Genealogists Take Texas: Reconnaissance Report
The Austin Genealogical Society and Texas State Genealogical Society showed real Southern hospitality Sept. 8-11 as they welcomed some 1,000 genealogists from across the country to the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference (
http://www.fgs.org) in downtown Austin. Conferencegoers attended a wide range of family history-focused lectures, swapped stories and scouted out the latest genealogical resources in the vendor hall.
Family Tree Magazine editor Allison Stacy and I enjoyed meeting the hundreds of family historians who stopped by the Family Tree Magazine/Family Tree Books booth to say hello. They all got a free copy of the October 2004 issue, plus a keepsake
family tree chart to take home. One lucky visitor won a $100 Family Tree Books gift certificate and a subscription to the magazine. We also raffled off a complete set of 2003 and 2004 Family Tree Magazine special issues in a handsome magazine binder.
As I wandered the vendor hall, I saw familiar exhibitors—such as Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Family History Library (
http://www.familysearch.org) and ProQuest (http://www.proquest.com)—that have a presence at most genealogy shows. A few new vendors are worth noting, though:
- Canutillo, Texas-based Family Forget Me Nots (http://www.familyforgetmenots.com) offers old-fashioned stationery and ephemera that's perfect for embellishing heritage albums.
- If you have Swedish roots, look into Genline's Swedish Church Records archive, an online data subscription available at http://www.genline.com.
- The not-for-profit Archive CD Books Project (http://www.archivecdbooks.org) is working to digitize old books, maps and records in libraries and museums across the globe, then making
them available on CD-ROM to genealogists and historians worldwide. So far, materials span the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Netherlands, Ireland and New Zealand.
- Pearl Street Software (http://www.familytreelegends.com) announced the release of Family Tree Legends 4.0, which features new-and-improved family group sheets and templates for
creating charts
in various styles. The updated version also has more-advanced photo-editing capabilities. Pearl Street recently teamed up with Individual Software (publisher of Heritage Family Tree Deluxe), which soon will distribute Family Tree Legends Deluxe in retail
stores nationwide.
Austin was an excellent choice for the conference. Genealogists had easy access to dozens of attractions, including the Texas State Library and Archives (http://www.tsl.state.tx.us), Texas General
Land Office (http://www.glo.state.tx.us), Perry Castañeda Library (http://www.lib.utexas.edu/pcl) and other research facilities. Another
reason Austin's unique: The live music capital of the world also houses North America's largest urban bat colony. Brave conferencegoers gathered near the Congress Avenue Bridge at dusk each evening to watch the 1.5 million Mexican free-tail bats that reside
there take flight in search of food. Though we didn't make it to the bridge on time, we heard the flight was fascinating—albeit a bit creepy.
—Lauren Eisenstodt, Associate Editor
Texas Marches out Digitized Military Records
In other news from the Lone Star State: The Texas State Library and Archives Commission recently added a free, searchable online database of digitized military records on about 25,000 individuals to its Adjutant General Service Records collection.
The 17,000-image database contains official service record files from the Adjutant General's Office and service-related files from other government agencies. The records, dating from the 1830s to the 1930s, represent 15 military organizations. See
http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/arc/service/list.html for a list.
Eight of these series—Army of the Republic, Navy of the Republic, Confederate States Army, Texas State Troops, Mounted Volunteers, Minute Men, State Police and Regular Rangers—are entirely digitized. The Texas State Library says it's adding
new images on a weekly basis.
You can search the database by name, library call number (though that's mainly for state librarians' use) and military organization. Some files contain only a brief sentence or two. Others are more detailed with enlistment forms (shown; click the image
to enlarge it), receipts, equipment records
and other documents that contain names, dates, places, physical descriptions and uniform measurements. Access the database at http://www2.tsl.state.tx.us/trail/servicesearch.jsp.
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
September is a big month for Hispanic countries, with five Latin American nations—Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua—celebrating their birthdays on Sept. 15, and Mexico and Chile toasting thier independence on Sept.
16 and 18, respectively. That's why the US Congress declared now through Oct. 15 National Hispanic Heritage Month.
According to the US Census Bureau, about 10 million people of Hispanic origin—those who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean—live in the United States (that's
not including the 3.9 million residents of Puerto Rico, a US territory). At 13.7 percent of the US population, Hispanics are the country's largest ethnic minority.
For information on researching Hispanic ancestors from Spain, see the June 2004 Family Tree Magazine (http://www.familytreemagazine.com/
mags/display.asp?id=1582). And stop by these Hispanic-research Web sites:
Godfrey Library Seeks Award Nominations
The Godfrey Memorial Library, a genealogical library with online databases at http://www.godfrey.org, is accepting nominations of innovative genealogy librarians to win its 2005 Filby Award. The prize
is $1,000—so
if you've been dying for your library to get some valuable but pricey resource, you might look into nominating your favorite librarian.
Award candidates must have at least five years of library experience. They'll be judged on contributions to records preservation or patron access, development of reference tools, publication of genealogical works and encouragement of others' involvement
in genealogical librarianship.
