FGS genealogy conference blog update

If you are thinking about registering for the 2011 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference for the Nations' Genealogists you might want to look at all the recent news. The FGS Conference News Blog has been busy lately and many more exciting posts are on the way between now and early September.

The conference takes place in the Land of Lincoln, Illinois -- Springfield to be exact. The dates are September 7-10, 2011. When you look at the conference website, you will see that it's less than 90 days till the conference begins!

Wish for an index to the blog?
Scroll way down and see the "Labels" section in the right hand column

Want to look over the full conference list of sessions?
Click here or here to see two different layouts of the sessions.

FGS Conference News Blog  http://www.fgsconferenceblog.org/
FGS Conference Website  http://fgs.org/2011conference/


Disclosure -- I am the editor of the FGS Conference News Blog and Co-Chair of the 2011 Conference.

Cyndi's List Launches a New Web Site

In case you haven't heard the great news! Cyndi Ingle Howells has done a major upgrade of Cyndislist.com to celebrate 15 years of service to the genealogical community. As I blogged earlier, she does this by herself and I bless her everytime I make use of a link from her site.

EDGEWOOD, WASHINGTON (June 6, 2011) – Cyndi's List is proud to announce a newly upgraded web site. With improved navigation, a custom database, and a custom administrative interface, the upgrade means that everything will be quicker and easier for both visitors and for the site's owner and administrator, Cyndi Ingle Howells. The upgrade has been done by fusionSpan of Maryland. Their staff worked closely with Cyndi to make improvements and to implement new technology and new ideas designed specifically for Cyndi’s List and for the genealogical community.

Part of the upgrade was made possible by donations from generous users of Cyndi’s List. To date, 20% of what was accomplished in the project was thanks to them. Donors have been listed on the web site.

What's New with the Upgrade:

* The front page of the Cyndi's List site has a rolling genealogy news feed and a link to The Cyndi’s List Daily, a daily dose of family history news as tagged in Twitter and Facebook. Start each day with the
front page of Cyndi's List and read the current genealogy news stories.

* The links are now contained within a database and pages will be dynamically loaded on each visit.

* The custom database and administration interface means that maintaining the link list will be much easier for Cyndi, which ultimately benefits the user with faster and more frequent updates.

* The new interface means that the backlog of uncategorized links can be processed much faster. The goal is to get the entire backlog done by the end of this year.

* New links will be reviewed, approved, and categorized within 24-72 hours after submission by visitors.

* Updates made to Cyndi's List will be immediately available to the public.

* Previous to the upgrade, the "What's New" page and mailing list post contained only new links submitted by visitors. The new "What's New" page and e-mail will contain those, as well as links added to the site during the day by Cyndi, *and* existing links that have been updated throughout the site (new addresses, updated descriptions, etc.).

* Across the site links have been labeled with graphics as "new" or "updated" when appropriate. With the upgrade these will now be text-based notations (easily spotted in green), which means that you can
search on a page for "new" or "updated" with the Edit>Find function in your web browser.

* Now sub-categories within a category heading each have their own page. And each page displays 20 links, with pagination in place to go to the next page and so on. This means there will be a lot less scrolling through long pages as in the past. Shorter pages mean faster load time in the browser as well.

* Intuitive navigation at the top of the category makes it easy to find your way to previous category headings.

* The number of links within each category/sub-category is displayed at the top right on each page.

* Each of the U.S. counties (more than 3,100) now has a designated page of its own.

* URLs (addresses) for the pages have changed so bookmarks, favorites, and links to Cyndi's List will need to be updated.

* Opportunities to shop, support, or donate are highlighted on each page.

What Has Stayed the Same?

* The category and sub-category names are all the same.

* Related Categories are highlighted at the top right on each category.

* The layout and format of the links are the same.

* The policies, procedures, and disclaimers for maintaining the link list are the same.

* The Cyndi's List Mailing List will still distribute a daily What's New e-mail and a daily Link Activity e-mail. However, the What’s New e-mail will contain information about all new and updated links.

* You can still follow Cyndi's List on Facebook and Twitter.

* The purpose and intent of Cyndi's List is to be a free jumping-off point for your daily genealogical research.

* Cyndi’s List remains free for everyone to use just as it has for the past 15 years.

* This is still just a one-woman show!

"I started doing genealogy research in earnest back in 1998 and Cyndi's List has always been one of my very favorite websites. It is on my 'Go To' list because I always find so much good information there.” --Kay F.

