Weekly Genealogy Picks

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.

Genealogy

Regardless of how often it is stated, it seems it can't be stated enough. There's always someone falling for the scam of Family Coats of Arms. Dick Eastman at Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter explains why they're bogus.

Thomas MacEntee at Geneabloggers shares what he's learned after speaking with one of the producers of the upcoming PBS series, Our American Family

Arlene Eakle begins a series of blog posts on the American Revolution with Who Fought the American Revolution? Part I: Career Soldiers.

Dominic at NARAtions shares NARA's policy on avoiding conflict of interest in its partnership with Wikipedia

Michael Hait at Planting the Seeds discusses educational opportunities in Building a professional genealogy career.

Technology

Hitachi has announced They've found a way to store data on quartz glass that allegedly will last 'forever.'  (hat/tip: EOGN).  The devices to read and write this data aren't likely to be available to the public for several years, but it is nice to know they're in the pipeline. This would solve one half of the issue with long-term storage. A durable storage medium. However, it doesn't solve the issue of the devices that are used to read/write the storage medium becoming outdated and disappearing. (If you were given a 5.25 inch floppy disk, how would you retrieve the data from it? If you were given an 8-track tape, could you play it?)

Local

The St. Louis Riverfront Times in Extreme Library Makeover looks inside the new Central Library in St. Louis - scheduled to reopen in December.  It closed for renovation in 2010.

Paul Hohmann at Vanishing STL mourns the loss of The Fox Theater's historic sign structure.

Other Weekly Lists

• Diane Haddad's Genealogy News Corral at Genealogy Insider
• Wendy Littrell's Follow Friday at All My Branches Genealogy
• Randy Seaver's Best of the Genea-Blogs at Genea-Musings
• Julie Cahill Tarr's Friday Finds at GenBlog

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

[The list covers two weeks for two reasons. First, so that anyone who happens to find out about an upcoming holiday from this list will have at least a week's notice. Second, in case I happen to miss an important date, someone can inform me, and I can include it in the list the following week.]

Two Week Calendar

October - Family History Month (US)
October - Black History Month (UK)
October - LGBT History Month (US)
October - Clergy Appreciation Month (US)

Sept 30 - Sukkot (Jewish festival) - Sept 30 (sunset) to Oct 7 (sunset)
Sept 30 - Oct 6 - Banned Books Week
Oct 1 - World Habitat Day
Oct 2 - International Day of Non-Violence
Oct 2 - Mehregan (Zoroastrian festival)
Oct 3 - German Unity Day
Oct 4 - World Space Week (Oct 4-10)
Oct 4 - World Animal Day
Oct 4 - St. Francis Day (Catholic feast day)
Oct 5 - World Teacher's Day
Oct 6 - German-American Day
Oct 7 - Shemini Atzeret (Jewish holiday) - Oct 7 (sunset) to Oct 8 (sunset)
Oct 7-13 - National Fire Prevention Week (US and Canada)
Oct 8 - Simchat Torah (Jewish holiday) - Oct 8 (sunset) to Oct 9 (sunset)
Oct 8 - Thanksgiving (Canada)
Oct 8 - Columbus Day (US)
Oct 9 - Leif Erikson Day (US)
Oct 9 - National Day of Commemorating the Holocaust (Romania)
Oct 10 - World Mental Health Day
Oct 11 - General Pulaski Memorial Day
Oct 11 - Old Michelmas Day (Celtic)
Oct 14 - World Standards Day

Fifteen Favorites

James Tanner at Genealogy's Star listed his Top Ten Can't Miss Websites, focusing on non-Genealogy websites, but including archives that aren't specifically for genealogy. His rationale was that we as genealogy bloggers sometimes focus so much on discussing genealogy websites, we don't discuss other websites that are useful for other interests.

In that vein, I came up with two lists (neither of the lists are in any particular order):

Top Ten Archival Sites

1) The Internet Archive

The Internet Archive is home to several useful databases.  The Wayback Machine has been archiving the internet since 1996.  Often you will find a link in an old blog post (or elsewhere) that no longer works, because the website has disappeared, or that particular page has been removed.  The page may exist on The Wayback Machine.

The Internet Archive also has several archives of text, audio, and video.

2) Making of America (Michigan) (Cornell)

"Making of America is a digital library of primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction."  It is a collaboration between University of Michigan and Cornell University, and each site has separate documents, so you need to search at both.

Cornell has 907,750 pages of material, and Michigan has 3,818,757.

3) Missouri Digital Heritage

There are several databases of use to genealogists, such as birth and death records, naturalization records, coroner records, and land records. However, the website has a lot more on it as well, including:

• Records from the Missouri Mormon War

• Court documents relating to Frank and Jesse James

• Historic "Blue Book" Photograph Collection (photographs considered for, or published in, the Official Manual of the State of Missouri

• The "Blue Books" themselves

• The St. Louis Area Civil War Digitization project

4) NewspaperArchive

A collection of over 2000 newspaper titles with archives going back to the 1600s. There is a subscription fee, which some might be able to avoid if their local library or genealogy society provides access.

5) ChroniclingAmerica

Another collection of newspapers, this is freely accessible as a product of the Library of Congress. Covers the years 1836-1922. It also contains a directory of US Newspapers from 1690-present, providing useful information on each, including libraries that have copies.

6) St. Louis Post Dispatch Historical Archive

Covering the years 1874-1922 this database is a product of ProQuest and can be accessed at some libraries, including the St. Louis County library and the St. Louis City library.

