Archive for September, 2012

Surname Forum Activity
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Seeking burial place of George Manley. He was in Montague County Tx in 1883. Had also lived in Saline county Nebraska.Found on 1883 pensioners on the roll.fl
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News from around the web.
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Have you always wanted to participate in the Ancestry World Archives Project but haven’t been able to because you have a Mac?  Well, you’re in luck.  There is now a Mac version of the keying tool!  We are excited to expand into the Mac world and to add more contributors to our amazing community.  The keying tool is the software we use to download records from Ancestry and then enter data from the records that result in indexes that will later be available on Ancestry.

In the past four years we have completed 170 projects, and there are now 130 databases with indexes available to be searched for free on Ancestry.  This is the result of tens of thousands of contributors giving of their time and skills.  We have 26 projects currently available to index including California Railroad Employment Records, 1862-1950, Kansas, City and County Census, 1919-1978, Liverpool, United Kingdom, Crew Lists 1860-1919, Pavia, Lombardia, Italia: Registri di Matrimonio, 1866-1937 (Registers of Marriage) and USHMM Lodz, Poland, Vital Records of Jews in the Lodz Ghetto, 1939-1944.

The World Archives Project is a wonderful opportunity to give back to the genealogy community, to hone your record reading skills and if you’re an active contributor you are eliglble for discounts on your Ancestry subscription.  You can learn more about participating in the World Archives Project here.

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If you use Family Tree Maker 2012, it’s your lucky day–another bonus update has been released. And this one has a lot of enhancements I’m excited about because they’ve been on my wish list for awhile. If you haven’t downloaded the update yet, it’s simple. Just open Family Tree Maker and choose Check for Update from the Help menu.

Here are a few of the new features you’ll find:

• More improvements to TreeSync. Family Tree Maker continues to make TreeSync faster, more reliable, and more customizable. If you’re like me, you have personal media items like birth certificates and photos of living family members that you don’t always want to include in your online tree. Now you can keep media items private on an item-by-item basis when you sync (or export) your tree. It’s also easier to keep your online and desktop trees synced if you encounter an issue; previously, if you had to use a backup file, your tree wouldn’t sync anymore and you’d have to upload a new version. With this update, you can back up a synced tree and restore it if you have any problems. Other TreeSync enhancements let you print a list of your sync changes and include Web links for people and URLs in source citations.
• Organizational tool for places. The larger your tree gets, the more locations you have to keep track of. On the Places workspace, locations are now grouped together by country, state, county, and city to make them easier to look at and sort through.

• Better backups. You now have more control when you back up your tree. If you’ve spent a lot of time setting up your websites favorites or creating and editing historical events for timelines, you lost this info if you had to delete your current tree and use a backup; now you can include this information in your backup file. And, media files can also be included in a backup regardless of where they’re located on your hard drive.

• Ability to copy and paste facts. Adding facts for a family just got easier. For example, if you have a residence fact for an entire family, instead of manually adding it to each person, you can add it to one person, then right-click to copy the fact and right-click again to paste the fact (on his or her Person tab). You’ll be prompted to select all the family members you want to add the fact to. (Make sure you don’t include the person whose fact you’re copying or you’ll have a duplicate.) Best of all, the copied fact will include any associated source citations, media items, and notes.

 

I hope you all enjoy the latest features as much as I do. And if you haven’t purchased or upgraded to Family Tree Maker 2012 yet, there’s never been a better time.

For those of you interested in our Mac product, be aware that Family Tree Maker for Mac 2 has been receiving similar bonus updates throughout the year and another will be coming soon.

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• Got family who landed in Australia? This weekend, Ancestry.com.au (Ancestry.com’s
  Australia site) is giving free access to its
  Australian Birth, Marriage and Death and Cemetery indexes, containing more
  than 17 million records of those who were born, married or died in Australia from
  1788 until the early 20th century. The free period runs through Monday, Oct. 1, 11:59
  p.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time on Monday 1 October, 2012 (that’s 9:59 a.m.
  Monday EST in the United States). You’ll need to set up a free registration with the
  site to search the records.

• Registration is open for FamilySearch’s  2013
  Rootstech genealogy conference, taking place March 21-23 in Salt Lake City.
  Organizers are planning for the 2013 conference to have a 40 percent larger exhibit
  hall and more classes, including a new track for those beginning their family history
  research. Registration fees range from $19 for a one-day pass to the Getting Started
  track ($39 for all three days) to a $149 early bird special (regularly $219) for a
  full three-day pass. Click here to register
  for the conference.

• A new tv series aiming to document American family heritage one family at a
  time is airing on some PBS stations this fall. You can preview the pilot episode of Our
  American Family, which documents a family of Mississippi tenant farmers, online,
  and apply to
  have your family featured on the show.

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Monday, Oct. 1, starts Family History Month!

