WIN A PHOTO PRINTER AND OTHER GENEALOGY GOODIES!
Family Tree Magazine celebrates its fifth anniversary in 2005—and we want to shower YOU with gifts!
Send us a research tip, method or idea that helped you get over a brick wall in your research. We'll publish the 20 best tips in our special February 2005 fifth-anniversary issue.
One lucky grand-prize winner's Ultimate Genealogy Toolkit will include an Epson PictureMate photo printer (http://www.mypicturemate.com)! Five winners also will receive fabulous genealogy prize packages of software, CD-ROMs, family tree charts and more. And all published tipsters will receive a genealogy how-to book from Family Tree Books.
To get contest details and enter your tip (less than 200 words, please), visit http://www.familytreemagazine.com/brickwallcontest.asp.
Your prize package could include:
PRICE OF ADMISSION
If you've been planning a trip to research your Motor City ancestors at the Detroit Public Library (DPL, http://www.detroitpubliclibrary.org), save some bucks by going before Aug. 1. The library just announced that patrons who live outside the Detroit area will have to pay $100 per year for library services.
A new nonresident library card will be required to borrow materials and use DPL special collections, including the Burton Historical Collection. Begun in 1915 with businessman Clarence Monroe Burton's private library of 30,000 books, 40,000 pamphlets and 500,000 unpublished papers, the collection now encompasses the library's genealogical holdings, rare books, maps, historical letters, and the original manuscripts of authors such as Mark Twain and Laura Ingalls Wilder.
“The new policy mirrors similar fees charged by other Michigan public libraries and other urban libraries surveyed across the country,” says library director Nancy Skowronski. “The Library is pleased to continue to provide access to nonresident customers, but our Detroit community is our first priority.”
Michigan cut state funding to DPL last year, leaving local residents to pick up the slack through property taxes. Now DPL must compete for state grants with other libraries and cultural institutions. The cuts took place after an audit of DPL finances, which revealed the existence of endowments the library hadn't disclosed to the legislature in funding requests.
Starting in August, nonresident DPL cardholders will receive applications by mail for the new library card. It's unclear how libraries will enforce the policy and how it will affect interlibrary loan procedures.
ENLISTING SUPPORT
This month the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) added WWII enlistment records for 9 million soldiers to its Access to Archival Databases (AAD) online resource at http://www.archives.gov/aad. The records are part of the World War II Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File of information from NARA's scans of microfilmed WWII enlistment punch cards.
You can search the database by Army serial number, name, state, county, place of enlistment and birth year. Results show those facts plus enlistment date, birthplace, race, education level, civilian occupation and marital status. The database doesn't have records for officers, members of other military branches, non-WWII enlistments, or the 1.5 million enlistments on poor-quality microfilms that couldn't be scanned. It does contain records for the 130,000-plus women in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps.
Enlistees wrote their names and serial numbers on the punch cards, along with codes for their personal information. Then they punched the holes corresponding to the codes. AAD translates the punch-outs for you. The original cards no longer exist. You can see the microfilms of them at NARA's College Park, Md., facility, but the films show the same information that's in AAD. Michael Carlson, NARA's director of electronic media records, says that most, but not all, errors in AAD's listings also are on the microfilm.
AAD is the first public site developed under NARA's Electronic Records Archives Program. That may explain why it doesn't scream "user-friendly"—it's cluttered, the instructions are in governmentspeak and it lacks advice on what to do with a record once you've found it. Carlson suggests reading the frequently asked questions and search tips before using the site. You can use the information in your ancestor's listing to request his military personnel records (see http://www.archives.gov/research_room/obtain_copies/veterans_service_records.html for information) or as proof of service for purposes such as obtaining commemorative markers.
GATEWAY TO NATURALIZATIONS
St. Louis, the most common launchpad for 19th-century pioneers headed west, presented the last opportunity for many immigrants to become US citizens before hitting the trail. Until a few years ago, the naturalization cards they left behind were scattered among the city's courthouses and federal offices.
The St. Louis Genealogical Society (StLGS) and the Missouri Secretary of State's office announced last week that the society has completed an index to the cards. And by the end of this year, StLGS will post the index—for now, named the Naturalization Project index—along with digital images of the cards on its Web site at http://www.stlgs.org.
The new index covers 93,000-plus naturalizations made in St. Louis city courts between 1816 and 1906, when the federal government took over the citizenship process.
"The index will contain the names of individuals naturalized, the
date, country of origin, which court, and the court volume and page number
for the official entry in the naturalization record books," says StLGS president Barbara Savalick. Those books are on microfilm at the St. Louis Circuit Court Archives, the Missouri State Archives, the St. Louis County Library and the St. Louis Public Library.
You don't have to wait for the Naturalization Project index to go online: If you think your ancestors were naturalized in St. Louis, submit a research request through the StLGS Web site for $6 per lookup ($5 for StLGS members). The society also has photocopies of the naturalization cards.
BLOG YOUR FAMILY
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 writes about blogging your genealogy. 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.
KEEP 'EM IN THE LOOP
This week's tip comes from Tisha Hendricks of Goodlettsville, Tenn.:
"I'm our family's self-appointed newsletter editor. I'm always looking for ways to save money on publishing, while still sending good-looking material.
