RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Weekly E-zine 2 January 2008, Vol. 11, No. 1 (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/2008/0102.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. Where in Tarnation? 1b. Book Notice 1c. Book Notice 2. Using RootsWeb: A Genealogist's New Year's Resolutions 3. Connecting Through RootsWeb: Hazel Helps Out 4. Bottomless Mailbag: Not Such an Uncommon Story Letting Family Know How Enumerator Concurs RE: A Sticky Photo Problem A Sticky Photo Problem Solution Genealogy Sources at the Library 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. Where in Tarnation? Long-time RootsWeb user and artist Greg Clow has started a business locating towns, mountains, rivers, mines and other natural and manmade landmarks with customers' surnames, creating a unique design for each location/surname, and printing it on a wide assortment of products--from t-shirts to coffee mugs. Clow wrote, "Some time back I found that there were a lot of people like me that had an average name, but couldn't find anything significant named after our family. So I started doing a search. In my case, my family name is Clow. I found a 'Clow Mountain' in California! I was really excited. And my kids were too. I am also an artist, so I designed a shirt and put the name "Clow Mountain" on it with the location--it looks very classy. My kids loved it, and they wear it to school and show their friends. . . . So I put together a website so that other kids, and adults, could benefit from my searches. " Check out Clow's unique idea and website, called "WhereInTarnation.com" here: http://www.whereintarnation.com. 1b. Book Notice Arrels (Racines, Raices, Roots) By Josep Bochaca Romaguera This book contains the story of the BOCHACA / BUCHACA / BOXACA / BUTXACA / BOTXACA family, descendants of one (first name unknown) BOXACA born in Catalonia about 1545. Present-day descendants now live in concentrations in Catalonia, Spain, France, Cuba, and the United States. Many of the family have very interesting stories: commercial success, political intrigue, unusual events, etc. The book is written in Catalonian, Castilian, French, and English and contains photos and and transcriptions of documents. 832 pages, paperbound. For more information, contact Rick Van Dusen at newnethboy@hotmail.com. Please make your subject line "ROOTS." 1c. Book Notice The Bedford Connection: The Halls of Bedford County, Tennessee, and Beyond By Patricia A. Munroe pamunroe@comcast.net This book traces the migration of a group of Halls and related individuals from Bedford County, Tennessee, to southern Missouri and northern Arkansas. It includes source documents, pictures, and an every- name index. 217 pages. Cost: $24.95 Available from the publisher at http://www.lulu.com/content/1397524 2. Using RootsWeb: A Genealogist's New Year's Resolutions By Joan Young joan@volunteer.rootsweb.com You've probably made the usual New Year's resolutions in the past. You know--the ones about eating less and losing weight, exercising more, cleaning out the attic and garage. If you are like most of us, those resolutions are soon broken or forgotten--until a new year rolls around again. This year, give some thought to resolutions you could make for the New Year (one's that might be easier to keep than the above) that would help you to progress in your genealogical research. I have a list of genealogical resolutions I'm going to make for the New Year; perhaps you would like to adopt one or more of them for yourself. DOCUMENT YOUR SOURCES At the top of my list is being more meticulous about documenting where I found information--always listing a source for each event I've found and listing what records I've used to reach my conclusions. Your source is where you learned your information. It might be a birth certificate, tombstone inscription, information your grand-aunt Susannah told you, or even Sally JONES's research files. Don't list a document as your source if you didn't actually see the document. If Mary SMITH told you she saw a document, then Mary SMITH is your source unless or until you also see the document. Documenting sources and then sitting back and reviewing them can help you determine whether your sources are good ones that you can readily accept, or whether you might want to dig a bit deeper for more reliable documentation. Mary SMITH may be an excellent researcher but if you have taken her word for the evidence you might want to obtain the original document she claims to have seen. You might find something in the document that Mary overlooked. RECORD NEGATIVE RESULTS If you have searched the local newspapers looking for an obituary for Uncle Harry or checked the local cemetery records where you think he might have been buried, and you