SLIG and FGS Radio, Saturday,. 4 June 2011

Paula Stuart-Warren  Federation of Genealogical Societies, FGS, FGS Radio, Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, SLIG  Leave a comment

Let’s talk about these in three parts!

1. At 9:00 a.m. MDT (10:00 CDT, 11:00 EDT, etc) the registration opens for the 2012 edition of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. It will be the 17th SLIG! Click here to get to the SLIG page at the Utah Genealogical Association’s new website. A hint to smart readers — go in and register for the course you wish and then check out. That will allow you to register more quickly since many of the courses fill up! You can go back later and register for evening and lunchtime presentations.

2. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) radio show “My Society” is on ever Saturday at 1:00 p.m. CDT (2:00 EDT, Noon MDT, and 11:00 a.m. PDT). Where is it found? Right on your own computer! Click here to go to the FGS website page with more info and a link to get you started. The 4 June 2011 show will have Thomas MacEntee, a member of the FGS Board of Directors, as host.

3. The “My Society” show on 4 June will have two guests. They are UGA President Janet Havorka and SLIG Director Christy Fillerup. UGA is one of FGS’ member societies. You will learn some special things about SLIG, UGA’s virtual chapter and video training library.

Hometown Newspapers

Paula Stuart-Warren  Newspapers  1 Comment

Do you subscribe to the current newspaper in the city or towns where your ancestral families lived? This is especially helpful in smaller cities and towns. Many are online but not all of those are the complete newspaper for the day or week. The current newspaper may have a column reprinting news tidbits from 50, 75, or 100 years ago. In smaller cities and towns you may find articles on the local historical society, genealogical society, and stories on older homes and buildings. From these you may learn who are the knowledgeable persons in that area as far as history. You might learn who is the head of the Comfort Rest Cemetery committee.

Don’t forget to borrow older newspapers on microfilm via Interlibary Loan and and spend some time reading these to get a feeling of the time when your family was in that locality. Check at your area public library about borrowing newspaper films from other places. Many older newspapers on now online in growing numbers but I still think it is easier to read through an entire newspaper on microfilm. Make copies (or save to your computer) the pertinent articles and other news items.

My Blogoversary

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  10 Comments

On June 1st, 2007, I posted the first entry on my own blog. Four years later and I am still here. I enjoy blogging both here and on the FGS Conference News Blog. I haven’t run out of things to say, share, or sometimes rant about. I have not shared all that much about my own family history, but am doing that a bit more. It’s time that I sometimes run out of. Gaps in blog posts mean that I am taking care of the work that pays the bills, spending time with my family, or catching up on volunteer work.

My grandkids are no longer babies. The eldest granddaughter is about to go off on an exchange student adventure in Germany. The other three and I are taking a mini Minnesota history vacation this summer. I have wonderful friends from grade school that I still see. My genealogy friends are vital to my life. 

Thank you for reading my words and for the responses I get both as blog comments and as private emails. 

Salt Lake Insitute of Genealogy: Registration begins June 4th!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, SLIG, Utah Genealogical Association  1 Comment
The next Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) takes place from January 23-27, 2012 at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City. It’s a short walk to the Family History Library. SLIG is operated by the Utah Genealogical Association which has members from around the world.
 
SLIG Registration opens June 4, 2011 at 9:00 am Mountain Time. Classes will fill quickly! Click here and then on View Our Brochure. Have fun choosing which course to take!

As the UGA website states, “The Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy prides itself on providing the top tier in genealogical education. Each year we bring in the best educators in the field to provide the best genealogy educational experience available. The Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy has been providing top-notch genealogical education for fifteen years. The courses are primarily focused at the advanced level, with Course 1: American Research and Records Parts 1 and 2 with Paula Stuart-Warren, providing a good intermediate foundation. SLIG is structured in “tracks”. Each track equates to either a locality or a methodological subject. Each track provides at least twenty hours of in-depth instruction. Students choose one track for the week and leave with a deeper understanding of their chosen topic than a traditional conference can impart. SLIG is dedicated to providing a forum for the best genealogical educators in the field to present their knowledge to avid family historians.”

 
2012 marks the 14th year I have been involved with SLIG. No matter which course you choose, you will learn, network, laugh, and make new friends. And with the course I coordinate and instruct in, Course I, American Research and Records, you get extra hours with one-on-one consultations right in the Family History Library. Many of the classes in this course are interactive, meaning you don’t just sit and be lectured to. It involves some hands-on work, discussion, and tasks designed to help you incorporate the knowledge gained into your own family history research.
 

Memorial Day 2011: War of 1812 Ancestry

Paula Stuart-Warren  Fed, National Archives, Preserve the Pensions, War of 1812  Leave a comment

Several times this past week I drove by Fort Snelling National Cemetery. My father and mother, father-in-law and mother-in-law, and some other relatives are buried there. Seeing all those rows of stark white stones against the vibrant green grass is both sobering and exquisite.

