RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Weekly E-zine 14 November 2007, Vol. 10, No. 46 (c) 1998-2007 RootsWeb.com, Inc. http://www.rootsweb.com/ * * * Having trouble reading this newsletter? The online version is available at: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/1114.txt * * * ROOTSWEB HELPDESK: Check here for site maintenance announcements: http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/ * * * ROOTSWEB NEWSROOM: Check here for the latest RootsWeb news: http://blogs.rootsweb.com/newsroom/ * * * ROOTSWEB STORE: Check here for the latest in genealogy books, software, photos, and more: http://www.therootswebstore.com/ * * * ROOTSWEB REVIEW ARCHIVES: Check here for previous editions: http://e-zine.rootsweb.com/ ============================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1. Editor's Desk: News and Notes 1a. Free 24-hour Access to the "Guardian" 1b. Lincoln Bicentennial 2009 1c. Book Notice 2. Using RootsWeb: SOS: A New Help Page at RootsWeb 3. Connecting Through RootsWeb: A Grandfatherly Connection 4. Bottomless Mailbag: Stolen Goods Unclear Legal Language Follow-ups from Pennsylvania Bill Mix-up 5. New at RootsWeb 5a. New User-contributed Databases 5b. New/Updated Freepages and Homepages by Individuals 5c. New/Updated Freepages and Homepages by Counties, States, and Genealogical/Historical Societies 5d. New Mailing Lists 6. Humor/Humour 7. Subscriptions, Submissions, Advertising, Reprints ============================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1. Editor's Desk: News and Notes 1a. Free 24-hour Access to the "Guardian" In last week's Review, I announced that issues of the UK newspaper the "Guardian" were online for the years 1821-1975. Now you can register for a free 24-hour pass to search the newspaper's digital archive. Visit their website and click on the link in the lower, left-hand corner for the 24-hour free pass. http://archive.guardian.co.uk/Default/Skins/DigitalArchive/Client.asp?Skin=DigitalArchive&enter=true&AppName=2&AW=1194542839793 1b. Lincoln Bicentennial 2009 Led by the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, many organizations are working on events and lectures to commemorate the birth of Abraham Lincoln in 2009. Events will take place beginning in February 2008 and continue through February 2010. Visit the bicentennial website to access details about these events. http://www.lincolnbicentennial.gov/commission/ 1c. Book Notice Barney and Molly: A True Dublin Love Story By Martin Duffy duffyberlin@googlemail.com This biography, written by RootsWeb user Martin Duffy, tells the story of Duffy's parents, Barney and Molly Duffy, a working-class couple who raised a family of thirteen children in the slums of Ireland--and who did so "with dignity and love." It was compiled after Duffy conducted interviews with his siblings, his mother, and other relatives. The story also highlights some of the political and social tumult of Ireland at the time. Cost: $12.68. The book is available at www.amazon.com, www.amazon.com.uk, or www.barnesandnoble.com. The paperback can by ordered in Ireland at www.buy4now.ie. Watch a video advertisement for the book here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bVyzzxByso 2. Using RootsWeb: SOS: A New Help Page at RootsWeb By Jana Lloyd Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com Behind the scenes at RootsWeb, there is a dedicated group of individuals known collectively as the HelpDesk. These people spend hours a week (often many more than forty per person), answering your questions: I subscribed to the RootsWeb Review but I'm not getting it--Why? How do I register in My Account? How do I update my tree in WorldConnect? Some of these individuals are paid staff; many are volunteers. Over the past month, the staff and volunteers have been working hard to update the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the HelpDesk--everything from questions about passwords to freepages. And, starting tomorrow--15 November--these updated FAQs will appear as part of a new Help page on the site. How will this change affect you? First of all, you will have updated answers to your most common RootsWeb questions. The FAQs have not received a major overhaul in a long time and many have long been outdated. About two-thirds of the FAQs will be updated by the time the new Help page goes live tomorrow; the rest will come shortly. Second, the Help page will have a slightly new look and feel. All the FAQs will be organized into one master list. You can sort the list by topic (e.g., My Account Management, E-mail Address Changes, Message Board Questions for Users, Message Board Questions for Administrators, etc.). You can also search