RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Weekly E-zine 22 December 2004, Vol. 7, No. 51, Circulation: 816,285+ (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/ * * * Keep informed about the latest news, new databases, webpages and mailing lists at RootsWeb. Subscribe to the free weekly RootsWeb Review. http://newsletters.rootsweb.com/ Search/download past issues of the RootsWeb Review: http://e-zine.rootsweb.com/ * * * Is your e-mail address up-to-date at all RootsWeb sources? http://passwordcentral.rootsweb.com/ * * * 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/ RootsWeb HelpDesk: http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/ =============================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1. NEWS AND NOTES 1a. Editor's Desk: "A Site Worth Seeing" 1b. Tips from Readers: "Where There's a Will" 1c. Using RootsWeb: "List Admins Play Important Roles" 2. Connecting Through RootsWeb: "Linking Around the World" 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: "Louisiana Birth Record Found in France" "Hilarious (et al) Names in the Censuses" "Linking Up Around the World" "Don't Let Errors Impede Your Search" 8. Humor/Humour: "Holy Orders" 9. Subscriptions, Submissions, Advertising, Reprints =============================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1. NEWS AND NOTES 1a. Editor's Desk: A Site Worth Seeing http://www.msnusers.com/ssleopoldville/ Allan Andrade has dedicated his website to remembering the 763 American soldiers of the 66th Infantry Division who were killed on Christmas Eve 1944. Their troopship was torpedoed in the English Channel 5.5 miles from Cherbourg, France. The bodies of 493 soldiers were never found. There are hundreds of families still unaware that it was the Leopoldville's sinking that took the life of their loved one. Andrade, the "Leopoldville Disaster" author and historian, has reached out to many families and provided them with information unavailable to them for 60 years. As the result of his efforts there is now a Leopoldville Disaster Monument upon which are engraved the names of all 763 dead in alphabetical order by state. The monument is located in Fort Benning, Georgia (home of the infantry) and was dedicated on 7 November 1997. Most recently Andrade helped the White House Commission on Remembrance coordinate a wreath-laying ceremony honoring the soldiers killed in the Leopoldville disaster at the Tomb of the Unknowns, Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Arlington, The event took place on 15 November this year -- the 60th anniversary of 66th Division sailing from New York to England -- and was attended by 160 people from 23 different states from Maine to Florida to California. This Christmas Eve will be the 60th anniversary of the catastrophe. Anyone seeking info regarding a relative they think might have been killed in the disaster may contact Andrade via e-mail at agandrade37@msn.com He has a copy from the National archives of the official Army Leopoldville casualty list, which was prepared on 29 December 1944. In a number of cases Andrade has been able to put a family in touch with a survivor who remembered their loved one who was killed "My only intention is to help families find some measure of peace about relatives lost so many years ago in the sinking of the ship," Andrade said. * * * 1b. Tips from Readers: Where There's a Will By Virginia RHODES Nuta Of one set of paternal great-grandparents from Indiana, I never knew of any cousins other than a certain "Baby" RHODES. Baby was the daughter of my father's uncle, who had been divorced from Baby's mother in about 1920. Baby had been the first grandchild and hadn't been named for some time. My father had died, and my aunt couldn't remember Baby's name until one day she looked at a picture of a little girl and said, "Velma! Baby RHODES was Velma!" My aunt thought that family members had been invited to Baby's wedding at some time when my aunt was in school, in New Orleans, she thought, marrying a manager of a sugar mill. The only name she could remember for Baby's mother was "Bun." I really wanted to find Baby RHODES. There was no one else in the world descended from my RHODES' great-grandparents to keep my company, so I searched the Internet, but in vain. Then I started trying to find marriage records in Louisiana. But one must go from parish to parish, so when the parish New Orleans sits in had nothing, I had to try another way. In my aunt's old picture collection, there was a picture of my great- grandmother and on the back, it said, "Sallis, Mississippi." When my aunt looked at it, she told me that this was from a visit by my great- grandmother to her son, Baby's father, Jesse RHODES. He had died there. I put out a query for Attalla County, Mississippi, and a nice lady responded with cemetery information on Jesse RHODES. With his death date, I wrote the state archives for a death certificate and an obituary, hoping for some family information. But the only name on the death certificate was the second wife's. The obituary was more promising, mentioning a daughter, Mrs. Ernest THEROUX, of Lafayette, Indiana. Back to the Internet, but I could not put together Velma with THEROUX. I started the dreary task of calling courthouse clerks in parishes around Lafayette, Louisiana, but with no success at all. Finally, I decided that the one last hope was to find a will. I called the library in Attalla County, Mississippi, and got