Roots & Branches

I subscribe to the online Family History Bulletin, published by WorldVitalRecords.Com.

There was a clever bit I thought I would share with you.  In the article “Clues You Never Sought” by George G. Morgan, he states:

Genealogy librarians share a joke about the person who approaches the reference desk to ask, “Where is the book with my family’s genealogy?” While you may snicker at the supposed naiveté of the question, today’s technology makes searching for genealogical clues in books an increasing reality.

I can not tell you how many times I have had someone ask for a book with their family history.  First of all, the Sweetwater County Library is not a genealogy library.  Second, unless someone in your family has written a genealogy book or your family is famous for one reason or another, there just will not be books with everything we want available.  Genealogy is time consuming and usually takes years of work.  I do not mean to discourage anyone.  I have worked on my family history for at least 15 years.  It is worth every minute.  Remember when we were kids, our parents would say, “Anything worth doing, is worth doing right”?  Well I agree. Family History is one of those things that once you put together, is amazing.  Our cousin Maxine started us all in genealogy.  She started years ago when it was all done by hand, typewriter, and snail mail.  I am so grateful for her work. Later on my Aunt Beth, who also does family history, convinced her family to help and they put together a wonderful 5 binder family history.  I had a lot of the information in different forms, but I was more than happy to shell out the $300 for a set of these great records.  So my father’s side of the family is complete for 16 generations. Yea!This could be your gift to your family.  Take the time, do the work, recruit help from family.  Make it a family project. Enjoy learning about your family together.  Do you have any stories to share about your family history?  I would love to hear from you.  

As you do your research, you will probably notice that there are a huge difference in names through the ages. Most people will name their child a name that is common for the time period. There are some that will name their child a name that has been in the family and then there are those that seem determined to name their child “something special”.

Some of the famous names that I have heard of are: Ima and Ura Hog, Bud Lyte, Miller Lyte, and Bud Weiser. Some have to be named by the dads!

When looking back a few generations in my own line, we have Ambrose, Ada, Moses, Sarillda, Elmo, and Belva. These are not names I hear a lot, but all families are different. After taking a look through the Baby Names and Family Names books, here are a few more: Cormac, Lavinia, Arcadia, Amity, Clementine, Luna(although it might be back after Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter books), Meta and Romeo, to name just a few.

But if you do a search on line ( I used Google) for “unusual names” you will find a large list. I few of my favorites are: Bluebell, Canna Banana, Depressed, Heaven Rain, Jellyfish, Loser Lane, Joybubbles, Pilot Inspector, Little Pixie, They, World, Freemarijuana, and Dick Passwater.

Included in the listing were names that were so long I can not imagine the poor child trying to learn to spell.  Here is just one, Luis Filipe Maris Carlos Amelio Francisco Vitor Manuel Antonio Lourenco Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga Zavier Francisco de Assis Bento de Saze-Coburgo-Gotha e Braganca (Royal prince of Portugal). Wow!! How would you like to learn that name.

We all would like to think we did our child right by giving them the name we did.  But please folks, remember  THEY have to live with the name we give them.  Lets be kind.

I found this on YouTube, take a look:

     If you are looking for info from old newspapers, this is the age to live in. I am so impressed with the new digitizing projects. Take a look at all the many projects around the nation diligently preparing for us the digitized newspapers.

On the internet, many of the states list their newspaper projects. I for one am planning on using many of them. This is so cool. I am very excited. We no longer have to write all those letters or make all those phone calls, looking for that lost relative. I always think of my cousin Maxine, who has done years of this. She spent countless years compiling her own archives of sorts.

Lucky us. Now we can click on the internet and look at many of the old newspapers. If you have not tried this, take a look. I don’t know about you, but I could get lost in all the history alone.

The Digital Newspaper Project for Wyoming is many months off from its launch, but I will try to keep you informed as the release is announced.

Erin McKinney from the Wyoming State Library is one of the key people working on the new Digital Newspaper Project for Wyoming. She has sent the following information:

For the sheer volume of information they contain, newspapers are the single most important printed record of human activity. Historians, genealogists, and other scholars rely on them to provide a first-hand and sometimes the only account of local news. The Wyoming Newspaper Project will make newspapers printed in Wyoming between 1849 and 1922 accessible in an easily searchable format.

