RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Weekly E-zine 21 July 2004, Vol. 7, No. 29, Circulation: 838,091+ (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. Exploring RootsWeb Resources: "Matching Twigs and Branches" 1b. Editor's Desk: Some Sites Worth Seeing 1c. Tips from Readers: "Searching a Large Page of Many Names?" 2. Connecting Through RootsWeb: "Generous Genealogist Finds Grave" 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 "Hijacking Family Trees: "Kinship Not Required" "False Genealogies" "Grafting Branches" "Skeletons Rattling in the Closet" "Dealing With Imperfect Ancestors" "Keeping Separate Files" "Making Notes for Posterity" "Leaving Skeletons in the Cupboards" "Barking Up Wrong Tree?" 8. Humor/Humour: "'Sooner'" Roundup 9. Submissions, Subscriptions, Advertising, Reprints =============================================================== 1. NEWS AND NOTES 1a. Exploring RootsWeb Resources: "Matching Twigs and Branches" Jump-start your research. Look for matching family surnames in the trees at WorldConnect. Begin on the main WorldConnect page: http://wc.rootsweb.com/ Look for: "Search Family Trees at WorldConnect." Scroll down the page until you see the following new option: "or -- Find databases containing a list of surname(s)" List a few of your ancestors' surnames to locate those trees that have the greatest chance of matching more than one of the surnames of interest to you. If you are researching common names like SMITH, JONES, and JOHNSON, by combining a search for more than one of those surnames, you are more likely to find your SMITHs, JONESes and, JOHNSONs and not just an array of false leads to JONES, SMITH, or JOHNSON lines that have no connection to yours. Now, if you are researching your DINTELSBECK line that married into your MIDDELDORFF and GRAFFENPERGER families, combining a search for two or more of these uncommon, but interconnected, names in your tree can practically assure that you will find only other trees that match. But, whether researching common or uncommon names, combinations of matching surnames increase your chances of finding others researching the same exact family lines you seek. It sure beats searching for a lone surname -- the proverbial needle-in-a-haystack method. This surname-matching feature returns results based on degree of relevancy to all of the surnames you list in your search terms. This means that the first listings in the results will include more occurrences of the surnames of interest to you than those lower down in the rankings. Only databases that include all of the surnames you list will be included. So focus your search on a group of surnames found in the same branch of your family tree as that may be the only branch that is in common with another submitter's database. If you include too many surnames in your search, it might result in missing matches in which you are interested. On the other hand, if you include too few names, you may end up with too many hits for families that are not connected to yours. For instance, you may be researching ubiquitous JONES and SMITH ancestors but since those lines cross your SNIGGERFELD line, including all three names in your search request is the best way to narrow down the results to YOUR families. One inevitable side effect of searching for matching trees is that your results will probably turn up some duplicate trees that had previously gone unnoticed. Some of these trees may be ones you submitted (and forgot) or they may be someone else's. The submitter may appreciate being alerted to the duplicate listings. The e-mail contact address for that submitter is included in your search results. However, if the contact address is not current and your attempt to notify the submitter fails; remember that RootsWeb won't be able to help you locate the submitter. The next best solution is to add a Post-em Note on the duplicate database so that when the submitter next checks his trees he will find your note. If the duplicate tree turns out to be one you had submitted and which you had forgotten to remove when you updated your file, instructions on locating the tree and removing it can be found in two previous articles published in this e-zine. You can find those articles in the RootsWeb Review archives: A TIME FOR PRUNING http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/20040211.txt CLEAN UP YOUR ONLINE TREES http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/20030101.txt When you search WorldConnect/AWT for matching surnames, the results page indicates how many matching databases were found: For example: "Displaying documents 1-25 of 342" means that 342 matches to all the surnames you listed were found (i.e. each of the surnames is found in these 342 databases) and the first 25 are being displayed on page one (with links to the remaining pages). Additional columns include the name of the database, the e-mail address of the submitter, the submitter's name, the database title, the size of the database and the date of last update for the database. There is a clickable link to the database index page as well as a direct link to each of the surnames you have requested with the number of instances in which that surname appears in the database. The latter is listed in