor who lived in Virginia in the 18th century? Who was involved in some kind of military service during the revolution? Perhaps you have an early Kentucky ancestor? Then you may want to keep this one in your favorites list as well. The Kentucky Land Office site offers several databases for your to search, as well as original (and printable) images online. But just as important is the background information provided for the different records collections. They give a great explanation of the process behind certificates of settlement and preemption.
about.com Genealogy Blog http://genealogy.about.com/b/ - This is the about.com Genealogy channel blog by Kimberly Powell. Kimberly Powell is a well-known genealogist and her blog is filled to the brim with great information as well as posts that just plain interesting reading. If it's not on your regular "to read" list, it should be.
Maureen Taylor, the "Photo Detective" has both a blog found here: http://blog.familytreemagazine.com/photodetectiveblog/?p_PageAlias=photodetective
and a regular site found here:
http://www.photodetective.com/
She uses her blog to show various photos that she has been sent, has in her collection, and/or those which bring up certain aspects of photo identification. Through her main site, you can find out how to send her your own unidentified photos and follow her lecture schedule. You can find out about her WONDERFUL book on either site but my favorite, and one which I think should be on every genealogists bookshelf, is Uncovering your Ancestry through Family Photographs (more info found here http://www.fwbookstore.com/product/1217/genealogy ). Her discussion of how to tell what kind of early photograph you have, ambrotype, tintype, daguerreotype, etc., is worth the purchase price alone.
NARAtions http://blogs.archives.gov/online-public-access/ - If you are a genealogist or even an amateur family historian, you will no doubt rely upon records held by the federal government, specifically the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), to help your research. Keeping informed on what is going on with NARA means you're keeping your eyes on what's happening with those records that are so important to you. In light of all of the proposed changes coming to the National Archives in D.C. specifically, keeping this blog on your radar has become even more important.
Maybe something in this list will be helpful to you. Or better yet, maybe you have your own favorites saved somewhere that may have gotten forgotten.
The ISRR (International Soundex Reunion Registry) http://plumsite.com/isrr/ - This site just looks like a fun thing to keep in mind, especially if you have clients who are preparing for a reunion or who are looking for relatives
The Workhouse http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.html?Bristol/Bristol.shtml - This was a site that I saved when trying to figure out if there was some truth to a family legend that said one of my Stevens ancestors, the emigrant who supposedly left England for America probably in the 1770s, was a prisoner in Bristol, England during the War of 1812. This site does allude to the fact that what had been a 19th century workhouse, had a history as a prison and more specifically, as a POW prison during the War of 1812. Its name is Stapleton and I have since found out that the FHL has microfilm of prisoners who were released from Stapleton after the war. So far, there's no sign of my Charles T. Stevens, but I haven't finished looking at the film. This site is important because it gives a good deal of background information on a very little known prison during this time. Most people think of places like Dartmoor when they think of War of 1812 POWs and if their ancestor doesn't appear in the lists of for that prison or one of the other biggies, the family history can get discredited. So this is a good site to be aware of just in case one of those POW stories comes your way.
A Primer for New England Research http://www.genealogy.com/genealogy/25_kory.html - Ok, obviously a "primer" can be helpful for whatever basic information it can provide. So for that alone, this was a pretty handy dandy site to keep in mind. But the author of this one, written for genealogy.com, is Kory Meyerink who is also the author of a book on finding hidden sources which is a greatly important resource. So that's two good reasons to check this one out. It may be a little dated, yes, but the basic foundation is still solid. If you need another reason, he gives several recommendations for reference works that are also helpful.
Bureau of Land Management Land Patent Search page http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/PatentSearch/Default.asp? - Pretty self-explanatory. You can search and view original images right from the site. If the images are not included, you can order the files.
