RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Monthly E-zine 8 July 2009, Vol. 12, No. 7 http://www.rootsweb.com/ * * * Having trouble reading this newsletter? The online version is available at: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2009/0708.txt or http://ftp.rootsweb.ancestry.com/pub/review/2009/0708.html * * * ROOTSWEB HELPDESK: Check here for frequently asked questions about RootsWeb: http://rootsweb.custhelp.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://rwr.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ ============================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1. Editor's Desk In Memory of John Fuller WorldConnect Hints 2. Using RootsWeb GEDCOMS and WorldConnect 3. Genealogy Tip What Not to Send to WorldConnect 4. Connecting A Family Story Clarified 5. Bottomless Mailbag: Readers Write In One Act of Kindness Mushrooms Presidents and States as Given Names Gratitude for Cemetery Transcribers 6. What's New: Databases, Freepages, and Mailing Lists 5a. New User-contributed Databases 5b. New/Updated Freepages by Individuals 5c. New/Updated Freepages by Counties, States, and Genealogical/Historical Societies 5d. New Mailing Lists 7. You Found It She Too Census Occupation Death Certificate Entry A Flammable Name 8. Subscriptions, Submissions, Advertising, and Reprints ============================================================== 1. Editor's Desk In Memory of John Fuller Over the years there have been many volunteers who have made a great contribution to RootsWeb - we currently have 20,000+ volunteers who assist with List and Board administration. One such volunteer was John Fuller. Anyone involved in the mailing lists is likely familiar with this name as John took on the responsibility of making sure the list descriptions were applicable, useful and up to date. This may not seem like a lot unless you know that we add lists weekly, and that we have 30,000+ mailing lists. John also maintained the Genealogy Resources on the Internet site at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~jfuller/gen_mail.html, which is a one stop shopping for genealogical mailing lists on sites across the web. It is with sad hearts that we heard of his passing on June 14 after a long struggle with cancer. Until the end he was dedicated to assisting others - Thank you John! WorldConnect Hints The world of trees on RootsWeb changed last week. ... You will now see hints for Ancestry.com appearing in both the individual and pedigree views for persons in your tree(s). These hints will alert you to possible record matches for the individuals on your tree in databases on Ancestry.com. Our hope is that these hints may lead you to a record that will assist you in your research. 2. Using RootsWeb GEDCOMS and WorldConnect by Mary Harrell-Sesniak maryh@volunteer.rootsweb.com "Genealogy is not just a pastime; it's a passion." GEDCOMS are the nearly universal standard format for sharing genealogy. Developed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, GEDCOM stands for GEnealogical Data COMmunication. The GEDCOM process allows exporting data from one genealogy program and importing into another. And many Web applications, such as WorldConnect, support GEDCOMS. A simple text file is created with names and data in a hierarchical structure, that connects one person to another - but don't worry about doing this yourself, since your genealogy program will handle the mechanics. Just learn the steps for creating a GEDCOM. You can create a GEDCOM for an entire file or portions. You can protect the identity of living individuals by privatizing. Among the advantages of GEDCOMS are: 1. sharing data without rekeying 2. limiting what is shared 3. uploading to the Web 4. importing data when you switch software 5. using a GEDCOM as a backup CREATING GEDCOMS The process of creating GEDCOMS is simple, since most programs place the feature on the File Menu. Wording may change, but the process is similar. File > Export File > Save as GEDCOM see image at http://c.mfcreative.com/email/newsletters/rootswebreview/07082009/20090701FileMenu.jpg Using Family Tree Maker 2009 (FTM) as an example, let's create a GEDCOM based upon all descendants of an ancestor. 1) Select File > Export. see image at http://c.mfcreative.com/email/newsletters/rootswebreview/07082009/20090702Export.jpg 2) Change Output Format from Family Tree Maker to GEDCOM 5.5, the latest version. see image at http://c.mfcreative.com/email/newsletters/rootswebreview/07082009/20090703OutputFormat.jpg 3) Click option boxes to privatize living people or include / exclude facts, notes, media files and tasks. 