the list by keyword. The new Help page is intuitive to use and has a streamlined look and feel. Third, the first time you e-mail RootsWeb Support (Note: You should only e-mail RootsWeb Support if you have checked the FAQs and still cannot find an answer), you will have to register in the new Help system. Even if you are a registered member of RootsWeb, you will be asked to register separately in the Help system. You will only have to do this once. Registering is useful because it groups all of your Help requests together. When RootsWeb HelpDesk staff receive a question from you, they will see a history of all your previous questions. This helps them serve you more effectively. We hope you are as excited about the new RootsWeb Help page as we are. The updated information and streamlined organization should help us all to help ourselves--and each other--better. So take a minute tomorrow to view the new page. All you have to do is go to www.rootsweb.com and click the "Help" tab on the main toolbar. * * * * * * * * * * Advertisements * * * * * * * * * * REQUEST A SEARCH FOR YOUR ANCESTORS AT WORLD'S LARGEST GENEALOGICAL LIBRARY ANCESTOR SEEKERS researchers at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City will search this vast collection for your ancestors from the U.S.A., Canada, Australia, or Europe. Friendly service, affordable prices. For a no-obligation research plan and quotation visit http://www.ancestorseekers.com/research/ For help from professional genealogists in England or Scotland visit http://www.britishancestors.com/research/ Or join us 13-18 April for our TENTH SALT LAKE CITY RESEARCH TRIP--the dream genealogy vacation! ** * * * * * * * * End of Advertisements * * * * * * * 3. Connecting Through RootsWeb: A Grandfatherly Connection By Candace Fant fantfam@gte.net My husband grew up in Southern California and had known only his divorced grandmother on his mother's side; he didn't know anything about his grandfather because no one ever talked about him. But as I was putting out requests for information about his grandfather through my genealogy work online, and because he had a particularly unusual name (Venton Eula THRAILKILL), I heard from a woman from central California who said her grandfather had that name but that he had called himself Fred. At the time, we had moved up to Portland, Oregon, and this lady said she had a brother who just happened to live in Vancouver, Washington--a city right across the Columbia River from Portland. As we found out, the grandmother of these two sibilngs had married my husband's grandfather and they had wonderful memories of him from their childhood. When those of us from the Northwest got together, it was such a joy for my husband to hear all about the grandfather he never knew. We can only speculate as to why Fred was never talked about, and in all his years, it had never occurred to my husband to even ask why he didn't have a maternal grandfather around. But now we know and have new friends here that aren't blood relations but are family all the same. 4. 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.] ------------------------------------------------------------- Stolen Goods By Kate Shields shiel1007@tc.umn.edu An elderly relative and his wife made a number of trips around the U.S. in their later years to see relatives and gather genealogy information. On one trip he placed all their research and new materials in one suitcase, which they checked in at the airport. Unfortunately, their plane was delayed and their luggage left on another plane and sat unguarded in their final destination airport for a few hours before they were able to arrive to claim it. Their suitcase full of research was stolen, along with a matching piece of luggage owned by someone else. Someone seemed to want new luggage and took the set. After this theft, my relatives pretty much gave up on genealogy. They have made some attempts to replace what was lost, but half-heartedly. It was another case where money couldn't replace a loss. Based on their experience, I would suggest doing the following things to keep your genealogy material safe: 1. Keep the most irreplaceable items with you well marked with your name and information. 