RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Weekly E-zine 21 February 2007, Vol. 10, No. 8. (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/2007/0221.txt http://e-zine.rootsweb.com/ ============================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1. Editor's Desk: News and Notes 1a. Upcoming Conferences 1b. Petition for Release of UK Census Records 1c. Book Notice (1) 1d. Using RootsWeb: How to Report Something Broken to the RootsWeb Staff 2. Connecting Through RootsWeb: Missing War Bride Found 3. Bottomless Mailbag: Using Acid-Free Paper War Records in County Offices Locating Information about Your Veteran 4. New at RootsWeb 4a. New User-contributed Databases 4b. New/Updated FreePages and HomePages by Individuals 4c. New/Updated Freepages and Homepages by Counties, States, and Genealogical/Historical Societies 4d. New Mailing Lists 5. Humor/Humour: Funny Names 6. Subscriptions, Submissions, Advertising, Reprints ============================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1. Editor's Desk: News and Notes 1a. Upcoming Conferences NEW ENGLAND CONNECTIONS, the ninth New England Regional Genealogical Conference (NERGC) 26-29 April 2007, Hartford, Connecticut This conference will include lectures, seminars, and workshops from forty-five national, regional, and society-sponsored speakers. It will also host an Ancestors Road Show, a Society Fair, and various banquets and luncheons. New and established genealogists welcome. ($125.00 for Conference Registration; $85.00 for individual days; additional for workshops and banquets.) For a complete program and registration information see: www.NERGC.org 2007 National Genealogical Society (NGS) CONFERENCE AND FAMILY HISTORY FAIR: REDISCOVER VIRGINIA--400 YEARS OF FAMILY HISTORY 16-19 May 2007, Richmond, Virginia The National Genealogical Society, Virginia Genealogical Society, Fairfax Genealogical Society, and Genealogical Research Institute of Virginia are hosting this conference, celebrating the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown--England's first permanent settlement in North America. (NGS member registration for entire conference is $210.00; non-member registration is $245.00; single-day registration is $100.00; "Early Bird" discounts apply if you register before 30 March 2007.) For a complete conference program and registration information see: www.eshow2000.com/ngs/2007/ 1b. Petition UK Government to Release Census Records after Seventy Years One of our readers has asked that if you are interested in getting the UK to change its standard for releasing census records after 100 years to seventy years, making the 1911, 1921, and 1931 census records available, go to the following website and sign the petition before 8 March. http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/CensusInfoFreed/ 1c. Book Notice (1) THE WAR OF CONFEDERATE CAPTIAN HENRY T. OWEN Compiled and edited by Kimberly A., Graham C., and Michael M. Owen Henry Thweatt OWEN fought the War of 1861-65 on many fronts. As a Commander of Company C, 18th Virginia Infantry Regiment, Army of Northern Virginia, Confederate States of America, he fought against the Union Army. He also fought on a second front in frequent battles concerning the welfare of his men with the Commander of the 18th, Colonel Robert Enoch Withers. As a husband, he fought to keep his wife's spirits up while she endured the many hardships of running a homestead during the war. After the war he fought many battles against political corruption in Virginia. He corresponded with many survivors of the war, including General James Longstreet and Major Charles Pickett, before writing several newspaper articles. Many of the letters, documents and other material published in this book are transcribed from the Henry T. Owen Papers, 1822-1929 archived at the Library of Virginia. Additional material was transcribed from Henry Owen's scrapbook now owned by one of the authors. A chronological list of names in letters, and an alphabetical list of names in letters augment this work. 8 1/4 x 5 1/2", laminated soft cover, bound, 292 pages, indexed. ISBN 1-58549-969-2. $30.00 + shipping and handling. Order from: Willow Bend Books www.willowbendbooks.com www.HeritageBooks.com Publishing Division * * * 1d. Using RootsWeb: How to Report Something Broken to the RootsWeb Staff (Posted 8 December, 2006 on the RootsWeb Newsroom by Melissa, RootsWeb Staff) Although we wish everything would work perfectly all the time, we all know that in the "real world" things break (and usually when you need it the most) and the RootsWeb site is no exception. We have a talented staff that works very hard to keep things running smoothly and we depend on our RootsWeb users to help us know when things aren't working the way they should. Below are some tips to help you know where and how to make an effective report: WHERE SHOULD I REPORT SOMETHING THAT IS BROKEN? The very best place to report a problem is directly to the RootsWeb HelpDesk (http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/). The HelpDesk is also the first place you should check when you find something broken on the site since the HelpDesk staff posts announcements (in the yellow box at the top of the page) for things that we know are broken and that we are in the process of fixing. Posting your report to the RootsWeb HelpDesk puts you directly in touch with an entire team of employees and volunteers who will review the report and make sure it gets passed on to the best person or team to fix it. Posting to the HelpDesk also enables the RootsWeb staff to privately contact you