RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Weekly E-zine 12 September 2007, Vol. 10, No. 37 (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/2007/0912.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/ ROOTSWEB SPOTLIGHT: Know someone who has gone above and beyond in the service of RootsWeb? Nominate them for recognition on our Volunteer Spotlight page: http://bigfile.rootsweb.com/vols/ ============================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1. Editor's Desk: News and Notes 1a. Roots Television Giving Away $1,000 1b. A Website Worth Looking At 1c. Book Notice 2. Using RootsWeb: Learning the Ropes of Registering at MyAccount, Part I 3. Connecting Through RootsWeb: My Family Story 4. Bottomless Mailbag: The "USS Grunion" Located Computer Problems RE: Using File Searches to Find Lost Files Searching for Lost Files on Your PC More on Miracle Viewfinder (1) More on Miracle Viewfinder (2) Reading Tombstones 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. Roots Television Giving Away $1,000 Roots Television is sponsoring a contest for libraries, archives, and genealogical/historical societies, to promote their new Societies channel and Libraries and Archives channel. To participate, post a link to their site on your organization's homepage. The organization that generates the most traffic on Roots Television by 31 October will receive $1,000. For instructions on posting their link on your site, visit: www.rootstelevision.com/howtolink.php For questions, e-mail: info@rootstelevision.com 1b. A Website Worth Looking At You're familiar with Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia that anyone can contribute to. But are you familiar with the genealogy wikipedia, WeRelate? With more than 500,000 pages, it is one of the fastest growing social genealogy sites on the Web, and was recently named one of the top 101 best websites for tracing your roots by "Family History Magazine." Everything is free. Start by searching for people you know; then create your own pages for people in your family tree--either from scratch or by uploading a GEDCOM. Others can contribute their information to your page, though older versions of a page are preserved. You can also see your ancestors' lives plotted on a map. The website has a ten-minute tour to introduce you to its features. www.werelate.org 1c. Book Notice The Garrett Family of Duncan Creek, South Carolina with Allied Families Description: Six chapters, nine appendixes, 372 pages, illustrations, full citations, and a surname index. This family history documents the birth, marriage, and children of Joseph Garrett Sr., who resided first in Fairfax County, Virginia. It follows the migration of his descendants and allied families, including the surnames of ABSHIER, ALLEN, BONDS, BURK, D'ARMOND, DILLARD, FLEWELLING, LEE, MARTIN, MILLER, PRUDE, RAY, TANNEHILL, WHITE, and YARBROUGH. For further information or to order, contact: Glenn Garrett at gag-1@worldnet.att.net 2. Using RootsWeb: Learning the Ropes of Registering at MyAccount, Part I By Joan Young joan@volunteer.rootsweb.com RootsWeb registration questions come up frequently at the RootsWeb HelpDesk. I set out to learn all aspects of the registration process at MyAccount so that I could share them with you to help alleviate some of the confusion. WHY ROOTSWEB REGISTRATION IS NECESSARY Over the years RootsWeb has grown to include many different programs and features. Although RootsWeb is competely free, some services--like WorldConnect--have long required a password for security and access reasons. A password allows you, and no one else, to access your data and delete, edit, or update information you have previously posted. Registration unifies your formerly disjointed RootsWeb resources so that they are all accessible from a single entry point. Additionally, it allows you to use all areas of Ancestry, MyFamily, and The Generations Network with a single username and password. Registration also enables you to globally update account information such as a change of e-mail address. HOW TO REGISTER (FIRST TIME REGISTRANTS) To register, go to www.rootsweb.com and click MyAccount in the upper, right-hand corner of the page; or, go here, enter your name and e-mail address, and follow the instructions: https://myaccount.rootsweb.com/ After you enter your e-mail address, you may discover that you already have an existing account. This may be because you previously used any of a variety of Ancestry services. It may be that you had an Ancestry subscription, guest account or trial, signed up for a class or to receive a newsletter, used the RootsWeb/Ancestry message boards, or received an invitation to visit a private MyFamily website. If you did any of these things, you will already have an account. You will not have an account if you merely subscribed to RootsWeb mailing lists, submitted entries to the RootsWeb