ROOTSWEB REVIEW: RootsWeb's Genealogy News Vol. 2, No. 51, 22 December 1999, Circulation: 378,283+ (c) 1999 RootsWeb.com, Inc. RootsWeb.com, Inc., P.O. Box 6798, Frazier Park, CA 93222-6798 Editors: Julia M. Case and Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG RootsWeb HelpDesk: Advertising: Public Relations/Press: * * * * * IN THIS ISSUE: o Announcements from the CEO o Cards at RootsWeb o Last Minute Shopping at RootsWeb o RootsWeb HelpDesk -- A Message from the Volunteers o RootsWeb's Guide to Tracing Family Trees: Italian and Hispanic Roots o WorldGenWeb, Regional GenWebs, and WorldGenWeb for Kids o New Genealogy Mailing Lists o New Genealogy Web Pages o GenConnect o USGenWeb Archives Project o Letters to the Editors o Humor -- Why Santa Must be a System Administrator o Reprint Policy, Back Issues, How to Subscribe/Unsubscribe * * * * * ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE CEO, by Robert R. Tillman o As of today, users have uploaded 10,850,784 names to the RootsWeb WorldConnect Project. We have almost reached RootsWeb's goal of uploading 12 million names by year end. Search the names already uploaded, upload your own GEDCOM, or find more detailed answers to your questions regarding the WorldConnect Project at o ROOTSWEB PROVES THAT PEOPLE OVER 55 ARE WEB SAVVY. See the most recent article mentioning RootsWeb at o ACCESS TO ALL OF ROOTSWEB'S THOUSANDS OF DATABASES IS FREE FROM NOW THROUGH JANUARY 4, 2000 AND BEYOND. Access to all RootsWeb databases (hundreds of millions of names) is and always has been free, thanks to RootsWeb's financial and volunteer contributors. In addition, you can obtain free unlimited Web space, free mailing lists, free GEDCOM hosting, and free RootsWeb Surname List entries on RootsWeb, without the worry that someone will take your data and sell access to it or burn it onto a CD. o SEARCH ROOTSWEB DATABASES. If you have not used RootsWeb's numerous search engines recently, you will be pleasantly surprised by the large amount of new material that will turn up. (Be patient, we are working on a site-wide search engine.) Below is a list of the major search facilities at RootsWeb that should help you in your explorations. There are many resources on RootsWeb not included in these searches. The fragmented nature of the various search facilities is explained by the fact that RootsWeb consists of many different genealogy projects that have developed independently since 1987. GenConnect Message Board Search (message boards) GenSeeker (Web sites on RootsWeb) Immigrant Transcribers Guild Search (ship arrival records) Mailing List Finder Search (mailing lists) Mailing List Interactive Search (mailing list archives) Miscellaneous Database Searches (various state and newsgroup related databases) Obituary Daily Times Search (obituaries) Free Birth, Marriage and Death Index Search (England and Wales) Roots-L Files Search (various topic and state related files) http://www.rootsweb.com/roots-l/> Roots-L Mailing List Archive Search (mailing list archives) RootsLink Search (genealogy links) Roots Location List Search (researchers by location) RootsWeb Surname Helper (surname registries and message boards) RootsWeb Surname List (surname researchers) Social Security Death Index Search (government supplied database) Threaded Mailing List Archives Search (mailing lists) USGenWeb Archives Search (large variety of material, including Census records) USGenWeb Project Search (USGenWeb Web sites) U.S. Town and Country Database Search (location research) WorldConnect GEDCOM Search (GEDCOMs) o REGISTER ON ROOTSWEB SURNAME LIST FOR THE NEW YEAR. Genealogy on RootsWeb is primarily a vast cooperative research project. Actually only a small fraction of genealogical data is online. One way to achieve a breakthrough on your family lines is to get in touch with someone who has already spent time researching a family line. One of the best tools for finding those who share a common interest with you (or for being found) is the RootsWeb Surname List (RSL). The RSL is a registry of more than 775,516 surname entries that have been submitted by more than 164,297 online genealogists. Associated with each surname are dates and locations and information about how to contact the person who submitted the surname. Everyone who uses RootsWeb should take time to register their research interests on the RSL at . o SOCIAL SECURITY DEATH INDEX UPDATED. I just checked the Social Security Death Index (November 1999) update and was pleased to learn that I was not listed. The SSDI now consists of 62,558,032 names