for more details on your report if necessary. With the introduction of "Send Feedback" links around the site and the RootsWeb Newsroom article comments, there are a lot of new places for you to let us know your thoughts. Mailing lists and message boards also provide places to post feedback and discuss new features and changes. With all of these different places to comment it is understandable that it can be confusing to know where to let us know about something that is broken. Posting a report of something broken to the "feedback" areas such as the RootsWeb Newsroom article comments or the "Send Feedback" link is not as effective as reporting it to the HelpDesk. The RootsWeb staff is very interested in your thoughts and feedback, and we review all of it but we do not monitor it for reports of broken features. Additionally, because of the volume and the nature of the Send Feedback links and Newsroom comments, we aren't able to respond directly to you for follow-up details or to let you know the report was received and passed on. The message boards and mailing lists are another place where broken features frequently get reported. It is important to remember that for the majority of the RootsWeb message boards and lists, discussions about broken features are off-topic. The few lists and boards where non-research related discussion is appropriate are generally peer-assistance lists/boards and your peers most likely will not be able to fix a broken feature. WHAT INFORMATION SHOULD I INCLUDE IN MY REPORT? When you submit your report to the HelpDesk it is best to be as specific as possible about the problem. This saves everybody time and helps us diagnose and fix problems more quickly. For instance, posting a report that reads "I clicked on the link, logged in, and it didn't do anything" doesn't give us a whole lot of information to use in solving the problem. In a report like that, the HelpDesk will have to request that you give them more details before they can even pass it on to the person who can fix it. It saves everyone time if you include as much information in your initial report as you can. Things like area of the site or feature, specific URLs or links, exact error messages, and complete details of what exactly happened will help us to replicate and understand the problem. Again, thanks for your support for RootsWeb and for working with us to keep the site running as smoothly as possible. * * * * * * * * * * 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 JUNE 24-29 at our EIGHTH 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. * * * Always wanted to go to the Family History Library in Salt Lake, but were afraid to take the plunge? Join genealogist Michael John Neill on his second annual group research trip to Salt Lake City in May 2007. Our cordial group begins preparing with a mailing list, e-mail consultations, problem-solving, and research guidance--all months before our arrival. We want you prepared to research when you walk in the library, and also provide onsite consultations, optional morning lectures, and the occasional impromptu late-night help session in the hotel lobby. Visit our website to learn more: http://www.rootdig.com/slctrip.html * * * * * * * * * * End of Advertisements * * * * * * * 2. Connecting Through RootsWeb: Missing War Bride Found By Jackie Ade I posted a note on the War Brides site about three years ago as my father wanted to see if he could contact his cousin, who had married a Canadian soldier during World War II, and went there after the war. I forgot all about it. However, the other day, I received an e-mail from a lady who was the niece of my father's cousin. She said she was living in British Columbia, Canada. To cut a long story short, my father and his cousin have been in touch on the telephone and have caught up again. I think that is wonderful, as they have not spoken to each other since just before the War. My posting itself was found by accident as the lady was looking for someone else!! So yet another loose end has been tied up from our family tree. This is all thanks to the Internet, RootsWeb, and Ancestry.com. Many thanks. * * * 3. 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 Acid-Free Paper By Madelyn F. Bader Bader-Wilson-O'Guin-Ramsey-Bradley-Tarter families saeeia@aol.com I am writing in response to last week's Bottomless Mailbag piece, "Preserving Your Genealogical Papers" (http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/0214.txt). As a folklorist, I have long been trained that it is imperative to ensure that the documents you want to keep should be printed on acid- free paper. This is not necessary for things you print out daily, but if you want the paper to survive for a long time, even a "climate- controlled" environment will benefit from the use of acid-free paper. The following definition of "acid-free" is from Georgia Pacific, a leading manufacturer of paper: "Acid-Free refers to an alkaline-based manufacturing process for making paper. Acid-free paper has greater brightness and longevity than traditional papers. It is commonly used in framing materials or in creating documents of historic significance, as it resists deterioration. All GP papers are acid-free!" It is a bit more expensive to use acid-free paper, but it is worth the effort. All of us are researching to leave a legacy for our own families, so remind folks to make sure the paper is worthy of the time and effort they spent in research. * * * War Records in County Offices By Frances Willess franceswilless@sbcglobal.net In response to last week's Bottomless Mailbag piece, "Honor Your World War II