Next Friday's Class (Last Half)

FamilySearch.org is a nonprofit, (no subscription needed), website.  It is associated with the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.  

This website will be the topic of the last half of our class next Friday.  You can get ahead in the discussion if you go ahead and get a free account.  Feel free to explore some of the different sections (menu items on navigation bar) or search for some of your ancestors.

Don't be fearful, there is help galore.  Check out YouTube.com and Amazon Books.

 



 

Family History is so much more than genealogical research

Family History is an umbrella. 

Many types of information fall under that umbrella.  

Researching the genealogy (names, dates, and places) is certainly the foundation of our research.  However, stories, photographs, relics, and family traditions also increase our knowledge.  

We each have a unique view of our own personal history and of our family history.  This is the reason that my brother might remember a particular story differently than my sister and I remember it.  

When a detective looks for an eye witness, does he just look for one person's account or is he interested in what several witnesses might have seen?  The more information that can be gathered, the better the anaysis will be.  The more light you put on the subject, the more that details will show up.

We have to share our stories and compare our accounts with others' accounts.  A beautiful flower is seen in a photo.  Who is holding the flower?  What was the occasion?  The more we look and listen and ask questions--these are the things that sometimes reveal a slice of history in its clearest light.  Here are some links that will further this theme more deeply.

• https://www.nypl.org/blog/2015/02/09/reasons-to-write-your-family-history

•  https://seattle.bibliocommons.com/item/show/2545601030_you_can_write_your_family_history

 
 

Gather, Find, Prove

First Day of Class “Family History on the Internet”: Discussions for Friday 

1. Handouts: I will e-mail you copies of any handouts that I make up. I will also post it on my website. If you don't have a printer and still want a paper copy of something, I suggest you put the document on a flash drive and take it to Office Depot or Kinko's; you can even send them the docs via the Internet and then go pick them up.

2. Jon Shepherd will be helping me this session with the class. I've asked him to share his experiences with you as an Ancestry.com user, his insights on Findagrave.com, and more. I will be focusing on FamilySearch.org, strategies of researching on the Internet, and sharing some insight into learning the skills of research. Or not! You are the stars of this search and where you need help and ideas, we will strive to address some of those concerns. We sure can't do everything in 8 weeks, but maybe we can hit some of the things that will help you with finding your family either on the Internet or we can use the Internet to tell us where to look.

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Some of the elements of researching that we will discuss in class will have to do not only with gathering the information about your family, but also analyzing the evidence and evaluating the various documents or other types of proof.

Here is a document.  Tell me what you learn from this "clue":  

 Is it just as important for you to cite your internet sources as it is a source a book?  What is the best way to do that?  How can you keep up with all the records you find when you are using the Internet as a tool.  First, gather these finds.  Put them in a notekeeper like Evernote, OneNote, etc.  You can also use Pinterest to save images!  Make a family group on Facebook and share your finds with your relatives.  

After the finding- gathering phase, you will want to compare the information in the document with what you already know about your relative.  Don't immediately assume that a similarity in name or place makes it your guy.  We will go into more detail later on, but building a profile for your ancestor is rarely a one step process.

Various links on the Internet will help with obtaining the proper tools for your search.  Order a "Quick Sheet" for citing sources from Ancestry.com's Database and Images.  Create a research log and always capture the sources, one a time...before you go on to the next "find".  

• www.genealogical.com specializes in making such tools available.  Key Person in "Evidence" is Elizabeth Shown Mills.  Google her name and see what I mean.
• Building a Solid Case for your research on a someone's profile calls for a Genealogical Proof Standard.  The author is Christine Rose for one such book. 
   
• My goal as a teacher this session is to help you see more clearly that which you are detecting.  You may have to utilize a magnifying glass both literally and figuratively to see everything a piece of evidence has to "say".  Shining a bright light on a dark closet will make those corners yield up their secrets.  What detective rules will you follow?

• FamilySearch.org=Free Records
• FamilySearch Tree- Plant your tree one person at a time.
• FamilySearch Wiki- Knowledge Base (Kind of like wikipedia, but for genealogy)
• FamilySearch Apps- Have a little fun.
• FamilySearch Memories- Stories, photos, documents (Share)

 Please get a FamilySearch Account today.

 

Introduction The Genealogy Do Over

Give this a try or at least hear him out!  I've been mulling over starting this program for several months and now, I'm finally going to start putting it into some serious planning stuff.  Thomas makes it easy:  You can pick and choose the parts of the program that you feel like you need OR will benefit from...my guess is that I may take that tack, but end up going back to the first and doing it over with even more gusto!

"Frozen" Mashup + Backwards Piano - The Piano Gal | Sara Arkell & Jason ...

Do you think their ancestors were musical?

What is Your Vision for Family History on the Internet?

 Merry Christmas, Folks! 

I am looking forward to the new Center for Lifelong Learning Session in January.