reflecting 34,566 changes, 1,540 deletes, and 167,813 adds for the month of November. Search the SSDI at . While you are doing your new search, don't forget that you can attach a correction, addition, or forwarding address to any entry in this database using RootsWeb's Post-em note capability. o PML FEATURES UPGRADED. PML (PERSONALIZED MAILING LIST) allows a RootsWeb contributor to enter multiple complex search terms and receive by e-mail notification each day of any new post that matches those search terms on any of RootsWeb's nearly 15,000 archived mailing lists, 140,000 message boards, and more than 775,000 RootsWeb Surname List (RSL) entries. Now PML can exclude a variety of search terms and/or limit your searches to a single part of RootsWeb, such as the RootsWeb Surname List, thus making it a far more targeted and useful tool. When you become a RootsWeb contributor or upgrade your membership to the $24/year level at you gain access to RootsWeb's new Personalized Mailing List. o START A MAILING LIST FOR THE NEW YEAR. If you wish to start a FREE mailing list on any subject or wish to move a list from another site to RootsWeb, now is your chance. You need not be a RootsWeb financial contributor to start a RootsWeb mailing list. If you are dissatisfied with conditions elsewhere, come home to RootsWeb. o ADOPT A MAILING LIST OR MESSAGE BOARD. Volunteer to administer one of the many county and surname mailing lists and message boards that are open for adoption. To adopt a county mailing list or message board: . To adopt a surname mailing list or message board: . o LOCATE YOUR WEB SITE WHERE QUALIFIED USERS CAN FIND YOU. To date, RootsWeb has fulfilled 4,517 requests for unlimited free Web space from genealogical and historical societies, family associations, individual genealogists and many others. Move your site to RootsWeb, the largest traffic genealogy Web site in the world, and people interested in genealogy and history can find it. For free unlimited Web space: . Link your Web site to the relevant surname, county, state and/or country resource cluster. Thereafter, a link to your Web site will appear at the top of the resource cluster(s) you have chosen. Users specifically interested in the information on your Web site will see this link whenever they use the RootsWeb surname resources at or the RootsWeb U.S. county and state resources at o HOLIDAY GIFT. Only 25,000 of RootsWeb's 1.7 million monthly users, fewer than two percent, contribute financially to RootsWeb. During this holiday season, pass on to others the kind of benefits you have received by having free access to genealogical data online. Mailing address: RootsWeb.com, Inc., P.O. Box 6798, Frazier Park, CA 93222-6798. (Please write your e-mail address on all correspondence and checks.) * * * CARDS AT ROOTSWEB has special cards for the season. Christmas Cards Kwanzaa Cards Winter Solstice Cards * * * LAST MINUTE SHOPPING? Visit one of RootsWeb's 115 affiliates: * * * ROOTSWEB HELP DESK It's that time of year. Remember how excited you were when you got your computer or got online the first time? Remember how confusing it all was? Of course, you are an old pro at surfing the Net now. After the holidays come January and February newbie days -- all those people who are not only new to the Net but often new to computers. These newbies will try your patience with what seem like simple questions, asked over and over again. Please be kind and try to help -- or use your delete key. Help make it nicer for all of us. Thanks. The RootsWeb HelpDesk Volunteers * * * ROOTSWEB'S GUIDE TO TRACING FAMILY TREES Lesson 22 is ITALIAN AND HISPANIC ROOTS. * * * MISSING LINKS HOLIDAY PAGES **PAID ADVERTISEMENT** Q: What's blue, great to have on your desk, and FREE? A: Handy stamps -- ideal for return addresses! Get your FREE self-inking stamp from iPrint.com today! Pay just $1.85 for shipping to U.S. addresses. Offer good for new customers of iPrint.com only. Click below to start: **PAID ADVERTISEMENT** Get THE SOURCE, the book named "Best Reference Book" by the American Library Association! Simply the most comprehensive genealogy reference book in existence! Learn how to find critical resources like: court records, church records, land and tax records, and business and employment records. Normally $49.95, THE SOURCE is on special this week for $44.90. Hard Back, 847 pages! PRINTED SOURCES! The companion to THE SOURCE. Includes vital records that have been transcribed and published, as well as published indexes that can direct you to priceless ancestral information