A link to more on this literary charade

http://www.parlezmoipress.com/mermaid/parlezmoiblog.html

A comment on the fabricated holocaust story from a Belgium nationalist descendant

A colleague of mine, Barbara Mathews from Massachusetts granted me permission to post the following comment. She had posted this on a online discussion list and I thought it was an excellent follow-up to the revelations in this morning's Boston Globe story. Barbara is a descendant of a Belgium nationalist family. Thank you for this insiteful posting and for sharing it.

"This story really hit home for me. My father's uncle Charles Pons [Dad's name was Charles Pons Mathews] was killed as a nationalist by the Nazis in Belgium, as was Misha's father. My father's cousin Marcel survived a concentration camp. Both met their fates because of nationalism. But the rest of the family survived. Aunt Julia and little Albert were never arrested.This makes my family's experience completely different from that of Jewish families. All members of Jewish families died. All of them. That's what makes it genocide and not war.I am not happy that Misha takes the experience of a nationalist family and abuses the holocaust experience of the Jews to give herself credibility or sympathy or whatever. It makes me angry. And I'm saying that as a person whose Belgium family had an experience in World War II similar to that of Misha's family. That's no way to bear witness to the holocaust. Misha's actions are an abuse.Had to get that off my chest. Please don't think that all Belgium nationalist families would react the way Misha did. She shames us."

Fellow genealogist uncovers the truth about a holocaust story

Early this morning I received an email from a friend, Sharon Sergeant, who lives in Massachusetts. I met Sharon eight years ago at an NGS conference in Providence, Rhode Island, through her cousin, my friend Eileen Polakoff, who lives in Manhattan. Both are fellow professional genealogists. Sharon always seems to be working on interesting projects. She sent a link to today's Boston Globe. This articles tells about Sharon uncovering the evidence that shows an author's published memoir of the holocaust and the aftermath was not exactly true.

http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2008/02/29/author_admits_making_up_memoir_of_surviving_holocaust/

The Confucious Family Tree Numbers Two Milllion!

United Press International is reporting that Confucious has a rather large family tree. As of the end of 2007 there were two million people registered. The report says that the tree will be published in 2009. Some questions sprang to mind -- how extensive was the proof that each new registrant had to provide and did it include supporting documentation? That leads to one more question, are the sources cited?

80,000 of the descendants are in South Korea according to another report and others are in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Switzerland, and the United States.

I am thinking about doing all the data entry for them into The Master Genealogist. Talk about carpal tunnel . . .

Politics and genes

It seems as if politics is everywhere these days. Now, comes a CNN report "Are Your Politics Rooted in Your Genes?" Basically, some political scientists are rethinking that your politcal party affiliation strongly reflects how you were raised. Though there isn't a gene that produces a Democrat, Independent, or Republican, the genes you possess determine how you think. They may even control whether you vote or not. Of course, there is controversy over the issue. For the full story and lots of reader comments check here.

My thanks to fellow Minnesota genealogist, Sue Crowley for sending me the link.

State censuses on Ancestry.com

Ancestry.com now has Missouri state censuses online. While not as numerous as some other state's censuses, these are still helpful. Among the other state censuses on Ancestry are Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Kansas. For the story about Missouri check here.

County Idiosyncracies

One of the first things I learned many years ago as a fledgling genealogist was to watch for changing county boundaries and names. In fact, my copy of Dollarhide and Thorndale's Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses 1790-1920 (Out of print but widely available in libraries) is showing wear from being consulted repeatedly.

Even today we have some geographical obstacles in genealogical research. Names of countries around the world have changed -- your old childhood globe is definitely out of date. County seats for some counties have been located in various cities and towns over the years. Some counties have had two county seats/courthouses at the same time. Until 1963, Lawrence County, Arkansas had two county seats, Powhatan and Walnut Ridge. Lee County, Iowa has two county seats, Fort Madison and Keokuk.

The Minneapolis StarTribune recently carried a story about towns that even today are in two counties and are working on being attached to only one county. It's not just confusing to genealogists, but adds work for the county and city officials.

Learning the history of the people and the government of U.S. counties is vital to our searches.

Upcoming Appearances

I am frequently on the road speaking at genealogy events. I will periodically post the dates and the links so you can find more details. My columns for Ancestry.com carry the invitation to introduce yourselves to me at these events. Please do that and let me know if you are a reader of my blog.

If your historical, genealogical or other type of group is interest in my lecture services, just e-mail me at PaulaStuartWarren@gmail.com.