Surname List (RSL), created a website at RootsWeb, uploaded a GEDCOM to WorldConnect, or added a Post-em Note. When registering, you will be asked to establish a username and password for your account. Your username can be between five and fifty characters and can include any combination of letters or numbers; no symbols or spaces may be used. Your password must be between five and thirty-two characters and only include numbers, letters, an underscore ( _ ), or a dash ( - ). Once you have established a registration at MyAccount, a cookie is set so that, if you choose, you may be automatically logged into your account when you visit resources that require logging in. WHAT IF I CURRENTLY USE MORE THAN ONE E-MAIL ADDRESS AT ROOTSWEB? If you use more than one current e-mail address for various resources, register with the address that you use most frequently at RootsWeb. Then, click the "Add existing services to this account" link on the MyAccount page. On the page that appears, type in the secondary e-mail address/es that you use for other areas of RootsWeb. This will link all of your existing services to your MyAccount username and password, and they will be tied together under your single account. Note that this only works for functional e-mail addresses. Linking old, obsolete addresses in the hopes that message board posts, etc. connected with that account will link to the new one will not work. MAY I HAVE MORE THAN ONE ACCOUNT? For most users it is best to use a single master account for the purpose of unification and ease of use, but under some circumstances you may prefer to create more than one master account. For example, if you wish to permanently use a secondary e-mail address for some RootsWeb resources such as message boards you administer, you will need to create a separate MyAccount registration for the second e- mail address. If this situation applies to you, remember which username is associated with specific services and be careful to ensure you are logged in under the desired username. Note that to create a second account you must use a different e-mail address from the one on your existing account. If you use the same e- mail address, the login process will recognize your existing account and use that one. Prior to the existence of unified RootsWeb registrations through MyAccount, some users already had existing multiple accounts (usernames) and this may cause confusion. These multiple usernames will not disappear and cannot be merged into a single account. In these cases, you should choose a preferred account and treat any remaining accounts as inactive. Remember your preferred username and use that username to log in. If you have established RootsWeb resources that are tied to one of your pre-existing multiple accounts and would like to add them to your preferred active account, you will need to request assistance from the RootsWeb HelpDesk to accomplish consolidation of all your resources under one username. http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/form1.html Part II of this article will cover issues related to changing or updating MyAccount information. * * * * * * * * * * 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/ For help from professional genealogists in England or Scotland visit http://www.britishancestors.com/research/ Or join us 13-18 April for our TENTH SALT LAKE CITY RESEARCH TRIP--the dream genealogy vacation! * * * * * * * * * * End of Advertisements * * * * * * * 3. Connecting Through RootsWeb: Want a free copy of "The Official Guide to RootsWeb.com?" We will be giving free copies to the ten best "Connecting" submissions from last week and this week. * * * My Family Story By J. Alan Woods My story is about my father's Woods family. It began about seven years ago with our first computer. My wife, Carol, began researching her McMillion family, not knowing much about my dad's family other than what my cousins and I grew up knowing. I followed her lead, left a post on a message board, and began looking for Michael Jiles Woods Jr.,Virgil Woods, Hazel Woods, and Estelle Woods. I found them in the census living in Caddo County, Oklahoma, in 1910, 1920, and 1930. But that was it. My grandfather was hard to find; it seems every ten years he changed his name. I searched and searched and waited, hoping someone would reply to my message. I posted more messages and searched. The census information had me looking for Raleigh, Missouri, as my grandfather's birthplace, but there is no such place. I looked at maps new and old; there was no Raleigh, Missouri, as far as I could tell. Someone suggested I try Rolla, Missouri, which made some sense since the names were similar in sound. However, that led me nowhere either. I was getting discouraged. All I knew was that my grandfather was born in 1880 or 1881 in Missouri. I had never even seen a photo of him. Finally, my luck changed. I received