Are you ready for the 1950 census that appears in 2 weeks?

Paula Stuart-Warren  census    Leave a comment

April 1 is much better than just April Fools’ Day this year. The 1950 United States population census will be released free to the public by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) on a dedicated website. NARA’s 1950 census informational page listed first in the helpful websites below will post that link at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. For me in Minnesota, that means 11:01 p.m.  

It will be “helpfully” indexed via an artificial intelligence/optical character (AI/OCR) recognition tool that the National Archives will have for us on that day. Users can also contribute additional names and corrections to those that will appear if we see errors.

I have been listening to webinars, reading blogs, and checking social media for news, updates, and tips on accessing the 1950 census that day. Major genealogy websites will be adding the images to their websites. That won’t occur at 12:01 a.m. EDT, though. Then those websites will be actively indexing the census with employees and volunteers. Many genealogists did that for the 1940 census and it was fun and personally rewarding to be part of that.

I have studied addresses of various family members to hopefully be sure where everyone was located. City directories, previous censuses, memories, old telephone books, military records, and many other records we use in our family history research will aid in that address search. I used a photo of 21-month- old Paula Stuart to determine where my parents and I were living in 1950. It was just before my parents owned a house and the photo showed me still in our rented upstairs residence that month. Then I located that address on the East side of Saint Paul on an enumeration map. The enumeration maps show which area of a city, town, county, or other designated place is the area in which your people were living. The ED (enumeration district) is noted on the census pages and will help if the AI/OCR created index doesn’t yield a direct hit for you.

A selection of helpful links to help you learn more as you prepare for searching the 1950 census:

 

 

Mastering Genealogical Proof – Beginning Principles Class Series with Cyndi Ingle

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  Leave a comment

From a notification I received:

This will be a beginner/low-intermediate level class to study the book Mastering Genealogical Proof by Tom Jones. We will cover the principles outlined in the book as well as discuss the workbook questions.

  • There will be two sessions: Wednesday daytime at 3pm Eastern, and Wednesday evenings at 7pm Eastern (so adjust for your time zone), both being led by Cyndi Ingle (of Cyndi’s List). Beginning April 6 – May 25, 2022 (7 weeks, plus optional 8th week). Each class will be about an hour.
  • We will meet on Zoom.
  • You will need to have the book, Mastering Genealogical Proof. It can be purchased on Amazon or through the National Genealogical Society if you don’t already have it.
  • More details and how to register via Genealogy Pants

My updated Genealogy Speaking Calendar for 2022-2023

Paula Stuart-Warren  Webinars  Leave a comment

A couple days ago, someone asked why one of my upcoming webinars wasn’t on my speaking calendar and she wondered if I was still going to be doing it. I gave her a two-part response. 

  1. I was still scheduled to be doing that webinar.
  2. My general info that I send to organizations when they contact me about speaking says that neither of us will publicize an event until we have a contract signed by both sides. Now that two more organizations and I have signed my contracts, I can share that info. 

I just finished updating my speaking calendar for 2022 into 2023. All presentations are still being done virtually which means that most organizations offer it live to many who are not members of their organization. That is a benefit to us who continue our genealogical and historical education. I hope those who attend will seriously consider joining that organization or renewing their membership. At least send a donation to show your appreciation. That goes for organizations for which other speakers present, too. 

Summer 2022: still room in virtual genealogy courses at GRIP

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  Leave a comment

Some courses for the July 10-15, 2022 Virtual Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP) filled when registration opened in February. Others still have some openings including the one described below.

Each year, I coordinate the “Digging Deeper: Records, Tools, and Skills” course.  Cyndi Ingle, Debbie Mieszala, and Cari Taplin join me in this online course as instructors and consultants. We are busy preparing an extensive syllabus, class content, hands-on exercises, and some other tools. Let me know if you have any questions about the week. View the course details at https://www.gripitt.org/courses/digging_deeper/. As it says on the course page, 

  • Have you progressed past the beginning stages of researching your family history?
  • Maybe you have researched online but know there must be more elsewhere or that you have missed some online resources?
  • Do you need a stronger foundation before taking advanced or specialized courses?
  • Are you not yet comfortable with in-depth evaluation of documents and setting up research plans?