2008
February 23 So. St. Paul MN, Minnesota Genealogical Society: How to Research American Indian Ancestors. Details

April 12, St. Louis, MO: St. Louis Genealogical Society, Annual Family History Fair Details

April 18-19, Cincinnati, OH: Ohio Genealogical Society Annual Conference Details

May 14-17, Kansas City, MO: National Genealogical Society Conference in the States Details

May 30-31, Chicago, IL: Newberry Library Seminar. Details available soon.

September 3-6, Phildadelphia, PA: Federation of Genealogical Societies Annual Conference Details. More details coming throughout February.

September 13, Tampa, FL: Florida Genealogical Society Seminar. Details to appear soon.

September 19-20, St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Genealogical Society Annual Seminar. Details to appear soon.

October 25-November 1: The Atlantic Ocean; Genealogy Seminar at Sea upon a glorious cruise ship. Details

November 8: San Mateo, CA: Genealogy Seminar. Details to appear soon

Late next fall join me on a CRUISE

Well, me and a lot of other people. And a whole cadre of excellent genealogy lecturers. The Genealogy Seminar at Sea takes place from October 25 - November 1, 2008. The ship is the beautiful and new Liberty of the Seas from Royal Caribbean International. To see more about the ship and its amenities look here. This website has wonderful pictures, tells you about cruising, what to wear, ports of call, and once you see all this, I am willing to bet you will be eager to join us. Make your reservation and deposit now to ensure you have a spot.

During the three days at sea, you will have a wide choice of educational (and entertaining) lectures to choose from. The extensive list of the lectures complete with a description is here. The speakers include (in alpha order!) John Philip Colletta, Stephen J. Danko, Michael J. Leclerc, Paul Milner, George G. Morgan, Donna M. Moughty, Laura G. Prescott, and Paula Stuart-Warren. (I think I may have heard of that last speaker ) This is a fantastic group of speakers who do know each other and we might just tell a few tales about each other.

I used to think that I would be bored on a cruise -- oh, has that been proven wrong! And a genealogy cruise is the way to go.It give you a special comraderie and is even a chance for the non-genealogist friend or relative to see that we genealogists can be fun. The people you bring along with you will not be bored at all.

By the end of the week, you will have new friends, be relaxed, have eaten well, toured some beautiful places, maybe climbed a rock wall, swam, had a massage, played miniature golf, plunked a few coins in a slot machine, lounged in the whirlpool, visited the ship's library, watched a movie, and of course, enhanced your genealogical education in a fun setting. Bring along a friend, spouse, significant other, or your fellow genealogical society members for a memorable week. The more the merrier and you might find another genealogist who shares an ancestral link or who knows about that town where Great Grandma Annie was born and raised.

To be a part of the genealogical portion of this cruise, you need to reserve your spot with Cindy at Fly Away Travel (800) 837-0295. For more cruise details visit http://www.genealogycruises.com/

U.S. National Archives to Restore Research Hours

I love to post something positive that will benefit genealogists. I opened my e-mail today and found just such a thing. Effective April 14, 2008, the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration locations in Washington, DC and College Park, MD will again have extended research hours.

In 2006 the evening and Saturday hours were cut back so that evening and Saturday hours occured just once a month. The new set of hours make it possible for visiting researchers to get in some long days of work on consecutive days. As before, ordering original manuscripts must be done only during Monday-Friday daytime hours with the last request time being 2:30 on Monday and Tuesday, and 3:30 on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. No original records can be ordered on Saturday. Microfilms and many finding aids are available during all open hours. The new hours will be:

• Monday and Tuesday 9:00 a.m - 5:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, Thursday, and Frday: 9:00 a.m - 9:00 p.m
• Saturday: 9:00 a.m - 5:00 p.m

Le'ts make sure we let the Archives know how much we appreciate this by using these extended hours. You can read the entire Press Release here.

California Voters Registrations Online

Take one evening and a new online resource and pretty soon the evening is gone. This past Wednesday, Ancestry.com posted indexing and images of the printed lists of registered voters from 1900-1944, with a scattered number into the 1960s. I lived in California in 1967 but did not register to vote in the short time I was there. I began to write this blog post, but got quite waylaid using the Voters lists, so am finishing my posting two days later!

