RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Weekly E-zine 30 January 2008, Vol. 11, No. 5 (c) 1998-2008 RootsWeb.com, Inc. http://www.rootsweb.com/ * * * Having trouble reading this newsletter? The online version is available at: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2008/0105.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. The New "RootsWeb Review" Format 1b. Survey for The Generations Network, Inc. 2. Using RootsWeb: Following Through with My New Year's Resolutions, Part II 3. Connecting Through RootsWeb: Lost in Oz --The Search for James Carey 4. Bottomless Mailbag: Photo Recognition Software Happy Fact for Iowans Adding More Than Photos to Your WorldConnect Tree 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. The New "RootsWeb Review" Format Last week, we sent the "RootsWeb Review" as an HTML e-mail for the first time. Since then we have an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from users. The complaint? The font was too difficult for some people to read. So, we are increasing the font size and changing the font color from gray to black. We hope this improves your reading experience. 1b. Survey for The Generations Network, Inc. The Generations Network, Inc., parent company of Ancestry.com, RootsWeb.com, and Ancestry Publishing, is working on a new project and gathering some information from the family history community before they begin development. Please take a minute and complete the following survey: http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB227CM37VXUA 2. Using RootsWeb: Following Through with My New Year's Resolutions, Part II By Joan Young joan@volunteer.rootsweb.com One of my New Year's resolutions this year was to revisit brick-wall ancestors I had put aside years before. In my last article, I showed you what I had done to pick up the trail for my third great-grandfather, Abraham ROBINSON. I searched Quaker Corner ( http://www.rootsweb.com/~quakers/index.htm), the new global search engine for the USGENWeb Archives ( http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/newsearchengine.html), the RootsWeb mailing list and message boards, WorldConnect, Ancestry.com, Google, FamilySearch, www.linkpendium.com, and www.cyndislist.com. Part I of my search can be found here: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2008/0116.txt. After completing these searches for Abraham ROBINSON, I set out to cast a wider net and learn more about other family members (spouses and siblings) and people connected to Abraham. SEARCHING FOR SPOUSES AND SIBLINGS I call this type of search a "sideways" search, which is akin to a lateral pass in football. If you can't make progress in research by moving backward, try moving sideways by learning all you can about the siblings and other people connected to your brick-wall ancestor. I knew James ROBINSON, older brother of my second great-grandfather Joseph and son of Abraham and Prudence ROBINSON, had married twice. Both marriage records can be found at Ancestry.com in their New Jersey Marriages Collection. James was married first to Elizabeth PETERSON on 1 December 1806 and second to Hannah STEELMAN on 11 April 1833. I repeated all the searches I had previously done for Abraham ROBINSON for James ROBINSON and his wives, and I found a WorldConnect family tree that indicated James's second wife Hannah STEELMAN had a sister Mary who married a Jeremiah ROBINSON/ROBERTSON. Coincidence? Maybe--but worth pursuing. I clicked the link to add a Post-em Note to the entry for James ROBINSON in this database in the hope that either the tree submitter or another researcher would find my note and make contact. SEARCHING FOR OTHER CONNECTIONS I looked for more information about Joshua and John SMITH (researching the surname SMITH is always challenging), who administered the estate settlement of Abraham ROBINSON. I also searched for a possible relationship between the ROBINSONs and Lydia (RIDGWAY) FOGG, who made Joseph ROBINSON the executor of her will and to whom she left her entire estate. I struck out (as expected) in finding any connection to the SMITHs, but did find that Abraham's grandson, Richard ROBINSON, married a Sarah P. SMITH and they named a son W. Smith ROBINSON. So I'm going to continue checking on the SMITHs of Salem County, New Jersey. I found several WorldConnect databases with extensive information on the RIDGWAY and FOGG families but, again, found no readily identifiable connection to my ROBINSONs. FINDING NAME VARIATIONS USING WILDCARD SEARCHES Another consideration--especially when you are faced with an extremely elusive ancestor who seems to have landed in a UFO from outer space--is the possibility of a name change or alternate spelling--even when you are dealing with a rather straightforward name such as ROBINSON. Expanding searches with wildcards can help you find additional records and fill in gaps when variant spellings may be involved. Using the wildcard search Abraham Rob*son on Ancestry.com, I found a tax list from 1773 for an Abraham ROBERTSON in Salem County, New Jersey, that is quite possibly for my Abraham ROBINSON. The tax record lists Abraham ROBERTSON as a "single man" in 1773, which would help me narrow down a marriage year for Abraham if he is indeed the right Abraham. Wildcard searches for the given name Abr*m ROBINSON also proved helpful. My Abraham ROBINSON shows up in Greenwich