UpFront with NGS

14 August 2014

Please, Please, Please treat cemeteries and tombstones with respect!

A resource for Gravestone Preservation

Unfortunately, the news tells us the tale of a person wanting to do good and instead doing incredible harm. This is a common tale. We are all ignorant of much! It’s important, especially when there is a chance of harm, to do our homework, and then proceed with care and respect.

Michael J Leclerc’s blog post Danger in the Graveyard talks about the original tragic story involving a Tennessee cemetery and then discusses all the techniques NOT to be used on tombstones to make them more legible! Basically, anything beyond water (or under the guidance of an expert on Graveyard preservation) is a NO NO!

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has a useful Cemetery Preservation page with links to some helpful resources. It starts out by saying “There are no state laws that describe the techniques for preservation of cemeteries and gravestones, but there are best practices and standards to meet to assure that you are preserving the site in a way that will not eventually lead to damage.” This is true for many states.

Another element of this story is that this individual did NOT have the permission of the church to which the cemetery belonged to with regards to taking photos. The Legal Genealogist (Judy G Russell) has a great post Cemetery photos: permission required? where she discusses this topic in great depth. Also, do read all the comments posted, there is a lot of neat dialog and information to be found. I found that NC has many statutes that protect cemeteries as summarized on this North Carolina Office of State Archaeology page The North Caroline Cemetery Survey and Protective Legislation. You might find similar statutes in your own state.

The perpetrators intent was to upload the images to Find a Grave. Judy has another post Grave terms of use where she talks in detail about Find A Grave and BillionGraves, as two examples of crowdsourcing for tombstones and other death information.

We cannot know it all! There is no question about that! A great benefit of the “web” is that we can educate ourselves before we take on any project. Sometimes that education is that what we want to accomplish is something we are NOT qualified to do or for which we don’t have the tools. Rather than put a tombstone, building, landmark, etc., at risk – just STOP. As we enjoy and cherish historical objects and sites, we want future generations to be able to share in the same experience.

It’s not like you would dive into doing electrical work without some training or under the supervision of an experienced professional. Why would you think you know how to properly handle a historic tombstone?

Please do continue to have a passion for documenting tombstones for posterity. We know that the elements and time will and have already taken a toll and that our efforts will help future generations see images and content from tombstones which may no longer exist. And, let’s try to not to hasten the deterioration of these edifices honoring our ancestors in our enthusiasm. Let’s do our homework on what is the proper and respectful care that the contents of cemeteries and graveyards deserve.

Editor’s Note: Upfront with NGS posts on related topics:

· Cemeteries + Photos -- When Do You Need Permission!

· How to read the unreadable Gravestone Headstone Tombstone Grave Marker Cemetery Stone, guest post by Anthony Bengston

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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13 August 2014

Even now records are at risk to be lost ... Fires, flooding, theft, etc., are NOT just something that happened to our ancestors!

Recent events remind us that fires and floods and theft are not just the purview of when our ancestors lived, they are events that happen every day. Every time they happen, a bit of history can be lost or in these cases, a lot of history!

Burglars steal 100 years of historical records

Late July 14/early July 15, burglars broke into the church through a window, and then broke into a locked office. There, across from Chaska’s City Square Park, they lugged out a 3-foot by 3-foot metal safe. The safe held about four ledgers recording births, weddings and deaths, as well as an index... All the pivotal moments in the life of a Moravian parishioner, from about 1920 all the way to a baptism recorded within the last two weeks, were in the books, Eder said. The earliest records of the Chaska church, founded in 1858, have been shipped to the church’s headquarters in Bethlehem, Penn., he said.

Cause undetermined for fire that destroyed Hancock County Courthouse

In 1885, the Hancock County Courthouse was two years old when an all-white jury upheld the wishes of David Dickson, a wealthy planter who had left much of his estate to his illegitimate daughter born of a slave mother... Investigators called the building a total loss. It housed the county commissioners’ office, Probate Court, Superior Court and the elections office... Foster said clerks of the Probate and Superior courts used walk-in vaults to store many important documents, like deeds and birth certificates. Doors to the vaults typically are closed at the end of the work day, he said... Joslyn said many court records were microfilmed in the 1950s. Although the microfilm can be tough to read at times, the film is stored at the state archives.

Though I often comment to my clients that “real life” can take precedence over our research into our ancestors as the long-deceased are just that and their records will continue to be available into the future. Events such as these serve as a reminder that my assertion might not be completely true. Fortunately, even our modern court houses and churches do not hold ALL the records created during the lives of our ancestors. We just have to be a bit more creative in what types of records we research.

That said, it behooves us to do what we can to “preserve” records important to future genealogists and family historians.

