RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Weekly E-zine 26 July 2006, Vol. 9, No. 30 (c) 1998-2006 RootsWeb.com, Inc. http://www.rootsweb.com/ * * * Editor: Myra Vanderpool Gormley, Certified Genealogist Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com Certification: http://www.bcgcertification.org/certification/ * * * ROOTSWEB HELPDESK: Check here for announcements: http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/ * * * ========================================================= IN THIS ISSUE: 1. 1a. EDITOR'S DESK: NEWS, NOTES, AND SOME SITES WORTH SEEING NEWS: Garbled Newsletter BOOK NOTES: Cornwall SITES: Australia; New Zealand; Polish Genealogy 1b. Tips from Readers: When Localities Change 1c. Using RootsWeb: A Genealogist's Midsummer Nightmare 2. Connecting Through RootsWeb: Scrutinizing the Neighbors 3. New User-contributed Databases 4. New/Updated FreePages and HomePages 5. New at RootsWeb 6. RootsWeb Review's Bottomless Mailbag: Using the Legal System Hiding the Past Here's Your Sign 7. Humor/Humour: Tales from the Grave 8. Subscriptions, Submissions, Advertising, Reprints ======================================================= IN THIS ISSUE: 1a. EDITOR'S DESK: NEWS, NOTES; SOME SITES WORTH SEEING NEWS: Garbled Newsletters. If you were one of the many subscribers who received a garbled version of the RootsWeb Review the past couple of weeks, our apologies. Hopefully, the major problems in distribution have been solved except for a few mail clients. Thank you for your patience and understanding in this matter. You can obtain a copy of all previous editions back to 1998 from the archives: http://e-zine.rootsweb.com/ To check and/or change your newsletter subscription address go to: http://newsletters.rootsweb.com/ * * * BOOK NOTES: CORNWALL, ENGLAND. Tregoney Happening -- Memories and Photographs of Tregoney and District, 1886-1921. Cornishman Franklin Grigg has drawn from several sources to create an overview of the local history of this small, ancient, mid-Cornwall district spanning the years 1886-1921. The basis of the book has been provided by two local men of that era, who have in different ways painted a canvas of intriguing descriptions and pictures. They were Frank Greet, a traditional storyteller and Joseph Greet, a photographer. Many colourful facts and descriptive newspaper accounts are incorporated to add greater insight into the community story. Several old photographs are probably on public display for the first time in years. The book, published by the author in December 2004, contains more than 200 photographs and is fully indexed. This 224-page, 9.75x6.75-inch hardback is available (£14.95 plus p and p) over the Internet from the Truro Bookshop at http://www.cornwallbooks.com/ * * * SOME SITES WORTH SEEING: AUSTRALIA. Unassisted Immigration to Victoria. Index of inward passenger lists for British, foreign and New Zealand ports, 1852-1923. You can search this list for names of passengers who boarded ships to Victoria, Australia from overseas ports (including New Zealand) between 1852 and 1923. These passengers were unassisted, meaning that their passage was not subsidised by government. The results screen displays some detail on each person found and a reference to the microfiche copy of the complete lists. The Port code (B, F or N) indicates which series of microfiche to look at and does not necessarily indicate the passengers' nationality. http://proarchives.imagineering.com.au/index_search.asp?searchid=23 NEW ZEALAND. War Memorial sites throughout New Zealand with photographs and in many cases names, too. http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/first-world-war-memorials/ POLISH GENEALOGY. A directory to Polish genealogy resources, databases and websites related to Polish ancestry and research of roots with links to Austrian, Belarusian, German, Jewish, Russian, Ukrainian and worldwide genealogy-related sites. http://polishroots.netfirms.com/ * * * 1b. TIPS FROM READERS: When Localities Change By Ruth Autrey Stubbs It all started in high school when one of the choices for a term paper was to research one's family. Well, that seemed fairly easy, a few visits and few letters, I get my information and I'm done. WRONG! I have, in the words of my children, "been looking for dead people" ever since. I lived in the Saint Louis, Missouri area, as did my maternal grandparents. In fact my grandmother and most of her 12 siblings lived their entire lives within a five-mile radius of where they were born. My brick wall was in my father's family. A letter to my grandfather in Texas resulted in the names of his parents, his siblings and the siblings of my grandmother who had died young. I knew from my dad that grandpa's and grandma's families came from Sevier County, Arkansas. A few years later found me living in Northeast Arkansas. Time waiting for my husband to pick me up after work was spent at the local library. Because of the interest of several elderly ladies, the library had excellent resources. This was before Internet and computers, back when information was gathered through hands-on research and then handwritten notes. My AUTREYs were found ever so easy in the Sevier County census. The eldest Hiram had arrived before 1840 and his family stayed in that area for the next 60 years. I was new to this; I had names, but further interest would come later, as would the importance of documentation and a phrase called "cite your