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Relative Bliss

Genealogy of Julie Ann Bliss Hammons

Articles on Research

Begin Right Where You Are

If you’ve ever wondered who your ancestors were, or wanted to check to see if the family stories you always heard were true, I have good news for you. It is not as difficult as you may think. It is called Genealogy and fortunately, the most difficult part may be learning to spell Genealogy correctly.

If the name sounds like a course you didn’t want to take in school, then call it Family History. If you didn’t like History either, not to worry – this history you will like, because it is about you. But be careful; because once you start you will not only be joining the fastest growing past time in the world, but entering a field that many consider to be contagious, and once you have the “Genealogy Bug”, it is difficult to get rid of. The good news is it can also be so much fun you may never want to be “cured.”

To start any adventure you have to know where you are and where you want to go. Like any other trip you take, you must first locate the spot on the map where you are. This same principle applies in family research. The road map to your ancestors (those grandparents back in your past) is called a pedigree or lineage chart. It gives you a visual that helps you know where you are going, and what information you will need to find.

This chart begins with you and has places for the names of 4 to 5 generations of your grandparents with some space for minimal basic information. What you want to do first is fill in as much as you know. This would include each person’s full name, (for women use their maiden name) when and where they were born, when and where they were married, and when and where they died. Some of this information you will know, the rest becomes your very own mystery to solve. .

Blank pedigree charts, also called ancestor charts, and can be found many places. If you have internet access you can go to a website called ancestry.com click on; “family trees” and down load and print the free chart. You can also pick up a beginners packet, for free, at an LDS Family History Center™ if you have one near you. If you happen to have a genealogy software program, or have a friend who does, you may find that it will print a blank chart for you.

For each couple on your pedigree chart you will also want to have a form called a ‘family group sheet’. You can create this yourself or, much easier, obtain it from the same source that you got your lineage chart. This sheet will list a couple (i.e. your grand parents) and all of their children, or at least the ones you know about, and their basic information. A look at these two papers and you will see what you have and what you are missing.

Your first goal will be to fill, as much as you know on a pedigree chart and any family group sheets that would apply to the chart. Now as you begin finding information, and adding to it what you have you will learn to know who these people really are, how they lived, and what was valued by them.

Now grab a binder and start putting what you find in it. If you have a computer, or access to one, you might want to invest in a program that holds all your information. If you are concerned about cost there is a one that can be downloaded free from familysearch.org It is called PAF or Personal Ancestral File.

Take Advantage of Summer Vacations

Summer is a time when genealogy clubs take a break, workshops are put on hold until fall, and people travel. Take advantage of your summer travel to collect family history. If you are taking a trip this summer chances are you may be visiting relatives, and may be traveling near the towns where your ancestors came from.

Four Things to look for:

• Check out the local library. Libraries usually have copies of local histories and family genealogies, which often may not be found anywhere else. Even if a book about your family isn’t found, they may be mentioned in the histories of other townspeople. A call ahead to make sure of the library hours may save you some disappointment. Small libraries may have limited hours especially in the summer.

• The library may have copies of old city directories. These list the people who lived in the community, what they did for a living, where they lived, and sometimes a mini biography, they may also list those who died in the previous year.

• Check to see if there is a local or county historical society that you could visit, or which may be able to put you in contact with local people who can help you.

• Cemeteries can give you a wealth of information. If you have family buried in a particular cemetery look to see who is buried near them, often they are other members of your family. Check with whoever is in charge, (a sexton) to see if you can look at pot maps and registers.

• Children often love getting involved in these activities. When they were younger my children wrote down headstone inscriptions, or made tombstone rubbings. Children are often fascinated if you can point out how a certain person is related to them, and tell a story about that person.

If your travels take you to visit family use those visits to collect information. Remember, you are putting together a huge jig saw puzzle. Sometimes one little piece of information will be just what you need. This is a great time not only to get collect their recollections and stories, but to find out if they have pictures that could copy. Sometimes people will let you take pictures to copy, but many times people are nervous about having rare photos out of their custody. You could offer to pay them and have them send you copies or try one of the following:

· My sister-in-law Sandra uses a camera to photograph family pictures. These come out amazingly clear.

· I currently have a portable scanner that I take with me when I travel, just incase I come across a picture or document that I would like to copy. Most people will let you photograph or scan their pictures.

· If you have a digital camera you can take any pictures you like, then take the disk to Wal-Mart or a photo lab to have them printed. Yes, I know you can print them yourself, but unless you have a printer that has archival photo quality ink, your photos may fade away much as your old Polaroid pictures have. Especially for rare photos you will want the best printing possible.

· I would also save them on a CD and make sure to share copies of your pictures and documents with other family members, just incase the ones you have are damaged or lost.

Check With Family Members

After you have filled out as much as you know on your pedigree and family group charts you are ready for the next step, which is to find out as much as you can about those people whose names you have. First stop on this adventure is a chat with family members. As annoying as relatives can sometimes be, they are the ones most likely to the have the information that will help you, and the easiest way to get it is to ask them. Talk first to your oldest living relatives. It maybe an Aunt or a cousin or if you are really fortunate you may have grandparents or great grandparents still living.

Before you talk to them jot down some questions you would like to have the answers to. Though you want to find out when great grandpa was born, don’t stop there. Ask how tall he was? What did he do for a living? What did he like to do for fun? What level of education did he have? Was great grandma fun to be around? Did she have any special skills, or leave any recipes or handwork? Did she keep a journal? What made her special or likable or unlikable? How did grandma and grandpa meet? If they immigrated from another country ask where they came into the county. Write down everything you learn. Find out if there is an old family bible, or letters, pictures, or copies of marriage and death certificates that you can copy or get information from. Older people usually like to talk and tell you about the old days, and in my experience the older they are they more they like to tell you. They often have clear recollections of their youth and can describe the family home, and tell you what the conditions were like. You may find some interesting stories of what meal time was like, how chores were handled, how they took care of illnesses, what church they attended or what bedtime was like. They may even have met people from the generation preceding them and can tell you about them. If possible tape or video the interview, but at the very least write down as much as you can and put a date and place on each interview. You will be glad that you did. Trust me on this one.

Sometimes, well often, family members will disagree on the details of a particular event or a family legend. Even though you may question what you are told, and it may sound unbelievable, write each tale as it is told to you, and then write the person interviewed, the date and place. You can compare stories and sort the facts out at a later date.

Be prepared for what you may find. If you are seeking to prove that all your ancestors were hero’s, captains of industry or royalty you may find that, despite the family legends, it may or may not be the case. “Spin” isn’t a modern invention. The ancestor that you have been told comes from the Royal Stewart line, may actually have been attached to the Castle and received the name because he was a cook or a gamekeeper. This, by the way, doesn’t make him any less important to you. He may be even more colorful and brave because of what he sacrificed to leave his native land and come to America.

United State Census: A Great Tool for Research

You are armed with your pedigree and family group sheets; you have talked to family members, and pulled together what they know. It is time to dig in. Where do you look next?

If the family is in the US, I like to start with a census record. The United States took a census every 10 years beginning in 1790. Privacy laws limit use for 72 years therefore the most current one available is from 1930. The easiest way access a census is to go to a LDS Family History Center if you have one near and search Ancestry.com, or Heritage Quest. Both services are free. You may also purchase a subscription through one of the genealogy sites, such as ancestry.com, genealogy.com or others, and search from your home.

Once you are into the search system, type the name of the person you are searching for, keeping in mind that they need to have been alive before 1930. Remember that the spelling their name may not be how you spell it today, so look at alternative spellings if you aren’t successful at first. After typing in their name, put in the place they were probably living and see what comes up.

