RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Weekly E-zine 15 September 2004, Vol. 7, No. 37, 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. Spamblockers: Solution Could Be the Problem 1b. Editor's Desk: Some Sites Worth Seeing 1c. Tips from Readers: "Texas Spelling Critters" 2. Connecting Through RootsWeb: "Finding Lost Family Treasures" 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: "My Less-than-perfect Tree" "Suggestions for Ukrainian Bible" "Ukrainian Research Center" "Tripping Over Ghosts" "Source of Given Name Possibly German" "Bastardy Bonds May Reveal Child's Father" "Takers vs. Givers" 8. Humor/Humour: "Gunsmoke, Cowboys, and Gusts" 9. Submissions, Subscriptions, Advertising, Reprints =============================================================== 1. NEWS AND NOTES 1a. Spamblocker: Solution May Be the Problem Lucy Lister is probably a lot like you. She started doing her family history research a few years ago when her grandma passed away and she was going through the attic at the old family house. She located some ancient unlabeled family photos and the Bible with all the family vital records listed in it. Lucy had many questions -- who were these people -- in the photos and in the family Bible? She decided to learn as much as she could about her family history, so she booted up her computer and away she surfed. Lucy discovered the RootsWeb mailing lists: http://lists.rootsweb.com/ and used the index to subscribe to several lists for surnames, locations, and topics she found in the items in her grandma's attic. She had some questions about fraternal organizations mentioned in old family records, organizations her grandpa had apparently belonged to. She wondered about the original owner of the Civil War era boot she found in a cobwebbed corner of the attic and the old sword with the initials R.H.M. engraved on the handle she located tucked away up in the rafter. She had numerous questions, but found many knowledgeable people willing to help her find the answers. Lucy also posted queries on the RootsWeb message boards: http://boards.rootsweb.com/ to reach a wider audience. She was even able to include a photo of the old boot and the sword plus a scan of the family Bible record with her post on the boards. Lucy learned more and more details, names and dates, and eventually posted her surnames on RootsWeb Surname List: http://rsl.rootsweb.com/ And when she had enough information compiled from what she learned on the lists and boards, she uploaded a GEDCOM (Genealogical Data COMmunication) file, created by her computer genealogy program, to RootsWeb's WorldConnect: http://wc.rootsweb.com/ Time went by and Lucy received many valuable replies with additional information from new-found cousins and also from unrelated individuals who knew about the fraternal organizations to which her granddad had belonged. A sword collector was able to date the era during which the sword was made and even identify the manufacturer. It was literally amazing how much Lucy Lister learned from her involvement in online sources and in such a short time. She still had plenty she wanted to learn. However, a new foe stood in Lucy's path--causing her problems as she tried to sort her incoming e- mails each day. This intruder -- SPAM -- was entering her mailbox with increasing frequency. Lucy realized that RootsWeb was not responsible for this spam and she also knew she had plastered her e-mail address all over the Net in her attempts to learn about her family. Alas, spam seem to be an inevitable offshoot of doing genealogical research online. If you want to learn anything and get responses from others--you need to supply a means by which they can reach you. With this confounded spam becoming more and more of an intrusion into Lucy's daily e-mail existence, she sought a way to cut down on the unwanted mail. She expressed her unhappiness with the spammers to her friend, who wasn't doing genealogy on the Net and she suggested Lucy try out a new superduper spamblocker that she found that had rid her inbox of spam. Lucy was so eager to try out the new "E-mail Jail" spamblocker that she downloaded it and installed it that very day. She didn't give a thought as to how this wonderful new program might impact her genealogical e- mail usage as one who frequently heard from individuals not included in her address book and, therefore, were not on the required "E-mail Jail" approved sender list. At first, it seemed as if Lucy had found the solution--no more spam! However, she soon noticed that she had stopped receiving mail from those who had information for her and from those who had found her listing on the RSL, or via WorldConnect, mailing lists, and message boards. Oh yes, and that was another problem: Mail from her mailing lists just stopped. What