I found my cousins, granduncles and grandaunts, and some paternal relatives of my children. In light of the current overload of political campaigning, I was fascinated to see the declared political party designations which provided a few surprises. The lists give the voter's name, age, address, occupation, and the politicial affiliation. Searching is done by name and a county can be specified. One name I searched is quite uncommon so I searched only by the surname.

I found the lists helpful in looking for some Los Angeles area relatives. City directories are quite sparse after the 1930s and by the 1950s and 60s the regular directories were not published for L.A. I was searching for more info on relatives in the later time period. I did find a few clues to use in searching for possible living relatives.

For more details on the origin of these lists that were published every two years, visit Ancestry.com. The description includes a list of what years are available for a given county. Be sure to be flexible in your searches. And for some years in a given county you may have to check several lists to find the surname and then the correct relative.

Researching American Indian Ancestors

On Saturday, February 23d, 2008, I will be teaching a 2-hour class on American Indian Research. The class is being offered at the new location of the Minnesota Genealogical Society, 1185 Concord St. N, South St. Paul, MN.

The class fee is $12.00 for MGS members and $15.00 for non-members. The fee includes an extensive handout.

Check the MGS website for both online and mail reservation instructions. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged to assist with space planning and handout duplication. Visit the MGS website for more details.

Family History Library Closed Saturday, Feb. 2d

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City will be closed this coming Saturday, February 2d in memory of Gordon B. Hinckley, the Presdent of the LDS church, who passed away Sunday, January 27th.

January 27, 1967

Forty-one years ago tonight, I watched in horror as three astronauts perished in a fire aboard the spacecraft, Apollo I. Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White III, and Roger B. Chaffee died in the launchpad tragedy due to faulty wiring that ignited during tests.

That date has always stuck in my mind as I was about to leave the house to go to a college dance that I have always remembered fondly. Genealogists (including me) should write about the major events that have occurred during their lifetimes. I am reminded of this when one of my granddaughters seeks my sage advice when writing something for school. Gee, does this mean she respects my knowledge or that she is simply acknowledging my age by thinking I should know about historical events?

NARA & Connie Potter

In its "Off the Beaten Career Path" series, The Washington Post of Sunday, January 27th had an article about a person known to many genealogists. It featured Connie Potter, an archivist at the U.S. National Archives & Records Administration's Washington DC site. Click on the series title to see the full article about a friend to genealogists. I told Connie I can always say "I knew her when . . ."

Memorial Service for My Mother

My genealogy friends have helped me through some very trying times the past few years. Five days after my Mom’s death on January 8th, a group of these friends held a memorial service for her. It was held at the Salt Lake Plaza hotel in Salt Lake City. I was there that week teaching at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and for meetings of the Federation of Genealogical Societies. I will never be able to put my gratitude into powerful enough words to express my thanks to the friends who did the planning and those who attended. Some drove to downtown SLC on their day off from work at the Family History Library. Some were flying back home that day and gave up prescoius last-minute research hours to be there. Thanks to Marilyn Markham and Geoff Morris for letting the Institute teachers and registrants know about my Mom. Thanks to Rich Williams of the Plaza Hotel for providing the room and chairs for the service.

J. Mark Lowe, from Tennessee, presided at the service. His loving and humorous eulogy touched many people. Some said it was as if he knew my Mom. He didn’t, but I did know his special Mother who passed away just this past September.

For a few days before the service, Mark and others were making notes of things I said about Mom. Mark used these in preparing his remarks. Pam Boyer of Virginia was not in Salt Lake City, but did a nice job of informing people about Mom and the service. During the service a slide show of pictures of Mom and a recent four generation family picture were showing continuously. The four generation picture included Mom, me, my daughter Katie, and her daughter, Kendall. (Someday I will tell you about the quirks of another four generation family picture.)As we walked into the service, music with a meaning was playing in the background. The day before, I was given a CD of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir by the Institute staff. Several songs from that were playing, as was a meaningful spiritual sung by the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus that another special genealogical colleague belongs to. As a group we sang On Eagle’s Wings (Mom requested this for her funeral) and Amazing Grace. Marjorie Sholes from California sang a solo of How Great Thou Art and we joined in. Readings were done by Mark, Jan Davenport from Arkansas, Pat Oxley, Texas, Lou Szucs, Illinois, and Josh Taylor from Massachusetts. Birdie Monk Holsclaw from Colorado and Karen Mauer Green also helped with music and other parts. Martha Henderson from Missouri helped with the set up and passed out the yellow ribbons.