The wonderful thing about census research is that if you find your person, they are generally listed with their family, or whomever they were living with. In the censuses from 1850 to 1930 the head of household is listed followed by all the people living in the household. You can find out a lot, depending on what they information they were collecting that year. Usually it lists their name, and age, and sex, and may list the relationship of each person to the head of household. Also included may be where they were born, where their parents were born, marital status, if they owned their home, what their occupation was, value of their property, if they could read and write, if they were a citizen, and if they attended school.

If you find your ancestor, check out a couple of pages before and after their name. People often lived by other family members and you may locate other relatives near by.

Most censuses are indexed, and since I prefer the way Heritage Quest indexes I always check them first. However, sometimes people were missed in the indexing process, or their names are transcribed incorrectly. If you don’t find what you want you may need to do a page by page read of the census for that area. This is when you are very happy if your family lived in a small town, for big cities can take a while.

Don’t depend on the index alone. I found my father in the 1920 census and he is listed correctly with his family at age 2. In the 1930 census he is listed with the family who was raising him as he had been orphaned a few years early. His age was listed as 62 and his first name was spelled wrong. If I had only been looking for Ferron Bliss age 12, I would have missed him. Whoever indexed the census transcribed the first name wrong and missed the age. Fortunately the town had less than 300 people and it didn’t take me long to find him.

Study your census records carefully and try to glean as much information as you can from them. Be sure to make a note of each record you search, with the page or image number, and what information you found, better still print a copy. If you find nothing, make a note of that also, or you will probably be revisiting the same record again.

As you get into census research you will realize that I have just scratched the surface in this article, but I want you to know that it is easy to start and don’t be overwhelmed.

File is a Four Letter Word…

… but not necessarily a bad word. You have now accumulated enough information, that you need to have a system for organizing it. The sooner you begin this inevitable process the happier you will be. There are many different systems for organization. They run from simple paper files, to complex computer systems such as Clooz®. Best advice I can give is keep it simple.

The system I use is one that I have used for over 25 years - ouch, and even though I have created excel forms, and have a complex computer linked filing system, I still use my old system as the base of all I do. It makes a good springboard when, if ever I feel I want to change.

It works like this. I use file folders, red (father's line) and green (mother's line) for my family, blue (his father's line and yellow (his mother's line for my husbands family. I make a folder for each couple that I am researching. Inside the front of the folder I put a copy of their family group sheet, or a blank sheet to fill out as I find information. I label each folder i.e.[ BLISS, Norman & STOUT, Lydia]. Then I place inside the folder a research log, which becomes the table of contents of the for that file. All pertinent papers, extracts of research, copies of documents are logged in the front, and filed in order behind the research log. [see research log]

These couple files are then filed alphabetically. Mine in one side of a lateral file, my husbands in another. Sometimes information needs to be in more than one file. For example a census may need to be in your grandfather's file, but a copy would also go in the file of your great-grandfather, if he is also listed on that census.

If a particular document or picture needs to be placed in a book that I am creating or elsewhere, I make a copy of it for this file. Within a few seconds, literally, I can pull a file of an individual, check the first page, and see what I have. I can then look at a document number and flip through the file and find it. If I come across information and don't have time to log and file it, I simply place it before the log sheet with a note and take care of it later. Is my desk always cleaned off? No. Is everything always where it needs to be? No. But the system works for me when I use it the way I intended.

When I do research for other people, I use basically the same system, putting the folders in a different file drawer and including the client's name on the label.

Ellis Island Fact and Fiction

At some point in your record gathering process you will probably find yourself looking for immigration records. If your family immigrated between the years of 1892 and 1924 you will most likely be looking at the records of Ellis Island. Between those years 22 million people came to America, and over 100 million Americans can trace their ancestors through Ellis Island.

A number of years ago a giant extraction project took place. 12,000 volunteers, including some from the Verde Valley, extracted information from the filmed copies of the Ellis Island records. The information gleaned was then put into a database that is now searchable for free. These records are important because of the genealogical information they contain. They can be searched from home, if you have the internet, at www.ellisisland.org or from a Family History Center, or from a public library computer. You will need to register the first time you use the site (no charge for registering).

Database names come from the ships’ manifests, (a fancy name for list) and include not only the names of any aliens, but U.S citizens who may have been traveling abroad, crew members, deportees (those who arrived and were denied access), and even those who literally “missed the boat”. If your ancestor’s name is listed it will give their:

Age and sex
Occupation
If they could read or write
Native County
Last residence
Point of departure
Destination and more

Sometimes a notation appears to the right of the document stating that you can view the ship manifest on line. This lets you see actual record, and allows you an opportunity to submit any corrections that may be needed. Since families often bought passage at the same time, they are often listed next to each other, and a relative may appear on the next record.

If you know your ancestor came through Ellis Island and you can’t locate them in the record, check other possible spellings. If your ancestor was illiterate the clerk may have spelled it like it sounded to him, or a transcriber may have made an error. Also important to note is that the “American Immigrant Wall of Honor”, which is a part of the Ellis Island Museum, contains the names of any immigrant whose descendants want to honor them by paying a fee to record their name there. A name may appear on The Wall regardless of where or when a person immigrated. A good example is John Alden, whose name appears there, but who arrived on the Mayflower in 1620.

Not everyone immigrated through Ellis Island! If your ancestor came before 1892 they couldn’t, and if they came after 1924 they may or may not have. I don’t have any ancestors who came through Ellis Island. Most of mine came in the early 1600’s. I do have an ancestor who came later but arrived through the port in New Orleans. There were many ports of entry, and some immigrants came first to Canada and Mexico and then entered the United States. There were also other important processing ports located at Baltimore Harbor, San Francisco’s Angel Island and Galveston Texas.

Names were not changed at Ellis Island! Though many names were obviously changed near the time of arrival this didn’t occur because of a clerk at Ellis Island, despite all the wonderful stories you’ve heard. Immigration records were created at the point of departure and were recorded by an officer of the shipping company, who most often spoke the same language as the immigrant. Ellis Island clerks checked names of the new arrivals by using the original shipping company lists. Names that were changed were changed by the immigrants after their arrival. This was done for many reasons, one of which was to make them sound more “American”.

Vital Records

When a person is born, marries or dies the event is hopefully recorded. These event records are called vital records. They include, but are not limited to, birth certificates, marriages licenses and death certificates. When working with vital records you generally will be most successful if you proceed backwards and locate first the death record then find the marriage and birth record. This will help you help you when you do find the birth information to decide if you have the right ancestor. So let’s begin at the end so to speak. A death certificate states the time and place of death and will many times give the deceased person’s place of birth and names of parents. (Note that names of parents and place of birth will be only as accurate as the person giving the information).

To find a copy you need to know where the person died. If this ancestor isn’t too far back in time, try to locate their nearest living relative and see if they will copy the death certificate for you. If this isn’t an option you will need to write to the State (or County) where the ancestor died and request a copy. Many states will be happy to send you a copy, for a fee of course. The fees can range from $10.00 to $25.00 for a certified copy (one that has been notarized). Unless you really need a certified copy try to get them to send you a photocopy. These are much cheaper, are usually enough for genealogical purposes, and may cost around $1.00 + postage. You may need to provide information about the ancestor and the reason you want a copy. States vary in what they require but in some you many need to prove relationship to get a copy. This is because of privacy laws and unfortunately the concern for identity theft. The local Family History Center has a book with addresses of places to write for vital records.