In the past October has been officially proclaimed a month for celebrating family
history; recently, it’s become an unofficial celebration among genealogy researchers
and organizations.

So let the celebration begin! Family Tree Magazine has ideas for you to mark
Family History month on our
Family History Month resources page (it includes our free Discover Your Roots
webinar). 

It’s a great time to find classes and presentations at genealogy libraries and societies
near you—many free or for a small fee. Check the website of your local library or
society or call to ask about special events. Be sure to register for the event if
it’s required.

Here’s a sampling of Family History Month events across the country. Feel free to
click Comments below and tell us about events you know of:

• Chicago: The Newberry Library is holding presentations and genealogy workshops
  throughout the month, including free help with lookups in the Daughters of the American
  Revolution genealogy database on Oct. 26. See
  the library’s list of Family History Month events here.

• Cincinnati: The public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County will hold
  a Day with the Experts on Saturday, Oct. 6, with genealogy tours, a Researching Your
  Civil War Online class, consultations with experts and a presentation on Cincinnati’s
  legendary military officer Gen. William Haines Lytle. For more details, call (513)
  369-6905 or email history@cincinnatilibrary.org.

• Conroe, Texas: The Montgomery County Library will have a Genealogy Basics Boot
  Camp Oct. 10, a Get Your research into Shape session on Oct. 20, and more. Here’s
  the library’s October events calendar; hover over a listing to learn more about
  it.

• Fort Myers, Fla.: The Fort Myers-Lee County Public Library is holding a Family
  History Month Series on Saturdays in October covering topics such as tracking your
  research, using courthouse records, finding censuses and substitutes and using immigration
  records. Click
  here to find out more.

• Fort Wayne, Ind.: Of course the biggest public genealogy library in the country,
  the Allen County Library, is celebrating with classes on cemetery research, state
  and regional research, census research, photograph analysis, brick wall research and
  more. The library’s Genealogy Center also will have extended research hours on Oct.
  26. Learn
  more and download a class schedule here.

• Oakland, Calif.: The African-American Genealogical Society of Northern California
  and the Oakland FamilySearch Center are holding a Black Family History Day Oct. 13
  from 1 to 5 p.m. at the FamilySearch Center. Click
  here to learn more about the event (including how to register for a free family
  history consultation).

• Santa Barbara, Calif.: The Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society has classes
  all month long, including a Genealogy and DNA workshop (Oct. 5 at 10 a.m.) and Beginning
  Genealogy (Oct. 8 at 10 a.m.). Registration is required, with a fee for nonmembers.
  You also can go to free open houses on Sept. 30 and Oct. 13, 14, 20 and 27. To learn
  more, go to the society’s website and
  click READ HERE to download a PDF listing the events.

• Tucson, Ariz.: The Pima County Genealogy Society and the Pima County Public
  Library are teaming up to offer family tree workshops at the library throughout October. See
  the dates and times here.

• Vermilion, Ohio: Ritter Public Library is holding genealogy classes on researching
  a house history (Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.), creating a computerized family photo project (Oct.
  27 at 10 a.m.) and getting started (Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m.). Learn
  more on the library’s blog.

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Just about everyone has an ancestor (or more) who served in the military, and the
records of their service can be rich with genealogy answers: compiled military service
records (aka CMSRs), pension applications, bounty land warrants, draft registrations,
discharge papers, citations, regimental histories, burial records, veterans questionnaires—the
list goes on.

Our upcoming webinar Online
Military Records: Document Your Family’s Service will help you use online resources
to find your family’s US military records. You’ll learn:

• what types of military records might exist for your ancestors and where to find them
• how to track down draft registrations (even if your ancestor never served)
• how to trace ancestors’ service in the American Revolution, Civil War, World Wars
  and other US wars
• the best websites for finding military records, including Fold3,
  the Daughters
  of the American Revolution genealogy database and more

Plus you’ll be able to submit your own military research questions to presenter David
A. Fryxell both when you register and during the live webinar.

The hourlong Online
Military Records webinar is Thursday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. ET (that’s 6 p.m. CT,
5 p.m. MT and 4 p.m. PT).

Your registration includes access to the webinar recording to watch again as often
as you want, a 25-page handout of the presentation slides, and a six-page handout
of additional information on finding online military records.

Click
here to lean more about our Online Military Records webinar (and save
$10 on your registration with our early bird discount).

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Courthouse records can be some of the most revealing sources about
your ancestors.

These Fall 2012 Virtual Genealogy Conference tips come from our live chat on Researching
Courthouse Records, hosted by the Legal
Genealogist Judy G. Russell.

• Types of records you might find at a courthouse include civil
  and criminal court records, naturally, but also deeds and mortgages, tax lists, 
  county commissioner meeting minutes,
  vital records, business licenses, voter registrations, cattle brand registrations
  and more.

• But depending on the place your family lived, older records
  may have been turned over to a local or state archives, historical society or library.
  Check in advance before you plan a courthouse trip.