4) Change Entire file to Selected individuals to display the Filter window. 5) Locate individuals by scrolling, or type a surname, followed by a comma and at least part of the given name. (e.g. Gainsborough, Ch). Choose Descendants to send all descendants of the individual to the right side. To remove one, select him/her and press Exclude. 6) If desired, add more to your selection list (ex., Ancestors). see image at http://c.mfcreative.com/email/newsletters/rootswebreview/07082009/20090704Export.jpg 7) Filtering in (including) or out (excluding) allows selection by specific criteria. Choose a field name (e.g. search where), a filter operator, and a value. Depending upon the select field, these operators appear: Contains Does not contain Equals Does not equal Is after Is before Is blank Is not blank TIP: To find all persons with military service, filter a military field with the "Is not blank" criteria. Filter by vital facts or by any field in your file. As an example, eliminate individuals born before 1900, or locate records where information varies, such as in a military field which might specify a specific war (ex. Civil or Revolutionary). Search where: Birth Operator: Is Before Value: 1900 Search where: Military Operator: Is not blank Value: (not used) see image at http://c.mfcreative.com/email/newsletters/rootswebreview/07082009/20090705FilterByCriteria.jpg 8) Select OK to continue. A name and reference date is prompted (ex. Gainsborough_2009-05-12.ged). Feel free to change it, or where it is stored. see image at http://c.mfcreative.com/email/newsletters/rootswebreview/07082009/20090706ExportTo.jpg Once you have created your GEDCOM, share with others or upload to the Web. Here are some steps for importing to RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project. IMPORTING INTO WORLDCONNECT WorldConnect accepts several file formats, but GEDCOMS are the most common. 1. Before starting, read the FAQs from the WorldConnect Menu (http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/) . 2. Select Start here If new, register for a free account; otherwise login. see images at http://c.mfcreative.com/email/newsletters/rootswebreview/07082009/20090707Register.jpg and http://c.mfcreative.com/email/newsletters/rootswebreview/07082009/20090708TreeInfo.jpg 3. Create a unique Tree ID (3-16 characters) and descriptive title. If the ID is already being used, try another. Read the Acceptable Use Policy and policies about living persons privacy filtering. 4. Select Choose File, navigate to the GEDCOM on your computer, Open and Upload the file. see image at http://c.mfcreative.com/email/newsletters/rootswebreview/07082009/20090709UploadNewTree.jpg 5. WorldConnect will display a status report. see image at http://c.mfcreative.com/email/newsletters/rootswebreview/07082009/20090710StatusNewTree.jpg 6. If successful, you'll see, "Congratulations! Your new tree has been added to WorldConnect and will be available for the RootsWeb community to search within 36 hours." If unsuccessful, recreate the GEDCOM and try again. see image at http://c.mfcreative.com/email/newsletters/rootswebreview/07082009/20090711TreeInfo.jpg 7. Tree Settings include: Display Options Living Person Options GEDCOM Download Options Owner Information (name, email and whether to be notified about post-ems) Manage Post-ems (messages left by others) Replace Tree with New GEDCOM Download GEDCOM Put Tree Online / Offline Delete Tree (this is permanent) WorldConnect FAQS (answers to questions) see image at http://c.mfcreative.com/email/newsletters/rootswebreview/07082009/20090712TreeSettings.jpg 8. Display Options include: Title Bold Names Uppercase Surnames Default Pedigree Style (table / text) Maximum Pedigree, Descendancy, Register and Ahnentafel Depths (e.g., # of generations displayed in reports) Homepage URL / Title (optional link to outside webpage) Page Heading / Footer (what displays at the top / bottom) Allow HTML in GEDCOM (hypertext markup language for notes & sources; if novice select no) Fix Buggy CONC usage (necessary if online display of words run together) see image at http://c.mfcreative.com/email/newsletters/rootswebreview/07082009/20090713DisplayOptions.jpg 9. GEDCOM Download Options: To allow downloading, select yes and determine the depth (# of generations) allowed. An optional message can be added to each individual. see image at http://c.mfcreative.com/email/newsletters/rootswebreview/07082009/20090714DownloadOptions.jpg Now that you have this brief introduction, try uploading to WorldConnect. The