RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Weekly E-zine 24 January 2007, Vol. 10, No. 4 (c) 1998-2007 RootsWeb.com, Inc. http://www.rootsweb.com * * * ROOTSWEB HELPDESK: Check here for announcements: http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/ * * * ROOTSWEB REVIEW ARCHIVES: Current and previous editions: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/0124.txt http://e-zine.rootsweb.com/ =================================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1. Editor's Desk: News and Notes 1a. Update on RootsWeb Review 1b. Research Trip 1c. Some Sites Worth Seeing 1d. Using RootsWeb: Knowing What Enumerators Were Instructed 2. Connecting Through RootsWeb: Success Using Deeds 3. RootsWeb Review's Bottomless Mailbag: Supporting Local Societies "Take Me Home, Country Roads" 4. New at RootsWeb 4a. New User-contributed Databases 4b. New/Updated FreePages and HomePages 4c. New Mailing Lists at RootsWeb 5. Humor/Humour: Amen 6. Subscriptions, Submissions, Advertising, Reprints ==================================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1. Editor's Desk: News and Notes 1a. UPDATE ON ROOTSWEB REVIEW We would like to apologize to those of you who have not received the "RootsWeb Review" in recent weeks or have received the newsletter late; we are having problems with our e-mail delivery system. Please be patient with us as we work through this issue; we hope to have it resolved soon. 1b. GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF VIRGINIA (GRIVA) RESEARCH TRIP. Three of the richest genealogical resources in the United States are only a bus ride away for Richmond-area residents. Sponsored by the Genealogical Research Institute of Virginia, a bus will be traveling to the District of Columbia on Thursday, January 25, where researchers may choose between the Library of Congress, the National Archives, or the Daughters of the American Revolution Library to spend the day. Cost for non-GRIVA members is $35. For more information, visit the GRIVA website at http://www.griva.org/ or call Sam Tarry at 804-748-9592. 1c. SOME SITES WORTH SEEING. Find lost family heirlooms and artifacts from reliable antique dealers. http://www.justajoy.com/default.asp Order UK birth, marriage, or death certificates online, quickly and easily. http://www.gov-certificates.co.uk/index.html * * * 1d. Using RootsWeb: Knowing What Enumerators Were Instructed Originally published in the RootsWeb Review 9 March 2005, Vol. 8, No. 10. Searching for American families is pretty easy these days -- especially if you subscribe to the U.S. census records at Ancestry.com. Just type in the names and narrow the search to a particular census year and state, right? Alas, it is not always that simple. And, even when you find them, how can you be sure they are yours, when the ages and other information do not quite match? Did our ancestors really lie to the enumerators? Did the census takers "pad" the records? Of course, there is no way to know for sure in a particular instance, but knowing what the rules were and how the answers were suppose to be recorded can make you a better family historian. Such knowledge might enable you to sort out some anomalies you encounter during your census searches. The enumerator instructions for the 1850-2000 census years are online and well worth the time to read them in order to understand the questions asked and how the responses were to be recorded. American censuses are available for searching for the years 1790-1930. http://www.ipums.org/usa/voliii/ For example, in the instructions for the 1910 U.S. census under "ages of children" the enumerator was instructed to take particular pains to get the exact ages of children. The instructions were that in the case of a child not two years old, the age should be given in *completed months,* expressed as twelfths of a year. If a child was not yet a month old, enter the age as 0/12, but note again that this question should be answered with reference to April 15 [Census Day]. A child who is just a year old on the 17th of April 1910 should nevertheless be returned as 11/12, because that is the age in completed months on April 15. So, if you, like many researchers, have assumed that the ages given were those as of the day of the enumerator's visit, take a closer look, noting what the official Census Day was for each census. You might have made an assumption that is erroneous. U.S. Censuses for 1790-1800-1810-1820 had a Census Day of the first Monday in August, which ranged from August 2 to August 7. For the years 1830-1900, Census Day was 1 June. In 1910 it was 15 April; in 1920 it was 1 January; and in 1930 it was 1 April. The 1910 instructions pertaining to Column 8 were: Persons who were single on April 15 should be so reported, even though they may have married between that date and the day of your visit; and, similarly, persons who become widowed or divorced after April 15 should be returned as married if that was their condition on that date. In Column 12 (place of birth of this person) if the person was born in the United States, give the state or territory (not county, city, or town) in which born. The words "United States" are not sufficiently definite. A person born in what is now West Virginia, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Oklahoma should be reported as so born, although at the time of his birth the particular region may have had a different name. Enumerators also were cautioned not to rely upon the language spoken to determine