The Wyoming State Archives has finished copying the master microfilm onto polyester film and sending those copies to the vendor. The vendor is busy scanning reels and processing images. The Wyoming State Library has been receiving 1 TB hard drives full of data every few weeks, and loading them onto the server. As of early May, we have 20 newspapers loaded for ten cities. We have begun hiring metadata workers to start augmenting the records. The project is really starting to take off, but right now it is all behind the scenes. We don’t have an anticipated launch date, but for more information and project updates, please see http://wyonewspapers.org/

Special thanks to all of the people responsible in any way for the Digital Newspaper Projects everywhere.

If you know of a special project that would help other genealogists, let me know. I would love to hear from you!

Through the years I have tried to do genealogy research in several different ways and from many different sources. Two of my favorite places are the state Vital Records offices or State Archives. They are usually most helpful and go out of their way to help you find the records you need.

For instance, my mothers line in from Chariton County, Missouri. About 15 years ago I began writing to the Missouri State Archives. The office sent me a form to fill out with instructions to send the form back with payment for the look-up (the fee at that time was 50 cents a look-up). Also there was information stating that only one look-up would be permitted at one time.

I sent the request off and waited. To my surprise a few weeks later I received an envelope with a copy of the record (marriage record) I needed, along with another blank form. Again I filled out the form and this time asked for death record info. A few weeks later that record arrived. As time went, on I continued this path of requests and mailings. From time to time there would be a note stating there was nothing found, but on the whole it was a very valuable tool. When the Missouri State Archives could not find what I needed, they would send suggestions with the “unable to fill” notice. I found this very helpful.

Each office will have its own rules and regulations, as well as charges and fees. Hint: if your research does not require a notarized copy, request a photocopy. Photocopies are much cheaper. Be prepared to pay, but you can also request a scanned copy sent to your e-mail. Not all offices have this available, but there are a few. Think outside the box. Ask questions. See what all they offer.

Most states have a State Archive and all have a Vital Records Office. These offices are there for our use. Give them a try.

To locate the state archive offices try:
http://www.statearchivists.org/states.htm

To locate the vital records offices try:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/howto/w2w/w2welcom.htm

Good Luck with your research!

It is summer time, finally.  If you are wondering what to do with your summer vacation, try a Genealogy Vacation.  This is a great time to visit those places where the family originally came from.  There is a lot to be learned from seeing for yourself where and how your ancestors lived.  It could be so fun and educational, a little something for the whole family.

It is always a good idea to call ahead if you have family contacts and set a date to meet.  Also do your research.  Get to know the area, if you have never been there.  So often there is so much to see and do, that you might get carried away and miss some of your most important stops.

A few years ago, a good friend and I took a trip to Coalville, Utah.  Her family came from there, the Fletcher’s, Shaw’s, and Clark’s.  My family also came from that area, the Wilson’s.   We knew that our family lines came from there, but we wanted to see the cemetery and local records, as well as take pictures.  It was a great summer day.  Just warm and sunny.  We stopped by the City Hall and local church.  The people there were very helpful.  After a few rolls of film and a long talk with the very nice lady at City Hall, we found lots of new starts to spur on our research.

All in all, it was a great way to spend the day. 

Try to visit the old family locations whenever possible.  You can learn a lot about the people there.  I always like to have a more rounded idea of what the family members where really like.   You know, are they from a railroad  or coal mining town, were they farmers or ranchers, did they run a business, and if they were educated, was it a regular school as we know it or was there a one-room schoolhouse.  These are just a few facts the help, but do you homework.  It really helps.

Share your stories and ideas.  We can all use a little help.

In April 20-26, 2008, American Profile (Central Edition), you will find a wonderful article Ancestral Search/Unearthing Your Family’s Roots by Marti Attown, contributing editor.

