ROOTSWEB REVIEW: RootsWeb's Genealogy News
Vol. 3, No. 5, 2 February 2000, Circulation: 392,224+
(c) 1998-2000 RootsWeb.com, Inc.
RootsWeb.com, Inc., P.O. Box 6798, Frazier Park, CA 93222-6798
Editors: Julia M. Case and Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG
RootsWeb HelpDesk:
Advertising:
Public Relations/Press:
* * * * *
IN THIS ISSUE:
o Announcements from the CEO
o IBSSG Y2K Bo Peep Awards
o RootsWeb's Guide to Tracing Family Trees
o RootsWeb's Presidential Ahnentafels
o Connecting through RootsWeb
o Mailing Lists
o New Genealogy Web Pages
o GenConnect
o USGenWeb Archives Project
o Letters to the Editors
o Humor
o Reprint Policy, Back Issues, How to Subscribe/Unsubscribe
* * * * *
ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE CEO, by Robert R. Tillman
o EXCUSES FOR NOT UPLOADING YOUR GEDCOM TO THE ROOTSWEB
WORLDCONNECT PROJECT. As of today, there are more than
16,987,038 names to search on WorldConnect, with hundreds of
thousands more added daily. Nevertheless, most RootsWeb users
have not yet uploaded their GEDCOMs to WorldConnect. Their
excuses include:
I WILL LOSE CONTROL OF MY GEDCOM. WorldConnect allows you to
remove or change your GEDCOM at any time. RootsWeb promises
never to merge your GEDCOM with those of others, charge you or
others to access it, or burn it onto a CD and sell it for profit.
SOMEONE MIGHT STEAL MY RESEARCH. WorldConnect provides you with
the ability to restrict downloads of your GEDCOM either
completely or to a specified number of generations.
MY SOURCE NOTES WILL BE LOST. WorldConnect accepts and displays
the text notes that are associated with each entry in a GEDCOM.
I AM NOT A ROOTSWEB MEMBER. WorldConnect is free to everyone.
You do not need to be a RootsWeb financial supporter to upload
your GEDCOM to WorldConnect or to search the GEDCOMs that are
resident on WorldConnect.
I CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY SOFTWARE THAT CAN CREATE A GEDCOM. Many
free and shareware genealogy software applications exist that
can generate a GEDCOM file. We listed many of these applications
and where to find them in last week's RootsWeb Review at
MY GEDCOM CONTAINS SENSITIVE INFORMATION ON LIVING PEOPLE.
WorldConnect provides you with a wide variety of options to
restrict display of data on living individuals or to remove that
data entirely from your GEDCOM.
MY WEB CONNECTION IS THROUGH WEBTV, OR I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW TO
UPLOAD A GEDCOM, OR MY WEB CONNECTION IS BAD. RootsWeb accepts
GEDCOMs on removable media. Please feel free to send your GEDCOM
to RootsWeb WorldConnect Project, 1001 Tower Way, #120,
Bakersfield, CA 93309 on a floppy, ZIP disk, or CD. We will
upload it for you and send you notification by e-mail of your
account name and password (please allow two weeks). Thereafter,
you can change the viewing options at any time by going to
I DON'T HAVE TIME TO UPLOAD MY GEDCOM. Uploading a GEDCOM is a
simple five-minute process. To upload, go to
,
choose an account name and password, provide a title for the
GEDCOM and hit the BROWSE button under Upload Options to locate
the GEDCOM on your hard disk. Once you have chosen a file to
upload, the process proceeds automatically. There are many
options relating to uploading a GEDCOM; however, the default
settings are the best place to start. You can edit these
settings at any time after the GEDCOM is uploaded.
IT TAKES HOURS OF CONNECTION TIME TO UPLOAD A GEDCOM. Our users
have told us that WorldConnect has by far the fastest upload
times and most reliable operation of any GEDCOM hosting facility
on the Web. RootsWeb is open 24 hours per day. Upload your
GEDCOM at night just before you go to bed.
MY GEDCOM IS ALREADY DISPLAYED ON MY WEB SITE. Even if your Web
site is indexed to all of the major search engines, most users
will not be able to find your ancestors and make a connection
with you. If your GEDCOM is uploaded to WorldConnect, users will
easily be able to find you. In addition, people will also be
able to find your Web site, since you can link your GEDCOM to
your Web site on WorldConnect.
MY GEDCOM IS TOO LARGE. The largest GEDCOM on WorldConnect has
about 250,000 names. There is no GEDCOM that we have found that
is too large for WorldConnect.