birthplace, noting that this is especially true of German, for "more than one-third of the Austrians and nearly three- fourths of the Swiss speak German. In the case of persons speaking German, therefore, inquire carefully whether the birthplace was Germany, Switzerland, Austria, or elsewhere." Column 12--about "mother tongue"--can trip you up if you are not aware of the instructions given to the enumerators. They were told that the question "What is your mother tongue or native language?" should be asked of all persons who were born in any foreign country, and the answer should be written in column 12, after the name of the country of birth. In order to save space, the abbreviations (which were indicated on separate "List of foreign countries") should be used for the country of birth, but the language given as the mother tongue should be written out in full. For example, if a person reports that he was born in Russia and that his mother tongue is Lithuanian, write in column 12 Russ.--Lithuanian; or if a person reports that he was born in Switzerland and that his mother tongue is German, write Switz.--German. The name of the mother tongue must be given even when it is the same as the language of the country in which the person was born. Thus, if a person reports that he was born in England and that his mother tongue is English, write Eng.-- English; For tips on pre-1930 U.S. censuses and other countries, please see: http://www.rootsweb.com/~rwguide/lesson9.htm * * * * * * * * * * Advertisements * * * * * * * * * * 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, England, Scotland, Australia, Ireland, Germany, Poland, Russia, Holland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Italy. Prices start from $55 (U.S.). For a FREE initial e-mail consultation visit http://www.ancestorseekers.com/research.rwr/ Or join us FEBRUARY 18-23 AT OUR SEVENTH SALT LAKE CITY RESEARCH TRIP-- THE IDEAL GENEALOGY VACATION!--a whole week at the Family History Library, accessing the world's largest collection of genealogical records with help and advice from accredited genealogist professionals. * * * Subscribe to "Internet Genealogy" and get "101 Best Genealogy Research Tips" FREE Subscribe to "Internet Genealogy" now and we'll send you a copy of our exclusive booklet absolutely free! Visit http://internet-genealogy.com/ig_rwr_sub.htm to download a PDF sample copy or to subscribe. Here's what some people are saying about "Internet Genealogy:" "Internet Genealogy" provides a fun, thorough, and informative look at the world of online genealogy research. I write about Internet genealogy research for a living--and even I learned a new thing or two! Kimberly Powell, "About: Your Guide to Genealogy" ... I'll go out on a limb and say that "Internet Genealogy" will soon become the most widely read genealogy magazine... period. Rick Roberts - Global Genealogy & History Shoppe WOW! [Internet Genealogy] is stupendous. . . You've done a great job and I am very impressed! George Morgan, GenealogyGuys.com * * * * * * * * * * End of Advertisements * * * * * * * * * * 2. Connecting Through RootsWeb: Originally published in the RootsWeb Review 22 May 2002, Vol. 5, No. 21. Success Using Deeds By Cindy Robertson, Millington, Tennessee (poohbear@bigriver.net) I had been searching for my SMITH family for more than 20 years in Bedford County, Tennessee. I made a one-day trip down to the county in which according to the population schedule and agriculture schedule of the federal census they had owned several hundred acres of land. Short on time, I ran into the courthouse and had copies made of records of all transactions involving my George or Martha SMITH. Afterwards I returned to the motel but felt as if I was missing something that was right in front of me within the deeds. I went through each one, writing down the amount of land, the boundaries, to whom it was sold, for how much, and the dates, but there were still no clues. Then I noticed on the last page of one of the deeds that it had been notarized in Washington County, Arkansas. I looked at another one and saw it had been notarized in Woodruff County, Arkansas. There was my clue. They were no longer in Tennessee; they had moved to Arkansas. That was why I couldn't find them buried anywhere or find any remaining family in the Bedford County, Tennessee area. I ran out to the car and retrieved my atlas to locate the Arkansas counties. Woodruff County was only about an hour or two from my home in Memphis, Tennessee. I went there and found the graves of my George and Martha SMITH and several of their children. I met another of their descendants and I now have an Arkansas cousin. I am still looking for George and Martha SMITH's grandson, my great-uncle, and hope to find a connection soon through my TUCKER mailing list at RootsWeb. I hope this helps someone realize that the information in land deeds is priceless -- but you have to read it! * * * 3. 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]. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally published in the RootsWeb Review 20 October 2004, Vol. 7, No. 42. Supporting Local Societies By Jane Grezlik in Ohio I would like to address an issue that many genealogical and historical societies are experiencing in this day of busy schedules and Internet access -- the loss of membership. Internet researchers should be aware that much of the information available on the many research sites is there because genealogical societies all over the world have done a wonderful job of abstracting and publishing that information. However, without members this work and these wonderful small libraries cannot survive long. Both financial support and volunteers are needed. Larger libraries are having difficulties, too. These are special libraries, run by the local societies, and are not part of the public library system and therefore not funded by them. I want to encourage every researcher to support her or his local society and/or the society that is in the area they do most of their research. Many of these societies have a nominal annual fee that most anyone should be able to afford. It goes a long way in helping to cover operating costs of the library and the publishing costs of larger books. While sales of their books do offset costs, it is the membership that is most important. Join and support genealogical and historical societies. Help to ensure the continued flow of information and research availability at the local level. * * * Originally published in the RootsWeb Review 18 May 2005, Vol. 8, No. 20. "Take Me Home, Country Roads" By Amy in Central Virginia, USA In response to Richard May's recent article in the RootsWeb Review, regarding unexplainable coincidences, it has happened to me, too. After years of searching for affordable property in the country, we finally found a place that just "felt right," with the proverbial 40 acres and an 1847 log cabin. A few years later I started down the genealogy path, initially knowing very little about family history. Surprisingly, research revealed we had moved to within four miles, as the crow flies, of where my great-grandparents lived in the mid- to late-1800s in a log cabin my great-grandfather had built and which old pictures showed looked amazingly like ours. Additionally, he was known to "hire out" to other farmers in the area. Our property had once been part of one of the largest farms in the area and the owner and my ancestor were the same age, so it is not much of a stretch to conclude he had worked on the very same land where we now live. Some might call it coincidence, but I believe it is the call of the bloodline. * * * 4. New at RootsWeb 4a. New User-Contributed Databases at RootsWeb 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. SOUTH CAROLINA: Richland County. New Light Beulah Baptist Church Cemetery, Hopkins, South Carolina 510 records: Reverend John A. Middleton http://userdb.rootsweb.com/cemeteries TENNESSEE: McMinn County. Death Certificate Index, McMinn County, Tennessee, 1914-55 11,491 records: Samme Templin http://userdb.rootsweb.com/deaths NEW YORK: Genesee County: Batavia "Daily News," Genesee County, New York, 1946-47 8,826 records: Leilani Spring, Volunteer of the Genesee County, New York, Historian http://userdb.rootsweb.com/news 4b. 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 * * * If your genealogical or historical related site is located somewhere other than at RootsWeb.com, you can add the link here: http://resources.rootsweb.com/~rootslink/addlink.html * * * No new Web pages were created. * * * 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] U.S.A. ilscgs2 -- Sangamon County Genealogical Society (Illinois) mnramsey -- Ramsey County (Minnesota) AHGP nswse -- South East Area (New South Wales, Australia) ohputna2 -- Putnam County (Ohio) ALHN vtcthetf -- City of Thetford (Vermont) * * * 4c. New Mailing Lists at RootsWeb Request a New Mailing List: http://resources.rootsweb.com/adopt/ ------------------------------------------------------------------- For information and an index to the more than 30,000 RootsWeb-hosted genealogy Mailing Lists and for easy subscribing (joining) options go to: http://lists.rootsweb.com/ NEW SURNAME MAILING LISTS BARBACCIA, RINLEY FECHTER STRUCKMAN TYRA NEW REGIONAL MAILING LISTS No new regional mailing lists. NEW ETHNIC AND SPECIAL INTEREST MAILING LISTS BRITISH-CANADIAN -- For the purpose of researching British descendants in Canada. CASTELLORIZO -- A locality mailing list for people researching ancestors from that Greek island, also spelled Kastellorizo. Sharing of information and family history for descendants of those migrating to Australia, the U.S., and elsewhere. MI-GTAGS -- A mailing list for those who are researching Marin County [California] and are interested in corresponding with genealogists that live there. Listmembers include the Grand Traverse Area Genealogical Society. * * * 5. Humor/Humour: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to James F. Fleming (jflemin2@bellsouth.net), who wrote: "Thought you might enjoy this little newspaper clipping a relative forwarded to me. Sorry, I don't know the source." AMEN A mother was teaching her three-year-old the Lord's Prayer. For several evenings at bedtime she repeated it after her mother. One night she said she was ready to solo. The mother listened with pride as she carefully enunciated each word . . . right up to the end. "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us some e-mail. Amen." Found a funny or "proper name for the job" in old records or an amusing entry in census, parish, church, etc. records? Send them to: Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com * * * 6. 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: rootswebreview@email.rootsweb.com The RootsWeb Review is a free publication of The Generations Network, Inc., 360 West 4800 North, Provo, UT, 84604 The RootsWeb Review is a free publication of The Generations Network, 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: 24 January 2007, Vol. 10, No. 4. * * * *