ROOTSWEB REVIEW: Genealogical Data Cooperative News Vol. 2, No. 12, 24 March 1999; Circulation: 281,700+ (C) 1998-1999 RootsWeb Genealogical Data Cooperative. Editors: Julia M. Case and Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG * * * * * CONTENTS. News and Notes from RootsWeb (RootsWeb in the News; RootsWeb on TalkSpot; The TxGenWeb Project and News Review; International Internet Genealogical Society Projects Registry; HelpDesk Tips); "Ancestors: The Family Search" on PBS (Deadline 31 March 1999); Publisher's Genealogical Coding System; Connecting through RootsWeb; Mailing Lists; Web Pages; GenConnect Boards; Oxymoron: Privacy and the Internet; Humor; Reprint Policy TO SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE, send e-mail that says only SUBSCRIBE (or UNSUBSCRIBE) to: . BACK ISSUES OF ROOTSWEB REVIEW are available for download from: . * * * * * NEWS AND NOTES FROM ROOTSWEB ROOTSWEB IN THE NEWS. Tim Pierce, RootsWeb Genealogical Data Cooperative system obfuscator and hack-of-all-trades, writes: "It's an article about spam, not genealogy, but I did get a paragraph about RootsWeb in [THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR]." * * * ROOTSWEB ON TALKSPOT. "Generations: Find Your Roots" is a two- hour program on the Internet. It is a combination of an Internet "radio broadcast" via RealAudio and a coordinated chat room with some extra bells and whistles. It originates from Seattle, Washington but is global, with participation from the UK, Australia, Canada, and elsewhere. It is sponsored by Sierra Home and its Generations software people. On Saturday, 20 March 1999, peripatetic ROOTSWEB REVIEW co-editor and L.A. Times syndicated "Shaking Your Family Tree" columnist, Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG, began what will be a weekly segment on doings at RootsWeb that will air at about 4:30-4:45 p.m. Pacific time. People can join the show at any time. This week's topic will be finding our female ancestors. Cyndi Howells will be the guest host and Christina Kassabian Schaefer, author of several books, including THE HIDDEN HALF OF THE FAMILY, will be a guest. If you DO NOT have Real Player, go to the Real Player Web site at . Click on Real Player G2. You have a choice of downloading free software or better software for a nominal fee. The download process may take a while, depending on the speed of your modem. It is advisable to download (a day) prior to the time you wish to use it. Visit ahead of time and register a user name with TalkSpot (it's free). Then visit it again on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. Pacific, 7:00 p.m. Eastern U.S.A. time and log in to join the show. Once you join the show you can: listen to the program via your computer and Real Audio; call in on the toll-free phone number; participate in text/typed messages in the chat room; read the chat room conversation; see graphics, pictures and video of those in the studio; participate in instant polls; and even draw on a map with virtual crayons. * * * THE TXGENWEB PROJECT NEWS AND REVIEW is distributed regularly to the TXGEN-L@rootsweb.com mailing list and may be distributed to those interested in Texas genealogy. Back issues are available at . Volunteers of the TXGenWeb Project are encouraged to e-mail new items of interest and announcements to the editor at . * * * INTERNATIONAL INTERNET GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY (IIGS) PROJECTS REGISTRY. Would you like for your project to be known to the international genealogical community as one that will provide free access to genealogical data via the Internet? Are you looking for volunteers? Are you looking for a chance to be an active participant in advancing genealogical knowledge? If you answered yes to any of the above, please visit for information on how you can list your projects with descriptions and, if volunteers are needed, the skills that will be needed to assist in your projects. The projects registry is currently available in English, Dutch, French, Norwegian, and Swedish. Pages in other languages will be added as translators volunteer to prepare them. If you want to enter your project or know of some projects that should be included, please complete the online application form. The projects should be of interest to a significant part of the genealogical community. * * * HELPDESK TIPS. For answers to most of your questions about using the resources hosted by RootsWeb, please read the FAQs at the RootsWeb HelpDesk: . * * * DONATIONS TO HELP SUPPORT ROOTSWEB ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED. For details about