Yes, I have been “missing” on my blog

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  Leave a comment

Three weeks ago I left to do a two day seminar in Norfolk, Nebraska where I was treated royally by the folks from the Nebraska State Genealogical Society and the Madison County Genealogical Society. It was a packed house and an attentive group. The two days ended with a trip to a cemetery for a grave witching demonstration.

Then I was off to Salt Lake City for the National Genealogical Society Conference and some meetings. It was a wonderful four days. At the opening session on Wednesday I presented a tribute to Marsha Hoffman Rising, an amazing woman, friend, and genealogist extraordinaire. That was a difficult experience and I hope I did her justice. The tribute plus some additional words will be in the National Genealogical Society’s NewsMagazine later this year. After the conference ended I spent a week researching at the Family History Library for clients. Lest you think it was all work the time I was gone, I did have a lot of time with good friends in the genealogical community. A conference is like a family reunion and even better are the new family members you meet.

One of the conference week highlights was the “Celebration of Family History” held at the Conference Center of the LDS Church. A special performance by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was so neat, followed by a wonderful presentation by a high ranking official of that church and then the evening became even better (if possible) with a talk by noted author David McCullough. I did not want the evening to end.

On the Friday of the conference week, Ancestry.com held a group viewing of the final episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, complete with refreshments. What a neat experience to be with a big room full of fellow genealogists watching this show.

I now have time off from conferences and seminars until mid-August for the Federation of Genealogical Societies four day conference in Knoxville, Tennessee. So I have lots of time for blogging, spending time with my grandchildren, preparing lectures for FGS, and maybe even dusting and vacuuming. A big maybe on the latter.

Family in southwestern Kansas?

Paula Stuart-Warren  Archives, Libraries  Leave a comment

The April 17th issue of the Pittsburg, Kansas Morning Sun has an article that is one of my favorite types. It tells about an old record book being turned over to an institution for preservation. In this case, it’s a 1923 jail register for Crawford County, Kansas that has been sent to the Special Collections Department of the Axe Library at Pittsburgh State University.

Alas, my own Kansas connections were not in that part of Kansas. The preservation of this volume is a reminder to continually check online catalogs and finding aids for repositories of historical materials. A book of records, a set of old letters, or some loose papers found in the back of a filing cabinet may get turned over to a library, historical society, or archive. A collection that was previously not catalogued or not fully described may now be. 

Virgnia: Black or Indian?

Paula Stuart-Warren  African American, American Indian, Black Americans, Virginia  1 Comment

Some Virginia researchers may already be aware of this, but for others this information may explain some difficulties as you research vital records of Native Americans and African Americans in that state.

Walter Ashby Plecker was the first head of the Virginia Bureau of Vital Statistics and served from 1912-1946. He did some beneficial things such as “great strides in educating midwives, inventing a home incubator, and prescribing home remedies for infants. His efforts are credited with an almost 50 percent decline in birthing deaths for black mothers.”

Unfortunately, he also believed that American Indians and African Americans had no separate ethnic identity and set about to reclassify Indians as colored. He actually changed the designation on some vital records from Indian to black. He also decided that anyone with even a little bit of black ancestry would not be allowed to pass as white and brought about changes on their vital records based on information that he said his office had gathered.You can read more about Walter Plecker at the Library of Virginia’s Virginia Memory project. That page lists some article for further reading. Also check out this link for a disturbing 1942 letter from Plecker to local vital records registrars.

Thanks to Brenda Hudson of Florida for telling me about this during last week’s NGS Conference. It does affect some researchers trying to do a good job of researching and documenting their forebears.

Some websites and blogs you might want to check

Paula Stuart-Warren  Blogs, Websites  3 Comments

FGS Press Release on War of 1812 Pension Project

Paula Stuart-Warren  Federation of Genealogical Societies, National Genealogical Society, War of 1812  Leave a comment

The Federation of Genealogical Societies just issued this exciting press release. Please share the news with your friends in genealogical, historical, and military society circles. You can also make a contribution to the fund by visiting the FGS booth in the Exhibit Hall during this week’s National Genealogical Society Conference in Salt Lake City. The Exhibit Hall opens Wednesday, April 28th at 9:30 a.m. and is open during daytime hours Wednesday-Saturday this week.

