RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Weekly E-zine 30 May 2007, Vol. 10, No. 22 (c) 1998-2007 RootsWeb.com, Inc. http://www.rootsweb.com/ * * * Having trouble reading this newsletter? The online version is available at: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/0530.txt * * * ROOTSWEB HELPDESK: Check here for site maintenance announcements: http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/ * * * ROOTSWEB NEWSROOM: Check here for the latest RootsWeb news: http://blogs.rootsweb.com/newsroom/ * * * ROOTSWEB STORE: Check here for the latest in genealogy books, software, photos, and more: http://www.therootswebstore.com/ * * * ROOTSWEB REVIEW ARCHIVES: Check here for previous editions: http://e-zine.rootsweb.com/ ============================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1. Editor's Desk: News and Notes 1a. U.S. FGS--Annual Conference 1b. A Stranger in the House? 1c. Website Worth Looking At 1d. Book Notice 2. Using RootsWeb: Soundex, Metaphone, and Fuzzy Searches in WorldConnect 3. Connecting Through RootsWeb: An Uncle Finds His Brother 4. Bottomless Mailbag: Christian Bible More on Christian Bible A Quick Thought on Fanny Furthering the Debate on Archival Quality Data It Started As a Birthday Present for Dad 5. New at RootsWeb 5a. New User-contributed Databases 5b. New/Updated Freepages and Homepages by Individuals 5c. New/Updated Freepages and Homepages by Counties, States, and Genealogical/Historical Societies 5d. New Mailing Lists 6. Humor/Humour 7. Subscriptions, Submissions, Advertising, Reprints ============================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1. Editor's Desk: News and Notes 1a. U.S. Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS)--Annual Conference Planning on attending FGS in Fort Wayne, Indiana, this year? The last day to register early--and save money--is 1 June. The actual conference will occur on 15-18 August. To register and see program details, visit: http://www.fgsconference.org/ 1b. A Stranger in the House? How Returning Soldiers from WWII Affected Family Life Julie Summers, author of "Remembered: A History of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission," is writing a new book on WWII to be published by Simon and Schuster in 2008. The book, titled "A Stranger in the House," will focus on how a man's return from WWII affected family life--from a woman's perspective. Besides using historical material, Julie wants to interview women affected by a male soldier's return--mothers, wives, fiances, girlfriends, and siblings. To learn more or submit a story, visit: http://www.juliesummers.co.uk./new_books.htm 1c. Website Worth Looking At Parliament and the British Slave Trade 1600-1807 25 March 2007 marked the 200th anniversary of when the British Parliament signed an act to abolish the British slave trade. Now, you can go online to view images and a transcript of Manchester residents who signed a petition in support of the bill. Also, view images and listings of residents who signed a petition against it. The site that hosts the transcriptions has images of documents, speeches, and objects all dedicated to the history of the slave trade's demise. Petition from the Inhabitants of Manchester in Support of the Foreign Slave Trade Abolition Bill, 1806 http://slavetrade.parliament.uk/slavetrade/assetviews/documents/a50mancpetitionforabolition.html# Petition from Manufacturers and Merchants of Manchester Against the Foreign Slave Trade Abolition Bill, 1806 http://slavetrade.parliament.uk/slavetrade/assetviews/documents/petitionfrommanufacturersandmerchantsofmanchesteragainsttheforeignslavetradeabolitionbill.html# Parliament and the British Slave Trade 1600-1807 Website http://slavetrade.parliament.uk/ 1d. Book Notice Liffey Rivers and the Mystery of the Winking Judge By Brenna Briggs RootsWeb user and author Brenna Briggs lives in County Sligo, Ireland. This book is the second in her Liffey Rivers Irish Dancer-Girl Detective series, which is being published by Brockagh Books. The back cover reads: "There is more intrigue in London than thirteen- year-old Irish dancer Liffey Rivers could have ever imagined! How will she tell the smug-looking security guard at the National Portrait Gallery that something is WRONG with a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I hanging in the Tudor Gallery? And how can she even pretend she is ready to dance next week at an Irish dance competition in County Sligo, Ireland? And WHY is the Irish Judge at the Prizewinner Jig stage winking at her? Liffey has seen those eyes before. . . ." Reading Level: 8-13 + Paperback: 140 pages Online Price: 12.99 U.S.; 11.00 Euro; 5.44 UK sterling; 15.14 CND Trim Size: 5.25 x 8 inches Order at Amazon.com (also Amazon UK and Canada), Borders.com, Waldenbooks.com, Target.com, Abebooks.com, Borders bookstores, or Baker and Taylor/Booksurge at 1-866-308-6235. 