"I've relied on your website as THE best resource on the 'net to help with my research..." --Jan J.

"Where can you get at all things genealogical in one fell swoop? Everyone knows it's CyndisList.com. Every genealogist who uses the web MUST use Cyndi's List." --Polly K.

About CyndisList.com
CyndisList.com is the world's largest one-woman family history resource, with more than 300,000 categorized links for genealogical research. For more than 15 years Cyndi's List has helped hundreds of thousands of people with their online journey to trace their family history. The site averages 275,000 unique visitors and 5,000,000 page hits every month. Cyndi's List has won numerous awards and consistently remains one of the top genealogical portals for beginners, intermediate, and veteran researchers.

Wordless Wednesday: My Paternal Grandmother Olga (Carlsen) Stuart

Thanks to my cousin, Dave Gustafson, for sharing this picture of our grandmother. She was also known as Grandma Toots!

Found: Brooklyn, New York guardianship records (1830s-1852)

Today I have pride in an extremely good deed done by a fellow genealogist. Sandra M. Hewlett (Sandi) returned some missing early Surrogate's Court records to Brooklyn according to today's Brooklyn Daily Eagle. The article states, "The record books, Brooklyn’s “Bonds of Guardianship, Vol. 1 through 4,” date back to 1830 and record the details of guardianships through 1852. The historic volumes were found last year at a used bookstore in Philadelphia by professional genealogist Sandra Hewlett." Sandi is a Board-certified genealogist. 

I am particularly pleased because there might be some clues in there related to my brother-in-law's family. 

Read the full article in the Brooklyn Eagle here.

This Is The Face of Genealogy

This is a photo of my great grandmother Betsy Peterson Carlsen and three of her grandchildren, including my father. She arrived in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1882 as a single young woman. Born in Sweden, she married Niels Christian Carlsen and they raised a whole houseful of daughters! I work on my family history to learn more about where I came from to find out where my ancestral families lived, whether they served in the military during wartime, to learn about their struggles and appreciate where I am today.I have origins in nine different countries if you include the U.S. My ancestors, their siblings, and descendants are accountants, storekeepers, Post Office inspectors, housewives, a founder of the postal service in Porto Rico, railroad superintendent, fleet truck salesman, tombstone carvers, fire chief, farmers, secretaries, mayor, nuclear physicists, archivist, painter, jailer, professional genealogist, poet, writer, inventor, plasterer, butcher, and so many other hardworking individuals. Yes, there are a few scalawags, but pretty much every family has some of those. I look at that as a chance to find other records that may give a better look into the dynamics of my family.

Among my fellow genealogists/family historians are a former mayor, owners of companies, department store founds and family members, authors, ministers, rabbis, nurses, historians, archivists, librarians, scholars, engineers, active and retired military personnel, storeowners, clerks, judges, county sheriff, police personnel, bus driver, machinist, teachers, professors, students, publishers, housewives, actors, software developers, journalists, photographer, and like with my family, many other occupations. Their religions, ethnic  backgrounds, and education are varied. We share a love of history and family history. We educate ourselves constantly at classes, seminar, conferences and institutes. The Los Angeles Times publication ,LAWeekly,  posted a short item about one event, the Southern California Genealogical Jamboree, and some insensitive person at the newspaper included a denigrating photo. It has since been taken down. Many of my fellow Geneabloggers are posting family photos that show the real faces of genealogy. I hope folks at the Los Angeles Times/LAWeekly view our photos and publish a prominently placed apology to all of us who are family history researchers. What were they thinking!?

Added note: I have been asked where people might view the photo that LAWeekly published. This is a link to it:  http://www.geneabloggers.com/face-genealogy/

What does serving on a board or committee mean?

Did you get that call, too? You have been asked to run for a position on the board of the genealogical or historical society, the friends of the library, or maybe at your church or school. If you feel flattered, that's wonderful. If you feel that it's nice, that's great, too. If you don't understand or really feel that it is a responsibility, that's not so great.

While I was listening to the FGS My Society radio show today and heard Janet Havorka, President of the Utah Genealogical Association, talk about UGA planning and activities, she mentioned their great and active board. They have ideas and people are doing things! That's the way it should be.

