Sunday, March 31, 2013

Weekly Genealogy Picks: March 24-March 30

Highlights from news stories and blog posts I have read in the past week that deal with my overlapping interests in Genealogy, History, Heritage, and Technology.
  • Thomas MacEntee at Destination: Austin Family wonders with respect to the recent Supreme Court discussions on Marriage Equality: What Would My Ancestors Think? This is a question family historians often have, as our political and religious views rarely match those of our ancestors on every issue.
Other Weekly Lists
Upcoming holidays - religious and secular, national and international - for the next two weeks

Two Week Calendar
  • March 31 - Easter (Christian)
  • April 1 - April Fool's Day
  • April 2 - World Autism Awareness Day
  • April 6 - Tartan Day
  • April 7 - Yom HaShoah/Holocaust Remembrance Day (Jewish) [ Sundown April 7 - Sundown April 8]
  • April 7 - World Health Day
  • April 8 - International Romani Day
  • April 11 - New Year (Hindu)
  • April 11 - Ramayana (Hindu) [April 11-20]
  • April 12 - Yuri's Night
  • April 14 - Baisakhi/New Year (Sikh)

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Politics, Religion, and Genealogy

There are some who think discussions of politics and religion don't belong on a genealogy blog, but I disagree. Politics and religion are hopelessly intertwined with family history research.

When I first began researching, I downloaded some research forms from a source that won't be named. I'm sure there are millions of similar forms out there. Below are two clippings from a "Family Group Sheet."




I knew instantly back in 2007 that if I were going to give the form to relatives to fill out, I would need to change at least one word. And I did change that word to, 'Naming.'

While that is the only word I changed back in 2007, looking at the form today, it does present other issues. How do I record a domestic partnership? A civil union? I have some friends who are participating in a handfasting later this year. They're not my relatives, but they are somebody's relatives. How would I record that? It would make things a lot easier if the same word was used for all unions, wouldn't it? There is power in a union.

Of course, the confusion doesn't end with different terms for different unions. Do I only include a space for the biological parents (which appear to be implied above), or should I include space for adopted parents as well? How do I handle a case where the parents received either a sperm or egg donation from a third party?

So, to those who insist that religion and politics be separated from genealogy, I ask: "How?"

A selection of prior posts concerning politics, religion and genealogy:

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Weekly Genealogy Picks: March 17-23

Highlights from news stories and blog posts I have read in the past week that deal with my overlapping interests in Genealogy, History, Heritage, and Technology.



Other Weekly Lists
Upcoming holidays - religious and secular, national and international - for the next two weeks

Two Week Calendar
  • March 24 - Palm Sunday (Christian)
  • March 24 - Orthodox Sunday (Orthodox Christian)
  • March 25 - Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin (Christian)
  • March 25 - Pesach/Passover (Jewish) [Sundown March 25 - Sundown April 2]
  • March 26 - Khordad Sal (Zoroastrian)
  • March 27 - Magha Puja Day (Buddhist)
  • March 27 - Lord's Evening Meal (Jehovah's Witness)
  • March 27 - Holi (Hindu)
  • March 27 - World Theatre Day
  • March 28 - Maundy Thursday (Christian)
  • March 28 - Hola Mohalla (Sikh)
  • March 28 - Birth of Prophet Zarathushtra (Zoroastrian)
  • March 29 - Good Friday (Christian)
  • March 31 - Easter (Christian)
  • April 1 - April Fool's Day
  • April 2 - World Autism Awareness Day
  • April 6 - Tartan Day
  • April 7 - Yom HaShoah/Holocaust Remembrance Day (Jewish) [ Sundown April 7 - Sundown April 8]

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

The Old Reader Works Some Serious Magic

It took a few days, but The Old Reader finally managed to handle the overload on its server from Google Reader users seeking a new home. I uploaded my Google Reader feed file on Thursday night. This morning I received an email that the import process had been completed, and all 378 of my feeds were processed. Their server speed is still a bit slow, but it's understandable. As of March 18th, their user base had grown 12-fold. They've announced that they are exploring a freemium model, but the free plan will keep its current functionality.

As I looked at the feeds, my jaw dropped in shock. I asked myself if it was Easter morning, because the dead were rising from the grave.

When one follows several hundred blogs, if blog posts from any single blog stop showing up in your inbox, you might mourn the loss of the content, but you might not actively seek out where the blogger has moved.  Even if it is as simple as visiting the website and seeing if they made a small change to their RSS feeds, you might not go to the trouble. Some people might clear out the dead feeds, but others would just let them be - you never know when the blogger might reeturn.

