UpFront with NGS

10 July 2012

Luck of the Irish -- Irish Research Resources

Talk about the Luck of the Irish! I was going through some ideas I’d been collecting for blog post topics and it seemed like every other one was for an Irish research. Of course, I’m exaggerating and it did feel that way.

That said, here are the Irish resources that I have come across recently that might help you research Irish Ancestors!

If there are “other” somewhat new GREAT online Irish Resources we need to know about, please post a comment or send an e-mail to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org!

· Land Estates Database, http://www.landedestates.ie/

· Irish Emigration Database, http://www.dunbrody.com/database.php?level=1&id=3

· Irish Military Archives, http://www.militaryarchives.ie/

· Irish Medieval Documents, http://www.medievalists.net/2012/05/15/thousands-of-irish-medieval-documents-now-available-online/

· Irish Police Records, http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Irelands-earliest-police-records-from-1724-go-online-145903965.html

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09 July 2012

Online and Freely Accessible Icelandic Censuses, 1703-1910

With all the talk of the 1940 US census and so many of us doing research in those records, I thought it an opportunity to remind ourselves that the US is not the only country to have taken a census and to have put it’s census records online!

I recently learned that Iceland National Archives has put digital versions of many censuses online with more to come.

This first edition of the National Archives' new census website provides the first digital version of the censuses of 1840, 1845, 1850, 1855, 1860, 1890, 1901 and 1910. Previously the censuses of 1703, 1835 and 1870 were made available. Only a part of the censuses of 1901 and 1910 are ready for issuing but it is hopeful that they will be ready for publication in their entirety within a year. These, and the census of 1855, have not been proofed completely as yet. Information on the Eyjafjarðar, Thingeyjar and Múla counties from the census of 1870 was lost a long time ago and that census is therefore not complete. The censuses of 1762, 1801, 1816 and 1880 will be added shortly.

Do read about the history of the census by clicking on “Icelandic censuses” and then learn the details of each census by clicking “on specific censuses.”

To access the census, select “Individual search” from the top menu. For the simple search put in a Name, and/or Farm/house, and/or Parish/County and select the years of interest or “search in all censuses.” The advanced search has fields for you to enter as much or as little as makes sense.

And, no, I didn’t translate this from Icelandic nor did I have Google do it. When you land on the website, click on the “British flag” button icon in the upper right corner and you will be taken to an English-language interface.

Not having previously researched in Iceland, I put in the name of John for the 1835 census “hoping” that some entries would be found. Below is what I saw. If I clicked on a name, summary information for that individual is provided. If I clicked on the Farm/house, then I saw all of those listed in that household which is very helpful in constructing the family.

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06 July 2012

For Daughters of the American Revolution, a New Chapter -- More blacks join DAR

Image that appeared with the original NYT article -- Wilhelmena Rhodes Kelly, left, and Olivia Cousins, members of a new Queens chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Image by Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times

My daughter pointed this article out to me yesterday as we were eating breakfast! The local N&O title is “More blacks join DAR” (she remembered that I helped people with lineage society applications). The original NY Times article headline is “For Daughters of the American Revolution, a New Chapter.”

Regardless of the title, it’s exciting to see recognition for these patriots who helped achieve our nation’s freedom and their descendants.

Olivia Cousins can trace her family in the United States to a soldier who joined the rebelling colonists when he was just 17. But when a friend suggested she join the Daughters of the American Revolution, an organization whose members can prove they are related to someone who aided the rebels in 1776, Dr. Cousins nearly laughed.

Dr. Cousins is black. And the D.A.R., as it is commonly called, is a historically white organization with a record of excluding blacks so ugly that Eleanor Roosevelt renounced her membership in protest ...

Read the complete article.

Editor’s Note: As with all articles written by other’s that we post, this article, presented in its unedited form, does not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of the National Genealogical Society and the material is provided to you for it’s relevance to the genealogical community.

Editor’s Note: The DAR has published Forgotton Patriots, mentioned in the article, which “focuses on the important contributions made by African American and American Indian patriots of the American Revolution. You can access this publication online by clicking the title above.

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Up! Off our duffs!

This is the title of a great and provocative blog post by The Legal Genealogist (Judy G Russell) back in May about Records Access!

Okay, I’m (finally) home from my combination NGS and research trip, and it’s time and past time to get something off my chest. I have a question for each and every single genealogist out there who reads this blog or ever comes in contact with it.

Do you care — really care — about records access? About whether or not you’re going to be able to get your hands on that vital (birth, marriage or death) record, or see that document in the closed stacks at the state library or archives, or get that SS-5 application form without the parents’ names redacted, or even get that SS-5 application form at all? ...

Read the full article (and posted comments).

Are you attending FGS in Birmingham? If so, there’s a great opportunity to learn more about Records Preservation & Access (RPAC) via a session to be held 29 August 11:00-12:00, session W-110! Let’s not see if we can do better at FGS than the ~ 20-25 attendees at the NGS program as mentioned by Judy! Records preservation and access are critical to genealogists!