My vision and goals for the new class (Center for Lifelong Learning), or rather the new session beginning in January 2017, is touched upon in this recent exercise I set out.  

Access it and tell me what you need from the Class experience.

 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OCdAvDmDa5lO4bzI-xAI-wlJmb8zAxM78X7keCwPdkY/pub

Genealogy's Star: Jumpstart Your Family History in Ten Steps: Step Two -- Learn about your family

Genealogy's Star: Jumpstart Your Family History in Ten Steps: Step Two -- Learn about your family

Is this little fellow climbing his family tree? 

Everywhere I turn these days are articles about family stories and learning more about our families, not just in terms of facts, dates, etc., but also in terms of narrative lingo.  Is this writer's composition along those lines or is it closer to "Back to Basics"?  Read and let me know what you think!

Of course, this link takes you to "Step Two"...you'll have to do some backtracking to get "Step One", as well as watch for future "steps" to get the full flavor of his article. 

University of Florida's George Smather's Library is Repository for Newspapers

Not sure if this is true of other states and other universities, but the University of Florida (Go Gators!) is the official repository for old newspapers in the State of Florida and I would assume that they have a digitization program since I was able to find this as a source through the Florida Archives Site.  

http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00005144/00001?search=walton+=county

Certainly, that doesn't mean you won't find copies of the Walton Breeze or other newspapers in other repositories; it has been my experience that old newspapers are found in various places.  

Margaret and Her Children 2011 (December)

"Digging for lost ancestors is far more than simply collecting the names of your ascendants...You don't dig merely to accumulate a lot of dry bones, as it were; or to change the metaphor, you simply cannot back-trail your progenitors without becoming interested in the times in which they lived and in the various phases of their lives and activities."  (Searching for Your Ancestors, Gilbert H. Doane & James B. Bell.)

It's Still October...Let's Go to the Fair!

National Archives Virtual Genealogy Fair 2016  

https://www.archives.gov/calendar/genealogy-fair/2016/schedule-handouts   

On October 26 & 27, 2016 (Wednesday & Thursday), the National Archives is hosting a two-day, virtual Genealogy Fair via webcast. Viewers have the opportunity to participate with the presenters and other family historians during the live event on YouTube. All of the session videos and handouts will be available from this web page free of charge. You can watch the sessions and download the materials at your convenience. The videos and materials will remain available after the event. Registration is not required.

If you are falling asleep thinking about your family tree, then perhaps what you need is a treat or two!  Open your eyes wide and accept the following as my Halloween treat "bag" for you:

• FamilySearch Published Collection "List"

• Explore Billions of Records

• Updates on Record Collections at FamilySearch are published periodically on the FamilySearch Blog.

• Marriage Vital Record Index Collections:  On this, you should definitely read the small print and then, scroll down to the alphabetical list of links.  Makes you wonder...what else can you find in the FamilySearch Wiki?

• Family Records Submitted by Regular Folks:  Who are you looking for?

Well, there you have it!  Enough to keep you busy through Halloween, maybe!  Remember, if you are giving out candy, turn your porch light on.  I hope I've turned the porch light on for you, today!

Ever wonder about those ancestors who traveled to America and settled here?  Here's a link that will help you out: https://familysearch.org/blog/en/5-online-resources-find-immigrant-ancestors/

Finding Original Documents Online

Copies or photographs of originals are what you need for your ancestor hunt.  Here is an example of a marriage record.  Be aware that records will vary from place to place.  Some contain only the basics, others have the name of the father and mother of the groom and the bride and other details.

As you see, some marriage records like this one, appear on a page with other records!  How do you know when you have found your ancestor/relative?  What source material or information do you need to cite the source?  Why is it important to source the records.












Another Example of Marriage Record:

A marriage record is generated at the time of the event (or thereabouts) and in the lifetime of the primary actors.  This is as good as it gets.

Free Genealogy Book Search at Genealogy Gophers!

Free Genealogy Book Search

Here's a little goodie to get you through the weekend.  Tracing ancestors earlier than the 1800's can be a little difficult, at times.  Why not see if they are mentioned in a book, somewhere?!!

 

USGS Historical Topographic Map Explorer

 USGS Historical Topographic Map Explorer

We have talked in class, about organization of our family history.  Maps/locations/places are a key element in understanding how our ancestors lived.  Why not organize your "favorties" or "bookmarks" function to reflect various key places, not just in the here and now, but historically, as well?

Note-taking is another way to organize.  I use Evernote 
and it's so exciting to be able to really flesh out the links that help me to identify my family members "way back".  Of course there are several other options available for keeping up with your discoveries; this is just the one that I am familiar with.  See if you can find a way to keep up with the treasures you find online.  This one of course will be filed in my Evernote Program under a notebook called Finding the Place! 