Post-em feature alone is worth the experience. As others find your lineage, they may leave you updates, corrections and source information! * * * * * * * * * * Advertisements * * * * * * * * * * Ancestor Seekers September 2009 Salt Lake City Research Trip 31 August - 5 September 2009 Join others from throughout the U.S.A. and Canada for the dream genealogy vacation. Spend 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. Opening and closing socials, theater trip, and other optional activities! "Thank you all for such a wonderful experience." (Marsha, Iowa) For information call TOLL FREE at 877-402-6846 or go to http://www.ancestorseekers.com/external/rwr/ * * * Don't miss the Salt Lake Family History Expo August 28-29, Sandy, Utah go to http://www.fhexpos.com/events/upcoming.php?event_id=50 * * * * * * * * * * End of Advertisements * * * * * * * 3. Genealogy Tip What Not to Send to WorldConnect by Joan Young joan@volunteer.rootsweb.com If RootsWeb developer, Randy Winch, wanted to hold a bargain basement sale of unusable files submitters have tried to send to WorldConnect in vain attempts to upload their family trees there would be quite an inventory available for purchase! WorldConnect can only accept files with the file extension .ged (or zipped .ged files with the extension .zip). That hasn't stopped submitters over the years from unsuccessfully sending a wide variety of file types. I asked Randy for a list of the more popular unacceptable files received by WorldConnect. He did a scan and came up with the following list. The most common unusable file type is .ftw (which stands for Family Tree Maker for Windows) plus Family Tree Maker backup files with the extension .fbk. There is even an extensive collection of .exe files (executable program files) for Family Tree Maker (as well as other programs). Also found in the unusable pile are a vast array of files with the extension .pdf (portable document file). Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and Access files (with .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .accdb, and .accde and similar file extensions) are also well represented. Open Office files (.ods, .odt) which are similar to MS Office documents, Rich Text formatted text documents (.rtf), JPEG and GIF image files are there. WorldConnect even has been sent a few Windows Help documents. If these files don't strike your fancy, how about some DBase 3 Data files with memos, MacBinary III data files with a surprising number of versions represented, or UTF-8 Unicode HTML document text files? The submitters of these wayward files mistook other files on their computers for their family tree GEDCOM (GEnealogical Data COMmunication) file - it's easy to do. Save your tree in GEDCOM format before attempting to upload to WorldConnect. Double check the file name of the GEDCOM file you wish to upload before proceeding to upload it. Use WorldConnect's browse option to locate and highlight your GEDCOM (.ged) or zipped GEDCOM (.zip) file for upload. For more information about GEDCOM files, see: Using Technology to Dig Up Roots, RootsWeb Guide, Lesson 3 at http://rwguide.rootsweb.ancestry.com/lesson3.htm. For assistance with submitting a GEDCOM to WorldConnect, see: World Connect Help Pages at http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/FAQ/wcindex.html, and Submitting Your Tree Via Postal Mail at http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/FAQ/wcsubmit2.html. And remember: Acceptable files: ged (or zipped gedcoms) Unacceptable files: accde, doc, docx, exe, fbk, ftw, jpg, jpeg, gif, ods, odt, rtf, xls, xlsx and all other file types. 4. Connecting Online Tree Triggers Contact By Tom Caswell I was contacted by a third cousin who found my family tree on Ancestry.com. She asked whether I would be interested in sharing information on our common ancestors, and I gladly accepted. She had found a good deal of information on our great great grandfather, Dr. Isaac Newton Jones. While I had some information on him, she knew much more and was happy to share. Among other items, she sent me copies of documents showing that he served as a member of Congress. The best part was that this wasn't the U.S. Congress, but the Congress of the Republic of Texas! I now have copies of pay records that show Dr. Jones serving from November 5 to December 5 of 1838 and from December 6 to January 24, 1839 as the Representative from Red River. He received five dollars per day for his service. My cousin also shared the circumstances of Dr. Jones' death on February 11, 1858. It seems that a new boiler had been