support levels/benefits and payment options, please visit: or send e-mail to: . RootsWeb's address is: RootsWeb Genealogical Data Cooperative, P.O. Box 6798, Frazier Park, CA 93222-6798. (Please include your e-mail address on all correspondence and checks.) * * * * * "ANCESTORS: THE FAMILY SEARCH" ON PBS DEADLINE FOR STORY IDEA SUBMISSIONS: 31 March 1999 The new series on PBS (the U.S. public television network), "Ancestors: The Family Search," is looking for compelling stories to illustrate particular record types. These include: (1) family/personal records (e.g., Bibles); (2) vital records; (3) census; (4) religious; (5) military; (6) land and tax; (7) probate; (8) newspaper; (9) immigration (includes emigration and naturalization); (10) migration; (11) cemetery; and (12) computer. Help is most needed now with probate, land and tax, migration, and family records. Story guidelines are: -- There must be a tie to one of the record types mentioned above. This does not mean that the story cannot include other records, but it is desirable that the story hinges on a particular one. Research efforts that took an unexpected turn due to the content of a particular record would be of great interest. -- There must be an obvious link between the record and a specific ancestor, as well as between the ancestor in question and a living descendant who would be willing to be interviewed, preferably the individual who did the research. -- There must be a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. If you're not sure, try telling one of your friends or relatives your vignette before submitting. If you get a "so what" reaction, it's probably not a fit. If they look impressed, incredulous, shocked, or just laugh out loud, you probably have a contender. -- The story must help us model the research process, so please tell us how you obtained the record(s) that is (are) featured in yours. -- Since this will be for television and other media, we need some visuals. Please tell us briefly about how your story could be illustrated. This might include the record itself, photos, pedigree and other charts, family heirlooms, footage from family reunions, the ancestor's home, and so forth, or anything else that might be relevant to the story. -- There is a preference for submissions from people located in New York, Washington, D.C., Salt Lake City, Seattle, and the U.K., but all are welcome. Submissions from people of all ages and ethnicities are encouraged in order to provide as diverse a collection of stories as possible. IMPORTANT: Please send a brief synopsis of your story to <76163.1402@compuserve.com> no later than 31 March 1999, and include the record type in the subject of your message. Additional contact information (i.e., phone, fax) would be helpful. A strong response is anticipated and the television show developers will only be able to respond to those whose stories most closely fit its criteria. However, all submissions are appreciated and will be given careful consideration. * * * * * PUBLISHER'S GENEALOGICAL CODING SYSTEM (PGCS). After four years of one octogenarian's efforts to provide newspaper obituaries which "live forever" (and even if clipped with no notation can be quickly identified as to paper, location, and publication date), I have a small army of interested folk assisting in the job I couldn't do by myself. We may yet have lots of papers carrying the oxymoronic headline: "Our Obituaries Live Forever!" PGCS is a coding system for obituaries that stands the test of time. By using a simple code in each obituary, future generations can quickly get more information to enrich their genealogical exploration. A visit to the Web site at will provide the whole story -- except that as of a week ago, PGCS coding of obits was being done by four local papers and one (U.S.) national paper, and more than 100 people all over the U.S.A. (plus two from Australia and New Guinea) had registered on the site and had been furnished personally addressed letters to their local paper's publisher, explanatory material, and an application form. In the two days following publication in "Missing Links" of a letter similar to this one, there were nearly 40 additional new registrations. I hope that soon there will be many more. David W. Dole * * * * * CONNECTING THROUGH ROOTSWEB. Thanks for sharing your stories. Clare Peden Midgley forwarded this message, which was posted on 23 March 1999 to the STAFFORDSHIRE-L@rootsweb.com mailing list. Please visit the Staffordshire Web page at . Dear all, Just to say "Thanks!" for the reaction to my appeal to let me know the whereabouts