I have U.S. ancestors and family that participated in the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Korea, and Vietnam. I have no known Revolutionary War or War of 1812 ancestry.

But, no matter the war, I am happy when the stories of those who served are preserved. Diaries, journals, letters to and from, photos, pension and service records, enlistment and discharge papers, and other documents tell us more about each person.

During our Federation of Genealogical Societies board meeting this past week we talked about the War of 1812 pension and bounty land papers because FGS is in the midst of the “Preserve the Pensions Project.” This project is a joint venture of FGS, the National Archives,the genealogical community, and now Footnote.com. The goal is to get all 7.2 million pages digitized and online for anyone to view. Right now 5,000 images are free to view on Footnote.com. This will remain FREE viewing if we all pull together and raise the funds to do so. It takes money for the digitization equipment and operators among other costs. 

Click here to read a press release about the initial posting on Footnote.com and the commitment of iArchives to this project. 

These more than 5,000 documents are online and free to view, download, or print at http://go.footnote.com/1812pensions/. This is less than 1% of the total records to be digitized. We need to keep this number growing. For every $100 donated, 200 more images can be done. For $500 that means 1,000 more pages. In 2012 we will celebrate the bicentennial of the beginning of this war. Wouldn’t it be neat to have this fund-raising effort nearing completion before the end of 2012!

Click here to donate to this worthwhile effort.

To learn more about records at the federal level that are related to those who served in the War of 1812, visit the website of the U.S. National Archives at www.archives.gov. Enter the phrase “War of 1812” in the search box you see in the upper right hand corner.

Minnesota Vital Records

Paula Stuart-Warren  Minnesota, Vital records  1 Comment

This is an overview of what exists for Minnesota birth, death, and marriage records and ways to access them. This is not a 100% comprehensive finding aid, but it should lead you to more records.

Birth & Death Records
Birth and death records were generally created at the county level beginning in 1870 or later if the county was not in existence in 1870. Most early recordings were a one line entry across two pages in a registration volume and the information is not extensive. In some localities these were also recorded at the township level until the mid 1950s. Many of the township records books can be found at the Minnesota Historical Society (MHS). For many years, the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis also registered births and deaths. Today these are found with their respective counties. Beginning in 1900 for birth records, and in 1908 for death records, the event was also reported to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). You may find differences in all versions in the years there were multiple reportings.

For death records before 1908, contact the county in which the person died. Some are also at the Family History Library and the Minnesota Historical Society. MHS has microfilms of the MDH death record cards for 1900-1907. The microfilmed records may be viewed on-site at MHS,

Even though there are early registrations of births and deaths in Minnesota, not all events were registered. It was well into the 20th century before the registrations were “complete.” In the 1940s the state health department was still urging complete compliance with the registration laws. You may be among the fortunate researchers who find that a delayed birth certificate was created and there might be supporting documentation. The person
filing a delayed birth certificate and who no longer lived in Minnesota, may have applied for the certificate in the place of residence at the time of the application.

By law, the birth and death  records in Minnesota are public records. This does not always mean that researchers have “hands-on” access to the original records. The record books may be in deteriorating condition, they may contain non-public information such as illegitimate births, or the office which holds the records may not have room to let researchers check the record themselves. And, yes, in some cases, the record keeper simply does not wish to have researchers on-site. With the proper MDH form and the payment of the fee of $13.00 for death records (either certified or non-certified), $26.00 for a certified birth record ($13.00 non-certified) a record may usually be obtained.  The fee includes payment for the search time and the fee is not returned if no record is found.

The MDH no longer accepts walk-in vital record requests, but the county registrars do. The MDH website has information on this. The counties have direct access to the electronic database MDH has created for many of the twentieth century records for all counties. Some of the registrars already have computers that may be used by customers to check for records. The electronic format is an excellent way to find the initial information, but this does not contain all the  original details. It is important to request a photocopy of the actual certificate from the MDH, from the county where the event occurred, or from the microfilmed records at MHS.

Marriage records
Marriage records were generally created from the time a county officially began and the marriage records generally remain in the county. The majority of Minnesota marriage records do not contain large amounts of genealogically significant information. Marriage records are generally more open to “hands-on” research. In most counties, the researcher can hand copy the data. Marriage records ion microfilm for some counties are at MHS and at the FHL.

Divorce Records
Divorce records for Minnesota are part of the District Court’s civil court records at the county level. Some older county civil court records are found at the Minnesota Historical Society.


Many Minnesota vital records are also available through the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Check under both the county and the state categories. As mentioned earlier, for the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, births and deaths were also filed at the city level and the FHL has microfilmed these up to the 19teens, but some indexes are for later years.