Without identifying the blogs in question:
  • In one case, the blog feed URL had moved from
www.domainA.com/rss/newfeed.xml to www.domainA.com/feed
  • In another case, the blog feed URL moved from
www.domainB.com/blog/atom.xml to www.domainB.com/feed

But I suppose since the blogs were still at the same top-level domain, The Old Reader found it.

In both cases, Google Reader stopped displaying the posts over a year ago.
When I imported the feeds to NetVibes, NetVibes reported them as 404s.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Weekly Genealogy Picks: March 10-16

Highlights from news stories and blog posts I have read in the past week that deal with my overlapping interests in Genealogy, History, Heritage, and Technology.
Other Weekly Lists
Upcoming holidays - religious and secular, national and international - for the next two weeks

Two Week Calendar
  • March 17 - St. Patrick's Day
  • March 17 - Cheesefare Sunday (Orthodox Christian)
  • March 18 - Lent Begins (Orthodox Christian)
  • March 19 - Saint Joseph's Day (Christian)
  • March 20 - Ostara (northern hemisphere) Mabon (southern hemisphere) (Pagan)
  • March 21 - New Year (Baha'i)
  • March 21 - New Year (Persian/Zoroastrian)
  • March 24 - Palm Sunday (Christian)
  • March 24 - Orthodox Sunday (Orthodox Christian)
  • March 25 - Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin (Christian)
  • March 25 - Pesach/Passover (Jewish) [Sundown March 25 - Sundown April 2]
  • March 26 - Khordad Sal (Zoroastrian)
  • March 27 - Magha Puja Day (Buddhist)
  • March 27 - Lord's Evening Meal (Jehovah's Witness)
  • March 27 - Holi (Hindu)
  • March 27 - World Theatre Day
  • March 28 - Maundy Thursday (Christian)
  • March 28 - Hola Mohalla (Sikh)
  • March 28 - Birth of Prophet Zarathushtra (Zoroastrian)
  • March 29 - Good Friday (Christian)
  • March 31 - Easter (Christian)

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Every year on St. Patrick's Day I've blogged about the Irish ancestry of my great grandfather, Barney Newmark.


He wrote a bio of himself for a "Who's Who" of local businessmen claiming to be a native of Dublin, even though he was almost certainly born on the outskirts of Warsaw, in Warka, Poland. He celebrated his birthday on March 17th, though some documents state he was born on March 25th, and others state April 14th. I shared my Irishness with a friend back in 2007, and he looked Barney up in the 1930 US Census, and sent me a link. I've long been interested in my ancestry, but I had done no research, and had no idea what was available online. And here I am six years later.

While my Irish ancestry may be somewhat mythological, my wife's isn't. According to some sources, her 3rd great grandfather, Thomas Muldoon, was born in Ireland in 1817, in County Fermanagh.









Past St. Patrick's Day posts

March 17, 2012: Happy 126th Birthday to my Great Grandfather
March 17, 2011: Happy St. Patrick's Day
March 17, 2010: Barney's Birthday and Birthplace
March 17, 2009: On St. Patrick's Day Everyone is Irish
March 17, 2008: My 'Irish' Great Grandfather
March 15, 2007: Corned Beef and Cabbage on Rye

Friday, March 15, 2013

Group Photographs

I recommended the photo for this week's Sepia Saturday prompt. It comes from the Harry Truman Library - and I found it browsing through the Missouri Digital Heritage website. It's an unusual group photo. Most group photos are from the front, but here we get to see everyone's backs, as they pose for a more traditional photograph in front of the press. The photograph was taken on July 17, 1945, the day after the atom bomb was tested in New Mexico. Truman had written on the back of the photograph, "This is the place I told Stalin about the Atom bomb, which was exploded July 16, 1945 in New Mexico. He didn't realize what I was talking about! HST"

I've shared a few large group photos here in the past.

This group photo of the St. Louis Post Office Inspectors and Office Force from 1935 came with a caption identifying everyone, which I transcribed here. Both of my maternal grandparents are in the photo.


This photograph, unfortunately, had no such caption. It's the 1924 Confirmation Class for B'nai El Temple. The youth in the front row, second from the right, with a thin white box drawn around him is my paternal grandfather, Melvin Newmark, age 12.


Here, however, is a photograph I haven't shared. The National Beekeepers Association meeting from 1906. I found this in Gleanings in Bee Culture, Volume 35, 1907, pp. 34-35.


