RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Free Weekly E-zine Vol. 5, No. 26, 26 June 2002, Circulation: 962,742+ (c) 1998-2002 RootsWeb.com, Inc. http://www.rootsweb.com/ Editor: Myra Vanderpool Gormley, Certified Genealogist RWR-Editor@rootsweb.com Advertising: Scott Brenay sbrenay@myfamilyinc.com THIS IT IS A POST-ONLY MAILING. Please do not send any subscription requests to the editor. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Send plain text e-mail message to: Rootsweb-Review-unsubscribe@rootsweb.com To SUBSCRIBE: Send plain text e-mail message to: Rootsweb-Review-subscribe@rootsweb.com Need to do an e-mail address change? See: http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/addresses/#newsletters ====================================================================== IN THIS ISSUE 1. Connecting through RootsWeb: "Where's Wally?" 2. News and Notes. (2a. More Accolades for RootsWeb; 2b. Genetic Genealogy Concerns; 2c. Beginning Genealogy Computer Class Offered; 2d. Server Update Continues; 2e. Getting the Most out of Message Boards Searches) 3. Spotlighted Webpages at RootsWeb: Annuals and Yearbooks; Baker Fortune Hoax; Census Kidz; 4th of July Postcards 4. New User-contributed Databases 5. New Webpages at RootsWeb 6. New RootsWeb Mailing Lists 7. New FreePages and HomePages (personal webpages at RootsWeb) 8. RootsWeb Review's Bottomless Mailbag: "Lost Links Looking for a Home"; "Coming the Full Circle" 10. RWR Policies and Submissions Guidelines; RWR Archives ================================================================ 1. CONNECTING THROUGH ROOTSWEB. Thanks for sharing your stories. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Where's Wally? By Ken Hill khill@generaldynamics.com Since the State of California is trying to limit access to its birth and death records -- http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/SB1614.html -- which I use a great deal, I thought the following article is a great example of the right way to use these databases. I have sent this article to California state senators Speier and Bowen. Many years ago when I began my genealogy research my mother said; "While you're looking into the family history, see if you can find my cousin Wally, I haven't seen him since 1937 and I wonder if he is still alive." Wally, Wallace C. GROUT, was born in 1928 in San Rafael, California to my granduncle Paul GROUT and his wife, Carol STEPHENS GROUT, who were married in Medford, Oregon in 1924. My mother met Wally for the first time in 1933 when she was 11 years old. About 1935 Paul became gravely ill with rheumatic heart disease and was unable to work. The family story was that drinking had kept him from working and that his wife Carol's attitude had contributed to his lack of motivation. All we know for sure is that Carol and her in-laws didn't get along. When Paul died in 1937, Carol took Wally and basically disappeared, severing all contact with her in-laws. Some members of the family said she remarried but no one was absolutely sure. Last year my mother reminded me about her request to find Wally and that's when my search began. The first place I checked was the Social Security Death Index (SSDI), but no match here. Maybe Wally is still alive, but where? Back to the Web and the "California Birth Index" which RootsWeb had recently put online, but again no luck. If the story of Carol getting remarried were true and Wally was adopted by his stepfather, then the courts might have amended his official birth record and changed his last name. It was time for some creative searching using first name Wallace, mother's maiden name STEPHENS, and birth year 1928. BINGO! Wallace C. ODENTHAL, born 1928 in San Rafael, California to mother STEPHENS and father GROUT. A quick recheck of the SSDI found no match so I assumed Wally must still be alive (think positively). The next step was to check the online telephone white pages for a Wallace ODENTHAL, but none of the matches panned out. One more thought; my mother called him Wally, not Wallace. Try again. BINGO! A Wally ODENTHAL is living in Oregon. His parents were married in Oregon. This is too much of a coincidence, it's time to make a special phone call. A woman answered the phone and I said; "Hello, my name is Ken HILL and I am doing some genealogy. I am trying to locate a Wallace ODENTHAL born in 1928 in San Rafael, California. Can you help me?" "Yes," she says, "that's my husband. Would you like to speak with him?" At this point I had to sit down, my heart was about to leap out of my chest. A voice said; "Hello, this is Wally." We talked for a while and I explained how we were related. He had no idea of his family history, only his father's name. I got his e-mail address and sent him six pages of family history and two photos of his father at ages 4 and 11. I told him to expect a phone call from my mother. Now I had one more phone call to make. "Hello Mom, I found Wally." 