A researcher’s commentary on the value of librarians and archivists!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  ,  4 Comments

An 8 June newspaper article in the StarTribune that has a connection to my 9 June post seems appropriate to share. It’s not from a genealogist, but David R. Smith, the author, did research that resembles what we do. Once again, it shows the connection with history and genealogy. 

His commentary “In Praise of Librarians and Archivists” tells about his research journey and the assistance he received along the way. What would we do if the librarians, archivists, and other repository staff wasn’t there to assist us!

After you read his commentary, be sure to read the comments. I had many thoughts I wanted to share but stopped myself before I posted some strong words. He just educated people on the value and some truly don’t get it! We have fellow genealogists who don’t get it either. Copyright, costs and time to digitize, and the vastness of the material in libraries, historical societies, and archives makes the librarians and archivists invaluable. Added to that is the knowledge and experience they possess!

https://www.startribune.com/in-praise-of-librarians-and-archivists/600180439/?refresh=true

My 2022 genealogy presentations calendar has been updated

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized    4 Comments

I have added some presentations that will take place this fall and updated some that were previously noted as TBA. I don’t publicize the titles and presentation host until a contract is signed. 

Let me know if your genealogical, civic, historical, or other organization is interested in having me present one or more topics on a virtual basis. Click on the Speaking tab of this website for contact details. 

E-mail me about my availability for your event date. I have a several page Speaker Packet with details on numerous topics, experience, specific details, fees, and how I can help you promote your event. That packet can be sent via an email attachment.

 

International Archives Day

Paula Stuart-Warren  Archives, Uncategorized    Leave a comment

Today, June 9, is International Archives Day and this is International Archives Week.

My early days of family and community history research were spent at the Minnesota State Archives. Then it was at a one-story building off Interstate 35E in Saint Paul. Today it’s part of the Minnesota History Center in downtown Saint Paul. Those days were well before online websites, catalogs, material descriptions, digitized material, and other helpful historical information.

Those early days introduced me to a wealth of finding aids for the records held in the building. I remember browsing the books section that held published archives books on records held at various archives beyond Minnesota. Some were from archives beyond the United States.

In the U.S., many state archives hold only local, county, and state government material, others hold records of businesses, organizations, and individuals. County and regional archives also hold a varying array of material.

College and university archives hold material related to the institution and many are combined with special collections with records from businesses, organizations, and individuals. Religious archives often have records from the denomination, individual churches, and some have records from the clergy and other individuals. Some have fantastic biographical material on such individuals. Some businesses have their own archives. County historical societies are another resource.

The U.S. National Archives in Washington, DC, and its regional locations around the country also hold my reverence. I’ve spent many weeks at some of these facilities pouring over original records that are not online. The websites only tell part of the reasons why original research is so vital. I drool while reviewing the Library and Archives Canada website. 

Much of the material is not described online and some is not covered even minimally online. What is digitized or indexed online on an archives’ website or on our genealogy websites is only a small part of what awaits our discovery.

Be sure to thank those who keep these various archives operating, gathering, and preserving historical materials, and describing them so we know where to research. In general, these are not lucrative jobs!

Before this day ends, check out the website of the archives of a county, state, province, country, or religious entity that has a probable connection to your own ancestral family. See what you have been missing in your research journey. Learn what is online and what needs to be researched by an in-person visit. I guarantee you’ll need at least a few days to visit each.

Several archives to get you started:

 

 

 

FamilySearch Research Wiki reaches 100,000 articles!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized    2 Comments

A FamilySearch press release from today tells the story. I highly recommend that the FamilySearch Research Wiki becomes an integral part of your research plan. 

“The FamilySearch Wiki published its 100,000th genealogical research article. The free online reference tool helps answer many common questions you might have when searching for ancestors in historical records worldwide. Each wiki article is written and updated by research specialists at the FamilySearch Family History Library and from the global genealogical community. The FamilySearch Wiki content continues to grow by about 100 articles per day. Check it out now at FamilySearch.org/wiki.”

I make use of it most days in my work. It’s a great way to learn more about records in FamilySearch and other places that deal with cities, counties, states, provinces, and countries. Then there are the pages for topics like naturalization, passenger records, vital records, and tons of others. It’s not merely a recitation of available records but also includes learning about the process.

The full press release is here https://www.familysearch.org/en/newsroom/familysearch-wiki-publishes-100000th-article

 

 

Updated Census Helper™ from MyHeritage includes many countries

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  ,  Leave a comment

From Daniel Horowitz at MyHeritage “on the eve of the release of the 1950 U.S. Census, MyHeritage launched a super useful tool to help get you started with your census research: Census Helper™. . . It now includes censuses from all over the world, not just from the U.S.; its algorithms got smarter, providing more precise results; and its interface was improved, including the addition of sorting and filtering capabilities — making it easier and more convenient than ever to methodically research your family in census records from across the globe. Census Helper™ now includes nationwide censuses from the United States, Canada, England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France, Denmark, and Norway.”

All these aids to finding our families in censuses are amazing and this one is free! I have some more people to find!

Read more about it on the MyHeritage Blog. 

 

DeadFred. A free place for lost and found photos.