of Staffordshire's War memorials for the National Inventory and to create a searchable list of names thereon. I've had replies via this list, via my e-mail, and some telephone calls from two people who recognised me from the list and who wanted to discuss some finer points. Last evening I was even waylaid in the High Street having exited "Al Shafiq's" and prior to entering the "Scarlet Pussy" for a couple of postprandial pints. My knowledge and my list are greater now. I've even had some pictures sent to me (thanks Ian), and, to top it all, I also have two volunteers who are scouting around the county for me, poking their noses into buildings, etc. The task is not yet done. Please "register" your local memorial with me. I know of some that you have not mentioned, so there have to be more out there that you know and I don't. Please keep 'em coming to John Simons * * * On February 16th, after receiving some family history from an older relative, I decided to put a post up on the New Brunswick RootsWeb board, listing my three main surnames. I immediately got quite a few responses, but nothing that realy led to any further information. Then on March 13th, I got an inquiry on my main surname, and the name of the person inquiring was the same as my husband's grandfather. As it turns out, Tom and my husband have the same great-great-grandfather and we have a new second cousin. The happy part of this is that he lives only about two hours away from where my daughter lives, so the next time we go to New England to visit, we can plan to meet each other. Now, I guess a lot of you have found relatives through genealogy, but my focus had been mainly on finding and documenting ancestors. To find a real, living relative has been quite a thrill for us. Thanks to RootsWeb this was possible. Nancy M. Goodwin * * * * * MAILING LISTS. For an index to most user mailing lists hosted by RootsWeb, visit . NEW MAILING LIST REQUESTS. USGenWeb and WorldGenWeb hosts may have FREE locality mailing lists for the areas they host and for that purpose may ignore the "Contributors-only" warning on the list request page. Please request new mailing lists at: TO SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE from any RootsWeb-hosted mailing list, send an e-mail message with only the word SUBSCRIBE (or UNSUBSCRIBE) in the subject and the body of the message to [name of list]-L-request@rootsweb.com (for mail mode) or to [name of list]-D-request@rootsweb.com (for digest mode). FOR EXAMPLE, if you have interest in genealogical research in China and people of Chinese descent anywhere around the world, send a SUBSCRIBE message to: . NEW SURNAME MAILING LISTS BABER BINYON (includes BINION, BENYON, and BINGHAM) BJERKE BRENNEMAN CADY COPE DRIGGERS DUNCANSON GLEGHORN HORNE IFFT (includes IFT, EFT, YFT, and variants) JAYCOCK (includes JEACOCK, JEACOX, JEACOCKS, JACOCKS, JACOX, and variants) KARRICK LASCOMB (includes LASCUM, LASKUM, LASCOMBE, and variants) LEFLORE LEFTWICH LIGNOWSKI (includes variants) MCREYNOLDS (includes MCRANNALDS, MCRANNELS, and MCRUNNELS) MCVOY (includes MCAVOY, MCEVOY, MCABOY, and related surnames) MIDDLEMASS (includes variants) MONROE-SURNAME-NC (Monroe/Munroe surname of North Carolina) NADING NODINE OBANNON (includes O'BANION, O'BANNION, O'BANYAN, and variants) PRIGGE RANGE-SURNAME REILLY RICHARDSON (includes all variants) RIVENBURG (includes RIVENBERG, RIVENBARK, RIFENBURGH, RIVENBURGH, RIVENBURG, RIFENBERG, REIFENBERG, RYFENBURG, RYPENBERG, RYKENBERG, RYPENBERGER, RIPENBERG, RAVENBURG, ROFENBERG, RUFENBURG, REIFFENBERG, REIFFENBERGH, REIFFENBURG, RYFENBERG, RYTENBERG, REIFELBERG, REYPONBERG, RYFENBERG and all variants) SANDLIN (includes SANLAND, SANDLAND, and SANDILAND) SCAMMELL SCHANEY STRAUSBAUGH WALDROP (includes all variants) WIDEMAN (includes WEIDEMAN) WILT WOHLEBEN (includes WOLLEBEN, WOHLLEBEN, WOLIVER, WOOLEVER, WELLIVER, WILLEVER, and variants; also LIVEWELL and NEBELOW) NEW REGIONAL MAILING LISTS IRELAND IRL-CORK-CITY -- Cork City, County Cork, Ireland SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH-AFRICA-SOURCES -- Members of The Genealogical Forum of South Africa (G.F.S.A.) and anyone else interested in contributing to the preservation of genealogical sources in South Africa U.S.A. CAINYO -- Inyo County, California CASANTAC -- Santa Cruz County, California CAYOLO -- Yolo County, California COCROWLE -- Crowley County, Colorado CTNEWLON -- New London County, Connecticut GAWILKIN -- Wilkinson County, Georgia IACHICKA -- Chickasaw County, Iowa INSULLIV -- Sullivan County, Indiana LABIENVI -- Bienville Parish, Louisiana LABOSSIE -- Bossier