October 2016 – Page 7 – GenealogyAtHeart.com

Goodbye Picassa

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 24 March 2016.

Previously I’ve blogged about one of my favorite Google products, Picassa, to which I uploaded all of my photos, movies and images of records. I’m sad to say that it’ll be going away soon. Google stopped supporting it on March 15th. It’s being replaced by a product called Google Photo so if you were using Picassa you’ll need to log into Google Photos to save your albums. Supposedly, it’ll be an easy transition. Problem is there won’t be editing software included and it won’t scale uploaded photos. I’m planning on following their directions so I don’t lose what I’ve saved this weekend. I did click on the Photos link provided on the Google blog but the photos displayed weren’t everything I had in my Picassa albums. Possibly it’s because I was signed in with a different email address. I’m not panicking yet because I have hard copies and cds of everything but I certainly don’t want to spend the time reuploading! That’s why I plan on checking it out this weekend and contacting Google before it’s too late if I can’t figure it out. Looks like Google Photos has the facial recognition feature that I absolutely love. New features on Photos begin on May 1st so I’m hoping that those will include fixes to the limitations that I’ve already mentioned.

Google Library for the Genealogist

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 19 March 2016.

I’m taking a course through the National Institute of Genealogical Studies called “Google for the Genealogist.” Half way into it and I’m finding it’s very useful. There are 8 modules in total and the one I just completed on Google Books was the most relevant to me so far.

I use Google to search for old books that may contain a mention of my ancestors. Sometimes I just look for the location and then when I open the book, search for the surname. I have found some incredible stories – such as Mathew Baines or Beans who was dying at sea and wrote a letter to a James Harrison, a fellow Quaker, requesting he look after Mathew’s children. Problem was that Mr. Harrison had died so the children appeared in Orphan Court. Two Google Books mention these events. Looking at someone else’s tree on FamilySearch or Ancestry might give you Mathew’s year and place of death but the books bring the experiences he had to life!

With old Ancestry, as in before December 2015, I used to snip the page from the book and snip the title page, save to Word and then upload as a pdf to my tree attaching to the appropriate person. Problem is that it’s no longer easy to find those pdf’s on Ancestry. I’m going to have to go back and re-download and save to my hard drive. I never saved to my hard drive before because I was working on a cheap laptop I didn’t have a lot of faith in and thought it would be better if it were saved in Ancestry’s cloud. Live and learn!

But back to Google Books and the class I’m taking…Did you know that you can save books to your own created bookshelves in your own library in their cloud?! I somehow missed this and it’s super easy to do. All you need is a Google account, which is free, of course. (Not going to get into the whole topic of nothing is free as in they’re monitoring your usage and using your searches but you know what I mean by free – as in there’s no initial monetary cost involved to create a Google account.) Once you have an account (if you have an email through Google you have an account!), next click “More” on the Google ribbon and find the link for “Books.” Click and search for a surname or place you’re interested in finding information about. When you find a book you like, click on it. You then click “Save to My Library.”

On the left hand side of the page you can create your own book shelves. I created two state names and one called Reference. If you scroll down you’ll see recent books you may have looked at. It’s simple to just click on the book and add to the appropriate book shelf. I’m going to be very busy once I’m done with the Kinship Determination Paper uploading all my pdf books and saving it to My Library. That way, I will have all the sources I’ve used in one place. I plan to add who the book refers to in the Description block that comes up for the book shelf.

Who Knew? Two Genealogy Tips I Just Learned

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 13 Mar 2016.

Tip 1: Did you know that Fold3 has lots more than just military records? If you have the premium or you get a free trial offer you need to explore the site by doing the following-

Click BROWSE at the top of the page
Click CATEGORY on the right side
Click ALL TITLES
Take a look at what they have!

I have found the Pennsylvania Archives most helpful. Scroll down to the bottom of the selected volume to check out the index.

I never knew Fold3 had FBI Case Files, slave auctions from the West Indies, orphan records and more. Why in the world don’t they advertise this?! I would have probably bought the premium membership years ago had I known.

