RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Weekly E-zine Vol. 6, No. 6, 5 February 2003, Circulation: 1,021,405+ (c) 1998-2003 RootsWeb.com, Inc. http://www.rootsweb.com/ * * * Do not use your e-mail application's "REPLY TO" option to send a message to RootsWeb Review Please see Section 9 below for e-mail addresses and help * * * Editor: Myra Vanderpool Gormley, Certified Genealogist Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com Certification: http://www.bcgcertification.org/certification/ ======================================================================= In This Issue: 1. News and Notes. (1a. WorldConnect Reaches Milestone; 1b. Exploring the Native American Database; 1c. Tips from Readers: "Post-em Notes on Markers?" 2. Volunteer Appreciation: Jim "Pops" Jackson 3. New User-contributed Databases 4. New Webpages at RootsWeb 5. New RootsWeb Mailing Lists 6. New FreePages and HomePages (personal webpages at RootsWeb) 7. RootsWeb Review's Bottomless Mailbag: "Dealing with the Past Permanently"; "Paper Packrats"; "Relatively Speaking"; and "Trivial Relatives" 8. Humor: "Your Ancestor Was a What?" 9. RWR Reprint and Submissions Guidelines; Archives; Subscription Modification Instructions ====================================================================== 1. News and Notes: ------------------ 1a.WORLD CONNECT REACHES MILESTONE. Many genealogists have long known the value of sharing their research with others. For years, RootsWeb.com has provided a feature that makes this task a bit easier. RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project, combined with Ancestry's World Family Tree, provides a place where users can submit their family tree files so that those searching the same lines can open doors to multiple generations that were previously unknown. This valuable feature is growing at astounding rates. Researchers have now submitted more than 250 million names, 50 million of those were added in less than one year. These additions by users like you continue to ensure that the World Connect Project and the Ancestry World Family Tree is the largest collection of its kind on the Internet. Celebrate this remarkable milestone by submitting your tree: http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/ * * * 1b. NATIVE AMERICAN DATABASE. Among the more than 10.6 million records to be found in various RootsWeb's user-contributed databases are 285,307 pertaining to Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks, Seminoles, and Delawares. While RootsWeb does not have the actual records or any additional information about them, a link is provided on the search results pages to the National Archives where you might learn more about those listed in these Dawes Commission (census) enrollment cards. To do a search, go to: http://userdb.rootsweb.com/nativeamerican/ A surname is required, but first name is optional, and for "Record Type" choose "Enrollment Card." The tribe name is optional also. The search results have four columns, showing name (first and surname), the tribe, record type, and Notes/PostEms. The latter will say "View/Add Notes." Click on that. Most search results will show the name, tribe, age, sex, enrollment type, Blood (in a percentage), card and/or roll number and sometimes the residence at the time of the enrollment. The most common enrollment types are: BB (by blood), P (parent), D (doubtful), A (adoption) and IW (intermarried white person). Children born to recognized enrolled citizens after certain dates (mostly in the early 1900s) of these various nations could be enrolled by their parents and you'll find these on the P (parent) cards. During the enrollment process, if there were any questions about a person's eligibility to be enrolled, their information was recorded on a D (doubtful) card. Many people stayed on the D cards for years while the Dawes Commission gathered enough information to make a determination on their eligibility. On these cards the percentage of blood may or may not be accurate. For the most part these tribes did not record "blood quantum" on their earlier tribal rolls, or if they did, they only indicated if a person was a "full-blood" or a "mixed-blood." If an applicant did not claim to be a full-blood, then the Dawes Commission enrollment clerks simply estimated the fraction, which they put in the "degree of blood" column on the official card. These fractions were based on answers given about parents and grandparents. In cases where an applicant's parents were members of different tribes, the commission calculated the degree of blood based strictly on the mother's tribe. In cases of mixed freedmen (African American) and Indian parents, which was common among the Creeks and Seminoles, the applicant was always enrolled as a "freedman" and not given credit for having any Indian blood. Persons who had been adopted by or married a tribal member faced other legal enrollment problems as there were different laws on the subjects, and they varied from tribe to tribe. Record types recorded as A (adopted) or IW (intermarried white) reflect such situations. IW (intermarried white) refers to white spouses who were married to tribal members. Keep in mind that even though your ancestor might have been Cherokee or Creek (or one of the other tribes), for example, just