• “Keep in mind is that most of these facilities aren’t really
  archives,” Russell advised. “They’re working offices trying to keep up with the day-to-
  day business of government. For the most part, they’re not set up to do a lot of hand-holding.”
  Find out as much as you can about the records you need—the date, a microfilm number
  or volume and page number, where they’re located, etc.—before you go.

• More things to know before you go: Check online for courthouse
  hours, holiday schedules and access information. The
  court may have limited hours when staff will pull files. Some won’t allow personal
  scanners or cameras. Different types of records might be in different buildings or
  rooms. The local genealogy librarian and genealogical
  society are good sources to ask ahead of time about courthouse quirks.
  

• See if the office holding the records you need has a busy
  season. Russell gave this example: “If the records you really want are the tax records,
  and the tax office’s busy season is October, then going there in October just about
  guarantees that nobody is going to be available to help you—and they may not even
  allow record lookups at that time.”

• One chat participant advises you to dress nicely—”so you look
  like you might be a lawyer or paralegal.” And if you have allergies to dust or mold,
  bring medication.

• Look for an online or microfilmed index so you have all the
  volumes and page numbers you need in advance. Also see whether the Family
  History Library has microfilm of the records you
  need or even posted them online at FamilySearch.org.
  

• “Even ‘burned counties’ have
  some records,” Russell said. “And don’t forget many people re-recorded deeds, etc.,
  after a courthouse fire.”

Ready to head to the courthouse now? Click
here to find out about our downloadable guide to researching in courthouse records,
available in ShopFamilyTree.com.

Video
classes from our Virtual Genealogy Conferences are available in ShopFamilyTree.com.
And mark your calendar now for our Winter
2013 Virtual Genealogy Conference, Feb. 22-24.

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This Saturday, Sept. 29, is Museum Day—when hundreds of museums
across the country open their doors and let you visit for free.

You do need to sign up for
your free tickets on the Museum Day website (each ticket is good for admission
for two people). Tickets will be emailed to you; print them and take with you to the
place you visit on Museum Day.

Click here to find a participating
museum near you.

A few I like for the history-minded:

• Here in Ohio, the 10-acre Fort Meigs, Ohio’s War
  of 1812 Battlefield in Perrysburg, gives you a look inside the Buckeye State’s
  role in the War of 1812.

• If an ancestor worked for the railroad, try the Western
  & Atlantic Railroad Tunnel and Museum in Tunnel Hill, Ga., where you can tour
  the South’s oldest railroad tunnel, a museum and the 1848 Clisby Austin house.

• Out West in Nevada, you can step into your Silver State ancestors’ shoes at the Nevada
  State Museum in Carson City, which features American Indian artifacts, fossils,
  a recreated ghost town and underground mine, and more.

• At the Western
  Heritage Center in Billings, Mont., you can see special exhibits on Montana Women
  at Work and how the railroad shaped Billings. One of the museum’s galleries replicates
  a 1930s dude ranch lodge.

• Among the many historic sites in Vermont is Burlington’s Ethan
  Allen Homestead Museum, where the home of the Green Mountain Boys’ leader has
  been restored.

• If you’re lucky enough to be in Washington, DC, participating museums include the National
  Archives Experience, Newseum and National
  Building Museum.

Have fun!

Surname Forum Activity
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Hi, I am a first poster and am not sure if I doing this right!..
I am a GGGgrandaughter of George Manley through Benjamin.
I was looking for info on the Manley Circus and general family history and pics.

Any info, much appreciated.
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• This week MyHeritage.com announced the launch
  of its automatic Record Matching premium service. The service automatically
  searches the 4 billion records on MyHeritage.com websites (which now include World
  Vital Records and FamilyLink) for matches
  to people in your MyHeritage family tree. MyHeritage users will receive weekly email
  updates of new Record Matches and can visit MyHeritage.com to review, filter, sort,
  confirm and reject matches.

On his
Genea-Musings blog, Randy Seaver has some detailed posts about using Record Matching
to find information.

• Genealogy search engine Mocavo has acquired ReadyMicro,
  a company that develops document digitization technology. On
  its blog, Mocavo says it’s planning
  several exciting announcements in the coming weeks about offering searchable records
  and forming partnerships to digitize organizations’ records “at a very low cost and
  even, in many cases, at no cost.” Stay tuned …

• British burial records site DeceasedOnline has
  added records from London’s Charlton Cemetery, opened in 1855. Records include scans
  of burial registers and some photographs. You can see
  a list of all the cemeteries included on the site here. You can search the site
  and get basic search results free; purchase credits to view additional details and
  records.

• Don’t forget to enter our giveaway for a year’s subscription to our Family
  Tree eBooks website—it’s a digital library of dozens of ebooks on genealogy,
  history, heirloom identification, sharing and preserving your family history, and
  more, plus many issues of Family Tree Magazine. Click
  here to enter by September 30!