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05 July 2012

Veteran Genealogists' Presence Helps You to Maximize Your Trip to SLC Family History Library

A guest blog from Sandra MacLean Clunies, CG

Serving as a co-leader for one of the NGS Research Trip groups to the Family History Library has become a special week on my fall calendar for several years. Not only do I get a chance to meet some wonderful researchers, but I also have the opportunity to introduce many of them on their first visit to the ever-expanding resources of the FHL. During the course of the long days and evenings, the NGS tour leaders circulate around all the library floors to offer a veteran’s fresh look at our attending researchers’ puzzles and to assist them in scaling some of those baffling brick walls. We lead a walk to the excellent LDS cafeteria each noon, and accompany those who want to head out on the Trax trolley for dinner at one of the Gateway restaurants, which gives us all a chance to socialize and compare notes and ideas in an informal setting.

It is especially fun and gratifying to watch group members make exciting discoveries in the books and films that solve long-standing research challenges, and I’ve been known to whoop and holler right along with the delighted discoverer! At our Wednesday group pizza party, we seek a status report from everyone and make suggestions for “research path adjustments” or additional resources to help everyone move forward. By the Saturday night farewell dinner, there are always many group members eager to share their successes with everyone, and we celebrate them all.

Where else will you find veteran genealogists whose sole mission is to walk with you for a full week and become just as interested and invested in researching your ancestors are you are? You’ll find that the group leaders of any NGS Research Trip group are just that, and I am looking forward to my next trip.

October in Salt Lake City has beautiful weather – come join us! The next NGS Trip to Salt Lake City is scheduled for 21–28 October 2012. Book by 15 July 2012 for great savings with NGS’s early bird pricing plan. To learn more about the trip, or to register, visit http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/conferences_events/research_tips/slc_research_trip_fall_trip.

--Sandy Clunies

Sandra MacLean Clunies, CG(sm)*
www.clunies.net/smc.html

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04 July 2012

National Archives exhibit shows prejudices faced by immigrants over the years

Image that appeared with original article

With many of our ancestors emigrants, whether as the country was forming or as the immigration wave of the early 1900s hit, we have a shared fascination with learning what life was like for emigrants and also in the trials and tribulations of leaving their birth country. It took my great grandfather at least 3 attempts to be able to legally emigrate and his future wife’s family all came over one-at-a-time.

An article recently published in the Washington Post, “National Archives Exhibit shows prejudices faced by immigrants over the years,” discusses some of the challenges faced by the emigrants with regards to be allowed to emigrate.

... in the National Archives’ new exhibit on the history of the travails of immigration, which opened Friday in the archives’ main building in downtown Washington.

Entitled “Attachments: Faces and Stories From America’s Gates,” it is a look at the difficulties and prejudices faced by immigrants down through the years, and the harrowing roads some traveled to reach America.

Told with documents, letters and affidavits, the exhibit’s power is in its black-and-white photographs — many blown up to huge size — of people.

Read the full article.

Did your emigrant ancestor face challenges in their efforts to emigrate to the US? If so, please share their story!

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03 July 2012

Old & Interesting

We recently bought a new iron and it’s not something that we use all too frequently, if we can avoid doing so! This led to my son and I discussing “when” the first iron was invented and by whom which led to doing an internet search which led us to “Old & Interesting.”

So often, in our genealogical research we come across terms we don’t recognize or we want to get a better sense of how our ancestors lived, etc.

I really enjoyed looking around this website. Some of the topics covered include:

· History of laundry - a unique set of pages about laundry methods and tools, including histories of ironing, washboards, starch and bluing.

· Kitchen antiques directory for the best online resources on culinary equipment, cooking and eating tools.

· Baking, butter, and other traditional and historic food preparation pages

· Beds and bedding - featherbeds and bed warmers for comfort, or simple straw mattresses and rustic box beds.

· One-off pages on topics from brooms to meat screens or hasteners to cleaning with stone and sand.

Do you have a favorite website (besides Wikipedia ) where you go to learn about how life was?

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02 July 2012

The National Genealogical Society Announces Partnership With Fold3

Arlington, VA, 2 JUNE 2012: The National Genealogical Society is proud to announce a partnership with Fold3, the premier military history website. NGS has worked with Fold3 to give its society membership an extremely attractive member benefit. Fold3 is offering NGS members its lowest price when they purchase a Fold3 Annual Membership of $39.95, which is a 50% savings off the regular price. In additional to the NGS member savings, Fold3 will donate 30% of the sale back to NGS to further its educational work.

NGS and Fold3 are announcing this partnership in celebration of the 4^th of July this week. Fold3 features over 94 million historical records from US institutions including the National Archives. Military records, naturalization records, and city directories are just a few of the different collections found on Fold3. Joining Fold3 and locating an ancestor’s military or naturalization record is a fitting way to honor their legacy this 4^th of July.

To take advantage of this member benefit, visit the Special Offer for a Fold3 Annual Membership page in the Members Only section of the NGS website at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/fold3. Please be sure to log in under the User Login area in the right-hand column of the screen.

The NGS-Fold3 partnership allows Fold3, one of the best online resources for historical documents, to support and contribute to NGS’s mission, which includes helping to serve and grow the genealogical community through education.

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