installed on the Jones plantation in Lafayette County, Arkansas. During an inspection of this new addition, the boiler tragically exploded while he was standing next to it, killing him instantly. These and other details gave me a much better understanding of the life of my great great grandfather. Had my cousin not found my online family tree, I may never have learned as much about him. 5. Bottomless Mailbag: Readers Write In [Editor's note: The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the editor or of RootsWeb.] ------------------------------------------------------------- One Act of Kindness Mushrooms I enjoy reading the email I get from Rootsweb, but have never had anything to contribute. That has changed. Two weeks ago, I got an email from someone on ancestry.com, inviting me to visit the web information they had provided on the Moeller family in Scotia, NE. They had seen postings by me on both RootsWeb and Ancestry, searching for my family in that area. As it turns out the Zion Lutheran Church in Scotia, NE is going through their Church records, which date back to the 1890's. As they look through these records and if they are able, they put together family trees and post them on web sites, such as ancestry.com. They are hoping to find living descendants of some of their early parishioners. What a wonderful thing to do. That is how I came to find my great great grandfather Carsten Moeller, his wife Christena Schmidt, their daughter (my great grandmother) Maria Magdelana Henrietta Moeller and other children. This also led to Maria's husband Wilhelm Joehnk and his parents, my great great grandparents Fritz Joehnk and his wife Magdelena Seeman. What an unexpected find and what a treasure to me and my family from this one act of kindness. Elaine Neel in Derby, KS * * * Presidents and States as Given Names While working on my family tree, I kept noticing that many woman were named after states and many men after presidents. My favorite name comes from my own tree -- Louisiana America Collinsworth b. 1863. All states were represented in my name search. I didn't do an exhaustive search, but found 4 states that only yielded males named after them: Arizona, New Hampshire, North Dakota, and South Dakota. As far as "Indiana Jones" goes, there are numerous real Indiana Joneses in various family trees. Another interesting tidbit is that every president through John Fitzgerald Kennedy has someone named after him. In my tree alone there are 7 persons with given names of George Washington and 10 persons with given names of Thomas Jefferson. Janice M. Marler of Mission, TX * * * Gratitude for Cemetery Transcribers I have looked for the death date of an ancestor of my husband in Muskegon, MI for several years. One day I was browsing on RootsWeb and came across an isolated cemetery reading. It was by an individual who read the grave stones in a small cemetery in Muskegon, MI. To my astonishment, there was the ancestor that I was looking for. I have a large thank you to the gentleman who did the reading and to RootsWeb for preserving it. Virginia Skoglund 6. What's New: Databases, Freepages, and Mailing Lists 6a. New User-contributed Databases at RootsWeb http://userdb.rootsweb.com/submit/ ------------------------------------------------------------- None Submit Your Genealogical Data to a RootsWeb Database at http://userdb.rootsweb.ancestry.com/submit/. 6b. New/Updated Freepages by Individuals Request a Free Web Account at http://accounts.rootsweb.com/ The Genealogy JAM (http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~heplerroberts/) A study of the families Hepler, Hublar, Roberts, Huffman, Hanner, Biggs and DuBose and related families in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Indiana. Christopher Whitmore Family Tree and Genealogy (http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~chriswhitmore/) The primary surnames are Whitmore, Glover, Lowe, Lomas, Hodcroft & Gudgeon. Secondary surnames include Vaughan, Cadman. If you have a new or substantially revised freepage at RootsWeb and would like to see it mentioned here, send the URL, the title, and a BRIEF description, including major surnames, to Editor- RWR@rootsweb.com. * * * If your genealogy- or history-related site is located somewhere other than RootsWeb, you can add the link to RootsWeb here: http://resources.rootsweb.com/~rootslink/addlink.html * * * 6c. New/Updated Freepages by Counties, States, and Genealogical/Historical Societies Request a Free Web Account at 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 