Kentucky Land Office site http://www.sos.ky.gov/land/search/ - Have an ancestor who lived in Virginia in the 18th century? Who was involved in some kind of military service during the revolution? Perhaps you have an early Kentucky ancestor? Then you may want to keep this one in your favorites list as well. The Kentucky Land Office site offers several databases for your to search, as well as original (and printable) images online. But just as important is the background information provided for the different records collections. They give a great explanation of the process behind certificates of settlement and preemption.
about.com Genealogy Blog http://genealogy.about.com/b/ - This is the about.com Genealogy channel blog by Kimberly Powell. Kimberly Powell is a well-known genealogist and her blog is filled to the brim with great information as well as posts that just plain interesting reading. If it's not on your regular "to read" list, it should be.
Maureen Taylor, the "Photo Detective" has both a blog found here: http://blog.familytreemagazine.com/photodetectiveblog/?p_PageAlias=photodetective
and a regular site found here:
http://www.photodetective.com/
She uses her blog to show various photos that she has been sent, has in her collection, and/or those which bring up certain aspects of photo identification. Through her main site, you can find out how to send her your own unidentified photos and follow her lecture schedule. You can find out about her WONDERFUL book on either site but my favorite, and one which I think should be on every genealogists bookshelf, is Uncovering your Ancestry through Family Photographs (more info found here http://www.fwbookstore.com/product/1217/genealogy ). Her discussion of how to tell what kind of early photograph you have, ambrotype, tintype, daguerreotype, etc., is worth the purchase price alone.
NARAtions http://blogs.archives.gov/online-public-access/ - If you are a genealogist or even an amateur family historian, you will no doubt rely upon records held by the federal government, specifically the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), to help your research. Keeping informed on what is going on with NARA means you're keeping your eyes on what's happening with those records that are so important to you. In light of all of the proposed changes coming to the National Archives in D.C. specifically, keeping this blog on your radar has become even more important.
Maybe something in this list will be helpful to you. Or better yet, maybe you have your own favorites saved somewhere that may have gotten forgotten.
Well that's a bummer...PA Death Records
Hey all, I just got word through one of my email lists that Familysearch Pilot has removed the Philadelphia Death Records images (these are the cemetery returns beginning as early as 1803). Apparently someone emailed Familysearch to ask what was going on and they confirmed that the images had in fact been removed. They will hopefully be returning sometime later in the year once some kind of registration system has been developed and implemented. There was no further elaboration on what the "registration system" referred to so I'm at a loss. Those records were extremely useful for Philadelphia research at a time when, for the most part, there was no statewide death registration. Those cemetery returns are in many cases the only proof of the date of death for a subject, other than a tombstone which you may not be able to find without knowing the date of death. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that this issue gets taken care of so the images can return.
As far as I know, the index is still available through Familysearch Pilot so you should still be able to search for people. It's only the images that have been removed. For the very earliest returns, which in some cases were just slips of paper with the person's name and very basic info, this may not impact researchers very much. Like many other record types however, as the years went on the format of the returns got more sophistocated and important information can be found. It really just depends which is one reason why those images are so vital; you just never know what will be included.
In any event, let's just hope this gets resolved soon. Those images, along with the index, make up an extremely important PA resource. For now, if you are interested in the index you can find it here http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#c=1320976;p=collectionDetails
As far as I know, the index is still available through Familysearch Pilot so you should still be able to search for people. It's only the images that have been removed. For the very earliest returns, which in some cases were just slips of paper with the person's name and very basic info, this may not impact researchers very much. Like many other record types however, as the years went on the format of the returns got more sophistocated and important information can be found. It really just depends which is one reason why those images are so vital; you just never know what will be included.
In any event, let's just hope this gets resolved soon. Those images, along with the index, make up an extremely important PA resource. For now, if you are interested in the index you can find it here http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#c=1320976;p=collectionDetails
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
NGSQ Article Discussion Group Today
Hey all, as usual I've got a lot on my plate but in came the monthly NGSQ article discussion for a nice change of pace. The article for this month's chat was "Life and Death on the Frontier: The Robert and Loana McFarland Family of Boulder Valley, Colorado" by Birdie Monk Holsclaw. If you haven't read it yet, it was the 2003 Winner of the NGS Family History Writing Contest and is a definite must read. Those of you who are NGS members can access the article online through their article archives section. Those who are not members, it's just another reason to go join right now.
