19 July 2019

NGS Magazine April–June 2019 Issue Now Online



The April-June 2019 issue of NGS Magazine, Volume 45, Number 2, is ready for mailing to members and is available online in the Members Only section of the website.


EDITOR'S NOTE by Deb Cyprych

This issue takes a look at the value of lineage societies for genealogical research. While these societies are by definition closed to those who don’t meet their eligibility standards, most lineage societies welcome new members and graciously share their resources.

Kimberly Ormsby Nagy discusses the broad range of societies and their activities. She explains why and how to apply for membership, pointing out that the application process can sharpen research skills, and that members preserve their family histories while supporting societies’ missions.

Shelley K. Bishop provides a sampling of the wealth of public resources offered by sixteen lineage societies in their libraries and online databases. Researchers can take advantage of collections including finding aids, digitized books, and lists of approved ancestors.

Kathy Petlewski’s column describes the history of lineage societies and the controversies surrounding them as early as 1783. The incredible growth of lineage societies between 1880 and 1900 was due in part to fear of immigrants and the desire of prominent families to set themselves apart from new millionaires.

Two articles highlight the improved standards and new types of evidence incorporated by some societies that may be useful to many family historians.

Sara Louise Sukol examines the changes in documentation requirements for the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Since the first application in 1890, which had no dates or places, DAR has steadily increased its requirements for proof of lineage and service.

Jennifer Zinck investigates the evolving use of DNA in the policies and practices of the Mayflower Society, DAR, and the Sons of the American Revolution, and delineates the specific types of genetic evidence these societies have recently begun accepting.

Other articles in this issue feature city directories, a case study about conflicting evidence, and so-called Confederate slave payroll records at NARA.

City directories may have unusual content such as photos, ethnic and biographical information, farm listings, social registers, and church maps. Terry Koch-Bostic explores the special content of directories, presents research strategies, and lists resources for using these multi-faceted people-finders.

Jean Atkinson Andrews, CG, uses a case study about a Civil War veteran to demonstrate how she resolved a problem of conflicting evidence by analyzing source and informant reliability. Her techniques can be adapted for many other situations when records disagree.

Finally, Claire Prechtel Kluskens’s NARA column profiles a series of payroll records for payments to slaveholders based on the labor of enslaved people impressed to work on Confederate fortifications and production. The records list the names and locations of thousands of slaves and slaveholders.

After writing this column for over fifteen years, Claire is taking a break for a year. Her articles about the records of the National Archives are valuable resources, and we thank her for the knowledge she has shared with our readers.


Table of Contents

Features


  • Lineage Societies: Leaving a Legacy for Future Generations, by Kimberly Ormsby Nagy, MD, PLCGS
  • A History of Changes in DAR Documentation Requirements by Sarah Louise Sukol
  • Making Discoveries in Lineage Society Resources by Shelley K. Bishop
  • Evolving Genealogical Evidence: DNA and Lineage Societies by Jennifer Zinck
  • City Directories: Antiquarian People Finders by Terry Koch-Bostic
  • Strategies to Resolve Conflicting Direct Evidence by Jean Atkinson Andrews, CG

Departments


  • PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE by Ben Spratling
  • EDITOR’S NOTE by Deb Cyprych
  • NGS 2020 Family History Conference Returning to Salt Lake City by Erin Pritchett
  • NGS Awards Presented at St. Charles Conference by Janet L. Bailey
  • REFERENCE DESK The History of American Lineage Societies by Kathy Petlewski, MSLS
  • NATIONAL ARCHIVES Civil War Confederate Slave Payroll Records by Claire Prechtel Kluskens


NGS Magazine is published quarterly to update members of the National Genealogical Society on NGS activities and to provide genealogists with special information and guidance on conducting effective genealogical research. The magazine is sent to libraries by subscription. Online access to NGS Magazine is available only as long as membership is active.

16 July 2019

NGSQ June 2019 Issue Now Online



The June 2019 issue of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Volume 107, Number 2, is ready to be mailed to members and is available online in the Members Only section of the website.

CONTENTS:

FEATURE ARTICLES 

  • A Blended English Family in Clark County, Ohio: Was Elizabeth (Blenkinsop) Pearson Inman Winchester a Bigamist? by B. Darrell Jackson, PhD, CG
  • Untangling Two Edward Marlows in Colonial Southern Maryland by Michael Hait, CG, CGL
  • Was Dr. Isaac Teller of Dutchess County, New York, and New York City a Patriot of the American Revolution? by Mara Fein, PhD, CG
  • The Two Deaths of Arthur J. Crim of New York, Iowa, Washington, California, Missouri, and Oklahoma by Trish Hackett Nicola, CG

NOTES and DOCUMENTS  
    • Averilla [—?—], Colonial Virginia Adventurer: Wife of Majors Thomas Curtis and Robert Bristow by Glade Isaac Nelson

    COMMUNICATIONS 


    EDITORS’ CORNER
      • The Book of Life and Unbiased Conclusions 3 administration 4 

      ADMINISTRATION

      SIDELIGHTS

      • It Was All about Money 
      • New World Births Recorded in London 
      • Getting in Training 
      • Murder by Furniture? 
      • Give the Old Folks the Dodge 
      REVIEWS


      The National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ) is published four times per year, in March, June, September, and December. The journal is edited by Nancy A. Peters, CG®, CGLSM, and Allen R. Peterson, CG.

      15 July 2019

      Special Value Audio Packages from #NGS2019GEN & #NGS2018GEN



      NGS Offers Special Value Audio Packages
      from its 2019 and 2018 Conferences

      The National Genealogical Society (NGS) announces the availability of two special value audio packages from our 2019 and 2018 conferences featuring twelve sessions for the price of ten. Listen to a variety of topics in the field of genealogy spoken by nationally recognized speakers. These audio packages are an excellent option for those who were not able to attend the conferences in person.

      Both packages—the 2019 NGS Family History Conference and the 2018 NGS Family History Conference—feature some of the most sought-after speakers and topics. Speakers include Blaine Bettinger, John Grenham, Thomas Wright Jones, Elizabeth Shown Mills, David E. Rencher, and Judy G. Russell. Topics focus on DNA’s role in genealogical research, documentation, ethnicity, immigration, methodology, problem-solving techniques, and more. A sampling of titles include “Advanced Research in Passenger Arrival Records,” “Proving Your Case: Using the Rules of Logical Argument,” “Starting Research in Irish Records,” and “Using Evidence Creatively: Spotting Clues in Run-of-the-Mill Records.”

      Individual audio recordings can also be purchased for $14 each. Family historians can find details about the special value audio packages, individual audio recordings, and on-demand video from the PlaybackNGS website.