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Archive for April, 2011
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Like the most of the world, we awoke March 11, to the shocking news that a massive earthquake rocked Japan. Watching tragedy unfold halfway across the world — the aftershocks, tsunami and threat of a nuclear meltdown — left us wondering how we could help.
So, we’re donating half of all profits from ShopFamilyTree.com purchases
made on Wednesday, March 30, to the American Red Cross. The organization is currently
on the ground in Japan supplying people with temporary housing, food, water and other
necessities, and it needs our help more than ever.
We hope you’ll join our campaign to help Japan by shopping with us Wednesday. Click
here to visit ShopFamilyTree.com.
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Canadian author and genealogist Dave Obee recently
opined on his Facebook page, “I’ve been hearing about the pending death of the book
for several years now. One of these days, the prediction might turn out to be true.”
Obee’s comment kicked off an interesting online conversation. For many genealogists,
the surge in online books can sound like a threat to the paper tome. But, as with
all things, the market drives business and innovation, and the convenience and flexibility
of digital books is very appealing. Here are some Tech Tips to help you dive in and
reap the benefits of this growing phenomenon:
Get Started
Allison Stacy, editor of Family Tree Magazine, made this great video for
getting started with Google Books.
See How Other Genealogists Use Google Books
Miriam Robbins Midkiff, author of the popular genealogy blog AnceStories:
The Story of My Ancestors was featured in this video produced by Google.
Search Within a Book
After conducting your initial search and selecting a particular book, you can search
within that book by simply typing specific keywords in the search box found in the
column on the left side of the book’s page. This box searches only the book currently
being viewed and makes quick work of finding a desired surname on individual pages
of a large volume. (Find this tip in my new book The
Genealogist’s Google Toolbox.)
Keep Up To Date
The Inside Google Books blog is a great
way to keep up to date on the latest news at Google Books. Add the RSS feed to your
iGoogle page or favorite reader by simply clicking the Feedburner button found in
the column on the right.
Google eBooks
Have you noticed that the Google Books homepage looks different these days? That’s
because they have introduced the Google eBookstore to the offering. Here’s a terrific
little video that explains the benefits of online books in a fun and simple way:
Google eBooks
Don’t skip Google eBooks just because they offer books for sale. Try this handy tip
to unearth free gems:
1. Go to Google Books.
2. Click blue Go to the Google eBookstore Now button
3. Type family history in the search box and click the Search All Google eBooks
button.
4. Click the Free Only link in the light blue box at the top of the page.
5. You’ll get a results list full of free books, many hard to find self-published
family histories.
Look Elsewhere
When it comes to digital family history books, Google Books isn’t the only game
in town Check out the Family History
Archive, then watch the video below to learn more about how to use this robust
resource.
I’ve had such a great time sharing Tech Tips with you these last 2 months. Thanks
for reading, and I hope you’ll join me at the free Family
Tree Magazine podcast and Genealogy
Gems podcast for more lively conversation about genealogy!
—Lisa Louise Cooke
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Just fill out the Family Tree
Magazine subscriber survey and we’ll send you a 15 percent off coupon code
and an opportunity to win one of 10 great prizes as our way of saying thanks.
The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete, and your responses will
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Thank you, in advance, for completing this subscriber survey. We look forward to receiving
your valuable input!
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Spoiler Alert: If you don’t already know what happened during Steve Buscemi’s
episode of “Who Do You Think You Are?” you are about to find out.
”Who Do You Think You Are?” has been on hiatus for a few weeks, so I’ve really
been jonesin’ for the NBC family history hit. And Steve Buscemi’s episode delivered
a one-two punch of drama and mystery that had me on the edge of my seat.
Buscemi, a native New Yorker, began his genealogy journey by meeting with his parents.
His family wanted to know more about his mother’s ancestry because Amanda Van Dine,
Buscemi’s mother’s mother, took her own life in 1928, leaving a void on in the family
tree.
The death certificate of Amanda Van Dine’s mother, Jane Van Dine, reveals her parent’s
names, Julia Vanderhof and Ralph Montgomery, as well as her address when she died.
Coincidentally, the address is now a restaurant Buscemi frequents.
The 1880 census lists Jane Montgomery as an 11-year-old live-in servant in Camden,
N.J. A researcher explains to Buscemi that it was common for children to enter the
workforce, especially poverty stricken families.
Buscemi then searches Ancestry.com’s user-uploaded family trees to find more on Jane
Montgomery’s parents. Another user has posted a tree with information about Ralph
Montgomery, who was born in 1834 in Milton, Pa. Buscemi contacts the person who made
the tree, to get more info from them.
In the mean time, he heads to Harrisburg, Pa., to visit state archives. Ralph Montgomery
is listed as a dentist in tax records, but the 1860 census indicates he was a grocer
and married to woman named Margaret with two young children. Buscemi is stunned to
learn his great-great grandfather had a family before he married Buscemi’s great-great
grandmother Julia Vanderhof.
Buscemi then takes to microfilmed copies of the Pennsylvania Telegraph to try
to learn more. He discovers a small snippet about a suicide note signed by Ralph Montgomery
found near the Susquehanna River. Clearly, he did not complete suicide, but this must
have been a particularly trying time for Ralph Montgomery.
Court records reveal Ralph Montgomery was charged with assault and battery in 1859,
but the charges were later dropped. He disappears from tax records in 1861, the year
the Civil War began.
This leads Buscemi to search military records. Muster cards reveal Ralph Montgomery
enlisted in Pennsylvania’s 91st regiment. He deserted June 1962 in Alexandria, Va.,
a common occurrence for a citizen army, and returned August 1962. He fought in the
Battle of Fredericksburg, a bloody loss for the Union. After fighting another battle,
he deserted for the last time. (For
more on the war between the states, see Life in Civil War America.)
The special Civil War veterans schedule of the 1890 Census lists Ralph’s first wife
Margaret as a widow; she assumed Ralph was dead when her husband never came home.
Buscemi then get a hold of Ralph Montgomery’s New Jersey death certificate. The document
indicates he was a dentist and died of tuberculosis. He was buried in strangers row,
where indigent or unknown people were buried in unmarked graves.
Buscemi then returns to Brooklyn to meet the person who posted the Ancestry.com family
tree. Carol Olive, Buscemi’s third cousin, reveals Julia Vanderhof, Ralph Montgomery’s
second wife, remarried to Charles Brandenburg. Her children who were working as servants,
including Jane, are again living with their mother in Brooklyn in the 1892 New York
census. (For
more on Empire State ancestors, see our on-demand webinar.)
“WDYTYA” airs Fridays at 8pm EST on NBC. Check the Genealogy Insider blog for a brief
recap of each episode.
And if you haven’t already,
check out the bonus scenes for each episode of “WDYTYA?” on Hulu.com.