ROOTSWEB REVIEW: RootsWeb's Genealogy News Vol. 3, No. 4, 26 January 2000, Circulation: 390,946+ (c) 1998-2000 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 RootsWeb's Guide to Tracing Family Trees: Canadian, French- Canadian, Acadian, and French Roots o USGenWeb Special Collections o Connecting through RootsWeb o New Genealogy Mailing Lists o New Genealogy Web Pages o GenConnect o USGenWeb Archives Project o Letters to the Editors o Reprint Policy, Back Issues, How to Subscribe/Unsubscribe * * * * * ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE CEO, by Robert R. Tillman o Stop by and See Us at GenTech. If you attend the GenTech Conference in San Diego, California, this Friday and/or Saturday (28-29 January), please stop by the RootsWeb booth to say hello. o RootsWeb off the Air for 5-1/2 Hours. If you could not access RootsWeb between about 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on Sunday, 23 January, your computer was not at fault. RootsWeb was off the Web owing to a defective router in one of the facilities of GST Telecom, our Internet connectivity provider. Going down during this period of peak usage was particularly painful as RootsWeb was well on its way to having the highest traffic day in its history (judging from the usage trend up until the service interruption). RootsWeb staffers spent a frantic afternoon and early evening on the telephone with GST personnel from the GST Chief Operating Officer on down, pushing to get back online. This problem is a good example of RootsWeb's vulnerability to service interruption owing to its sole source connection to the Internet. We are in the process of bringing online a second source Internet connection, but doing so will double our monthly connectivity expenses. Your contributions now literally can help RootsWeb to stay online. To learn how to contribute, please visit . (RootsWeb's mailing address is: RootsWeb.com, Inc., P.O. Box 6798, Frazier Park, CA 93222-6798. Please write your e-mail address on all correspondence and checks.) o Do You Store Your Family Tree Data on Your Computer Using a Genealogy Software Package? If you do, you can easily create a GEDCOM file that can be uploaded to the RootsWeb WorldConnect Project at . Most genealogy software packages can generate a GEDCOM file. For information about and links to the Web sites of the publishers of numerous genealogy software programs, see Lesson 3, "Using Technology to Dig up Roots," at RootsWeb's Guide to Tracing Family Trees Participate in the WorldConnect Project! Even if you have input only a few generations of your family tree onto your computer, you can upload your GEDCOM to WorldConnect now and begin to make contact with others who share your family lines. Since you can remove or revise your GEDCOM at any time, you can always add, delete or correct data later. (Remember that, unlike certain other sites, RootsWeb will never charge you or others to access to your family tree data or burn it onto a CD and sell it.) If you do not have or cannot afford to purchase a genealogy software package, you can download from the Web one of the many freeware or shareware packages, a partial list of which is below. RootsWeb has not reviewed these software packages. BirthWrite 2.1 for Windows, available as shareware at Brother's Keeper is a shareware program for Windows, available at Cumberland Family Tree 2.5 for Windows, available at FamilyMatters 4.14 for Windows, available as shareware at Fzip Family Tree 1.7 for Windows, available as shareware at Gene 4.2.1 for Macintosh, available as shareware at GeneWeb 3.02 for Windows and Unix, available as freeware at GEDitCOM 2.2 for Macintosh, available as shareware at Genius Family Tree 1.51 for Windows, available as shareware at Heritage 3.11 for Macintosh, available as shareware at Lifelines for Unix, available as freeware at Personal Ancestral File 4.03 for Windows (PAF), available as freeware under the "Order Family History Resources Section" at o New WorldConnect Search by Location Feature. Now you can search WorldConnect by location, for example, by county. We've had reports that people are finding important links in their family trees using this new capability. As of today, there are more than 15,712,488 names to search on WorldConnect, with hundreds of thousands more added daily. o Social Security Death Index Updated for December 1999. The SSDI now consists of 62,713,038 names reflecting 29,230 changes, 1,355 deletes, and 156,129 adds for the month of December 1999. Search the SSDI at . While