7) 19th Century US Newspapers

Another collection of newspapers, a product of Gale-Cengage, and also available at some libraries, including the St. Louis County library.  There are newspapers from all over the US in the collection. Local newspapers covered include the Daily Commercial Bulletin (1835-1838), Missouri Republican (1822-1888), St. Louis Enquirer (1819-1824), and St. Louis Globe Democrat (1875-1888)

8) The National Archives (NARA)

I don't think I need to provide much of a description. This is the website for the US Government National Archives and Records Administration.

9) Flickr (The Commons)

Flickr, the website many people use to upload and share photos, has a section they call The Commons. This section contains photographs contributed by a long list of libraries and archives around the world. All participating institutions are required to share only images with "No known copyright restrictions."

10) Google Books

While everyone is familiar with searching Google, not everyone is familiar with searching Google Books. I believe I use it most often to track down the real origins of quotes I see spread on the social networks.  I've collected some of these on my Pinterest boards of Misattributed Quotes, and Verified Quotes (with citations)

---

Top Five Websites - Non-Genealogy Non-Archives

1) Amazon

I know Amazon is responsible for the financial struggles of many local bookstores.  I also know technology has been changing the way society conducts business for over a century. We are now moving towards a world where we do most of our shopping online. That may mean less local bookstores. It doesn't mean the death of books.

I have purchased many things on Amazon: Books, Clothing, Computers.

2) Google News

This is how I get my news. I subscribe to only one local print newspaper, and it's a specialized weekly, not the local daily. I read news stories from many newspapers on the topics I have selected as my defaults, or those I search for specifically.

3) Google Maps

This is how I travel. (I recently updated my iPhone to OS 6.0.  But I can still use Google Maps, because I downloaded the Web App.)

4) Wikipedia

This is where I often begin my research on many topics. I was taught in school (I won't say how many years ago) that an encyclopedia is a great starting point for research, but it should never be the ending point. That advice still applies today, for Encyclopedia Britannica as well as for Wikipedia.  I have discussed Using Wikipedia for Research before.

5) Wikisource 

Wikisource is an online library of free content. The English language site currently contains 264,721 texts.

The Value of a Library Card

I conduct a lot of genealogy research from the comfort of my home computer. One of the key resources I use is my St. Louis County Public Library Card.  (Other library systems, as well as some genealogy societies, provide similar resources for their users.)

Here's a sampling of databases I can search/browse from the comfort of my home, for free (complete list)

I have indicated the subscription price I'd have to pay without the library card

• NewspaperArchive.com ($72/yr)
• American Civil War Research Database (Available only to libraries - AlexanderStreet)
• Fold3.com ($80/yr)
• Historical New York Times 1851-2008 (Available only to libraries - ProQuest) 
• Historical St. Louis Post Dispatch 1874-1922 (Available only to libraries - ProQuest)
• St. Louis Post Dispatch 1988-Current ($200/yr - NewsBank *)
• Kansas City Star 1991-Current ($200/yr - NewsBank *)
• Nineteenth Century US Newspapers (Available only to libraries - Gale Cengage)
• ProQuest Digital Microfilm - NYTimes 2008-2012 (Available only to libraries)
• ProQuest Digital Microfilm - St. Louis Post Dispatch 2008-2012 (Available only to libraries)
• ProQuest Digital Sanborn Maps 1867-1970 Missouri and Illinois (Available only to libraries)

In addition to the above, there are two general reference items I find very useful

• Oxford English Dictionary (~$348/yr depending on exchange rate)
• Oxford Reference Online (available only to libraries) 

So calculating only the databases which I could purchase access to as an individual, I am saving $700/year with my library card. Then there are the databases I can't purchase access to as an individual.

And this doesn't include the resources available to me when I actually visit the library.

• An extensive microfilm collection
• The National Genealogical Society Book Loan Collection (over 20,000 volumes) - all the volumes are available through inter-library loan to you if you have a library card where you live.
• Library-access to the Ancestry.com Library Edition (I pay Ancestry for home-access, so I can't add this to my personal value)

*The annual subscription at NewsBank's NewsLibrary.com provides you access to more newspapers, but there is a 500 article limit.

Weekly Genealogy Picks

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.

• The governor of Georgia has stated that he is committed to keeping the State Archives open, but as Kate Theimer at ArchivesNext states, this isn't necessarily all good news.

• Tim Abbot at Walking the Berkshires discusses a recent recreation of the 1777 Battle of Brandywine in A Brandywine Brush Arbor and Other Adventures in Authenticity

• Diane L Richard at UpFront with NGS reviews the MillionShort search engine

• GenerousGenealogists is a new attempt to replace RAOGK (which disappeared last year.) (hat/tip: EOGN)

• Those testing out MyHeritage.com's new Record Matching software include:
• James Tanner at Genealogy's Star
• Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings

• YA Author Justine Larbalestier discusses why it is important for YA authors to give their protagonists strong relationships with family and friends. It occurred to me that the same desire of the fiction reader to see these relationships fuels the family historian to attempt to uncover these relationships in our research.

News

• BlombergBusinessWeek in an article on Ancestry.com and genealogy research in general claims internet genealogy searches are second only to porn. (hat/tip EOGN)  [The article doesn't provide citations, or indicate how distant of a second place it is.]