sources." What I did not find and what would elude me for the next 30 years were my MARONEYs. My great-grandfather James AUTREY married Soletha MARONEY in Sevier County in 1879 and for years, other than the fact from census that she was born in Georgia, that was all the information I had. Additional research through the years at various libraries and the history center in Little Rock gave me more information on the AUTREYS. I had even visited the cemetery where they were buried. I sent for a death certificate, information provided by a son-in-law, mother: Phronia MORRIS, father unknown. Still no MARONEYs. About 1991 we made a trip that took us through De Queen, Sevier County, Arkansas and I spotted a little history museum and we stopped. It sold books. The ladies working that day were the step-grandchildren of one of grampa's brothers. Mrs. Leo FLIPPO had done much research and she gave me a wealth of information on the AUTREYs as well as a couple of clues on the MARONEYs. My Soletha MARONEY had a brother named either Dayton or Dalton who at one time had a store around Blossom, Lamar County, Texas. So I started hunting for Dayton MARONEY. Trips to a research library, the nearest was 60 miles, were infrequent, but the local library would order census on microfilm for a small fee, so I tried that. Then the Internet became available in my area at an affordable price. Through the AUTREY mailing list on RootsWeb I became acquainted with Janie AUTREY HELLYER. Our grampas were brothers, Mrs. Flippo was her aunt and she had possible names of Soletha's sisters. I found Dayton MARONEY -- by chance -- and discovered he was really W. L. MARONEY. Dayton was his nickname. I found him in 1880 Cass County, Texas census with the sisters. They were the children of L. L. and Rachel MARONEY, but no Soletha because she had married in 1879. At the time not all censuses were readily available on the Internet. I was sure this was her family, but wanted more proof. Besides her death certificate said her mother was Phronia, This census listed Rachel (I would later learn she was Rachel Safronia). So off to the library to order the 1870 Cass county census. Not available. A trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas, Grace Keith Genealogical Collection at the public library and was told, "don't have 1870 Cass County." At the main library in Saint Louis I got the same story. I was beginning to think it didn't exist. And then I found on the Web that information on Cass County was being transcribed. Finally, there it was, but something was wrong! The heading on these pages said Davis County (not Cass County). Was there a mistake? Were both counties in this transcription? I went back to the top and there was the answer. From 1861 until 1871 Cass County, Texas was known as Davis County in honor of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Having earlier noted that Cass County was formed in 1846 I had not considered looking for a different name. By 1871 the Civil War was over and it was decided to return the county to its original name of Cass. My Soletha was born circa 1860 but did not appear in the 1860 census for Campbell County, Georgia with her parents, Lloyd and Saffrona. By 1880 she was married. But in 1870 when I found the correct census, there she was with her family -- listed as "Serletie." * * * 1c. USING ROOTSWEB: A Genealogist's Midsummer Nightmare What is the absolute worst nightmare a genealogist can have? After having devoted the last several years to recording every meticulously documented detail and note of your family history into your computer genealogy program and carefully backing up the data -- your worst nightmare could happen at any time with two words--computer crash! It is not a question of whether or not you will one day experience a computer crash and loss of data, the question is when. When are the electronic gremlins going to crawl into your computer and send your data to that great bit bucket in the sky? To add to this disheartening situation, even carefully preserved backup copies can fail, too. This is what happened to Jennie SMITH as she was working on her computer one sultry summer evening when all of a sudden from out of nowhere there came a loud clap of thunder and then zap! In an instant her computer's hard drive was a smoldering ruin along with all the data she had gathered so diligently over the years. At first Jennie was not concerned about lost data. She had stored more than one copy of each genealogical file on CDs and had them tucked away for safe keeping. It wasn't until Jennie's computer was back up and running and she had reinstalled her genealogy program and tried importing and opening her backup files that she discovered that her disks were corrupted and none of her files could be opened. Jennie panicked for a moment but quickly recaptured her composure when she remembered that last year her aunt Jane had talked her into uploading all of her files to RootsWeb's WorldConnect project (http://wc.rootsweb.com/). After all, Aunt Jane had insisted, the SMITH research would not be easy to reconstruct should it ever be lost. Somewhere in the dim recesses of Jennie's mind she recalled when she had read the WorldConnect FAQs before uploading her files that she would be able to retrieve her GEDCOMs in their entirety should she ever need to do so to recover lost data on her computer. So, Jennie clicked her way to WorldConnect hoping for the best, entered her WorldConnect