Veterans" (http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/0214.txt). Although my husband was in the Korean War and not World War II, I am sure his military records also burned and I have wished I had a way to make copies and have them filed in the military archives so there would be a permanent record. If people want to list their veterans in the World War II Memorial and don't have copies of their records, they may consider checking the courthouse of the county where their serviceman lived after discharge (not necessarily the county where they lived when they entered the service). Most veterans had copies of their discharge/separation papers recorded there. In Texas they are recorded in the County Clerk's office. I don't know how far back that custom goes, but my dad, Fay Barkley, was inducted into the Army in Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, in 1918, and had his discharge recorded in Bell County, Texas, in the 1930s. * * * Locating Information about Your Veteran By Doris Demet tldemet@worldnet.att.net Last week, reference was made to a storage warehouse fire that destroyed many military records of surviving WWII veterans (http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/0214.txt). It wasn't just their records that were destroyed, but others too; those that served right up until the fire. However, there are other places people can find information and build not only their genealogy, but the National Archive records that were lost. I have at least fifteen WWII veterans and three WWI that survived the War and I have found more information on each--I actually started out not knowing half of them were veterans. I have submitted the information to the National Archives to help rebuild their records, and the website mentioned in last week's newsletter is now another way to help them too. The following are steps to help find information on any veteran who is now deceased. (A living veteran can request his/her information from the normal agencies.) 1) Death Records--Most death records include whether or not the individual served in the armed forces. This and the age of the person will give you an idea of when he/she served--the average age of entry into any branch of service is eighteen to twenty (average only) for when the draft was instated. The age was a little older at other times. 2) Obituaries--Many obituaries will provide information on a relative who served in the armed forces--or at least hint at it. 3) Headstone-Cemetery Records--One thing our qualifying military members can receive is a free military headstone. Check headstones to see if they note any information about your family member's military record. If so contact the cemetery office--they could have even more information because they help order the headstones most of the time. They just might have kept a copy of the "Proof of Service." If this is true then there is a branch of the government where this headstone was ordered from: http://www.cem.va.gov/hm_hm.asp. BE BOLD. Write or call. Ask questions about the headstone and what proof was submitted for that headstone to be issued and whether you can have a copy of that proof. 4) County Court House Records--Go to the county court house where your veteran was living when he/she enlisted or drafted, as well as to the county where he/she resided after war or peace time service. Many local county court houses encouraged veterans to register their discharge papers, also known after WWII as DD214 forms. That way they would have a safe place to find a copy when they needed one for employment or for veteran benefits such as housing loans, burial benefits, and more. Discharge papers are full of information! 5) Local Contacts--Don't forget about contacts at the local level where your family member lived after his/her service. Contact the local American Legion or VFW (Veteran of Foreign Wars) Organization. They might have some additional information there if your veteran joined their organization. 5) Local Newspapers--Check the local newspapers from when your family served--local newspapers would and still do print the names of those who have locally joined the service and include the branch, promotions in rank, awards or medals issued, where those awards are located, the service number, and a mailing address for friends and family to write to the service member (especially true during war time). Sometimes local papers even include a photo! Many small and large newspapers are on microfilm and you can usually get access to them through interlibrary loan--check with your library for help on that. Since I live in another state than all my family I have been doing this from a small town library, so you can too! If you have to, locate a state library where your family lived, see if they have the newspapers on microfilm, and armed with that information, go to your local librarian. 6) Local Histories--Some communities have a local history naming many of their veterans. It's worth a look. 7) National Archives--Even though they say most of their records were destroyed, this does not mean all were. You can see what the National Archives do have by visiting their website and following their instructions. Fill out their forms with as much information as you can fill out, but remember you don't have to have all of it either (http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/military/). 