have come up empty-handed, make sure you record the fact that you have searched these resources and list the date on which you performed your search. This is an error I made in my early days of research and I can tell you it has led me to repeat searches unnecessarily in the future, in places I've already looked. Of course, recording the date you did your search is important as you might later find that new records have been discovered for the cemetery you previously searched. REVISIT DEAD-ENDS If you have been researching for any length of time, you have probably come to a dead-end on one or more of your ancestral lines. Among my brick walls is my Irish MCCONNELL line, mostly because I have been unable to ascertain where they lived in Ireland before immigrating to America. The New Year is an excellent time to pull out all of the information you have gathered--clues and hints and family stories, and also the leads you eventually ruled out. Revisit the research with a fresh look. Also take into consideration that new information may have become available online that was not there when you last checked. Don't forget to search the archives of the RootsWeb mailing lists and message boards as well as look for new Web pages and family trees that have been posted by others since you last looked. http://archiver.rootsweb.com http://boards.rootsweb.com http://wc.rootsweb.com CHECK OFF-SHOOTS OF YOUR BRICK WALLS When you reach a dead-end, sometimes the best approach is to try to "move sideways" rather than back another generation. By this I mean you might want to attempt to learn more about the dead-end ancestor's spouse's family or the ancestor's siblings. You might be able to learn information about these other people connected to your ancestor. And through that research you may, in turn, learn about your ancestor. In one instance in my research I was unsuccessful in obtaining a death certificate for my ancestor, but I was able to find one for his brother and their parents' names were listed on his certificate. In another case, I found the tombstone for my ancestor's brother and later learned my ancestor was buried in the same cemetery. By searching for a spouse or sibling's family you might also find another researcher studying that family who holds the information you need. CLEAN OUT THE ATTIC Yes, I know, you vowed in other years to clean out the attic and never got around to it; but maybe you haven't thought of that chore in light of your genealogical research. If you (or your grandma) has an attic in need of attention, it could turn out to be a family history goldmine rather than just a place where "junk" is gathering dust. Consider making that resolution again and this time sticking to it and following through. You might be surprised at the treasures you find. SHARE WHAT YOU LEARN Share with others when you do make new discoveries and you will find that others will be willing to share with you. The greatest resource in genealogical research is other people interested in the same families. Remember that RootsWeb provides the resources where you can meet and share information with newfound cousins. http://searches.rootsweb.com/share.html * * * * * * * * * * Advertisements * * * * * * * * * * REQUEST A SEARCH FOR YOUR ANCESTORS AT THE 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 plan and quotation 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: Hazel Helps Out By Sylvia McClelland-Morrison My cousin and I had looked for my great-great-uncle Elisha Vance McClelland for years without luck. We couldn't locate him on any state census by searching with either his first or middle name. I decided to go through all the local "Mc" marriage certificates and came across one I didn't recognize at all for someone named Hazel. Her dad was an E.V. McClelland and she was born in Ohio. I went back to the Ohio census and searched for him but still couldn't find anything. So I went to the paid subscription site Ancestry.com and found a notice of a Vance McClelland marrying a woman with Hazel's mother's name. The notice was in an old newspaper clipping from Portmonth, Ohio. Despite contacting everyone imaginable, I couldn't find any other information. My hubby says I'm like a dog with a bone and won't let any genealogy puzzle go I think I can solve. But finally I put it aside for a few days. I was talking to my cousin about the local census containing a female relative's name when it hit me. Hazel was an odd enough name that with Soundex I might be able to find her located on a census before she was married. Sure enough I was right. Elisha was not only going by the middle name of Vance, but the census taker had written directly over his first name in dark letters. But once I actually saw the census I could make out the "V," the "N," and the "E." That discovery alone brought with it all kinds of information not only on his immediate family, but other family. A whole lot of things began to fit together and make sense. So, it's worth searching for those collateral relatives. Since then I've been able to help quite a few others locate lost relatives with the same method. Because even Soundex can't help if the census taker was too casual about the importance of his work. 