parentheses next to the surname. Looking for a database but not sure of the surnames to search? Maybe cousin Clyde told you to check his WorldConnect file called "Oregon Trail Pioneer CHENOWYTH Descendants" but he didn't give you a link to the database. Or maybe all you have to go on is Clyde's name or e-mail address. Try KEYWORD matching by looking for: "or -- Find a specific database by keyword" instead of surname matching. Keyword search enables you to find a database by the submitter's name, e-mail address or database title. Reinvigorate your efforts. Try searching WorldConnect/AWT for matches for groupings of surnames that appear in your family tree that are included in trees submitted by other researchers. Your soon-to-be-found cousins are waiting to hear from you and to compare notes and stories. 1b. EDITOR'S DESK. Some Sites Worth Seeing Northern Ireland Northern IrelandGenWeb: http://www.rootsweb.com/~nirwgw/ U.S.A. Ellis Island Even if you never read instructions or manuals, your research is more likely to be successful if you do here. "Which One-Step Ellis Island Search Form Should I Use?" http://www.jewishgen.org/databases/eidb/intro.html Then try "Search Forms and Ship Arrivals" http://www.stevemorse.org/ Platting Deeds in Metes and Bounds http://genealogy.bearnip.com/deeds/deed_platter.html * * * 1c. TIPS FROM READERS: Searching a Large Page of Many Names? Thanks to C. C. Traylor Afraid you will miss the one name you're hunting on a page? Solution: In many programs look at the top left of the computer screen (monitor) and click on EDIT, which will provide a drop-down menu. Select FIND ON THIS PAGE, which gives you a small box with a search window. Enter the search word or words in the window and hit ENTER. The search will find all the words on that page that you requested -- one by one. 2. Connecting Through RootsWeb. Thanks for sharing your stories. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Generous Genealogist Finds Grave By Jackie Conner Cotter Regarding the article "Joint Effort Produces Online Tribute to Many Who Served," in last week's RootsWeb Review, I too am one of many who found a lost great-great-grandfather's grave through the kind efforts of Jim, of Cortez, Colorado. He took the time to go to the Homelake Cemetery at the Colorado State Veterans Center (formerly known as the Old Soldiers and Sailors Home) and take photos of all the headstones. My great-great-grandfather Osmer CONNER's was there and I now have a copy. What a terrific find through one man's spirit of generosity! 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 28,200 RootsWeb-hosted genealogy Mailing Lists and for easy subscribing (joining) options go to: http://lists.rootsweb.com/ NEW SURNAME MAILING LISTS BETTLES CRISE COPE-DNA -- The COPE surname DNA Project KANIS MURCHIE PALLISER SCHUPPNER TOPPEN NEW REGIONAL MAILING LISTS MA-MDX-WESTFORD -- Westford, Middlesex county, Massachusetts NEW ETHNIC AND SPECIAL INTEREST MAILING LISTS GEN-MAT-UKI -- Anyone with an interest in the buying or selling of new or used genealogy materials (e.g., books, newsletters, CDs, magazines) in the United Kingdom. Commercial sellers please limit postings to one a month 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 Middletown (Ohio) Historical Society website is at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~ohmidcem/ France fraalsac -- Alsace (France) U.S.A. gamilton -- Milton County (Georgia) (defunct county) ksscsg -- Sedgwick County (Kansas) Saving Graves kyfloyd2 -- Floyd County (Kentucky) kyknott3 -- Knott County (Kentucky) kyknox2 -- Knox County (Kentucky) kylesli2 -- Leslie County (Kentucky) kyletch2 -- Letcher County (Kentucky) ladesot2 -- DeSoto Parish (Louisiana) mdfscdar -- Fort Severn (Maryland) Chapter DAR nhbelkna -- Belknap County (New Hampshire) ohmidcem -- Middletown (Ohio) Historical Society Cemeteries Project 5. New/Updated Freepages and Homepages -------------------------------------- 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 Note: Comments and questions about any of these independently authored webpages should be directed to their respective compilers/webmasters. CLAWSON. "Clawson Genealogy Page." Includes surnames of CLAWSON, YATES, TINGLE, BENSON, AINSWORTH, QUIN, SLAUTER, TINGLE, WALKER, and DAVIS -- of Louisiana, Oklahoma, Ohio, and Kansas. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~clawson/ VIRGINIA. Roanoke City Cemetery. Transcription of old map of the city cemetery on Tazewell Avenue, plus the scanned images. Names are the purchasers, owners, or individuals buried there (but not defined). Click on "Cemetery Records" at: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~sassytazzy/ 6. New User-Contributed Databases at RootsWeb ---------------------------------------------- Who Has the Data? Does your state, province, county, parish, church, old military unit or alma mater have material available that you think would be of interest to genealogists and historians? Do you have any compiled lists of names or databases -- other than your personal family tree because genealogies can be posted at WorldConnect: http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/ -- that you would like to share and that you think would be of value and interest to others? In