Please do what you can to help ensure that your local records remain safe. Make sure they at least get transcribed by a person or society, or better yet, possibly provide financial support so they are microfilmed.

What have you or your society done recently to ensure that local records will remain available to future family historians?

Do you know of a situation where all was not lost in a fire, flood, theft, etc., due to steps having been taken to ensure that at least the content (if not the physical records themselves) of records was preserved?

Editor’s Note: Previous Upfront with NGS posts on related topics:

· Disaster Preparedness for Genealogists -- Are you Prepared?

· Disasters and Genealogy -- our ancestors were greatly affected by natural events, like "Sandy," also!

· “I’m Sorry, Those Records Were Lost” – California Genealogical Society Publication Gives Researchers New Hope

· The Dayton (OH) Flood -- one example of a devastating natural disaster -- part of a collection of then and now images from natural disasters

· FREE Video Series -- Caring and Preserving Family Papers, Photographs and More

P.S. If you happen to know if the safe was recovered or if there is any knowledge on what survived (or didn't) the courthouse fire, please post a comment to let us know.

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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11 August 2014

Who do you resemble? Are you a doppleganger for someone in your family or has the visual connection remained elusive?

Who do you resemble in your family tree? Anyone, no one, sometimes one person and then seemingly at other times another person?

I have often been told that I look somewhat like my dad while my sisters look more like my mom. I never thought of my husband as resembling his father until a picture taken many years ago, in quasi-profile, of my husband, his father, and his paternal grandmother was taken. You couldn’t miss the resemblance, yet, when you talk with them, it just didn’t jump out at you. At times in his life, my son has resembled my sister and my brother-in-law! Two different sides of his family tree. As my nephew grows older, where he once strongly resembled his father, he more and more resembles my sister, his mother. My aunt as a young woman looked like my grandmother (her mother) when she was a young woman, though, when older, neither looked like the other?

Rambling on this came about after I read Who do you look like? DNA and family resemblance across generations.

Resemblance is the basis of our perception of race and ethnicity. It is also a favourite topic of conversation at family gatherings – proclaimed where it is strikingly apparent, or perhaps whispered where it is lacking. Families generally like it when their male biological offspring look like their fathers and females look like their mothers, perhaps with the odd feature thrown in to mark the other half’s creative stamp (“He’s the spitting image of you, but he’s got my eyes”). Some may start life looking like one parent, then ‘morph’ into the other as they get older. Certain facial features may perpetuate for generations, or, fascinatingly, even skip generations. What family historian hasn’t felt a thrill when they unearth an old photograph of a long forgotten ancestor with a distinct family resemblance? DNA never forgets.

Do look at all the examples. What do you think of the seemingly unrelated doppelgangers at the end?

Are there strong "family" resemblances in your family? Have who people resembled morphed through time in your family tree?

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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08 August 2014

Upfront Mini Bytes – RootsMapper, PA Cemetery Photos, Obituary Research, Irish Research, London Maps, Ship Routes, Audio Video and non-textual collection at NARA, and UK Coalmining

Welcome to our newest edition of our periodic feature Upfront Mini Bytes. In Upfront Mini Bytes we provide eight tasty bits of genealogy news that will help give you a deeper byte into your family history research. Each item is short and sweet. We encourage you to check out the links to articles, blog posts, resources, and anything genealogical!

We hope you found the past editions helpful. Use your favorite search engine with “Upfront with NGS” “Mini Bytes” or use this Google search link.

Do you have questions, suggestions for future posts, or comments? Please post a comment or send an e-mail to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org.

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If you have your family information stored on FamilySearch, check out the RootsMapper.com capabilities. Jana’s Genealogy and Family History Blog, Tech Tuesday: Rootsmapper.com ~ Ya, this is pretty cool!, gives a great overview on how to use this tool.

This project, FamilyHart’s Harry Senft Cemetery Pictures makes me wish that I had ancestors in York, Adams or Cumberland County PA! Starting in 2005 Harry Senft has been taking pictures of headstones in the mentioned counties (as well as Carroll County MD). They are initially placed online in their raw picture form. As indexed, those indices are placed online. You can also access custom Google maps for each cemetery location. A gem of a resource!

I couldn’t agree more ... 30 Reasons Why Searching for Obituaries is Like Finding Gold. So often, once a researcher has a death certificate or knows in what cemetery someone is buried, they stop looking for more. It is almost always worth looking for an obituary for a deceased ancestor. For some, in the absence of a tombstone or death certificate, it might be the only source of death information never mind the “gold” mentioned by Kenneth R Marks in his post.

DigDat Genealogy lets us check out the residents of Cork City (Ireland) in 1875. The site also has lists for Officers in Regiments of Militia in Ireland from: 1811 Directory of Ireland.

