UpFront with NGS

17 April 2013

Original or Derivative Records? Primary, Secondary or Tertiary Sources? What genealogists need to know about records

Source: Eva the Weaver, http://www.flickr.com/photos/evaekeblad/8408332720/
Used under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

Where we often used to talk about primary and secondary sources when discussing records, their provenance and their value, we now talk about whether documents are original or derivative and whether sources are primary, secondary or tertiary.

Understanding the types of records we use is critical to interpreting the information they provide us. Was the information collected in real-time and from someone involved? Was it collected later and something heard third-hand?

Natalie D. Cottrill has an excellent article at ProGenealogists, What Every Genealogist Should Know ... About Original and Derivative Records and Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources of Information, where she discusses this topic in great detail and with examples.

REMEMBER -- Not all records are created equal!

Some additional resources on this topic:

Skillbuilding: Guidelines for Evaluating Genealogical Resources (BCG)
Five Steps to Verifying Online Genealogy Sources (Kimberly Powell, About.com)
Original or Derivative Source? Bible Records (Randy Seaver, Genea-Musings)
Consider the Source: Original, Derivative, or Copy (Dick Eastman, Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter)

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16 April 2013

FREE access to International Marriage Records -- Ancestry.com

Through April 21^st, Ancestry.com is providing FREE access to its marriage records.

Marriage records are such a cornerstone of our research. They are one of my favorite NC records since marriage licenses started in 1868, decades before birth and death records were fully required c. 1930. Another nice feature of NC marriage licenses are that they list parents and whether living or deceased. Of course, many parents are listed as “Don’t Know” or not listed and when they are, it’s always a neat find!

Did you make a neat find in the Ancestry.com marriage database?

Are there other neat collections of marriage records you often do research in?

Are there some “hidden gem” collections of marriage records unique to your community?

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Make Family History a Habit

Back in January, on the World Vital Records Blog, David Rodeback did a piece, Nine Ways to Make Family History a Habit.

I found it an interesting read. He focused a lot on maintaining momentum and that is often where the “work” in genealogy truly comes in. We all love the excitement of a neat find and what do you do when there are no neat finds? We know the answers probably won’t just pop into our lap and yet we are often “defeated” by a lack of results.

I would have to say that his #4 is my main strategy. When I was doing my own family (and my husbands), when I stalled, I would shift family lines. Eventually, I ran out of family lines to work on and then became a professional researcher. Not that my own personal research is finished (is it ever?) and I needed to work on something different where I had a better chance of success!

Would you add another way to make family history a habit?

Which of the listed ways is your preferred strategy?

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15 April 2013

NGS Family History Conference -- One Week to Purchase Tickets for Meals, Tours, and Pre-Conference Events

Register within the week for the NGS 2013 Family History Conference and to select any meals or pre-conference events or tours you plan to attend. Pre-registration ends on Monday, 22 April 2013, which includes meals and tours sales. On-site conference registration opens Tuesday, 7 May 2013, 12:00 p.m.−7:00 p.m. Meals and pre-conference tours and events must be purchased by 22 April 2013. They cannot be purchased on-site at the conference.

You don’t want to miss this year’s exciting conference program from 8–11 May at the LVH-Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. For conference information and to register, go to http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/conference_info.

Space is still available for most conference social activities including meal events and the Tuesday bus tours. The BCG Education Fund Workshop is sold out. To be placed on the wait list, e-mail NGS conference registrar, Courtney Holmes, at cholmes@ngsgenealogy.org.

Breakfasts, Luncheons, and the NGS Banquet

Participating organizations sponsor several breakfasts and luncheons during the conference, and the NGS Banquet is an event not to be missed! Make your reservation by the deadline, 22 April, at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/attendee_registration. Tickets for social events will not be sold on-site. Breakfasts are $28; luncheons are $32; and the banquet is $51. Menus are in the registration brochure at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/galleries/new-gallery/2013_Conference_Registration_Brochure_20_November.pdf.

Las Vegas Area Tours

There’s still time to sign up for three exciting Las Vegas area tours on Tuesday, 7 May. Tour tickets are available only until 22 April 2013.

Hoover Dam and Ethel M. Chocolates Tour: This six-hour tour allows participants to explore the rich history of the Hoover Dam, enjoy a buffet lunch, and tour a chocolate factory and botanical garden.

Museum Tour: Tour the 30-acre Clark County Museum and the National Atomic Testing Museum in this five-hour tour.

Night Tour: Experience the full brilliance of neon Las Vegas in a five-hour tour of the Las Vegas Strip and Downtown!

For more information, please see Las Vegas Area Tours at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/conferences_events/annual_conference/las_vegas_area_tours.

Add Items to an Existing Registration

Meals and pre-conference events and tours cannot be purchased on-site. Ticket sales close 22 April 2013.

Pre-Conference Events and Tours: log on at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org, click on My Account, and then select Upcoming Events.

Meals: log on at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org, click on My Account, select My Events, and then click to Add Sessions

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Understanding Terms Found in Historical Newspapers

Death notice of a distant uncle Matt Blom. A first generation emigrant from Finland

I love newspapers. Besides reading one every morning with a cup of coffee I am constantly on the lookout to see if there are digitized newspapers available for communities where I am researching. If not, I look for books of abstracts and archives where such newspapers are held.

Newspapers of yore did not look like ours today. White space, what is that? Headlines? Clear breaks between articles? Though newspapers have changed in appearance, just like those we read today, they can contain interesting news about those we are researching.