2. NEWS AND NOTES ----------------- 2a. MORE ACCOLADES: YAHOO MAGAZINE RECOGNIZES ROOTSWEB. Recently Yahoo Internet Life Magazine named RootsWeb as one of the "Top 50 Most Incredibly Useful Sites." Each year it compiles a list of the sites that promise to make your life easier while satisfying the true promise of the Internet. The sites selected range from the well-known to the obscure. With a combination of free information and the unique community and culture that it has developed over the years, it isn't a surprise that RootsWeb was included on this list. Thanks to all who support this growing and vibrant genealogical community. Click here to see a complete listing of Yahoo Internet Life Magazine's Top 50 Most Incredibly Useful Sites http://www.yil.com/issues/guide.asp?volume=08&issue=07 RootsWeb.com has also been selected as: "Best of the Best" http://www.forbesbest.com/ in Forbes Magazine, included in Time Magazine's list of "50 Best Websites" http://www.time.com/time/2002/tech/best/complete.html and named as one of Family Tree Magazine's annual 101 best family history websites http://www.familytreemagazine.com/101sites/2002/ 2b. GENETIC GENEALOGY CONCERNS. By Kristen Knight of Ancestry.com. I can understand the worries of the individuals who responded to the Genetic Genealogy information. I had similar concerns when I first heard about genetic testing for genealogical purposes. So I did my homework and found, to my relief, that I had nothing to worry about concerning genealogical DNA testing and privacy with Ancestry.com. First and foremost, Ancestry.com is meticulous at protecting customer data, including DNA analysis. It does not share personally identifiable data with anyone, including the U.S. government, or the LDS Church. The only way this data would be shared is if the user requests it. See the privacy policy at http://www.ancestry.com/legal/privacy.htm Secondly, the DNA tests themselves protect the customer from any possible misuse by insurance companies or other entities. The Ancestry GenWeb DNA tests do not analyze, nor do they provide a report, on the entire DNA strand, but rather these tests only look at specific markers. These markers provide no health-related data. The markers analyzed do not actually create proteins, or "do" anything in the body. They are rather markers that simply "sit" in the DNA, and are passed on from generation to generation with little variance, making them ideal for assessing common ancestry between individuals. Even if another individual were to access this information (through a means other than Ancestry.com), it would tell them nothing that would have anything to do with the health, ability, IQ, hair color, or other attributes of the individual tested. As others learn of the characteristics of this kind of testing, it is hoped that they will begin to see the power of genetic testing to help solve even difficult genealogical questions. Many customers have been able to verify their research through Genetic Genealogy. Others have been able to get past a previously dead-end paper trail. For many family historians Genetic Genealogy has given them answers that have saved countless hours and a lot of money. For information on using DNA testing to aid genealogical research see: http://www.ancestry.com/genetics/main.htm 2c.BEGINNING GENEALOGY COMPUTER CLASS. Starts July 1. ($29.95, which includes a 30-day subscription to Ancestry.com, including its online census images). Join Georgeann Malowney to learn how to take your family history research even further using your computer. Learn how to find your ancestors on the Internet, about search-engine techniques and researching in the right places. http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?sourceid=2356&targetid=3562 2d. ROOTSWEB SERVER UPGRADE CONTINUES. To improve site performance, RootsWeb is upgrading its servers. As a result there will be times when you will be unable to access various portions