Many parts of the country, with the exception of New England, didn’t begin to keep vital records until the 1900’s, but this will vary from state to state and even from county to county. In Ft. Smith Arkansas, where I have been researching, they began to keep death records in about 1881, mainly to track disease.

The certificate you receive will verify that what you know or suspect is accurate, and it may provide additional clues. A death certificate from my husband’s great-grandmother told us that she was born in New York, and even though the town proved to be incorrect, it gave the maiden name of her mother, which gave us enough information to eventually lead us back three more generations. That certificate help us to move from Missouri in 1925 (her death date) through New York, and eventually to Scotland and her great-great-grandfather who was born in 1742.

Part of Family History is leaving your own History

A few years ago in my research I was able to locate a filmed copy of a journal kept by one of my fourth great grandfathers. He was born in 1815 and died in 1889. He began keeping his journal in 1844 bur he reflected back to tell about his childhood. For the remainder of his life he wrote at least weekly, mostly telling about daily events. As he neared the end of his life he left instructions to his children and grandchildren. it is amazing to read how he felt, and to find out what he wanted for his family and what he expected of his descendent. Because of this I now have a great deal of information about what he was like, and it helps me in understanding my own family and why we are like we are. I am so glad that he took the time to share a it of himself, which can now share with my grandchildren.

While we may not have been left writings from our great-grandparents, we can help connect those generations that come after us by leaving something of ourselves, for after all that is what Family History is all about. Whether it takes the form of a formal journal, a scrapbook filled with pictures and histories, or a simple notebook where we jot our memories, it will be of value. My grandmother owned the little country store in her small town. her calendar was a journal of the town as she would note on a date a birth, death or special event of the locals as well as of the family.

If you haven't started to make a record of your life now is great time to begin. Grab a note book or a computer and start writing, or if you prefer you can record it electronically. Begin simply by asking yourself questions and then answer them. Some questions might be: How did you celebrate the Holidays as a child? Did family visit you or did you visit family? Did you decorate? What was your favorite thing to eat? Did you have other traditions that were part of your family. Our memories are not always happy ones. occasionally they remind us of difficult time, yet these can also be important to include. How we feel a out and handle difficulties can be an important bridge for others to cross when they encounter " tough times".

To start introduce yourself, how tall are you; what color is/was your hair? Tell what you like, and dislike, and what you do for fun. Be sure to gather some pictures if possible and please, please, please la el them while you can still remember who they are. Write a paragraph about each of your brothers and sisters, and each of your children. If you have grandchildren or nieces and nephews write a paragraph about each of them and tell what is special about them. Once you begin, this can take on a life of its own and you may never run out of things to say.

Start keeping a journal, if you haven't already. Include in your writings how you feel a bout current events as they happen, what books you read and what movies you like. Also put in the mundane everyday things -- if the past is any indication, they will seem unusual in a few years. You are living in an exciting and eventful time. What sort of Family history will you leave for others to find?

Goals -- 2005

January is the time to set your sights on what you want to accomplish this year. Here are some things you might want to do – if you don’t have ideas of your own.

Label any unidentified pictures. Be sure to note the event where the picture was taken. Trust me you’ll forget. If you have photos you can’t identify get with some family members who are perhaps older and may remember. Don’t wait on this task. I have some lovely pictures – no clue who they are and too late to ask my parents. Archival safe pens that won’t bleed through and damage your prints should be at your local office supply store.
Pick “a family” to focus on. There are so many ancestors and so little time. You have 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great grandparents etc. and soon you have literally 100’s of direct ancestors. It can be overwhelming. Working on too many lines at once is not multi tasking, it is just plain confusing. It is hard to stay focused but do it anyway. Collect other information on other lines as you find it, but keep your focus. That is why you need a written goal.
Review everything you have found on your focus family. A researcher once commented that often when people come to him for help, the answers they are looking for can be found by evaluating the information they already have. Go over any documents, letters or family group sheets and jot down questions or thoughts that come to you. You will probably have ideas or facts will jump out at you that you missed the last time you checked.
Repost queries on the lists you are on. A family that I had set aside for a while was revived recently when I posted a “query” to an online list I subscribe to. I received responses from several people who were new to the list and had information to share. With the rapid growth of available knowledge, what isn’t there today may just be there tomorrow.
Study the areas your family came from using research guides or histories. Look at the location on a map, think about the topography. Old newspapers give great insight into what their daily life might have been like. If possible plan a trip there.
Document any information you find!!! Have ever looked at a copy of a marriage license or a deed and wondered where you got it? This is important not only for you but for others who come after you and look at your research.
Organize the papers you have collected. One of the most difficult things about genealogy (once you have learned how it spell genealogy” is finding a way to file and sort your information so that you can find it again quickly. When I am researching I work furiously, ending up with papers, copies of documents, lists of films I’ve looked at, the abstracts I have done, and the lists of what I need to check next. Organizing these not only makes it so you can find your hard work again, but serves as a review and gives you clues. Talk to others and get their ideas and then find a system that works for you
Write a biography of an ancestor. Collect the information you have and tell their story. If you have limited information look at the history of what was going on during the time and place they lived and use those facts to “flesh out” their life story. This is one task I really enjoy. It is fun to bring these wonderful people back to life.
Write a letter, send an email, make a phone call or in some way touch base with someone you have not yet contacted in your search. If Uncle George is 80, don’t put it off any longer. Someday it will be too late. I received a call a couple of days ago from a distant cousin I didn’t even know existed. He wanted to find out how our Bliss family is put together. This is a family of confusing relationships giving new meaning to the term “blended family”. It needs explaining buy someone who understands the history, and actually it probably needs a map. The person who can help you is probably out there.
Visit a Family History Center or the genealogy section of a library and talk to others who can give you some help and direction. Go online and find the libraries and archives that are available in your area, they are valuable. The Arizona State Archives, for example, houses more than research books on Arizona. I am researching New York and using my local state archives.
Plan a family reunion. Now is the time. Set a date far enough in advance that others can arrange their schedules. Ask everyone to bring their family information including addresses and emails and put together a list of “how to contact who”.
Start your own history soon and include photos. I have a history of a great grandfather which he dictated when he was very old. He tells about his immigration to the US in the late 1800’s and about his family that stayed in England. Unfortunately his memory had faded about some things, for example he didn’t remember the names of some of his sister’s husbands. What he did remember is priceless, but the moral is “don’t wait”; you aren’t getting any younger.
Write these goals down and take a look at them in January 2006. This is not to discourage you, but to help you see where you were successful. If you like most of us you won’t get everything done – that just gives you some goals for the next year. Happy Hunting!

Free Genealogy Web Sites

In today’s world the internet is an important key to genealogical research. Recently I was asked about internet sites that don’t require you to become a subscriber before you can get information. There are many places you can look and find free information, so I thought I’d share with you my favorite “free sites” and give you a few clues to the ones that cost money.

One of my favorite free websites is Heritage Quest. It contains census records and out of print books, useful to genealogists, that are readable online. Recently they added Revolutionary War era pension and bounty land files. They have available the PERSI (Periodical Source Index) which indexes articles from periodicals, quarterly newsletters, and genealogical publications. When in Prescott go to the library and have your library card updated (free of charge) to use this system. You can then access it from home or the public library, if you do not have internet.

If you are researching family that is out of the area in which you live, you need to visit Roots Web at www.rootsweb.com. It prides itself on being a free site. Once there, you can locate a surname or an area in which you are interested and sign up to be on a “List”. These “Lists” put you in touch with other people who are searching that particular name or area, allowing you to share information with other researchers. Recently I posted a comment and within a day was connected with six people who gave me valuable information, and two others who had questions I was able to answer.