most cases, RootsWeb would be proud to host them. http://userdb.rootsweb.com/submit/ The following databases have come online recently. They are searchable, but not browseable. Browse: To view the entire contents of a file or a group of files. Search: To look for specific data or occurrence of text in a file. IDAHO. Bonner County. Priest River. Priest River High School Class of 1972; 63 records; Lynda Turner http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ VIRGINIA. All contributed by Paula Lucy Delosh http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ Bedford (Independent City). Bedford High School; Class of 1927; 33 records; Fredericksburg (Independent City). State Teachers College; Class of 1927; 28 records; Hanover County. Hanover. Hanover Academy, Class of 1880; 36 records; Nottoway County. Crewe. Crewe High School; Class of 1927; 20 records; Richmond (Independent City). Richmond Normal School; selective 7th- grade students, 1927; 10 records; Nursing School Graduates, 1927 (various schools); 58 records 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]. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Hijacking Family Trees By Joyce Maxwell in Rhode Island One thing that irks me no end has to be when people I don't know and who cannot prove their relationship to anyone in my tree, takes my tree and submits it all over the net. I've asked several times for them to either provide documentation that they are related or remove my line from their tree. I did this for several good reasons. 1. If they can't document a relationship, then they are just name collectors. 2. Their numerous submissions clog the pages, and make it extremely difficult to find anyone with actual information on these people. I have to sort through four or five other submitters to get to my own tree. 3. One woman had my mother's death submitted all over the Net when she was barely cold in her grave. I tried appealing to her sensibilities, but apparently, she has none. 4. I also take offense at the LDS church for its anonymous and many times incorrect submissions to the IGI. It will correct nothing. I've tried. People, please. If you don't have proof that you're related, leave other people's trees alone. And for heaven's sake, if you submit someone's death shortly after the event and if it hurts someone, take it out! I document everything I have, but if someone took offense to an entry due to a recent passing, I'd remove it immediately. Search well, but always with a heart. * * * Kinship Not Required By John Grant Some genealogy hobbyists seem to think one must be related in order to compile the genealogy of a particular person or family or even to include "their" ancestors in your work. Nothing could be further from the truth. Genealogy is a record or table of the descent of a person, family, or group from an ancestor or ancestors -- the study or investigation of ancestry and family histories. Anyone can compile anyone's genealogy. You do not have to have any kinship to them. I keep hoping that some of the scholars and/or professional genealogists will work on some branches of my tree or that some amateur cousin, in- law or "name collector" out there will find information or links that I've overlooked or have been unable to ascertain. No luck so far, but hope springs eternally. There are no laws that your genealogy must be error-free either. If there were, most of us would have to shred them -- or serve time in genealogy jail and pay hefty fines for our transgressions. Everyone is welcome to my ancestors. In fact, take them, please! * * * False Genealogies By Deanna Ashford A few years ago, my mother-in-law was sent a questionnaire to fill out regarding all her descendants. Because she came from a very devoted Catholic family with many nuns and priests, she didn't want anyone to know that her son had children by two different women, one he was married to, the other a long-term relationship, and was now on wife No. 3 -- me. She listed me as mother to his five children, and none of my own. The relative that had this book published, spent a lot of time and money on it and now, because of my mother-in-law's false information, the book has little genealogy value. It makes you wonder just how much information in it or other books are accurate. * * * Grafting Branches By Joe Nelson I have a situation similar to Mark Amanns' (RWR: 14 July). Only I know who the parents and grandparents are. But anyone outside of my family who does research will never know the truth by checking the official records. It is in my records but not posted to the public. About a week after my nephew was born his mother died of an overdose of medicine (accident or suicide, who knows for sure?) Then his grand- father and step-grandmother had a birth certificate made to show that they were the parents. Family history says that my nephew's parents were not married, However I have found a marriage license for them dated seven months prior to my nephew's birth. * * * Skeletons Rattling in the Closet By JRicke Three years ago my husband's aunt died. During the viewing a cousin that my husband had not seen since he was a boy came over to him and started talking about the past. I got a wonderful insight of my husband when he was a child. I also