UpFront with NGS: July 2017

27 July 2017

NGSQ Archives Complete!

NGSQ Archives Complete!

What a milestone and great members-only benefit!

FULL access to National Genealogical Society Quarterly via its online archives.

The members' section of the NGS website now includes ALL issues beginning with Volume 1 (published in 1912) up to the present. Via this page you can browse individual issues.

Not sure how to get started exploring this wonderful archive? Use the NGSQ Index Search feature! You can put in any term that might appear in a title, or enter the name of a favorite author.

Find a neat NGSQ article that you must have in print? Contact [email protected] to check if it is available. Cost is $12 members/$15 non-members which includes shipping.

What is your favorite NGSQ article? Don’t have just one? Share a few of your favorites with us!

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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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Republication of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission to [email protected]. All republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to [email protected]

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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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26 July 2017

Disinterment & Reinterment Permits – Yes, Buried individuals do Sometimes Get Moved (and Legally)!

Disinterment & Reinterment Permits – Yes, Buried Individuals do Sometimes Get Moved (and Legally)!

Sometimes buried individuals get moved. Sometimes a loved one decides on an alternate location. Sometimes a lake, highway, or other forms of new construction take place, and buried individuals are forced to be moved. Sometimes an individual died during a military conflict, was buried in one place and then re-buried in another (see WWI Casualty Records: The WWI Individual Deceased Personnel File (WWI I.D.P.F.) for more information on the latter.)

So, if someone is not buried where expected based on what’s stated on their death certificate, in an obituary, in funeral home records, etc., consider if they might have been disinterred and reinterred elsewhere.

Typically, when doing this legally, permits are required. My mind started wandering down this path when I reread “Disinterment/Reinterment Permits: One Source Available through the State Archive for Locating a Grave.”

A previous post, Jewish Tombstones Repurposed and Now Rediscovered -- Let's Talk Cemetery Relocations (2014) also includes discussion of reasons why cemeteries are sometimes relocated, including those by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

As usual, this got me curious what states (or authorities) have created digital archives of the permits associated with disinterring/reinterring those bodies already buried. There is a lot of information about the rules and regulations and the paperwork required!

With some searching, I discovered the following additional digital archives:

· Pierce County McNeil Island [WA] Disinterment Permits Issued April 1938

· Oregon Chinese Disinterment Documents

· Townships of Ingham County Michigan, Burial Permits, Burial Transit Permits, Disinterment and Re-interment Permits Index 1873-2008

That was all I could find. I wasn’t exhaustive and clearly though, not much is currently available online.

There are clearly many on-the-ground accessible archives for these records and little that appears to be available online. Even a search on collections which are part of the FamilySearch online platform returned “no collections found” when I searched on disinterment! Archivegrid gave me 35 entries when I searched for the term.

Has a collection of Disinterment, Reinterment, Burial Permits or related been digitized for your locale?

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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 [email protected]

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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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25 July 2017

Smithsonian – Artistic Expression in the First World War; Breathtaking & Moving Exhibit of Art by Those Who Lived the Experience

Smithsonian – Artistic Expression in the First World War

Breathtaking & Moving Exhibit of Art by Those Who Lived the Experience

This past weekend I was in the DC area and caught the new movie Dunkirk at the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater at the Air and Space Museum. The first person perspectives on the realities of war were compelling and left us chatting about how we didn’t know about this and that and so forth.

After the movie ended though, we had only a couple of hours before the museum closed. So, we cut our chat short (to be resumed later) and since we hadn’t visited this particular museum since about 2000, we visited some newer exhibits. One of these is titled “Artist Soldiers – Artistic Expression in the First World War.” (runs through 11 November 2018)

It is an incredibly moving exhibit. You can catch a glimpse of it via a short video on the exhibit page (see link above -- NOT in the image and in the previous paragraph) and learn much more about the artists/soldiers and their artistry.

Since we didn’t have enough time to visit the entire exhibit, I know that we’ll go back again.

Within a few minutes of entering, I learned about the Underground Cities that were created. I had no idea. I’ve always understood about trench warfare, poison gas, air battles, and more and had never even heard that there had been underground cities. Via a short video (Smithsonian Channel) more about these cities via Jeff Gusky (whose photos are found in the mentioned exhibit) is learned.

Both of these experiences were so visceral in their impact. Though I hope to never personally know what a World War feels like, I do have a better appreciation of the experience of those who served in WWI via both the movie and art exhibit I recently experienced.

What WWI commemorative exhibit or activity has really struck a chord with you?

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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 [email protected]

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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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24 July 2017

Unclaimed Persons – every life is worth remembering

Unclaimed Persons – every life is worth remembering

The tagline says it all. Every life IS worth remembering.

We first talked about Unclaimed Persons back in 2013 in an article bearing the same title “Unclaimed Persons -- every life is worth remembering.”

The website has a new look and its continued mission is just as important as it has always been. “As of June 5, 2017, we have solved 471 cases! Our current solve rate is 70% and we have worked with 55 different county offices to help locate next of kin for unclaimed persons.” On Facebook? Unclaimed persons has a page.