US GenWeb is dedicated to keeping genealogy free on the Internet and they can be accessed at www.usgenweb.com. Among many other things they have a tombstone project that is valuable in cemetery research.

Ancestry.com has hundreds of databases, but many of them cost. The LDS Family History Center on Hombre Drive in Cottonwood is free for anyone to use. They have a subscription to www.ancestry.com, so you can search those records for free. Searching them at the Family History Center will let you decide if you want to spring for a subscription. The LDS church also has an excellent free site at www.familysearch.org. You can search millions of records in their databases, as well as access the SSDI (Social Security Death Index)

The Bureau of Land Management has a site at glorecords.blm.gov/ which contains the original land patents for most of the United States. Occasionally this site is down so try back. If this link doesn't work Google "blm land patents"

If your family came into the United States through Ellis Island check out www.ellisislandimmigrants.org If they came earlier, one of my favorite places to check is The Ship Transcribers Guild at www.immigrantships.net This site continues to grow as additional records are added. You can search by year of immigration, place of departure, or port of landing.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has is located at www.archives.gov. Enter into their Research Room and you will find a gold mine. You’ll want to spend some time in this site. In addition to other records, they have many military records. It was there that I was able to find information on my Uncle who was a POW in Germany in WWII.

Another must visit site is Cyndi’s List at www.cyndislist.com/. This site has links to thousands of web pages and is separated into commercial and non-commercial sites. This is also the best place to check for ethnic research.

A trip to Phoenix can take you to the Arizona State Archives. You can view their holdings at www.lib.az.us/ . They are not just for Arizona research. One of their Librarians will be the keynote speaker at the Cottonwood Ancestors Workshop that will be held April 23^rd, and she will be able to answer questions about their holdings.

Most states have historical and genealogical societies with guides and map information. Do a search using the state name and the word genealogy. If you wish, add the word free in your search, for example “Arkansas genealogy+free”. You really can find much information with your major investment being time.

Importance of Tax Records

While taxes have been a source of frustration from the beginning of our history, they have nevertheless, been ever present and we can take advantage of them as a genealogical resource.

The earliest detailed tax record that I’m familiar with is found in the “Doomsday Book” which was an inventory requested in 1086 by William the Conqueror. After invading England he wanted to know what he owned so he could collect the taxes. It contains records for 13,418 settlements in England. You can find more information by visiting www.domesdaybook.co.uk.

Another well know tax collection record is the” Griffith’s Primary Valuation”. It identifies taxable property in Ireland from 1840-1864, and is extremely valuable for those with Irish ancestry, because it lists the land owner and any tenants. See www.familysearch.org or visit the Cottonwood Family History Center to see a copy of the index.

People taxed were usually males, heads of household, and over 21. They were most often land owners. These lists also provided a way for the government to track men who were eligible to vote and serve in the military. Females, who were heads of households, are also included. Some states had taxes on other types of personal property, so you will need to check the state you are looking in for the exact tax laws for your time period.

Sometimes “luxuries” were taxed. Great Britain, for example, in 1795 had a tax on powder used to powder the wigs that were worn, and also had a bi-annual “hearth tax”. Each fireplace in a home was taxed. The comparative wealthy and standing of an ancestor in his community can be seen by his “wig powder tax” and how many fireplaces he had. In New England taxes were raised by towns to maintain roads, pay school teachers, and pay the community minister. A man with more children attending school would pay a larger school tax.

While these lists will not give you complete family information, going through them for consecutive years can give you valuable clues. For example, if a man appears on the tax rolls in an area for several years in a row and then disappears, we might assume that he possibly moved or died during the past year. This leads us to other possible records, such as a deed if he sold land, or probate records if he died. If he is suddenly gone and his wife then appears chances are good that he died, though there are, of course, other possibilities. If one of his known sons suddenly appears on the tax list, he probably came of age, which was generally 21, and had some land or property of his own. Looking over a period of time you may see a man’s sons, in order of age, appear on the tax rolls when they come of age

Some states kept better tax records than others, but if you come to a place in your research where you are stumped, tax records may give you a clue. You will need to understand the laws governing tax collection for the state you are researching. You can contact the state, or write to a county or town clerk in the area your ancestor lived. Their addresses can be obtained through state and county government offices. You can also look online at www.cyndislist.com/ or www.familysearch.org where you should check under the name of the state for a research outline. A “Google search” using the name of the state, and the words “tax” and “genealogy” will also usually yield results.

In summary, tax records put an ancestor on the ground in a particular spot at a given date. They give you clues to the amount of land an ancestor owned, and by looking at neighbors you can often find how they stood in the community. Put the information you find in a timeline of your ancestor and you will begin to understand more about them. julieorama@gmail.com

Military Records

From the King Philip’s War in the 1600’s until today, this nation has felt the need for an organized military. Early military units were created by towns who enlisted men to protect their communities. As people enlisted, a record of their service was kept so that they could receive compensation.

After the Revolutionary War, military records began to be kept on a national level. The National Archives houses a card file, which has been filmed, and was taken from local muster rolls. These are indexed by name, and by state. Because the newly formed United States had little money to pay for military service at this time, bounty land was given in lieu of pay and tracts of land were set aside, mostly in Ohio and Kentucky, for the purpose of compensation. Not all moved to their land, it was often sold, creating another record, and clue to where your ancestor lived both before and after the war. See www.nara.gov. That site’s research room also yielded information on my Uncle who was a POW in Germany during WWII and included the camp he was detained in, as well as the information on a cousin who was MIA during the Korean War.

In 1917, as World War I approached, the nation instituted a draft. Three separate days were set aside and amazingly during those three days nearly 100 percent of eligible men registered. That meant over 24 million eligible citizens and aliens born between 1872 and 1900 filled out draft registration cards. These registrants were not all inducted or served in the military. Only a small percentage were actually called up, but this registration is a significant place to look for anyone who has male ancestors of military age during this time period, because of the sheer numbers of men that are recorded.

World War I Draft Cards can be found online at www.ancestry.com. The database is not yet finished and records are being added daily, so keep checking if you don’t find the person you are looking for. The cards give the individual’s full name, age and home address, as well as date and place of birth, citizenship status, and occupation. They will tell you if the person was married and had any children less than 12 years of age. If a person was exempt from the draft that would be included in addition to a physical description, and a description of any disabilities. Each card is signed by the draftee so you will get their actual signature.

Pension files can be found from the Revolutionary War on and contain the most information. They may include marriage and death certificates, family letters, affidavits, and discharge papers. One woman who had to prove her marriage to get the pension of her Civil War husband tore a sheet from the family bible where the marriage was recorded. It was found many years later by a descendant when they requested a copy of the pension file. Bible pages are not an uncommon item included in pension files. If a pension record is found try to get copies of everything in the file.

A “Google” search for “military records online” will give you a good start for finding internet resources. If you know the military unit your ancestor served in, check online for information on that unit. My brother found a report by the War College on the 112th Calvary Unit that our father served in during WWII. That led him to other people researching men from the same unit and eventually yielded journal entries about our father as well as a poem that was written about him.

Records of Military Service can be important to the history and tradition of a family. They can pave the way for us to join a lineage society, and they foster patriotism and national pride which helps our families feel a responsibility to country and gratitude for ancestors who have served. Fortunately there are lots of records and many ways to locate them.