you are doing your new search, don't forget that you can attach a correction, addition, forwarding address, or link to any entry in this database using RootsWeb's Post-em note capability. o Did your ancestor sign the Declaration of Independence? Upload your GEDCOM to RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project then use a Post-em to add such interesting details to your ancestors' records. o RootsWeb Accepts GEDCOMs on Removable Media. If you experience difficulty uploading your GEDCOM for any reason, please feel free to send it to RootsWeb WorldConnect Project, 1001 Tower Way, #120, Bakersfield, CA 93309 on a floppy, ZIP disk, or CD. We will upload it for you and send you notification by e-mail of your account name and password (please allow two weeks). Thereafter, you can change the viewing options at any time by going to o The winner of the WorldConnect banner contest is Noreen Arsenault who will receive a $200 check from RootsWeb. We wish to thank all of you who have submitted banners to the contest. You can see all the entered banners at . o A Genealogist's Nightmare is to have missed a vital piece of information. That key tidbit may have been posted to a mailing list to which you have not subscribed or to a message board which you have not monitored. Now RootsWeb helps you sleep peacefully at night. When you become a RootsWeb contributor or upgrade to the $24/year level you gain access to RootsWeb's Personalized Mailing List (PML). PML allows you to enter multiple complex search terms and receive daily notification by e-mail of any new post that matches those search terms on any of RootsWeb's nearly 15,000 archived lists, 140,000+ message boards, and 796,000+ RootsWeb Surname List (RSL) entries. Soon, other areas on RootsWeb will be added to PML. Stay tuned. o Genealogical and Historical Societies are Moving to RootsWeb. What about You? To date, RootsWeb has fulfilled 5,598 requests for unlimited free Web space. 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, visit . **PAID ADVERTISEMENT** ====================================== FREE CATALOG --- 1300+ BOOKS & CD-ROMS all published by Heritage Books, Inc. Request New Free Catalog -150 1-800-398-7709 or heritagebooks@pipeline.com HERITAGE BOOKS, INC. 1540 Pointer Ridge Place, Bowie MD 20716 ====================================== **PAID ADVERTISEMENT** The January/February issue of FAMILY CHRONICLE includes an article by Cyndi Howells, "Researching Using the Internet," along with, "The Search For Missing Irish Family and Friends," "Writing a Family History," "Immigration at Castle Garden," "Family Reunions," "Web Sites Worth Surfing," and many others. Top genealogy writers have this to say about FAMILY CHRONICLE: Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG--"If you haven't discovered FAMILY CHRONICLE you are in for a treat"; Dear MYRTLE--". . . this is a must have magazine"; Bob Meeker--"FAMILY CHRONICLE has matured into the acknowledged finest genealogical magazine available." Find out how you can obtain a trial copy by visiting You can also obtain a trial copy of HISTORY MAGAZINE with articles "Life in 1000 A.D.," "Dinner for Eight (1860)," "'Til Death Do Us Part"," The U.S. Cavalry," "After the Sun Went Down," "History notes -- Eyeglasses, Timekeeping, The Elevator, Cholera," and many others. Top columnists have this to say about HISTORY MAGAZINE: Carole Kiernan--"It is everything the publisher said it would be"; Donna Potter Phillips--"I'll be crowing like a rooster about this new magazine"; Tamie Dehler- "Articles are written in a style that appeals to the average person rather than the historical scholar." Find out how you can obtain a trial copy by visiting Save $5 on FAMILY CHRONICLE's Introduction to Genealogy special publication by calling 1-888-326-2476. Offer good until 31 January 2000. **END PAID ADVERTISEMENT** ROOTSWEB'S GUIDE TO TRACING FAMILY TREES. Index to lessons: Lesson 24: Canadian, French Canadian, Acadian, and French Roots * * * * * USGenWeb ARCHIVES LAUNCHES SPECIAL COLLECTIONS PROJECT by Linda Lewis As the USGenWeb Archives grew, it was apparent not all submitted data fell into the standard state/county category, but covered multiple counties or states. The USGenWeb Archives Special Collections Project, recently developed, now covers this special data. Special Collections also provides an entry page to scanned material that is in the public domain, such as books and journals on family studies and history, stored for free access in the USGenWeb Archives. These