of RootsWeb. When you encounter such problems, just try again later. Thank you for understanding, and excuse the dust. 2e. GETTING THE MOST OUT OF MESSAGE BOARDS. http://boards.rootsweb.com/ You can search all message boards, search a category, or search only one board by selecting the appropriate button depending upon your location within the board hierarchy. To perform a simple search type in a surname (last name), a keyword, or a phrase, and click GO! In all searches, keywords or phrases will be searched for the closest to the least exact match in that order. For a more specific search click on the ADVANCED SEARCH link. A search of all boards is the default. Complete any or all of the items on the ADVANCED SEARCH form: --FIND MESSAGES CONTAINING: (list a keyword or phrase) --WITH SUBJECT CONTAINING: (searches only message subjects) --BY AUTHOR: (the posters' names will be searched) --POSTED IN THE LAST ____: (select a time period from drop-down menu) --WITH SURNAME: (searches only the Surname Box entries) also offers a check box to use a Soundex search. (For information about Soundex, a special index, see: http://rwguide.rootsweb.com/lesson9.htm). --WITH MESSAGE TYPE: (Select from the drop-down menu: All, Query, Bible, Biography, Birth, Cemetery, Census, Death, Deed, Immigration, Lookup, Marriage, Military, Obituary, Pension, or Will). Searches support trailing wildcards represented by an asterisk (*) following a minimum of the first three letters of the keyword or surname. A trailing wildcard means you cannot begin a search request surname/keyword with an asterisk -- you must start with at least three letters prior to the asterisk. For example: a search for Joh* will find John, Johns, or Johnson. Search operators you may use are the plus (+) sign which may be placed in front of any word to indicate that this word MUST appear in a message for it to be considered a match, and the minus sign (-) which may be placed in front of any term you wish to exclude from a search. A search for '+jones john -paul' will return only those hits that contain the word 'jones' -- provided the word 'paul' does not also appear in the message. The word "john" may or may not appear in the message. Messages that include both 'john' and 'jones' would rank higher in degree of match (relevancy) than those that only include 'jones'. If you search and get no matches, enter less information or search only by a surname or a keyword. Regardless of the case (upper or lower) found in the actual posts on the message boards, typing all lowercase letters in the search box will make your search case insensitive, thereby yielding the maximum number of matches. Too many matches? Enter additional data on the ADVANCED SEARCH page to narrow down your results. If the surname for which you are looking is also a common word (such as HILL) use the ADVANCED SEARCH link and search on the surname by typing it into the SURNAME BOX. This enables you to search only message board posts in which this "word" is used as a surname. Searching only on the surname field eliminates authors' names from coming up in your search results. You also can narrow search results by selecting a specific data type or messages with attachments. By searching only for posts with attachments, for example, you can easily locate those messages that include pictures, scanned images, and GEDCOMs. 3. SPOTLIGHT ON SOME DISTINCTIVE WEBPAGES AT ROOTSWEB ----------------------------------------------------- ANNUALS and YEARBOOKS. Links to old American (so far) school and college annuals/yearbooks that are on the Web. http://www.rootsweb.com/~usyrbook/ BAKER FORTUNE HOAX. Out of a hoax and swindle regarding a purported fortune, you might find a real genealogical gold mine buried in old family letters and documents -- if any of your relatives or ancestors fell for it and provided genealogical information about their BAKER connection to an alleged unclaimed Baker estate in Pennsylvania. This phony estate, said to be worth $80 million, supposedly belonged to the heirs of one Jacob Baker, and a vast search for his family was begun during the late 1800s. The controversy continued until the mid-1900s and is one of the most famous genealogical hoaxes and largest phony heir hunts in North America. http://www.rootsweb.com/~molinn/baker.html http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jcat2/myraarticle.html CENSUS KIDZ. When your kids get bored this summer here's