It wouldn’t be an Upfront Mini Bytes post if we didn’t have a map item! The National Library of Scotland has a collection of Ordnance Survey Maps for London (1893-1896).

Why stop at one map item when we can have two. As someone with 19^th century emigrant ancestors, I found Visualization of 19^th Century Ship Routes from Publicly Available NOAA Data Set just fascinating to look at. The article also includes a link to American Whaling Mapped. One of the comments posted had a link to Climatological Database for the World’s Oceans, 1750-1850, British, Dutch, French and Spanish logged sailings (the actual database can be accessed here). Put these two together and you have a sense of the weather for any given route through time. With more research like this, pretty soon we might be able to smell the salt air as our ancestors did.

Fess up. Are you like me and mostly think of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) as a great source for “paper” records and maps? There is so much more held by NARA. I was reminded of this when I came across The Unwritten Record: Exploring History with the National Archives’ Special Media Division which publishes about film, photographs, videos, sound recordings, and other non-textual records from the National Archives’ holdings. What initially caught my eye were the Declassified Motion Pictures and Sound Recordings reports. Thank goodness that none of this content is available digitally or I would never get any work done.

This database caught my eye since I did have a branch of my family who worked in the mines of Lancashire in the early 1800s. The Coalmining History Resource Centre has a database of over 164,000 records of coalmining accidents and deaths in the UK. Additionally, there is information about disasters (during which 5 or more miners died) as well as reports covering 1707-1979 and providing details on each disaster. Fortunately my miner died of old age and not all did.

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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07 August 2014

FREE Visualization Tool for American Revolution Sites, Events, and Troop

I happened to be doing some Revolutionary War research yesterday and I had a need to determine two things for a particular conflict – where did it occur and what troops were involved and where had they moved from. Let’s be honest here, I am not a person who get’s enthralled with seeing light bulbs on a map showing troop movements (so often seen at the visitors centers at battlefield locations) nor did I ever play with battle figurines as a child. My needs were to try and prove that a particular person serving in the militia served in a unit which may have crossed the NC/SC state line.

In the course of my searching (initially for a particular creek somewhere near the NC/SC border), I came across American Revolution Sites, Events and Troop Movements (13922 total) created by EleHistory Research. Using this visualizing of history, you can, for example, see what units are positioned where on any given date and using color-coded lines you can see the “movement” of the troops from point A to point B. This showed me what I needed to see for October 1780 (pictured above).

Additionally, you can see select “Sites” such as forts, courthouses, plantations, gristmills, hospitals and much more overlaid.

You can also see a snapshot of what is of interest to you by selecting any of these to examine: Events, Troops, or Time. All of this information is overlaid on Google maps.

The site describes itself via ...

An interactive map that plots significant places and actions during the American Revolution. The map is an ongoing project to encapsulate interrelated sites, commanders, military units, troop movements, weather conditions, and source documentation into one coherent user interface. Sites include forts, batteries, courthouses, hospitals, churches, schools, plantations, grist mills, iron furnaces, forges, fords, ferries, bridges, inns, ordinaries, taverns, landmarks, camps, battles, skirmishes, sieges, cemeteries, and graves. Each site is plotted only if it existed during the specified time period. Troop movements can be plotted on a daily basis. The map is particularly effective in showing simultaneous historical events.

Once again I have stumbled across a really neat tool. If you are doing any revolutionary war research, it might help you visualize where an ancestor who served was located on any given day. Before using this tool, do recognize that you will need to have identified under which commander your person served, though some militia units are shown, such as the Onslow (NC) Militia located in Wilmington (NC) on 1776-03-30.

Didn't see what you hoped? It's a work in progress. Check back again in the future and just maybe a battle your ancestor fought in will be included.

Let us know what you discover!

Editor’s Note: You might also visit the EleHistory main page for a collection of History Reports and Published Articles. Most of these are about the American Revolution.

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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06 August 2014

A chart to help you determine if you can use an image

Images are an important part of our genealogical life. Whether we write a blog, are producing a family history, posting on Facebook, sharing on Ancestry.com, etc, images are often involved. The key is to know which images you can use.

Lifehacker has published a graphic Can I Use that Picture? The Terms, Laws, and Ethics for Using Copyrighted Images (a small version is reproduced above) created by The Visual Communication Guy. Do read his short introductory blurb on this page where he states “The reality is, though, as long as you become familiar with four terms–copyright, fair use, creative commons, and public domain–you’ll have a pretty good idea what you can and can’t do with images.”

This graphic has been making the rounds on various genealogy and family history Facebook (FB) pages.

Additionally, do read the comments, the genealogy community’s own Thomas MacEntee posted clarifications on a couple of issues and others have posted similarly informative responses as well.

