Aug
11
2009
Here’s a great opportunity to do some free searching. WorldVitalRecords.com is opening their virtual doors to the public for free starting today, August 11 (credit card NOT required!). The promotion runs through Thursday, August 13 (my birthday!).
WorldVitalRecords.com also recently published the genealogy social network, GenealogyWise.com. (Have you joined the Legacy Fans group yet??)
Here’s their press release about the free public access:
PROVO, UT, August 10, 2009 –…
Jul
13
2009
On behalf of the New Jersey State Archives, I’m excited to announce the initial posting of our database indexing Civil War-period treasury vouchers. These records include 15,770 payment receipts for military expenditures and wartime purchases made by the State of New Jersey from 1861 through 1866. It includes soldiers’ discharge certificates for final pay (over 9,300 items), affidavits of family members for pay due to deceased soldiers (over 1,400 items), and quarterly returns of the counties and cities listing the names of soldiers’ families and dependant mothers who received subsistence pay during their service. In all, nearly 114,000 index entries provide access to the content of the documents. Here’s the link to our databases page:
http://www.njarchives.org/links/databases.html
As the introduction of the database explains, the processing and indexing of New Jersey’s Civil War vouchers was made possible by the New Jersey Civil War Heritage Association (NJCWHA) with funding from the New Jersey Historical Commission and the New Jersey State Archives gratefully acknowledges their contributions and continued efforts to make the records of New Jersey’s Civil War era more accessible.
Kudos to all those who indexed the collection including: Veronica Calder, Sean Curry, Catherine Medich and Joanne Nestor. Congratulations also to Vivian Thiele for the data entry/manipulation, search engine development and the completion of this project.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge Deputy Director Joseph R. Klett for his 10 year campaign to see this project through to completion. His vision, guidance and determination made this resource a reality.
Ellen R. Callahan, Collection Manager
New Jersey State Archives
225 West State Street, P.O. Box 307
Trenton, NJ 08625-0307
Tel. 609-292-1570 – Fax (609) 292-9105
E-Mail: ellen.callahan@sos.state.nj.us www.njarchives.org
Feb
21
2009
The following article is from Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright 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.
Kasia Grycza is a professional genealogist who lives in Poland. She is an expert in Polish, Austrian, and Russian genealogy. In this interview, Kasia offers some hints on how to get started in genealogy research in Poland and other Eastern European countries
Roots Television kindly recorded our conversation and has now made that video available at: http://www.rootstelevision.com/players/player_conferences3.php?bctid=11909038001&bclid=10538975001. You might also want to look at Kasia’s web site at http://www.discovering-roots.pl.
Oct
12
2008
Death records for the state of Tennessee are available online in three separate indexes. Tennessee began recording death records in 1908. For the first few years, recording was erratic. The Tennessee State Archives and Library features a searchable index to their death records for 1908-1912 at www.tennessee.gov/tsla/history/vital/death2.htm. This index contains almost 98,000 listings. The search results give the decedent’s name, year of death, county of death, and certificate number. This information can be used to order the complete death record.
The Memphis Public Library History and Genealogy Index Web site at tempo.memphislibrary.org/dadabik/program_files/sform.php allows the visitor to search Memphis/Shelby County deaths (1848-1945) from the Memphis Death Register books and yellow fever deaths recorded during an epidemic in 1878. Also included in the database are the Freedmen’s Bureau marriage index of 1863-4. Death records for 1913 were not recorded in Tennessee. The second online index lists Tennessee deaths from 1914 to 1924 and is at www.tennessee.gov/tsla/history/vital/tndeath.htm. Again, this information should be used when ordering the full death record.
Feb
24
2008
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.
Jan
5
2008
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,
* “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,
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.
Nov
30
2007
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Nov
25
2007
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.
Nov
24
2007
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
Nov
23
2007
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.
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