got a surprise when the cousin started talking about the deceased aunt. The aunt (whom my husband loved dearly) had the same last married name as her sister. Assuming that they had married brothers I never questioned it. Imagine my surprise when the cousin told us that the reason she had the same last married name was that she ran off with her sister's husband. It seems that Aunt J. married Uncle M. They had two children together. Aunt J never wanted to do anything or go anywhere, so she would tell Uncle M. to take her sister (Aunt V.) Aunt V. was always happy to go with Uncle M. Aunt V. and Uncle M. fell in love. Uncle M. divorced Aunt J. and married Aunt V. Uncle M. and Aunt V. had two children. We always thought that the children were cousins, but now found out that they are actually half siblings. It was a family secret that no one discussed. I have decided to start research on that side of the family, but fear if I do, I will step on some very sore toes. So for now everything is on the back burner until I can gather my nerve, call and ask permission to continue my research. * * * Dealing with Imperfect Ancestors By Sallie Lou Morris Nelson in Texas via Indiana I, too, have found some odd happenings in searching for all of my families. Each of these happenings adds to the flavor of my family. What difference does it make that my mother was born too soon or that my daughter/niece/cousin were adopted? They are still ours. I even had, way back in 1700s, a grandmother who layeth in the woods and was to be taught how to conduct herself as a lady. She and my grandfather had a "bastard" baby. (That's a horrible word). They were both fined and could have been whipped. Later they married and had more children. I don't know just who the baby in question was -- if they raised it. I don't know for sure who my 4-great-grandfather's father really was as he was not listed as an heir when the man who is listed as his father died. One ancestor was born two-three years after his "father" died. My great-grandfather was robbed and murdered after selling horses that he raised. The true story is he had chest pains, started to walk home, and his employer got worried and found him dead in the field. It's in a long ago newspaper. What difference does it make that the oldest girl was six when my ancestors were married? She is/was still my grandaunt, regardless. All of these happenings meld together to make me and the rest of my families today. No one is perfect and if our families think they are, they are mistaken. We don't make up the official records. If they can't handle what we find in the records, they don't have to read it. Just go on and live a perfect life. Time will tell! * * * Keeping Separate Files By GenBrd I have read with interest all the comments on information that others feel we should not include in our family histories. I have a personal issue with leaving information out or adding things that may emotionally harm another living person. For that is what it is -- an emotional issue and feelings are often stronger than the physical ties. When I first started working on my family lines, my father took me aside and said "I have no problem with you researching and finding information on my ancestors. I only request that you not put anything into publication until I am dead, then nobody will be hurt." He had good reason and I certainly respect his request. I am researching his three lines, his mother, his biological father, and the incredible man that raised him as his own son. That man is my grandfather and nothing will ever change that, it is his name I legally and proudly carried. But the question remains -- how can we be accurate if we leave things out that we know to be true? When it comes to known information, I keep a separate file. I use The Master Genealogist (TMG) and Family Tree Maker (FTM) and I keep a record of the sensitive information totally separate, but able to be merged to the full database when the time comes. With TMG I do not have to have the individuals connected in the database, so I can keep information on a variety of people and situations totally disconnected to others. By doing this, there is no accidental publishing or sharing of sensitive data. But if, and when, I choose to add the information that I have, it is just a few clicks away, not in a buried paper file. Does the world have the right to know the truth? It depends on whether you believe that genealogy is about people or about blood. To me it is both. I am not collecting names and samples of blood. I am collecting history to determine why I am the person I am today. Who those people were that forged through the country and settled my town and established this family here. So those are the people that matter. The others are duly noted, those that are blood but not "family" are noted, but family lines tell the stories. To omit a person from a database because there is no blood connection, such as a stepchild raised by the relative, is to negate what is truly family in my book. One of my favorite cousins is such a stepchild, and yet to me, who never knew life without her, it is wrong to omit her simply because we do not share bloodlines. Her values and principles were forged from our family if not her blood. So she is