an e-mail and it said, "Could this be your grandfather?" It contained a record from the 1900 census from Arkansas--there was a Giles M. Woods, born September 1880 or 1881. Well, as it turned out, this Giles lived within walking distance of my grandmother, Effie Louilla McDonald. By this time I was willing to try any possible leads. The 1900 Arkansas census listed a brother as head of the family with two other brothers (one named Oscar and the other Giles M.) and a mother (Louisa). I found Louisa--her family was Carters. And I tried contacting a person about her side of the family. The reply was positive and we both agreed this Giles M. could very well be my grandfather. At about the same time, I received a reply to an old post about my dad and uncle. It was from a cousin I had not seen in more than thirty years. He sent me a photograph of my grandfather Woods and a photo of some Woods children. My Carter contact also asked me if I wanted photos of the Woods family that she had. When I received them, one photo was of the Woods children and it was the exact same photo I had gotten from my cousin--down to the handwriting on it. I also received photos of my grandfather's brothers and some more family history. I found out my dad's family left Oklahoma after 1932, during the Dust Bowl days. They had moved to Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Using RootsWeb again, I was able to locate someone else who had an obituary for my grandfather Woods. Now I just have to work on my next brick wall--my great-grandfather, George Washington Woods. 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.] ------------------------------------------------------------- The "USS Grunion" Located By Rhonda Raye A month ago I submitted an article for the Bottomless Mailbag section of the newsletter titled "Remembering the USS Grunion." I explained the search that I and several others have undergone to find family of the seventy crew members who served on the "USS Grunion," which disappeared in the summer of 1942. We used RootsWeb message boards, Ancestry census records, and many other sources to try and locate family members. I got involved with the project in July 2006 when I was contacted by Bruce Abele, whose father commanded the "Grunion." He and his two brothers have been on a long quest to locate the sub and figure out what caused its demise. My great-uncle, Paul Banes, also served on the sub. I'm writing back now to let you know that both missions have been accomplished. The Abeles found the sub and we located family members for all of the crew members. The sub was relocated this August, using a camera attached to a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). Pictures have been posted on the following website, under Photo Search 07: www.ussgrunion.com. The sub was identified by a "prop guard" that was ordered removed from submarines not long after the "USS Grunion" was lost. The bow of the boat is totally missing. As of now there is no clear evidence as to why. Could it have been a torpedo that circled back, or an onboard torpedo explosion? The detonators on the torpedoes at that time are known to have had some serious defects. They still have a lot of footage to analyze although the answer to that question may never be found. Nevertheless, no one thought the final resting place of the "Grunion" men would ever be known. And the other great thing was that a representative of the last "Grunion" family was found as the ship was still out there taking pictures--what poetic justice. I hope your readers will enjoy viewing our website, blog (you can get to the blog from the website), and photographs. We honor the crew as we unravel their story. To read "Remembering the USS Grunion," visit: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/0801.txt * * * Computer Problems By Lynne There have been various helpful hints for computer users recently posted in the RootsWeb Review. Some may not know that there's a RootsWeb mailing list for the discussion about, and problems with, computers and computer peripherals in genealogy research. The list is called, of all things, COMPUTERS. Computer users of all ages and skill levels are invited to join the list and ask questions or answer queries. More information about the list and subscription links can be found at http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/other/Genealogical_Computing/COMPUTERS.html. * * * RE: Using File Searches to Find Lost Files By Anonymous I enjoyed Mary's excellent article last week, titled "Using File Searches to Find Lost Files." I can't speak for Apple, but I've seldom found Microsoft's official site of much help when I had an incomprehensible error message. I find it much more helpful to Google the verbatim error message. You'll generally find others who have encountered the same problem and helpful solutions. To read "Using File Searches to Find Lost