RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Weekly E-zine Vol. 7, No. 17, 28 April 2004, Circulation: 839,539+ (c) 1998-2004 RootsWeb.com, Inc. http://www.rootsweb.com/ * * * Editor: Myra Vanderpool Gormley, Certified Genealogist Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com Certification: http://www.bcgcertification.org/certification/ =============================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1. NEWS AND NOTES. 1a.RootsWeb Message Boards: More Than Queries 1b. Editor's Desk: Some Grave Matters--"VA Burial Database"; "Fields in France"; and "DNA May Lay Mystery to Rest" 1c. Tips from Readers: On Epitaphs and Negatives-- "Having the Final Word" and "More on Scanning Negatives" 2. Connecting Through RootsWeb: "Falling for a LINE" 3. New RootsWeb Mailing Lists 4. New Webpages at RootsWeb 5. New/Updated FreePages and HomePages 6. New User-contributed Databases 7. RootsWeb Review's Bottomless Mailbag: "Ashes to Ashes"; "Examining Family Health Trees" and "Search Tips for Given Names" 8. Humor/Humour: "On a Musical Note" 9. Reprint and Submissions Guidelines; RW Help; Advertising Contacts ======================================================================== 1. NEWS AND NOTES. 1a. RootsWeb Message Boards: More Than Queries If you are like most RootsWeb users you probably have at one time or another posted or replied to a query on the RootsWeb/Ancestry message boards at: http://boards.rootsweb.com/ Message boards are an excellent means of connecting with cousins, breaking down brick walls, and obtaining needed information. However, they are also excellent repositories for data and the transcription of documents such as obituaries, wills, deeds, Bible records, military data, biographies and many other types of genealogical information. Perform a genealogical act of kindness that might provide information someone else has been looking for by posting what genealogical gems are available to you. You need not be connected personally to the data you add to a board in order to post it. You don't need to have numerous records, or a large database. Often it is the slivers of information, which are the keys that unlock pedigrees. Post only one document if you like, and, if possible, add a scanned image of the original document to your post as an attachment. This enables anyone viewing the transcrip- tion to also view the original document. Perhaps someone will return your good deed by posting some elusive information for which you have been searching. To post data on a message board, locate the most appropriate board and click on POST NEW MESSAGE. From the CLASSIFICATION dropdown menu select the relevant data category and type in or paste the transcription of your record. Remember that the QUERIES classification is intended for any post in which you are asking or answering questions. The other classifications -- the various data categories -- are intended primarily for the posting of data. Use caution and post only that which is in the public domain or material for which you hold the copyright or have the permission of the copyright holder to post. (Tips about copyright for genealogists): http://stellar-one.com/copyrightgenealogy/copyright_law_facts.htm When dealing with possibly copyrighted material, such as recent biographies and obituaries, you may post the genealogical data (just the facts) in abstracted form. Over the years, many documents have been added to the message boards, and you can search or browse an individual board or all boards for posts of interest for any one specific data type exclusively. Use the advanced search feature of the boards to search only for a specified data type, or use the VIEW MESSAGE TYPE menu on a board to select only one type of data to be displayed for browsing. Almost everyone has old newspaper clippings, copies of deeds, a will, military records, or inscriptions compiled from a visit to a cemetery -- any of which could include someone else's missing family link. Even that page from some church records you printed out at your local historical society or some tax records extracted from a film you read at Family History Center could contain valuable information for others who do not have access to the information. While doing your spring housecleaning, don't overlook data you find stashed away that you could post to the message boards. Remember, that the RootsWeb message boards are not just for queries. They also serve as electronic repositories to enable us to share data, documents, and images with our cousins around the globe. * * * 1b. EDITOR'S DESK. Some Grave Matters VA Burials Database Thanks to Patrick McKenney who writes: "I came across a good site in the U.S. Stars and Stripes newspaper regarding a searchable database for burials (and memorial markers) in military cemeteries." It's at: http://www.cem.va.gov/ The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has set up an online database containing more than 3 million records that show where veterans have been buried in national cemeteries. The nationwide grave locator contains records of veterans and dependants buried in the VA's 120 cemeteries since the Civil War. It also has records of burials in state veterans' cemeteries and burials in Arlington National Cemetery -- from 1999 to present. The site displays the same information that visitors to national cemeteries find on kiosks or in written