• CBBC reports that the world's first liliger cub is born (a cross between a lion and a liger)  

• Couple gets married in Flintstone costumes (Metro)

Social Networking

• A comedian uses Tumblr to stop a suicide (Tablet)

Other Weekly Lists

• Diane Haddad's Genealogy News Corral at Genealogy Insider
• Wendy Littrell's Follow Friday at All My Branches Genealogy
• Randy Seaver's Best of the Genea-Blogs at Genea-Musings
• Julie Cahill Tarr's Friday Finds at GenBlog

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

Two Week Calendar
Sept 23 - Holocaust Memorial Day (Lithuania)
Sept 25 - Yom Kippur (Jewish Day of Atonement) - Sept 25 (sunset) to Sept 26 (sunset)
Sept 26 - European Day of Languages
Sept 30 - International Translation Day
Sept 30 - Sukkot (Jewish festival) - Sept 30 (sunset) to Oct 7 (sunset)
Oct 1 - World Habitat Day
Oct 2 - International Day of Non-Violence
Oct 2 - Mehregan (Zoroastrian festival)
Oct 3 - German Unity Day
Oct 4 - World Space Week (Oct 4-10)
Oct 4 - World Animal Day
Oct 5 - World Teacher's Day
Oct 6 - German-American Day
Oct 7 - Shemini Atzeret (Jewish holiday) - Oct 7 (sunset) to Oct 8 (sunset)

Happy New Year - 5773

Happy New Year to all - 5773

The New Year begins at sunset tonight, may yours be a sweet one

Weekly Genealogy Picks

It's been awhile, but I've decided to restart my weekly lists of links, so:

Below are some highlights from news stories and blog posts I have read in the past few weeks that deal with my overlapping interests in Genealogy, History, Heritage, and Technology.

On Libraries and Archives

• Georgia is closing their state archives to the public, effective November 1 (GenealogyBlog)

• Illinois has released a new online database catalog for their state archives  (MoSGA Messenger)

• While I've seen several mentions of it this past week on various social networks, the story isn't new. A few months ago a 2011 campaign to save the Troy, Michigan Public Library won an award. The video is an impressive display of what social networking can accomplish. (BoingBoing)

Information/Tips for Genealogists

• Copyright and the Obit (Legal Genealogist)

• No kids, never had siblings, died with some cash (Genealogy Tip of the Day)

Technology/Apps

• Will we be able to meet with our ancestors in a living room holodeck? (Eastman's Online Genealogy)

• WolframAlpha's Geography Course assistant may be of some interest to genealogists, providing information on political boundaries, demographics, and economics. (Current, not historical)

Poetry

• What Stays  (Velveteen Rabbi)

For fans of Tolkein

• Middle-Earth Maven Creates Massive LoTR Family Tree (Wired)

Heartwarming story of the week

• Loyal dog spends six years at a master's grave

Other Weekly Lists

Randy Seaver's Best of the Genea-Blogs at Genea-Musings

Diane Haddad's Genealogy News Corral at Genealogy Insider

Julie Cahill Tarr's Friday Finds at GenBlog

Below is a list of upcoming holidays - religious and secular, national and international - for the next two weeks

Two Week Calendar
Sept 16 - International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
Sept 16 - Rosh HaShana (Jewish New Year) - Sept 16 (sunset) to Sept 18 (sunset)
Sept 19 - International Talk Like a Pirate Day
Sept 21 - International Day of Peace
Sept 22 - Mabon (NeoPagan celebration of the Autumnal Equinox)
Sept 22 - Hobbit Day
Sept 23 - Holocaust Memorial Day (Lithuania)
Sept 25 - Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) - Sept 25 (sunset) to Sept 26 (sunset)
Sept 26 - European Day of Languages
Sept 30 - International Translation Day

Second American Civil War Blog Challenge

For the Second American Civil War Blog Challenge, Bill West of West in New England asks us to write about our ancestors and the Civil War. I neglected to participate last year, but I do have an ancestor who fought in the Civil War, as does my wife.

In the past couple months for the Amanuensis Monday project I have transcribed several documents from the Civil War era.

• Louis C. Gober at the Gratiot Street Prison

My wife’s 3rd great grandfather fought as a Confederate, in a Missouri regiment, but turned himself in to officials in Cape Girardeau and spent some time in a St. Louis prison before being tried by court martial and released. I have not yet learned the details of the trial, nor do I know why he turned himself in. It's possible he had had second thoughts about the side he chose, though he doesn't appear to have enlisted on either side after his release.

• Henry Vidaver on Abraham Lincoln

The Rabbi of the synagogue where I worship, at the time of Lincoln’s death, gave a speech that was reprinted in several newspapers across the nation.

A couple years ago I transcribed some documents pertaining to my second great grandfather's service.

• Ebenezer Denyer at the Battle of Vicksburg

My 2nd great grandfather enlisted, on June 12, 1862, as a Confederate, in a Texas regiment. He was captured at the Battle of Vicksburg, and released. He rejoined his regiment.

I'm not aware of any Union soldiers in the ancestry of either myself, or my wife. My Vanevery ancestors were in Michigan at the time, but my second great grandfather, Samuel Van Every (1820-1888) may have decided he was too old to enlist. Or felt he had to support his many children. My great grandfather, Melvin Van Every, was born in 1863.

However, it appears his eldest brother, Nelson, enlisted on the side of the Union on Dec 21, 1863 (age 18) and served until July 18, 1865. [A Nelson Van Every of the correct age enlisted in the state of Michigan. I haven't yet confirmed that it is the same Nelson.]

While a great-great uncle isn't an ancestor, it's a sign my great-great grandfather may have been a Union-supporter. I'll take whatever sign I can get that at least one branch of my family on these shores chose the side of the Union.

Amanuensis Monday: A Grand Purim Ball

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

I began this project back on February 16, 2009.  Since I began, many others have joined in on the meme. I am thrilled that this meme I started has inspired so many to transcribe their family history documents. Why do we transcribe? I provide my three reasons in the linked post. You may find others.

***

Below I transcribe an article from the St. Louis Daily Globe Democrat from 1878. It briefly describes a ball that the United Hebrew Congregation held as a fundraiser, listing many of the attendees.