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.] ------------------------------------------------------------- Not Such an Uncommon Story By Richard Weller In the 5 December 2007 issue of the RootsWeb Review there was a piece called "Sharing Historic Houses," by Sharon Gray, whose husband had lived for a time in the same house in the same village where some of her relations had been born many years earlier. She asked, "What are the odds of this happening?" It would seem the odds are not as far off as one might imagine. I know of a similar coincidence from a village in the next county. My sister Mary Weller of Nottinghamshire married Peter Wroth from Exeter in Devon. Research has revealed that one of Peter's great-great-grandmothers, Caroline Smelt, was born in 1705 in the same house that Mary and I had lived in as children 150 years later--Gedling Rectory. * * * Letting Family Know How Donna O'Neill Santa Clara, California This year I wrote step-by-step instructions on how to get into RootsWeb and look up my online family tree. I printed the instructions four-per- sheet, cut them up, and inserted them in all of the Christmas cards I sent to my family. I've already heard from some that have now learned how to use RootsWeb, and they were excited. It was new to them. Directions to online family tree: 1. Go to http://www.rootsweb.com 2. Down on the left you'll see "Family Trees (World Connect)" 3. Click on "World Connect Project Main Page" 4. Click on "Advanced Search" 5. In the Surname box, put "Bandy" 6. In the Given Name box, put "Eldridge Wade" 7. In the Birth Year box, put "1875" I think my family tree is the eleventh one down. The database column will read "doe3719." 8. Click on Eldridge's name. You can click on every name you see (parents, children, etc.) and that person will come up. Have fun browsing! * * * Enumerator Concurs By Jim Hallock This is a response to the 12 December 2007 article by Susan Goerke Ball about George Sutherland from Saco, Maine, whose occupation was listed as "Too lazy to do anything" in the 1880 census. A little more research reveals that the census taker, Chas. S. Hamilton, is listed about ten pages earlier in the Saco census and according to my mapping software lived less than a quarter mile down the street from the "lazy" Mr. Sutherland. While it is entirely possible that the women-folk in his household had a low opinion of George's work habits, the enumerator more than likely knew the gentleman and may well have concurred. Editor's Note: To read "Too lazy to do anything," visit http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/1212.txt. * * * RE: A Sticky Photo Problem By S. Wilkins Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Several years ago I was faced with the same situation as that mentioned by Joy Weaver in her 12 December piece titled, "A Sticky Photo Problem." I peeled a photo of a young woman I did not recognize from a photo album and noticed writing on the back--but it was obscured by the black paper from the album that was stuck to the back. The words I could see identified it was a photo given to her uncle. It also had an FPO (military) address in New York. Judging by the young woman's clothing, the photo appeared to have been taken during the WWII era. I asked many living relatives about the photo and even posted it on our family website and no one recognized her, so I took matters into my own hands. I found a scalpel in my old college dissecting kit and I very slowly and carefully scraped away the black paper. It was labor intensive and time consuming but it revealed enough information for me to successfully trace this woman and find that she was the great-granddaughter of my second great-grandfather's son. I now enjoy a wonderful relationship with a zillion new cousins I didn't know existed. Editor's Note: To read, "A Sticky Photo Problem," visit http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/1212.txt. * * * A Sticky Photo Problem Solution By Tracey Fotiou Quaker Hill, Connecticut When I removed my grandmother's photos from the black and brown paper pages in her album--also to see if there was useful information written on the backs of the photos--I used a dull letter opener and ever so gently and ever so lightly and ever so painstakingly rubbed the paper from off the back of each photo. It