Plan A Family Reunion

Summer is the time for parties, and a family reunion is definitely a party. The reunions of my childhood were wonderful events. For children, of course any other child is an immediate friend, and since both of my parents came from large families I had tons of cousins. It didn’t matter if I saw some of them only once a year we always had a great time. I now realize there is more to a reunion than camping, hiking, swimming, playing baseball and having a rodeo and dance, yes we really did all of that. Reunions are a time to reconnect with our past and connect with our family. I now realize reunions don’t have to be packed with events to be meaningful and important.

If you plan it they will come. My husband’s family hadn’t had family reunions. So we planned one. We told a couple of aunts that we would be coming to Texas, gave them a date, and mentioned it would be fun to get everyone that could come together at Grandma Myrtles Home. From there the Texas folks went into action, got a place to meet, arranged food and sent out a list of motels. It was so fun to see everyone, take and share pictures and update genealogy. That the event has continued with different families taking responsibility to do the planning. Everyone can’t make it each year, we will miss the one in Bug Tussle, Oklahoma this July, but as often as we can we set aside a few days for extended family.

Planning a successful reunion takes really only a few preparations.

Set a date by talking to a few family members that you feel are key people and set a date around them. Remember you won’t get everyone.
Pick a central place if possible or if your Great Grandma is still living and can’t travel have it near her so she can be included in part of the activities.
Send an invitation to everyone you can, instruct them to make copies of the flyer and send it to their children etc. that way you won’t have to worry about people not being invited.
Include with the invitation a list of camp grounds and motels, so attendees will understand you don’t expect them to stay with you.
Keep it simple. Don’t have so many activities that people don’t have time to sit and talk. We were at a reunion last week where it rained the entire time. We talked, sang and laughed, and while some of the planned events had to be scrapped we had a great time just being with together. The reunion of my childhood was so complex it has become almost impossible to hold it yearly in today’s world. Don’t try to outdo the last reunion.
Plan at least one meal together. You can assign a food to each family, have it catered and tell each family what their cost will be, or have everyone to pick up their favorite fast food and meet at a certain time. One of my family reunions has a sour dough pancake breakfast with a sour dough start that came across the plains with a pioneer ancestor. The breakfast is simple, but it gather’s everyone, and most stay and talk for hours – while the kids play.
Plan some sort of sharing time where you can pass on stories about your ancestors and where each family can update others on their own family history. With the media options we have today someone could easily put together a video of slides or pictures to share.
Have some way to share genealogy. My Finlinson family has a representative from each of the original siblings who form a genealogy committee; this committee is responsible for collecting and disseminating information. It has published books, collected histories and pictures and coordinated research. At the very least have someone assigned to keep an updated list of addresses, emails, phone numbers etc. Then everyone will know who to contact when they need information.
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get a lot of support at first. While most families love to meet together some may take more coaxing. If your group is small after the event send a letter to those who didn’t come. Share a picture or two and some stories of what went on, a wish you were here notes. Maybe you’ll get them next time.

If you have been invited to a family reunion make an effort to go. If you don’t feel you know the people well you soon will. There is something uniquely connective about family ties. Something in each of us wants to connect to our families and to those ancestors who came before. Family reunions are a way of preserving those family ties.

Lineage Societies

July, at least for me, is a time when I reflect on the many things my ancestors did by coming to America, settling various areas and defending the country and leaving a great place for me to be born in and to live in. I have a great interest in preserving their histories and accomplishments for the benefit of others, mostly for my children and grandchildren. One way to help preserve their history is to join a lineage society.

Lineage or hereditary societies are organizations with membership limited to those who can prove they are descended from a qualifying ancestor.

These groups are many and varied, but most fall into categories such as being an early settler in an area, such like with Mayflower Society, (limited to descendants of the group that came on the first crossing of the Mayflower) or like the “First Families of Ohio” for those whose families were in Ohio before 31 December 1830. There are also many groups dedicated to specific military service such as the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) or Sons of the Confederacy (Civil War), ethnic or religious groups such as the National Huguenot Society or the Ulster Scots Heritage Society or those who emigrated from certain areas such as the Germans from Russia. There are a multitude of these groups, and if you are interested, there is probably one you could qualify for.

First however, your ancestor must qualify and you may have to prove that – but chances are great that a distant cousin may have already done that for you. I have a distant cousin who joined the DAR using my ggg grandfather, so that part is already done for me.

The next step in joining is a careful documentation of your ancestry back to the qualifying ancestor. You start that process with you, and it must be more than a pedigree chart, or family legend, it must be actual proof. A history written about that ancestor will not be proof enough without documents to prove stated facts. You may be able to use county histories, bible records, and birth certificates, wills, land records, birth certificates where they exist, tax records and census records that state relationships. To begin this process you would contact the organization itself and ask for their requirements.

With all the work involved why would you want to join? Because a member must prove lineage, there exists in lineage society files valuable genealogical information, which includes multi-generational pedigrees, information gathered from family bibles, cemetery and death records, land, probate and military documents. Large societies often maintain their own libraries, and most publish periodic newsletters. The records of the DAR, for example, will include names of others who lived in the colonies during the period of the Revolutionary War, such as the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the participants in the Boston Tea Party, as well as clergy who supported the Revolution.

These groups publish books, histories and generally preserve records that otherwise might be lost. Their lineage books and histories are of great value not only to their members, but to others who are researching, and these records are generally easy to locate and many have been filmed.

You also might want to join a settler society because you have an interest in the area your ancestor settled or because you still live in that area and want to preserve the history. A big advantage is that if you qualify for a specific lineage society, your genealogy will be published with their records, making it easier for your descendants to locate this part of their family history.

While you are searching out your genealogy take a minute to at least think about what groups your ancestor may have been involved with and take a look at the records they have preserved, you may hit a proverbial gold mine.

Black Sheep Ancestors

The delving into family history isn’t for the faint hearted, so if you are determined to search into the past you need to be prepared because what you find might not be exactly what you want to learn. While we might all like to be descended from Royalty or a President or a National Hero, it just isn’t possible. Most of us at some time, will find an ancestor that we may not want to shout about from the rooftops.

One woman who had always known that her great-grandmother was an “early female entrepreneur” was surprised, during her research, to find out that her grandmother was never listed as having a father. After checking through city directories and newspaper articles she discovered that her great-grandmother ran a “late evening business” which turned out to be a brothel. Her great-grandmother had managed to make a lot of money and had always kept some of her assets liquid just in case she had to leave town in a hurry. As a result she missed out on the stock market crash in 1929, later invested, and left her family comfortably well off.

Depending on what your family moral values were, the black sheep ancestor may have been an actual criminal, or the first one in the family who didn’t attend college or who left home to join the circus. Some families aren’t anxious to talk about the miscreant or they may spin the story so that the ancestor who was a “close acquaintance of Wyatt Earp” was called that because he was arrested on more than one occasion by the famous law man.

It is important to put events into context. You need to take a look at the history of the area in the time period of your ancestor. Life was very different 100 or more years ago. A criminal who was hung or was shipped out of England on a prison ship bound for Australia may have been guilty of stealing bread to feed a starving family or disagreeing with the King. We may never find out why an ancestor did what they did or what they were thinking when they did it.

The advantage when you have a “black sheep ancestor” is that they usually leave lots of records. These records are often found often in newspapers – sometimes in the headlines. While putting together a family for someone not long ago, I found a son when he and a cousin left their home town and went to the “city” and forged some checks. The fact that they were cousins was mentioned in the newspaper article detailing their crime spree. These ancestors can also generate photographic records like the man I found in the late 1800’s who was photographed standing in front of his upright coffin before he was executed by a firing squad.