Happy Labo(u)r Day Weekend

In Canada and the U.S., Labo(u)r Day is Monday, Sept 3rd.  For all celebrating, some music and poetry to get you into the mood:

Happy Labo(u)r Day!

Evan Greer - Never Walk Across a Picket Line

Fellow Citizens - Carl Sandburg (1912) 

I DRANK musty ale at the Illinois Athletic Club with

the millionaire manufacturer of Green River butter

one night

And his face had the shining light of an old-time Quaker,

he spoke of a beautiful daughter, and I knew he had

a peace and a happiness up his sleeve somewhere.

Then I heard Jim Kirch make a speech to the Advertising

Association on the trade resources of South America.

And the way he lighted a three-for-a-nickel stogie and

cocked it at an angle regardless of the manners of

our best people,

I knew he had a clutch on a real happiness even though

some of the reporters on his newspaper say he is

the living double of Jack London's Sea Wolf.

In the mayor's office the mayor himself told me he was

happy though it is a hard job to satisfy all the office-

seekers and eat all the dinners he is asked to eat.

Down in Gilpin Place, near Hull House, was a man with

his jaw wrapped for a bad toothache,

And he had it all over the butter millionaire, Jim Kirch

and the mayor when it came to happiness.

He is a maker of accordions and guitars and not only

makes them from start to finish, but plays them

after he makes them.

And he had a guitar of mahogany with a walnut bottom

he offered for seven dollars and a half if I wanted it,

And another just like it, only smaller, for six dollars,

though he never mentioned the price till I asked him,

And he stated the price in a sorry way, as though the

music and the make of an instrument count for a

million times more than the price in money.

I thought he had a real soul and knew a lot about God.

There was light in his eyes of one who has conquered

sorrow in so far as sorrow is conquerable or worth

conquering.

Anyway he is the only Chicago citizen I was jealous of

that day.

He played a dance they play in some parts of Italy

when the harvest of grapes is over and the wine

presses are ready for work.

Billy Bragg - There is Power in a Union



A Pict Song - Rudyard Kipling (1917)

Rome never looks where she treads,
Always her heavy hooves fall,
On our stomachs, our hearts or our heads;
And Rome never heeds when we bawl.
Her sentries pass on—that is all,
And we gather behind them in hordes,
And plot to reconquer the Wall,
With only our tongues for our swords.

We are the Little Folk—we !
Too little to love or to hate.
Leave us alone and you'll see
How we can drag down the Great!
We are the worm in the wood !
We are the rot at the root!
We are the germ in the blood !
We are the thorn in the foot !

Mistletoe killing an oak—
Rats gnawing cables in two—
Moths making holes in a cloak—
How they must love what they do!
Yes,—and we Little Folk too,
We are as busy as they—
Working our works out of view—
Watch, and you'll see it some day!

No indeed ! We are not strong,
But we know Peoples that are.
Yes, and we'll guide them along,
To smash and destroy you in War!
We shall be slaves just the same ?
Yes, we have always been slaves;
But you—you will die of the shame,
And then we shall dance on your graves.

We are the Little Folk, we ! etc.

Dropkick Murphys - Worker's Song



I Hear America Singing - Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deck-hand singing on the steamboat deck,
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands,
The woodcutter's song, the ploughboy's on his way in the morn-ing, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.

Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie - Union Maid

Is Hillary Duff the Closest US Celeb to the Queen?

Many media sources have recently printed the following fact:

Hillary Duff is the closest US celebrity relative to the Queen. They share Edward III, the Queen's 18th great grandfather, as a common relative.

AZCentral and USA Today are two examples.  Both cite a study by FindMyPast.

I have a serious problem with this, because I have a difficult time imagining that every single US celebrity's genealogy was traced. But for that claim to be legitimately made, that's what would have had to be done. There are thousands of celebrities.

It's a perfect example of the Black Swan Fallacy.

Out of all the celebrity genealogies studied, Hillary Duff was most closely related, therefore she is the closest celebrity related to the queen. That is the logic being used, even though it doesn't sound as newsworthy reported in that manner.

How many genealogies were studied? That is information I have not been able to find in any news source.  (FindMyPast doesn't appear to have this in their list of press releases on their website.) There is a list of 20 'royal' celebrities mentioned, which means at least 20 were studied. But it could be any number equal to or greater than 20.

I thought to myself: Wouldn't it be funny if I could find a black swan? 

Could I find a celebrity that the study missed?  I didn't know how easy it would be, because it seems the study missed an entire category of US Celebrities.  Political Celebrities.

Celebrity is only defined as a famous or well-known person, that's why there are so many of them. Presidents are definitely celebrities, and I have a copy of Ancestors of American Presidents, written by Gary Boyd Roberts (2009 edition). There is a living US President who traces his ancestry back to Edward III as well, making them equal cousins with the Queen and Hillary Duff. James Earl Carter. (Therefore, his daughter Amy descends from Edward III as well, and some might consider her a celebrity.)

Franklin D. Roosevelt traced his ancestry back to James II of Scotland (The Queen's 14th great grandfather) and Truman to Robert III of Scotland (The Queen's 16th great grandfather) - unfortunately, none of their living descendants quite approach the name recognition for celebrity status.  Truman's daughter Margaret probably came the closest, though she passed away in 2008.

[Note: I used the sample Royal database that came with my iFamily genealogy software to calculate the Queen's relationship with James II and Robert III.]

Melvin L. Newmark (Aug 27, 1912 - Jan 22, 1992)

Today my paternal grandfather, Melvin L Newmark, would have celebrated his 100th birthday.