2. Using RootsWeb: Soundex, Metaphone, and Fuzzy Searches in WorldConnect By Mary Harrell-Sesniak maryh@volunteer.rootsweb.com "Genealogy is not just a pastime; it's a passion." Last week's article discussed the underutilized WorldConnect "Search a database by keyword(s)" feature. This week's feature expands the topic by focusing on the more commonly used "Advanced (Global) Surname Search." In particular, it focuses on the sometimes confusing Soundex, Metaphone, and Fuzzy searches. Go here for the Advanced/Global Surname Search: http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME? If you are a bit fuzzy on what a Fuzzy search is, you are not alone. And to some, Soundex and Metaphone searches are equally confusing. However, they are not really that difficult. As researchers, we are frequently thwarted by surnames with alternate spellings. The classic example is a Smith that might have a variant spelling of Smyth or Smythe. Suppose you were searching for a Dudley Smith in WorldConnect. If you only searched for Dudley Smith, you might miss files where his name was spelled differently. Enter Dudley Smith in the search boxes as follows: Surname: Smith Given Name: Dudley Next to the Surname field there is a drop-down list with the following options: "Exact," "Soundex," and "Metaphone." The default is an "Exact" search. Don't change it. Press "Search" and view the results. SOUNDEX Now, enter the same names but select "Soundex" from the drop-down list. Browse through the search results. Besides the name Smith, names like Saint and Schmidt appear. Why? What is Soundex? The WorldConnect FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) tell us that "Soundex searches will result in names with similar sounds, based on a coding first used for U. S. census indexes": http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/FAQ/wcsearch1.html In 1918, Robert C. Russell invented the Soundex algorithm, and its use in genealogy began with the indexing of the 1880 U.S. federal census. The process converted each name into a four-digit code. The first letter of a surname became the first character of the code. Vowels were dropped and three digits were assigned to the remaining consonants. These digits were listed in a chart, and the end result is known as phonetic encoding. Using Soundex, a search for Smith turns up spelling variants, like Schmidt or Smyth. The system has been improved many times over the years, and RootsWeb uses a more sophisticated model than the original. To learn more about Soundex coding, explore this article located on the National Archives website: http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/census/soundex.html SOUNDEX PAVED THE WAY FOR METAPHONE Soundex does have limitations. English names convert better than foreign ones, silent letters cause issues, and Hispanic double surnames and surnames with hyphens do not work well. Recognizing this, programmer Lawrence Philips invented the Metaphone algorithm in 1990. Metaphone is similar in that it converts a name to a code, but instead of assigning a code to individual letters, codes correspond to groups of letters within a name. The algorithm follows the rules of English pronunciation, and results are reduced to sixteen consonant sounds. Philips went on to improve the methodology with his double Metaphone algorithm, which took into account variations in pronunciation. In many cases, Metaphone is a marked improvement over Soundex, but you may want to try both when searching for a name. FUZZY SEARCH You probably noticed a checkbox labeled "Fuzzy Search" at the bottom of the Advanced/Global Surname search box. When you check this box, all name and location fields in WorldConnect will be searched for Soundex matches, with the exception of the main surname field (because it has its own search drop-down list). Use this field if you want to apply Soundex to fields containing place names or relatives' names; they may have alternative spellings too. If you are a bit fuzzy on what a fuzzy search is, you are not alone. And to some, Soundex and Metaphone searches are equally confusing, but they are not really that difficult. These concepts are not unique to WorldConnect. Web search engines use their own variations. If you search for something in Google and it is misunderstood, Google will respond with a "did you mean" type of fuzzy logic response. FURTHER READING Now that you know the basics of Soundex, Metaphone, and Fuzzy searches, you can search WorldConnect more effectively. For more information on searching WorldConnect, please see the following: RootsWeb Review, Vol. 5, No. 