"I created our family's personal Yahoo Group. It's free and has enough room for our photos and files. We also can chat if we want. Plus, I can restrict membership to our family to keep out spammers. Of course, this only works for our online family, and I send a printed newsletter to keep others up-to-date."
Do you have a great idea for discovering, preserving or celebrating family history? E-mail us your tip at mailto:ftmnews-editor@fwpubs.com with "TIP OF THE WEEK" in the subject line. If we publish it, you'll win a free copy of Plugging Into Your Past by Rick Crume (Family Tree Books, $19.99), also available for purchase online at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/store/display.asp?id=70624.
Overwhelmed by the number of family history-related Web sites popping up? FamilyTreeMagazine.com sorts through them all—whew!—to bring you only the very best. We recently recommended the following as Sites of the Week:
• Find Someone in Nevada's History
http://dmla.clan.lib.nv.us/docs/shpo/NVCensus/FindPeople/year.asp
Got ancestors in the Silver State? Search for them in Nevada's online census database.
• US Surname Distribution
http://www.hamrick.com/names
Enter a surname, and you'll get a map showing that moniker's distribution in the 50 states.
• Printable Calendar
http://www.printablecalendar.ca
Visit this organizational aide to pick a weekly, monthly or yearly calendar to print.
• The Making of America
http://www.hti.umich.edu/m/moagrp
This digital library has 8,500 books and 50,000 journal articles from America's antebellum period through Reconstruction.
GET MAILING LIST RESULTS
Online genealogy requires starting with a goal, creating a list of steps to reach it and acting on each one. Here are two tactics for getting maximum results when using genealogy mailing lists:
- Get location-specific. Pick the family line that's giving you the most trouble, then join the county-level mailing list for your ancestors' last-known residence. In the 18th and 19th centuries, rural neighbors commonly married one another and served as witnesses on each others' legal documents. Once you join a county mailing list, you'll be able to network with other researchers who may be tracing your family's in-laws or neighbors.
- Network with other surname researchers. Next, join a surname mailing list for the same family line. Post a brif note about your research problems, and include key details that would help fellow list members determine whether you share an ancestor or are working on an allied line. Again, someone on the list might have access to vital records or books that would help in your search.
—Nancy Hendrickson
You'll find more genealogy mailing-list tips and other how-to research advice in the August 2004 Family Tree Magazine. Get your copy by visiting http://www.familytreemagazine.com/magazine.asp.
PRESERVATION POINTERS
Expert photo historian Maureen A. Taylor helps readers analyze old family pictures in her Web-exclusive column Identifying Family Photographs. This week, she offers tips for safeguarding your photo collection.
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.
Houston, Texas
Emily Anne Croom
June 27
Bay Area Genealogical Society
Topic: Tools for Genealogists: Using Timelines
Contact Dick at dick@merlins-web.com.
Lufkin, Texas
Emily Anne Croom
July 23-24
Angelina College 8th Annual Genealogy Conference
Topics:
- Where in the World? Using Maps in Genealogy
- Timely Tools for Genealogists: Using Timelines
- Resolving Conflicting Evidence
Contact Angelina College Community Services at (936) 633-5206 or visit www.angelina.cc.tx.us/genealogy.htm.
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
RootsMagic Genealogy Software - "An excellent choice for any genealogist"
says Family Tree Magazine. Get a free trial copy at http://www.RootsMagic.com
The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, offers the largest
collection of genealogical records in the world. For more information
visit www.visitsaltlake.com/genealogy
PUBLISH YOUR FAMILY HISTORY. Preserve and share your precious family research. Personal coaching. Many options. www.GatewayPress.com
GenSmarts Automated Genealogy Research - "amazingly easy and convenient"
says Family Tree Magazine. Get a free trial copy at http://www.GenSmarts.com
Missing something? Get your issues up to date
Get
back issues of Family Tree Magazine here.
Explore past issues of the family tree magazine update
Access all previous issues of this newsletter.
Family Tree News Service
Get free articles for your genealogy newsletter or Web site.
Sponsor this newsletter
For information on sponsoring this newsletter or to receive a rate card, e-mail kworkman@longshoremedia.com.
You have received this e-mail because you expressed interest in receiving updates about genealogy and genealogy products from Family Tree Magazine and Betterway Books by e-mail. Thanks for your subscription!
You are currently subscribed as $subst('Recip.EmailAddr')
To unsubscribe, send a blank message to $subst('email.unsub')
To change the address we send messages to, click here: http://fwpubs.sparklist.com/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=familytree (YOU DO NOT NEED A PASSWORD, enter only your email address stated above.)
To receive the text-only version of the newsletter, unsubscribe using the directions above, then subscribe to the text-only list by sending a blank email to join-familytree-text@fwpubs.sparklist.com.
Questions?
To ensure a timely response to your questions concerning magazine subscriptions or other general help, please see www.familytreemagazine.com/contactus.html
Please only reply to this message with newsletter-specific questions.
![[description]](http://net.fwpublications.com/newsletters/Images/Newsletters/Family_Tree_Magazine_E-Mail_Update_1_W_A_6_24_2004/GenPub624a.jpg)
