RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Weekly E-zine 8 September 2004, Vol. 7, No. 36, Circulation: 828,926+ (c) 1998-2004 RootsWeb.com, Inc. http://www.rootsweb.com/ * * * Editor: Myra Vanderpool Gormley, Certified Genealogist Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com Certification: http://www.bcgcertification.org/certification/ Search and share family trees: WorldConnect: http://wc.rootsweb.com/ Learn how to find your ancestors: http://rwguide.rootsweb.com/ Post and read messages on all relevant surname, locality, and topic Message Boards and Mailing Lists: Message Boards: http://boards.rootsweb.com/ Mailing Lists: http://lists.rootsweb.com/ =============================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1. NEWS AND NOTES 1a. RootsWeb Mailing Lists: Staying On-Topic 1b. Editor's Desk: Some Sites Worth Seeing 1c. Tips from Readers: "Who's Your Daddy?" 2. Connecting Through RootsWeb: "Siblings Reunited" 3. New RootsWeb Mailing Lists 4. New Webpages at RootsWeb 5. New/Updated FreePages and HomePages 6. New User-contributed Databases 7. RootsWeb Review's Bottomless Mailbag: "Following the Bloodlines" "Photographic Delights" "Utilizing Notes Solves Genealogical Problems" "Find Ukrainian Society" "Donate to Archives, Library or Museum" "Taking Without Asking or Giving Credit" "My Link in Time" 8. Humor/Humour: "Barefoot! We Hardly Knew Ye" 9. Submissions, Subscriptions, Advertising, Reprints =============================================================== 1. NEWS AND NOTES 1a. RootsWeb Mailing Lists: Staying On-Topic If you subscribe to one or more of the RootsWeb mailing lists that cover more than 28,400 surnames, localities, and genealogy-related topics, you probably realize that each of these lists was created to serve a specific topic of discussion. Genealogical discussion concerning your CLAPSADDLE (KLEBSATTEL) family in Germany would not be a suitable topic of discussion on a list devoted the USA Oregon Trail Pioneers, for instance. A request for a lookup in a Philadelphia city directory would be off-topic on a list devoted to Welsh coal miners. Most of us recognize the extremes that are obviously off-topic, but with genealogical matters, it is not always so clear-cut. Some discussion topics can overlap into another area -- for instance, your CLAPSADDLEs might have immigrated to Sidney, Australia, opening up a new geographic area into the discussion. They might have married into the MORSE family, thus introducing a new surname into a thread or they might have joined an obscure religious sect about which you'd like to learn more. Should you continue the discussion on the original list or move the topic to a different list devoted to the newly broached subjects? It depends. Sometimes discussions on one list reach the point where answers and information can better be obtained on another list -- or the expanding discussion is considered off-topic by the list administrator. RootsWeb list admins have a great deal of leeway as to what they will allow on their lists -- within the bounds of the topic for which the list was created. An admin cannot alter the basic topic of the list and must adhere to the RootsWeb AUP (Acceptable Use Policy). Beyond the basics though, some admins permit chit-chat, while others prefer to limit discussion to serious genealogical exchanges. Some allow a thread of discussion to veer off-topic a bit, while others put a stop to any thread that crosses over into another realm of discussion. How are you to know when you subscribe to a list what will be permitted on that specific list and what will result in your receiving an admonishment from the list admin for an infraction? How can you prevent being removed from a mailing list or having your posts to the list moderated? 1. Start by reading the text of the Welcome messages for each list when you receive it upon initially subscribing. Many admins customize the welcome text to explain the specific rules for that list. 2. Take a few minutes to stroll through the recent archives for the list, located here: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/ Type in the list name to access the browseable archives for the list. Get a feel for the type of discussion permitted on the list. 3. Lurk on a list before posting a query or data so you can observe the type of discussion that is acceptable on the list. 4. Read taglines the list admin may attach to the list messages that spell out what is and isn't permitted on that list. 5. Never assume that a list admin will welcome any off-topic post or will permit virus warnings, hoaxes, chain letters, jokes, political- or religious-focused messages. Mailing lists have an international audience, even though they may be focused on a specific locality. Your cousins in Scotland could care less about your American political views and genealogical mailing lists are not the proper forum for such matters. Don't assume that you are exempt from the rules spelled out for a list -- they apply to all. 6. If ever in doubt, before posting your message, drop a private note to the list admin and ask whether it is acceptable. You can contact any RootsWeb list admin by writing to: LISTNAME-admin@rootsweb.com replacing the generic word LISTNAME with the actual name of the list. If worst comes to worst and you find yourself on the receiving end of a private e-mail from a list administrator letting you know that a post you made to a list was not acceptable; or, heaven forbid, the admin feels it necessary to post a public notice to the list putting an end