April 27, 2010:  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Federation of Genealogical Societies Launches National Fundraiser, Preserve the Pensions!, to Digitize the War of 1812 Pension Files

SALT LAKE CITY — With the approaching bicentennial of the War of 1812, the Federation of Genealogical Societies, a non-profit genealogical organization headquartered in Austin, Texas, is pleased to announce a national fundraising initiative to raise $3.7 million to digitize of the War of 1812 pension files. 
The digitization process will enable online access by historians and family researchers to the memories and biographies of those who fought to protect our nation’s independence.  This announcement is being made at the start of the National Genealogical Society’s 2010 conference, an event that will draw more than two thousand genealogists to Salt Lake City, Utah.

The War of 1812, often referred to as America’s second war for independence, significantly shaped this country’s identity both internationally and domestically.Many remember the War of 1812 as the war that give us the “Star-Spangled Banner” and the burning of the White House.  Some of the great leaders of our country, including three presidents, took part in this conflict. Nearly 300,000 men served, including members of at least eighteen Native American tribes.

he pension records for the War of 1812 consist of more than 7.2 million documents in 180,000 files.  The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) receives more than three thousand requests per year for War of 1812 pensions, placing them among the most requested sets of records.  Digitizing these valuable records will preserve the originals by removing them from continued heavy use.  It will also make the images of the records much more widely available.  NARA reports these important historical records already have been conserved and readied for digitization, so scanning could start as soon as funds are received.  With the cost for digitizing and saving a single page from a pension file being fifty cents, supporters will see progress from the earliest days of the fundraising initiative. 

Genealogists, historians, and scholars of military history have long appreciated the value of pension files.  A typical pension file may contain documents that describe a veteran’s service as well as why he, his widow, or his dependents qualify for a pension.  In the cases of widows’ and dependents’ filings, there are typically a number of documents proving the claimant is related to the veteran.  The testimony of a veteran’s comrades can provide unique and valuable data on what military life entailed, the rigors of everyday camp life, and details of particular skirmishes and battles.  One may discover numerous details of an ancestor’s life in these pension files, some of which may be many dozens of pages long. 

The Federation of Genealogical Societies is committed to projects that link the genealogical community and advance the cause of preserving records and making them more accessible.  The Federation will be working with the genealogical and historical societies nation-wide, particularly in states where War of 1812 activities took place, as well as the many War of 1812 societies and bicentennial commissions, to raise awareness about this vital preservation and access project and to raise the funds necessary to complete the project. 

Those interested in contributing to the Preserve the Pensions! Project or wanting additional information should contact the Federation of Genealogical Societies via their website at www.fgs.org/1812, or contact Curt Witcher at 260-421-1226 or [email protected].

New episode of “Who Do You Think You Are?” this Friday

Paula Stuart-Warren  Ancestry.com, WDYTYA, Who Do You Think You Are?  Leave a comment

Lou Szucs from Ancestry.com sent a reminder about this Friday’s show! Lou said:

“With just two episodes left, the Who Do You Think You Are? season is nearly over. Don’t forget to remind friends and family to tune in as two more fascinating family stories are revealed. Genealogical societies, libraries and archives are continuing to enjoy increased traffic as the series grabs the attention of many individuals who are now intrigued and determined to solve their own family mysteries.

This Week’s Episode – Susan Sarandon

This week’s episode will feature leading actress Susan Sarandon, who sets out to learn more about her grandmother Anita, who led a life shrouded with mystery and who disappeared out of Susan’s mother’s life when her mother was just a child. In the episode, Susan visits the New York City Public Library and the New City Library in Rockland, New York.

Check out the teaser featuring Susan Sarandon, and tune into NBC for the full episode on Friday at 8/7c.

Have you seen these blogs?

Paula Stuart-Warren  Blogs, Libraries  Leave a comment

Special collections departments or libraries on college and university campuses often hold much for the study of local history and genealogy. Yes, they likely include the university’s archives but the other manuscripts, oral histories, newspapers, and books can be a gold mine for research. Local history collections in city and county public libraries are also the home of many resources for family history research. Check out these blogs that are produced by staff at such collections. 