 The article states:Frankie Carlin Meyer watched in awe as the curator removed a 16^th-century German Bible from a display case at Pennypacker Mills, the summer estate of former Pennyslvania Gov. Samuel W. Pennypacker, in Schwenksville, Pa.  With gloved hands, he turned to pages where her ancestors had recorded important dates such as births and marriages.   “It’s unbelievable that this is still around,” says Meyer, 60, about the Bible brought to American by her seventh maternal great-grandfather Hans Peter Umstat in 1685.  “To trace my family back so many generations and to find artifacts that physically connect me to that ancestor is just thrilling.” According to the article Meyer was able to locate documents such as land deeds, birth certificates, military records and wills.  She was also able to find many very old headstones with etchings and engravings.   She states “I’ve found my great-grandfather’s hair color and eye color on his military records.  I know where he fought on certain days of the Civil War.”  “Genealogy is more than just adding names and dates to a family tree.  It’s learning about the lives of your ancestors, how they lived and the history of the times.” 

I must say I agree the Meyers.  I find it draws me in, when finding new information on a great-grandfather or an uncle or aunt that I never knew.  Just find out what they were like and how they lived, seems to reel me in like a fish on a line.  To find and know that your great-grandmother was tall and had brown eyes, and was a devoted church member, are just more bait to reel me in further.  Beyond just the knowing of facts, are the physical differences that we might wonder about.  Where did I get my brown eyes or why am I so tall or short?  Here just might be a big part of those answers.  The more we know our ancestors, the more we know ourselves. 

 Meyers also said she has found clues to her family’s history in cemeteries, courthouses, funeral homes, newspapers and libraries, and on old home and Civil War battle sites.  Court records can offer insight into an ancestor’s occupation, wealth and lifestyle.  The 1885 will of Meyer’s great-grand-uncle Robert Carlin revealed his possessions and their value, including one hog, $7.50; one washboard, 10 cents; 60 bushels of corn in shock; $15; and on grindstone, 50 cents.  As with many genealogy buffs, Meyer has traveled to Salt Lake City to research her ancestors at the Family History Library, operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  The library has the world’s largest collection of genealogical records, with microfilmed documents containing more than 1 billions names.  More than 4,000 branches of the Family History Library are located worldwide.   Among the Family History Library’s vast collection of records, Meyer found a copy of a farmer’s almanac in which someone had written in a margin the names from 10 gravestones in an old family cemetery on a farm in Monett, Mo.   “It was a great-great uncle and his town children,” Meyer says “it’s kind of funny; I had to go from Missouri to Utah to find out about a cemetery 40 miles from my home.  It’s like being a detective,” she adds about her ancestral adventure.   

Family History will bring out the “sleuth” in all of us.  Use your imagination and don’t be afraid to ask for help from your local library or the local branch of the LDS Church Family History Library. 

Do you have any great ideas to share?  We would love to hear from you.

This is one of the most common questions I have heard researchers ask.  With all the famous people in the world past and present, there is a strong chance there will be at least one well known person in your line.   

For instance, a few years ago a distant cousin sent a large amount of information to me about my father’s line.  Included in this information was a simple pedigree listing.  Well to my surprise it states that we are in fact related to the sister of Thomas Jefferson, King Alfred of England, and a Catholic Saint.  Who knew!  I was shocked to say the least. 

 Some time ago I saw a clip on the news about President George W. Bush and it showed just a few of the famous persons he was in fact linked to by family lineage.  Please take a look at the clip and see if you are as intrigued as I was after seeing just who was listed.   CBS News “The Early Show” and the New York Post   http://www.veoh.com/videos/v138895659BzmHbJ .

It is amazing to me to think just how we are connected to so many other people.  If you are from a small town, you probably already know this.  I smaller communities, many families are connected by blood lines or by marriage at least.    Most everyone is somehow connected.  And a word of caution, be careful who you talk about, they maybe someone’s brother. (funny, but true).  In big cities or communities, this is not as common.  Much more research will need to be done to locate your ancestors. 

 Along these lines, I just read a small article in US Magazine April 14, 2008.  

It states Quote, “If you go back far enough, we’re all related to someone famous” says Ancestry.com’s Megan Smolenyak.  After all, if you rewind 10 generations, your family may be composed of more than 100,000 descendants.  And many of these celeb relatives-research by Ancestry.com and the New England Historical Genealogical Society-are cousins once or twice removed.  (A cousin once removed means the child of one’s cousin.  Twice removed means the grandchild.)