to a topic you started -- don't interpret the admin's reaction as a personal attack. Don't respond to the list or the admin with an angry ill-thought-out reply or retort. Consider that the admin is merely doing the best he or she can do to maintain order and keep the list on track. A public response by an admin isn't aimed at embarrassing you, but such may be necessary to nip an off-topic (or otherwise improper) thread in the bud before it gets out of hand. On busy lists, this can happen very quickly. Most admins will forgive a one-time lapse of judgment or mistake from a list member who learns from the experience and apologizes. However, most admins do not take kindly to an angry or threatening reply from someone who clearly hasn't learned from his error and who most likely will offend again. List administrators are volunteers who try to provide and maintain an orderly and usable resource for genealogical discussions. They do the best they can under sometimes difficult circumstances. Cooperation, not confrontation, is the key to successful use of mailing lists. * * * 1b. EDITOR'S DESK. Some Sites Worth Seeing Photograph Collection (scanned images of "lost" family pictures): http://www.genealogymagazine.com/images.html Displaced Person (Refugee/Resettlement) Camps (after World War II): http://www.rootsweb.com/~polpomor/refugees.htm http://www.dpcamps.org/dpcamps/ * * * 1c. TIPS FROM READERS "Who's Your Daddy?" By Ted Pack tedpack@thevision.net Recently a reader wrote about a father who abandoned his wife and child. A kind, loving man married the mom, taught the child to walk tall, shoot straight, work hard, speak the truth and fear no man. All was well until the old debate of genealogy versus family history reared its ugly head. The question of "Who's your daddy?" causes more debate among us genealogists than any other question. We know who helped that girl learn to ride a two-wheeler, who took her out for ice cream when she made the honor roll and who is going to walk her down the aisle when she marries. Who, however, do you put in that little box labeled "Father" in your genealogy program? Take a calm, soothing breath, folks, and remember -- for most of us it's only a hobby. Bird watching is a hobby too. It gets you out of doors, you meet nice people and it's a great excuse for a walk. I took my son birding with the Audubon society one Saturday when he was eight. I made him a blank form to record his sightings. He wanted to write down a squirrel and a gopher snake. They were close (both vertebrates, after all), but not plumb, since we were neither mammal watching nor reptile watching. I let him do it; I figured he wasn't keeping to the exact rules of the game, but it wouldn't hurt anyone and he was having fun. I would have drawn the line if he wanted to report a new species of wingless bird, the furry gray warbler, to the Smithsonian. Genealogy keeps you indoors, unless you walk cemeteries, and lets you meet nice people. It makes history come alive. So does family history. If the girl wants to have John Trueheart down as her father, out of bonds of love and shared lives, instead of Alonzo Q. Scumbucket, whose genes she carries, it doesn't hurt anyone. There are lines to be drawn here, too. The girl will have to put Alonzo down on her marriage license and SSN (Social Security Number) application. It would not be right to publish a genealogy for public use without making the distinction between biological and true father clear, with a note on both men and the daughter, but as long as it stays private, it isn't hurting anyone and makes a youngster happy. 2. Connecting Through RootsWeb. Thanks for sharing your stories. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Siblings Reunited By Jan Coy Thanks to the RootsWeb message boards and the diligent help of a lady in Hutchinson, Kansas, I have discovered my mother's brother whom she has never met. He, in turn, did not even know he had a "baby" sister. His mother had left him and two other brothers with their father, and in the following years she had two more children -- the younger being my mother. Because this mother could not take care of the last two, they were put into foster homes, where they each grew up, unknown to each other.--- until my mother got curious enough about her past to start looking for her birth family. She came up with many clues, but due to time and circumstances, she couldn't carry it through. It took my getting a computer and typing the word "genealogy" into the browser to continue the search we thought was almost impossible. The message boards were a world of help for me. Through them I came in contact with so many helpful people who gave me advice and I've even come across cousins searching for the same surnames on my father's side. It wasn't until this year that the breakthrough came. Now, my mother, who is 75, will be meeting in a few days, her only living brother. He is 82. We're taking a plane from St. Joseph, Missouri to Eugene, Oregon. This is a dream come true for my mother and I want to thank every person who has donated their family information, even those lines that do not pertain to me. You are helping someone eventually and I hope you reap the satisfaction of finding your elusive families, too. 3. New Mailing Lists at RootsWeb Request a New Mailing List: http://resources.rootsweb.com/adopt/ ----------------------------------------------------------------- Brand-new mailing lists can be found under OTHER/MISCELLANEOUS until moved to their proper categories. For information and an index to the more than 28,400 RootsWeb-hosted genealogy Mailing Lists and for easy subscribing (joining) options go to: http://lists.rootsweb.com/ NEW SURNAME MAILING LISTS ANGULO BALCOCK, BIEG, BREDENKAMP BRADFORD-DNA -- The Bradford DNA Project CARLOUGH, CATALANO, CZARTORYSKI DUTIEL GARTH, GERAN, GRUBERT HOURIGAN LAMBERTSON, LETLEY MARSHALL-PA -- The Marshall surname in Pennsylvania (with emphasis on eastern Pennsylvania) NIBERT OOSZWSKI PAIR, PARRINELLO, PAULY, PUTNEY SEVAJIAN, SHUTLEWORTH ZALOCKI NEW ETHNIC AND SPECIAL INTEREST MAILING LISTS BRITISH-HATTERS -- Genealogical discussions of those ancestors whose occupation was in the British hat trade GERMANS-OH -- Germans in Ohio 4. New Webpages at RootsWeb To Request a Free Web Account: http://accounts.rootsweb.