Tip 2: Just learned this from the Pinellas County Genealogical Society and I quote, “Family Tree Maker users can now do a direct import including all media files (without GEDCOM) to RootsMagic. This works with FTM versions 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014 and classic (version 16 with file extension.ftw) for Windows. Also works for FTM 3 for Mac. Read the details at http://goo.gl/VkKrUJ. They also offer a special low price for FTM users to buy the RootsMagic program.” Pretty cool if my Family Tree Maker hadn’t stopped synching with my Ancestry.com tree. Hope this helps you out!

Empty Envelopes Provide a Wealth of Genealogical Data

A FABULOUS FIND of 22 March 2016

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 5 March 2016.

A colleague of mine brought in a pile of old envelopes recently and asked me if they were important genealogically. The reason for the question is that the addressed envelopes contained no content. She assumed family had saved them because they were stamp collectors who hadn’t gotten around to removing the stamps.

My answer to her was a resounding YES! Those envelopes tell a story even though they are empty. I suggested she first put them in chronological order based on the postmark date, if any. Next she should try to match the envelopes to letters that she had found and store them together. Any remaining envelopes should be examined closely for information regarding:

Addressee
Sender
Postmark
Possible notations
Envelope condition
Handwriting
Type of writing utensil used
Cost of postage

Examining the addressee and sender aids in identifying relationships, although the type of relationship is still unknown. Definitely don’t assume the relationship was family! I have some old letters addressed to a grandfather that had the contents. He did not know the sender; the writer was inquiring about a device the grandfather was selling.

Carefully analyze who the envelope was addressed to. Was it to a Miss or Mrs.? Was a nickname used, such as Nelia for Cornelia? How was the last name spelled? That is extremely important if your family changed spelling. How I wish I had envelopes for my Koss family from the mid 1920’s. The name changed from Kos (in 1920) to Koss (in 1930) but when the change occurred I don’t know. An envelope could assist in narrowing down the date.

Look at the addressee’s residence – was it a rural route? a city? a county? If the postmark is illegible or missing that information could help identify the time period. Although the Rural Free Delivery (RFD) began in the late 1800’s it was not widespread. Prior to that, letters may have been addressed, for example, as Columbia County, New York. That’s a clue the resident lived outside of a town or city. If the envelope was dated, check the census to see if that address was also used for the individual. The 1940 census may show the person’s home address but the envelope could provide a clue as to where the individual was staying temporarily if they don’t match. My colleague recognized an address as belonging to her grandmother but the envelope was addressed to an unknown person at that address 20 years before her grandmother’s birth. Perhaps the home belonged to a family member that she was not aware of or perhaps the envelope was found after the grandmother moved in. I doubt the second explanation as that would not be a reason to keep an envelope with family records but who knows?! She was the stamp collector so maybe she saved it for the stamp. I recommended that a title search on the property be done to gain more information about the occupants.

I love postmarks because they often tell an interesting story. If the sender’s address was Connecticut and the addressee’s was New York but the postmark was California either the U.S. Post Office really messed up (which unfortunately happens frequently) or the sender was in California for business or pleasure when the letter was mailed. This could open up a whole new area to check for records!

My mom, a product of the Great Depression, always reused envelopes as scratch paper. Grocery lists, things to do, phone messages – check the envelope for any notations. Although you won’t for certain know who wrote the notes unless they’re signed or had such a unique handwriting that you can identify without a signature, you can gain insight on the day to day lives of the family that received the letter. One envelope my colleague had this notation printed in caps “BURN THIS AFTER READING.” Guess the receiver followed directions but we were dying to know what the contents had been.

Now look at the envelope itself. Is it stained? Is it brittle? Has the color aged? This lets you know the conditions that affected it since it was written. Perhaps the stain was from water – was it delivered in a rainstorm? Did it survive a sea voyage? Maybe a cup of tea was spilled on it as the contents were being read! You might never discover what really happened but it sure is fun to try.