from a variety of record sources. Normally $49.95, PRINTED SOURCES is on special this week at $39.95! Hard Back, 840 pages! LAND AND PROPERTY RESEARCH is a must for genealogists. Written evidence of people's entitlement to land and property goes back in time further and applies to more people than any other genealogical record in the United States. Normally $49.95, LAND AND PROPERTY RESEARCH is on special this week for $39.95. As an added bonus, you can get the set of all three of these wonderful reference volumes for only $109.95. Place your order for these products on the secure site at or call the FamilyStoreHouse Sales Department at 1-800-725-5013 and mention RootsWeb. FamilyStoreHouse will donate 10% of the sales proceeds to RootsWeb. **PAID ADVERTISEMENT** Top columnists share their opinion of HISTORY Magazine with Rootsweb subscribers. "I'll be crowing like a rooster about this new magazine."--Donna Potter Phillips. "I think you are going to have another winner."--Edward M. Knights. "I have read it from cover to cover with much interest."--Mary Fitzhugh. "HISTORY Magazine is a winner."--Tamie Dehler. "Articles are written in a style that appeals to the average person rather than the historical scholar."--Regina Hines. Find out what they are talking about by requesting a free trial copy at **PAID ADVERTISEMENT** Remember the prom, the big game, opening night, or band camp? Who did you have a crush on? What was your favorite class? The best memories get even better when you share them with friends. Find your old high school friends on ClassMates.com -- your 24-hour, 7-day-a-week online class reunion. * * * * * WORLDGENWEB PROJECT; REGIONAL GENWEBs; WORLDGENWEB FOR KIDS WorldGenWeb 13 regional GenWeb projects are affiliated with the WorldGenWeb Project. Many countries in these regional GenWeb projects are in need of a coordinator. Maybe one will become your millennium project? AfricaGenWeb AsiaGenWeb BalticSeaGenWeb British IslesGenWeb *CanadaGenWeb [English/French] Caribbean GenWeb CenEuroGenWeb CentralAmGenWeb EastEuropeGenWeb MediterraneanGenWeb MexicoGenWeb [English/Spanish] MidEastGenWeb PacificGenWeb SouthAmGenWeb [English, French, Spanish] *USGenWeb [*The CanadaGenWeb and USGenWeb are not affiliated with the World GenWeb Project, but their main pages are linked to WorldGenWeb.] WorldGenWeb for Kids This is a fairly new special project for kids 18 and under. It is geared to helping school age children learn about genealogy, history, and world geography. There are pages for educators as well as special pages such as holidays and traditions in different countries, and there are numerous links to other sources for kids. There is a link for subscribing to GEN-TEEN-L, a mailing list for kids doing their genealogy, and there is a link to a chat room for kids. * * * * * MAILING LISTS. For an index to most genealogy mailing lists hosted by RootsWeb, visit NEW MAILING LIST REQUESTS. 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, to discuss Sonora, Mexico, send a SUBSCRIBE message to: NEW SURNAMES MAILING LISTS, GenCONNECT BOARDS, AND CLUSTERS ARON ATTEY BRANNON DAY-SWPA -- DAY surname in Southwest Pennsylvania COPSEY GOSE GRAMMICH GUENTENSPERGER (including GUNTENSPERGER, GUTENSPERGER, GUENTENSBERGER, GUTENBERGER, GUTTENBERG) HALLISEY ICKES KIERLEY LAROS LINGNER MANRY MARTIN-HENRY -- Descendants of Henry MARTIN who died 1748/9 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, and his wife Jane [--?--] [Use the existing MARTIN cluster page and GenConnect boards.] NEUSTADTER NIEMCZYK STEMWEDEL SUITE (including SUIT, SUITS, SUITT, SUTE, SOOT, SOOTS) TALLADAY (including TALADA, TALLADY, TALLADA) TREON (including TRION, TREION, TRINE, DRION) TRIVETTE (including TRIBET, TRIVET, and TRIVETT) NEW REGIONAL MAILING LISTS MEXICO MEX-CHIHUAHUA -- State of Chihuahua, Mexico MEX-JALISCO -- State of Jalisco, Mexico MEX-SINALOA -- State of Sinaloa, Mexico MEX-SONORA -- State of Sonora, Mexico U.S.A. EASTERNKENTUCKY -- For all who have roots and/or genealogical interest in Eastern Kentucky. NEW ETHNIC, SPECIAL INTEREST, AND MISCELLANEOUS MAILING LISTS BYGONES-USERS -- Bygones is a freeware genealogical notekeeping program for genealogists with laptops SALTENFORUM -- Norwegian DISform list for Salten * * * * * 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 Seattle Genealogical Soc. Web page, go to CANADA abbhs -- Burtonsville Historical Society (Alberta) onogs -- Ontario Genealogical Society U.S.A. casoccgs -- Orange County California Genealogical Society kycchgs -- Carter County Historical and