Court records are also a good source. These are public records, and are found in the area where your ancestor lived. While early records may have been filmed, later court records are so vast that to film them would be overwhelming and they may need to be searched in the locality where they were recorded. If you are distant from the location you need to search, try contacting a local historical society for advice on how to get the needed records. A great web page exists dedicated to Black Sheep Ancestors which will give you clues about where you might search for records. It is www.blacksheepancestors.com

Remember you can accept who your ancestors were and still not be proud of what they did. After all your ancestors may have some questions about you as a descendant, and those “errant” family members can actually be the most interesting. Accept the fact that your ancestors weren’t perfect and be glad that you finally have some ancestors for which there is documentation. Remember those traits that they used in an unacceptable way may be the traits that are strengths in your life.

Importance of Land Records

Those who know me figured that sooner or later I’d be telling you about land records. Deeds are a valuable resource in genealogy and a great tool when you come to a road block in your research.

One thing I like about land records is that they almost always exist. Deeds are in the possession of the land owner, so if the courthouse burned people simply, or maybe not so simply, had them re-recorded. Land owners needed to have proof of title, and the government was anxious to help so they could collect taxes.

Immigrants often came to America for the opportunity to own their own land. The majority of men in the early United States were farmers and since most were not famous, or notorious, they may have left few records, but the majority did leave land records. Before the Civil War 9 of every 10 men in the United States owned land. This makes it more likely that you will find your ancestor in land records than any other type of record. After the 1860’s, the figure drops to 50% but it is still significant. A countywide surname index exists to virtually every landowner in America since the early 1600s. New England researchers will usually find their indexes at the town level.

Deeds vary in information but valuable items of information and great clues can be found in them.

Deeds pinpoint an individual at a certain location on a certain date. If Oliver Woodward bought land in Ohio in 1864 he was probably living in Ohio in 1864.
Land records fill in for the 10 years between the censuses. If your ancestor is on the 1850 census in Ohio but missing in 1860 he may not have died. Maybe he moved. A check of land records will reveal if he sold land and if he did the date of the sale is probably the time he left the area.
You can often find women’s names in deeds. A married woman owned 1/3 interest in her husband’s lands, though she did not have title. Because of this dower law, the selling of property, in most states, required that the wife be separately interviewed to make sure she was willing to let the property be sold. The record of this interview along with her name will be in the deed.
Relationships are sometimes stated in deeds. When each of the children of a David Shepherd sold land, the deeds would include “...property given to me by my beloved father David Shepherd”.
When someone dies you will often find a sale of land, sometimes this was to pay debts, and sometimes to record dower land being set aside for the widow.
If there were minor children when their father died, a guardian would need to be appointed. These guardianship papers are usually found with land records. Even if a mother was the guardian she would need to be appointed by the court.
Bounty land was given in lieu of payment for military service during time of war. Bounty land could be moved on to, or it could be sold, which it often was, leaving another record.
Transfer of salves, recorded by name, is also found in Deed Books, as slaves were considered property until after the Civil War.
Census records before 1850 name only head of household. John Smith Sr. who owns land now lives with his son John Smith Jr. In the 1840 census only John Jr. would be listed because he is the head of the household. Land records would have both men.

Land records can help determine when your ancestor arrived and left any given area, give clues to their wealth or standing in a community, and provide others clues, but you can’t point and click your way into these records. You will have to locate them to read them. Many deeds and the indexes to them have been microfilmed, but if you can’t find microfilmed copies, the records will need to be searched at the location where they were recorded.

Genealogical Brick Walls

As you move back in time finding one ancestor after another eventually you will reach a point where you can’t seem to move back any father. We call it “a brick wall”. Like any wall, while you can’t go through it, you can find away around it. This means that you will need to approach the problem differently than you usually do.

Look at other people in the family, besides your direct ancestor. Sometimes we approach genealogy like a horse with blinders on. We often want to look just at our ancestor when looking his/her siblings and their spouses would help us more. I recently documented a family more completely by looking at the second wife of an ancestor. The wills of her parents gave me the information I needed.

Start from last known fact. Forget what your cousin told you. A fact is something you can prove with documentation, not something you suspect is true.

·        List all the people in the generation of the “Missing Person.”
·        Next look for records of people who married into the family.
·        Look at the neighbors. In years past neighbors were often also relatives. You can find them by using census records and land records.
·        Use a variety or records. Look for wills, deeds, city directories, tax records, social security records, school records, voting registers etc.

I had a research problem sorting out two women by the name of Sarah, who had fathers who were brothers. I couldn’t prove which Sarah I needed until I traced and proved the other Sarah also.

Put your ancestors into the context of the time they lived in by learning about the history of the time and place they lived in. What was happening in the community and in the world during the lifetime of your ancestor? Check out newspapers of the day to find out how your ancestors lived. You can put together a history of a person with not too many facts, by pulling in the history of the period. Develop a timeline or chronology by making a chart beginning the year your ancestor was born. In three parallel columns list the year, the age of your ancestor and the event, ie.1818 age 18 she married. Use this to track events for as many ages in their life as you can. How old was your ancestor during wars, famines, the opening of new lands? Knowing what major events happened in the area he lived in will give you clues about where to check for records.

Organize and re-evaluate the information you have. Using your timeline plug in everything you know. Read again any letters, the backs of photos, and stories from interviews you have done. If you haven’t done any interviews, this would be a good time. Learn to tell your ancestors life story like a biography from beginning to end, it will help you understand who they really were.

If the “older generation” now includes you, then check with cousins to learn what stories they have heard. Write down what they say even if it doesn’t agree with what you believe. The blending of family remembrances solves many problems. Make certain to document ”who” told “what story,” and include it with the account of the event.

If you are stuck, maybe you need to “sharpen the saw” and learn some new skills. Learn to use the many resources available to you. The internet especially is loaded with help including databases (www.ancestry.com), free online classes and tutorials (http://ce.byu.edu/is/site/courses/freecourses.cfm), and free online genealogy interest lists (www.rootsweb.com ). You can borrow books at the library or through inter- library loan and microfilm can be borrowed for a small mailing fee through your local LDS Family History Center. You can view their online catalogue at www.familysearch.org.

Take a good long look at a map of the area you are searching. Did your ancestor live near the border to another state or another county? You may need to look at neighboring localities. Did they live along a water way that would have carried them easily to another city? While you can’t go through a “brick wall,” you can go around it or over it by looking for another route.

Value of Microfilm

If you researched much you already know that there are tons of records out there. To aid the management of these masses of documents a process is used that shrinks them and then allows them to be magnified for viewing. This is done in several ways, most of us are familiar with digitizing. When you take a picture with a digital camera the picture is saved as a small file usually called a jpg. and then later can be enlarged and viewed or printed. Another way to achieve a similar effect has been done for years and that is to microfilm or microfiche a record. Simply put a picture is taken, shrunk down, and put on 35 or 16 millimeter film, or a microfiche sheet. These films can then be viewed through special readers.

The Salt Lake Genealogical Society has been filming records for many years and currently has 2.4 million rolls of microfilm and over 724,000 sheets of microfiche covering records for most of the United States and many European countries. If you can't take a trip Salt Lake City to visit the Family History Library, you can still access through a film loan. The records include passenger ship records, land and probate records, military and vital records, church and cemetery records and include family histories and county histories. Microfilms are through a process that charges only shipping, currently $5.50. The films are sent to your local Family History Center where they are available for several weeks. The Family History Centers have microfilm microfiche readers, and also a printer copier, where you can print, or you can save any images you want to a CD or a thumb drive. Not long ago I was able to read a town record from Rhode Island that was created in 1775. Without the filming of Rhode Island records this would have been impossible because the book itself looked to be in bad shape and the ink was fading even as it was filmed.