MY GEDCOM IS TOO SMALL. The smallest GEDCOM on WorldConnect has
one name. Start small and resubmit your GEDCOM frequently as it
grows. Even a GEDCOM that contains only your immediate family
can provide a connection to other researchers.
I'LL GET AROUND TO IT SOMEDAY. Every day that you delay in
uploading your GEDCOM is a day that you may miss a vital piece
of research or a connection with someone who can help you.
MY DOG ATE MY GEDCOM. Don't worry. It will come out all right in
the end.
o When I talked to representatives of the various genealogical
and historical societies exhibiting at GenTech 2000 this past
weekend, I was shocked to find that some of them were not
located on RootsWeb. This is surprising to me since RootsWeb
provides FREE, unlimited Web space to genealogical and
historical societies with NO advertising and since RootsWeb is
the best place on the Web for new users to find a local
genealogical or historical society. What I learned was that most
people simply do not know that RootsWeb provides this service.
RootsWeb hosts literally hundreds of genealogical and historical
societies and virtually all of the major volunteer genealogical
projects on the Web. If you are a member of a local genealogical
or historical society with a Web site not located on RootsWeb,
please let your governing board know that your organization is
very welcome on RootsWeb. Genealogical and historical societies
can request FREE unbannered Web space on RootsWeb at:
[Note that this is a two-line URL.]
o One of the organizations that I spoke with at GenTech that is
located on RootsWeb is The British Isles Family History Society-
U.S.A. at This site is a
great starting point for anyone researching their ancestors who
came from England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands,
and the Isle of Man. Permanent features include a Guide to
British Isles Research, a list of major Internet links, and a
discussion of key resources at the Los Angeles Family History
Center, where many society activities take place. This summer
the society is looking forward to hosting its 13th annual three-
day research seminar aboard the "Queen Mary" in Long Beach.
o Did your ancestor fight in the Civil War? Upload your GEDCOM
to RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project
then use a Post-em to add such interesting details to your
ancestors' records.
o On a personal note, I was privileged to read the pre-print
version of this month's HISTORY MAGAZINE before it went to press.
My hobby is history, and I strongly recommend that anyone
interested in history obtain a free copy of this month's issue at
while supplies last.
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columnists have this to say about HISTORY MAGAZINE: Joyce
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Save $5 on FAMILY CHRONICLE's Introduction to Genealogy special
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INTERNATIONAL BLACK SHEEP SOCIETY OF GENEALOGISTS (IBSSG)
YEAR 2000 BO PEEP AWARDS
by Jeff Scism
The Bo Peep is an award voted by the members of the
International Black Sheep Society of Genealogists, the IBSSG.
Awards are given to those who have contributed significantly to
the genealogy/history communities, in a manner considered to be
well above the "call of duty." This year's winners are:
John Wallets, Fayette County, Indiana, Pioneer Cemetery
Supervisor. John is the model for many propsed cemetery
restoration projects. He was recently featured in a nationwide
article on his personal efforts to locate, restore, and re-erect
tombstones, many of which have been lost and buried for decades.
Randy Winch, a programmer at RootsWeb, for his innovative search
engines and database development. (He has created many useful
GEDCOM utilities as well.) Randy is one of the "behind the
scenes guys" at RootsWeb and one of RootsWeb's primary trouble-
shooters.
Other nominees for this year were:
Joy Fisher, South Dakota GenWeb Coordinator and BLM project worker
Lorine McGinnis Schulse, Olive Tree Genealogy Web site
, and her activities on
Dutch-Colonies-L@rootsweb.com
Save Texas Cemeteries, Inc, promotes turning cemeteries into
tourism magnets for a community, using public funds to restore
and promote cemeteries as a place to visit.
Pam Carey Durstock, primary manager of the GenConnect program
at RootsWeb
* * *
ROOTSWEB'S GUIDE TO TRACING FAMILY TREES.
Index to lessons:
* * *
ROOTSWEB'S PRESIDENTIAL AHNENTAFELS
Jefferson and Madison are new this week.
* * * * *
CONNECTING THROUGH ROOTSWEB. Thanks for sharing your stories.
THANKS FOR THE LEADS
by David Stever, St. Paul, Minnesota
I have been getting the ROOTSWEB REVIEW for many months now, and
while looking at other people's stories of leads found, I have
mostly read it for references to new Web pages that others have
published that might lead to discovering my Maritime and New
England families, which I have extensively researched. What had
started me into genealogy many years ago was my dad's family,
with which I was almost immediately blocked at the WYMAN family
in Waltham, Massachusetts. My grandmother, Marion Hurd Wyman,
told me stories as a child, but beyond names of her dad and his
dad, I was stumped for more than 20 years. Two weeks ago,
curious, I went to the surname list on RootsWeb, and did a
search on WYMAN. The numbers returned were huge, so I trimmed it
back to search just Massachusetts. Still pretty long, I began
looking through the returns, and found one for Waltham. What are
the odds, right?