books will be scanned and placed online. If you are interested in volunteering to transcribe any of the books, or if you have a special collection that you would like to share with others for free access, please contact me. RootsWeb has provided free access to the USGenWeb Archives since 1996 and, like the USGenWeb volunteers, is dedicated to free online genealogy. If you would like to help keep genealogy freely accessible on the Internet, please see How You Can Help: * * * * * CONNECTING THROUGH ROOTSWEB. Thanks for sharing your stories. I have also had several experiences with serendipity as some call it. I prefer to believe that it is the spirits of my ancestors following me around and leading me to great discoveries that I probably wouldn't make on my own. This spring we traveled through Kansas as part of our "dream trip" across the country. My dear husband was patiently allowing me to make research stops along the way. In Jefferson County I was taking photos of my CARNAHAN family gravestones and then planned to visit the library at Old Jefferson Town, which I had been looking forward to with great anticipation. As we pulled up to the front door, the sign said that they were only open on weekends (it was Thursday). It began to rain and I was feeling as badly as the weather, when a car drove in beside us. A smiling lady said she was a librarian and was going to do her own work that afternoon and that I was welcome to come inside with her. Needless to say I was overjoyed. There was an obituary card file there which contained dozens and dozens of obits for my family. Later on in Iuka Cemetery in Pratt County, I was hoping to get more photos of HEADRICK and HELSEL family gravestones. As I was thinking that I would be there all day looking, two ladies on their morning walk stopped by to say "hello." They turned out to be distant cousins of mine and were able to take me to each stone that belonged to us. They knew the cemetery by heart! I love doing family history, and I hope that more of these precious experiences await me in my future research. Thank-you for RootsWeb and all the work you do to help us find our families. Judy Lubinski * * * Thanks RootsWeb! Through the surname list MENARY, I have met several new cousins from various parts of the world and we all had thought the same thing; that our name was unusual, that our ancestors were originally from France, and that they had immigrated to Ireland to fight with King William of Orange in the 1690 Battle of the Boyne. We have now located the direct link from France to County Armagh, as well as the original pay from the King's Army to Ensign de MENEREY. I had the fortunate experience to spend New Year's Eve 1999 with a list subscriber's family in Sydney, Australia. We still do not know how our MENARYs connect but we felt like we were kin in many ways. In February 2000, another MENARY descendant from the list will be in California and we will spend some time together. She is from New York. In May, a "cousin" will be here from England. I have spoken on the phone to list subscribers from Indiana, Florida, and Perth, Australia. We would never have met if it were not for RootsWeb. Thanks again for the wonderful service you provide. Susan Rice Jella, Ph.D. **PAID ADVERTISEMENT** The earliest experiments with a tintype style process occurred in France in 1853, but it took the ingenuity of an American to bring the process to market in the United States. In 1856, Peter Neff filed a patent for the new process of direct positive photography which utilized tin plates as the receiving base. That same year he opened the very first tintype production plant in the United States located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Anxious to capture the market for this exciting new technology, Neff rushed headlong into mass production. But the breakneck speed of expansion came to a startling stop when within a few short months of opening, disaster struck. With the mortar still damp from construction, this shining gem of Cincinnati's burgeoning "high technology" enterprises was devastated by a colossal fire. The fire-fighting brigades could do little more than keep a safe distance as the flames quickly consumed the entire facility. Distraught, Neff abandoned Cincinnati and soon opened a second factory, this time in Middleton, Connecticut, nearer the rapidly expanding Eastern markets. Tintypes were the most popular means of inexpensively capturing photographic records, and the market virtually exploded with the onslaught of the Civil