1. 1915 - Age 3.
2. 1924 Confirmation Class, B'Nai El Temple, St. Louis. Age 12. First Row, second from right.
3. June 1930 - Age 18 - possibly a job as a valet
4. December 1944 - Age 32 - with his younger brother, Mandell, on the island of Biak, just NW of New Guinea.
5. Possibly 1962, age 50. He served as Municipal Court Judge from 1962-1967.
6. August 1971 - age 59
7. 1975 - age 63 - with his wife,  Sissie.
8. abt 1990 - age 78 - in Palm Springs, California

Amanuensis Monday: Louis C Gober at the Gratiot Street Prison

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

I began this project back on February 16, 2009.  Since I began, many others have joined in on the meme. I am thrilled that this meme I started has inspired so many to transcribe their family history documents. Why do we transcribe? I provide my three reasons in the linked post. You may find others.

***
I learned on the Civil War St. Louis site, my wife's 3rd-great grandfather, Louis C. Gober (1830-1876), spent some time in the St. Louis Gratiot Street Prison "by order of the Provost Marshall General." I searched for his records at Fold3. (I have access to Fold3 through my local library card.)

Amanuensis Monday: Sheriff Gober and a Stolen Horse

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

I began this project back on February 16, 2009.  Since I began, many others have joined in on the meme. I am thrilled that this meme I started has inspired so many to transcribe their family history documents. Why do we transcribe? I provide my three reasons in the linked post. You may find others.

***
My wife's great grandfather, Louis Pleas Gober (1867-1948), was Sheriff of Scott County, Missouri in the early 1900s. ChroniclingAmerica has archives of several area newspapers from that time, and he appears often. A year ago I shared an article from the St. Louis Post Dispatch concerning a problem he had with some mules. Below is an article from the Jackson Herald -- January 31, 1907, page 1, above the fold.

Amanuensis Monday: Henry Vidaver on Abraham Lincoln

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

I began this project back on February 16, 2009.  Since I began, many others have joined in on the meme. I am thrilled that this meme I started has inspired so many to transcribe their family history documents. Why do we transcribe? I provide my three reasons in the linked post. You may find others.

***
In the past I have departed a few times from purely genealogically-related documents, and transcribe something of historical interest which doesn't mention any relatives. This is another such case.

Recently I volunteered to join my congregation's Historical Society, which is researching its history in preparation of our 175th anniversary year. Established in 1837, it is the oldest Jewish congregation West of the Mississippi. (St. Louis happens to be home to many things that are the oldest West of the Mississippi. There might be a geographical/historical reason for this.)

At my first meeting a few weeks ago I learned about an early Rabbi - Dr. Henry Vidaver, who delivered a sermon upon Lincoln's assassination that was widely reprinted.  Sections of the sermon appeared in some recently published histories, but I went in search online for some contemporary accounts, or at least something that was public domain.

I found the below in The Reform Advocate - America's Jewish Journal - Volume 37, Issue 1 - February 20, 1909 - pages 22, 27. (I only transcribe the introduction, and Vidaver's words. Follow the link to read from the sermons of others.)

Ancestry's New DNA test: A Jewish Perspective

This entry is not a religious perspective on the ethics of DNA testing.

This entry is a perspective on Ancestry.com's new DNA test from someone of European Jewish descent. This may apply to similar tests from other companies, but not having taken those tests, I am unable to say.

I believe Jews of mostly European descent will find the test less useful for them than for others. I found the results mostly useful for my 25% non-Jewish ancestry.

This is the test that determines one's DNA ethnicity breakdown. This of course can differ significantly from the breakdown of ethnicity of your ancestors in your genealogy database.  Each child receives 50% of their DNA from each parent, but it's a roll of the dice which 50% is passed on.

Theoretically, someone could have none of the DNA from one of their four grandparents.  For example, the 50% from your father might be just the DNA your paternal grandfather passed to him.This is unlikely, but it is also probably unlikely that one has exactly 25% of their DNA from each of their four grandparents. And it's even more unlikely that one has exactly 12.5% of their DNA from each of their eight great grandparents. As one goes further back on their genealogy chart, it becomes more likely that significant portions of your ancestors aren't represented in your DNA.

With that in mind, here are the results I received after submitting my saliva sample recently

From the perspective of my genealogy database, I am 75% Eastern European Jewish and 25% a mixture of European descent (Mostly British, German, and Dutch) and possibly some Native American.  So learning that my DNA is 70% Eastern European/European Jewish isn't much of a surprise.  However, I wasn't aware that that was all the DNA test was going to reveal about 3/4 of my ancestry. It certainly does reinforce the notion of Judaism as a Tribe, though it appears there is enough genetic variance to distinguish between European and non-Euopean ancestry. Looking at the charts of some other people, it appears those of Middle Eastern (Mizrahi) descent aren't 'religiously' tagged.

There are no Scandinavians in my family tree, but that's probably because I haven't gone back far enough.  My mother's Mitochondrial DNA test categorized my matrilineal line as Clan Ursula - which certainly has Scandinavian roots.

Ancestry does note:

Your genetic ethnicity reveals where your ancestors lived hundreds—perhaps even thousands—of years ago. This may update over time as new genetic signatures are discovered.

and

The rise of the Viking culture spread Scandinavian ancestry far throughout Europe. Their earliest coastal voyages took them to Scotland, northeastern England and established the settlement of Dublin, Ireland. As their power continued to grow, the Vikings spread farther afield, down the Volga River in Russia, to the coast of France and Spain.

So 17% of my DNA comes from some Scandinavian ancestors who migrated to either Britain, the Netherlands, or Germany. The 11% uncertain might contain what little Native American DNA I have, and perhaps some of the Alien DNA some of my friends suspect.