a worthwhile project for them to tackle. Part of the USGenWeb Project, it is set up to help American kids and teenagers who want to transcribe a census for a project, such as Eagle Scouts -- or just for fun. http://www.rootsweb.com/~census/kidz/ POSTCARDS. Free 4th of July (an American holiday) digital postcards to send to friends and families. http://postcards.rootsweb.com/foj.htm 4. NEW FREE USER-CONTRIBUTED DATABASES AT ROOTSWEB --------------------------------------------------- RootsWeb thanks the individuals and groups who contribute their material to share with the worldwide genealogical community. Currently there's more than 9.3 million records that can be searched. See the full list of contributors at: http://userdb.rootsweb.com/contributors.html The following new user-contributed databases have come online recently (these are name searchable, but are not browseable): CANADA. Ontario Finch Births 1886-1904 202 records; David Edwards http://userdb.rootsweb.com/canada/ USA. Book Indexes: Index of Personal Names to "We'll Call It Wheat" 6,335 records; Buford Carter http://userdb.rootsweb.com/bookindexes/ USA. Military Records: Veterans buried at Riverside Cemetery Payette, Idaho; 425 records; Patty Theurer, Payette County Historical Society http://userdb.rootsweb.com/military/ USA. Cemetery Records: Veterans buried at Riverside Cemetery Payette, Idaho; 425 records; Patty Theurer, Payette County Historical Society http://userdb.rootsweb.com/cemeteries/ CALIFORNIA. Fresno County. Selma Union High School "Magnet" 1931 96 records; Donna Hancock http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ CALIFORNIA. Mendocino County. Delayed Births Index--R 158 records; Philip D. Carnahan http://userdb.rootsweb.com/births/ CALIFORNIA. Mendocino County. Delayed Births Index--S 252 records; Philip D. Carnahan http://userdb.rootsweb.com/births/ CALIFORNIA. Mendocino County. Delayed Births Index--T 90 records; Philip D. Carnahan http://userdb.rootsweb.com/births/ CALIFORNIA. Mendocino County. Delayed Births Index--U 4 records; Philip D. Carnahan http://userdb.rootsweb.com/births/ CALIFORNIA. Mendocino County. Delayed Births Index--V 28 records; Philip D. Carnahan http://userdb.rootsweb.com/births/ CALIFORNIA. Mendocino County. Delayed Births Index--W 161 records; Philip D. Carnahan http://userdb.rootsweb.com/births/ CALIFORNIA. Mendocino County. Delayed Births Index--Y 12 records; Philip D. Carnahan http://userdb.rootsweb.com/births/ CALIFORNIA. Mendocino County. Delayed Births index--Z 7 records; Philip D. Carnahan http://userdb.rootsweb.com/births/ IOWA. Pottawattamie County. Carson High School Class of 1938 21 records; Heidi Moynihan http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ INDIANA. Marion County. Memorial Donations to Oaklandon Universalist Church; 187 records; Pamela Forth Lynch http://userdb.rootsweb.com/churchrecords/ INDIANA. Marion County. Oaklandon School 125 records; Pamela Forth Lynch http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ NEW YORK. Erie County. D'Youville College of Buffalo, Class of 1931 and 1932; 100 records; Kathleen Snowberger http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ OKLAHOMA. Cleveland County. Norman I.O.O.F. Cemetery 11,166 records; Jim Woodruff http://userdb.rootsweb.com/cemeteries/ UTAH. Cache County. Register of Births kept by Midwife Annie Marie Christophersen Hancey; 177 records; Marnette R. Woolley http://userdb.rootsweb.com/births/ UTAH. Cache County. Register of Deaths kept by Midwife Annie Marie Christophersen Hancey, Hyde Park; 11 records; Marnette R. Woolley http://userdb.rootsweb.com/deaths/ WASHINGTON. Clark County. 1946 Vancouver High School Yearbook Memoriam, List of Military Deaths; 57 records; Pat Dunn-Hanning http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ WASHINGTON. Clark County. Vancouver High School 1925 Faculty Index 41 records; Patricia Dunn-Hanning http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ WASHINGTON. Clark County. Vancouver High School 1925 Seniors 134 records; Patricia Dunn-Hanning http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ WASHINGTON. Clark County. Vancouver High School 1955 Yearbook 1,820 records; Patricia Dunn-Hanning http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ WASHINGTON. San Juan County. Olga/Doe Bay Cemetery 306 records; Priscilla Haines; Joanne Johnston http://userdb.rootsweb.com/cemeteries/ 5. NEW WEBPAGES AT ROOTSWEB ---------------------------- 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 next week. http://www.rootsweb.com/~ [account name] Note that the ~[tilde] before the Web account name is required. U.S.A. gapcggs -- Paulding County (Georgia) Genealogical Society gapcghs -- Paulding County (Georgia) Historical Society lapephgs -- Evangeline Parish (Louisiana) Genealogical and Historical Society miwwcgs -- Western Wayne County (Michigan) Genealogical Society okpushm2 -- Pushmataha County (Oklahoma) vaschs -- Southampton County (Virginia) Historical Society To request a free Web account: http://accounts.rootsweb.com/ 6. NEW ROOTSWEB MAILING LISTS ----------------------------- Due to the move to new servers, no mailing lists have been created this week. For more information and an index to the more than 25,000 RootsWeb-hosted genealogy mailing lists and the subscribing options, please go to: http://lists.rootsweb.com/ To subscribe or unsubscribe to/from any RootsWeb-hosted mailing list, send a plain text (not HTML) e-mail message with only the word SUBSCRIBE (or UNSUBSCRIBE) in the message body to: [name of list]-L-request@rootsweb.com (for mail mode) or to: [name of list]-D-request@rootsweb.com (for digest mode) To request a new mailing list: http://resources.rootsweb.com/adopt/ 7. NEW PERSONAL FREEPAGES AND HOMEPAGES AT ROOTSWEB --------------------------------------------------- [Note: When your new personal webpages located at RootsWeb are up and ready for visitors, please send the URL (Web address) along with a brief description to: rwr-editor@rootsweb.com Comments and questions about any of these independently authored webpages should be directed to their respective compilers/webmasters.] MCMAINS RESEARCH AND COLLABORATION SITE. Dedicated to the descendants and ancestors of Abraham MCMAINS, born 1782, Pennsylvania. Tracks movements of his family from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Texas, Oklahoma, California, and beyond. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~hewes/ OHIO. Early Schools of Fulton County, Ohio. Photos and memories of one- room schools in Fulton County. Class photos with names, attendance records, and subjects taught. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~keller/school/schol/ STARK. Aaron STARK Family Chronicles. Dedicated to the descendants of Aaron STARK (1608-1685), who arrived in New England from Scotland around 1630. He settled in New London County, Connecticut in an area which eventually became Groton, New London County, Connecticut. Biographies, photos, Connecticut deed records related to the STARK family, and many other items. Has a link to the searchable "Aaron Stark Descendants" GEDCOM file hosted by Rootsweb's WorldConnect. Covers the STARK family in Connecticut, New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Texas, and many other places. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~clovis/ 8. FROM ROOTSWEB REVIEW'S BOTTOMLESS MAILBAG -------------------------------------------- Lost Links Looking for a Home By Julia M. Case juliecase@prodigy.net Editor, Missing Links and Somebody's Links http://www.petuniapress.com/ "Somebody's Links Newsletter" receives many notices such as the one below about high school and college yearbooks and annuals that have been found by good people who can't bear to see the information in them go to waste. For example: "Recently I purchased a copy of a '1930 COKER', which turns out to be a type of yearbook for Connellsville High School in Connellesville, Pennsylvania . . . The foreword reads [in part] 'The Senior Coker Staff presents this record of the events of this year 1929-1930 to assist in preserving the memories of student life.' "I have no family in the Connellsville area, but felt obligated to purchase this book so that it could make it into the hands of someone who would appreciate it, especially as it was for 1930 (and with the 1930 census just being recently released). All I ask is to be reimbursed for my purchase ($20) plus $3.95 for shipping. The book does have some minor water damage marks on the outside, but the inside pages are nearly perfect." --Mickey Cendrowski 74bug@nauticom.net To make such information more widely available, it would be great if people were willing, in addition to submitting their notices to "Somebody's Links," to create databases of the names of those listed in such yearbooks and submit them to RootsWeb as "user-contributed databases," like