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized    Leave a comment

Have you heard of DeadFred? It’s a cool website and Facebook page for searching our lost family history in photos. We can contribute photos and also search for what others have contributed. We might find a missing photo of a relative. Even better, it is free. I have known about DeadFred for many years because the man who spearheads this site is located in beautiful Northwest Arkansas which is the birthplace of my late father-in-law. The wonderful creator of DeadFred, Joe Bott, shared this history:

“Once upon a time” actually the seeds were planted in 1965 when I was in the Navy I started collecting vintage photos , fast forward to now and I have accumulated over 27,000 vintage photos mostly through donations, some from yard sales, junk shops, antique stores and the trash that people find and send. DeadFred began in 1998 and since then has reunited over 3,000 ancestors photos to relatives. There is no cost. DeadFred is a free website and sends the found photos (that are owned by DeadFred) home free. Anyone can copy photos to their hard drive for private use. We run DeadFred on donations and google ads. Volunteer/Associates Amanda Shertzer, Daniel Lawson, & Jeannette Balleza Collins help maintain the site while I do the scanning, correspondence and speak at genealogy societies meetings. Presently we are recruiting volunteers to help scan photos as we have over 14,000 in queue waiting to be scanned and posted to the Archive.

Our soul mission is to reunite ancestors’ photos with their families, we do not focus on profits which we have not had since we started. Although keeping enough in the piggy bank to ward off problems would be a welcome new event, DeadFred spreads awareness via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.”

Did you note the word donations? Scroll down on every page for the donate button. 

Who was Fred? https://deadfred.com/fred_05.php

DeadFred website https://deadfred.com/

MEET THE FREDS!
We had our quarterly get together at a local eatery in Fayetteville Arkansas. Coming up with mind bending great things for you in the future. Daniel our Digital & Design guru is on the left, Jeannette our Brilliant Scribe/PR /Person who keeps all of us front & center on his right, Amanda Our Cornerstone Code Poet, and Framer of Dead Fred’s original database Joe (aka Deadfred) Shaggy bearded guy behind Amanda. Just wanted to know who’s who on Fred. But last and not least there’s YOU who tell us how wonderful we are which causes us to go out to buy new bigger sized hats for our heads expanding. Thank you.

 

 

Register now for the 2022 Virtual Celtic Connections Conference!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  ,  Leave a comment

Summertime for me means The Celtic Connections Conference that is offered every two years. In 2022 I can learn virtually as I sit in my air-conditioned office. I am also doing one presentation.

The following paragraphs are from the CCC website. The Celtic Connections Conference (CCC) was founded in 2014 by The Irish Ancestral Research Association (TIARA) and the Irish Genealogical Society International (IGSI).  Held every two years, the conference brings together well-known international and domestic speakers who present on Irish, Scots-Irish, Scottish, and Welsh topics. 

The conference tracks:

  • Researching the Celtic Diaspora: Learn about the scattering of Celtic peoples across the globe
  • Emigration and Immigration Patterns: Explore where ancestors came from and where they went
  • Unique Research Resources: Look into distinctive and often overlooked resources
  • DNA: Identify new strategies for using DNA
  • Methodologies: Explore approaches to help you on your journey home
  • Case Studies:
    • Discover how to apply new developments and techniques in Irish genealogy

Register soon to take full advantage! http://www.celtic-connections.org/

 

 

1950 census indexing review progressing fast!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized    Leave a comment

This announcement from FamilySearch is three days old. I am catching up after spending most of the last couple of weeks working on the syllabus for two courses at GRIP. When I needed something else for my brain to do, I would do some of the reviewing in the 1950 census for places and surnames in Minnesota. I find this addicting and don’t know why! I suggest you do the same via FamilySearch and Ancestry. To participate on https://www.familysearch.org/ click on the 1950 census banner on the opening page or click on the Get Involved tab at the top.

 

New! Nevada is now published! Census records for 7 states are now available for searching on FamilySearch and Ancestry!

· Delaware

· Nevada—New!

· New Hampshire

· Rhode Island

· South Dakota

· Vermont

· Wyoming

New! You can now find and review families at the city or county level! Select the state, and then click on the option below the selected state to find families within a county or city. This also works with a specified surname, so finding specific families to review is easier than ever.

Indexed by computers, reviewed by people

 

States Available for Review:
All states other than those published are now available for review.
The following states are above 66% reviewed:

· Utah (87%)

· Idaho (73%)

· Arizona (69%)

· New Mexico (67%)

· Oregon (67%)

· Florida (67%)

“Review Families” is the most valuable task to complete for each state because of the grouping of households and detailed fields included. This task takes more time to complete but needs to be done prior to the publication of each state.

Completed States Pending Publication

· None

Overall Project Statistics:

· 148,296,584 fields reviewed

· 102,521 participating volunteers

 

Legacy Family Tree Webinars 50% savings New members

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized    2 Comments

Today through April 30th, New members are eligible to save 50% off the regular price for a one-year subscription to the Legacy Family Tree Webinars. What does this mean? The regular price is $49.95. It also means anytime access to the 1,762 webinars covering many topics, ethnic groups, states, provinces, and countries. It gives access to 6,496 syllabus pages. Members get access to the syllabus for each new webinar. Join today via my affiliate link to help support this blog. http://legacy.familytreewebinars.com/?aid=6984

 

MyHeritage offers free access to Australian and New Zeland records for a limited time.

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized    Leave a comment

From a press release received today. It’s a nudge to me to work on my connections to Australia and those are on both of my parents’ lines. 

“To make Anzac Day even more meaningful, MyHeritage is pleased to offer free access to our collections of 95 million records from Australia and New Zealand, between 20 April and 26 April 2022 (inclusive).

Search free Australian and New Zealand records on MyHeritage 

MyHeritage can help you discover and preserve the stories of your Australian and New Zealander relatives who fought for freedom, or any of your relatives from the region – so seize this excellent research opportunity when the records are free of charge.”

More details are on the MyHeritage Blog.