Civil War Mapmaking
A new Library of Congress online collection could let you trace your Civil War ancestor's footsteps into battle or see whether soldiers dug trenches on his farm.
The Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov), Virginia Historical Society (http://www.vahistorical.org) and Library of Virginia (
http://www.lva.lib.va.us)
have teamed up to post nearly 3,000 Civil War maps, charts, atlases and sketchbooks at http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/collections/civil_war_maps.
Union forces or northern commercial firms prepared most of the maps in the Library of Congress collection. They depict battles and engagements (such as Gettysburg, shown), troop positions and movements, and fortifications.
The Virginia Historical Society's online collection includes Army Engineer Corps maps of Virginia that not only detail roads, bridges, waterways and major buildings, but also identify farms and plantations by the owners' names. In addition, you'll find
images from the diary and scrapbook of Robert K. Sneden, an Army of the Potomac private who served as a mapmaker, consist primarily of battle plans and fortification details.
The Library of Virginia contributed 200 maps to the new site. Some accompanied reports to the governor of Virginia; others include Confederate imprints, printed and manuscript maps of areas in Virginia, and field maps of southwestern Virginia.
You can search the collection or browse by title, subject, place or creator. To view an image, zoom in and click to navigate, or, if you have the MrSid plug-in, download the whole thing.
Busting Out!
Way back in 2004, we asked for your best hints to get around research dead-ends as part of our Brick-Wall Busters tip contest. More than 200 of you responded with great stories and suggestions! Our 30 favorite tips appear in the special fifth-anniversary
February 2005 Family Tree Magazine. All of those contributors get a Family Tree Books how-to guide.
The following five lucky winners—drawn at random—will receive Ultimate Genealogy Toolkits full of goodies from our sponsors. Grand-prize winner Donna Carnall also gets an Epson PictureMate photo printer (http://www.mypicturemate.com).
A big thanks to all of our sponsors! Visit http://www.familytreemagazine.com/brickwallcontest.asp to see who they are and access their Web sites.
Donna Carnall
Cherryvale, Kan.
Sherry Daniels
Garden Grove, Calif.
Jean F. Joseph
Wethersfield, Conn.
Evelyn Naranjo
Rockville, Md.
Jeri Taylor
Morehead, Ky.
Finding Family in the Boonies
If you're seeking info on your ancestor's obscure hometown—whether it's Alkali, Ore., or Moody, Ala.—ePodunk.com (http://www.epodunk.com/genealogy) might be able to help. The free Web
site has information about every US county; profiles of more than 27,000 cities, towns, villages and hamlets; a list of more than 12,000 common misspellings of American place names; and more than 5,000 former place names of communities in 37 states.
To find a former place name, search on a place or ZIP code and check the "Include former names" box. (Select Advanced Search to specify the type of place.) I learned that my little Cincinnati-satellite community was once called Enterprise—and I got
a book recommendation for further historical research.
ePodunk CEO Laurie Bennett says plans for early 2005 include national coverage of names for places that aren't around anymore. "The new database draws from hundreds of published sources to compile a list of prior post office names, railroad depots, plat
names, informal place names and merged communities."
Schedule Your 15 Minutes of Fame
Got a flair for the dramatic? Been bitten by both the genealogy bug and the acting bug? Production company Sailor Jones Media (http://www.sailorjones.com) is looking for a host and regulars to star in a
reality-style television series on family history sleuthing. Interest and experience in genealogy is a plus, as is a flamboyant or quirky personality.
Preliminary applications, available at http://honoringourancestors.com/casting.html, are due by the end of the day today (Jan. 6) for auditions in Los Angeles and Provo, Utah; Jan.
12 is the application
deadline for auditions in Philadelphia and Toronto. If you're selected, you must travel to the audition at your own expense.
Finding Your Way Through History
Having trouble tracking down those elusive ancestors? In this biweekly, Web-exclusive column, contributing editor Nancy Hendrickson points to new and helpful ways to do your computer-related genealogy research. This week, she gives you tips on locating
historical maps.
Read more at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/ancestornews/current.html.
Hendrickson is a family historian, freelance writer and the author of the book Finding Your Roots Online, on sale now at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/store/display.asp?id=70583.
Browse the archive of her AncestorNews columns at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/ancestornews/previous.html.
Prepare for Your Close-up
This week's tip comes from B. Karns of Pittsburgh:
When I was trying to photograph ancestors' tombstones on a sunny day, letters engraved in some of the older stones seemed to just disappear. My research pal suggested I carry a very soft brush for gently removing debris plus a spray bottle filled
with water to wet the stone. As the sun heated and dried the stone, the engraved letters remained dark enough to read and clearly photograph. It worked like a charm!
Do you have a great idea for discovering, preserving or
celebrating family history? E-mail us your tip at
ftmnews-editor@fwpubs.com with "TIP OF THE WEEK"
in the subject line. If we publish it, you'll win a free
copy of Family History 101 by Marcia Yanizze Melnyk, available for purchase at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/store/display.asp?id=70658.
