ArchiveGrid has a new URL to bookmark!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  , ,  Leave a comment

My favorite website for searching manuscript collections has a new address (URL). ArchiveGrid carries descriptions of more than 4 million manuscript collections. These include personal letters, diaries, journals, farm records, membership records from organizations, church records, family history records, prison records, insane asylums records, poor farms listings, and other items that assist in our family history research.

These records are held by state and local archives, state and local historical societies, public libraries, university libraries, museums, and other institutions mainly located in the United States. ArchiveGrid tells where the collection is held and often links to more detailed finding aids on the institution’s website.

To learn more on the background and sources of the descriptions, check here.

Change your bookmarks, lecture handouts, or your list of favorite websites to reflect the URL change: https://researchworks.oclc.org/archivegrid/

Only 18 more days till registration for excellent summer in-person genealogy education!

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February 5, 2020. My calendar is marked. See my earlier blog post about registration for the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh three weeks of education for genealogists. Choose 1 course or choose a course for each of the three weeks. I will be there the third week teaching and consulting in Digging Deeper: Records, Tools, and Skills.

The Federation of Genealogical Societies and the National Park Service announce the launch of the U.S.-Mexican War Soldier & Sailor database.

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  , , ,  6 Comments


A wonderful press release received today!

January 14, 2020

The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) and the National Park Service’s Palo
Alto Battlefield National Historical Park (NPS) announce the launch of the U.S.-Mexican
War Soldier & Sailor database.

This online, searchable database contains information for over 85,000 U.S. and
Mexican veterans who served in this war. Many records include personal details, such
as hair color and occupation.

The database allows descendants of these soldiers and sailors to connect to their
personal history and helps Palo Alto commemorate and tell the stories of those who
served. This invaluable research tool benefits genealogists, historians, as well as
people who may have never known they are related to a U.S.-Mexican War veteran.
This project started in 2007. Progress was extremely slow until 2015, when FGS joined
forces with the NPS. FGS offered their expertise and numerous volunteers.

Patricia Rand, the FGS contact, recruited and trained volunteers who spent over 17,000
hours doing the tedious task of inputting data. Their dedication makes it possible for
future generations to learn about those who served in the U.S.-Mexican War..

Join us for the virtual launch of the U.S.-Mexican War Soldier & Sailor Database on
Monday, January 27 at 3 pm Central. You can join us in-person at the Palo Alto Visitor
Center or live from your computer. Check the Palo Alto website or Facebook for details
about the livestream connection.

About the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS)
The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) was founded in 1976 and empowers
the genealogical and family history community, especially its societies and
organizations, by advocating for the preservation and access of records and providing
resources that enable genealogical organizations to succeed in pursuing their missions.
FGS helps genealogical societies and family history enthusiasts alike to strengthen and
grow through online resources, FGS FORUM magazine, and through its annual national
conference which provides four days of excellent learning opportunities for both
societies and family history enthusiasts. FGS launched the Preserve the Pensions
project in 2010 to raise more than $3 million to digitize and make freely available the
pension files from the War of 1812. Fundraising was completed for that project in 2016
and the digitization continues. FGS was also the driving force behind the Civil War
Soldiers and Sailors project alongside the National Parks Service. To learn more visit
fgs.org.

Black Friday in the genealogy world has sales!

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I’m not going to list all the DNA and subscription sales that are going on this weekend, but I do urge you to check the websites of each company to see all the offers. I took advantage of some and hope my family and friends will do the same. The more DNA testing, the more we find cousins and can fill in the missing pieces on our family trees. Many of the companies have banners on their websites that tell of the offers. Others are found on Facebook, Twitter, etc. You could take care of many of those names on your holiday gift lists by purchasing DNA kits at the great prices.

Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh: Donn Devine Scholarship

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  , ,  2 Comments

I’m excited to share this news.’ If you never met Donn, you missed in-depth discussions on many topics related to genealogy, history, and records. If you ever had the pleasure of such discussions. you’ll know that it’s not easy to briefly describe our colleague. The Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP) announced the Donn Devine, JD, CG Emeritus, FNGS, Scholarship which will enable one applicant who has never been to GRIP to attend with full tuition and on-campus housing in a shared room.

This scholarship will enable one applicant who has never been to GRIP to attend with a full scholarship of tuition and on-campus housing in a shared room (total value $825). Application deadline is January 1, 2020 with the winner notified by February 1. For full details on the application process, visit the GRIP website.