Vital records indexes online
Ancestry.com Minnesota vital record indexes to records filed at the state level
    Birth Index 1935-2002
    Death Index 1908-2002
    Marriage Index 1958-2001
    Divorce Index 1970-1995

Minnesota Historical Society www.mnhs.org; vital records indexes to state level registrations. Be sure to read the FAQs for each of these indexes as they are extremely helpful.
    Birth Index 1900-1934
    Death Index 1904-2001
MHS also has the actual records on microfilm. You may copy the death records at MHS for .35 but must pay the state imposed fee of $9.00 for the copies of birth records made at MHS.

MOMS Minnesota Official Marriage System www.mncounty.com.Free online index to county marriage records. Some counties are more complete than others at this time.

Additional links:
DeathIndexes.com  http://deathindexes.com/minnesota/index.html
Minnesota Department of Health  http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/chs/osr/index.html

FGS Conference early registration deadline

Paula Stuart-Warren  Conferences, Federation of Genealogical Societies, National Genealogical Society  Leave a comment

I just returned from several days in Charleston, South Carolina where I was attending the National Genealogical Society Conference. I lectured, shopped, learned, volunteered, networked, laughed, ate, slept a bit, and just basically enjoyed the time.

I am now staying home all summer getting ready for the Federation of Genealogical Societies’ 2011 conference that is this September 7-10 in nearby Springfield, Illinois. As full disclosure, I am a member of the board of directors of FGS and the co-chair of the 2011 FGS conference. If you live in the Midwest, this is such a perfect spot. It’s the Land of Lincoln and a great place for research and historical siteseeing. Added to that it’s an easy place to drive to!

The FGS Office reports that there are already people registered from four countries and the full conference registrations and special event interest is
growing. To attend this fun and educational event:

  • You do not have to be a member of any genealogical organization
  • If you do belong to a genealogical society that isn’t a member of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, you may still attend. (FGS does hope you take the membership info and some helpful suggestions back to your society, though!)
  • If you have even the slightest interest in genealogy, family history, community history, DNA, software, Abraham Lincoln, slave research, Twitter, 
  • or maybe you are interested in post-adoption research, photo restoration, Swedish research, writing your family history, Canadian border crossings, becoming certified, Swiss research, Ohio ancestry, Apps for the professional genealogist
  • Maybe you have roots in Ireland, Germany, Scotland, England, Missouri, or have Native American Ancestry
  • Love to browse and shop in a sold-out Exhibit Hall full of software demos, genealogy and history books and databases for sale, some genealogy gift ideas, historical and genealogical society booths, the National Archives, and even hotels in Salt Lake City
  • If you fit into any of the above interests, we hope to see you in Springfield in September
  • And if these are not your interests, we have many more sessions you will find helpful

Just  click here to see the full program and then look under the other topics to see what else is going on during the week of the conference. Full conference paid registrants just might win a trip for two to Salt Lake City for a “vacation” at the Family History Library, including airfare, meals, and copy cards. But you need to attend the FGS 35th anniversary celebration on Friday evening for that chance! Read the FGS Conference News Blog for these and many other details.

Update on Railroad Retirement Board records

Paula Stuart-Warren  National Archives, Railroads  Leave a comment

I emailed the National Archives Southeast Region in regard to access to the Railroad Retirement Board records mentioned in my earlier post and received this almost immediate reply:

“This is in reply to your inquiry regarding researching the records of the Railroad Retirement Board in person at the National Archives at Atlanta.  The simple answer is Yes.  However, we will need to screen the records first to make sure we do not release any personal information about living retirees or their dependents named in the files.  This screening can usually done in about 20 minutes.  It is best to notify us ahead of time so we can first, locate the file, and second, have it screened before arrival.  If we receive ‘drop-ins’ we do a quick
screening while the patron waits.

Thank you for inquiring about these records.  We have 54,000 cubic feet of these records equating to about 1.5 million files.  We are anxious to see them used.”

Thank you Rob Richards, Director of Archival Operations at NARA Atlanta!

My Hanley and Welch families and the Minnesota Genealogical Society in Winona

Paula Stuart-Warren  Ballyferriter, Hanley, Minnesota, Minnesota Genealogical Society, Walsh, Welch, Winona  Leave a comment

I am looking forward to being a part of the MGS all day meeting in Winona, Minnesota on June 25th. It’s the birthplace of my Grandpa Mike.

My maternal grandfather Maurice Michael Hanley was born there 12 September 1893. His parents were Michael Hanley and Johanna Welch/Walsh. Johanna was the sister of other Welch’s who came to Winona from the parish of Ballyferriter which is situated on the beautiful Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland.

Among the families that some of these Welch siblings and others married into were Feiten, Hinds, McGrath, and Kellner.

Michael Hanley, the father of Maurice Michael (Grandpa Mike), was first married to Margaret Carney and they had six children. Michael and Johanna also had six children. Grandpa Mike’s sister Mabel Hanley Hewson was the one who gave me the family connections.

It will be my first time to present a lecture in Winona. The day has many other speakers. To see the full program, register for the day, and order your lunch, click here. The day is co-hosted by the Winona County Historical Society.