44, 30 October 2002 http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/20021030.txt RootsWeb HelpDesk http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/FAQ/wcterms.html Global Searches FAQ http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/FAQ/wcsearch1.html * * * * * * * * * * Advertisements * * * * * * * * * * REQUEST A SEARCH FOR YOUR ANCESTORS AT WORLD'S LARGEST GENEALOGICAL LIBRARY ANCESTOR SEEKERS researchers at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City will search this vast collection for your ancestors from the U.S.A., Canada, Australia, or Europe. Friendly service, affordable prices. For a no-obligation research assessment visit: http://www.ancestorseekers.com/research.rwr/ For help from professional genealogists in England or Scotland visit: http://www.britishancestors.com/ Or join us 30 SEPTEMBER-5 OCTOBER for our NINTH SALT LAKE CITY RESEARCH TRIP--the ideal genealogy vacation! * * * * * * * * * * End of Advertisements * * * * * * * 3. Connecting Through RootsWeb: An Uncle Finds His Brother By Michelle I had to write. Two weeks ago, at my uncle's funeral, I mentioned to my cousin that I had an account with Ancestry.com. She proceeded to tell me that her father had been adopted. The next day he gave me four names-- his father's, grandfather's, and two uncles'. Thanks to Ancestry.com I was able to find his family in Colorado, where I had gathered census information, death records, and so forth. Then I found a post on a message board. Because another member was looking for this family I contacted them. Little did I know that I had contacted the wife of my uncle's brother. Within seventy-two hours I was speaking to my uncle's half-brother and wife in Canada, who had no idea that he had a brother and a sister. That very next evening my uncle and his brother were speaking on the telephone. Not only are we able to find our ancestors online--we can also find long-lost family members that we did not know existed. Thank you for helping me bring my family closer together. 4. 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.] ------------------------------------------------------------- Christian Bible By C. J. De Bruin This was printed in last week's Review: "My newspaper yesterday had an article about a person named 'Christian Bible.' Whether this was an assumed name or a birth name I don't know, but it seemed humorous to me. --Thanks to M. R. Hill" There has been more than one Christian in the Bible line, but the earliest that I have record for is Johann Christian Bible, born 7 January 1752 in Pennsylvania; died 1 July 1832 in Greene County, Tennessee. He is my fourth great-grandfather. The Bible family is well represented on the following website: http://www.genealogyforyou.com/surnames/bible/ * * * More on Christian Bible By Shelby Morris shelbyquilts@comcast.net I can assure M. R. Hill that the name "Christian Bible" found in the newspaper article is a real person and not a "made-up" name, and I would be very interested in having a copy of said article. Christian Bible is my third great-grandfather (1752-1838). He had two marriages, twelve children, and according to a recent calculation there were 113 grandchildren. * * * A Quick Thought on Fanny By Jenny Adolphe Mary Harvey-Wright wrote last week that her grandmother was prudish about her name, Fanny, because she didn't want to be associated with the notorious Fanny Hill. Consider my poor grandmother who was also named Fanny, but whose maiden name was Hill. To read last week's Review, with Mary Harvey-Wright's article, "Spring Clean in Folkestone Turns Up Surprise," visit: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/0523.txt * * * Furthering the Debate on Archival Quality Data By Jacob William Boner theolebone@hotmail.com The debate on archival quality data seems to be quite a hot topic. I have heard numerous numbers about CD longevity thrown out--fifty years, 100 years, and even 300 years. So, I guess the first question that anyone needs to ask themselves is: "How long do I want to keep these images?" A few years ago, the craze was micro-fiche. Of course, there were restrictions as to whether the fiche was the original or a copy and how the fiche was stored. Sunlight was the enemy. Fifty years was the projected life expectancy. Now, the craze is digital. Digitize everything and store those images on hard drives or on CDs. There are companies who specialize in digitizing your images and storing them for you. 300 years of life on some sort of golden CD is now the goal. I, for one, think digitizing is a great way to go. However, the only true archival-quality medium is paper. Original paper is best; printed copies of digitized images are next best. I prefer both if I have both. I also digitize. I probably have well over 5,000 scanned images. The reasons I don't rely on digitizing alone are as follows: 1. The medium has to have a reader of some sort. Micro-fiche needs some sort of device to enhance the tiny picture image. CDs require some form of CD drive that connects to some box that will display the digitized image. 