In their FAQ Ancestry explains:

Some people may have a percentage with ‘uncertain’ in their genetic ethnicity results. This means that small traces of a specific genetic population have been found in your DNA, but the probability levels were too low to pinpoint it to a specific ethnicity. This is not uncommon, and as more genetic signatures are discovered with a higher confidence level, we may be able to update this ‘uncertain’ percentage of your ethnicity over time.

This may mean that the 11% is a combination of different ethnicities, none of which are large enough to identify with certainty.

So the breakdown for me wasn't very helpful.  Others have had significantly different results. Judy Russell of The Legal Genealogist was very pleased with the specificity of her results.

Cousin Matches

One of the key selling points of the AncestryDNA test is that they will connect you with others who are potential matches.  And Ancestry provides a LOT of matches for me...

Unfortunately, there is a high number of false positives for those of European Jewish descent.

Despite their encouragement, at least for now, with the number of likely false-positives, it doesn't make much sense to me to contact the dozens of potential cousin matches.  Unless there is a shared surname in their online trees, which so far there hasn't been. (I am contacting the Scandinavian matches. There are less of them.)

I also understand that it may be complicated and science-y (is that a word?) - but I'd like to see the complicated, scientific explanation. It might confuse me, but I consider myself intelligent. I'd like Ancestry to include the scientific explanation on their website.

So...in summary:

• Those of mostly European Jewish descent may not find Ancestry's DNA test very useful due to the over-abundance of false-positive cousin matches, and the lack of specificity in ethnic origins. I am unsure if the results are similar on the tests provided by other companies. 

• I did find my results interesting, and I am in the process of contacting some potential cousins.

Copyright and FindMyPast (and The National Archives)

In the comments to one of my recent posts concerning research at FindMyPast I was notified that, as reported at The Legal Genealogist - FindMyPast had some restrictive language in their Terms Of Use requiring permission to be sought for the usage of any images from the site.

So I emailed the site for permission. This morning - at 5:30 am locally (11:30 in London) They responded positively:

Thank you for your email. 

We are happy for you to use images of search functions/search results and transcriptions providing findmypast.com is acknowledged as the source in each caption. 

[...] 

For images however it is often the case that the owner of copyright/database rights owner is not findmypast.com as most records are provided by external sources. For example the England and Wales census records. The underlying census records are Crown Copyright and so you would need permission from The National Archives to reproduce.

Many US citizens may get used to the tradition that government records are public domain - and not consider that our practices aren't the same in other countries.

So I visited The National Archives and read their Copyright terms

The material featured on this website is subject to Crown copyright protection and licensed for use under the Open Government Licence unless otherwise indicated.

The Open Government Licence is very similar to what Americans have come to expect with government documents.

• worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive licence to:
• copy, publish, distribute and transmit the Information;
• adapt the Information;
• exploit the Information commercially for example, by combining it with other Information, or by including it in your own product or application.

As long as you provide appropriate acknowledgment of the source. The appropriate acknowledgement procedure is rather detailed.

However - the Open Government Licence doesn't apply to the records downloaded from the National Archives site.  They 'indicate otherwise.' [And I suspected this was the same for the records on FindMyPast]

Digital Copies of Documents

The use of copies of records downloaded from our website using DocumentsOnline or Discovery is subject to the following conditions. Digital copies of documents may only be used for:

• private study or research for a non-commercial purpose

• education purposes; in the course of instruction or examination, or in preparation for instruction or examination (by either the giver or receiver of instruction). Copies may be used, and further copies of those copies may be made for this purpose.

Applications for permission for any other use should be addressed to the image library.

I fired off an email to the image library. My three posts this week are definitely at least partially of an educational purpose, but I will admit that isn't the sole purpose of those posts. They are also there to inform relatives of the information I have found. One might say I am educating my relatives, but that might be considered a stretch of that term. I figured I should request permission. I haven't yet heard back.

Time moves quickly on the Internet. At some point after responding to my email, The Legal Genealogist reported that FindMyPast changed their Terms today. Here's how the section on copyright now reads:

A large amount of time, money and effort has been expended to make these records and features available online. Many of these records and features have been obtained from other organizations and people. These people or organizations often own the intellectual property rights in the records (the copyright/database rights owner is displayed on most records) and website features. Accordingly, you may not use the records or features to create your own work (for example a database of records), copy or reproduce the records (either in whole or in part), or make available, share or publish them unless you have our permission (and/or that of the owner of the copyright/database rights in the work) in writing. You may however use screenshots of our website for blog postings, articles and presentations for informational and educational purposes. If you are a professional genealogist (as defined above) you may also use the records or features in preparing unpublished reports for clients. The website and services provided belong to brightsolid, and again, you must not copy or use them without our written permission. Therefore, you only have a limited license to access the website and to use the content for personal or professional family history research (including unpublished reports for clients if you are a professional genealogist).

It now allows the use of screenshots for informational or educational purposes, which would likely cover any of my typical blog posts. Still, I await The National Archives response to my request for permission this morning. Their permission might not be completely necessary anymore, but I will be happy to receive it.

Update


Response from The National Archives:

Thank you for your email. 

Our policy is that the reproduction of direct images of documents from The National Archives on an open non-commercial website in perpetuity costs a one-off fee of £40.00. This fee covers up the use of up to twenty images. The charge reflects the fact that open website use constitutes worldwide publication. 

However, we do appreciate that in some cases, the images are provided simply to facilitate research, as is the case here, and therefore the fee can be waived. The images you have used are small sections only, and do not represent a likely target for commercial exploitation, so I confirm that you have permission to use these images without charge.
These can be credited: 'The National Archives, published by permission'. (But not (c)..., as copyright is waived for publication). 