I love handwriting, mainly because mine was always criticized while growing up. The style can give you much more information about the time period and the sender. Was it printed, cursive, Palmer, D’Nealian, or calligraphy? Is it legible or not? Perhaps the writer was in a hurry to mail the contents! Handwriting can also help you match the envelope to an individual if the sender did not include his/her name in the return address.

Writing utensils can also help you identify a time period. A ballpoint pen came into use in the late 1800’s. Prior to that fountain pens and dip pens were used. The color of the ink can give you even more clues – the dye or pigment used could be a regional product.

The postage price can help you determine the time period. Although we’re not talking about post cards I always think of them as “penny postcards” even though they now cost 35 cents to send. I don’t think they could be sent for a penny when I was a kid but that’s what my family called them and that’s how I still think of them. The art on the stamp also “may” disclose information about what was important to the sender – or not! A few years ago I became known as the “stamp girl” in my office as I would make several trips to the post office a week to mail packages my husband had sold on ebay because I was closer to the post office then he was. I would purchase stamps for coworkers on those trips. Some coworkers would request a certain type of stamp and others could care less. Although you might not find out for sure if the stamp conveyed a message from the sender it might. Remember the 1973 LOVE stamp? If the sender was breaking up with addressee I doubt that stamp would have been used.

Let me know if your envelope analysis unveils a genealogical gem!

Wagon Insights

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 2 March 2016.

I’ve been reading through the diaries that were sent to me from Indiana and I’ve found a few surprises about life in the late 1800’s. Here are 10 wagon facts I never thought about:

You had to wash your wagon
When you purchased a new wagon you traded in your old wagon, like we do today with our cars
Wagons broke down ALOT! Poor road conditions, skittish horses and driver error contributed to the break downs.
You were responsible for the cost of damages caused by your runaway horse and wagon
There were ALOT of serious accidents around wagons – falling out of, getting run over by, getting injured by overhanging tree limbs, etc.
When your wagon needed repairs someone would come to you but it was much more expensive than if you somehow got the wagon to the wagon shop to be repaired.
Depending on the repair needed, it could take a few hours or several days to get the part
Wheels fell off wagons frequently
If you were going to take a train you hired a livery person to pick you up and take you home, unless you had relatives to help you out.
Family members borrowed each other’s wagons for various jobs that needed to be accomplished

Who knew?!

Midwest Magic

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 28 Feb 2016.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the Leesburg, Florida Genealogical Conference of the Ohio Genealogical Society, Florida Chapter Debbie Mieszala, CG, presented on 3 topics: Newspaper Research in the Midwest, Land Records in Pennsylvania and Ohio and Pulling Evidence from Beneath a Record’s Surface. I was especially interested in the Pennsylvania land records for the Kinship Determination Project I’m working on for my genealogical portfolio.

Having a horrible time locating a deed – I’ve checked with the county, actually two since one was split from the other, called and emailed the local historical society, public library, local genweb contact and genealogical society. Had found a genealogist who told me the probate records don’t exist, after I spent $78.00 and gave her precisely what microfilm to look up in the courthouse. Worst part was she laughed when she told me it wasn’t there and didn’t credit me for the time left I had paid for. She did ask if there was another record she could look up while she was at the courthouse but that was all I needed at the time. Then she didn’t write a report of her findings; I asked her to send me her non finding and she sent one line via email. Found her on the Association of Professional Genealogist site so I assumed she’d be like the other APG members I’ve worked with. Did she do anything unethical? No, she just lacked the level of professionalism that I’m accustomed to in this field.

I’ve blogged before about the experience my 2nd cousin had when he hired a genealogist across the pond. Not wanting to admit his hire had done less than quality work he accused me of having wrong info. When I showed him my proof he contacted his genealogist who was happy to charge him more to recheck her work. When he balked she admitted she had only checked records 1900 forward and the children I had listed were born in the 1890’s. I’m not sure who was at fault there: Did he tell her to start with 1900? Did she inform him she had only looked beginning with 1900? (The records for the 1800’s were available as she later went back and verified my information). Was there a language barrier that impeded communication? Beats me! Clearly she hadn’t performed a reasonably exhaustive search, especially since the records were available in the same respository that she had found some of her data.