So many more have not yet been solved. The NamUs (National Missing and Unidentified Persons System) UnClaimed Persons database, funded through a grant from the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, lists Unclaimed persons. Currently, the website lists 3925 cases! NamUs also has a Missing Persons Database and an Unidentified Persons Database.

As genealogists, we can assist with helping identify next of kin for any deceased person who is unclaimed and possibly help with those who are deceased and remain unidentified.

Much of our family history research is done to honor our ancestors. Connecting next of kin with unclaimed deceased individuals helps those families reconnect with a lost loved one.

What similar identification support services for unclaimed persons are you aware of?

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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 [email protected]

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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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19 July 2017

Founders Online – nitty gritty records of their lives might help document your 18th and early 19th century ancestors!

Founders Online – nitty gritty records of their lives might help document your 18th and early 19th century ancestors!

Recently, I keep finding myself looking at some document in the Founders Online website which then led me to The George Washington Financial Papers Project and I also visited the George Washington Papers (Library of Congress) all of which have digitized documents online. Guess what, all of our nation’s founders ran households (or households were run for them) and many of those records survive. Guess what, these men transacted business with locals just like everyone else. You may find through research that your ancestors were some of whom these individuals did business with and so are listed in their extant ledgers. The ledger I checked out included a name index in the front and depending which website you consult, you can search across the content that is digitized.

In researching some Virginia families I kept finding nuggets in the financial papers of George Washington. I’m sure the same is true for the other Founders.

Don’t assume that just because your ancestors may not have socialized with these gentlemen that they did not conduct business with them or their households.

Did your ancestors do business with a Founding Father?

How did your ancestors interact with the Founding Fathers?

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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 [email protected]

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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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18 July 2017

Union County Iowa Fair Accepting Genealogy & History Department Submissions!

Union County Iowa Fair Accepting Genealogy & History Department Submissions!

I love this!

Summer is a slow time for genealogy news and so I was just searching around on genealogy + news + July + 2017 (sometimes news just doesn’t fall into my lap!) and I came across a blurb about Union County (IA) and its upcoming fair and that genealogy & history submissions were being accepted.

I had no idea that county fairs included such. Of course, I live some place where we have a state fair and no local

I accessed the Fair book online (check out pages 29-32) and the divisions included are (1) Records & Legal Documents, (2) Books & Stories, (3) Charts & Maps, (4) Single Pictures, (5) Pictures in Display with Related Items, (6) Heirlooms & Artifacts, (7) Funeral & Cemetery, (8) Historical, (9) Research, and there is also a (10) Junior (Ages 16 and under) division. Additionally, two beginning genealogy workshops and a children’s coloring contest are held!

Sounds like such a fun event and what a great way to show pride in your ancestors and share such with the community.

Of course, I had to see if there are other fairs that include genealogy materials! And, yes, there are. Here is a smattering of the few I discovered:

(1) Monterey County Fair (CA)

(2) York County Fair (NE)

(3) David County Fair (IA)

(4) LaPorte County Fair (IN)

(5) Decatur County Fair (IN)

What other county or state fairs showcase genealogy and/or history-related submissions?

Have you shared your “ancestors” to county fair attendees?

Editor’s Note: I learned about the fair via Wanting genealogy exhibits at county fair (Creston News Advertiser)

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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 [email protected]

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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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17 July 2017

2017 Donald Mosher Award for Colonial Virginia Research Applications Sought by BCG

2017 Donald Mosher Award for Colonial Virginia Research Applications Sought by BCG

From our friends at the Board for Certification for Genealogists (BCG) …

The $500 Donald Mosher Award for Colonial Virginia is offered annually by the BCG Education Fund for current research in any of three categories:

- Three-generation Family genealogies beginning with a 17th- or 18th-century Virginia family.
- Studies of immigrant origins focusing on a 17th- or 18th-century Virginia immigrant whose pre-Virginia origins have not been previously documented.
- Projects that make accessible obscure or difficult, previously unpublished 17th- or 18th-century Virginia source material.

Award applications are accepted for projects published in 2017 or intended for future publication. Applications must be submitted by 31 December to [email protected].

A more complete description and directions for applications is at:

http://www.bcgcertification.org/educationfund/MosherCall.pdf

A list of previous Mosher Award winners, as well as information about other BCG Education Fund programs is at:http://www.bcgcertification.org/educationfund/index.html

What other genealogy-related upcoming award deadlines are you aware of?

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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 [email protected]

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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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14 July 2017

FREE Archival Magazines – Don’t Miss Out!

FREE Archival Magazines – Don’t Miss Out!

Just like the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has a regular features magazine, Prologue, as does the Library of Congress (LOC), Library of Congress Magazine, the Library and Archives of Canada (LAC), also has one called Signatures.

These are lush magazines, FREE for anyone to read, that take you deep into the heart of these archives as they both inform and entertain us. And, for the very serious amongst us, every article revolves around a service or archive offered by the repository and some eye candy to attract us to read each article is always appreciated ;-)

What was your favorite article?

Is there another large archive that also publishes a periodic magazine?

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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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to [email protected]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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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