Should you wish to use full Census pages, the fee will be payable. In all cases we ask that the images are protected from download at high resolution. You can do this by watermarking, or by keeping the resolution to a level whereby the document is legible for information and research, but is not of sufficient quality for commercial publication.

In brief:

If you want to include on your blog sections of records downloaded from FindMyPast that originate from The National Archives, you should clarify with The National Archives that it is a small enough section, but they are likely to waive their fee.

If you want to include entire records, there is a fee, but you can pay a one-time fee, and if you find 20 images first, it's only 2 pounds per.

Finding My Past - Part Three: Hampshire Baptisms

Exploring FindMyPast with my new subscription, I decided to look up some Denyer baptisms. This is another instance where I have already conducted the research, but I wanted to see if FindMyPast had the same information.

Farlington Parish has transcriptions of their Baptism Records from 1654-2005 (with some gaps) online. I had already looked up the records for the eight children of my fourth great grandparents William and Jane (Goldfinch) Denyer.

Source: Farlington Parish Baptismal Records

(the only additional information on the full records are the given names of the parents.)


For the set between 1766 and 1812, Farlington Parish provides the following source information: Reproduced by kind permission of the Portsmouth Record Office. From a transcription of the original Register done by the Rev John Burrough Rector of Farlington Parish, in 1794. [This obviously references the entries from 1766-1794. The website displays a document written by Rev. Burrough and dated 1794 explaining that the original registers had been damaged due to dampness and the transcription was done to prevent loss of the information. The website doesn't indicate from where the information for the records 1794-1812 come, beyond the Portsmouth Record Office.]

At FindMyPast I conducted a search for all Denyers in the United Kingdom with the Optional Keyword 'Farlington' and specifically selected the Hampshire Baptisms record set.  There were only ten results.  The first two below may well be related in some fashion, but I haven't yet figured out how. The following eight match up with those found on Farlington's website.

Source: FindMyPast (used with permission)

At least all of the names, and six of the dates. John Henry was baptized in either 1795 or 1796, according to Farlington Parish or FindMyPast respectively. Charles was baptized in either 1802 or 1801, according to Farlington Parish or FindMyPast respectively.  The months and dates are identically transcribed.

Source: FindMyPast - (used with permission)

FindMyPast doesn't indicate where their transcribed records came from. I suspect if they transcribed from any original records themselves there would be images. Since all FindMyPast has is a transcription, my assumption is that they transcribed from a transcription - possibly the same transcription Farlington Parish transcribed from. But in both cases it's a transcription of a transcription. There is nothing in either to give greater credence.

However - in the case of John Henry - I suspect FindMyPast is more likely correct. It's very unlikely that John Henry was baptized in March of 1795 if my 3rd great grandfather, William, was baptized in July of 1795. (Especially since family records suggest William was born in November of 1794. Waiting several months between birth and baptism was common, but if William and John Henry were twins, they would likely have been baptized together.)

FindMyPast does appear to fall into the same trap that I've noticed elsewhere in referring to baptismal year as birth year in the transcription. They're not the same thing.

Another baptism I searched for is that of my fourth great grandfather, William - the father of the eight children above. Many family trees posted online indicate he was born in 1763, and his father was named Richard.

Source: FindMyPast - (used with permission)

However, the Hampshire Marriage Allegation for William Denyer and Jane Goldfinch asserts they were both 21 in 1791. It is very unlikely in my mind that this William Denyer was my fourth great grandfather.

FindMyPast was able to uncover a much more likelier answer. While some descendants might cringe at part of the transcription, I'm not bothered.

William (Fyfield or Denyer) - baptized in Headley Parish in December of 1771 - the illegitimate son of a William Denyer and Elizabeth Fyfield.

Source: FindMyPast - (used with permission)

All I have to support this theory is a baptismal date that comes within a year after the assumed birth year from the marriage allegation.  There might well be another William Denyer born at the right time whose baptismal record hasn't either survived or for some other reason doesn't appear in these databases. But for now I think these are the most likely candidates for my fifth great grandparents.

Update February 2013 - I have been contacted by one of the joint administrators of the Farlington Parish, and he has clarified that their transcriptions are from the original registers that are kept at the Portsmouth Record Office. He also mentioned that the transcription continues and more records continue to be added.

Finding My Past - Part Two: Census Records

Readers of Part One, where I looked at FindMyPast's marriage records, may have enlarged the image of the search results and noticed the check marks by the two view icons. This indicates that the transcription and the image had already been viewed.  I didn't take screen captures as I was conducting the research, I went back later and repeated my steps.

These check marks are a nice addition, letting the researcher know: You've already been here. 

Source: FindMyPast (used with permission)

Instead of repeating my original research steps exactly, I'm going to go another route to the same records.

First, I am going to click "Search" on the opening screen without entering any data whatsoever:

Source: FindMyPast (used with permission)

This takes me to a screen with 1,232,970,358 results. I guess that's the number of records they currently have. I will then narrow down the results dramatically by entering a last name, specifying the United Kingdom, and using the Optional Keyword "Tailor".  There are 15 results, and I show the first four below.

I'm unsure who Harry Newmark is. There are several Newmark families in England and the US. From discussions on Surname message boards, it seems many of them trace their roots to a similar geographical area. Whether there is a common ancestor might only be determinable through Y-Surname DNA.

Source: FindMyPast (used with permission)

Barnet is my great grandfather, Solomon his brother, and Samuel their father. There is one tailor in their household, however, who appears on the 1901 census, but doesn't appear in these search results. Unless one searches for "Tailor*" or "Tailoress". My great grandfather's sister, Nelly.