I put together a short note to John Falla, whose research I'd
found, giving him the name of my grandmother, her dad Reuben,
and his dad James. He replied that he couldn't find the name
James, but for one of the Reubens that he had, he gave me back
the name of my great-grandmother, Mary Ida HURD. I told him that
we had a link (and another example of hazy memory on the part of
family members), and John a few days later sent me a narrative
that laid out *16* generations back from my great-great-
grandfather Reuben Alfred Wyman. I even discovered that my dad's
name, Russell Wyman Stever, ultimately goes back to the family
of Jason RUSSELL, a casualty in the Battle of Lexington, from
whom quite a few relations ended up named Russell WYMAN, when
these two colonial families intermarried.
It's with utmost gratitude that I salute John Falla's research
which melds into my own family, and now I turn my eyes to Mary
Ida HURD, born in York, Maine, but ending up in Waltham. Perhaps
her family came down to work in the factories of Waltham, which
pre-dated the huge facilities at Lowell and Lawrence by 15-20
years. I have already shared John's information with some
recently reunited cousins who still live in the Waltham area,
and we will continue to pool our data.
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Dust can scratch a photographic image and pollutants can carry
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Make sure that the storage location is cool, dark and dry.
Insure that the environment does not suffer from severe
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not to place your fingers directly onto the photographic image.
Oils and microscopic dirt on fingertips can cause slow but
permanent damage to photos. If and whenever possible, separate
the negatives from the actual prints. Both should be stored in a
cool, dark and dry area. Store important originals in a safe
place and make copies of these photos for display.
When using albums, care must be given to the type selected.
There are now many "archival safe" products on the market.
However, make sure that the paper is acid free and that the
plastics used are PVC free. Acidic paper turns yellow with time
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chemicals present in this type of plastic are incredibly harmful
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MAILING LISTS. For an index to most genealogy mailing lists
hosted by RootsWeb, visit
NEW MAILING LIST REQUESTS. Please request new mailing lists at:
TO SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE from any RootsWeb-hosted mailing
list, send an e-mail message with only the word SUBSCRIBE
(or UNSUBSCRIBE) in the subject and the body of the message to
[name of list]-L-request@rootsweb.com (for mail mode) or to
[name of list]-D-request@rootsweb.com (for digest mode). FOR
EXAMPLE, to discuss Menfi or Santa Margherita di Belice, Sicily,
send a SUBSCRIBE message to:
* * * * *
NEW WEB ACCOUNT REQUESTS. Please see the instructions at
NEW WEB SITES. Some of these might not yet be accessible. If one
that interests you isn't up yet, please check again in a few
days or a week. . Note
that the ~[tilde] before the account name is required. FOR
EXAMPLE, to visit the Somerset, England Web page, go to
ENGLAND
engiom -- Isle of Man
engiow -- Isle of Wight
engsom -- Somerset
U.S.A.
gacchs -- Cherokee County Historical Society (Georgia)
gadcgs -- Decatur County Genealogical Society (Georgia)
ksscgscm -- Sumner County Genealogical Society Cemeteries
(Kansas)
nvnengs -- Northeastern Nevada Genealogical Society
oheccgs -- East Cuyahoga County Genealogical Society (Ohio)
scgsdfc -- South Carolina Genealogical Society,
Dutch Fork Chapter
utdavis -- Davis County, Utah
* * * * *
GENCONNECT. RootsWeb hosts many surname GenConnect boards that
are in need of people to maintain them.
o For a complete list of adoptable GenConnect surname boards
o For the form to request to adopt a GenConnect surname board
(the same form is used for surname mailing list requests)
Have you found a genealogical treasure, such as a photo album or
an old Bible containing a completed family record page, that you
would like to see reunited with its family? If so, in addition
to submitting a notice for publication in the "Somebody's Links"
section of MISSING LINKS or in the SOMEBODY'S LINKS NEWSLETTER
(to subscribe, send e-mail that says only SUBSCRIBE to:
, also you may
post a notice the GenConnect SOMEBODY'S LINKS board at
* * * * *
USGENWEB ARCHIVES -- THE ARCHIVES NEWSLETTER contains the
current USGenWeb Archives submissions from the last week.