ledgers to locate gravesites: name, dates of birth and death, period of military service, branch of service and rank (if known). The information comes from the records of interment, which before 1994 were paper records that were kept at each cemetery. Some cemetery information (such as the identity of next of kin) is subject to the Privacy Act and as such is not included online. The Stars and Stripes article can be found at [Note: 2-line URL]: http://www.estripes.com/ article.asp?section=104&article=20816&archive=true * * * Fields in France Barbara in Devon, England, informs us: "Just returned from a trip to the Normandy Battlefields, whilst there we visited many of the beaches and cemeteries. All beautifully kept and for those of you in the U.S.A., be assured that your relatives and countrymen are well visited and thanked by those who go there." [Editor's Note: See: Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial at]: http://www.abmc.gov/no.htm * * * DNA May Lay Mystery to Rest Michael Potts in Australia noticed an article in "The Age" -- a Melbourne newspaper -- that he found interesting: "Police now believe Mr. Commins uncovered a century-old mistake that began when a headstone for Edith Hamilton was ordered from Scotland. "Edith, a member of one Ensay's first European families, died at 15 from measles in 1900. Because it took two to three years for a headstone to arrive, it may have been placed in the wrong spot, leaving Mrs Langtree's plot to be dug in an area wrongly believed to be vacant." http://theage.com.au/articles/2004/04/26/1082831496219.html 1c. TIPS FROM READERS: On Epitaphs and Negatives Having the Final Word By Amy of Lynchburg, Virginia To avoid confusing (or otherwise) inscriptions, why not write your own now and have it engraved on your stone? Therefore, you can leave any epitaph you wish. After I became involved in genealogy, I soon realized I wanted a permanent stone tablet somewhere, even though I plan to be cremated and my ashes scattered in a place that I love. Through my research, I found a family cemetery on private property, which was started by my great-grandfather in 1889. I asked and got permission to place my stone there, and duly recorded this information in the cemetery log in the local museum. On the day of placement, there were in attendance a few close friends and family; we read scripture, placed wild flowers, and played appropriate music on the boombox. Sort of like attending your own funeral and actually knowing about it. My inscription: "She had the answer to everything, the solution to nothing." * * * More on Scanning Negatives By Dan on AOL Goodness, doing things the hard way are we? Just scan the negative and almost all software has a "negative" image button. Click it and you'll get a nice photo suitable for printing. You can resize or crop to your little heart's delight. No lamps or screens or holders, just modern tech applied. 2. Connecting Through RootsWeb. Thanks for sharing your stories. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Falling for a LINE By Laurie Dallman Many thanks to RootsWeb for through it I have connected with many ADEY, ADAMS, TANN, NEWTON, DILLON/DILLION, JENNINGS, PYRTLE, and DALLMAN cousins and even some LINE relatives. One posting in particular led to a reunion with my 12 cousins in one family on the other side of the U.S.A. We are all grown now and our parents, who are siblings, became distanced more than 20 years ago in a family squabble. We hope for a reconciliation of our parents, but if not, the cousins are now building a great family tree together by phone, e-mail, and pictures -- with our parents' blessing. This is especially exciting because we are dealing with serious health issues in some of our family. On this past Easter Sunday I received a wonderful surprise phone from my CHRISINGER cousins, and I was able to talk with many of them. My RootsWeb postings brought us together. We're searching for many names and there is a common problem that occurs and I'm sure no one thinks twice about it. We have a family surname that is simply named "LINE." Of course, it is derived from various other names like LINEHAN, LYONS, LYNES, etc. When the family supposedly made it simple, it became LINE. During my many years of marriage I learned also that no one could spell it or would believe it was really a name. We always said, "It's simply like a straight LINE" and hoped they would get it. However, my greatest frustration is when I do a search for any LINE family history, guess what I get? Thousands of listings for the SMITH Line, JONES Line, HIGONBOTTHAM Line, and it goes on and on. I've tried every twist and I still get thousands of posts including the word LINE. I suggest that researchers just use one word and that is the family name or names with no "LINE" attached. We all know it is a family tree, but of course, I suppose there is the FAMILY family or the TREE family! But wouldn't it make it easier if we titled our sites and queries with just our surnames? It sure would make our search much less exhausting for the LINE Lines. 