We teach about some specific records, how to find and use them, and the background details on how some came about. Tools and techniques for the “Digging Deeper” run through the week. Analysis of individual records is a big part of the Monday morning sessions and pertains to many of the week’s sessions. Then the students are broken into small online groups to work together on a project involving such analysis, research planning, and some research based on that. The virtual format of GRIP works well for this process. Your small group stays together at times during the week. On Thursday, each group reports on the analysis, planning, and research. The kicker? Each group operates based on the same document that is provided on Monday. It’s a sort of competition between groups to see which one does the best analysis and uses their best knowledge and methodology to find the best, surprising, shocking, or intriguing information on the individual or family related to the document. You will surprise yourself at what you do know and what you glean from working with others in your group.

We interact with the students all day, even at breaks and during the lunch hour. Bring your questions, ask them after each class, at breaks, or type them into the chat box. The chat box is also where students love to suggest additional records and websites for us all.  When one instructor is teaching, another may add something in the chat box for all to see. We have a tech support person assigned to us and I highly approve of this person. I don’t think the names of the support personnel have been released yet. This person keeps us on time, arranges for break-out groups, and lets us know what is going on in the chat box.

The course has an extra 45 minutes at the end of the day on Monday-Thursday to review and discuss student submitted genealogy problems. In early April, registrants in this course will receive an email describing how to submit one of their genealogy issues that needs some additional eyes and minds. The submitted issues are included in the syllabus. The other students and the consultant of the day review these before the day it is presented live. Then the consultants will provide tips, websites, record ideas, and other things to direct the student to finding answers. This time is also open for other students to suggest ideas. In past years, a way to solve an issue has come from other students, a consultant, and some people have recognized common ancestral families!

Go sign up today and join the hundreds of past students who have benefitted from this course. Please let others know about it. 

 

 

Railroad Maps, Minnesota and Beyond

Paula Stuart-Warren  Railroads    Leave a comment
 

 

Perusing maps has always been a favorite pastime of mine. The love of maps was definitely inherited from my Dad. When I was traveling a lot for my genealogy business, he would call me before I left, and with his maps on his desk, to learn about my route. One day I brought him my Hammond World Atlas to show him more maps. He tried to keep it. We eventually found him a newer copy at Half Price Books. I inherited that copy to replace mine that has pages falling out.

Then when I began researching and lecturing about railroads, records, and maps, my love of maps grew more addictive. One of my favorite railroad map guides is Rails to the North Star: A Minnesota Railroad Atlas. It was compiled by Richard S. Prosser with a foreward by Don L. Hofsommer. (Reprint edition is published by the University of Minnesota Press, 2007.) The guide is available in libraries, historical societies, bookstores, the U of M Press, and other online dealers. North Star? Minnesota is the North Star state, and this book has 283 pages, is indexed, has Minnesota railroad history, legal statutes, summary of railroad companies that operated in the states, and maps. Maps. Maps. Maps.

I immediately recognized Hofsommer as the author of many books and articles about a variety of railroads from Minnesota and beyond. Prosser’s name was new to me but I knew to have Hofsommer’s endorsement was big! I used this guide a few days ago to tell a colleague what railroads to look at for Blue Earth County, Minnesota as she traced the movements of her family.

Where else to look for railroad maps for your ancestral areas? These should get you started:

DNA Services and Police Access: The Legal Genealogist®

Paula Stuart-Warren  DNA, Ethics  , ,  Leave a comment

Last night I shared a blog link with several clients. I’m sharing it here in case my readers haven’t heard about this important blog post. I am one who will willingly share results if it would help solve a crime. 

Judy G. Russell, known as The Legal Genealogist®, writes an intriguing, educational, and timely blog. Her March 6th post was about “The dos and don’ts of DNA” and which services do and don’t allow police access to DNA results of our DNA tests. It covers the various companies and “the always-hot topic of the use of consumer genealogical DNA databases by law enforcement in criminal cases — known as investigative genetic genealogy or IGG for short.”

The link to her blog post: https://www.legalgenealogist.com

Last night I shared a blog link with several clients. I’m sharing it here in case my readers haven’t heard about this important blog post. I am one who will willingly share results if it would help solve a crime. 

Judy G. Russell, known as The Legal Genealogist®, writes an intriguing, educational, and timely blog. Her March 6th post was about “The dos and don’ts of DNA” and which services do and don’t allow police access to DNA results of our DNA tests. It covers the various companies and “the always-hot topic of the use of consumer genealogical DNA databases by law enforcement in criminal cases — known as investigative genetic genealogy or IGG for short.”