is a long and time consuming process but is safe. Before I removed the photos from the pages I photocopied every page with my grandmother's handwriting so I could recreate the album on photo-safe paper. I also saved the leather covers, which have my grandmother's hand writing on them, to recreate the album for my mother. I found it easier to scrape the paper off of the photos, which came off in a tiny ball of fuzz-like material, after they were freshly pried from the page, so, needless to say, it was done one at a time. Also, use the dull letter opener (do not use any kind of knife--the edges will be too sharp, even on a butter knife) at different angles for different thicknesses of paper. For the thicker patches, use the part closer to the tip, but not the end, until the patch is thinned; then use the middle part to finish the rest of the patch. Also, if there is a "flap" of paper still stuck to the photo, use the scraping method while holding the loose end of the flap down, and scrape until the flap comes off. If you pull it off you may tear the photo. I swear by this process--I used it for all twenty-two pages of my grandmother's album. Good luck. * * * Genealogy Sources at the Library By Lyndall Maxwell lymaxwell@sbcglobal.net America's GenealogyBank.com is a great source of historical documents, newspapers, and books but you must pay a fee to use it. Previously, I found that HeritageQuest online was a great source of information (censuses, books, PERSI, American Revolution documents, etc.) and that I could get to it from my local public library. So I went back to check and see if they had GenealogyBank. Sure enough, they did. My library is the Houston Public Library. If you haven't already, make sure to check your library to see what genealogy databases you can access there for free. Many have agreements with the state or other libraries so that they can have access to these types of resources. 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. TENNESSEE. Crockett County. Tipton Cemetery. 25 records. Cristie Sanders Wright. http://userdb.rootsweb.com/cemeteries/ TENNESSEE. Crockett County. Avery Cemetery. 30 records. Cristie Sanders Wright. 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 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 * * * OUR MATERNAL AND PATERNAL ANCESTORS: 350 YEARS OF HISTORY IN AMERICA. This website features three separate family sub-sites as follows: (1) DELLINGER, KNECHT, PFEFFER, SILAR, and allied families; (2) BOZARTH, PEIFFER, QUIGLEY, RHUBART, and allied families; (3) MORELAND, MCVICKER, PINNELL, SCRUGGS, and allied families. View new and updated Web pages added between 1 October 2007 and 31 December 2007 at: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~tqpeiffer/ * * * FULGHAM-FULGHUM FAMILY NATIONAL ASSOCIATION (FFFNA). By Robert S. Fulghum and Brent Fulgham. This site contains a history of the Fulgham/Fulghum family, including information on how to pronounce the name, major functions and objectives of the association, and names and addresses of officers. It also includes directions for applying for our scholarship. The site has links to FFFNA databases of more than 18,000 individuals, including at least one generation of known related families (too many to list here). You can now apply for membership directly on the site. http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~fulghum/web-text-html.htm 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 BRUDZINSKI LESTRANGE MACHINSKY MCHOLLAND TREGO WEEDMARK WURZBACH NEW REGIONAL MAILING LISTS LAURENTIDES -- This is a mailing list for the study of those from Argenteuil County, Quebec Province, and the adjoining counties. These counties are now part of "Principalities." NEW ETHNIC OR SPECIAL INTEREST MAILING LISTS QUAKER-DNA -- This is a mailing list for people with Quaker ancestors who are interested in discussing the genetic genealogy of those ancestors. 6. Humor/Humour One of my relatives (Charles Peek) was listed as Deadon Peek in the 1910 census of Amador County, California. His occupation at the time was as a stage driver for the railroad. I guess he was bragging about his ability to meet the stage coach schedule on time. --Thanks to Rich Culhane * * * I recall my mother, born 1898 in Blaydon, Durham, UK, telling me how when she was a child she and her siblings referred to their grandmothers by the towns where they lived. One was known as the Ryton Ganny and the other as the Bottle Ganny. As a child I had visions of Bottle Ganny being a woman who liked her liquor too much. It wasn't until years later that I realized Bottle Ganny was so named because she lived in Walbottle. --Thanks to Terry Jackson * * * 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: 2 January 2008, Vol. 11, No. 1. * * * *