3. New Mailing Lists at RootsWeb Request a New Mailing List: http://resources.rootsweb.com/adopt/ ----------------------------------------------------------------- Brand-new mailing lists can be found under OTHER/MISCELLANEOUS until moved to their proper categories. For information and an index to the more than 28,000 RootsWeb-hosted genealogy Mailing Lists and for easy subscribing (joining) options go to: http://lists.rootsweb.com/ NEW SURNAME MAILING LISTS CINTRON, COLZEY, CONNACHER CLENDENIN-DNA -- Discussing the CLENDENIN DNA project DATTOLI EBENSTEIN EDBALL -- Descendants of Edward Ball (ca 1642-1724) of Newark, New Jersey HOLETON HILL-UK -- The HILL surname in the United Kingdom KEWN MURPHY-GA -- The MURPHY surname in or from Georgia (USA) OBBARD RINGEISEN, RUNAKER SANDBERG, SCHROEBEL, STANZIANO, STRITCH TELLING WEDDINGTON, WESKIN 4. New Webpages at RootsWeb To Request a Free Web Account: http://accounts.rootsweb.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------- Some of these webpages 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. For example, the Anderson County Kentucky website is located at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~kyanders/ U.S.A. alscv16 -- Camp #16, Robert E. Lee (Alabama), Sons of Confederate Veterans caavcdar -- Antelope Valley (California) Chapter DAR cashhar -- Society of Hispanic History and Ancestral Research (California) kyanders -- Anderson County (Kentucky) mibranch -- Branch County (Michigan) mobarto2 -- Barton County (Missouri) mojohns2 -- Johnson County (Missouri) tnclaib4 -- Claiborne County (Tennessee) tnpolk2 -- Polk County (Tennessee) 5. New/Updated Freepages, Homepages, and WorldConnect Uploads ------------------------------------------------------------- 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 ABNEY. Abney Research Site and Document Exchange; An ever-growing research site containing many documents for ABNEY surname and variant spellings. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~abneyresearch/ AKIN. In addition to information about the AKIN family that descended from David and Mary AKIN of Newport, Rhode Island circa 1650, the site contains information on the following families: ALLEN, BRIGGS, COREY, GRIFFITH, HOWARD, KLINGER, OLSON, RUSSELL, SHERMAN, SLOCUM, and ST. JOHN. Also has abstract of ownership of Johnson Hall, the mansion located at Johnstown, New York, which was owned by Sir William JOHNSON, the British superintendent of the northern Indian Nations and hero of the French and Indian Wars; plus several early- to mid-19th-century letters that provide an insight into life in those times. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~akin/AkinFamilyHistory.html BROWN. A small family cemetery located in southeastern Chesterfield County, Virginia; four known graves of Mordecai BROWN, Sally HILL BROWN, William Daniel BROWN and Sally NELSON CORLING -- buried ca 1832-1840. [Note: 2-line URL]: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~sassytazzy/cemetery/ vachesterfield/browncemcfieldcova.html CANADA. Cemeteries. "Field of Stones" is a spinoff of "Gateway to Ontario Cemeteries" that features pictures of abandoned or pioneer cemeteries found in Ontario, which are NOT featured on other websites. It also has donated photos of various Ontario cemeteries The cemeteries are listed under county/district and are grouped into townships. http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~clifford/ ENGLAND. Cornwall. The St. Austell Parish website has been updated and completely revised. Includes many more photographs, especially some from old sources that show traditional ways of life; plus Quaker burials, photographs of the War Memorial, and an index of Wills and Admons. The "Life in the Parish" section includes snippets from the West Briton newspaper, 1836 through 1840, 1850, and 1887, with newly included essays from various authors. St. Austell (historical) Parish website: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~staustell/ West Briton newspaper transcripts at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~wbritonad/ ENGLAND. Newspapers. Includes an 11,000-surname index linked to a selection of transcripts of early 19th-century newspapers with a Wiltshire bias. Because one of the papers is the Salisbury and Winchester Journal, there is also a lot of information covering individuals from local counties (including reports from Dorset, Hampshire, and Somerset); with a blend of local adverts (from tradesmen, parish officials), and the usual local news (inquests, lists of marriages and deaths, court cases, and individuals to be transported). Click on "Local Newspaper Index (excluding Windsor & Eton Express)" -- scroll down on Master Index to Alpha Search. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~dutillieul/ KIRKWOOD. Descendants of Robert KIRKWOOD and Sarah SIMPSON, who emigrated from Belfast, Ireland to Sydney, NSW, Australia, with their seven children, in 1832. Other surnames include: COOPER, GORRICK, McGAHAN, McKERIHAN, PANTON, QUINLIN, ROLLINS, and WALSH. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~kirkwood/ MORGAN-ROBBINS-DILLE-RILEY. This website has been extensively revised; major surnames are MORGAN, ROBBINS, DILLE, and RILEY. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~lmorgan/ OHIO. Ashland County. A site devoted to pictures of "Rescued Ancestors by Vicki" -- all with a connection to this locality. Also includes pictures from the collection of the photographer, Arthur L. Zimmerman. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~ashland/ QUARLES. A website designed for the sharing of documents, photos, and genealogy research of the QUARLES and QUALLS surnames and their spelling variants. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~quarles/ VERMONT. New England Kingdom. 1870 list of pastors, deacons, and parishioners of the First Congregational Church in Lyndonville. [Note: 2-line URL]: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~nekg3/files/ church_lyndonville.htm 6. New User-Contributed Databases at RootsWeb http://userdb.rootsweb.com/submit/ ---------------------------------------------- The following databases have come online recently. They are searchable, but not browseable. ITALY. Laurenzana, Potenza, Basilicata. Marriages 1809-1910. 12,636 records. Laurenzana, Potenza, Basilicata, Italy Genealogy http://userdb.rootsweb.com/italy/ PHILIPPINES. Manila. St. Scholastica's College faculty 1980-1981; 138 records; Jane Engbrock http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ U.S.A. CONNECTICUT. Middlesex County. Saybrook. Land and property records, 1647-1819 (Volumes 1-17ee); for CARTER, POST, SMITH, SPENCER, WRIGHT, et al. 3,336 records; Janece Carter Streit http://userdb.rootsweb.com/deeds/ MICHIGAN. Oakland County. Clawson. Clawson High School Class of 1965; 222 records; Donald R. Galley http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ NEW YORK. Orleans County. Albion. Albion Public Schools, 1879-1914 graduates; 451 records; Candace Carter-Green http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ VIRGINIA. Richmond (Independent City). Harris-Flippen 1937 American Legion junior baseball team; 17 records; Paula Lucy Delosh http://userdb.rootsweb.com/groups/ TEXAS. Wichita County. Wichita Falls. Deceased Alumni of Midwestern State University--Spring 2004; 33 records; Jane Engbrock http://userdb.rootsweb.com/deaths/ 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]. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ashes to Ashes By Marea Bass It isn't a thing that you really want to think about but you have to make the decision of being buried in a cemetery or to have your ashes scattered or put in a memorial park at some time during your life. My paternal grandfather was cremated in the early '70s and his ashes scattered at sea where he spent most of his life. When my paternal grandmother passed away she had her ashes scattered too. It was lovely, but could be a problem for future genealogists. George SILVERSON, my 2-great-grandfather, was born in 1843 in Quebec, but no birth certificate can be found. He passed away in British Columbia in 1911 and no death certificate can be found. The only way my cousin found out his death date was by finding his gravestone and getting some information from the church. If she hadn't found it then we would have no idea when and where he passed away. So if you have decided to have your ashes scattered, then please also think about having some put at a memorial park. So that if someone is searching for you in the future information can still be found. * * * Examining Family Health Trees By Kaye Powell We've all ordered death certificates on our ancestors and learned causes of death, which may have been inheritable conditions, and other useful However, they do not always provide information about certain family diseases and health problems. Of my three children, my son has been diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic. I've learned that some 10 to 25 percent of the time the condition may have been inherited but knew of no instances in the family. Today's understanding of the illness is nothing like what people knew even a few decades ago, and today's modern medications are excellent, and getting better every year. However, I wasn't looking for mental illness. My research problem was that my mother's father abandoned his young family in the 1920s in Alberta, Canada. My grandmother, from Michigan got her family back to the United States and raised her children by herself. My mother, the youngest that survived, had no memory of ever having laid eyes on her father although the older ones did. Nobody even knew when or where he died or if he had another family. Grandmother never divorced him or remarried. I knew little of grandfather's family, only that he had a brother in Michigan and that my grandparents met and married at Grand Rapids. With the advent of genealogical resources online I took a stab at it. Last year I found he'd died in his 50s in Idaho, but nothing more about him. But by that time I'd also learned who his parents were, and that he was one of not two, but seven, children. His paternal line goes back to 1640s in the Massachusetts Colony, but that tells me little about family who might be around today that we never knew. I expanded my research on this family in Michigan and learned who five of his six siblings married and their families via marriage indices, cemeteries and census images online. I visited the main family cemeteries and learned more when I read the (surname) headstones. One generation back there were six siblings. All six died young, from age 19 to 52, in a line that generally lived into its 70s, 80s or even 90s. Great-grandfather died "by drowning in a fit of depression" per accounts. One sister was located on census 1920 at Kalamazoo State Hospital, the asylum for insane. Another tantalizing, but yet undocumented account, has another sister in an asylum in Pennsylvania. The third sister also died in her early 40s in Pennsylvania. The 19- year-old