A little hint: I would love to see the scholarship winner in the course I coordinate, Digging Deeper: Records, Tools, and Skills, which takes place 19-24 July 2020. Of course, the other 19 courses are also fantastic.

Native American genealogy webinar now online for free (6 more days)

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  , , ,  4 Comments

The webinar I presented on November 19th is now available for everyone for free. After the next 6 days, you will need a Legacy Family Tree Webinars subscription to view this webinar. The recording of the webinar “Native American Research: Things You May Not Know” was sponsored by the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG).

Click here to view the webinar and to access the eight page handout. Don’t have time to view it now? Join Legacy Family Tree webinars for access to this and more than 1000 other classes. Join now for only $49.95 for a full year.

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Free webinar Nov 19: “Native American Research: Things You May Not Know”

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  , ,  2 Comments

BCG Free Webinar – Tuesday, November 19th, 2019 at 8 pm EST
“Native American Research: Things You May Not Know”
by Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA

November is Native American Heritage Month and what better time to delve into Native American research? Learn about records, libraries, archives, websites, and databases, and analyzing what you find. Be prepared for some surprises on where you might find more about this amazing heritage.
 
The Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) in conjunction with Legacy Family Tree will present “Native American Research: Things You May Not Know,” by Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA, live and free to the public, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, November 19, 2019. In order to accommodate those who might have schedule conflicts, the webinar may be accessed at no charge for one week after the broadcast. It will remain available to subscribers on our partner website Legacy Family Tree Webinars (https://familytreewebinars.com).
 
Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA, is an internationally recognized genealogical educator, researcher and consultant focusing on unusual resources, manuscripts, methodology, and analyzing records. She also specializes in railroad records and Native American research. She is a course coordinator and instructor for the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh and was an instructor for Ancestry Academy. Her lecturing experience includes the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) and National Genealogical Society (NGS) conferences, and seminars in many states and Canada. She served on the Board of Directors of FGS and the Minnesota Genealogical Society (MGS), as an officer of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), and President of the Northland Chapter of APG. She initiated the MGS education committee and classes and was one of the founding members of the MGS Library. She co-chaired the FGS 2001, 2011, and 2013 conferences. Her ancestors came to the U.S. from eight ancestral countries and that led to research from many states and countries. Her articles have appeared in FGS FORUM, NGS Magazine, Family Tree Magazine, New England Ancestors, Minnesota Genealogist, and she currently has her own educational website and blog at https://genealogybypaula.com.
 
“The Board for Certification of Genealogists offers monthly webinars on an array of subjects in support of its mission to promote standards and ethics among all who practice genealogy, not just those who are seeking certification,” said President LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG, CGL. “These webinars provide an opportunity for certified associates to participate in advancing the Board’s goals by presenting quality educational experiences to the entire genealogical community.” 

Register for “Native American Research: Things You May Not Know,” by Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA, before November 19, 2019. BCG receives a commission if you register by clicking our affiliate link: http://legacy.familytreewebinars.com/?aid=2619. To see and register for the full list of BCG-sponsored webinars for 2019, visit the BCG blog SpringBoard at https://bcgcertification.org/bcg-webinars-2019/.

Nov. 16 class at the MN Genealogy Center on tracing poorer ancestors

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When: Saturday, November 16 10:00 am to 11:30 am

Where: at the Minnesota Genealogy Center, 1385 Mendota Heights Road, Suite 100, Mendota Heights, MN; Class hosted by the Minnesota Genealogical Society

What: Though They Were Poor, They May Have Been Rich in Records
Records related to poor ancestors or with temporary problems exist all over the Midwest. Record details include place of origin, birth date, religion, residence, infirmity, death dates, burial, and family members. Learn about the institutions, records, where they may be found, and how to deal with the emotions that they may produce.

The Presenter: That would be me! Paula Stuart-Warren conducts genealogical and historical research, lecturing, and coaching in U. S. research. Her specialties include: unusual records, analysis, research planning, problem solving, manuscript and archival repositories, railroads, and Native American research. She has experience as an instructor for SLIG and GRIP, and is a former board member of APG, MGS, FGS.

Cost: $25 MGS members, $30 nonmembers. Please preregister to ensure you will get a handout. To learn more and register, click here to see the lineup of events and scroll down to November 16th. Or go directly to the registration page.