The images can be enlarged, or one can follow the link for an ever larger look. Everyone was given a piece of paper with a number on it to hold, and the caption below identifies everyone by number. Unfortunately, #83, "E. Van Every," didn't make certain the piece of paper was visible to the camera, so I am uncertain who showed up to represent the Van Every family.

Either the caption is in error, and it should read "M.E. Van Every" for my great grandfather, Melvin Elijah. Or his fourteen year old daughter, Evelyn/Evva, represented the family. There are some young women in the photo, so it's possible. I've sent the photograph to some cousins, but haven't yet received any positive or negative identification. I do have a photograph of Melvin, shown below with his wife, Margaret. I don't see a clear match for him in the group above.




Thursday, March 14, 2013

Google Reader Alternatives: First Glance

I've begun looking at various alternate RSS Feed Readers recommended by various Tech sites, such as Macgasm, LifeHacker, and CNET.

Feedly: Has different apps for iOS, Android, Safari, Chrome, and Firefox. No version for Internet Explorer. I don't like Internet Explorer, but I am restricted to using it at work. I wouldn’t be able to catch up on blog posts during my lunch hour. (Well…sure I could…on my phone. But it’s easier to read blog posts on a large screen.)

NewsBlur: When I first looked at NewsBlur the evening of March 13th, it said that its free version had a limit of 64 feeds. By March 14th, that number had decreased to 12. The decrease could be temporary, there is no information on their blog. Regardless, that's too low for me. Their premium version is only $12/year.  If there were no other viable choices, I’d consider it. But with worthwhile free options, paying even $12/year is too much.

TheOldReader: Created when Google Reader made some changes that upset some users, it was constructed to look and feel exactly like Google Reader. Currently, due to server overload, they are limiting the number of users who can import their feeds at one time, so I haven’t had a chance to really test this out, but it looks promising. Especially for users who don’t like getting used to new things. Update: Was able to upload my subscription file the evening of March 14th, but received a message that it could be several hours before the subscriptions were imported, as 5482 users were in the import queue ahead of me.

Google Currents: Only has iOS and Android versions. If you only follow your subscriptions on a phone or tablet, this might be a good alternative. Until Google decides it no longer wishes to maintain it either.

NetVibes: The only place so far I have been able to import my Google Reader feeds. Their interface is more complicated than Google Reader. They have two views: Reader and Widget. Reader is similar to Google Reader, though I haven't figured out the best way to bookmark articles to return to them. Widget view allows you to add additional functionality similar to an iGoogle page. (iGoogle is being retired in November of 2013)

Pulse: This seems to be one of the more popular 'visual' readers. For those who like to view their blogs in a newspaper/magazine style. It is my opinion the more blogs one subscribes to, the less useful this becomes. It was announced yesterday that LinkedIn is close to buying Pulse. Not sure how that will impact the application (or the networking site).

Currently, my plan is to test out NetVibes and TheOldReader and decide which one I prefer. If someone suggests I try something not listed above, I'll consider it.

Another factor some might be wondering about is how likely are the above websites to be around a year from now? I have no ability to measure that for any of the options above. Especially not Google Currents. Google Reader has been in existence since 2005, but Google has been doing a lot of 'spring cleaning' recently, and making it clear they are willing to abandon applications they view as unsuccessful. (And many people would not have included Google Reader in that list.)

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Survey Update: Possible Bad News for 70% of My Readers

Five days ago I posted a simple survey, asking my readers how they followed the posts on my blog.



70% of the current votes are going towards using an RSS reader, such as Google Reader.

While there are multiple RSS readers, Google Reader is one of the more popular ones.
According to Google Reader's statistics, over 100 people are subscribers to this blog.

As popular as it is, today Google announced it is retiring it.
As of July 1st, 2013, Google Reader will no longer exist.

I am a user of Google Reader myself, and would appreciate suggestions on other Readers to try.