on earth could be the problem? Lucy assumed there must be a problem at RootsWeb as she thought she had set up "E-mail Jail" to permit mail through from her lists. So, off she trotted to the RootsWeb HelpDesk: http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/help.cgi to post a message about her "problem" and, guess what? The HelpDesk did not even bother to reply. Was the HelpDesk just ignoring her -- after all she had contributed? What nerve! Lucy figured she'd get some action by dropping a note to the editor of the RootsWeb Review. Surely the editor could whip those ingrates on the HelpDesk into shape and make them reply to her. But, no replies came. Eventually Lucy determined that the wonderful spamblocker that served so well for her friend was completely unworkable when trying to use e-mail to communicate with others in doing genealogical research. This spam- blocker was too restrictive and didn't work with mailing lists, wouldn't allow replies from the HelpDesk personnel or the RootsWeb Review editor to get through to her. The replies were being held hostage or were being trashed awaiting confirmation that the sender wasn't a spammer. Neither the editor nor the HelpDesk had time to respond to such "challenge" messages from spamblockers. This type of spamblocker, when used by those subscribed to mailing lists won't work either as the list messages are coming from the actual poster--who might be any other list member and not necessarily someone in your address book and not from the list itself by name. Lucy finally ditched "E-mail Jail" and tried out another spam-blocking program. This one, "E-mail Kleaner" was supposed to "wash away all your spam" by returning mail from unknown senders as "User Unknown" so the spammers would think your e-mail address had gone dead. Again, Lucy stopped receiving her list mail. When she checked Password Central to obtain a list of all her subscribed lists: http://passwordcentral.rootsweb.com/ she discovered she had been unsubbed from many of her busier lists. Uh oh...she soon came to the realization that "E-mail Kleaner" was bouncing back all her list mail to RootsWeb. Plus once again, no one, not even a list administrator, was able to get through to her to explain the problem. In the end, Lucy Lister emerged a bit battered, but wiser, with the realization that spamblockers or filters that are overly restrictive or set to the highest security levels, do not work well for genealogists who are researching on the Net. Selectivity is the keyword when choosing and setting up e-mail filters, and consideration must be given as to how they will work with RootsWeb's resources. If people sending you e-mail are going to be sent a "challenge" response, have their mail imprisoned, trashed or bounced -- then the filters won't work for you if you are using mailing lists and other Internet resources. And, if you find you are not receiving the e-mail you are expecting, including that of list mail and replies from the HelpDesk and/or the editor, consider the possibility that your spamblocker might need tweaking and it might even be the culprit. * * * 1b. EDITOR'S DESK. Some Sites Worth Seeing DRAFT CARDS. View World War I Draft Cards (1917-1918) of some well-known Americans. Includes Jack Benny, George Burns, Irving Berlin, Jimmy Cagney, Norman Rockwell, Gabby Hayes, Joseph P. Kennedy, Tom Mix, Carl Sandburg, Babe Ruth, and the Marx brothers. http://www.rootdig.com/wwi/ LINKPENDIUM. Explore this genealogical information directory by surname and U.S. localities. Add your own or favorite website to its growing collection, which currently features more than 1,045,631 links. http://www.linkpendium.com/ RESEARCH TOOLS: Stumped on meanings of initials and symbols on tombstones, strange initials in obituaries or abbreviations found in public records? Need a perpetual calendar or birthdate calculator? Find these tools and more at: http://www.genealogybuff.com/research.htm WHAT WAS HAPPENING? American Cultural History (19th Century, 1880-1889). Andrew Carnegie opened his first public library, the Oklahoma land rush began in 1899, and in January 1888 the "Schoolchildren Blizzard" hit the Dakota and Montana territories and the states of Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas. Within 24 hours, in some places, the mercury fell from 74 degrees to 28 degrees below zero. See what else might have been happening to your ancestors in that decade. http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/19thcentury1880.htm * * * 1c. TIPS FROM READERS Texas Spelling Critters by Bob Winn of Plano, Texas, USA There was an enumerator in McLennan County, Texas, who insisted on spelling John as Jhon and Johnny as Jhonny. I checked the census indexes of two well-known firms that sell online subscriptions to census records and one indexed the records with the John spelling and the other used Jhon. * * * Have you encountered or solved a pesky research problem? Share it with the RootsWeb Review readers. Send to: Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com 2. Connecting Through RootsWeb. Thanks for sharing your stories. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Finding Lost Family Treasures By Linda Edwards Last year someone found my family Bible -- my 3-great-grandfather's Bible dating from 1867--in their mother's possessions. She posted notices on the family name to researchers via GenForum, RootsWeb, etc. and someone who knew me got in touch. I now have the Bible back and just in time for my parents' golden wedding celebration where it took place of honor. It has all my 3g- grandfather's family listed (he married four times and had 18 children, traveled to Canada and back to London). I would never have pieced them all together without it. You can imagine how grateful I am that this person took the trouble to try and find us and returned it. We will never know why she had it, but it might have been something similar to Rita Chernoff's situation with the Ukrainian Bible. I have often searched eBay and left messages for people on genealogical sites about Bibles and photos for sale and on occasion have received e-mails thanking me for enabling them to find a piece of their family's history . . . Another site that has rescued Bibles is: http://my.erinet.com/~fordnag/Bibles.htm [Editor's Note: Also search back issues of Somebody's Links e-zine at: http://www.petuniapress.com/ and check Somebody's Links Message Board] * * * Do you have an online "connecting" story to share? Send to: Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com 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/ None created this week. 4. New Webpages at RootsWeb To Request a Free Web Account: http://accounts.rootsweb.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------- None created this week. 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 ADDISONS OF WESTMORLAND, UK. Documenting branches of the Addison tree who originated in the Levens area of northwestern England in the 1600s and immigrated to Canada in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Includes Thomas Powley ADDISON who went to Canada in 1907. A noteworthy person in this family tree is the Reverend Robert ADDISON, a missionary who founded one of the first churches of England in Canada in 1792 and who officiated at the funeral of Sir Isaac BROCK during the War of 1812 and played a key role in the early days of Upper Canada. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~addison1646genealogy/ ROBBINS, MIDKIFF, CONCIDINE, FREDENBURG, HOEKSTRA, SAYERS, SWEERS, TUINSTRA, VALK, and WESTABY. Biographies, photos and family histories plus some history and genealogy of the citizens of Atlas Township, Genesee County, Michigan. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~kidmiff/ VERMONT: Northeast Kingdom Genealogy. Orleans County. Irasburg. 1850 death notices from the Orleans County Gazette newspaper, and tombstone listings from: Barton: St. Paul's Cemetery, North Cemetery, Welcome O. Brown Cemetery, South Cemetery, and Heath Cemetery; Brownington: East Brownington Cemetery; Derby: Kelsey-Morrill Cemetery; Essex Junction: Village Cemetery; Montpelier: Elm Street Cemetery. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~nekg3/files/ WASHINGTON. Okanogan County. Marriage indexes for brides and bridegrooms from 1888-1930. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~heeyjude/Okanogan/marriages/ 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. GEORGIA. Clarke County. Athens. State Normal School Class of 1916; 90 records; Meredith Clapper http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ ILLINOIS. Cook County. Chicago. Visitation High School Class of 1964; 186 records; Kathleen Mammoser http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ OHIO. Ashtabula County. Ashtabula. Ashtabula High School Students, 1968; 1233 records; G. McKenzie http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ TEXAS. Callahan County. Clyde. Clyde schools, students of 1943; 359 records; John Poole http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ Coryell County. Gatesville. Gatesville High School students, 1938; 296 records; Mary Maxwell http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ WASHINGTON. King County. Seattle. Kings Garden High School Class of 1958; 47 records; Karen Miller 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]. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- My Less-than-perfect Tree By Bob Jackson My father was a lieutenant colonel in Canada's Armed Forces in World War II. So my mother was the "Colonel's Lady." When I was growing up in Toronto, Ontario's west end, we belonged to the Annette Street Library. For some reason, my mother had the librarian dig out books where the son was illegitimate. I truly enjoyed the stories. But apart from that I did not relate. Some years later, I suddenly realized what she wished to tell me by those books. And immediately felt like a klutz. That immediately made me realize what my parents, who were church-going Anglicans, must have felt. They were married late enough that I was an 8 1/2-pound eight baby with large hands and very long feet. (Even now, size 10 gloves are too small and size 13 shoes just fit). And I was just about six months old. (Almost). Now I have more than 10,000 names in my genealogical program and probably more than 50 couples had children who were born shortly after their marriages. The least time being about 13 days -- they were "married by license." It never has been a "big deal." It still happens. It may disturb some persons, but most people could care less. Especially me, believe it or not. * * * Suggestions for Ukrainian Bible By Susan Reynolds In response to Rita Chernoff's dilemma, I suggest the following: Why not transcribe the family data and post it to RootsWeb, then donate the Bible to the local historical or genealogical society or public library? Better yet, if you have a scanner, scan the pages, including the title pages and publication data and any other interesting bits, and post the images. If you have the expertise, you could index it (many programs will now do that with just a click of the mouse). That would be a win- win proposal for everyone. What a thoughtful person she is to take such care of an unrelated family's precious treasure. That's being a friend to the end. * * * Ukrainian Research Center By Joseph G. V. Maciora Pertaining to the Ukrainian Family Bible I suggest you contact: Dr. Kiebuzinski, Ukrainian Research Center, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02139 -- a library or facility can be suggested where it should go. * * * Tripping Over Ghosts By John Holden Many years ago I had gone to search for my great-grandfather's grave in North Manchester, Lancashire. The cemetery office was able to tell me which cemetery he was buried in and in which part of that cemetery, but it was unable to narrow the search below a few hundred graves. I arrived at the cemetery, which in those days was still in good order and well-maintained, enabling me to carry out an orderly search which I thought would take but a short time. I set off along the first row, the second, the third and because I was concentrating on looking at inscriptions rather than where I placed my feet, I inevitably tripped and measured my length on the ground. It took the skin off my hands and knees and shook me up quite a bit, certainly enough to warrant a few minutes rest on the ground. Eventually I picked myself up and carried on with my search. I reached the end of the block without having found my great-grandfather. Oh what disappointment; all the stones had been clear and easy to read, how could I have missed? As I started to drag my dejected and bruised bones from the cemetery, I decided that I should have another look at the row I'd tripped in and yes, of course, I'd tripped over my great-grand- father's grave! For those of you thinking that he really must have wanted me to find him, I think the converse is the case. He had a reputation as a drunk and a bully. In the near 30 years since the events I've described, I have been unable to find any more about his death than was revealed on the stone. I have several conflicting places of birth for him, so far, in all these years, I've found no record of his birth. The trail has gone cold in the early 1860s when he was in his early thirties and appears to have dropped onto the planet, probably via a UFO! * * * Source of Given Name Possibly German By Christoph Haupt in Germany http://www.haupt-researcher.de I have just read the RootsWeb Review 7:21 (26 May). I am sorry, that I am not up-to-date with your great and interesting newsletter. In it "Laura in Georgia" is talking about the given names Enterinthy and Emarentha and that she has never heard these names. "Emarentha" sounds a little bit like German "Emerentia." I have in my family tree some ancestors and related persons with this given name. All were born in the 1700s in the city Greifswald in Pomeranian. They were all daughters of patricians. * * * Bastardy Bonds May Reveal Child's Father By Cecile Beal In response to Betty Kennedy about her roadblock to finding her ancestor's father, since his mother was not married when he was born and he went through life with his mother's last name, a suggestion that might not work in all cases, but, if possible, she should check the court records. Look in the