Parish, Louisiana LALINCOL -- Lincoln Parish, Louisiana MDCALVER -- Calvert County, Maryland MSFORRES -- Forrest County, Mississippi NMCHAVES -- Chaves County, New Mexico NMSNJUAN -- San Juan County, New Mexico NVESMERA -- Esmeralda County, Nevada NVLANDER -- Lander County, Nevada NVMINERA -- Mineral County, Nevada OHGEAUGA -- Geauga County, Ohio OHVINTON -- Vinton County, Ohio ORMULTNO -- Multnomah County, Oregon TXWALLER -- Waller County, Texas WATHURST -- Thurston County, Washington NEW ETHNIC, SPECIAL INTEREST, and MISCELLANEOUS MAILING LISTS CHINA -- Genealogy research in China and people of Chinese descent anywhere around the world CPAFUG -- Capital PAF Users Group (Washington, DC), members only. All aspects of genealogical computing technique. SDB -- Seventh Day Baptist church ancestors USWARS-1800S -- The "little" wars during the 1800s (e.g., Mexican War, Spanish-American War, and Indian wars) * * * * * NEW WEB ACCOUNT REQUESTS. Please see the instructions at . NEW WEB SITES. Some of these might not yet be accessible. If one that interests you isn't up yet, please check again in a few days or a week. . Note that the ~[tilde] before the account name is required. FOR EXAMPLE, to visit the Galway, Ireland Web page, go to . CANADA nbbgchs -- Base Gagetown Community Historical Society, New Brunswick GERMANY deumoenc -- Moenchengladbach IRELAND irlgal -- Galway U.S.A. alchilto -- Chilton County, Alabama catags -- Tracy Area Genealogical Society, California ohshelby -- Shelby County, Ohio scpicken -- Pickens County, South Carolina pamonroe -- Monroe County, Pennsylvania mnpahc -- Plainview Area History Center, Minnesota mspcgs -- Prentiss County Genealogical Society, Mississippi mnhchs -- Hubbard County Historical Society, Minnesota wibcgs -- Barron County Genealogical Society, Wisconsin kyboyd -- Boyd County, Kentucky * * * * * NEW GENCONNECT BOARDS. 87 new regional GenConnect boards were activated 14 to 20 March 1999, as follows: ARCHIVES 8 CANADA 21 DENMARK 2 NEW ZEALAND 1 POLAND 2 ALHN Al 6 USA Ar 2 Ca 4 Co 3 Fl 15 Ga 7 Ia 1 Il 21 Ky 7 Mn 11 Mt 9 NC 1 NM 2 Ne 7 Oh 1 Ok 2 Pa 6 Tn 4 Tx 21 Va 7 WV 4 SURNAME BOARDS. 300 new surname boards include the following : Anglin, Baskett, Beaston, Blair, Bloch, Bloyd, Bratcher, Breed, Bunnell, Campbell, Cargile, Cato, Clouser, Colbert, Crago, Daly, Damrell, Davault, Deal, Dover, Duke, Fountaine, Francis, Fuhrmann, Goin, Gough, Gourley, Hance, Hanson, Heberlig, Heberling, Hillier, Higan, Hollars, Horvath, Ireland, Kenny, Kidder, Laidlaw, Leonard, Light, Lorimer, Loudenslager, Lurvey, Mauzey, Millington, Neeley, Nix, Nodine, Parsons, Pickett, Root, Runnels, Sandtner, Schievelbein, Sheddrick, Silvey, Spicer, Stansbury, Strain, Strausbaugh, Swindler, Tebbetts, Terry, Twaddle, Vining, Walker, Wichmann, Wideman, Wier, Willow, Wrenn * * * * * OXYMORON: PRIVACY AND THE INTERNET by Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG Genealogists use RootsWeb and the incredible power of the Internet to learn more about ancestors and to find far-flung cousins. However we are caught in an incongruous position on privacy matters. Everyone wants their privacy respected, but are you invading that of your relatives? Technology enables us to share genealogical information easily and quickly via e-mail, mailing lists, chat rooms, bulletin boards, newsgroups, GEDCOMs, CDs and Web sites. In our eagerness to obtain and to share data we forget that our living family members have a right to privacy. We also post personal details about ourselves that we would not put on the local supermarket bulletin board. Aunt Martha might reveal her real birth date and confess that she had a child out of wedlock when she was 19. Sweet old Uncle Jim may tell you that he has been married and divorced six times. However, you are invading their privacy if you publish this information or if you share it with others via a GEDCOM or family group sheets. Information on home pages, bulletin boards, and mailing lists is electronic publication. It is OK to collect and compile information about your living relatives, but don't share it (unless you have their permission, of course) with others -- in any format via any means. During the preparation of a talk for my local genealogical society on this subject, I searched hundreds of genealogy-related home pages. At one I found the names and details about everyone in the family, including when and where they were all born, right down to a one-month-old grandson, listing the hospital in which he was born. One researcher reports, "In just one file that I downloaded . . . I found more than 200 names of persons born within