Township, Gloucester County, in a 1781 tax list, but is listed as Abram ROBINSON in the same township in 1782. NEW LEAD I saved the best for last. While searching for records that I'd either missed before or that have been added since my last visit, I found Salem County, New Jersey, court records (Petitions for Guardianship) at Ancestry.com. In 1807, June term, there was an entry for John ROBINSON, ward, with his parent listed as Abraham ROBINSON. So I now have a likely younger sibling of Joseph and James to find. In genealogical research, the searches and discoveries never end. There will always be new information to find and new "cousins" to meet. So I will probably be making the same New Year's resolution again next year. I hope you do the same. * * * * * * * * * * Advertisements * * * * * * * * * * REQUEST A SEARCH FOR YOUR ANCESTORS AT THE 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: Lost in Oz--The Search for James Carey By Liam Martin A gravestone in St. Joseph's RC Church cemetery in Dunloy, County Antrim, North Ireland, bears an inscription that begins, "Erected by John Carey in memory of his beloved mother Margaret Carey who died in 1903 and his father Richard Carey who died in 1908 aged 81 years. . . . Also his uncle, James Carey, who died in Australia in 1889, aged 72 years." Richard Carey was my maternal great-grandfather; James Carey my maternal great-granduncle. Family tradition says that James moved to Melbourne, Australia, as a bachelor. When he died, the family in Dunloy received a letter about James's death from his parish priest. The priest suggested that a relative come and sort out the disposal of the estate; otherwise, lawyers would milk the proceeds. However, Richard Carey was seventy-two and his son John was running the farm and couldn't be spared. The matter was left in the hands of the Australian lawyers. Eventually, some ?800 pounds was transferred to Ireland and distributed among James's four Carey nephews and nieces. This (and possibly previous sums) allowed the family to invest in businesses and farms. One of his nephews, John Carey, used his share to buy a farm in Gortgole (Rasharkin); and his niece Ellen, (my grandmother), used her portion to purchase a leather workshop and two shops in Mill St. Ballymena. Several family descendants are now millionaires, some several times over, and one is a Papal Knight of the Order of St. Gregory. Many others have succeeded in commerce and some have scaled the heights of academia. At least seven entered and served in the priesthood throughout their lives at home and abroad. In short, James Carey's financial support helped bring success to many members of my family, and I have been looking for genealogical information about him for six years. As far as I could find, no documentation remained about the date he sailed to Australia, the ship that carried him there, what he did for a living, or where the site of his grave was. Finally, in 2007 I searched the new online Victoria, Australia, Department of Justice BMD file, extending the search to ten years on either side of James's 1889 death date, which I got from the Dunloy gravestone. This turned up an interesting death record as follows: "Number 1827 - 14th November, Marnoo, Shire of Kara Kara, County of Kara Kara - James CAREY (Farmer) - Male, 69 years - Death from Influenza and heart failure (signed Alfred Giles Esq. JP 15 Nov) - Parents unknown - No 16073 - Informant, Fredrick Reese, Marnoo - Registrar, M. Golden - Buried, 16 Nov. 1899, Gray's Bridge Cemetery (Witnesses, E. Morgan and J. Boyle) - Born, N. Ireland - Not Married." 1899? Could this be the same James Carey? The Genealogical Society of Victoria (GSV) carried out a search in the Victorian probate index that showed a James Carey, farmer, died at Marnoo, 15 November 1899. There was an administration order, which implied that he did not leave a will. Copies of wills and administration orders are held at the Public Record Office of Victoria (PROV), but the papers relating to the administration order for James Carey were marked S11--closed. A GSV volunteer went to PROV and put in a request to look at the closed administration papers of the deceased James Carey. To make a long story short, he was finally able to see the administration file. It provided a valuation of James's 300-acre property, shares, and bank accounts. But most importantly, it confirmed his identity as my great-granduncle; it stated that he had a brother named Richard in Ireland living at Glenbuck townland near Dunloy in County Antrim. (It also indicated that the lawyers had managed to dissipate about a third of the estate's value, earning themselves a fee equivalent to about ?500,000 today.) James left an impoverished Ireland for Australia in the desperate times of the 1846-50 potato famine. His subsequent lonely efforts down under fuelled the progress of those he left behind and they represent a disproportionately large contribution of one individual to the prosperity of his relatives. And it is not surprising that it took six years to track him down since the date of death on the Dunloy gravestone was off by ten years. Just goes to show that even "facts" carved in stone can lead the unsuspecting genealogist astray. To read the full story of my discovery and document images, visit my website: http://postmanbill2.tribalpages.com/tribe/browse?userid=postmanbill2&view=0&pid=279&rand=462131498 