Indigenous Peoples Day is an appropriate title for this federal “holiday”

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  , ,  2 Comments

Today’s blog post is pretty much a soapbox post.

Today is Indigenous Peoples Day in Minnesota. As a Minnesota resident, I am proud to say that. In 2016, then Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton issued a proclamation for Indigenous Peoples Day. Many localities and some states have replaced the Columbus Day “holiday” with Indigenous Peoples Day. It’s time for more to do this.

In my school years, I learned all about Columbus and his discovery. What I didn’t learn was what happened to the Native Americans in the land he supposedly discovered. Columbus, and those who accompanied him, committed many atrocities against the people already living on the land. As Europeans sought to escape religious persecution, military battles, poverty, and to discover all the land of gold supposedly promised, they often persecuted those already living in what was to become the United States.

One of the best places to accomplish research on Indigenous Peoples in the U.S. is in the records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. A plethora of older records of the BIA have been transferred to the U.S. National Archives (NARA). What does the National Archives call this day? It still uses the federal government term of Columbus Day. It’s regarded as a federal holiday and the Archives locations are closed for the day. Even those who wish to honor their ancestors on Indigenous Peoples Day can’t visit in person read the records about their ancestors. The BIA records that are digitized, indexed, or microfilmed represent a very small percentage of the older records making an in-person visit necessary. The BIA records are in various NARA locations. Visit the NARA website and do some searching using various terminology. The BIA records are mostly written by white men (and some women) and often tell sad stories of how the Native Americans were treated. Getting rid of Columbus Day would be one small bit of reparation.

National Public Radio covered the true importance of today. Ironically, the District of Columbia where NARA is based, has declared today Indigenous Peoples Day! I love one statement in the NPR article: ” For many Italian Americans, Columbus Day isn’t just about the man but about what the day represents: a people searching for safety and acceptance in their new home.” No one is saying Italian American should be neglected. All people should find safety and acceptance. Commit crimes against people and that is a whole other issue. Doesn’t all this make you think about our world today and the discussions of immigrants who wish to live in this land?

An excellent website for furthering your education about the needed change in the older holiday designation for today is the Zinn Education Project. I learned about this in one of my news feeds for today.

U.S. National Archives 7th Annual Genealogy Fair Online

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  1 Comment

Just in you have missed this announcement from the U.S National Archives:

WHAT:  The National Archives will host our seventh annual live, virtual Genealogy Fair via webcast on our YouTube channel.  Participate in our biggest genealogy event of the year, with “how-to” family research guidance for all skill levels! For the session descriptions, videos, and handouts, and participation instructions, visit the Virtual Genealogy Fair online.  

WHEN:  Wednesday, October 23, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. EDT

  • 10 a.m. Welcome by Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero
  • 10:05 a.m. Exploring History Hub for Genealogists and Researchers
  • 11 a.m. Preserving Personal Collections
  • 12 p.m. Immigrant Records: More Than Just Ship Passenger Arrival Lists
  • 1 p.m. Using National Archives Records to Research World War I Naval and Marine Corps Records for Genealogical Research
  • 2 p.m. Discovering and Researching Bureau of Indian Affairs School Records
  • 3 p.m. The Homestead Act: Land Records of Your Ancestors
  • 4 p.m. Closing by Executive for Research Services Ann Cummings                                     

WHO:  Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero, Executive for Research Services Ann Cummings, and government records experts, including those from National Archives’ facilities nationwide.

WHERE:  Anywhere!  Participate during the Fair while it is live streamed on the US National Archives’ YouTube channel. 

HOW:  Visit the Virtual Genealogy Fair web page or follow live on YouTube. Participants can watch individual sessions, download materials, ask questions, and interact with presenters and other family historians. No need to register – just click and view!  Session videos and handouts will remain available after the event. 

Captioning:  Live captioning will be available online with StreamText. If you require an alternative or additional accommodations for the event, please email KYR@nara.gov or call 202-357-5260 by October 15.

Background:  The National Archives holds the permanently valuable records of the Federal government. These include records of interest to genealogists, such as pension files, ship passenger lists, census, and Freedmen’s Bureau materials. See “Resources for Genealogists” online.

Follow the National Archives on Twitter @USNatArchives and join the Genealogy Fair conversation using #genfair2019.