brother (I'd heard this story from my aunt but hadn't known who it was) had warts on his hands. Somebody told him he could get rid of them with carbolic acid so he put his hands in that -- and died of infection. Another brother died at age 52. I occasionally correspond with a relative of a (surname) in-law who has been very circumspect about her relative who married (surname)--the only son of the remaining brother who died age 52. I get scant info, but she's "local" to that family and otherwise willingly helps me with local document information on the family while preserving the living 85-year- old relative's privacy. Recently I laid out the above information about mental illness in that generation, possibly all six, in e-mail; didn't ask her to research, just a heads-up to keep an eye out for mentions of mental illness, especially schizophrenia or bipolar illness. Hours later I had a response. She told me that her relative had three daughters diagnosed with schizophrenia and that the husband/father had not been quite right, either. (Recall that times were different, but this would all be in the past 50-some years and less.) That poor mother must have lived a hellish tragic life given the differences in under- standing of the illness and old-generation medications. I have run across few historical mentions identifying mental illnesses in my genealogy research, but never possibly an entire generation and documentation of successive generations. One wouldn't likely find this on death certificates describing physical causes of death. [Editor's note: See the article by the Mayo Clinic staff, "Compiling Your Family Medical History: Using the Past to Prepare for Your Future": http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=HQ01707 * * * Search Tips for Given Names By Susan Scouras, Librarian Archives and History Library WV Division of Culture and History, Charleston, West Virginia James Liptrap's comment that "Icie is a most unusual name" took me aback a little, since Icie is a very common name in West Virginia, as indicated by Debby Jones's comment on her mother-in-law Icie's West Virginia genealogy. Out of curiosity, I did a quick search census records for the given names of "Icie" and "Icy." I got 858 total hits out of the records currently loaded. About one-third used the spelling "Icie" and two-thirds used the spelling "Icy." In 1860, there were only eight hits with more than 50 percent of them located in Southern or Midwestern states, and in 1860, there were 18 with 89 percent in the South and Midwest. Curiously none in Virginia or West Virginia. [Editor's note: West Virginia was created in 1863]. By 1900, there are 175 people named Icy/Icie. (I did not check the details for 1900.) In 1910 there are 280, with more than 90 percent of them in Southern or Midwestern states--and 24 percent of the total in West Virginia! West Virginians accounted for 67, while the next closest state was Ohio with 27, followed by Indiana with 23 and Alabama with 18. For 1920, there were 319 people named Icie/Icy, with 92 percent of them in the South and Midwest and 21 percent of them were in West Virginia. West Virginia had 66, followed by Ohio with 31, Tennessee with 25, Kentucky with 23 and Indiana with 20. One of my colleagues taught me to check surname frequencies when at a loss for the specific county in which to look for a record, in order to find a starting point with the greatest likelihood of success. With the online searchable databases (available by personal subscription and in many libraries), one can also do given-name frequency searches on less common names--and perhaps find out that the name is not at all uncommon in specific parts of the country. For example, with the geographic patterns evident for the name Icy/Icie, if I had the one Californian named Icy in 1910 in my family tree, I'd be searching further east for her roots. 8. Humor/Humour: On a Musical Note ----------------------------------- Thanks to: M. Lamkin My mother's sister was named Regina Monica Shea. Since she went by the nickname of "Monnie," she adopted the practice of expressing her legal name as "R. Monica" Shea. Imagine my surprise when, in the 1900 U.S. census, I found Monnie living with her widowed mother -- listed as "Harmonica Shea." 9. Submission Guidelines, Changes, Advertising Contacts, Reprint Policy ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 (please, no attachments) with your full name to: Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com * * * Search/download past issues of RootsWeb Review: http://e-zine.rootsweb.com/ * * * HOW TO HANDLE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION CHANGES If you need assistance with any RootsWeb resources or e-mail changes, kindly visit the HelpDesk: http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/help.cgi * * * Search and share family trees: WorldConnect: http://wc.rootsweb.com/ Learn how to find your ancestors: http://rwguide.rootsweb.com/ Post and read messages on all relevant surname, locality, and topic Message Boards and Mailing Lists: Message Boards: http://boards.rootsweb.com/ Mailing Lists: http://lists.rootsweb.com/ * * * ROOTSWEB REVIEW ADVERTISING CONTACTS: Ad Sales Operations Mgr. Shana Davis sdavis@myfamilyinc.com U.S., WorldWide Sales: Sacha Yenkana syenkana@myfamilyinc.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. 7, No. 17, 28 April 2004. * * * *