Be first to check out these new articles on our Web site:
• Shutterbugs Rejoice!
http://www.familytreemagazine.com/articles/dec04/photoshare.asp
Send your holiday photos to far-flung family.
• Holiday Heritage
http://www.familytreemagazine.com/articles/dec01/holiday.html
Where do your family's holiday traditions come from? 'Tis the season to find out with our guide to the origins of Christmas customs around the world.
• Timeless Tips
http://www.familytreemagazine.com/articles/feb05/timelesstips.asp
Technology is moving at lightning speed—and it's taking genealogy with it. But some things never change. Come back in time to Family Tree Magazine's inaugural issue for some ageless research advice.
• Living History Events
http://www.familytreemagazine.com/articles/feb05/livinghistory.asp
Relive the past at one of these five family history adventures.
DNA Done Right
Q . I was adopted and I'm trying to prove my surname connection to a possible biological relative. I believe that I've found a male third cousin. Each of us is in a direct male line back to a common great-grandfather. Which Y-chromosome
test(s) would be appropriate to prove the relationship?
A . Your situation is an ideal application of Y-DNA testing, especially since you've already developed a theory to test.
Y-chromosome tests come in a variety of "resolutions." Just as higher-resolution printers provide a clearer picture, higher-resolution tests provide greater accuracy. Resolution is measured in 'markers,' or locations
on the Y-chromosome. The more markers the test evaluates, the higher its resolution.
In your situation, a basic 10- to 15-marker test would probably be sufficient to determine whether you're related to your suspected cousin. That's because you're simply looking for a haplotype match, rather than trying to estimate the number of generations
back to a common ancestor. (Haplotype is the term for a set of Y-DNA test results.) But I'd suggest that you opt for a mid-range test of 23 to 25 markers. This will reduce the possibility of a false-positive match. Although it's extremely rare for
two unrelated men to match closely on even a low-resolution test, it can happen if your haplotype should prove to be a very common one. (Like surnames, some haplotypes are more common than others.) Given the personal importance of this test, I'd take the
extra precaution.
To learn more about what genetic genealogy can do for your research, see the February 2005 Family Tree Magazine.
—Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak
Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak is co-author of Trace Your Roots with DNA: Using Genetic Tests to Explore Your Family Tree (Rodale, $14.95) and webmaster of Genetealogy.com (http://www.genetealogy.com).
Read more Q&A with the experts at
http://www.familytreemagazine.com/nowwhatonline/previous.html.
Technological Advantages
Expert photo historian Maureen A. Taylor helps readers analyze old family pictures in her Web-exclusive column Identifying Family Photographs. This week, she explains how to put digital cameras, scanners and portable archives to good genealogical use.
http://www.familytreemagazine.com/photos/current.htm.
If you have a family photo mystery for Taylor to solve, check out our Submission Guidelines at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/photos/photohelp.htm.
SugarLand, Texas
Emily Anne Croom
Jan. 8
Ft. Bend Genealogy Society
Topic:
- For the Settling of My Temporal Estate: Using Probate Records in Genealogy
Contact the Ft. Bend County Library
SugarLand branch at (281) 277-8934.
Salt Lake City
Paula Stuart-Warren
Jan. 10-14
Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy
Topics:
- Never Enough Time! Strategies and Organizational Tips and Tools for Busy Researchers
- Finding Ancestral Places of Origin in U.S. Records
- The WPA Era: What It Created for Genealogists
- Miracles in County Courthouses and Town Hall Records
- Newspaper Research: The Dailies, Weeklies, and Beyond
- Genealogical and Historical Periodicals In Print and Online
- The US National Archives: The Nation's Attic
- The Art of Genealogical Research Trips
Contact the Utah Genealogical Association at http://www.infouga.org.
St. Paul, Minn.
Paula Stuart-Warren
Jan. 29
Minnesota Historical Society
Topic:
- Tracing Your Family History: Steps Online and Off
Contact the Minnesota Historical Society at http://www.mnhs.org (click Library).
RootsMagic Genealogy Software - "An excellent choice for any genealogist" says Family Tree Magazine. Get a free trial copy at http://www.RootsMagic.com
UNIQUE SCANDINAVIAN HERITAGE TOURS
Visit
ancestral villages, parish churches, archives, connect with family. Fluent guides and genealogy experts included. www.scandgen.com
PUBLISH YOUR FAMILY HISTORY. Preserve and share
your precious family research. Personal coaching. Many options. www.GatewayPress.com
Smoky Mountain Reunion Chalets - 1-8 BR's. Reunion packages, facilities and coordinator.
1-800-561-5691 www.yoursmokymountainreunion.com
Genealogy Hotel Rates in Salt Lake-You will love the genealogy rates at the Holiday Inn-Downtown along with the free shuttles
to & from the Family History Library. www.holiday-inn.com/slc-downtown
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