Lifehacker provides some suggestions

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Weekly Genealogy Picks: March 3 to 9

Highlights from news stories and blog posts I have read in the past week that deal with my overlapping interests in Genealogy, History, Heritage, and Technology.
Poetry
Devolution

(sorry, couldn't resist)

Other Weekly Lists
Upcoming holidays - religious and secular, national and international - for the next two weeks

Two Week Calendar
  • March 10 - Meatfare Sunday (Orthodox Christian)
  • March 10 - Maha Shivaratri (Hindu)
  • March 11 - Johnny Appleseed Day
  • March 11 - Commonwealth Day (Commonwealth of Nations)
  • March 12 - World Day Against Cyber Censorship
  • March 13 - L. Ron Hubbard's Birthday (Scientology)
  • March 14 - Pi Day (3.14)
  • March 15 - International Day Against Police Brutality
  • March 15 - Ides of March
  • March 16 - Bacchanalia (Ancient Rome) [March 16-17]
  • March 17 - St. Patrick's Day
  • March 17 - Cheesefare Sunday (Orthodox Christian)
  • March 18 - Lent Begins (Orthodox Christian)
  • March 19 - Saint Joseph's Day (Christian)
  • March 20 - Ostara (northern hemisphere) Mabon (southern hemisphere) (Pagan)
  • March 21 - New Year (Baha'i)
  • March 21 - New Year (Persian/Zoroastrian)
  • March 24 - Palm Sunday (Christian)
  • March 24 - Orthodox Sunday (Orthodox Christian)
Survey

For those who may not have seen my earlier post, I am conducting a survey to see how readers are following my blog posts. I am also curious if there are any other places you would like to be able to read my posts. If so, leave a comment.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Making Sense About Making Sense

Image Source: Office of Biological and Environmental Research 
of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science.
Sense about Science, a British charitable trust, has released a report entitled, Sense About Genetic Ancestry. The entire report is available as a free PDF download. Already several newspapers, such as the Telegraph, are stating that the report indicates DNA Tests are Meaningless. This is because the scientists refer to DNA testing as 'genetic astrology,' even though they are careful to say:
      "There are credible ways to use the genetic data from mtDNA or Y chromosomes in individual ancestry testing, such as to supplement independent, historical studies of genealogy. If, for example, two men have identified – through historical research, possibly involving surnames – a common maleline ancestor in the sixteenth century, it would be reasonable to use their Y chromosome data to test this. There are some ancestry testing companies that offer this service.  
      To answer a specific question about individual ancestry with any degree of confidence requires a combination of historical records and genetic information."
    No genealogist is going to dispute that advice, but there is no credible scientific way to use astrology, which is where their metaphor breaks down, and leads to bad media reporting. It could be argued the language of the report is as sensationalistic as the language of the DNA companies which the scientists are complaining about.

    The points the scientists raise are good ones. There probably are people taking the DNA tests without conducting historical record research, thinking the DNA test is all they need to do. And the report is meant for them, not for the genealogist who is taking the test with their eyes wide open about what the tests mean, and don't mean.

    If you're unsure what the tests means, read the report. I'm no expert, but I have read a lot about DNA testing, and I don't think I disagree with any of their premises, though I do find fault with some of the conclusions.

    Friday, March 8, 2013

    A survey: How do you read my blog?

    I have tried to make this blog accessible in a variety of places. However, I thought I would post a survey to see which of these places are currently the most popular.

    Also, if there is a place not listed below, where you would like to be able to access my blog posts, let me know in the comments.

    Water, Water, Every Where

    The prompt for this week's Sepia Saturday contains, among other things, a body of water. So I thought I would share some photographs in my collection involving oceans and lakes. Some of these I have shared previously, others are new to this blog
    Here's a photograph of my four paternal great-grandparents, on a vacation together. They were good friends prior to their children getting married. Barney and Bertha (Cruvant) Newmark are on the left, and Herman and Annie (Blatt) Feinstein are on the right. The year was 1947, they were in Miami, FL, and family lore states that while the Feinstein surname caused them enough difficulties with the area hotels in that year, as the vacation progressed, and my great grandfather's tan grew darker and darker, their difficulties are said to have grown.
    Here's some photographs of the children of the above four, ten years earlier in 1937. My paternal grandparents Melvin and Sissie (Feinstein) Newmark. They are on their honeymoon in the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri.
    Here are my maternal grandparents, also on their honeymoon in 1937. Martin and Myrtle (Van Every) Deutsch. The water isn't visible in this photograph, though it is clear they are on a boat. They are in Mexico.

    The beginning of the phrase on the boat reads: "Soy del nino" which translates to "I am the child." I can't read the rest.
    And finally, here is a photograph of my wife and me last year, on our honeymoon.


    Thursday, March 7, 2013

    Selected Posts

    I have been blogging genealogy for six years. Many readers likely haven't been reading the blog consistently from the start. I decided to create a page with an index of Selected Posts. A glimpse into the past for those who wonder what they might have missed. A link to the page now exists in the upper right hand corner of the blog, underneath the banner.