user code and password after obtaining them from Password Central (http://passwordcentral.rootsweb.com) and found herself on the old familiar Set-up page with the options selected for one of the GEDCOMs she'd submitted a year ago. She scrolled to the bottom of the page and clicked the RETRIEVE GEDCOM button and slick as a whistle she was able to download her file and import it back into her genealogy program. She repeated the process for the other family trees she'd submitted in GEDCOM format to WorldConnect and before long Jennie was back in business and everything returned to normal in the SMITH household. Jennie thought to herself that what could have turned into a midsummer's evening nightmare for any genealogist had instead turned to a very pleasant dream. She had been saved by the proverbial Knight in Shining Armor in the form of her WorldConnect GEDCOMs -- and from that night on she has been able to sleep more soundly knowing that WorldConnect is on guard protecting her data from loss. [Editor's note: Several times each week the RootsWeb HelpDesk (http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/) assists people who have contributed GEDCOMS to WorldConnect in retrieving their files. Computer crashes are the most frequent reason, but corrupted files and backup files are major problems. Don't forget to update your files at WorldConnect -- disaster can hit any time and while an old GEDCOM is better than no GEDCOM, it only takes a few minutes each week or each month to update your family tree at WorldConnect. http://wc.rootsweb.com/]. * * * * * * * * * * Advertisements * * * * * * * * * * For a limited time, RootsWeb Review readers can now subscribe to Internet Genealogy for a special rate of $22 for one year -- a saving of $6 off the regular $28 rate. Visit http://internet-genealogy.com/ to subscribe today! Also, download a complete, FREE issue of Internet Genealogy! This issue is available only online. It contains the same great features and articles that you would find in our printed edition such as: German Research using the Internet; a case study on Madison Davis; City Directories online; Remarkable Research Resources; Forensic Genealogy and much more. Download this Extra Issue from http://internet-genealogy.com/ * * * Family Chronicle magazine is celebrating its 10th anniversary and we want you to share in the festivities. The normal subscription price of $30 for one year has been rolled back to the price it was 10 years ago -- just $21 -- but for a limited time only. And there's more: you can examine a recent copy of Family Chronicle with no obligation by downloading a recent, complete issue from http://familychronicle.com/ * * * REQUEST A SEARCH FOR YOUR ANCESTORS AT THE FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY ANCESTOR SEEKERS researchers at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City will search this vast collection for your ancestors from the USA, Canada, Australia, Ireland, Germany, Poland, Russia, Hungary, Holland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Italy. If you commission the work (there's no obligation to do that!) prices start from $52 (US). For a FREE initial e-mail consultation visit http://www.ancestorseekers.com/research/rwr/ or join us OCTOBER 23-27 for our Sixth Salt Lake City Research Trip -- the ideal genealogy vacation! For help in finding ancestors from England or Scotland request a FREE e- mail assessment from http://www.britishancestors.com/ * * * * * * * * * * End of Advertisements * * * * * * * * * * 2. CONNECTING THROUGH ROOTSWEB: Scrutinizing the Neighbors By Ruth Solomon in Page, Arizona, USA For years, I had tried in vain to find more information about the family of my ancestor, Benjamin Wheaton KEYES. According to his biography found in a Geneva, New York history book, he was born in Aurelius, Cayuga County, New York in 1817 and at the age of 13 left home to become an apprentice blacksmith. By 1838 he is married to Minerva VAN RIPER and is living in Geneva, Ontario County, New York, where he started the B.W. Keyes Carriage Manufacturing business. The only clues I had on his family was his death certificate. which listed his parents as Jesse and Elizabeth KEYES. His mother is living with his family in the 1855 New York state census. It lists her as a widow with two children born in Rhode Island about 1789. Her name is listed as Elizabeth KEYES. So I went to the 1830 census and found a Betsey KEYES living in Aurelius, Cayuga County, New York with two sons. But that seemed to be the end of the line, I could find nothing else out about his parents or brother. I could not find the family on the 1820, 1840, or 1850 censuses. My mother had often speculated that Elizabeth's maiden name must be WHEATON because that was her son's middle name. I was never comfortable with this assessment, as I had never seen the custom of using the mother's maiden name as a middle name in the KEYES family. The only time a maiden name had occurred as a middle name, was my great-grandfather Harry WILSON KEYES and WILSON is his grandmother's maiden name, not his mother's. I had heard that if you are stuck, you should research the neighbors, I thought that this might help me to find her on another census or at least determine what part of Aurelius Township she lived in. So I went back to the 1830 census and found that she was living between Abner and Jacob SANDERS. They appeared to be the same age and so I assumed that they were