  Finding famous kin is mainly a matter of following a paper trail (e.g., land records, wills).  Curious to know yours?  Gather family records, then plug in the info at a site like Ancestry.com or HeritageQuestOnline.com. 

A pictorial Family Tree of sorts is included in the magazine article and theses are  some of the connections:

Hillary Clinton:Madonna-10 cousin, Alanis Morissette-9^th cousin once removed, Celine Dion-10^th cousin, andAngelina Jolie-9^th cousin twice removed. Barack Obama:Brad Pitt-9^th cousin, Gerald Ford-10^th cousin once removed, Lyndon B. Johnson-4^th cousin thrice removed, and George W. Bush-10^th cousin, once removed. John McCain: Laura Bush-6^th cousin Tom Hanks:William Shakespeare-distant relative and William the Conqueror-Distant Relative Oprah Winfrey:Lisa Marie Presley-Distant Cousin Britney Spears: John Edwards-7^th cousin, thrice removed Princess Diana: Jake & Maggie Gyllenhaal-10^th cousins, thrice removed, Andrew Firestone-10^th cousin, thrice removed, Nancy Reagan-10^th cousin, Katharine Hepburn-17^th cousin, twice removed.

To help you find your “FAMOUS PEOPLE”, the Sweetwater County Library System provides two genealogy databases for your use: Ancestry Library Edition and Heritage Quest Online. 

Click on www.sweetwaterlibraries.com and click on Databases. 

For more information contact your local library. 

Who are you related to?  Share with us. 

Self-help Aides for Genealogists

Many times we start out to do a project and we find we quickly become overwhelmed. For the beginner or novice it is can be very discouraging. There are facts and figures, names and names that sound like what are looking for. We have pictures and papers, we have maps and documents. It may all seem to pile up and bury us.

But what do we do with all of this?

There is hope. Do not give up. It will all be worth it when you are able to gather all your info and organize it well. You will be able to actually find what you need more easily and feel so much better about the project in general.

Try some of the following:

“How to Research Your Family History”

by PBS Home Video

Volume I-

Getting Started and Leaving a Legacy

Volume II-

Looking at Home, Gathering Family Stories, and he Paper Trail

Volume III-

Census and Military Records, African-American Research, and Your Medical Heritage.

Volume IV-

Libraries and Archives and High-Tech Help

I found the video series to be very helpful. When thinking of starting out, the information and ideas, can help to get you started.

“The Genealogist’s Question & Answer Book” by Marcia Yannizze Melnyk

Get the answers to your genealogy questions!

There’s never been a better time to discover your ancestors. More family history resources are available now than ever before-making your research options almost limitless. So much information, however, makes determining where to begin, what to believe, and how to decipher it all a challenge.

The Genealogist’s Question & Answer Book helps you overcome these hurdles and make the most of your research time. It provides answers to more than 150 of the most commonly asked genealogy questions in a friendly, easy-to-browse format.

Questions are conveniently grouped according to the different resources you’ll use: from census, church and immigration records to oral histories, websites, electronic databases, and more. You’ll learn what to look for in each document, how to interpret the information you find, and where to go next with your research.

“Through the Eyes of Your Ancestors” by Maureen Taylor

A Step-by-step Guide to Uncovering Your Family’s History

Have you ever looked at an old black and white photograph of a relative, long since dead and possibly forgotten, and wondered what his or her life might have been like? What is you could find out? This book can help you uncover the secrets and adventures of your own family in the “personal detective story” that is genealogy.

“The Weekend Genealogist” by Marcia Yannizze Melnyk

Timesaving techniques for effective research

Let’s face it, life doesn’t always allow you the freedom to make genealogy research your number one priority. And when it does, you still don’t seem to have enough time to accomplish what’s needed. The Weekend Genealogist can help overcome this problem by showing you how to get the most out of whatever time you have available.

*Implement organizational techniques to streamline research and create a timesaving filing system for notes, documents, and forms.

*Get research information more efficiently using mail, fax, and e-mail.