    Monday, March 4, 2013

    The Government isn't a Ministry of Magic

    The process of genealogical research involves searching for information, evaluating the reliability of that information, comparing it to other bits of information one finds, and resolving conflicts.

    At times I feel some individuals place too much faith in the reliability of some documents.

    Particularly governmental documents.

    For example:

    There are cases where individuals were never, or almost never, referred to by the name on their birth certificate. There are genealogists who will insist that the name of this ancestor is what appeared on the birth certificate, as if a piece of paper with a government’s stamp magically overrides the name everyone who ever mattered to the individual called them.

    My maternal grandfather had a brother named Allen. Allen’s 1914 birth certificate clearly states “Adolph.” The name ‘Adolph’ even appears on his father’s 1921 naturalization records. However, early census records indicate the given name quickly changed to “Albert” and then “Allen.” No one probably ever referred to him as Adolph after the age of 10. He may have been Adolph at birth, but his name quickly changed. No “Change of Name” certificate had to be filed with the government for this to be the case. The government doesn’t have magical control over our names.

    In the above case, I argue, the government isn't right. But the government can also be wrong. (There is a difference between not-right, and wrong.)

    If you were asked to identify what US Time Zone a specific state resided in, what would you consider the Primary Source of information? The US Legal Code on time zones, correct?

    Below are quotes from the 1997 version of the code, linked to above.

    Sec. 263. Designation of zone standard times

    The standard time of the first zone shall be known and designated as Atlantic standard time; that of the second zone shall be known and designated as eastern standard time; that of the third zone shall be known and designated as central standard time; that of the fourth zone shall be known and designated as mountain standard time; that of the fifth zone shall be known and designated as Pacific standard time; that of the sixth zone shall be known and designated as Alaska standard time; that of the seventh zone shall be known and designated as Hawaii-Aleutian standard time; and that of the eighth zone shall be known and designated as Samoa standard time.

    There’s also a specific section of the US Code referencing Idaho, which is split between two time zones.

    Sec. 264. Part of Idaho in third zone

    In the division of territory, and in the definition of the limits of each zone, as provided in sections 261 to 264 of this title, so much of the State of Idaho as lies south of the Salmon River, traversing the State from east to west near forty-five degree thirty minutes latitude, shall be embraced in the third zone: Provided, That common carriers within such portion of the State of Idaho may conduct their operations on Pacific time.

    Reading Sec. 263 and 264 together, what is the logical conclusion about the State of Idaho?

    Clearly: Part of Idaho is in the third zone, and the third zone is the Central zone. So, the part of Idaho that isn't in the Pacific zone, is in the Central zone.

    That is, if you held the US Legal Code as a magically irrefutable document between 1966 and 2007.

    In 1966, sec. 263 was changed to add the Atlantic zone as the first zone, and all other zones were renumbered. Section 264 wasn’t changed until 2007. So part of Idaho was in the central zone for 41 years. If you went by the legal code.

    I would like to think this 2006 post of mine on my personal blog had some influence on the government's delayed action.

    Sunday, March 3, 2013

    Weekly Genealogy Picks: Feb 24-March 2

    Highlights from news stories and blog posts I have read in the past week that deal with my overlapping interests in Genealogy, History, Heritage, and Technology.


    Source: Wondermark - used with permission
    Other Weekly Lists
    Upcoming holidays - religious and secular, national and international - for the next two weeks

    Two Week Calendar
    • March 8 - International Women's Day (Eastern Europe, Russia, former Soviet Bloc)
    • March 10 - Meatfare Sunday (Orthodox Christian)
    • March 10 - Maha Shivaratri (Hindu)
    • March 11 - Johnny Appleseed Day
    • March 11 - Commonwealth Day (Commonwealth of Nations)
    • March 12 - World Day Against Cyber Censorship
    • March 13 - L. Ron Hubbard's Birthday (Scientology)
    • March 14 - Pi Day (3.14)
    • March 15 - International Day Against Police Brutality
    • March 15 - Ides of March
    • March 16 - Bacchanalia (Ancient Rome) [March 16-17]
    • March 17 - St. Patrick's Day
    • March 17 - Cheesefare Sunday (Orthodox Christian)

    Friday, March 1, 2013

    Data Backup Day: Have You Made Copies?

    The first of every month is Data Backup Day.

    Be certain to make copies of those precious documents.

    Image Source: Two Sleeping Children, Peter Paul Rubens, 1612-1613