brothers. I thought it strange that she would be living between two brothers. But I figured that perhaps she was widowed and working for both families. I looked for these brothers on the 1820 and 1840 censuses. They were easily located, but Betsey KEYES did not appear to be anywhere around. I next decided to research these SANDERS brothers in the Cayuga County histories to see if I could find out where in Aurelius they lived. The next find was exciting. In a local history it stated that the brothers Abner, Jacob, and Wheaton SANDERS had been the original settlers of a small village named Fosterville in Aurelius in 1805. There was the name Wheaton again and now I guessed that these must be Betsey's brothers. I checked the 1850 census next and found that Jacob, Abner, and Wheaton were all within 10 years of Betsey's age and also born in Rhode Island. As I searched for more information on this family on Ancestry.com, a book entitled, "History of the Smith and Forshee Families" kept coming up. It seemed a long shot, but I finally took a look. It outlined the family of Benjamin SANDERS and Anne WHEATON and their 12 children. Among the children were Abner, Jacob, Wheaton, and Betsey who married Jesse KEYES and had two sons -- Benjamin KEYES of Geneva, New York and Nelson KEYES of New Orleans, Louisiana. I was so excited. I finally had Betsey's maiden name and a brother for Benjamin. I don't know that I would have ever looked for KEYES in Louisiana. I had been focusing on New York KEYES. I have been able to verify most of the information in this book using Rhode Island and Louisiana vital records and censuses. The husband Jesse KEYES is still a huge mystery, as he appeared to have died young. I have found a deed for a Jonathan and Betsey KEYES in Fosterville in 1826. So perhaps his name was not Jesse after all. * * * Did you leap over some brick walls or cleverly figure out where your grandmother was hiding in a census? Do tell! Dazzle us with your brilliant sleuthing or uncanny luck. We're all ears. Send your tales of genealogical adventure to: Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com 3. New User-Contributed Databases at RootsWeb http://userdb.rootsweb.com/submit/ ---------------------------------------------- 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/ NORTH CAROLINA. Craven County. Havelock High School Class of 1990. 207 records; Bernd G. Doss http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ 4. New/Updated Freepages and Homepages -------------------------------------- Can your cousins find your website at RootsWeb? Has it ever been mentioned here or do you have a new, updated, or substantially revised website at RootsWeb (it will have "freepages" or "homepages" in the URL)? Send the URL (its Web address), along with a brief description, including the major pertinent surnames and what is available on your site, to: Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com KRONPRINZESSIN CECILIE. This website pertains to this North German Lloyd ship and includes pictures of the interior. http://freepages.family.rootsweb.com/~gregkrenzelok/Kronprinzessin%20Cecilie.html MOE. Nun and Catherine Moe family; includes scanned photos. http://freepages.family.rootsweb.com/~jkpillars/Nun%20and%20Catherine%20Moe.htm SAMPLE. Transcription and photographs of tombstones found in Sample Cemetery, Garfield County, Oklahoma as of 2003. Additional information, primarily from the federal censuses, is added as found to identify the individuals interred in the cemetery. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~sample/ VAN VUUREN. Family in South Africa. (VAN VUUREN Familie in Suid Afrika). The webpage includes spellings of VAN VUREN, VAN VEUREN, and VAN VUEREN as well as the JANSE, JANSEN, JANZEN families of Janse van Vuren (Vuuren), Jansen van Vuren (Vuuren), and Janzen van Vuuren -- from 1687 (vanaf 1687). http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~niloc/vanVuren/van-Vuren.html 5. New 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/~xxxxxx [accountname] IRELAND irllimer -- County Limerick USA alcullma -- Cullman County (Alabama) coplaces -- Colorado Places ctusd -- State Society (Connecticut) USD flusd -- State Society (Florida) USD flwchs -- Wakulla County Historical Society (Florida) idkcgs -- Kootenai County Genealogical Society (Idaho) kyusd -- State Society (Kentucky) USD meusd -- State Society (Maine) USD misccdar -- Stoney Creek (Michigan) Chapter DAR mnbirths -- Minnesota Births mousd -- State Society (Missouri) USD msusd -- State Society (Mississippi) USD ncusd -- State Society (North Carolina) USD nhcchice -- Chichester (city, New Hampshire) nhcpitts -- Pittsfield (city, New Hampshire) njcamde2 -- Camden County (New Jersey) okusd -- State Society (Oklahoma) USD pawchs -- Wyoming County Historical Society (Pennsylvania) scusd -- State Society (South Carolina) USD tnusd -- State Society (Tennessee) USD vausd -- State Society (Virginia) USD wiphs -- Pembine Historical Society (Wisconsin) Key: DAR: Daughters of the American Revolution USD: United States Daughters of the War of 1812 6. 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]. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Using the Legal System By Bobbi Dunn I, too, have a deceased (1935) relative who died in the state hospital. I called the hospital to see about getting his medical notes. Of course, they wouldn't release them, but suggested I call a local judge for a court order and gave me the phone number. Within in a few weeks after returning a notarized form attesting that I was a direct relative (granddaughter), I received a wonderful packet of notes and documents including how he got there, his diagnosis, how he behaved while there and when he died. I shared these documents with a cousin who was visibly comforted because one of his sons is diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The information has filled in lots of blanks and explains the family stories (or lack of them). Try contacting a local judge or attorney. (I was not charged a fee for this wonderful service.) * * * Hiding the Past By Patte Wood in Lexington, Virginia, USA While researching my grandfather's family in Virginia, I found he had a sister I will call Ann who disappeared after the uncle she lived with died. We always had been told that she was "slow" because she had been kicked in the head by a horse when she was a child. While searching census records I found that she had worked as a teacher and as a nanny which didn't really match up with not having gone to school. While searching through records in the Circuit Court for family records in Botetourt County, Virginia my cousin and I ran across the fact that an aunt who had no children had left money to be divided between members of my grandfather's family and my cousin's family and it included a notation for Alma that indicated that my grandfather's sister (I'll call her Jane) was the guardian. We then found records that Jane had put her in the county poor farm after her father and uncle died and then she was transferred to the western state insane asylum when the poor farm was closed (or shortly before). I was not able to get a copy of the records from the hospital because I was not the closest next of kin. Luckily, we had the probate record for the inheritance, which also included her youngest brother's twin daughters who were still alive and proved they were the closest living next of kin. I was able to get them to write a letter to the hospital releasing the records to me. This may be the policy of other hospitals and if you can determine who is the closest living kin, the records can be released to them or to that person's designee. The sister of my grandfather who incarcerated Ann told the family that she was dead. This sister also told the family that an alcoholic brother who had left his wife to live with another woman was also dead. He showed up in the 1970s, writing a letter to my cousin while in a hospital. The son by this second relationship showed up several years ago wanting to know about his father's family. With the letters and other information, we were able to connect him with his half sisters and everyone benefited, * * * Here's Your Sign By Dorothy Michael in Dresher, Pennsylvania, USA After reading Carol Steele's story "Enumerator Hides Ancestors," I had to write and relate this story. When I was a kid, the enumerator came to our house. The first question she asked was how we were related to the family living next door. We were not related in any way, so my Dad asked why she thought we were. She said because the last names were the same. On the front door of both houses was a door bell with a handle to turn to ring it (sort of like a bicycle bell). Under the handle were the directions, "Turn handle." So, the enumerator had recorded both families' surname as TURNHANDLE -- go figure! 7. Humor/Humour: Tales from the Grave ---------------------------------- NEED DIRECTIONS Thanks to: Frank Grigg in Cornwall, England I found this small item in a newspaper when researching for material for a local history book called "Tregoney Happenings," which I recently published. [Editor's note: See Book Notes, Section 1a.] Royal Cornwall Gazette -- 20th Aug 1919 -- A Tregoney Epitaph. Our Tregoney correspondent sent the following inscription from a stone in the churchyard: Weep not for me you standers by, As you are now so once was I; As I am now so must you be, So prepare for death and follow me. Some years ago an old Hart House scholar (local private school) pencilled in the following underneath the inscription: To follow you is not my intent, For I do not know which way you went. * * * DEAD MAN TRAVELLING Thanks to: Monique Daviau in Montreal, Quebec, Canada Found this entry on the Web at: Abstract of Burial Records: St. Francis Xavier, Manitoba, 1834-1865 Surname Index (the deceased) A-C BOYER Jean-Baptiste, son of BOYER Pierre; BONNEAU Marguerite d. Jun 1844, s.(burial) 14 Sep 1845*, 22 years old *Died travelling with Mr. Daviau (buried in this parish's cemetery) * * * Found a "proper name for the job" or humorous sign, amusing entries in census, parish, church, etc. records? Send them to: Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com 8. 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/ If you use a spam-filtering program, in order to receive the RootsWeb Review please make sure that you're allowing e-mail from: newsletter@reply.myfamilyinc.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. The announcement of books and products is provided as a community service and is not an endorsement in any way. 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 and please include your full name and e-mail address in the text. * * * ROOTSWEB REVIEW ADVERTISING CONTACTS. Ad Sales Worldwide: Shana Davis, creative@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: 26 July 2006, Vol. 9, No. 30. * * * *