having Indian ancestry was not enough -- blood alone did not constitute a valid claim to citizenship in these Indian nations. There were other qualifications for citizenship that were required, including rules established by treaties, constitution, laws, and usages of the several nations. These "other qualifications" varied from one tribe to another. Jot down the information from your search results or print out a copy. Follow the link provided to "NAIL search site" (NAIL stands for National Archives' Archival Information Locator, as it was originally called). It will take you to what is now the Archival Research Catalog (ARC). Click on the yellow SEARCH button and type in the name of interest. Leave the default settings for your initial search. If your search results there show "Digital Copy Available" you will be able to view an online copy of that particular record. Instructions for obtaining these and additional Native American records from the National Archives at Fort Worth are provided at the site, starting at the page where you click on SEARCH. Any and all information provided in the Native American Dawes enrollment databases (1898-1914) should be verified by obtaining copies of the actual records. To fully understand the background and information to be found these records, consult Kent Carter's outstanding book, "The Dawes Commission and the Allotment of the Five Civilized Tribes, 1893-1914" -- available from the publisher, Ancestry.com ($19.95): http://shops.ancestry.com/product.asp?productid=1444&Id2=75083 Neither the editor nor the HelpDesk has any additional information about these records or any of the names listed therein. PLEASE DO NOT ASK. To learn more about other material and researching your Native American ancestors, see the RootsWeb Guide at: http://rwguide.rootsweb.com/lesson25.htm * * * 1c. TIPS FROM READERS. Post-Em Notes on Markers? Thanks to: Faye Shaw gatorfan@telsurf.net My friend, Louise, in Lake City, Florida, shared how she got in touch with some of her kin that she had not been in touch with for a very long time and had completely lost contact with. When visiting the cemetery she wrote a note and put it in a plastic "zip-lock" bag and attached it to the grave marker. In about a year she received a phone call from a relative. I thought what a neat idea and plan on doing this and thought others might want to also. [Editor's Note: Cemeteries might not appreciate plastic bags being attached to markers. Check first because such unauthorized items usually are removed and disposed of by cemetery personnel. More about cemeteries can be found in RootsWeb's Guide to Tracing Family Trees: http://www.rootsweb.com/~rwguide/lesson4.htm ] 2. Volunteer Appreciation ------------------------- Since the end of Volunteer Appreciation Month in April, each month RootsWeb.com has shown its gratitude to volunteers by spotlighting an individual who has given so much to the genealogy community. For the month of February, RootsWeb spotlights Jim "Pops" Jackson, who is a great mailing list administrator and volunteer. Visit our Volunteer Spotlight page to learn more about Jackson and his work. http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/spotlight/ 3. New User-Contributed Databases at RootsWeb http://userdb.rootsweb.com/submit/ --------------------------------------------- The following datasets have come online recently (these are name searchable, but they are not browseable): ARIZONA. Pima County. Tucson Obituary Index July-Dec. 2002; 3,414 records; Judy Livings http://userdb.rootsweb.com/obituaries/ INDIANA. Boone County. Thorntown Colored Cemetery; 25 records; Shelly Sloan Hawkins http://userdb.rootsweb.com/cemeteries/ INDIANA. Clinton County. Shiloh Cemetery and Loveless Cemetery; 199 records; Shelly Sloan Hawkins http://userdb.rootsweb.com/cemeteries/ INDIANA. Montgomery County. Crawfordsville High School pre-1920 graduates; 1,487 records; Jeff Scism http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ KENTUCKY. Mason County. Marriage Book 2; 1806-1817; 2,548 records; Gail Childress; assisted by Joanne Hintz and Kathy Hines http://userdb.rootsweb.com/marriages/ NEW YORK. Monroe County. East High School 1922 "Orient" Yearbook; 237 records; Ruth Ann Williams http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ OHIO. Relatives buried in Ohio cemeteries; 352 records; Otis Slusher http://userdb.rootsweb.com/cemeteries/ OKLAHOMA. Oklahoma County. Sunny Lane Cemetery Section 17, Del City; 1,006 records; Jim Woodruff http://userdb.rootsweb.com/cemeteries/ PENNSYLVANIA. Susquehanna County. Gibson Cemetery; 903 records; Harry Biesecker http://userdb.rootsweb.com/cemeteries/ * * * Who Has the Data? Does your state, province, county, parish, church, old military unit, or alma mater have material with a few names or thousands of names available that you think would be of interest to genealogists and historians? Do you have a list of names or a database that you think would be of value and interest to others? In most cases, RootsWeb would be proud to host it. Such user databases are other than your family tree since family trees can be posted at WorldConnect: http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/ See the guidelines, tutorial and examples of data formats for user- contributed data. Large or small files are welcome. http://userdb.rootsweb.com/guidelines.html Please use this submission form: http://userdb.rootsweb.com/submit/ 4. New Webpages at RootsWeb To Request a Free Web Account: http://accounts.rootsweb.