I have or am serving on boards or committees for a state genealogical society, an ethnic genealogical society, a genealogy library, several national level genealogical and professional organizations, a county historical society, my school reunions, a school my children attended, and some other places. Sure this does add to my visibility as a professional genealogical researcher, lecturer, and consultant. But this service also gave me a confidence boost, added to my business knowledge, my research knowledge, my circle of friends, and has allowed me to give back to the various communities in which I am involved.

You are a face of that organization whether you want to be or not! What you do, don't do, say, or don't say affects you, the organization, and how your fellow volunteers think about you. How many people are involved in running whatever organizations you belong to? Have you ever offered your time? Maybe you aren't ready to step up to be the President or Chairman, but what knowledge, time, and friendliness can you offer? Do it now and you will reap great rewards. A few caveats, though:

• It does take time, so accept whatever jobs you can truly give the time to
• Agree to run for that position only if you are ready to really participate
• Participating is more than just being present, you need to be involved
• Ask for details before you run for a position or agree to serve on a committee
• It's like a regular paid job, you can get fired from a volunteer job for ignoring duties!
• If you agree to do a specific task, actually do it and on time (or reasonably close)
• Do this because it will add to your comfort level of being around people
• Be honest. If a deadline is approaching or something you promised to do just isn't going to happen, let the others know about it. Maybe someone else can step in or at least assist.
• Show up for committee and board meetings
• Be visible as a participant at events the organization produces (after all, if you aren't participating why should anyone else?)
• Let others know about that organization, it aims, and events. That's part of being a good volunteer, too.
• Don't disappoint others on that committee or board. They have things that goof up their schedules too! It's called life.
  

Within any organization, there is some discussion "behind the scenes" and you don't want to be the person with whom they feel some disappointment. In that vein, don't bite off more than you can chew!

Now I better go check my task list to make sure I am not disappointing any of the organizations that I have promised time and knowledge to. I don't want to disappoint my friends.

SLIG and FGS Radio, Saturday,. 4 June 2011

Let's talk about these in three parts!

1. At 9:00 a.m. MDT (10:00 CDT, 11:00 EDT, etc) the registration opens for the 2012 edition of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. It will be the 17th SLIG! Click here to get to the SLIG page at the Utah Genealogical Association's new website. A hint to smart readers -- go in and register for the course you wish and then check out. That will allow you to register more quickly since many of the courses fill up! You can go back later and register for evening and lunchtime presentations.

2. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) radio show "My Society" is on ever Saturday at 1:00 p.m. CDT (2:00 EDT, Noon MDT, and 11:00 a.m. PDT). Where is it found? Right on your own computer! Click here to go to the FGS website page with more info and a link to get you started. The 4 June 2011 show will have Thomas MacEntee, a member of the FGS Board of Directors, as host.

3. The "My Society" show on 4 June will have two guests. They are UGA President Janet Havorka and SLIG Director Christy Fillerup. UGA is one of FGS' member societies. You will learn some special things about SLIG, UGA's virtual chapter and video training library.

Hometown Newspapers

Do you subscribe to the current newspaper in the city or towns where your ancestral families lived? This is especially helpful in smaller cities and towns. Many are online but not all of those are the complete newspaper for the day or week. The current newspaper may have a column reprinting news tidbits from 50, 75, or 100 years ago. In smaller cities and towns you may find articles on the local historical society, genealogical society, and stories on older homes and buildings. From these you may learn who are the knowledgeable persons in that area as far as history. You might learn who is the head of the Comfort Rest Cemetery committee.

Don’t forget to borrow older newspapers on microfilm via Interlibary Loan and and spend some time reading these to get a feeling of the time when your family was in that locality. Check at your area public library about borrowing newspaper films from other places. Many older newspapers on now online in growing numbers but I still think it is easier to read through an entire newspaper on microfilm. Make copies (or save to your computer) the pertinent articles and other news items.

My Blogoversary

On June 1st, 2007, I posted the first entry on my own blog. Four years later and I am still here. I enjoy blogging both here and on the FGS Conference News Blog. I haven't run out of things to say, share, or sometimes rant about. I have not shared all that much about my own family history, but am doing that a bit more. It's time that I sometimes run out of. Gaps in blog posts mean that I am taking care of the work that pays the bills, spending time with my family, or catching up on volunteer work.

My grandkids are no longer babies. The eldest granddaughter is about to go off on an exchange student adventure in Germany. The other three and I are taking a mini Minnesota history vacation this summer. I have wonderful friends from grade school that I still see. My genealogy friends are vital to my life. 