2. The digitized image also has to have software to interface all of the hardware. 3. Micro-fiche readers are getting harder to find. Bulbs that fit in the readers are also getting rare as suppliers shy away from low-volume usage items. In time this medium will go the way of the 8-track tape and Beta VCRs. 4. CD drives and software change almost daily. Since I have dealt with PCs I have gone through no less than ten operating systems from DOS to Vista and that's within only about fifteen years; I think I'm on my eighth PC. Each software upgrade usually entails hardware upgrades and vice versa. How many genealogy software upgrades have you gone through? Do you really think that in 300 years someone will be able to take your golden CDs and find compatible hardware and software to read them? I suggest using paper, stored far away from the elements, for long term. And digitized images (backed up on a regular basis, and stored in two different locations) for short term and daily usage. P.S. I've had a little bit of experience with data. I was in the computer business for more than thirty years. I've seen the disasters created by massive conversions of both software and hardware. I know, first hand, about the importance of archiving data and compatibility. Nothing replaces hard copy. * * * It Started As a Birthday Present for Dad By Suzanne Keeley-Hicks snthicks@whidbey.com My favorite way to start to search for a family is through the city directories at the public library. Twenty years ago I decided to do a family tree for my dad as a birthday present. I got my sister--who is very good at organizing data--to go with me to the library. She was instantly hooked on genealogy. Our situation was probably not that unique, but it kept us busy. Two Keeley brothers and sisters married two Nelson brothers and sisters, and of course they all named their children the same names--after family members such as parents, grandparents, and so forth. At first we thought we had found one set of children living with an aunt and uncle for a time. Then, my sister, Grace, noticed that the addresses were different and sorted the information by address. That was our start. When I gave my dad his family tree, he said, "Who are all these people?" After finding "all those people" we decided to have a "Keeley-Nelson" family reunion. We had two sisters come from California and one lady come from Florida to Washington state for the reunion. Everyone had a wonderful day and my sister and I had so many funny and happy times doing the research. For instance, one day three of us sisters went to a cemetery to hunt for two headstones. They turned out to be in a part of the cemetery that was not kept up and all overgrown. We were determined to find them. So we started clearing brush and laughing quite a lot. One piece of cement that we thought was a headstone turned out to be the top of a grave. After realizing what I was moving, we quickly put it back, all the time laughing and joking around. Pretty soon here comes one of the cemetery workers to find out what was going on in the wooded part of the cemetery. They thought a bunch of kids were having a party down there. Once we found the graves, the cemetery told us they would keep up what we had cleared. Our work was not in vain. 5. New at RootsWeb 5a. New User-contributed Databases at RootsWeb http://userdb.rootsweb.com/submit/ ------------------------------------------------------------- The following databases have come online recently. They are searchable, but not browseable. Search: To look for specific data or occurrence of text in a file. Browse: To view the entire contents of a file or a group of files. CALIFORNIA. Sonoma County. February 1932: Santa Rosa High School, Santa Rosa, Sonoma, California. 38 records. M. Hellam. http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ CALIFORNIA. Stanislaus County. Oaklawn Memorial Park Cemetery. 2,841 records. Parker Kropp, Eagle Project; previous work by Stanislaus City Genealogical Society. http://userdb.rootsweb.com/cemeteries/ 5b. New/Updated Freepages and Homepages by Individuals To Request a Free Web Account: http://accounts.rootsweb.