While you are visiting the website, check out what else he has such as The Seven Deadly Sins of Punctation. After all many of the pictures we use are to accompany text we’ve written!

Did you find other neat gems on his website?

Editor's Note: A reader suggests that you consult this chart When U.S. Works Pass into the Public Domain. Note that this chart only refers to U.S. works. Copyright law is unique to each country of publication. [added 7 August 2014]

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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Want to learn more about interacting with the blog, please read Hyperlinks, Subscribing and Comments -- How to Interact with Upfront with NGS Blog posts!

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04 August 2014

Forget-Me-Not Hour radio program interviews 2014 NGS Award of Merit recipients -- Italian Genealogy Group and German Genealogy Group NY Indexing Projects

In Richmond after the award: John Martino, IGG on the left and Don Eckerle, GGG on the right. The people in the background are all members of the either the German Genealogy Group or the Italian Genealogy Group and have been volunteers on the various projects. Left to right back row: Susan Murphy, Margaret DeAcetis, Joan Koster Morales, Terry Koch-Bostic, Randi Patrick, Marie Scalisi.

Don Eckerle of the German Genealogy Group (GGG) and John Martino of the Italian Genealogy Group (IGG) will join host Jane E. Wilcox on the Forget-Me-Not Hour radio show on Wednesday, 6 August at 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

Don and John will talk about the mammoth indexing projects their groups took on when they decided to tackle Long Island records and then New York City vital records and then NARA NYC records and then some more. Don and John will discuss what records they have done, what records they intend to do, and what the differences in their groups' databases are. They will also tell us how they manage their indexing projects with more than 2,000 volunteers. They'll share interesting stories from their indexing and tell us about unusual records or people that they came across in the records.

Listen live or on demand at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/janeewilcox/2014/08/06/italian-genealogy-group-and-german-genealogy-group-ny-indexing-projects

In May 2014 at the National Genealogical Society's annual family history conference held in Richmond, Virginia, Don, John and their GGG partner Bob Boeckle received the National Genealogical Society's Award of Merit in recognition of exceptional contributions to the field of genealogy.

For more information about both projects, visit their respective webpages: http://www.germangenealogygroup.com/ and http://www.italiangen.org/

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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01 August 2014

Introducing Gaenovium, the Genealogy Technology Conference

Below is a slightly modified version of a press release regarding a new genealogy-related conference taking place 7^th October 2014 in historic Leiden, Netherlands.

New Gaenovium genealogy-technology conference is different in every important way.

Quick Summary

New conference is not big & overwhelming, but small & intimate. Independent organisation. Not national, but international. Not in the USA, but in Europe. Not for genealogy technology users, but the technology creators. Conference fee includes all-attendee dinner.

Background

Genealogy without technology has become unthinkable. Nowadays, every genealogy conference has presentations that use or mention technology used by genealogists, but until now, even the most technology-oriented genealogy conferences were squarely aimed at the users of that technology.

Gaenovium

Gaenovium is a new kind of genealogy-related conference conceived and created by genealogy technologists Bob Coret & Tamura Jones, and it's different in every important way.

Technologists

Gaenovium is not another conference for genealogy technology users, but a new conference for the technology creators. The Gaenovium conference is an event organised exclusively for academics, developers and visionaries at the forefront of genealogy technology.

International

Gaenovium is an international event, where genealogy technologists from around the world get together. Gaenovium 2014, the inaugural Gaenovium conference, features in-depth geneatechnology presentations by domain experts from Canada, Germany, Ireland, and the

Netherlands

. Gaenovium 2014 takes place in Europe, and is sponsored by two leading genealogy technology companies from two other continents.

Location

Gaenovium does not take place just anywhere in Europe. Gaenovium takes place in Leiden, an ancient Dutch city that is not only rich in history, historical buildings and fascinating museums of international renown, but also known to genealogist world-wide as the city of the Pilgrim Fathers.

Date & Pricing

Gaenovium 2014 takes place on Tuesday 7 October 2014. The modest registration fee of € 45 includes coffee, lunch and a closing dinner with all speakers and attendees.

Sign up

The venue for Gaenovium 2014 is a historic building, and attendance is limited to the capacity of the main room. Registering for Gaenovium 2014 is similar to registering for a Beta programme; you sign up to receive an invitation.

Sponsors

Gaenovium 2014 is sponsored by MyHeritage Ltd and RootsMagic Inc.

Keep Informed

Follow @gaenovium on twitter, Facebook, and via the Gaenovium blog

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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Want to learn more about interacting with the blog, please read Hyperlinks, Subscribing and Comments -- How to Interact with Upfront with NGS Blog posts!

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