Source: FindMyPast (used with permission)

I was actually unaware that Nelly was listed on the census as a Tailoress.  I originally viewed the 1901 English Census back in April of 2007. (I know this because of the date on the image file I downloaded.) This tells me that there is a 99% probability I downloaded it from Ancestry.com. That said, I clearly wasn't looking at documents very carefully back then.

Database Source: The National Archives (published by permission)

Despite the X marks (and I am unsure why they are there) the professions for Solomon, Barnet, and Nelly are quite clear.

This page of census results only lists the children of the household. Obviously, the parents were at the bottom of the preceding page. There seems to be no way to move back or forward a page in the census results.  However, I can return to the transcription.

Source: FindMyPast (used with permission)

And at the top of the "Other Household Members" are the parents, and I can select the view options from there.  (You might notice that on the transcription page, previously viewed transcriptions or images aren't checked off like they are on the search results page.)

I like how FindMyPast appears to transcribe every or almost every possible field on the record. This allows one to search on those fields using the "optional keyword," and helps the novice researcher not overlook some fields on the image.

One might complain that even though one can find other family members on the transcription, not being able to move back and forth on the pages prevents you from looking up neighbors. Not so. The Registration District and Street Name appear in the transcription.

Using the Optional Keywords: Marylebone "Wells Street" - and narrowing the results to the 1901 census, produces 462 results - likely everyone recorded on Wells Street in the 1901 census.

Source: FindMyPast (used with permission)

Another feature I like is their "Research Profile". This can be selected from the home page, or any transcription or image page:

Source: FindMyPast (used with permission)

It provides you a list of every single entry you have looked at, and whether you have viewed the image, transcription, or both. 

Source: FindMyPast (used with permission)

It also provides you with the # of credits it would cost if you were purchasing the documents "As you Go" instead of using a monthly or annual package.  Currently you can buy 100 credits for $13.95, and you have 90 days to spend them.  This will help a lot in a year when I have to decide if I wish to renew, and what package to choose.

So far I have 'spent' 95 credits, and I have focused mostly on my Newmark relatives. I've viewed one Goldfinch record, no Denyers, and none of my wife's British surnames. There's a lot of fun research ahead for me.

Finding My Past - Part One: England and Wales Marriages

FindMyPast - the British genealogy website, is expanding to America.

They currently have a deeply discounted World Subscription rate, and since my Ancestry subscription is US-only, I decided to give it a try. My first search involved the brother of my great grandfather, Sol Newmark. I knew he had gotten married in London.  I actually already have a copy of his marriage certificate, but I was curious what FindMyPast would turn up.

1) On the opening screen I entered his name under Who. I selected 'name variants' for the given name, but not the surname.

Source: FindMyPast (used with permission)

[Note: any image in this entry can be clicked upon to make larger]

2) These were the the first two results:

Source: FindMyPast (used with permission)

The first result was his marriage. And there were two spouses listed - one of them completely unfamiliar to me. My initial assumption was that either

A) Something no one told me about happened
B) What we have here is a page of a document with multiple marriages and the FindMyPast transcribers were unable to differentiate the marriages for some reason, so they include all of the surnames.

So I viewed the transcription (There are two icons in green next to the word "View" - a camera, and a piece of paper. The piece of paper is the transcription.) I also conducted a search on both spouses, and the additional groom who turned up, pretty much confirming hypothesis B. Here are the four transcriptions:

Source: FindMyPast (used with permission)

If you enlarge the images, you will notice that all four indicate a Page # of 110.  They all have the same "Image Quarter" (3). I was unable to fit the entire transcription in the images, but there is also a row that indicates they all have identical Volume #s (1C)  All other rows with data in them are in the images above.


I decided I wanted to view the image of Page 110. So from Solomon's transcription I clicked on the View Image button.

Database Source: The National Archives (published by permission)

Above I show the top of the page, so you can see the header, and the bottom of the page where Solomon's entry was located (in the middle column).  You can see that isn't page 110.  The images for Sarah Nathan, Eva Belosky, and Morris Rudowsky are all on different pages.


It's clear why the transcribers didn't know which spouse was which.  They entered the volume and page number for each person, and then saw who matched up. I believe '3rd Quarter' represents the months of the year - since each year appears to have been divided into 3-month segments. The image doesn't really contain any information that isn't on the transcription.

This is all supposition. I could probably do some research on the England and Wales Marriages (1837-2008) database  - but this information isn't on the FindMyPast website that I could tell. I'd have to find it on a different website with the same database. They also provide no information on how to take this information and order the actual certificate - which would be nice.

As Randy at Genea-Musings noted there isn't enough information for a proper citation. If I don't care about the academic quality of the citation (which in general I don't) I have enough information to suffice for my own needs.


FindMyPast does have an article in their "Learn More" section on the importance of citations.

Source: FindMyPast (used with permission)

In Part Two I will look at the Census results, as well as a couple other FindMyPast features. (Some of which I am quite fond.)

Note: As Randy points out in the comments, FreeBMD does have the information about these records that FindMyPast doesn't.  I'm unsure where I retrieved the Volume and Page # for my great great uncle back in 2007 (no source notes were written down in my database), but wherever it was, they didn't provide me with multiple spouses.  They probably just provided me with the volume and page number for Solomon, which was enough for me to order the certificate from the General Register Office. While the multiple spouses listed might not confuse British researchers, now that they are trying to attract American researchers, it would likely behoove them to provide a little bit of explanation.

Further Note: Here's the Certificate ordering information that FindMyPast provides on their British website.  They haven't yet moved it over to their American site.