those listed each week in RootsWeb Review. [Editor's note: See the guidelines, tutorial, and examples of data formats for user-contributed data]: http://userdb.rootsweb.com/guidelines.html To learn whether someone has listed a yearbook of interest in "Somebody's Links" in the past four years, readers can check the fully searchable database of all back issues of "Somebody's Links" and "Missing Links" (which contains a "Somebody's Links" section whose popularity led to the creation of the separate e-zine) by clicking the "Search" option at http://www.petuniapress.com/ Yet another place to check is among the 5,000+ messages currently at RootsWeb's Somebody's Links Message Board [Boards > Topics > Research Resources > Genealogy e-zines > Somebody's Links] or use this two-line URL (paste entire URL into browser window) and when you get there, click on "Somebody's Links": http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec?htx=message&r=rw&p =topics.researchresources.e-zines.somebodyslinks Looking for a place to donate an old yearbook and school annual? A note in the June/July 2002 issue of "The Family Tree" newspaper says its library accepts them. Contact: The Ellen Payne Odom Genealogy Library 204 5th St. SE, Moultrie, GA 31768 Mailing address: POBox 2828, Moultrie, GA 31776-2828 Telephone: 229.985.6540 http://www.amberskyline.com/treasuremaps/EPO.html * * * Coming the Full Circle By Millie Peifer mpeifer@sgmmail.com Recently I visited my cousin, whom I had not seen in 35 years. We were reminiscing about family and looking at the family tree I had brought along when he pulled out some papers and letters he had from our grandfather. Our "Grandfather Franz" had written three letters to my cousin in 1986. In one of them he tells of his father and grandfather. When we get to the part that his grandfather, August, had worked at the Sharpless Cream Separating Company in West Chester, Pennsylvania until his death in 1928 I got very excited and yelled for my husband to come in. You see, my husband's mother had a close male friend named Mr. A. Sharpless whose grandfather owned the Sharpless Cream Separating Co. in West Chester, Pennsylvania until he sold his recipe for Philadelphia Cream Cheese to Kraft. To think that my great-great-grandfather worked for my mother-in-law's boyfriend's grandfather just floored us! The two families knew each other 75 years ago and again today. Unfortunately both my mother-in-law and Mr. Sharpless died before I found this information. Life really does come "full circle." 9. HUMOR: Dutch=Deutsch Merger -------------------------------------- Thanks to: Mona Lambrecht monalambrecht@hotmail.com Reading the humor bit in a recent RootsWeb Review (5:23; Kah to Marry Boom) made me think of a humorous discovery I made while doing research in a local newspaper. This is from the "Boulder (Colorado) Daily Camera" dated 27 September 1891: "The marriage is announced of Fritz Van Wandublinkenheimer and Sarah Von Hoffenstuyfenfinger. May their wedded bliss be as long as their names." * * * LOVE OLD NEWSPAPERS? To see what's available and to subscribe to the growing Historical Newspaper Collection at Ancestry.com, go to: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=3514&sourceid=2134 Click here to view a sample newspaper: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=3547&sourceid=2134 10. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES, REPRINT POLICY, RWR ARCHIVES --------------------------------------------------------------------- We welcome short (500 words or less) articles, stories, or letters for publication in the RootsWeb Review. They should be sent as a plain text e-mail message (no attachments) to: rwr-editor@rootsweb.com We reserve the right to edit all submissions. RootsWeb Review does not publish or answer genealogical queries, and the editor regrets that she is unable to provide any personal research assistance or advice. Post genealogical queries on all relevant surname, locality and topic boards and lists: message boards: http://boards.rootsweb.com/ mailing lists: http://lists.rootsweb.com/ RootsWeb's Guide to Tracing Family Trees http://rwguide.rootsweb.com/ 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: Previously published in RootsWeb Review: Vol. 5, No. 26, 26 June 2002. Search/download all back issues of RootsWeb Review: http://e-zine.rootsweb.com/ ========================================================================