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.] ------------------------------------------------------------- Photo Recognition Software By Deborah Cook, Australia John P. Wilz asked for photo identification software. My Heritage has a face recognition section on their website. They use algorithms to do this. The more people who upload their photos, the better this will work. It is such a great idea for genealogy with the frustration many have with photos. http://www.myheritage.com/FP/Company/how-face-recognition-works.php http://www.myheritage.com/FP/Company/look-alike-meter.php * * * Happy Fact for Iowans By M. W. Green I've been searching censuses for years, but yesterday I discovered something new about the 1925 state census for Iowa. The family I was seeking appeared at the bottom of the page, and I knew there were more children than were listed so I went to the next page. At first it appeared to be a duplicate. Then I discovered that the far left column with the names had been trimmed to run alongside a second page on which appeared the names of the fathers and mothers of each person in the household, with their birthplaces, and if alive, their ages. Amazing! And there was yet another page following that listed, among other things, which church they attended. The lesson here for me is that we should not be in such a hurry that we fail to explore the record before we extract the data. * * * Adding More Than Photos to Your WorldConnect Tree By Pat Geary Last week you gave instructions on how to include photographs in your WorldConnect Tree. Not only can you add photographs to your World Connect database--you can include links to important documents. A Web page I created explaining how to do this: http://www.genealogy-web-creations.com/worldconnect-and-html.html An example of a hyperlink I embedded in my WorldConnect files: http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=gearyfamily&id=I76 Also, you can match the look of your database at WorldConnect to a website that is associated with it: http://www.genealogy-web-creations.com/worldconnect-and-css.html Example: http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=jewelfamily Hopefully, some day we will be able to add a small amount of CSS directly to the WorldConnect database through the user interface. 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. VIRGINIA. Hanover County. 1916 Ashland Graded School Alumni List. 17 records. Paula Lucy Delosh. http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ VIRGINIA. Hanover County. 1915 Ashland High School Alumni List. 55 records. Paula Lucy Delosh. http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ VIRGINIA. Henrico County. 1875 Richmond Colored High and Normal School Alumni List. 87 records. Paula Lucy Delosh. http://userdb.rootsweb.com/alumni/ 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 * * * No New/Updated Freepages and Homepages by Individuals 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 Redwood County Historical Society (Minnesota) website is at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~mnrchs/ * * * USGW = USGenWeb DAR = Daughters of the American Revolution U.S.A. flppcdar -- Puc Puggy (Florida) Chapter DAR ilstark -- Stark County (Illinois) USGW mnmhs -- Milaca Historical Society (Minnesota) ncrandol -- Randolph County (North Carolina) USGW nvsscdar -- Silver State (Nevada) Chapter DAR txnchs -- Navarro County Historical Society (Texas) txwtgs -- West Texas Genealogical Society * * * 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 ABLEMONT BARZELLONE GOUY HEARLE HOWORTH JANVRIN KAREN MACKENTHUN MACNEISH MCCADNEY MCCAGG MCCURNIN MCELDUFF MCFERON MCNEICE ORREY SHIRE WEATHERBEE YARTIN ZOLLINGER NEW REGIONAL MAILING LISTS NC-AFRICAAMER -- This is a mailing list for anyone with an interest in African American genealogy in North Carolina. SA-DE-EMIGRANTEN -- This is a mailing list for immigrants and their families, as well as a collection-point for historical-, passenger- and genealogical-data related to the post-WWII emigration to South Africa. It mainly covers the period 1948-61, and the ships of the Holland-Afrika Lijn: "ss Zuiderkruis," "ss Waterman," and "ss Grote Beer." NEW ETHNIC OR SPECIAL INTEREST MAILING LISTS No New Ethnic or Special Interest Mailing Lists 6. Humor/Humour My toddler daughter started calling her great-grandmother, Violet Viola, "Grape Juice Grandmother." It took us a while to realize it was because she thought we were saying, "Grape-Grandmother" instead of "Great- Grandmother." "Grape-Grandmother" loved the purple connection to her given names and we all call her "Grape Juice" to this day. --Thanks to Shirley McDaniel * * * A dear little lady, with whom I worked, was called "Mine" by her grandchildren. When I asked her where they got such an endearing name, she told me that when they were little, she was always admonishing them not to touch the things that were "mine." I shouldn't have asked. I thought the name was sweet. --Thanks to Eleanor W. Sandford Found a funny name or humorous tidbit in old records or an amusing entry in census, parish, church, or other records? Send them to Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com. 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 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: 30 January 2008, Vol. 11, No. 5. * * * *