Contact the Godfrey library at (860) 346-4375 or library@godfrey.org for nomination guidelines. The deadline is April 15, 2005.
Present the Past
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 telling your
ancestors' story in a scrapbook.
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.
Picturing History
This week's tip comes from Janet Meleney of Manning, SC:
"To help illustrate my family history, I look for postcards at flea markets and on Internet sites such as eBay (http://www.ebay.com). For instance, I recently bought five cards depicting places important
to my family:
- Emerson Street in Melrose, Mass.: My great-grandfather Clarence Meleney's family lived in Melrose from 1876 to 1900. His father, Henry, was killed by a train on Emerson Street.
- Colby College: Clarence graduated from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, in 1877.
- Newark, NJ: In the 1880s, he was principal and later superintendent of high schools in Newark.
- Vanderbilt University Hospital [shown; courtesy of Janet Meleney]: Clarence's son, Henry (my grandfather) was a professor of medicine at this hospital, located in Nashville, Tenn.
- Springfield, Mass., train station: My grandmother was from Springfield. I'm sure she traveled by train when she went off to nursing school in New York."
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 Organizing Your Family History Search (Betterway Books, $17.99) by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack. It's also available for purchase online at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/store/display.asp?id=70425.
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:
• Recorded Sound Reference Center
http://www.loc.gov/rr/record
Learn about and hear snippets of the Library of Congress' collection of culturally, historically or aesthetically important sound recordings.
• Cookbooks by Claudia
http://www.cookbooksbyclaudia.com
A printing service that specializes in family cookbooks.
• GenesConnected
http://www.GenesConnected.com
Trace relatives and ancestors from around the world, and discover your family history on this UK Web site.
• SoldierQuest
http://www.soldierquest.org
This professional research service site for those with military ancestors also includes a guide to research facilities.
The Importance of Place
So you know your ancestor was living in Wasco County in 1870, but you can't find the family in the census? For breaking through place-related brick walls in your research, consider this advice from the October 2004 Family Tree Magazine:
Remember redrawn boundaries. It's possible that your brick-wall ancestors are right where they're supposed to be—but the place name has changed. County lines shifted as America grew: Your Colonial ancestors in what's now Orange County,
NC, actually might have lived in Bladen, Granville or Johnston county; pieces of all three were combined to create Orange County in 1752. Your ancestors' records probably are in the original county's courthouse, but check all the possibilities if you're
hitting
a brick wall.
States, too, have changed identities. If you have Idaho ancestors, for instance, keep in mind that Idaho was in the Oregon Territory for the 1850 census, the Washington and Utah territories in 1860, and the new Idaho Territory plus Utah in 1870. That means
the answers to your Idaho brick wall might be in neighboring Utah.
USGenWeb (http://www.usgenweb.com) is a great place to start sorting out shifting boundaries.
—David A. Fryxell
For 30 more brick-wall busting tips, see the October 2004 Family Tree Magazine, available now on newsstands or from http://www.familytreemagazine.com/magazine.asp.
David A Fryxell is a Family Tree Magazine contributing editor and publisher of Desert Exposure (http://www.desertexposure.com), a free southwestern regional newspaper.
Let's Go for a Ride
Expert photo historian Maureen A. Taylor helps readers analyze old family pictures in her Web-exclusive column Identifying Family Photographs. This week, she tries to date an image of an antique car.
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.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Kyle J. Betit
Sept. 17-19
British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa Fall Conference
Topics:
- Tracing your Irish Roots: An introduction to successful Irish research
- Catholic and Protestant Church Records in Ireland
- Genealogy Research Evolves: 10 Years of Growth and the 10 Years
Ahead
- Land, Estate and Freeholders Records in Ireland
- Genetics and Family History: Building Better Pedigrees and Saving Lives
Visit http://www.bifhsgo.ca/conference2004.htm.
Kansas City, Mo.
Sharon DeBartolo Carmack
Oct. 7-9
Pursuing Our Italian Names Together Conference
Topics:
- From Italy to America: Starting Your Italian-American Research
- Flesh on the Bones: Putting Your Italian Ancestors into Historical
Perspective
Contact Danny Zangara at pointkc_2004@yahoo.com.
Tyler, Texas
Emily Anne Croom
Oct. 9
East Texas Genealogical Society seminar
Topics:
- Old Dominion Research: Our Virginia Ancestors
- Proof and the Paper Trail: Documenting Your Research
- Scaling the Brick Wall
- The Other Half of the Story: Researching Female Ancestors
Visit http://www.rootsweb.com/~txetgs.
GenSmarts Automated Genealogy Research - "the best genealogy add-on software " says Eastman's Newsletter. Only $24.95 at http://www.GenSmarts.com/ftmagDeals.asp
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RootsMagic Genealogy Software - "An excellent choice for any genealogist" says Family Tree
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INTERESTING OLD TOWN MAPS WITH FAMILY NAMES from Pennsylvania, New York, New England. 1860s-1880s. Quality reproductions $11-15.
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