weeks. http://www.rootsweb.com/~xxxxxx[accountname] * * * Note that the ~[tilde] before the Web account name is required. For example, the John Chew Chapter (California), Daughters of the American Colonists website is at http://www.rootsweb.com/~arhschs/ * * * CAR = Children of the American Revolution DAR = Daughters of the American Revolution DUVCW = Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War SSAWV = Sons of Spanish American War Veterans UDC = United Daughters of the Confederacy USD1812 = United States Daughters of the War of 1812 U.S.A. arhschs Hot Spring County (AR) Historical Society canfddar Francis Diclos Chapter (Canada) DAR flahdudc Annie H. Darracott Chapter (FL) UDC gabuttga Butts County (GA) Genealogical Association idedhdar EE-DAH-HOW Chapter (ID) DAR idipcdar Idaho Pocahontas Chapter DAR idofhdar Old Fort Hall Chapter (ID) DAR idwcdar Wyeth Chapter (ID) DAR idwhtdar Wild Horse Trail (ID) DAR ilmason2 Mason County, (IL) inscotgs Scott County (IN) Genealogical Society moduvcw Missouri Department, DUVCW mosp1812 Saint Louis Pioneer Chapter (MO) USD1812 nyowadar Owasco Chapter (NY) DAR pabpcdar Bethlehem Pennsylvania Chapter DAR pafacdar Fort Augusta Chapter (PA) DAR pafcdar Franklin County (PA) Chapter DAR pafmcdar Fort McClure Chapter (PA) DAR pagrbdar General Richard Butler Chapter (PA) DAR pagtdar George Taylor Chapter (PA) DAR paiccdar Indiana County Chapter (PA) DAR palasdar Lt. Asa Stevens Chapter (PA) DAR pamcdar3 Monongahela Chapter (PA) DAR pamhhdar Massy Harbison-Fort Hand Chapter (PA) DAR papfscar Parkinson's Ferry Society, (PA) CAR papundar Punxsutawney Chapter (PA) DAR paqacdar Queen Alliquippa Chapter (PA) DAR parhccar Regina Hartman Chapter (PA) CAR patgjdar Tah Gah Jute Chapter (PA) DAR patpcdar Tioga Point Chapter (PA) DAR pawcdar Wayne Chapter (PA) DAR pawtdar Witness Tree Chapter (PA) DAR scjssawv Micah J. Jenkins Camp No. 164 (SC) SSAWV scprnyz Palmetto Riflemen & New York Zouaves (SC) tnmbrdcw Major Belle Reynolds, TN Tent #4, DUVCW INTERNATIONAL ausjcdar - James Cook Chapter (Australia) DAR ausmfhs - Mandurah Family History Society (Australia) austasct - Australia Tasmania Cemetery Transcriptions engnfksl - Norfolk (England) Surname List onnorthu - Northumberland (Ontario, Canada) CaGenWeb 6d. New Mailing Lists To Request a New Mailing List: http://resources.rootsweb.com/adopt/ ------------------------------------------------------------- To find or subscribe to a mailing list, or to search archived posts to more than 30,000 RootsWeb-hosted genealogy mailing lists, go to http://lists.rootsweb.com/. NEW SURNAME MAILING LISTS CLEMPSON EMENHEISER GHOSTKEEPER GIACOMELLI INVENIUS KRAWCZAK PLATTSMIER POCHEKAILO RIZER STOBART VANBEEK VERWAERDE XANDER ZAPATA NEW REGIONAL MAILING LISTS CMC - Ireland based CMC for Christenings, Marriages and Cemetery records for all of Ireland. NEW ETHNIC OR SPECIAL INTEREST MAILING LISTS None 7. You Found It She Too In researching one of my families I discovered Hurcelia Too Walton (sometimes put as Hurcelia Tod) in Scotland. I presume that dad, when taking her to be christened, said we are calling HER CELIA TOO. Liz Humphrys in Thirroul, NSW, Australia * * * Census Occupation I was looking for a relative on an older census and found the relative. His mother-in-law was living with the family and her occupation was listed as "living off her money." Julie Sutfin * * * Cause of Death The following was found on a death certificate in Wichita, KS; "Talked to death by the neighbor woman." Doris Weaver * * * A Flammable Name While searching in Dekalb County GA records about 1920, I ran across a young boy of about 10 or 12 years of age named Gasoline. Kyle L. Smith Found a funny name or humorous tidbit in old records or an amusing entry in census, parish, church, or other records? Send these and other genealogy-related humor/humour items to Editor- RWR@rootsweb.com. For a description of, subscription information to, and an index of the more than 30,000 RootsWeb-hosted genealogy mailing lists go here. 8. Subscriptions, Submissions, Advertising, and Reprints ------------------------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIPTIONS. You received this newsletter because you are subscribed to the "RootsWeb Review." 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 Ancestry.com Operations 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 editor is considered to be for publication-- send 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: Kathryn Davidson, kdavidson@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": 8 July 2009, Vol. 12, No. 7. * * * * (c) 2009 Ancestry.com