You can also purchase or rent film through the National Archives, www.archives.gov which has over 3,000 films, many related to the military and immigration, and you can purchase film from Heritage Quest www.heritagequest.com. There are also some state libraries that offer microfilm rental. These can be located by doing an online search for the State in which you are interested. You can bring the film you rent from other sources to the Family History Center and view them there free of charge.

To locate filmed records, go to the Family Search Web Site at www.familysearch.org. Click on the Library Tab. This allows you to view the holdings of the Salt Lake Library. There are several ways to search, but the most useful is to search by place. As an example if you type in Berkshire Massachusetts, a list of records will come up. These could be census, church, land, probate, or vital records. If you click, for example, on vital records, a number of records will appear that hold vital records. These are hyperlinked to the book or film number. If the record has been filmed, you can usually get it loaned to the local family history center. You may take the film number there and they will order it for you and give you a call when it comes in. If the information you want is in a book you can request to have it filmed. It generally takes a while however, for a requested filming. A similar process is used to order from the National Archives or Heritage Quest.

Digitized records are the wave of the future, and currently digitizing projects are yielding exciting results. A recent project to scan and digitize the vital records of West Virginia resulted in 1.4 million original records being posted online. These records are accessed through a 3.5 million name data base and can be viewed at http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/. Record scanning projects are currently taking place world wide. Included in the digitizing efforts to digitize the microfilm holding of the Salt Lake Genealogical Library. Once digitized these records may then become available online. With the availability of our new technology the process from scan to view is amazingly fast, and allows us to do more research from home. You’d think that with all the information we have at our fingertips, we’d have all our family history mysteries solved.

The Genealogy of Your "Stuff"

I recently acquired a set of delicately crocheted doilies. They were found in a cedar chest belonging to my husband’s Grandmother who passed away many years ago. This grandmother didn’t crochet, so it is generally believed they were made by her mother, Anne Clark Walker who was born in England in 1877. While they are still heirlooms and I can tell our children that they belonged to their great grandmother, it would be wonderful if I could tell whoever inherits them with certainty that they were made by their Great –Great- Grandma Walker, who did much of her crocheting in later years while she was blind.

From time to time I see things that should be of great value to families discarded with very little thought because they have no history of the piece. A saddle in an old barn became much more valued by my brother when he knew it was his grandfather’s saddle. His knowledge of the stories of this grandfather’s adventures give life to the old saddle.

The value of things, especially if their history is known, increases as it moves away from the original event. The biscuit cutter that grandma always used to shape biscuits, or the leather pouch that grandpa kept his coins in become very special when handed down with the biscuit recipe and a description of grandma’s kitchen and baking routine, or how grandpa always kept some “folding money” in his coin purse or would carry coins to give out to his grandchildren.

Once a year the Sedona Genealogy Club has a meeting where we bring an article and tell its history. This always proves fascinating. The items have ranged from a small box that brought every earthly possession from “the old country” to America, to a cup belonging to a ship captain that was carved of a type of wood such that, when filled with his evening tonic, it leached a toxic substance into the owner’s wine which eventually killed him.

A friend recently gave an object to her daughter that had been in the family for a long time. She was wise because as she gave the heirloom she gave also a written note about the history “as she knew it” of the treasured piece. If you have things among your souvenirs that you value take a few minutes to write a bit about how you got them, and why they are important. If you have genealogy records and pictures, leave instructions of who they are to go to and pick someone whom you know will care for them. If you don’t think they will be valued, then consider donating them to a historical society, or even a distant relative. Your children who may not seem to care now, may later on, or even more likely you will have a descendant in a few years that will be searching for something to help understand you.

We all know we should write on our pictures, but consider taking it a step further. While poring over a picture that was labeled with the names of several young people in the photo a number of questions presented themselves. I could tell where the picture was taken but didn’t know the year or ages of the subjects. What was the event? What was the relationship of the subjects? Were they school mates, or were some relatives? How wonderful if that picture had been mounted and preserved with a short note about the event. I know I’m asking a lot, especially for those of us with stacks of pictures still unidentified.

Things that are of value to you are worth some investment of time and thought. Speaking as someone who has researched long and hard to located information about my ancestors, if you have things in your possession, artifacts that link you to yours, you are fortunate. Time taken to identify pictures and heirlooms will be appreciated by someone who will thank you later.

Genealogy in Cemeteries

Cemeteries are peaceful and quiet and hold a wealth of genealogical information. A headstone usually will contain the name of the individual buried, and the birth and death date, sometimes the place of birth is included, and some give additional information such as listing names of parents, siblings, children or spouses. But there are other clues to look for and things to check out.

Take a look at the graves near your ancestor, as families are often buried near each other. Also look closely at any nearby children’s graves, for a child may have been buried next to their parents or possibly their grandparents.

I found a wonderful headstone in Philadelphia recently which listed not only date and place of both the birth and death, but the names of the woman’s parents, the name of her husband and the date they were married, as well as her children with each child’s birth year. Yes, it was a huge headstone, and it didn’t belong to my family, but one can wish. Keep in mind that even though the information is written in stone, there could be errors. I have an Uncle who died on a Jan 1, but his head stone says Jan 11. When a stone cutter made an error, it was often too costly to redo the stone.

I always like to photograph headstones rather than just copy the information, but they can be tricky subjects for a picture. The stone may have deteriorated, and the sun is not always where it should be. A bit of preparation before you visit a cemetery can help

The silver sun screen from your car may be used as a mirror to direct light onto the headstone to enhance the camera’s capabilities.
A spray bottle filled with water can be used to spray the stone. You will be amazed at how the moisture will improve not only the readability, but also the photography. Anything stronger than water may erode the stone or permanently damage it.
Kneel down and take the picture from as straight an angle as you can. Standing can give the picture a “keystone effect” and make it unreadable.
If you can’t take a picture, you might consider bringing a large piece of paper or some white fabric called “interfacing” which can be placed over the stone while you do a chalk or crayon rubbing. Remember the leaf rubbings you did in elementary school. This is the same principle. The fabric is nice because it folds easily away. It is always a good idea to check with the cemetery sexton to let him know what you are doing. Make sure that, whatever you do, the stone is not damaged in the process.
If you are going to a cemetery that is isolated and on a day when other people aren’t around use caution. You should always take someone with you to any remote spot.

Information from many cemeteries is on line. Many states are making an all out effort to record their cemeteries before they crumble away and these are being posted on line. One site I particularly like is www.findagrave.com It is divided into two parts: one for famous people and one for everyone else. Mine are on the non-famous side, however, by typing in a surname and state you can find individual listings. If you find an ancestor you can leave a “virtual” flower or note. A nice feature of this site is that it allows you to view the contact information of whoever posted the grave information, making it easy to contact them. Sometimes a picture of the deceased will be posted also.

As you travel this summer if you are near areas where your family lived, take a side trip to the cemetery and remember to gather as much information as you can while you are there, and enjoy the epitaphs.

Finding Female Ancestors –

If it isn’t hard enough trying to find a missing male ancestor try finding a missing female one. Sometimes referred to as the “invisible half” of the family, women who are lost in past generations come with a special set of difficulties. During early American history, under a concept called coverture, a woman's separate legal status came to an end when she married. Typically a married woman could not own real property, though this could vary depending on the state she lived in. While single women kept property in their name, they didn’t generally leave any descendants who would need to find them. When a woman married she also changed her name making it difficult to place her with parents and siblings. Married women, when they died, are usually buried under their married names. Understanding these problems helps us understand the solutions.