the last 70 years . . ." Another notes, "I was shocked and dismayed to find that someone had copied my entire GEDCOM and put it up on their Web site. While I have no objection to anyone using my dead ancestors, this person had included the living as well . . ." Now, I've heard from several genealogists who claim it does not matter what we put up on our home pages or share on the Internet since "this information is all public information, anyway." Another one argues that "unless and until they quit putting births, deaths and marriages in the newspapers the basic relationships and names are and will remain public info." I have no quarrel about marriage and death records -- if they are really obtained from public sources. However, I asked several correspondents to provide me with the source of the birth information posted on their home pages, and guess what I learned? In every instance the data were either supplied by a cousin or obtained from a GEDCOM that someone had sent them. In other words, they had not found the information in a public source at all. Take a look at the policy posted at "Don't Mess with the Living, Texas" : "It is the policy of the Texas GenWeb Project to protect the rights and privacy of our living relatives. We strongly encourage all involved to do their best not to place information on the Internet about anyone who is still living, unless you have their express permission to do so." Among the suggestions for ways to protect living family members are: -- When requesting information (via e-mail, chat, queries, etc.) do not include personal information on living persons. -- When responding to requests for information, especially to someone you really do not know, do not provide them with personal information about living persons. They could post it on the Web or do who knows what else with it. -- Before sharing GEDCOM files with others, expunge information on all living persons. Programs such as GEDClean, GEDLiving, and GEDPrivy will do this for you. -- If you have a genealogy Web site, remove information about all living persons. (Check Cyndi's Genealogy Home Page Construction Kit for tips and links to the several GEDCOM utility programs that will exclude such data.) British genealogists are using the "GEN100" logo to signify that their Web site respects a cut-off date of 100 years, and to advise that information which is less than 100 years old will not be divulged. Many Americans use January 1920 as the cut-off point, since that is the most recent federal census available to the public. We should exercise good manners and respect the privacy of our families -- those generous relatives who have shared information with us or who shared with a cousin of a cousin. Additionally, there is another and growing problem -- identity theft. Why make it easy for cyberthieves to steal your or a loved one's identity? When you post public messages about your research, it is sufficient to say you are researching a Cynthia Jones line. You don't have to reveal relationship by saying she is your mother or maternal grandmother. To learn more about identity theft and other privacy issues visit: and . In the pursuit of our ancestors, let's not hurt ourselves or our living family members. Think before you post or share data. * * * * * HUMOR. Many thanks to Audrey Reece from sunny Queensland, Australia , who writes: My eight-year-old granddaughter had been to Sunday school and knew all about God, and also her Mum had been explaining about evolution, and how man came from the apes. Then one day her four- year-old sister asked, "Who is God?" Miss Eight who knew all about it said, "He is the Creator. He made the world and the birds and trees, and everything." So then the four-year-old asked if He also made the people. Miss Smarty replied, "Only the women; the men came from the apes." * * * * * PERMISSION TO REPRINT articles from ROOTSWEB REVIEW is granted unless specifically stated otherwise, PROVIDED: (1) the reprint is used for non-commercial, educational purposes; and (2) the following notice appears at the end of the article: Written by Previously published by RootsWeb Genealogical Data Cooperative, RootsWeb Review, Vol. 2, No. 12, 24 March 1999. Please visit RootsWeb's main Web page at . * * * * * MISSING LINKS: A Weekly Newsletter for Genealogists, edited and published by Julia M. Case and Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG, is a free e-zine distributed on Fridays. Back issues are available for download from . To subscribe to MISSING LINKS, send an e-mail message that says only SUBSCRIBE to: Missing-Links-L-request@rootsweb.com