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------- Some of these pages might not yet be accessible. They are created by volunteers, so if one that interests you isn't up yet, please check again in a few days or next week. http://www.rootsweb.com/~[accountname] Note that the ~[tilde] before the Web account name is required. Example: The New Zealand Society of Genealogists (Bishopdale Branch) is located at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~nzlsgbb/ CANADA nsgerrar -- Gerrard's Island, Nova Scotia nskings2 -- Kings County, Nova Scotia NEW ZEALAND nzlsgbb -- New Zealand Society of Genealogists -- Bishopdale Branch U.S.A. gajacks2 -- Jackson County, Georgia gascv96 -- Sons of Confederate Veterans - Camp 96 (Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County, Georgia) gausd1812 -- Georgia Society United States Daughters of the War of 1812 iadcgs -- Dallas County Genealogical Society (Iowa) incrawfo -- Crawford County, Indiana ksatchis -- Atchison County, Kansas ksnemaha -- Nemaha County, Kansas micass2 -- Cass County, Michigan ncalbema -- Albemarle County, North Carolina orwallow -- Wallowa County, Oregon utsanpet -- Sanpete County, Utah vaogc -- Of Grave Concern (OGC)(Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Virginia) wilchs -- Langlade County Historical Society (Wisconsin) wimhs -- Mazomanie Historical Society (Dane County, Wisconsin) 5. New Mailing Lists at RootsWeb To Request a New Mailing List: http://resources.rootsweb.com/adopt/ ----------------------------------------------------------------- For more information and an index to the more than 26,200 RootsWeb- hosted genealogy Mailing Lists and easy subscribing options, go to: http://lists.rootsweb.com/ NEW SURNAME MAILING LISTS ANZALONE, ARTIS, ASTROP BROWN-NY -- The BROWN surname in New York CARR-GRANTLEY-ONT -- The CARR surname in Grantley, Ontario, Canada DITMER ERDT FORKIN HOCKEY, HRUSKA HAMILTON-PA -- The HAMILTON surname in Pennsylvania JAMES-UK -- The JAMES surname in the United Kingdom LANGENFELD MANNOUCH MALOY-NY -- THE MALOY surname in New York ONLEY RUECKERT SEGGERMAN, SPENGEL TREPTOW WISSER NEW ETHNIC AND SPECIAL INTEREST MAILING LISTS KY-KNOTTHISSOC -- The Knott County (Kentucky) Historical Society SCVGenealogicalSociety -- Sun City Vistoso Membership (Oro Valley, Pima, Arizona) WELSH-IN-USA -- Welsh families who settled in the USA 6. New Personal Freepages and Homepages at RootsWeb ---------------------------------------------------- Note: Comments and questions about any of these independently authored webpages should be directed to their respective compilers/webmasters. When your new, updated, or substantially revised personal pages located at RootsWeb (they will have "freepages" or "homepages" in the URL) are up and ready for visitors, please send the URL (Web address), along with a brief description, including the major pertinent surnames and what is available on your site, to: Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com DAVIS, WILSON. Jesse and Patricia (WILSON) DAVIS Connected and Collateral Lines. Includes DAVIS, NEVEL, BRUMBAUGH, COONEY, WILSON, BOWLBY, and JUDY, with more than 60,000 entries. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jdavis/ FEATHERSTONES. Nearly 2,000 FEATHERSTONES (and variations) of Kent and surrounding counties in England can be found here: http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=kentfeather MASSACHUSETTS. Old pictures of the 107th Company CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) Camp, Mount Greylock, Massachusetts (near Pittsfield). Includes pictures of the camp and some of the men -- taken between 1933 and 1935. http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~shirleyb/greylock/ [Editor's Note: Additional information about the CCC with an index to the listing of camps (by state) can be found at the website of the Civilian Conservation Corps Alumni: http://www.cccalumni.org/about.html ] WASHINGTON. Biographies arranged under counties. Chelan County Biographical Sketches http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~heeyjude/Chelan/chelan.html Okanogan County Biographical Sketches http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~heeyjude/Okanogan/okanogan.html Lincoln County Biographical Sketches http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~heeyjude/Lincoln/lincoln.html Franklin County Biographical Sketches http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~heeyjude/Franklin/franklin.html ======================= Paid Advertisements ======================== Enter to win a $10,000 sweepstakes from NFO What’s Your Opinion Worth? Take NFO surveys, rate new products and you could win $10,000. http://mocda1.com/1/c/169129/65696/240314/240314 * * * Reduce your DEBT TODAY! Decrease your monthly payments up to 50%, Consolidate numerous bills into one easy payment, FREE services are available to you . . . 