Spring 2010 FGS FORUM is ready!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Federation of Genealogical Societies, FORUM  Leave a comment

I just received an email telling me that the Spring 2010 issue of FGS FORUM is ready for me to read online. This quarterly publication of the Federation of Genealogical Societies is now in its 22nd year.

FORUM is an inexpensive publication — just $15.00 for access to four issues (one year or $25.00 for two years). Check out the online FREE issue at http://fgs.org/forum/ to see why you should order this neat publication today. Each issue is 45 pages long, viewed in PDF format, links to websites are live (my favorite), and the contents include news on technology and genealogy, ethnic, international and genealogical society activities, extensive book and CD reviews, news on records including access issues, specialized topics written by recognized experts, and so much more.

I particularly enjoyed Wendy Bebout Elliott’s article on the “War of 1812: Brief Background and Genealogical Resources” and the project of FGS, the National Archives,
and genealogists to digitize the War of 1812 Pension and Bounty land records. Editor Sandra Hargreaves Luebking tested us on our census knowledge and I answered both questions correctly.

The article on the FGS Knoxville Conference this coming August was helpful. It is written by Lori Thornton, who is very familiar with the city. Do you want to honor a genealogical society or individual for their contributions to the field of genealogy? Info on that is in this issue. Randy Seaver’s article on Wikis for genealogists was intriguing.

Check out the free issue today and then sign up! Once you sign up you can access the other issues that have already been sent electronically.

Minnesota Genealogical Society Family History Fair, April 17th

Paula Stuart-Warren  Conferences, Minnesota Genealogical Society, Seminars  Leave a comment
Immigration and roots across the Atlantic are themes of the annual MGS Family History Fair that will be held April 17 at the MGS Library and Research Center in South Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Anduin Wilhide of the University of Minnesota’s Immigration History Research Center will give the keynote talk on 19th Century immigration. Afterward, an experienced researcher will lead discussions on genealogy research in nine areas:

  • Danish – Scott Jkar
  • African-American – Myrtice Orr
  • English – Lois Mackin and Jay Fonkert
  • Bavarin (German) – Kent Cutkomp
  • Irish – Beth Mullinax
  • Yankees – Barbara Oestreich
  • Italian – Pat Ricci
  • Dutch and Belgian – Jay Fonkert
  • Scottish – Bergetta Monroe and John McKeen.

And you can get answers to your research questions at a lunch-time “Ask a Genealogist” forum.

Register online, by mail (checks only sent to: Family History Fair, MN Genealogical Society, 1185 Concord St. N., South Saint Paul 55075), or at the door. Registration is $25; an optional lunch is available for $7. Please register by Wednesday, April 14. For more information, contact Terry Kita (by e-mail or phone:612-927-0719).

Next seminar: April 23-24, Norfolk, Nebraska

Paula Stuart-Warren  Conferences  2 Comments

My next stop is the Nebraska State Genealogical Society’s Conference in Norfolk, Nebraska. The local host is the Madison County Genealogical Society. Are you getting a nagging feeling that you know something about Norfolk? As area residents know, that is the home place of Johnny Carson.

Click here for the full two day program which includes other speakers.This is also the spot to learn more about hotels, meals and the registration form. The pre-registration deadline is April 15th, just ten days away.

I will be presenting six lectures over the two days:

  • The Three Rs: Reading, ‘Riting, and Research In School Records
  • Organizing your Genealogical Materials
  • Where Are The Records They Told Me to Check?
  • The WPA Era: What is Created for Genealogists
  • Finding Ancestral Places of Origin
  • Railroad Records and Railway History: Methods for Tracking

Norfolk is a great place for a conference as the driving distance to there from these places runs about 2 hours or less: Council Bluffs and Sioux City in Iowa, Omaha, Lincoln, and Grand Island in Nebraska, and Sioux Falls, Yankton, and Vermillion in South Dakota.

The following week is the NGS Family History Conference in Salt Lake City! I will also see you there for a full week of activities.