Thank you for reading my words and for the responses I get both as blog comments and as private emails. 

Salt Lake Insitute of Genealogy: Registration begins June 4th!

The next Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) takes place from January 23-27, 2012 at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City. It's a short walk to the Family History Library. SLIG is operated by the Utah Genealogical Association which has members from around the world.
 
SLIG Registration opens June 4, 2011 at 9:00 am Mountain Time. Classes will fill quickly! Click here and then on View Our Brochure. Have fun choosing which course to take!

As the UGA website states, "The Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy prides itself on providing the top tier in genealogical education. Each year we bring in the best educators in the field to provide the best genealogy educational experience available. The Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy has been providing top-notch genealogical education for fifteen years. The courses are primarily focused at the advanced level, with Course 1: American Research and Records Parts 1 and 2 with Paula Stuart-Warren, providing a good intermediate foundation. SLIG is structured in "tracks". Each track equates to either a locality or a methodological subject. Each track provides at least twenty hours of in-depth instruction. Students choose one track for the week and leave with a deeper understanding of their chosen topic than a traditional conference can impart. SLIG is dedicated to providing a forum for the best genealogical educators in the field to present their knowledge to avid family historians."

 

2012 marks the 14th year I have been involved with SLIG. No matter which course you choose, you will learn, network, laugh, and make new friends. And with the course I coordinate and instruct in, Course I, American Research and Records, you get extra hours with one-on-one consultations right in the Family History Library. Many of the classes in this course are interactive, meaning you don't just sit and be lectured to. It involves some hands-on work, discussion, and tasks designed to help you incorporate the knowledge gained into your own family history research.

 

Memorial Day 2011: War of 1812 Ancestry

Several times this past week I drove by Fort Snelling National Cemetery. My father and mother, father-in-law and mother-in-law, and some other relatives are buried there. Seeing all those rows of stark white stones against the vibrant green grass is both sobering and exquisite.

I have U.S. ancestors and family that participated in the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Korea, and Vietnam. I have no known Revolutionary War or War of 1812 ancestry.

But, no matter the war, I am happy when the stories of those who served are preserved. Diaries, journals, letters to and from, photos, pension and service records, enlistment and discharge papers, and other documents tell us more about each person.

During our Federation of Genealogical Societies board meeting this past week we talked about the War of 1812 pension and bounty land papers because FGS is in the midst of the "Preserve the Pensions Project." This project is a joint venture of FGS, the National Archives,the genealogical community, and now Footnote.com. The goal is to get all 7.2 million pages digitized and online for anyone to view. Right now 5,000 images are free to view on Footnote.com. This will remain FREE viewing if we all pull together and raise the funds to do so. It takes money for the digitization equipment and operators among other costs. 

Click here to read a press release about the initial posting on Footnote.com and the commitment of iArchives to this project. 

These more than 5,000 documents are online and free to view, download, or print at http://go.footnote.com/1812pensions/. This is less than 1% of the total records to be digitized. We need to keep this number growing. For every $100 donated, 200 more images can be done. For $500 that means 1,000 more pages. In 2012 we will celebrate the bicentennial of the beginning of this war. Wouldn't it be neat to have this fund-raising effort nearing completion before the end of 2012!

Click here to donate to this worthwhile effort.

To learn more about records at the federal level that are related to those who served in the War of 1812, visit the website of the U.S. National Archives at www.archives.gov. Enter the phrase "War of 1812" in the search box you see in the upper right hand corner.

Minnesota Vital Records

This is an overview of what exists for Minnesota birth, death, and marriage records and ways to access them. This is not a 100% comprehensive finding aid, but it should lead you to more records.

Birth & Death Records
Birth and death records were generally created at the county level beginning in 1870 or later if the county was not in existence in 1870. Most early recordings were a one line entry across two pages in a registration volume and the information is not extensive. In some localities these were also recorded at the township level until the mid 1950s. Many of the township records books can be found at the Minnesota Historical Society (MHS). For many years, the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis also registered births and deaths. Today these are found with their respective counties. Beginning in 1900 for birth records, and in 1908 for death records, the event was also reported to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). You may find differences in all versions in the years there were multiple reportings.