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------- Some of these webpages might not yet be accessible. They are created by volunteers, so if one that interests you isn't up yet, please check again in a few days or next week. http://www.rootsweb.com/~[accountname] Note that the ~[tilde] before the Web account name is required. For example, the Magnolia Rangers (Texas) UDC website is at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~txmrudc/ UNITED STATES armfresc -- Maj. Fontaine R. Earle Camp #1453 (Arkansas) Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) flscac -- Society Children of the American Colonists (Florida) gamadis2 -- Madison County (Georgia) txmrudc -- Magnolia Rangers (Texas) United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) 5. New/Updated Freepages and Homepages -------------------------------------- Do you have a new, updated, or substantially revised website located at RootsWeb (it will have "freepages" or "homepages" in the URL)? Please send the URL (Web address), along with a brief description, including the major pertinent surnames and what is available on your site, to: Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com DEATON, DUNCAN, LEFFEL-CLAPSADDLE, McCROSKY. Recently revised pages at: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jan2000/ include: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jan2000/Deaton/ http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jan2000/Duncan/ http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jan2000/leffel/ http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jan2000/McCrosky/ LAMBERSON, LAMBERTSON and other variants. Families of Fayette and Bond counties in Illinois and of Pike and Ralls counties in Missouri. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~glamberson/ MASON. Allied families include: BOOMER, BOYD, BUTTERWORTH, CHILDS, LEWIS, SHERMAN, and VANDERWALKER. Descendants of the Samson MASON family from Rehoboth, Massachusetts to Oneida County, New York, with documentation for direct ancestors of Oneida County branch. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~cnyfamilies/Masons/mason.html TOLLNER. Tollnerfamily history from Mecklenburg-Schwerin to Australia. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~tollner/ Note: Comments and questions about any of these independently authored webpages should be directed to their respective compilers/webmasters. 6. New User-Contributed Databases at RootsWeb ---------------------------------------------- Who Has the Data? Does your state, province, county, parish, church, old military unit or alma mater have material available that you think would be of interest to genealogists and historians? Do you have any compiled lists of names or databases -- other than your personal family tree because genealogies can be posted at WorldConnect: http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/ -- that you would like to share and that you think would be of value and interest to others? In most cases, RootsWeb would be proud to host them. http://userdb.rootsweb.com/submit/ The following databases have come online recently. They are searchable, but not browseable. Browse: To view the entire contents of a file or a group of files. Search: To look for specific data or occurrence of text in a file. CONNECTICUT. New Haven County. Waterbury. Wilby High School Class of 1920; 91 records; Elizabeth O'Leary http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ ILLINOIS. Cook County. Chicago. Visitation Grade School Class of 1962 (8th Grade); 230 records; Visitation High School Class of 1965; 187 records; Visitation High School Class of 1966; 167 records Kathleen Mammoser http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ ILLINOIS, Madison County. Collinsville. Glenwood Cemetery, veteran markers; 59 records; Gene Beals and Patricia Peters http://userdb.rootsweb.com/military/ IOWA. Boone County. Boone. Boone High School underclassmen shown in 1917 yearbook; 78 records; Marilyn Threlkeld http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ KENTUCKY, Kenton County. Erlanger. Lloyd Memorial High School Class of 1971; 180 records; Pam Carey Durstock http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ MINNESOTA, Hennepin County. Richfield. Richfield High School Class of 1976; 743 records; Jodi Magnuson http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ NEW YORK, Columbia County. Stockport and Stottville. Marriage Records for St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church (Stockport) and St. Barnabas Church (Stottville), 1845 to 1939; 914 records; Compiled by Linda L. Fenoff, City of Hudson deputy historian and transcribed by Bunny Proof http://userdb.rootsweb.com/marriages/ SOUTH CAROLINA, Greenville County. Slater. Church of God Cemetery; 37 records; John Bruce http://userdb.rootsweb.com/cemeteries/ TEXAS, Bexar County. San Antonio. Marshall High School Class of 1963; 210 records; Michael Furl http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ VIRGINIA. Tazewell County. Tazewell. Tazewell High School Class of 1923; 32 records; Tazewell High School Class of 1930,46 records; Paula Lucy Delosh http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ 7. FROM ROOTSWEB REVIEW'S BOTTOMLESS MAILBAG [Editor's note: The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the editor or of RootsWeb.com]. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Following the Bloodlines By Martha Hardcastle Guthrie I have a similar problem ("Bloodlines vs. Adoptive Lines") -- my eldest son was born out of wedlock and although his biological dad only lives five miles from us, he has never contacted my son. His family is aware of my son, but they have hardly acknowledged him since his grand- parents died. At first, I listed my son as my husband's natural child. But curiosity overcame me and I started doing some research on the biological family history. I have discreetly made contact with some distant cousins, all of whom have been most encouraging of my efforts. My son is almost 18. He is not interested in that "other" family. I have waffled back and forth regarding sharing the information with others. I did post some of it to WorldConnect, with some trepidation. The information was also used there by one of my cousins and one of my husband's cousins. If I were in Carrie's situation, because of the daughter's unease, I would pursue the other information on my own, but I would not state that this was my husband's natural child in any (mailing list or message board) posts, GEDCOMs, etc. The drawback is that limits information that could be coming in on the biological family. Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but I don't think I would ask a child or teenager for permission on something like this. At least in my case, it is highly unlikely that my research could really affect him in any way. And, while I can't say that this research is "none of your business," I think that if he is ever interested, someday it will have been worthwhile to have pursued those roots. Or is this just my excuse for being nosy? But I am a genealogy nut, after all. How could I not check this out? This caused me to check what was posted on WorldConnect on us and I realize that it is very misleading. It is showing up in the three WorldConnect entries as though I am married to the biological dad, but the child is listed as being my husband's! This is a result of my own waffling on how to do this. Looks like I have some work to do now myself! * * * Photographic Delights By Jack and Ruth Lothers Whenever I visited my home town, I looked through the antique stores, not so much to buy as to see familiar objects that were like those of my past or in the homes of people I knew. One time I was looking through some old pictures, when I suddenly realized that I'd seen some of the pictures before. There was an old photograph album and under one of the openings (the pictures had been removed) was "the great-grandfather of Ruth Rogers Jones" -- my grandmother! I bought some of the pictures, including a couple on metal, but not the empty album. The owner of the shop said that she had found the pictures at a house sale in the next village. Later my cousin in the next village invited me and another cousin to come and share the family pictures that she didn't want since she had no children and her brothers weren't interested in them. They had been put in a cheap scrapbook. There were great-grandparents, their parents, my grandparents in younger days, my father as a child, great-aunts and uncles. We took them out and divided them, and I've since copied mine and shared them with siblings and cousins. What a treasure! It pays to check pictures at antique stores. * * * Utilizing Notes Solves Genealogical Problems By Lisa Frederick-Hughes in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA I have a comment on Carrie's query regarding bloodlines vs. adoptive lines. My sister has been with the same man for seven years and has a child with him but they have never married. My niece has her dad's last name. In my Family Tree Maker (genealogy software program) I listed my sister and her daughter (which shows her different last name) then in the "Notes" section I indicated her dad's name, birth date, and his parents' names along with the name and information for his son that is my niece's half brother. Even though they have chosen to not marry, my family considers him our son/brother-in-law and his son our grandson/nephew and I don't think they should be excluded (genealogically). But I don't want to input the information as if they were married and have someone down the road searching forever for a marriage license that didn't exist. So maybe Carrie needs to show her daughter as her current last name with the adopted dad as her father but then in the "Notes" indicate that she was born "Jane Doe" and was adopted on "x-date" and that her biological father was "John Doe" and his information. This information may not be important to Carrie or her daughter now, but who is to say what future generations might want to know? * * * [Editor's Note: About what to do with the Ukrainian Bible mentioned in last week's RootsWeb Review, many readers responded. Here are a couple of their suggestions:] Find Ukrainian Society By Debbie Kitchin In response to Rita