War in 1861. Because of their economy and durability, they quickly became the most popular means for soldiers on both sides of the line to exchange images with loved ones through the mail. For the most part, tintype photographs are quite sharp due to the fact that the metal plate captured the image directly from the lens (no negative is created with the tintype). These inexpensive photographic plates were often used to record people and events in a more casual fashion and this gives many tintypes the special charm of often capturing events in a less staged or posed fashion. As they age, tintypes frequently suffer from severe darkening and oxidation, which sometimes presents substantial difficulties in the restoration process. Yet, in most cases, the image is in sharp focus allowing very successful results. You can learn more about the history of photography, as well as the care of heirloom photographs by visiting **END PAID ADVERTISMENT** 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 Menfi or Santa Margherita di Belice, Sicily, send a SUBSCRIBE message to: NEW SURNAME MAILING LISTS, GENCONNECT BOARDS, AND CLUSTERS Balmain, Belchamber, Beiter, Biela, Bilbo, Bogers, Bora, Bresner, Brooks-UK (Brooks surname in the United Kingdom), Bulgrin, Burgajl, Carter-North (Carter surname north of the Mason-Dixon line, including Canada), Caughron, Charland, Christall (Chrystall), Cienfuegos, Clark-Wm-Haddam (descendants of William Haddam Clark), Clayborn, Clayton-Yankees (Clayton in New England and New York), Climo, Colepeper, Conpropst (Cornpropst), Coradine, Cremeans, Culpeper, Dannemann, Darrah, Diepolder, DiGiovanna, Dissler (Ditzler, Dizler, Disler), Dousharm, Downhill, Duhaime (Duhaine), Etchieson, Fluhr, Gapes, Genz, Gieswein, Gulland, Gullion, Haseman, Haynen, Hepp, Heslin, Heuton, Hodo, Holehouse, Holmwood (Homewood), Holthusen, Hudon, Jesmore, Kuzminski, Lain, Larn (Larne, Lawn, Laugharne, Lorne), Lassley, Lommason, Lutwin, Maine-Surname, Makemie, Marwood, Mayhugh, McIlveen, McKern (McCarn), Meachem, Moskal, Musson, Neifergold, Noblett, Nuss (Nufs, Nusz, Nuse, News), Okey, OKelley, OKelly, Parten, Onken, Pendexter, Pinnecker, Pomraning, Repking, Rice-Southern (Rice surname in the American South), Rodden, Roysdon, Sanft, Saumenig, Scheiber, Schurter, Seasholtz, Seeden, Seiderman, Shekell, Smithey (Smithe, Smitha), Sollee, Stofer, Tynes, Tuckness, Urfer, Vanakin, Vucasovich, Willens, Winkowski, Wolfensbarger NEW REGIONAL MAILING LISTS BANGLADESH BANGLEDESH BHUTAN BHUTAN CANADA BRITISH-COLUMBIA CAN-ONT-PERTH -- Perth County, Ontario CAN-ONT-SIMCOE -- Simcoe County, Ontario ENGLAND ENG-CORNWALL-VERYAN -- Veryan, Cornwall ENG-CORNWALL-RUAN -- Ruan Lanthorne, Cornwall ITALY ITA-MENFI -- Menfi or Santa Margherita di Belice, Sicily U.S.A. CA-DEATH-INDEX -- For lookups in the California Death Index IL-EASTERN -- Eastern counties of Illinois IL-NORTHERN -- Northern counties of Illinois IL-SOUTHERN -- Southern counties of Illinois IL-WESTERN -- Western counties of Illinois ILADAMS-CHAT -- Chattier list for Adams County, Illinois USVI -- U.S. Virgin Islands NEW ETHNIC, SPECIAL INTEREST, AND MISCELLANEOUS MAILING LISTS BARR-COLONY -- Descendants of the Barr Colonists, England to Saskatchewan, Canada, 1903 BLACKSHEEP-CHAT -- Off-topic chat list for IBSSG CANAL-PEOPLE -- canal workers and barge owners FREEUKGEN-TECH -- FREEUKGEN project technical discussion GER-RUS-ARG -- Germans who migrated from Russia to Argentina ILMAGA -- Morgan Area Gen. Assoc. (west central Illinois) PAPER-MILLS-MAKERS -- paper mills and paper makers TMG-PAZ -- The Sun Country (Phoenix, Arizona) TMG Users Group * * * * * 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 Mid-Atlantic Germanic Society Web page, go to BANGLADESH bgdwgw -- Bangladesh BHUTAN btnwgw -- Bhutan CANADA sksgs -- Saskatoon Genealogy Society (Saskatchewan) onyrbogs -- York Region Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society U.S.A. gamvf -- Marble Valley Friends (Georgia) gasemino -- Seminole County, Georgia gawebste -- Webster County, Georgia ilmaga -- Morgan Area Genealogical Association (Illinois) kymenife -- Menifee County, Kentucky kylogan -- Logan County, Kentucky mecpenob -- Penobscot, Maine (city) msmcdar -- Magnolia Chapter of the Mississippi State Daughters of the American Revolution ncccsmd -- Charlotte Colony of North Carolina Society of Mayflower Descendants nemcgs -- Madison County Genealogical Society (Nebraska) ohcofhc -- Columbus Ohio Family History Center tx1250 -- Major Robert M. White Camp #1250, Sons