The good news is there are ways to find that elusive great-great grandmother and her sisters and the following records may help.

The obvious first place to look is to find a marriage record, by looking under the name of the male ancestor. Marriage records, when found, can have a great deal of information. This is where you will find the bride’s maiden name, and place of residence, and often the names of her parents.
Cemetery records may sometimes be the only place you find a female’s name. These sometimes include her maiden name, but not always. While checking cemeteries look to see who is buried around her, as these are often relatives.
Land records are also a good place to find a woman’s name. Because women had a 1/3 right to any property her husband owned, called a dower right, if any land was sold she had to give her consent to the sale through a separate interview. These interviews include her name. While only on occasion will her maiden name be mentioned, her first name will be, and often land purchases include the names of the husband and wife regardless of if they were selling or purchasing the property. Land was also handed down from fathers to daughters.
Wills not only name daughters, but if the will was probated after a woman’s marriage it will give married name, and often state the place she was living, as well as the name of her husband.
Census records should be checked for every year that your missing female relative might appear. After her marriage it won’t list her maiden name, but look closely at those living near by, and especially watch for naming patterns. Children were often named for their grandparents. Middle names for boys or girls could be the maiden name of their mother. Look carefully at women with the same name as your missing female who live in the same area.
Newspapers are a great source for researchers and fun to read besides. A marriage or obituary of a sibling may name your missing females. Early newspapers are great in that they tell what was going on in the community. These reports often include the visits of out of town family members, giving their names and places of residence.
Check also internet sites to see if others are working on the same problem you are. Sites such as www.familysearch.org, http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/ or www.ancestry.com., are good starting points, but remember being published on the internet doesn’t mean the information is true or proven however, it can give you a starting point.
Your missing female relative might be “hiding” near other family. Finding where they went may be the clue you need. If a female moved or headed west in the nineteenth century she most likely didn’t move entirely on her own. It is more likely she moved to be near a brother, uncle or other relative that moved on before or at the same time. This is one reason that a good approach to locating missing females is to complete the research of other family members in hopes that this may lead you to your missing female.

While women may be a bit more challenging to find, it is often possible, if you are persistent. One website that has many links and helps for researching women is found at http://www.cyndislist.com/female.htm#Foremothers .

Genealogy Tips

Finding your ancestors can be fun but it can also be challenging. We are lucky to live in a world that has provided us many tools to help us in our search. At the Ancestor Workshop recently held, many strategies were given and I’ll attempt to give a brief overview.

1. Learn how to use a computer. The Verde Valley Computer Club offers classes [free of charge] and will start you at the beginning such as how to turn on the computer, or you can also take classes at Yavapai College which are inexpensive and very helpful.

2. Take a genealogy class. These are often found at your local LDS Family History Center or through groups like the Northern Arizona Genealogy Society or the Sedona Genealogy Club. There are also online helps such as the Beginning Genealogy section of Cyndi’s List at www.cyndislist.com.

3. Make a timeline for your ancestor where you list them by year and put their age in a column next to the year. This can help you decide what records they might be found in. For example, if a male was 20 in 1812, then he might be in military records because of the War of 1812. If an ancestor was living in 1910 then they might be found on the census of that year.

4. Find out about the history and geography of the area they lived in. One family I researched lived in Ohio then West Virginia and then Ohio. A map showed they were just moving from one side of the river to the other side.

5. Track the path of migration that your family took as they moved, many clues come from migrations trails.

6. Look at your ancestor as part of a group and research the entire family. Those you are searching for didn’t live in a vacuum; they lived near family and more often than not moved to new locations with other related families.

7. If you are planning a trip to your “ancestral home” plan and prepare carefully, check out before what you want to look at and make sure it is available. This is especially critical if you are visiting a foreign county. Checking with a local historical or genealogical society can be a good way to do this. You may want to set up appointments with those you want to meet with.

8. If you have old pictures make sure they are labeled and find ways to preserve them for future generations. Prints of pictures don’t last forever, so make copies and have them digitized if possible. Store with the pictures any information that you know about the event they are recording, such as; “this photo of Myrtle Finney was taken at her birthday party in Memphis Texas in 1975.”

9. If you have heirlooms make sure they are also documented with as much history about them as you have.

10. Whenever you find information write down where you got it. Documenting your research allows you and others to value your work.

11. Use the internet as a tool, but not as an end of your research. There are many resources available and you should use them all. Take a look at books, genealogy magazines, journals, newspapers, message boards, and library collections.

12. Learn how to use databases and indexes such as those found at www.ancestry.com and www.familysearch.org. These will help you focus your research and save you time.

13. If you are looking in the USA check out USGenWeb at www.usgenweb.org/. This group organizes genealogy resources by county. Some counties are better than others for example Yavapai County has a very helpful site.

Studies show that 60% of the US population is interested in Family History and while I don’t think of genealogy as a hobby it is considered the fastest growing “hobby” in the US. Because of all the interest and resources, it shouldn’t be difficult to find the help you need.

Ethnic Genealogy Research

When you hear the words “ethnic genealogy” you may think of Hispanic, African American or Japanese, but ethnic genealogy really encompasses all of us. Our great country is made up of lots of different groups of people who have blended to become Americans. Finding your “ethnic roots” really means learning the history of your ancestors, whether they sailed here, walked here or met the boats.

Begin with stories passed down through your family. We all have these stores - such as your great - grandfather and his brother came from Ireland in 1850 to escape the Potato Famine. With any story you must first thing check to see if what you were told fits with the history involved. If the Potato Famine was in 1850 then you could be on the right track. Expand on what you know by studying the history of the area your family lived both here and in their native land.

Depending on the nationality of your ancestors, you will find yourself searching different types of records. Many can find their ancestors in immigration and naturalization records, but if your family arrived before the Revolutionary War that won’t always work. Not everyone came into the US on the East Coast. They may have come from Canada as did the French Acadians, ancestors of many Cajuns or they may have come into the West Coast and may have already been in an area when it became a state such as with many of the Western States.

African Americans, whose ancestors were slaves, will find themselves searching land records and wills where they may be named as part of the property. After the Civil war they may find records of their ancestors in Freedman’s Bank Records, the first bank set up for Blacks after the Civil War, which is a valuable resource.

Our foster daughter is an Arapaho Indian and finds herself looking at records the government kept on her tribe and records of land given to the Cheyenne – Arapaho, which she combines with her oral tribal history. A friend whose Japanese ancestors came into the country in the 1800’s found that records kept on the Japanese by the government during WWII included her grandparents.

The ethnicity often includes religious groups. When immigrants came to this country they often located near others from their homeland, because they spoke the same language and attended the same church. Take a look at the predominant religion of the area your family lived. Churches kept good records. The Catholic Church, for example, has extensive records, so if your family came from or lived in an area

Beginning Lesson	Family Genealogy Vacations	Family Resources	Beginning Census Work
Filing Your Research	Lesson Helps	Forms	Ellis Island
Vital Records	Write Your History	Goals 2005	Free Genealogy Web Sites
Using Tax Records	Military Records	Reunion Time	Lineage Societies
Black Sheep Ancestors	Land Records	Brick Walls	Value of Microfilm
Genealogy of Your "Stuff"	Cemetery Research	Finding Female Relatives	Tips for 2006
Ethnic Research	Organize