Chernoff regarding what to do with her Ukrainian Cyrillic Bible that was given to her by someone with no family to pass it on to -- my suggestion would be to donate it to the Ukrainian Genealogical and Historical Society of Canada, since the family immigrated to Canada. This would preserve the information for any researchers, and could also be a historical document for display and/or a cherished piece of cultural heritage for future generations. Its website is at: http://feefhs.org/ca/frgughsc.html * * * Donate to Archives, Library or Museum By Kelly Farough, Visual Media Technician Supervisor-Digitization Unit, University of Calgary I suggest that Rita contact the archives of the main branch of the public library, university or museum in the city the person's family is associated with. If put into an archive or special collection the Bible would be catalogued in a searchable database where others have a good chance of finding it. I wonder whether maybe the National Archives of Canada would take care of it? Also, she could track down a family history society in the area for suggestions as well. My grandfather, Gordon BAILEY and his wife Ruth (ANDREWS) were missionaries in the Yellowknife and Fort Smith areas of the Northwest Territories (Canada) for 25 years. My grandfather kept a detailed journal for all those years. When they both died in 1995 in Fort Smith the journals disappeared. I would so love to find those books. Someone surely wants to find that Bible. Canadian Local Histories Online: http://www.ourroots.ca/ Alberta Heritage Digitization Project: http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/ * * * Taking Without Asking or Giving Credit By Linda Lee Holmes I've been reading with some interest the ongoing discussion about the appropriateness (or not) of copying someone else's research from the Internet. My feeling is that the reason I am posting it (and I assume anyone else is) is so that someone else can benefit from my research. That is the same reason I am somewhat of a "name collector," following collateral lines when I can, so that someone else with more direct connections might find the information useful. That being said, I do have a problem with someone copying my entire GEDCOM (nearing 6,000 individuals), appending it to theirs, and posting it, at least without not letting me know. No. 1 -- I would like to how, and to whom, that person is related, so that I can include them in my database. No. 2 -- When I discover I have made errors, which certainly has happened, I would like to be able to correct them. It is very aggravating to me, whenever I am searching for someone in my database, to have this other person's tree appear with all my information, and not know who he is or why he chose to import the entire file (are you out there, Rich P.?) Please, feel free to copy anything I have, but as a courtesy, let me know if you are importing the entire GEDCOM -- and why. It would also be nice to list me as a source, so that other people accessing the information could contact me and find out if I had further updates. * * * My Link in Time By Ann Glasgow From lands and seas that I shall never know, complex roads have merged their path to me. Translucent threads of ancient lives before interwove this web which is my pedigree. Cultures of many nations formed the loom, and laced the strands of fiber to evolve a potpourri of souls who braved the path of destiny with passion and resolve. And now this fertile ribbon which I weave a plait to braid and join the next in line; people and histories which I may only dream may know about this link in time that's mine. 8. Humor/Humour: Barefoot! We Hardly Knew Ye --------------------------------------------- Thanks to: Gladys H. Wells I have been keeping a list of the humorous names that I find while doing genealogy research. Some of them are: Marble Stone -- 1758 Edgecombe County (North Carolina) court minutes Enough Flood -- 1761 Bertie County (North Carolina) tax list Green W. Dollar -- 1850 Census, Orange County, North Carolina Barefoot Duck -- 1769 Dobbs County, North Carolina tax l * * * Found a humorous entry in census, parish, church, etc. records? Send to: Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com 9. Submissions, Subscriptions, Advertising, Reprints ----------------------------------------------------- The RootsWeb Review does not publish or answer genealogical queries, and the editor regrets that she is unable to provide any personal research assistance or advice. RootsWeb Review welcomes short (500 words or less) articles, humor, stories, or letters, and reserves the right to edit all submissions. All mail sent to the RootsWeb Review editor is considered to be for publication -- send in PLAIN TEXT (please, no attachments) to: Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com Search/download past issues of the RootsWeb Review: http://e-zine.rootsweb.com/ * * * SUBSCRIPTIONS. To manage your e-mail communications (i.e. to subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, or to sign up for others), visit our newsletter management center any time at: http://newsletters.rootsweb.com/ The RootsWeb Review is a free publication of MyFamily.com, Inc., 360 West 4800 North, Provo, UT, 84604 * * * ROOTSWEB REVIEW ADVERTISING CONTACTS. Ad Sales Operations Mgr. Shana Davis sdavis@myfamilyinc.com U.S., Worldwide Sales: Sacha Yenkana syenkana@myfamilyinc.com * * * REPRINTS. 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: Previously published in RootsWeb Review: 8 September 2004, Vol. 7, No. 36. * * * *