 

One of two posts on Organizing Your Family History

Please click on this link to view a short presentation:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ro-btC_0fVajJtmQ5IYp3B936j7nnfNULJ47lQO7yoo/edit?usp=sharing

Organizing Your Genealogy and More!

First, I want to thank Val Moreland for all the links she sends me via her Facebook Page. Well, I'm talking about the genealogical links. The recipe links and "How-To" links are also interesting, but I never grow tired of finding out what she has posted for the genealogy world.

This week, she posted Legacy Family Tree (https://www.facebook.com/events/1628576544101589/); this is a live event to be broadcast on October 29th, questions and answers sessions about DNA. A Genetic Genealogist, Mr. Woodbury, will answer the questions. Take a look, also, aat the other events hosted by Legacy Family Tree: http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/

Thanks, also to Val for this link: "International List Causes of Death, Revision 5 (1938)." (http://www.wolfbane.com/icd/icd5h.htm).  How does a death list like this expand our view of our ancestor's lives?

This week's class is about Organizing Your Genealogy.  

Who needs Halloween when you can just step through the doors of my home?  Seriously, the week before I contracted pneumonia I was going through my collection of old books, hoping to cull some of them from the ones I would pack for my upcoming move!  My father, who was born in 1913, had passed down to me some of these "Old Books"; not only were they dusty---they might have been a little moldy, too!  One was a textbook that he used in school, another had belonged to his stepfather, Floyd Hall, born 1879.

I have members of my family tree strung from one end of the house to the other...sometimes it's a photo, other times it's a book.  Often it is a newspaper clipping, a pedigree chart, a copy of a death certificate or other item.  I need organization for my paper files.  

Attending seminars is one way to  find out more about curing this sickness I have, the curse of dragging my ancestors around with me from place to place in one form or another.  What a relief it is when I actually get a document scanned or take a photograph of some relic from the past.  Then, I just have to worry about how and where to file it.  I often e-mail it to a child of mine.  I have six children and I take turns passing things along among them.  The burden of family history---what would I be without it?!!  Perhaps, I live in a haunted house, these days, but digital preservation gives me a little bit of peace.  I use flash drives, cd's, the hard drive of my computer, and the "cloud".  Not just one cloud, but several.  My files and photos, my scans and databases are at Dropbox, Amazon, Mozy, and other types of clouds like OneNote, Evernote, "One Drive", Google Drive, etc.  No wonder the owl in the Halloween Tree is asking, "Who, Whooo, Who?"  No wonder ghosts are wandering and unhappy...I have my ancestors spread all over the place!

Slide Presentation for the next class

30 September, 2016 Class Topic and Presentation/Go to Link:

Family History on the Internet N' Oranges Grow in Florida

Miles' Genealogy Tips: The US Census - Beyond the Names - Mapping Your Ancestors

Miles' Genealogy Tips: The US Census - Beyond the Names - Mapping Your Ancestors:

Blogs like this (are there any like this one?!) are fascinating to me as I have a yearning to know more about my ancestors.  I think, however, that I failed geography!  Maybe I can pick up a few cues or focus in one or two of Miles' ideas and push the envelope for my family stories. 

Center for LIfelog Learning is educational and fun!

I am looking forward to the new session starting up this week (Friday, for me), for the Center for Lifelong Learning.  

Over the years, I have met new friends, attended classes like "The Bible as Literature", "Balance and Strength", and "World Decisions".   The classes are held at a variety of places, but many of them happen at the Fort Walton Beach campus for Northwest Florida State College and the University of West Florida.  

I enjoy eating lunch on Fridays at the little Campus Cafe.  We try to get as many scrunched up to the table as we can; of course, there are other options for lunch, too.  You can bring your own or get take-out from the Campus Cafe or other places and enjoy a weekly presentation from a member of the community that has something interesting to share!

I guess what I really want to say is that I enjoy the mental stimulation and the comraderie at the CLL.  I am teaching Family History on the Internet; registration is closed, now, but if you are looking for something to do in January of 2017, consider the Center for Lifelong Learning!

EPOCH Preserving Obituaries

Yesterday's meeting of the Genealogical Society of Okaloosa County was really super.  The librarian from Washington County, Florida came over with her assistant and clued us in about the EPOCH website and program.  Participation is free.  From the website:

 EPOCH is a depository of information that will be held for future generations of researchers and genealogists. Family and friends of the deceased can submit detailed obituaries as a tribute to their loved ones, and in doing so help build a meaningful history of the residents of the community.

 

 

When checking the census for your relatives, don't forget to check to see if there are state census records (as well as the federal census records).  For example, here is a screenshot of the 1945 State of Florida Census for a portion of Crestview.  My kinfolk, the Settles family, are listed here as the "Suttles".  That spelling is not unusual and I see it quite often when I'm researching.

Thankfully, when you are using FamilySearch.org, your input for the search may be "SETTLES", but the default search engine at that web site will pick up other names that "sound like" the original query.