Gen. Soc. (Kentucky) njgsbc -- Genealogical Society of Bergen County (New Jersey) txdbdac -- Daniel Braman Chapter -- Daughters of American Colonists (Texas) txgvdar -- Guadalupe Victoria Chapter -- Daughters of the American Revolution (Texas) txjbcd -- John Brewer Chapter -- Colonial Dames (Texas) txjwfdrt -- James W. Fannin Chapter -- Daughters of the Republic of Texas txvcsar -- Victoria Chapter -- Sons of the American Revolution (Texas) txwprudc -- William P. Rogers Chapter -- United Daughters of the Confederacy (Texas) waseags -- Seattle Genealogical Society (Washington) * * * * * GENCONNECT. RootsWeb hosts more than 60,000 surname GenConnect boards that are in need of people to maintain them. o For a complete list of adoptable GenConnect surname boards o For the form to request to adopt a GenConnect surname board (the same form is used for surname mailing list requests) Have you found a genealogical treasure, such as a photo album or an old Bible containing a completed family record page, that you would like to see reunited with its family? If so, in addition to submitting a notice for publication in the "Somebody's Links" section of MISSING LINKS or in the SOMEBODY'S LINKS NEWSLETTER (to subscribe, send e-mail that says only SUBSCRIBE to: ) you also may post a notice about it on the GenConnect board at * * * * * USGENWEB ARCHIVES -- THE ARCHIVES NEWSLETTER contains the current USGenWeb Archives submissions in the last week. December 20, 1999 issue USGW-ARCHIVES-ANNOUNCE is a read-only mailing list for weekly announcements of new updates and submissions to the USGenWeb Archives. It is open to anyone who wishes to subscribe. To subscribe, send e-mail that says only SUBSCRIBE to this address: * * * * * LETTERS TO THE EDITORS may be posted to the GenConnect board at http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/RWR-LettersToTheEditor or e-mailed to RWR-Editors@rootsweb.com. I just want to let you know that I love RootsWeb! I have been searching different family lines for seven years now. A few years ago I was so frustrated that I decided that I had had enough of this family searching and wasn't going to continue. Then, one late night, somehow I came across RootsWeb and decided what the heck I have already invested seven years, why not a few more hours. In the past two years I have found many close family connections or they found me via the queries I posted everywhere I could on RootsWeb-hosted sites. Just lately I have been contacted by no less than five new family members for my husband's parents' lines. Though I still become frustrated once in a while, I know if I hang on something will happen. I love reading MISSING LINKS and ROOTSWEB REVIEW. Please keep up the good work. Thank you RootsWeb for all your very hard work. Cathy Larkins * * * * * HUMOR. Thanks to Dale ("Doc") Schneider, System Administrator and all-round guru for RootsWeb. 10 REASONS SANTA MUST BE A SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR 1. Santa is bearded, corpulent, and dresses funny. 2. When you ask Santa for something, the odds of receiving what you wanted are infinitesimal. 3. Santa seldom answers your mail. 4. When you ask Santa where he gets all the stuff he's got, he says, "Elves make it for me." 5. Santa doesn't care about your deadlines. 6. Your parents ascribed supernatural powers to Santa, but did all the work themselves. 7. Nobody knows whom Santa has to answer to for his actions. 8. Santa laughs entirely too much. 9. Santa thinks nothing of breaking into your home. 10. Only a lunatic says bad things about Santa in his presence. * * * * * 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.com, Inc., RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Genealogy News, Vol. 2, No. 51, 22 December 1999. RootsWeb: BACK ISSUES OF ROOTSWEB REVIEW may be read online or downloaded from TO SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE from ROOTSWEB REVIEW and MISSING LINKS, send e-mail with only SUBSCRIBE (or UNSUBSCRIBE) in the message area to: . **PAID ADVERTISEMENT** This year Ancestry.com is pulling out all the stops as it celebrates the last holiday season of the century! Visitors to Ancestry between December 20, 1999 and January 4, 2000 will be able to sign up for free access to all of its databases. Search 500 million records in over 1,800 databases, including the Periodical Source Index (PERSI), AIS Census Indexes, Social Security Death Index, Civil War Research database, and American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI). Sign up for free access at: **END PAID ADVERTISEMENT**