of Confederate Veterans (Texas) txfcgs -- Fannin County Genealogical Society (Texas) txpmhs -- Panna Maria Historic Society (Texas) txrcgs -- Rockwall County Genealogical Society (Texas) usmags -- Mid-Atlantic Germanic Society utcache -- Cache County, Utah utgenweb -- UtahGenWeb Project utkane -- Kane County, Utah wasvgs -- Skagit Valley Genealogical Society (Washington) * * * * * GENCONNECT. RootsWeb hosts many 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: , also you may post a notice the GenConnect SOMEBODY'S LINKS board at * * * * * USGENWEB ARCHIVES -- THE ARCHIVES NEWSLETTER contains the current USGenWeb Archives submissions from the last week. January 24, 2000 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. From the WorldConnect Board I've done genealogy since 1956 (childhood), been online and contributed to RootsWeb since 1993. WorldConnect is the greatest, easiest to use and post to genealogical resource I have ever used. Thank you very, very much for all the hard work done to bring WorldConnect to us. I've posted two GEDCOMs and added a WorldConnect link to my FTM Web page and to all the other sites I've used over the years. If you haven't posted a GEDCOM yet, hurry and do so. I subscribe to [several commercial genealogy Web sites]; WorldConnect is better. I've received 5-6 e-mails a day since posting mine. Go RootsWeb! Judy Bowman Rhodes So far, you have been the best genealogy source here. I have been getting very disgusted and getting nowhere, but you have made things simple. Thank you. I just had to tell you that I am reasonably new at this family tree stuff but I have learned more from your newsletters than I have learned from all the other sites combined. Thank you very much. Fran LaMarco I just want to add my sentiments about RootsWeb Review; may I say "orchids to all" who have anything at all to do with it. I look forward to reading in minute detail every item just in case it has something to do with my surname lists. I get a lot of e-mail, but [RootsWeb Review] and Somebody's Links are my favorites and the first downloaded! In fact, I am so impressed that I am going to become a sponsor by mail. Most sincerely, Marjory A. Austen * * * * * HUMOR. This appeared in the e-zine "Joke of the Day" on 24 January 2000 . The Original Joke of the Day Web site is COMPLAINTS DEPARTMENT One of my friends works in the customer service call center of a national pager company. He deals with the usual complaints about poor pager operation, as well as the occasional crank caller demanding to be paged less often, more often, or by more interesting people. The best call came from a man who repeatedly complained that he was being paged by "Lucille." He was instructed that he would have to call her and tell her to stop paging him. "She never leaves a number, so I can't call her back," he said. After three such calls, someone thought to ask how he knew it was Lucille if she didn't leave a number. "She leaves her name," was the reply. After establishing that the customer had a numeric-only pager, the light bulb came on. "How does she spell her name?" the service rep asked. "L-O-W C-E-L-L" * * * * * 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. 3, No. 4, 26 January 2000. 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** You Can Pass On Your Family Legacy to Your Children and Grandchildren! Imagine sitting on the corner of your child or grandchild's bed and reading them stories from the family history scrapbook. Showing them pictures of their GREAT ancestors down through the ages, and knowing that they will pass on the legacy to their children because it has been beautifully preserved and protected from the elements! You can beautifully preserve your family history with the Family History Scrapbooking Start Up Kit! Including an elegant 2" Memory Album with padded sides (8.5x11), 50 heavy duty sheet protectors, 50 sheets of cardstock acid free paper in a variety of family history colors, 500 photo corners to mount your pictures without damaging them, and an acid free black pen to write your histories or make comments. The deluxe version additionally includes two pairs of scissors (Victorian and Deckle style), a Victorian corner craft punch, and a full color set of acid free pens. Normally $35, Family History Scrapbooking Start Up Kit is on special for $29.95 until Feb. 1st, 2000. Deluxe Kit is normally $70 on special for $59.95 until Feb. 1st, 2000. 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.com will donate 10% of all purchases to RootsWeb.