January 31, 2000 issue
USGW-ARCHIVES-ANNOUNCE is a read-only mailing list for weekly
announcements of new updates and submissions to the USGenWeb
Archives. It is open to anyone who wishes to subscribe. To
subscribe, send e-mail that says only SUBSCRIBE to this address:
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read reviews of genealogy Web sites, use categorized links in
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The newsstand price would be over $48 if you purchased each
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donation of 15% to help keep it free.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITORS may be posted to the GenConnect board at
http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/RWR-LettersToTheEditor
or e-mailed to RWR-Editors@rootsweb.com.
[The full message from which the following is excerpted appears
in ROOTS-L Digest 00, Issue 68, #1]
. . . I have [uploaded a GEDCOM file] twice in two days at
. This is the
fairly new database run by RootsWeb. After the first upload I
realized that I hadn't marked all my living persons as private
so I returned to the site and pushed the "Remove Gedcom" button
and -- "poof" it was gone. The next day I sent another one. No
problems. Very smooth.
ATTENTION FOLKS: This is the only site that doesn't strip away
long "Notes" from the GEDCOM. You know -- the several paragraphs
of biographical information that you have acquired. ALSO: if you
have citations in the GEDCOM, they appear where they should and
the sources that go with them appear at the end of the family
page. UNLIKE [another GEDCOM-hosting site's] database, the
WorldConnect database produces six-generation pedigree charts
that have all the vital data under each person's name -- just
like the pedigree charts your OWN program makes with the
exception that time is note wasted drawing a box. . .
Furthermore, you have the CHOICE of whether or not people will
be allowed to download your GEDCOM.
I have heard horror stories about people downloading GEDCOMs,
merging them with their own and then uploading them to other
sites. The problem is that some people blunder the job or the
Web site leaves out parts of your work producing unlinked people.
By NOT giving permission to download you force the person to
print out your pedigree chart or family group sheet and then
hand-type it into their own database. In my opinion, this extra
labor will discourage many of the people who lack the skill to
merge correctly.
I think WorldConnect is OUTSTANDING. Please take a look at the
site and duplicate the GEDCOM that you may have already sent
elsewhere. That's
My only financial interest in ROOTSWEB is as a $24/year donor.
It is amazing that they can do this kind of job on donations.
Terry Dearborn
* * *
I have been doing genealogy for several years and just finished
going through these lessons [RootsWeb's Guide to Tracing Family
Trees at ]. They are great!
I found interesting tidbits that I didn't know about! Keep up
the good work. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge with the
rest of us.
* * *
While reviewing my files, I found your annual reminder. After
scanning my check book, I saw that my good intentions were lost
in the rush of Christmas. Attached is my check . . . which is a
small payment for all the connections which I made during the
past year through your Web pages and surname lists. In the two
to three years which I have been in genealogy, your pages have
been a major source of data. I started out with 400+ from my
sister's 20-year quest. All were on our paternal side. We now
have 4,000 ancestors and living relatives in the file.
Before my first field trip last spring to a county in central
Illinois, where I had never been in my life, I posted to that
county's list page the question of where should I look on this
one-day adventure. Within hours I had received 12 replies with
names of individuals, locations, hours, etc. It made me feel
great.
Armed with only three names, I acquired my maternal
grandparents' wedding license, my mother's delayed birth record,
and a cemetery book from which I located and photographed my
great-grandmother's gravestone. In three follow-up visits over
the next four months I was able greatly to expand my maternal
files. I found and photographed more grave stones.
From posting to and searching the surname list, I now have a
network of cousins with whom I periodically correspond.
Marvin W. Martin
* * * * *
HUMOR. The Original Joke of the Day has
our thanks for this high-tech tip.
Fool other drivers into thinking you have an expensive car phone
by holding an old TV or video remote control up to your ear and
occasionally swerving across the road and mounting the curb.
* * * * *
PERMISSION TO REPRINT articles from ROOTSWEB REVIEW is granted
unless specifically stated otherwise, PROVIDED: (1) the reprint
is used for non-commercial, educational purposes; and (2) the
following notice appears at the end of the article:
Written by . Previously published by RootsWeb.com, Inc., RootsWeb
Review: RootsWeb's Genealogy News, Vol. 3, No. 5, 2 February
2000. RootsWeb:
BACK ISSUES OF ROOTSWEB REVIEW may be read online or downloaded
from
TO SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE from ROOTSWEB REVIEW and MISSING
LINKS, send e-mail with only SUBSCRIBE (or UNSUBSCRIBE) in the
message area to: .
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