Files," visit http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/0905.txt * * * Searching for Lost Files on Your PC By Anonymous Mary, thanks for your article on relocating "lost" or misfiled information on your PC. The methods you outlined are accurate, but here's another one. I highly recommend downloading the Google application called Google Desktop at http://desktop.google.com/. This utility will index your hard drive(s) and allow you to search for information just like the Web-based Google search engine. You can type a phrase or any other information you recall and initiate a search. Within seconds, Google Desktop will return all files, e-mails, and Web histories stored on your computer in a Web-based window. You can then click on the links to open and examine the contents of each file. The downside of the application is that they package other "Google Gadgets" that will install at the same time as Google Desktop. These can be disabled, but it's an extra step you need to do if the desktop search utility is all you are interested in using. By the way, none of the information Google Desktop indexes ever leaves your computer. Everything is held private, although it looks just like the "big time" Google search engine. To read "Using File Searches to Find Lost Files," visit http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/0905.txt * * * More on Miracle Viewfinder (1) By Marjorie Wilser One of my favorite ways to photograph gravestones is to use an LED flashlight--the very bright kind. Have a helper shine the light from the side of the stone to illuminate the letters by casting them into comparative shadow. If you are in very bright sunlight, it helps to shade the stone with an umbrella and then use the flashlight. Bright sun will make the entire thing wash out, so shading and then selectively illuminating it will give a better photo. To read "Miracle Viewfinder," visit: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/0905.txt * * * More on Miracle Viewfinder (2) By Fran Bolton In reading Debbi Greer's "Miracle Viewfinder" contribution about the old instant camera that she no longer has, I immediately thought of the many cameras I have seen at local goodwill stores here in my state, selling for mere pennies. There should be similar secondhand stores, which get their stock from household donations from the public, in your state. To read "Miracle Viewfinder," visit: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/0905.txt * * * Reading Tombstones By Lee Rickerson I just read the article about using a mirror to clarify data on old tombstones. One way to avoid having to carry another thing with you is a simple additive to the clipboard (assuming you are using a clipboard). Take several pieces of silver duct tape (not the pliable, all-purpose gray stuff) and stick it on the backside of the clipboard. When you need enhanced lighting or shading (depending how you hold the clipboard and reflect the sunlight) this becomes a wonderful tool. You can also use aluminum foil as long as it is glued completely on the board--taping around the edges will eventually lead to ripped foil. 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. TEXAS. Johnson County. 1933 Alvarado High School. 26 records. Katherine L. Brown http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ 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 genealogy- or history-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 and 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/ ------------------------------------------------------------- No New/Updated Freepages and Homepages by Counties, States, and Genealogical/Historical Societies 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 MACKEITH MACLAURIN MACWHINNIE MCARTOR MCCARVILLE MCCLANE MCCLINTIC MCCLINTON MCCLOY MCCOURRY MCCULLOUCH MCFADIN MCGAUGH MCINTURFF MCKENNON MCLESTER MCMEEKIN MCMILLIN MCPHEETERS NEW REGIONAL MAILING LISTS No New Regional Mailing Lists NEW ETHNIC OR SPECIAL INTEREST MAILING LISTS No New Ethnic or Special Interest Mailing Lists 6. Humor/Humour In the 1920 census for Richmond, Ray County, Missouri, my father's grandparents are listed with their two children. My grandmother was listed as Erma and her brother was listed as Brother. He was five at the time. My dad always told me that his grandparents could not agree on a name for their son so they called him Brother. I thought it was a nice story but didn't believe it. Now I know it is true. His first grade teacher ended up naming him. At the same time I found a great-uncle of my father with a baby girl two-and-a-half years old with the name of "baby." I guess it ran in the family. --Thanks to D. Siegel * * * Found a funny or "proper name for the job" in old records, or an amusing entry in census, parish, church, or other 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: 12 September 2007, Vol. 10, No. 37. * * * *