The link to her blog post: https://www.legalgenealogist.com

Last night I shared a blog link with several clients. I’m sharing it here in case my readers haven’t heard about this important blog post. I am one who will willingly share results if it would help solve a crime. 

Judy G. Russell, known as The Legal Genealogist®, writes an intriguing, educational, and timely blog. Her March 6th post was about “The dos and don’ts of DNA” and which services do and don’t allow police access to DNA results of our DNA tests. It covers the various companies and “the always-hot topic of the use of consumer genealogical DNA databases by law enforcement in criminal cases — known as investigative genetic genealogy or IGG for short.”

The link to her blog post: https://www.legalgenealogist.com

40 years a member of the Minnesota Genealogical Society

Paula Stuart-Warren  Minnesota Genealogical Society    4 Comments

It was the winter of 1982. The College of St. Thomas, several blocks from our house, offered an adult education course in genealogy. I had dabbled a bit before then and knew there was more to this hobby. It was one of the best things I ever did! Jim Kellen, a librarian at St. Thomas taught the course. He stressed good research, citing sources, reading more, and shared about a multitude of places to find information. He also gave us a brochure about the Minnesota Genealogical Society (MGS) and strongly suggested we join. I joined that March.

That was 40 years ago, and I am still a member. Others have been members for more years. I am proud of my membership, what I have learned, what I have done as an MGS volunteer, and most of all, the friends I have gained.

For more about the late Jim Kellen, his incredible life journey, and more: https://www.pipestonestar.com/articles/james-kellen/

For more about the Minnesota Genealogical Society: https://mngs.org/

RootsMagic special sales for RootsTech

Paula Stuart-Warren  RootsMagic, RootsTech    Leave a comment

I have been using RootsMagic for several years. I love the response from the team there when questions arise. As with any program, it takes a bit to become acquainted with it. I use it for much of my client work and so does my main subcontractor. I have been faithfully entering my own family to it and it is so nice to quickly check something when a relative asks a question or I am researching the ancestors. A press release today shared details of the RootsMagic special pricing during and after RootsTech. 

“we’re pleased to offer RootsTech attendees a special discount. Save up to 37% on our software including Personal Historian 3, Family Atlas, and the NEW RootsMagic 8!

Through March 19, 2022, use the code ROOTSTECH to receive your discount. There is no limit on the number of discounted copies you can buy during this limited-time offer.”

Why are you waiting? Once it’s purchased look for the videos on YouTube, help on the RM website, and the great group on Facebook. 

 

MyHeritage news for RootsTech week

Paula Stuart-Warren  MyHeritage, RootsTech  Leave a comment

I have resisted the first new item. I’ve been working a lot of hours the last couple of weeks with the proverbial nose to the grindstone. Maybe next week will have some time for checking the 269 million family tree profile records from Filae to MyHeritage. My French roots via my French-Candians are making my fingers itch to check. If you have French roots, you will almost certainly find some family members in this collection. 

The other item is that through March 8, 2022, people who have taken a DNA test with other services will be able to upload their DNA to MyHeritage and enjoy all their advanced DNA features for free.

For full details check the MyHeritage Blog.

If you don’t know about the 2022 virtual RootsTech Conference that’s taking place now, go visit the website. The sessions are free!

 

 

Genealogists, are you writing your own memories?

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized    1 Comment

As a family historian, I keep reminding myself to write my own memories. Minnesota winters mean backyard ice skating rinks. My childhood home in Saint Paul had a large backyard and that ¼ of an acre corner lot provided plenty of room for such a skating rink. I vividly remember my Dad going outside in the dark and cold to use the hose to give us a nice sheet of ice. We’d watch him through the dining area windows. He also used an oscillating sprinkler to keep “watering” the rink in the night. He did much of the shoveling after snowfalls, but my sisters and I did, too. We had nice snowbanks into which we could fall.

I remember sitting in our kitchen lacing up my beautiful white figure skates and then carefully going down the back steps to skate like an Olympian. OK, that last part is totally a lie. I did my share of falling on my butt. It was painful to see scuff marks on the white skates. We didn’t play hockey as far as I can remember. The rink also provided a place for neighbor kids to skate. I regret that I have no pictures of the rink or of us skating. My Mom was not a great picture taker.

Today the owners of that home have a large two-car garage and a house extension on the property. No more room for our giant skating rink.