2. If you must check-in luggage, place it in a re-sealable bag inside your suitcase and attach labels to it saying that you will pay a reward for the return of the information--no questions asked. I would also recommend the same for an entire suitcase full of research. I have heard that people who steal purses immediately remove and throw out as much of the identifying material as possible in mailboxes, etc. A well-marked package of research material might make it home for the reward, or if it were discarded where others could see it, the material might also be returned. * * * Unclear Legal Language By Lyndall Maxwell lymaxwell@sbcglobal.net There are many questions I have about legal language in deeds and wills. Is there a site where one can get help with these questions? For example, my ancestor who made his will in 1792 in South Carolina gave land to his daughter and her children "by her present husband Henry XYZ." Would a legal expert interpret that she had been married before? Also, Henry XYZ died in 1794 without a will. His wife was not mentioned anywhere in the inventory of household and farm goods, sale of the deceased's land, etc. Henry's brother was appointed administrator of the estate in January 1795 along with someone with the same surname as the wife's maiden name. Does all this mean the wife probably died before him or at the same time? * * * Follow-ups from Pennsylvania By Justin Houser Bellefonte, Pennsylvania As a result of the intense inquiry by many genealogists and other interested individuals into how the Open Records Law would affect genealogical research in Pennsylvania and because of the letter I wrote to the Pennsylvania Legislature last week, several promising events have occurred that I feel I should share with readers. Due to an inquiry by Stephen D. Shirk of Ontario, Canada, chairman of the Historians for the Schurch Family Association of North America, investigative work was undertaken by Mr. Edward Fochtman, counsel, office of Pennsylvania state senator Jane Claire Orie. Mr. Fochtman's research revealed that marriage licenses, classified as public records under Title 23 Pa.C.S.A. 1309, are exempt from the limitations of the new bill, which exempts records otherwise classified as public records. On our behalf, Mr. Fochtman also consulted with a legislative liaison and analyst for the Pennsylvania Association of Register of Wills and Clerks of Orphans' Court, who was confident that estates or probates and deeds of vital importance to property searching are inherently exempt as well, both by statute and as a practical matter owing to the universal necessity of access to these records throughout the state. In addition, Pennsylvania state representative Kerry A. Benninghoff (R-171st District) was very responsive to this issue and proposed two amendments to the bill, exempting the birth dates of deceased persons and the addresses of deceased persons from any such closure in records where they may appear. Both amendments passed in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. While many individuals in Pennsylvania are otherwise divided over the effectiveness of the present Open Records legislation, I feel that the above represents good news, and that the aforementioned individuals should be especially commended for their prompt attention to these genealogical concerns. I applaud their work to clarify the law and ensure that records of vital importance to Pennsylvania family researchers will remain accessible in their current state. * * * Bill Mix-up By Sharron Hanson Crete, Illinois I would like to send many thanks to Justin K. Houser from Pennsylvania for his article. I alerted fellow genealogists and wrote to the governor, Senate members, and House members using the hyperlinks he thoughtfully included in the article. However, I believe the House Bill is actually HB 443, not HB 343 as stated in the article. Writers should include information that indicates they are writing about the proposed Open Records Law, HB 443, section 307, which is of great concern to genealogists. The Senate also has a "companion" bill. Soon the bills will go to committee, where differences between the two will be worked out. Now is the time to voice your concerns. To read "Pennsylvania Open Records Law," visit: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/1107. * * * 5. New at RootsWeb 5a. New User-contributed Databases at RootsWeb http://userdb.rootsweb.com/submit/ ------------------------------------------------------------- The following databases have come online recently. They are searchable, but not browseable. Kansas, Bourbon County. Woods Cemetery Bourbon County. 18 records; Robin Hixon. http://userdb.rootsweb.com/cemeteries/ 5b. 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, the title of the website, the name of the author, and a BRIEF description of the site, including major surnames, to: Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com * * * If your genealogy- or history-related site is located somewhere other than at RootsWeb.com, you can add the link here: http://resources.rootsweb.com/~rootslink/addlink.html * * * BUTTERWORTH, LAMBETH, BARRY, WHITE, KAPPEN, and REEDIJK. Most of the people on this family tree are from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands, but there are also some other countries represented from around the world. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~butterworth/1.htm 5c. 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 Web pages might not be accessible yet. 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] * * * Note that the ~[tilde] before the Web account name is required. For example, the Idaho Cemeteries website is at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~idcemet2/ * * * DAR = Daughters of the American Revolution USGW = USGenWeb CAR = Children of the American Revolution U.S.A. casescar -- Stephen Eastin Society (California) Chapter CAR idcemet2 -- Idaho Cemeteries meccanto -- City of Canton (Maine) USGW mipresq2 -- Presque Isle County (Michigan) USGW mnmlchs -- Mille Lacs County Historical Society (Minnesota) ncchowa2 -- Chowan County (North Carolina) USGW ncdare2 -- Dare County (North Carolina) USGW ncmarti2 -- Martin County (North Carolina) USGW ncorang2 -- Orange County (North Carolina) USGW ncperqu2 -- Perquimans County (North Carolina) USGW ndcemete -- North Dakota Cemeteries ohwccps -- Wayne County Cemetery Preservation Society (Ohio) padauph2 -- Dauphin County (Pennsylvania) USGW sdcemete -- South Dakota Cemeteries txelca -- Elgin Latin Cemetery Association (Texas) txrjfdar -- Rebecca Jane Fisher (Texas) Chapter DAR vascvhs -- Sussex County Historical Society (Virginia) AUSTRALIA ausbhs -- Bayswater Historical Society (Australia) * * * 5d. 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 ABREGO ABREU ACEVEDO ACOSTA ACUNA ADOMO AGOSTO BADILLO BAEZ BAHENA BALDERAS BANDA BARAJAS BARELA BARRAGAN BOROWIEC BRETSCHNEIDER FORAKER FRENZEL HADER MACGRADY MARUT MCDANALD MCGANITY MCRHOADS MULLENNIX PILL SCOMA TEUSCHER VERIOD WUTKOWSKI NEW REGIONAL MAILING LISTS CAN-AB-CEMETERIES -- This is a cemetery list for the province of Alberta, to be used by family researchers to locate burial information on their ancestors. CAN-MB-CEMETERIES -- This is a cemetery list for the province of Manitoba, to be used by family researchers looking for burial information on their ancestors. CAN-NUNAVUT-CEMETERIES -- This is a cemetery list for the Nunavut Territory to provide burial information on family researchers' ancestors. CAN-NWT-CEMETERIES -- This is a cemetery list for the Northwest Territory to provide burial information on family researchers' ancestors. MS-HARRISON-OBITS -- This list will be used for posting obituaries within this county. NEW ETHNIC OR SPECIAL INTEREST MAILING LISTS FRAME-DNA -- This is a mailing list for the discussion and sharing of information regarding genetics studies for those with the Frame surname and variations. SHERMAN-DNA -- This mailing list is for the worldwide discussion of DNA testing as it relates to genealogical research for the surname SHERMAN. If you think you might be a SHERMAN but have a different surname this could help to confirm it. 6. Humor/Humour My great-grandmother, Elma Penny, had a brother named Lincoln Penny born the year that Abraham Lincoln was elected president. This was many years before anyone thought to put President Lincoln's image on the coin we call the penny. Sadly, little Lincoln doesn't appear on the census after 1870; like his namesake, it appears that his life was cut short prematurely. --Thanks to Bob Clark * * * My father's great-uncles were named Thoughty Yessie and Doubty Shore. The story is that a baby boy was born and no one could think of a name. After contemplating the problem for awhile, one of the baby's siblings came running into the house excitedly pronouncing, "Thought a' Yessie!" When the next son was born the same dilemma persisted. Again, one of the young siblings, after some major thought, came running inside yelling, "Doubt fer shore (sure)!" Using the country slang and dialect of the Kentucky area, the names Thoughty Yessie and Doubty Shore came into being. Yessie ended up having a community named for him and Doubty became the county court clerk. --Thanks to Sharon Tabor * * * While working as a pediatric nurse in a northern California hospital in the 1960s, we had two families that gave their newborn daughters interesting names: one was Crystal Glass and the other Candy Apple. --Thanks to Esther Pierce Kooiman * * * Found a funny or "proper name for the job" in old records, or an amusing entry in census, parish, church, or other records? Send them to: Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com. We also welcome other humorous genealogy-related submissions. 7. 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: Tami Deleeuw, tdeleeuw@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: 14 November 2007, Vol. 10, No. 46. * * * *