8) Regional Veterans Administration Office (VA)--The last step that I have found VERY HELPFUL after I have already gotten as much information as possible is to contact your regional Veterans Administration Office (VA). You can find this in your local phone book, in the front "Federal Government Pages." There is usually an 800/toll-free number. Or, you can use this website to locate the one nearest you no matter where in the U.S your veteran enlisted or discharged from (http://www1.va.gov/directory/guide/home.asp?isFlash=1). Now contact your regional VA Office and find out the mailing address to their "Freedom of Information Officer/Administrator" (FOIA). Write to the regional center closest to you and put Attn: FOIA. You will want to write a letter requesting copies of any and all VA files. Please note that VA files are not a military file, but a veterans administration file. Include the following information, if available: a) Your relationship to the veteran--son, grandson, grandfather, grandmother, etc. b) Veteran's full name c) Veteran's date and place of birth--write all you know even if you only have partial information d) Veteran's date and place of death--again, include all you know, even if incomplete e) Veteran's branch of service and when or about when he/she served, even if in the states. Even something like "Army WWII" or "Navy Korean Conflict" is better than nothing f) Veteran's service number and/or Social Security Number g) Your name, address, and signature Now the wait. On average this takes usually ninety to 120 days. Remember that not every veteran has a VA file, but a lot do. If you don't hear from the VA after 120 days, contact them and ask about your request; they do get busy and the FOIA is a volunteer. If there is a record it can consist of just a discharge form (great information) and a burial request for a flag; or it can be jammed full of information, such as enlistment papers, discharge papers, and vital records on the veteran and his wife and children. Each file is different, so keep that in mind when requesting them. Also, note that the VA file is free! I hope this helps those looking for their military family members and that they are as proud of them as I am. 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. TENNESSEE. McNairy County. Chambers Cemetery; 20 records; Carrol Heath http://userdb.rootsweb.com/cemeteries/ TENNESSEE. McNairy County. Pebble Hill Cemetery; 581 records; Carrol Heath http://userdb.rootsweb.com/cemeteries/ TEXAS. Texas Deaths 1903-1940; 99 records; T. Anne Bennett http://userdb.rootsweb.com/deaths/ 4b. New/Updated Freepages and Homepages by Individuals To Request a Free Web Account: http://accounts.rootsweb.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------- 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 * * * There are no new Freepages/Homepages by Individuals * * * 4c. New/Updated Freepages and Homepages by Counties, States, and Genealogical/Historical Societies 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] DAR=Daughters of the American Revolution SAR=Sons of the American Revolution USGW=USGenWeb DUVCW=Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War SMD=Society of Mayflower Descendants USA coftgs -- Fore-kin Trails Genealogical Society (Colorado) cttollan -- Tolland County (Connecticut) USGW ctwindha -- Windham County (Connecticut) USGW gascsmd -- Southeastern Colony (Georgia) SMD mnrgs -- Range Genealogical Society (Minnesota) ohgcgs2 -- Greater Cleveland Genealogical Society (Ohio) ohmshdar -- Mount St. Helens (Oregon) Chapter DAR okpcgc -- Pottawatomie County (Oklahoma) Genealogy Club orscdar -- Santiam (Oregon) Chapter DAR pacpiney -- City of Piney (Pennsylvania) pancsuvc -- Northeast (Pennsylvania) Chapter SAR sdgs -- South Dakota Genealogical Society txpecos2 -- Pecos County (Texas) USGW txseeduv -- Sarah Emma Edmonds Detached Tent #4 (Texas) DUVCW ITALY itacalab -- Region of Calabria (Italy) itaccons -- City of Consenza (Italy) itaccrot -- City of Crotone (Italy) itacvibo -- City of Vibo Valentia (Italy) GERMANY deukreis -- Kreis County (Germany) * * * 4d. New Mailing Lists To 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 BARBETO BEVIL BUSKER DANTON DEBROECK DERING FASHAM FLOWERDEW GLACIER METSON SAHM UNMACH VAUGHTON NEW REGIONAL MAILING LISTS ENG-DBY-BOLSOVER -- This list is for anyone interested in the genealogy of families in the Bolsover district of Derbyshire, England. NEW ETHNIC AND SPECIAL INTEREST MAILING LISTS CA-SLO-GENSOC -- For announcements and questions about events sponsored by the San Luis Obispo County (California) Genealogical Society. NEWSROOM-ANNOUNCEMENT -- An announcements-only list that will report new articles from the RootsWeb Newsroom. http://blogs.rootsweb.com/newsroom WLS-MONMOUTHSHIRE -- For the discussion and research of historical documents pertaining to the county of Monmouthshire, Wales. Our aim is to collect any type of record, such as census, church records, wills, maps, family deeds, estate papers, photographs, etc. * * * 5. Humor/Humour: Funny Names ------------------------------------------------------------- In the 1925 New York City directory on Ancestry.com I found an ad for "Fat Dealers." Six companies are named, but my favorite is the "Reliable Fat Company," located on 421 East 47th Street. I wonder if they are still in business and make house calls? I could use someone in this business. Thanks to Rose Mary A.(McGrath) Neal * * * My husband's grandmother was named Fanny May Sweatt. For proof, you can look up the census record on Ancestry.com. It's located in the 1900 Census of Taylor County, Texas. Thanks to Paula Jones * * * 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 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@tgn.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: 21 February 2007, Vol. 10, No. 8. * * * *