included, and it is duly noted that she is a "step." But secrets are secrets and the "owner" of that secret has the right to determine our use of the information as long as they are living. My policy is to never hurt someone emotionally just for the sake of genealogy. That is not a way for family to treat each other. * * * Making Notes for Posterity By Scott Aaron In response to Nola Crewe's message about not being able to easily enter modern-day relationships into genealogy software (i.e. gay marriage, adoptions, etc.), I actually think it's good that these relationships are handled differently in genealogy programs. That is not to slight the significance of those relationships, but I think it is important not to confuse future generations as to their biological lineage (and biological lineage is the essence of genealogy). What I do is simply mention other relationships in the "notes" field of my various software programs. If not handled this way, it's not hard to envision a scenario where somebody in the future might discover a set of adoptive ancestors (not clearly defined as such) and assume they descend from these folks, and are therefore also a descendant of (insert famous historical figure), and now are naming their children after this individual, based on the faulty assumption that they descend from him or her. * * * Leaving Skeletons in the Cupboards By Kevin Lee of Waterdown, Ontario With great interest in the recent RootsWeb Review I read all of the views regarding the respect for accuracy in the family tree versus the feelings of present-day relatives and their respect for privacy. As a self-appointed family historian, I understand the need to get accurate information, but also understand that the information I am accumulating does not belong only to me, but to all my living relatives as well. Is there really any need to expose our family skeletons in the interest of being accurate only to alienate our current loved ones? The family historian does not need to be a J. Edgar Hoover [Director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 1924 until his death in 1972] and keep files of "undesirable information" on everyone. If publishing or posting my family history, I would like to think I could put my information forward in a tactful manner and perhaps editing wouldn't be a bad idea to promote peace in the family. The public at large does not need to know the family's dirty secrets. Leave the skeletons buried. * * * Barking Up Wrong Tree? By C. Leon Harris Gordon Murdoch raised an interesting dilemma when he asked, "I wonder how many 'skeletons in the cupboard' will be found when DNA testing fails to get the expected match!" My perusal of DNA results indicates that it is quite common for men who thought they got the same surname from the same ancestor to find out that they didn't. I'm wondering how professional genealogists suggest we deal with this situation? If I found out that the person who was always thought to be my grand- father really wasn't -- biologically -- should I delete him from my records and replace him with the biological grandfather, if known? A lot of information would be lost that way, but information about the biological ancestor would also be useful. Current genealogical software forces us to make a choice. What should it be? [Editor's Note: Many of the popular genealogy software programs allow you to show both natural and adoptive parents for a child as well options for including information about children whose parents were never married -- check the manual for your software and with the appropriate mailing list http://lists.rootsweb.com/ for tips on these options]. 8. Humor/Humour: "Sooner" Roundup ---------------------------------- Thanks to Kay Black Several years ago, I was reading page 124 of the 1920 census of Mountain Township, McCurtain County, Oklahoma and came upon the following note: "Here ends the enumeration of District 148 comprising ranges 25, 26, and all of 27 east, inside the Oklahoma boundary of Townships 3 and 4 South in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, and believe me, with its mountains and valleys, its rivers, creeks and branches, it's some district, all right. I have been waterbound, and now I'm hidebound, but I have listed every galoot there is in it." Sgd. W. A. Carter, Enumerator, District 148, McCurtain County, Oklahoma 9. Submissions, Subscriptions, Advertising, Reprints ----------------------------------------------------- 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) to: Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com Search/download past issues of the RootsWeb Review: http://e-zine.rootsweb.com/ * * * SUBSCRIPTIONS. To manage your e-mail communications (i.e. to subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, or to sign up for others), visit our newsletter management center any time at: http://newsletters.rootsweb.com/ The RootsWeb Review is a free publication of MyFamily.com, Inc., 360 West 4800 North, Provo, UT, 84604 * * * ROOTSWEB REVIEW ADVERTISING CONTACTS. Ad Sales Operations Mgr. Shana Davis sdavis@myfamilyinc.com U.S., Worldwide Sales: Sacha Yenkana syenkana@myfamilyinc.com * * * REPRINTS. 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: 21 July 2004, Vol. 7, No. 29. * * * *