But back to the conference….

If you never attended a presentation by Debbie you must – she shares her personal stories in a way that is both inviting and instructional. I love how she laughs at the frustrations she encounters, such as illegible handwriting, missing sources and records not where they should be.

Now I have some new places to search and met some wonderful attendees from Pennsylvania who gave me additional advice. One gentleman has volunteered to send a cd he compiled of a valuable resource to anyone interested in Pennsylvania research. That alone was worth the drive! I’ll be spending part of today checking further and will make one last sweep through the areas I’m writing about in the summer so I can feel confident I performed a reasonably exhausted search.

My latest portfolio plan is to finish the KDP mid March, put it away for a month, check out the successfully submitted portfolios at the upcoming National Genealogical Society Ft. Lauderdale conference in May, edit the rest of the month and then visit the two areas I write about the most to make sure I’ve mined every available piece, do a last edit in August and submit in September – 1 month before my deadline. We’ll see how this works out!

The absolute best part of yesterday, however, was two events that were, well, weird. The first occurred at the conference. During introductions I mentioned that I was interested in Mercer County, Ohio as that was where my Leininger, Duer, and Kuhn families had resided. A woman sitting right in front of me turned and said, “My mother was a Leininger.” Yep, we’re cousins who had never met. At break I brought up my tree and found her line. She had never heard of the Leininger Family History books written in the early 1970’s so I gave her my email address and when I hear from her, I’ll forward her to the author. That’s the 2nd time in two months I’ve met a cousin face to face on my dad’s side! I would never have met either of these lovely ladies had I not been working on my portfolio. Oddly, I’m not even writing about my family. I’ve selected clients and my husband’s lines to submit. Hubby jokes that my dad’s side must feel a tad left out so the living keep popping up.

When I arrived home my husband was all smiles and said I had to look at the mail right away. Did I win something?! Yep, I won the genealogy lottery! A package had arrived from a former church historian in Indiana who had sent me copies of diaries from the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s that had been donated to a church. The diaries were written by the sister of the wife of the 1st generation gentleman that is the focus of my KDP. I couldn’t eat dinner – I had to begin reading. I’m only up to 1890 (so my 3rd generation hadn’t even been born yet) but the diaries contain information that I was told no longer existed. Wow. Double Wow.

What’s really strange is that I had contacted the pastor who had forwarded my email to this wonderful woman. She had sent a few pictures back to him. He didn’t forward her email to me, instead, he sent me a new email with the pictures attached. As I reviewed them I noticed that one was missing. I hated to be a pest and recontact him as I didn’t think the missing picture of unidentified children who had attended the church in the early 1900’s would be very helpful but I wanted to be thorough so I did email him again. He forwarded my email to the historian who resent the picture directly to me. I was correct that the picture wasn’t helpful, however, she mentioned the diaries and asked if the pastor had informed me about them. Nope, guess he “forgot” that part. I’m so glad I am a pest, otherwise I would never have known about this valuable resource. The diaries quote scripture frequently; although I haven’t come across this line yet, all I keep thinking is Matthew 7:7 “Ask and you shall receive.” Works for me! Happy Hunting…

Angel Pie

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 25 Feb 2016.

If you were looking through my family’s treasurers you would find loads and loads of recipes. I have my grandmother’s favorite cookbooks, which take up a whole shelf in my den. Non could read a recipe book like a novel. Seriously! She’d start with the appetizers, underline, star, make changes and by the time she reached desserts had come up with a wonderful menu. She loved everyone’s culture so I have recipe books from every nationality. Adding garlic and olive oil, she somehow made them all Mediterranean but it always smelled like heaven when you’d walk into her home, especially on a cold winter’s day.