For death records before 1908, contact the county in which the person died. Some are also at the Family History Library and the Minnesota Historical Society. MHS has microfilms of the MDH death record cards for 1900-1907. The microfilmed records may be viewed on-site at MHS,

Even though there are early registrations of births and deaths in Minnesota, not all events were registered. It was well into the 20th century before the registrations were “complete.” In the 1940s the state health department was still urging complete compliance with the registration laws. You may be among the fortunate researchers who find that a delayed birth certificate was created and there might be supporting documentation. The person

FGS Radio Show

At 1:00 CDT today (Sat. May 21) , the Federation of Genealogical Societies "My Society" radio show will begin! Go to http://fgs.org/fgsradio/ to show you how to listen. You can even chat online with others!

FGS Conference early registration deadline

I just returned from several days in Charleston, South Carolina where I was attending the National Genealogical Society Conference. I lectured, shopped, learned, volunteered, networked, laughed, ate, slept a bit, and just basically enjoyed the time.

I am now staying home all summer getting ready for the Federation of Genealogical Societies' 2011 conference that is this September 7-10 in nearby Springfield, Illinois. As full disclosure, I am a member of the board of directors of FGS and the co-chair of the 2011 FGS conference. If you live in the Midwest, this is such a perfect spot. It's the Land of Lincoln and a great place for research and historical siteseeing. Added to that it's an easy place to drive to!

The FGS Office reports that there are already people registered from four countries and the full conference registrations and special event interest is

Update on Railroad Retirement Board records

I emailed the National Archives Southeast Region in regard to access to the Railroad Retirement Board records mentioned in my earlier post and received this almost immediate reply:

"This is in reply to your inquiry regarding researching the records of the Railroad Retirement Board in person at the National Archives at Atlanta.  The simple answer is Yes.  However, we will need to screen the records first to make sure we do not release any personal information about living retirees or their dependents named in the files.  This screening can usually done in about 20 minutes.  It is best to notify us ahead of time so we can first, locate the file, and second, have it screened before arrival.  If we receive 'drop-ins' we do a quick

My Hanley and Welch families and the Minnesota Genealogical Society in Winona

I am looking forward to being a part of the MGS all day meeting in Winona, Minnesota on June 25th. It's the birthplace of my Grandpa Mike.

My maternal grandfather Maurice Michael Hanley was born there 12 September 1893. His parents were Michael Hanley and Johanna Welch/Walsh. Johanna was the sister of other Welch's who came to Winona from the parish of Ballyferriter which is situated on the beautiful Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland.

Among the families that some of these Welch siblings and others married into were Feiten, Hinds, McGrath, and Kellner.

Michael Hanley, the father of Maurice Michael (Grandpa Mike), was first married to Margaret Carney and they had six children. Michael and Johanna also had six children. Grandpa Mike's sister Mabel Hanley Hewson was the one who gave me the family connections.

It will be my first time to present a lecture in Winona. The day has many other speakers. To see the full program, register for the day, and order your lunch, click here. The day is co-hosted by the Winona County Historical Society.

Railroad Retirement Board records moved to NARA Southeast

In his 3 May 2011, column Ken Thomas reports that the great records from the Railroad Retirement Board have been moved from Chicago to the National Archives Southeast Region in Morrow, Georgia. Morrow is just outside Atlanta.

This is FANTASTIC news. I will do some further checking to see if this means we are now able to personally view a file or have a professional researcher do that at NARA Southeast.

The Railroad Retirement Board was created in 1936 and has no records for workers who retired or died before 1937. If an ancestor still worked for or began service for a railroad after that date, there may be a file. To see if a file exists, it is best to have that person's social security number. Other helpful details would be the complete name, the railroad(s) worked for, time period of employment, birth and death dates. Common surnames may need additional details. Recent files are not included.

The social security number generally begins with a 7 and may be found in some old records left by the worker. It is also likely you will find it on the official death record. I have files I obtained for two of my great granduncles and they were helpful with many genealogical details.

Read the NARA Southeast page on the RRB records by clicking here.

Read Ken's full column in the Atlanta Journal Constitution by clicking here. 

New genealogical institute in 2012

NEW GENEALOGY EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY IN 2012

Announcing The Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 6, 2011 - Pittsburgh, PA – GRIP – The Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh – a new genealogical institute of learning announces a genealogy educational opportunity planned for July 2012. Consisting of four courses, it will be held Monday, July 23 through Friday, July 27, 2012, at LaRoche College, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. According to Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL, and Deborah Lichtner Deal, directors of GRIP, “the demand for in-depth genealogical education is so high that week-long courses sell out shortly after registration opens, disappointing many potential students. At the same time genealogists who have