the name of a lovely lady who for $13 would search the courthouse basement for great-uncle Jesse's will. She found one. And, to my surprise, Jesse's daughter, Baby RHODES, was not "Velma" -- her name was Vilma! Armed with that information, in fewer than 48 hours, through a THEROUX website, I had located my second cousin, Vilma's son, alive and well and sharing my genes, and I am so happy to have found him. As it turned out, my aunt's information was only partially correct. The sugar mill manager had been Vilma's husband's father from Louisiana and the marriage had taken place in Florida. Bun, (Vilma's mother), was actually "Velma." This search took a year and a half and the lesson I learned from it was to always look for the will and estate information, no matter what. * * * 1c. Using RootsWeb: List Admins Play Important Roles Laura Robinson Leader has been working on her family history for about a year now and using various resources at RootsWeb in the course of her research. She has developed a feel for the workings of the genealogy mailing lists, such as what is acceptable on the lists and what isn't. She now has a working knowledge of using the searchable and threaded list archives. http://archiver.rootsweb.com/ http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl Laura has decided it is time to move her research up a notch by requesting a new mailing list for a small (but growing) group of cousins that she found through the large, active ROBINSON surname list. They decided they'd like to discuss in greater detail their particular line of ROBINSONs -- those descending from their mutual ancestor, John ROBINSON of Virginia. While they will continue to participate on the general ROBINSON surname list, they felt the need for a more focused effort on their line since ROBINSON is in the top 20 common surnames in America and is a family name found frequently in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia also. Laura checked the mailing list index at http://lists.rootsweb.com/ before taking any action. She wanted to be absolutely certain there was no existing list for the John ROBINSON line of Virginia. She wasn't sure exactly what would be involved in becoming the administrator of a list but she was willing to learn. However, she learned that by requesting the new list's creation that she also had to agree to serve as its administrator. From the main RootsWeb page: http://www.rootsweb.com/ under the heading of mailing lists, she found the link to the mailing list request form: http://resources.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listrequest.pl Then Laura completed the form and waited for notification from RootsWeb. In a short time, her request was approved and she received a notice providing her with what she needs to know in order to assume her duties. She printed and saved these instructions for future reference. She also learned some more about "list admin" duties at: http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/listadmins/duties.html For example, list admins are required to: --Maintain a current administrator e-mail contact address on their list tools page (a set of Web-based list management tools that allow the admin to subscribe or unsubscribe an address, verify whether an address is subscribed, customize list settings, personalize their list's "Welcome" and "Goodbye" letters, and perform other functions). --Subscribe to their list and monitor the posts. --Determine the guidelines for their list. --Keep an eye on bouncing subscriber addresses and remove from their list any that SmartList (the list management software) cannot process automatically. --Read and comply with RootsWeb's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). --Write to listmaster@rootsweb.com for approval prior to selling or promoting any services or products on their list. Her next step was to promote -- appropriately -- her new mailing list, to encourage others to join, and to introduce topics on the list to generate discussion. List admins also are expected to assist their list subscribers and intervene, if necessary, to resolve any problems that might arise. List admins at RootsWeb have a great deal of leeway in running mailing lists as Laura discovered from her own experience on other lists. Some list admins are lenient and others run a tight ship. However, there are a few "no-no's." List admins cannot: --change the overall focus or topic of their list. --close their list or refuse to allow subscriptions to it. --archive their list anywhere other than RootsWeb without permission. A list administrator may be removed for causes specified here: http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/listadmins/removal.html As Laura got into the swing of things in maintaining her list, she decided to subscribe to the LISTOWNERS-L@rootsweb.com and to the NEWBIE-LISTOWNER-L@rootsweb.com lists where she found many knowledgeable volunteer admins willing to teach her the ropes and offer advice. In no time at all, Laura's little list was humming right along and picking up a few new subscribers. Discussion arose on the list about how John ROBINSON's son, James, married a daughter of William RAIL, a neighbor, and before long a splinter group began working on the RAIL line. The discussion about the RAILs soon took on a life of its own and became increasingly off-topic for the John ROBINSON list. Laura learned that there already is a list for the RAIL surname and that the list is up for adoption! So, she decided to adopt it. Adopting the RAIL surname list was as easy as completing the same list request form that Laura used when requesting the creation of a new list. Laura, like many at RootsWeb who volunteer and help others, enjoys a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment in being a mailing list administrator. Have you ever considered becoming one? How about adopting an already existing adoptable list or requesting a new list for a subject or surname of interest to you? Surnames: http://resources.rootsweb.com/surnames/adoptable/ U.S.A. Counties: http://resources.rootsweb.com/USA/adoptable/ Miscellaneous (all others): http://resources.rootsweb.com/misc/adoptable/ Mailing List Request Form: http://resources.