As I said above, this is a definite read. There are several reasons really but the top two, in my opinion anyway, are
1-it's a fast read; fast, easy, interesting, pulls you in, not confusing/requiring the reader to make charts in order to follow what's going on
2-it includes all of the key elements of a classic case study; it's the kind of thing you would want your BCG certification portfolio to exemplify (there was even some discussion in our group today about this being part of the author's CG application)
When I say that it includes all of the key elements required of a good, strong case study one of the points I'm referring to is the use of tons of sources of all kinds showing an "exhaustive" search of records. Another is the the placement of the subject within the larger historical context of the time and place. In this case, the subject was Robert McFarland and his family through his second wife. Robert began his life in Vermont later moving to IL and ultimately CO while his children went back to VT and even ID and for all of these places, we see historical selections taken from the time and place and placing each of the subjects within that framework. This article represents what appears to me to have been a pretty big undertaking of research and study of New England, newly formed territories in what would become known as the Midwest, and the frontier at a very early time in its history. I do not have any known ancestors (at least not that I know of yet) who ventured out to the Western frontier, at least none that settled there permanently and remained there so this article was not necessarily something that I would have chosen to read on my own (despite my knowledge that case studies, no matter what their content have value in guiding others on proper methodology) but it turned out to be one of the greatest examples of a case study that I've read up to this point, right up there with the article by Rachel Mills Lennon that we read back in October (here's the post on the subject http://genealogist-in-training.blogspot.com/2009/10/im-motivatedbut-distracted.html ).
My point here is read this article! Actually, either get a membership to NGS so you can read all fo the articles, award-winning or not, or head to the nearest library and start checking out as many NGSQs as you possibly can. They serve not only as models, but as motivators for yourself. They're a great way to see in tangible terms where you want your work to be, where you want your skills to be.
As I said above, this is a definite read. There are several reasons really but the top two, in my opinion anyway, are
1-it's a fast read; fast, easy, interesting, pulls you in, not confusing/requiring the reader to make charts in order to follow what's going on
2-it includes all of the key elements of a classic case study; it's the kind of thing you would want your BCG certification portfolio to exemplify (there was even some discussion in our group today about this being part of the author's CG application)
When I say that it includes all of the key elements required of a good, strong case study one of the points I'm referring to is the use of tons of sources of all kinds showing an "exhaustive" search of records. Another is the the placement of the subject within the larger historical context of the time and place. In this case, the subject was Robert McFarland and his family through his second wife. Robert began his life in Vermont later moving to IL and ultimately CO while his children went back to VT and even ID and for all of these places, we see historical selections taken from the time and place and placing each of the subjects within that framework. This article represents what appears to me to have been a pretty big undertaking of research and study of New England, newly formed territories in what would become known as the Midwest, and the frontier at a very early time in its history. I do not have any known ancestors (at least not that I know of yet) who ventured out to the Western frontier, at least none that settled there permanently and remained there so this article was not necessarily something that I would have chosen to read on my own (despite my knowledge that case studies, no matter what their content have value in guiding others on proper methodology) but it turned out to be one of the greatest examples of a case study that I've read up to this point, right up there with the article by Rachel Mills Lennon that we read back in October (here's the post on the subject http://genealogist-in-training.blogspot.com/2009/10/im-motivatedbut-distracted.html ).
My point here is read this article! Actually, either get a membership to NGS so you can read all fo the articles, award-winning or not, or head to the nearest library and start checking out as many NGSQs as you possibly can. They serve not only as models, but as motivators for yourself. They're a great way to see in tangible terms where you want your work to be, where you want your skills to be.
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