24 hours a day, 7 days a week click here to apply online: http://mocda2.com/1/c/169129/45000/240314/240314 * * * Free tax software! Download your copy now! Find the best tax-saving strategy with FREE tax software! http://mocda3.com/1/c/169129/8 * * * 7-Day FREE supply of Prevacid Do you have heartburn? Click here for free samples and information! http://mocda1.com/1/c/169129/90261/239760/239760 ==================== End of Paid Advertisements ===================== 7. From RootsWeb Review's Bottomless Mailbag [Editor's note: The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the editor or of RootsWeb.com]. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dealing with the Past Permanently As Dave Van Doren wrote in a recent RootsWeb Review ... "with the speed of technological changes these days, how long will it be before even CDs will not be accessible to new equipment, and old equipment will not last forever? Will your great-grandchildren be able to read those electronic records?" Very true -- to celebrate 900 years of the Domesday Book, schools all over the UK took part in producing photos that were to be transferred to optical discs attached to "BBC Micro" computers. The schools no longer use BBC Micros and the optical disc kit is useless as there was no upgrade path available. Van Doren continued, "We have decided to commit all our records and photos (after scanning, if necessary) to good quality, acid-free paper, stored in good plastic boxes. These records should last a couple of centuries, assuming they do not get lost or thrown out, and do not require continual upgrading of the wherewithal (hardware and software) to read them." Not necessarily true. The inks in modern printers are not usually of "archive" quality and will fade over time. If kept in the conditions described documents that have been scanned and printed will last for quite a while but a "couple of centuries" is optimistic. --Dave Dobbin DVDobbin@aol.com * * * Paper Packrats There are two further problems with paper records. First, it's considerably more difficult to share all or a portion of the files with someone else. Secondly, it's far more difficult to search for a particular name or reference, etc. Plus, it gives the heirs something else to fight over when you're gone. "Who's gonna take all this junk?" "Well, someone ought to keep it, just in case." "I sure don't have room for it." "Who would want this stuff?" "He sure didn't have much to do, did he?" --BudStarkey BudStarkey@aol.com * * * Relatively Speaking When I phoned one of my brothers to tell him he was now a "great-uncle," he promptly replied, "I've always been a "great" uncle! Very true. Re the discussion on "cousin" -- we spent four years working in Papua New Guinea and it took some time to work out what was meant by the term, "cousin brother." Basically it was anyone within a clan group, even those who where not blood relatives. It denoted a relationship better understood in the West as "blood brother." --David Stevens stevensdavid@bigpond.com.au * * * Trivial Relatives The debate about the use of the prefixes "grand" or "great" to denote the siblings of one's grandparents is trivial. Whichever term is used (according to the fashion of the moment), the meaning is essentially clear. Of far more pertinence is the all-too-common misuse of the word "ancestor". In such cases, the wrong terminology can lead to mis- understanding and confusion. I have always understood the word "ancestor" to pertain to somebody from whom one's parents descend directly -- i.e. grandparents, great- grandparents and so on, back through the generations. Their siblings and cousins - and *their* descendants -- are, collectively, relatives. They are not ancestors. --Blanche Charles blanchec@paradise.net.nz [Editor's Note: Whether you are a grandniece or a great-grandniece might not be so trivial if some rich relative leaves his fortune to be divided up among those heirs.] 8. Humor: "Your Ancestor Was a What?" --------------------------------------------------- The humorous occupations mentioned recently in RootsWeb Review, reminded me of a short story I heard a number of years ago. Seems a woman had to retrieve a copy of her birth certificate. When she reviewed the original, she was reminded immediately of the good-natured kidding her father and the town doctor, who delivered her, had engaged in for many years. Both had long since passed away, but it appears the doctor had the last word. There, in the space for "Father's Occupation," the doctor had written, "Hog Thief." 9. Submission Guidelines, Reprint Policy, RWR Archives, Subscriptions ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The 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. RootsWeb Review welcomes short (500 words or less) articles, humor, stories, or letters, and reserves the right to edit all submissions. All mail sent to the RootsWeb Review editor is considered to be for publication; send in plain text (no html, stationery, or attachments) to: Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com * * * Search/download all back issues of RootsWeb Review: http://e-zine.rootsweb.com/ * * * Do not send RWR subscription requests and modifications to the editor. Please use the following RWR addresses: RWR-on@rootsweb.com -- adds you to the RWR Mailing List. RWR-off@rootsweb.com -- removes you from the RWR Mailing List. * * * 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. 6, No. 6, 5 February 2003. * * * *