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listrequest.pl 2. Connecting Through RootsWeb. Thanks for sharing your stories. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Linking Around the World By Sharon Atkins Lockett Amazing online connections continue to surprise me. They remind me that "random acts of kindness" are part of genealogy research, as are criticism (constructive and otherwise) and just plain pouts. First, while researching maternal lines of my ATKINS family in Texas, an e-mail inquiry about my paternal grandmother's birth name DAY put me in contact with descendants of her brother Clarence. They like me, were actively researching her DAUGHERTY mother, whose father David had three families (sequentially) and an odd inclination to subtract years from his age for each census. Our combined efforts helped push the lineage back another two generations and confirm collateral family connections. Next, an e-mail exchange with DIAL and HALL researchers, regarding other ATKINS maternal birth names, resulted in my receiving the first ever photo I'd seen of my great-grandfather William ATKINS, born in Tennessee and a Confederate veteran in Texas. The fact that my dad was named for this gentleman (and bore an amazing resemblance) made the picture even more precious. Finally, my husband discovered he had LOCKETT cousins in Australia, thanks to a correction sent by them to an online lineage posted by one of his Texas cousins. We have exchanged photos (again, a strong family resemblance, this time between my husband's uncle and their World War I veteran) and both of us have added a whole new branch to our family charts. This is another example of how freely shared information -- even with mistakes -- can bring us together. * * * 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 28,600 RootsWeb-hosted genealogy Mailing Lists and for easy subscribing (joining) options go to: http://lists.rootsweb.com/ NEW SURNAME MAILING LISTS BARRETT-DNA -- Discussing DNA projects encompassing the BARRETT surname KINCKINER, KLUENNER, KNOCH MCELMOYLE, MCMURRAIN, MURLESS 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 Ben Harrison Camp 356 SUV website is at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~inbhsuv/ U.S.A. iahccdar -- Hannah Caldwell (Iowa) Chapter DAR inbhsuv -- Ben Harrison (Indiana) Camp 356 SUV ksmchs2 -- Marion County (Kansas) Historical Society machamil -- Hamilton (city), Essex County (Massachusetts) Key: APG—Association of Professional Genealogists DAR—Daughters of the American Revolution DRT—Daughters of the Republic of Texas OGS—Ohio Genealogical Society SUV—Sons of Union Veterans (American Civil War) USD—Daughters of the War of 1812 UDC—United Daughters of Confederacy (Confederate States of America) 5. New/Updated Freepages and Homepages -------------------------------------- Has your website ever been mentioned here or do you have a new, updated, or substantially revised website located at RootsWeb (it will have "freepages" or "homepages" in the URL)? 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 * * * BYERS, KIESLING, SMITH, and TILLERY. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~cabyers/ COSTELLO, JOYCE, LAVERTY, and HAGGERY. Irish families from County Mayo, County Armagh and County Donegal. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~ed1009/ PENNSYLVANIA. Crawford County. Genealogy, history, and photographs. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~fraber/index.html 6. New User-Contributed Databases at RootsWeb ---------------------------------------------- SHARING OPPORTUNITY. Does your alma mater, old military unit, church, parish, province, county or state 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 genealogy) 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 such material. http://userdb.rootsweb.com/submit/ The following databases have come online recently. They are searchable, but not browseable. Search: To look for specific data or occurrence of text in a file. Browse: To view the entire contents of a file or a group of files. CALIFORNIA. Monterey County. 1910 Census, Enumeration District 16; 2,384 records; M. Hellam http://userdb.rootsweb.com/census/index/ Riverside County. Hemet. Hemet News; selected obituaries published December 2004; 131 records; Lucinda Helmes http://userdb.rootsweb.com/obituaries/ Sacramento County. History of Sacramento County -- County School district clerks and lodge officers; 96 records; Lori Wicks http://userdb.rootsweb.com/bookindexes/ SOUTH DAKOTA. South Dakota and Dakota Territory federal naturalization records; 2,195 records; Mary Burtzloff for National Archives Staff http://userdb.rootsweb.com/naturalization/ WEST INDIES. Dutch Reformed Church Baptisms, 1709-1713, Saint Eustatius; 55 records; Heather Nielsen http://userdb.rootsweb.com/intl/ 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]. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Louisiana Birth Record Found in France By Lisa Rex in Cambridge, England Recently I was doing some personal genealogical research in the departmental archives of Seine-Maritime in Rouen, France. I was looking at original bound records of sailors and passengers sailing from the port of Le Havre. Within the records of the sailors are loose pages of passenger lists, requests for pay advances, ship maintenance records, etc. One of the most unusual things was a New Orleans birth declaration, in English. I've transcribed it with the intention of helping descendants find their ancestor, and let them know that it's stuck inside an old book in Rouen! "State of Louisiana, Parish of Orleans 11 May 1854 Monsieur Jean Baptiste TRIVELLI, native of Lazo, Ital residing in N 3ng Burgundy Street, 2nd dist of New Orleans declares that on the 8th of May of the present year at two o'clock pm at department aforementioned residence was born a male child named Desiree Pierre Trivelli issue of the legitimate marriage with Maria SCATTA a native of Italy. Witnessed by Monsieur Giovanni B. TRIVELLI and Mrs. Edgar PLANCHARD and John PLANCHARD. Dated 10 January 1867" This appears in the record book known as 6P 6/353. Why it is in there is anyone's guess! * * * Hilarious (et al) Names in the Censuses By Denny Shirer While searching through census records for a lost family member, I ran across Hilarious SMITH in 1920 Cook County, Illinois (Chicago, Roll 353, Page: 135A). I thought this name fairly unusual, but found six more with that given name in the 1920 census and one in 1900. I'm not sure what was the reason these folks were given such a name but the families mostly are of German origin. This piqued my interest and in searching I found a bevy of "Funny's, a handful of "Comic's, a page full of "Witty's," but no one was "Amusing" or "Jocular." On the other side of the coin I found a lot of "Mean" people. One stood out in the 1900 census for Forest City Borough, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania (Roll 1488, Page 104A) and that was "Mean Mrs. HOOD." I can only imagine that the enumerator was once berated by this woman as a child. The 1920 census for South Dakota has probably the biggest list of "Bad" people such as "BAD ROUND, Maggie", "BAD HAIR, John" and "BAD HAIR, Mary" (not related), and "BAD WOUND, Daniel." Granted that most with these names were Native Americans, but what labels to get stuck with. * * * Linking Up Around the World By Damaris Reynolds I just read the story of finding and meeting Italian cousins and want to share my story. My mother studied art in Paris around 1904. She wrote home to her father in California every week and miraculously I have those letters. Several years ago I re-read those letters and found frequent mention of a cousin who had married an English army officer with a rather unusual surname. I mentioned this to a fellow genealogist one day and a few days later he said, "Here's the name and address of a woman in England with that name." I wrote her and in a few days received an answer, "How excited I was to get your letter this morning!" Neither of us had e-mail, but we corresponded. It turned out she was the divorced wife of my mother's cousin's grandson. She gave me the names and addresses of all the living "cousins," and then three months later she died very suddenly. But now I correspond by e-mail with cousins in England, Australia, South Africa, and Cyprus. I have met the English ones and my daughters have met the Australia and Cyprus ones. A sidebar is that we are descendants of Thomas Hart BENTON (the statesman, not the painter). They knew they were related to a famous American, but not how. In every generation in that family there was a son named "Benton." * * * Don't Let Errors Impede Your Search By Bonnie Garber in Corbin, Virginia, USA Recently I was searching for a marriage record that the index indicated was on page 103 of a book of bound marriage bonds from Caroline County, Virginia. I searched and searched on page 103, but could not find it. Finally, I decided the number had been transcribed incorrectly. I decided that when I write a three it sometimes looks like a five -- if I'm in a hurry. Sure enough, I found the marriage record on page 105. So, if an index indicates that a marriage record is in a book, don't give up. Think of reasons that the number is listed incorrectly and act accordingly. The archivist on duty was kind enough to make a note of the mistake. Now, other researchers will be able to find it, too. 8. Humor/Humour: Holy Orders ----------------------------- Thanks to: Gerald Curtis While I was visiting the island of Saint Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, I noticed a sign beside a large church that said: Church parking only. Violators will be baptized. * * * Found a humorous sign or entry in census, parish, church, etc. records? Send to: Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com 9. Subscriptions, Submissions, Advertising, Reprints ----------------------------------------------------- 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 * * * 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 * * * 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: 22 December 2004, Vol. 7, No. 51. * * * *