There were bouquets of flowers, including yellow roses to represent my Mom’s favorite color. Tea candles were lit and placed on mirrored tiles. (Thanks, Josh) A guest book was placed next to them by Sue Kaufman of Texas. The wonderful friends spent a long time making yellow ribbon pins for us all to wear. Another friend, Dawne Slater-Putt from Indiana, gave me a special Angel to add to my pin. I was crying and smiling at the same time. The service was very ecumenical and was also a healing time for friends who had lost parents, in-laws, and friends over the last year. Some who attended were in the midst of personal health and other strife.

I did giggle a bit as I realized this meaningful service was put together and carried out by genealogists. Mom probably groaned at this! Mom, you didn't get to choose the time for this gathering, so it was a time that worked for many others. I hope she also realized how many faiths were represented by the 50 people in attendance. Genealogy is not judgmental in the areas of faith, color, disabilities, nor in the horse thief ancestors. I counted Catholic, Presbyterian, Church of Christ, Mormon, Episcopal, Lutheran, Jewish, Orthodox Jew, Baptist, and other religions in the room. Those in the room represented many U.S. states and Jan Gow from New Zealand was there. Others were there in spirit and by emails and cards.

Thank you all for honoring my Mother. After more than a decade of suffering, she is at peace. Your outpouring also helped my Dad and helped me be at peace with her passing. I am so fortunate to have my birth family and my special genealogy family. I love you all. Now, she can help us by urging our deceased ancestors to show us the way to solving those genealogical questions that are always on our minds!

The Digital Genealogist

One of publications that I subscribe to is Digital Genealogist. It is edited by Elizabeth Kelley Kerstens, CG, CGL. Liz was editor of the Computer Genealogist that was published by Ancestry. Liz created the Digital Genealogist to fill the void left by the demise of that publication. She is also the editor of the NGS NewsMagazine. I eagerly await notice of each new issue and as a disclaimer, I don't write for DG and paid for my own subscription. DG is only available online which is so fitting. I do read this publication from beginning to end and add considerably to my technology related education. I am not a techie by any means, but I can understand what is written, gain practical knowledge, and even better, learn while sitting at home in my robe.

The Table of Contents for the current issue is online and features articles and columns by some well-known names. The range of articles is impressive and as usual, includes the regular column for MAC users. Another regular column gives us a refresher on search engines, key words and phrases, and related help this time. Another explains more about the wealth of info provided by Google Maps, finding addresses, collaborating with others and how to create our own family history maps. I have visited most streets where ancestors lived and found views of the homes. Liz tells us about selling used textbooks and duplicate genealogy books via Amazon.com. These articles represent only a small portion of this 51 page January/February 2008 issue which includes software reviews. DG is viewable in a PDF format which gives readers the ability to increase/decrease the size of the print.

The DG website allows curious genealogists to read the sample first issue of the DG from 2006. Other back issues are available for $4.00 via PayPal and the T of Cs are online. A one year subscription is only $20.00 and can be processed online.

My Mother's Passing

I haven't posted anything to this blog since January 1st. I left for Salt Lake City on January 3d to teach at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy for one week, for meetings of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, and for research at the Family History Library. When I am there, the hours go by quickly. On January 8, 2008 I received word that my mother, Patricia Margaret Ann (Hanley) Stuart had passed away. Five years ago on the same date, January 8th, I was in Salt Lake City when her sister Jeanine died.

Mom died peacefully. One of her caregivers called me shortly after and tearfully told me how he tried to save her. She had suffered over many years with Alzheimer's, emphysema, severe osteoporosis, and was a cancer survivor. On Christmas Day she appeared to be enjoying the activities, the meal, and watching her five great grandchildren run around.

I didn't return to Minnesota for the funeral. My Dad wanted the funeral immediately. He called me and told me that I needed to stay in SLC. I was so torn, but that generous call and the cost of the bereavement air fare helped with my decision. I completed my teaching at SLIG, attended meetings, and felt so much love from friends that I had lots of help in my grieving. Telling them stories about Mom helped immensely and the laughs were helpful.

In the next few days, I will post about the meaningful and beautiful memorial service that friends who were with me in SLC had for Mom. I had 50 people to grieve and smile with. Some of them needed that service for their own healing after loss of parents, in-laws, and friends. I love my special genealogy family.

I also learned that at the service back in Minnesota, some of my family and friends talked with each other -- some of them might not have had those connections if I had been there and had talked with them separately. I had emails and cell phone text messages immediately after that told me how beautiful Mom looked and that the funeral was beautiful.