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------- Can your cousins find your website at RootsWeb? Has it ever been mentioned here or do you have a new, updated, or substantially revised website at RootsWeb (it will have "freepages" or "homepages" in the URL)? Send the URL, the title of the website, the name of the author, and a BRIEF description of the site, including major surnames, to: Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com * * * If your genealogical or historical related site is located somewhere other than at RootsWeb.com, you can add the link here: http://resources.rootsweb.com/~rootslink/addlink.html * * * No New/Updated Freepages or Homepages by Individuals 5c. New/Updated Freepages and Homepages by Counties, States, and Genealogical/Historical Societies To Request a Free Web Account: http://accounts.rootsweb.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------- Some of these Web 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/~xxxxxx[accountname] * * * Note that the ~[tilde] before the Web account name is required. For example, the Redwood County Historical Society (Minnesota) website is at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~mnrchs/ * * * AHGP = American History and Genealogy Project DAR = Daughters of the American Revolution SAR = Sons of the American Revolution SDP = Sons and Daughters of the Pilgrims UDC = United Daughters of the Confederacy USBP = U.S. Biographies Project USGW = USGenWeb WGW = WorldGenWeb U.S.A. alcdcudc -- Confederate Dames (Alabama) Chapter UDC azbsdp -- Arizona Branch SDP azsahac -- Arizona Society Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company azsd1812 -- Arizona Society Daughters of 1812 bcqgs -- Quesnel Genealogical Society (British Columbia) caahs -- Alpine Historical Society (California) casiskiy -- Siskiyou County (California) AHGP fldcsar -- DeLand (Florida) Chapter SAR ilegs -- Elgin Genealogical Society (Illinois) masuffo2 -- Suffolk County (Massachusetts) USBP mdcjbdar -- Commodore Joshua Barney-John Eager Howard (Maryland) Chapter DAR nhsodar -- State Organization (New Hampshire) DAR ondundas -- Dundas County (Ontario) WGW txophgr -- Organization for the Preservation of Historical and Genealogical Records (Texas) wamacdar -- Mt. Adams (Washington) Chapter DAR wlsrdlhg -- Raglan and District Local History Group (Wales) 5d. New Mailing Lists To Request a New Mailing List: http://resources.rootsweb.com/adopt/ ------------------------------------------------------------- For information and an index to the more than 30,000 RootsWeb-hosted genealogy Mailing Lists and for easy subscribing (joining) options go to: http://lists.rootsweb.com/ NEW SURNAME MAILING LISTS MCKELLEB NEW REGIONAL MAILING LISTS No New Regional Mailing Lists NEW ETHNIC AND SPECIAL INTEREST MAILING LISTS MTDNA-HAPLOGROUP-X -- For the sharing of information and discussions on mtDNA Haplogroup X theories and genealogies. 6. Humor/Humour My husband needed to rent a car while on a business trip to Germany. The customer service person at the airport counter who helped him was named Otto Rentl. --Thanks to Sherry Palmiter * * * There is a funeral home on Route 9 in Georgetown, Delaware, with a sign that reads "Short" Funeral Services. Ever time we drive by we laugh. "Short" is an old family name in this area but customers who aren't from around here must wonder. P.S. I once received a resume from a job applicant who worked at a cemetery. He boasted that he "increased business by 20 percent in one year." I was afraid to interview him. --Thanks to Holly Wright, Lewes, Delaware * * * One day I was sitting in a second-story downtown dentist's office, waiting for Novocain to take effect, when I looked out the window at the second-story dentist's office across the street. The sign said "A. Savage, Dentist." --Thanks to Merlene Hill * * * Found a funny or "proper name for the job" in old records, or an amusing entry in census, parish, church, etc. records? Send them to: Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com. We also welcome other humorous genealogy-related submissions. 7. Subscriptions, Submissions, Advertising, Reprints ------------------------------------------------------------- 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/ If you use a spam-filtering program, in order to receive the RootsWeb Review please make sure that you're allowing e-mail from rootswebreview@email.rootsweb.com. The RootsWeb Review is a free publication of The Generations Network, Inc., 360 West 4800 North, Provo, UT, 84604 * * * 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. The announcement of books and products is provided as a community service and is not an endorsement in any way. 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 and please include your full name and e-mail address in the text. * * * ROOTSWEB REVIEW ADVERTISING CONTACTS. Ad Sales Worldwide: Tami Deleeuw, tdeleeuw@tgn.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: 30 May 2007, Vol. 10, No. 22. * * * *