As with any type of record, it is important to understand any “lingo” that might be specific to that source. Genealogybank published a great blog post written by Mary Harrell-Sesniak, Understanding Terms Found in Historical Newspapers. She discusses a lot of really neat terms that you might come across with explanations and examples. I suggest you read this article, whether you have already delved into historic newspaper already or not, since you may find that you hadn’t fully understood that juicy article about Aunt Hilda.

Have you come across other terms in historical newspapers that we should know about?

Do you have a favorite resource for newspaper lingo?

You might want to check out some other Upfront with NGS posts about newspapers include:

(2013) Black History Month -- Have you checked your local newspaper for neat & relevant news items?

(2012) Conserving Newspapers by Washing ?!?!?

(2011) Chronicling America ... More and More Newspapers!

(2011) The Growth of Newspapers Across the U.S.: 1690-2011

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13 April 2013

National Library Week -- Let's Celebrate with some FREE access to neat databases!

Libraries are always something to celebrate and especially so during National Library Week.

Proquest is providing complimentary access to select databases including Historic Map Works^TM Library Edition.

Are you aware of any other services providing free access to databases of interest to genealogists?

Editor’s Note: A past Upfront with NGS post about this celebration -- Celebrate National Library Week – FREE Access to Gale Resources – 10-24 April 2011

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12 April 2013

Upfront Mini Bytes

Upfront Mini Bytes

Welcome to the sixth edition of our bi-weekly feature Upfront Mini Bytes. In Upfront Mini Bytes we will 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:

first edition	fourth edition
second edition	fifth edition
third edition

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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source: http://public.health.oregon.gov/BirthDeathCertificates/GetVitalRecords/PublishingImages/images/fs-cert-face.jpg

Doing research for ancestors from Oregon? If so, be aware that the legislature is looking to making vital records access rules even more stringent. Both Dick Eastman and The Legal Genealogist have written on this topic. Additionally, there continue to be efforts to limit access to the Master Death File, White House to propose restrictions on Master Death File to fight tax fraud.

[caption for image – source: http://public.health.oregon.gov/BirthDeathCertificates/GetVitalRecords/PublishingImages/images/fs-cert-face.jpg ]

Newry ME and nearby communities are fortunate to have a citizen like Mark Vale. A recent article in The Bethel Citizen, Family genealogy turns into town history project, talks about an incredible one-man project of abstracted records. If you are doing research in this area, do check out this database of over 30,000 names!

Most of the ancestors that we research will ultimately be remembered as names in documents. Many of us won’t ever find images of our 19^th century ancestors, never mind those deeper in our tree. With the prevalence of affordable cameras, video cameras, and now digital technology, we are in a position to leave more image-laden records for our descendants to enjoy. The New York Times discusses this in the article, Hey, at Least You Can Be Virtually Immortal.

New databases are always fun. A recently found one is the Union Civil War Surgeons Database. Genealogy Decoded posted an article about this database which you can access at the Indiana University School of Medicine website.

You think our handwriting can be difficult to read? I sometimes wonder what the requirements were to be a court clerk. I have seen some of the worst handwriting in court records. Probably the only things harder to read are petitions where the signatures are all original (great) and yet almost illegible (not so great). Do you struggle with deciphering hand-written documents? The UK Archives has Palaeography: reading old handwriting 1500 – 1800, A practical online tutorial.

image source: GollyGForce Photostream, http://www.flickr.com/photos/see-through-the-eye-of-g/5827220004/sizes/l/in/photostream/used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Are you researching ancestors from Northern Ireland? If so, Valuation Revision Books (VAL/12/B) covering counties Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, and Tyrone between the years 1864 to 1933 are now online at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI).

image as used with the referenced original article

We often talk about social media and the power it has to connect us to distant cousins and also as a platform to share the information we have and find. Recently an aunt and her adopted niece connected via Facebook, Facebook post leads to family discovery [Editor’s note: the video which originally accompanied the article seems to no longer be available though the article still is]

Church records are invaluable! The newest addition to the Archives.com website is Millions of Lutheran Church Records from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Archives.

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11 April 2013

JSTOR – A previously hidden treasure trove now has elements FREELY accessible to all!

JSTOR has long been only available to academic and similar researchers affiliated with a participating institution. If you attend or work at an institute of higher learning, there is a chance your university is/was subscribed to JSTOR!

Starting last year, JSTOR trialed a version of its website which would be available to individuals and it’s now fully launched this option, http://about.jstor.org/individuals. Do recognize that individuals do NOT have access to everything JSTOR has to offer. Full access is still the purview of academic institutions. And, what we can access is invaluable!

There are three elements:

Early Journal Content, http://about.jstor.org/service/early-journal-content -- journal content in JSTOR published prior to 1923 in the United States and prior to 1870 elsewhere freely available to anyone, anywhere in the world. This It includes nearly 500,000 articles from more than 200 journals.
Register & Read -- free, read-online access to individual scholars and researchers which includes approximately 1,200 journals from more than 700 publishers.
Purchase Articles & Journal Subscriptions – complete access to the journals of 100 publishes and single articles from approximately 850 articles can be purchased by individuals.

Throughout the history of the included publications, many scholarly publications include genealogically-relevant material – sometimes abstracted records, sometimes a history of a church, cemetery, period of time or place, and much more.

I used to (and still do) come across articles that are a part of JSTOR that I would really like to further explore. Now, I can!

When you explored JSTOR, did you find a really neat find?

Is there a particular publication that caught your eye?

Any tips for someone thinking to explore this resource?

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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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