county where the mother was living in 1813 when the child was born. I have read all the court records for Bath County, Kentucky from 1811 through 1825 and there are many cases where the mother of the illegitimate child took the father to court for child support. Even though the child probably had to use the mother's name, she might find something about the father in the records. I doubt if Bath County, Kentucky was the only county that kept such records. Those I read were all filmed by the Family History Library and I read them at the nearest Family History Center. [Editor's Note: In earlier days in the United States a bastardy bond was required from fathers of illegitimate children. This bond was usually made with the county court where the mother resided. Its intent was to protect the county from being forced to support the child. Some of these records survive and have been microfilmed.] * * * Takers vs. Givers By Linda Barker I just have to respond to all of the comments being made about treating genealogy like a game vs. treating it like it's your life's blood. I've been doing genealogy for 20 years. I started off doing it the long way, by writing to every county clerk and courthouse my family came from or I thought they came from. I wrote lots of letters to strangers begging for information and spent endless hours poring over film and fiche at the local Family History Center. I joined many historical societies in far-off counties, had huge phone bills for years and paid hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars to obtain documents. I've always had an exposure to computers, my father worked in the industry starting in the '40s. So it's no wonder that I would begin using them with my genealogy. I started back in the '80s when about all I could do with it was organize. But soon to follow was the Internet and I began using that. My family isn't too big. I always thought nobody else was researching my line because no matter how hard I searched I was never able to find anyone else researching my lines that were anywhere closer than a very distant cousin. But I kept hoping. I recently started going back to some of my old surnames -- ones I haven't checked in a long time, just to see if anyone had been searching them. And by some miracle I found my own family names but under someone else's genealogy. So, I wrote an e-mail to this man who had my work, and I know it was MY work because it had all my old errors in it and I asked him about his connection to my family. He was a second cousin. I was so thrilled I cried. It meant everything to me to find this man because he was connected to my mother's father who died before I was born, when my mother was a child. He asked me for all the documentation I have, which I gave to him. I wanted to get to know him. After that I wrote him back and asked him to tell me what he knew of his grandmother (my grandfather's sister -- our connection) and told him how excited I was to be able to have such a wonderful opportunity to share in this family. I have never heard from him again. He got what he wanted -- 20 years of my work. Another man found my work online right about that same time and wrote me about a mutual family connection. Not one as close as the one above and asked me for my documentation. I again sent it. And again I never heard from him again. My point is: Be thoughtful of one another. No, it's definitely not a game because it touches other people every day. There is a person on the other end of that e-mail you're sending. And someone has put their heart and soul into their work and sometimes their lives. 8. Humor/Humour: Gunsmoke, Cowboys, and Gusts ---------------------------------------------- Thanks to Diana Carmichael who writes: Recently I was doing a bit of research on my husband's 2nd-great-grand- uncle, Rufus George COOK (who had been a justice of the peace in Dodge City, Kansas). I was using the Dodge City Times newspaper articles from the 1870s that are available at "Dodge City Cattle Trails and Tales," which is a project of the Kansas Heritage Center of Dodge City at: http://www.readinks.info/khc/ Most folks probably have heard about the gusty Kansas winds, which seemingly can be amusing, as I found in the following 24 March 1877 article: "On Wednesday a gust of wind removed seven dollars out of the stocking of Alice Chambers as she was walking up Front Street. After a six hours search, participated in by all the tramps in town, one dollar was recovered. We had supposed that the Kansas wind was of a higher order, and did not stoop to such larceny. The thing is now settled, that under some circumstances even the wind can be found feeling around in by and forbidden paths." * * * 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: 15 September 2004, Vol. 7, No. 37. * * * *