*Utilize local historical and genealogical societies, relative, and microfilm rental programs.

*Let the Internet work for you while avoiding the pitfalls of Internet research

*Master organizational forms-everything from pedigree charts to correspondence logs.

*Make the most of every record you collect by learning the 10 questions to “ask” each document

*Find and access research facilities such as the National Archives and Records. Administration, vital records offices, and local libraries.

*Plan a research trip and make every minute on the road worthwhile

*Create an information network with your fellow genealogists.

Your local library will have many other titles to choose from or there is a multitude of information on the internet.

Part of my job at the library is to field requests for “Genealogy Look-ups”. This means, when a request comes in we basically check the resources available, such as newspapers, cemetery listings, and business directories. Last year a very sweet lady from California contacted me requesting information on a family that had lived in the Green River area in the 1950’s. Let’s say the name was Smith. As usual I went to the library cemetery listings and luckily I was able to find the gentleman she had needed to find.

I sent the information to the lady. I marked this request as completed and went on about my routine. Two weeks later I received a letter from her thanking me for the help and asking for more. In the letter she wrote:

“I am working on a project for my daughter-in-law, who is pregnant. I would like to present her with a Family History for the baby at her upcoming baby shower. There is a little time, but I wanted to get going on this. Here are a few more names, if you don’t mine looking for them. Thanks so much.”

I thought this was one of the best gifts I had heard of in a long time. A pedigree sheet and pictures, poems, snippets of baby lore. How special this gift would be. It took a little time, but I was able to locate most of the people for her. This became a fun project to work on, knowing that a little someone was going to have this lovely book.

The information was sent. Three weeks later I received another letter with a check to pay for the expenses. I was so pleased to hear that the book was complete and ready for its new little owner. The project had spurred the lady to start other researching for her family. She said she has been bitten by the “genealogy bug”. I was happy for her, its one bug you don’t mind being bitten by.
If you too are expecting or have a special someone who is, consider this project for yourself. I must say I wish I had thought of doing this for my own kids when they were little.

Helpful Hint: As I was surfing the web, looking for another item for my blog, I ran across this cute site “The Little Pillow”. On the website there is a download for a baby’s Family Tree. To find this cute “My Family Tree” go to www.thelittlepillow.com/download_Jan2006.htm.

Best of Luck with your research!

It is March as I am writing and St. Patrick’s Day no less. Well my Irish side is smiling. It is a nice day outside, a little cold, but nice none the less. We are celebrating with green cake and Irish music.

It is amazing the effect that Irish music has on me. I remember as a little girl listening to stories that my grandfather told. He said as a boy growing up in Missouri, the Murphy side of the family, would play bagpipes and Irish music. I think that is still in my mind somewhere and whenever I hear the Irish jigs I feel it in my soul.

When working on genealogy I find it helpful to get a feel for the place I am researching. Local customs and mindsets, help to explain how the people from that area think or thought for their time. You might have a better understanding of the strick laws and customs. Any time you can put yourself in the life and times or your ancestors there is a better understanding of how they lived and who they were.

If you are Irish, you might try the following:

“Of Irish Ways” by Mary Murray Delaney. For anyone Irish or those that just love the Irish, this is a great place to start. Inside you will find Irish history, customs, literature, landscape, traditions and more. This is an older book, but the information is still informative.

“Ireland” by Lisa Gerard-Sharp is a tour book of Ireland. Festivals, abbeys, hotels, museums, castles, country side restaurants, pubs, and mars are listed for your use. The cover makes this claim: The guides that show you what others only tell you. Included are vibrant color photos and maps, along with timelines and historic information.

“Touring Ireland” (VHS) A Questar Home Video Presentation. Visit Dublin, the Ring of Kerry, Killarney National Park, Rose of Tralee, Cork, Wexford, Galway, Connemara, the Aran Island, Donegal, and Sligo. An island of radiant greens, like that facets of an emerald, Ireland is known as the friendliest land on earth. Shrines, castles, hallowed abbeys, jigs, reels, festivals, farms, fishing villages, quaint shop fronts and more.
This video breathes the spirit of Ireland.

There are many other sources at the library on Ireland.

Stop by and check them out.