My co-worker is still going through her treasure trove boxes of genealogical records that she inherited from her grandmother. She has found 1 recipe, handwritten by someone names M. Bonnell who we haven’t figured out how the person is related yet. I Googled the recipe and there are versions of it out there, evidently it’s an old family favorite in many households. Haven’t tried it but may this weekend:

ANGEL PIE

4 egg whites beat fluffy

Ad 1/2 tsp cream of tartar and beat stiff

Add 1 cup sugar, gradually beat till glossy

Spread in a greased 9″ pie pan

Bake one hour in 250 degree oven. Cool

Spread with filling of:

4 egg yolks, beaten, light

1/2 cup sugar

5 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 teasp. Grated lemon rind

Cook in double boiler until smooth

Whip 1/2 pint of cream stiff

Sweeten slightly

Spread a thin layer of cream over baked, cooked shell.

Over cream, spread the lemon custard.

Spread whipped cream over top of all.

Enjoy!

Family Reunion Episode on Finding Your Roots – A Must See!

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 21 Feb 2016.

Had an interesting week! Attended two days of an awesome presentation at my schools called Challenge Day which challenges youth and adults to “be the change” in their communities. It was physically and emotionally exhausting but in a good way. Instead of watching this week’s episode of Finding Your Roots on PBS, I took a webinar offered by the Board of Certified Genealogists which was really interesting and I thought, more beneficial to me as I work in completing my portfolio for submission.

I caught up viewing the Finding Your Roots episode yesterday and want to encourage you to view it if you haven’t already done so.

First, I must admit, I wasn’t wild about the artists portrayed. I’m not a rapper fan so LL Cool J and Sean Puffy Combs don’t interest me. Wow, was I surprised! I seriously think this episode was THE BEST of all of the genealogical shows ever done.

No spoilers here – just watch it if you haven’t seen it. I loved the use of dna, I loved the wrong initial lines they followed, I just absolutely adored the twists and turns with both artists. Kudos to how they maturely handled sensitive topics that were uncovered. These two men have the right attitude! If you’d like to view it click here and enjoy! Do it soon as the next episode will be available beginning Wednesday so you may not be able to access this.

Unique Picture Find To Try!

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 18 Feb 2016.

Ever long for a picture of your great great grandparents? You’ve dug through your grandparents attic, asked your great aunts and uncles, scowered the internet and came up with nothing! Frustrating, certainly, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.

I was able to find a picture this week by simply contacting the church that was named in the ancestor’s obituary and asking if they had a record of her. Within 3 days I had received a note from the pastor who had asked the church historian to scan a copy of the couple’s church registration card and several group photos for church organizations the wife had been a member of. How cool is that!

I had the obituary for some time and just rereading it sent off a light bulb to see if the church where she was a member for 60 years was still in existence. I wasn’t counting on a response, as you know from previous blogs, I’ve been unsuccessful before with obtaining church records but this time was different.

Now that I know what she looks like I’m looking through old family photos that I have with many unidentified people as I suspect she is in there. That may lead me to a picture of her husband who was camera shy at church!

Ancestry.com 30% Discount

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 14 Feb 2016

Did you know if you are an AARP member you can receive a 30% discount on your Ancestry.com membership? That’s a huge savings!

Last fall I received an over sized postcard in the mail from Ancestry.com informing me about the discount. I’m up for renewal soon so I called to have the offer applied. All I needed was my AARP number which, of course, I didn’t have in front of me. The Ancestry Customer Service Rep recommended I call back a day or two before the expiration of my current account so that I could take full advantage of the offer as it is applied immediately to the day you call. I won’t work if you call AFTER the renewal date. The offer is one time only and is applied as two six month concurrent memberships. Works for me!

Since this is a sizable savings for my most expensive genealogy membership I began looking around at my other organizations to see if they offered Ancestry.com discounts – checked Association of Professional Genealogists, National Genealogical Society, New England Historic and Genealogical Society, Florida State Genealogical Society, National Education Association and even Angie’s List. No one else had an offer. Usually when Ancestry runs a special it’s not applicable to current members so I was really pleased to be able to take advantage of the AARP offer. If you didn’t get the post card and you are an AARP member, call Ancestry.com when you receive your renewal email and tell them that you’d like the discount applied. All you need is your AARP number. Love those Senior Citizen privileges.