Many of you may have read my article on using maps in genealogy ("On the Map") in the August 2001 issue of Family Tree Magazine. In the article, I wrote about the years I spent looking for my great-great-grandfather in the wrong county—all because I didn't do some basic map research.
Maps can be used to pin down an exact location, trace a county boundary line and make an educated guess about migration routes. Period maps, drawn before Mother Nature and the Corps of Engineers changed the course of rivers, will also give you a real feel for the landscape your ancestor knew well.
The Internet has dozens of great map sites. One of them is the United States Digital Map Library, a USGenWeb Archives project. The goal of the project is to make high quality maps available to genealogists.
There are three categories of maps in the project: United States national maps, Indian land cessions in the United States and state maps. Maps are large in size and may take quite a long time to download. There is a wonderful advice page that covers the basics of downloading and printing graphic files.
Other map sites:
• Old Maps
• Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection
• New York State Historical Maps
• Library of Congress Map Collections
—Nancy Hendrickson, Contributing Editor
stjoemo@pobox.com
Hendrickson is a family historian, freelance writer and the author of two astronomy books. Browse the archive of her AncestorNews columns.
Indexing the 1910 Census
Q: The 1910 US census: Will it ever be indexed?
A: The 1910 census index has been actively worked on by Heritage Quest as well
as many individual genealogical societies and volunteers. Heritage Quest has
published a CD for Connecticut, Indiana and New York. Other states are in the works. The Heritage Quest Web site has these CDs
available for sale. The Northeast Regional National Archives and Records Administration facility in Waltham, Mass., purchases them as they become available so you might check in your regional facility as well.
Smaller geographic areas have been indexed by local and state societies and
these indexes appear on the USGenWeb site. I would always check the county of interest on that Web site and post a query on the message board asking if anyone knows of an index either completed or in progress for that specific area.
—Marcia Melnyk
Marcia Melnyk is a genealogist, lecturer, instructor and author of The Weekend Genealogist.
Pose your question to our family history experts or browse the archive of Now What? Online columns.
Shedding New Light on Old Writing
This week's tip comes from Cathi Matthews of Gualala,
Calif.:
"Lida's tiny little diary had been passed down through
the family since 1865 when she wrote it. No one could
read it. There were 80 pages written in light pencil
and each page was 3 inches tall. The writing was so
small we could not make out a single word. Impossible!
Impossible until I scanned each page and using
PhotoShop enlarged each one to 8x10 inches and increased
the contrast. I am now transcribing her words and with
each page we are getting acquainted with
Great-grandmother, her friends, neighbors and family.
What fun!"
If you have a great idea for discovering, preserving or celebrating family history, we'd love to hear it. E-mail us your tip at genealogy-newsletter@fwpubs.com with "TIP OF THE WEEK" in the subject line. If we publish it as a Tip of the Week, you'll win a free copy of How to Tape Instant Oral
Biographies by Bill Zimmerman.
Be first to check out these new articles on our Web site:
Reading between the Lines
Handwriting can reveal more than just what your ancestor
was writing about—it also may reveal personality traits
of the writer herself. Since the 1600s, various
theorists have tossed around the idea that handwriting
reveals personality. But it wasn't until the 20th century
that graphology—the inference of character from a
person's handwriting—emerged as a "science."
Tribal Ties Online
Want to explore your American Indian roots on the Web?
We've picked out some of the best sites to help you
explore Native American genealogy topics, from lists
of tribes to cultural resources to records databases.
Everyday People
Putting your ancestors in historical context is
just as important as tracing them through records—
it can even help you figure out sources to look in
when you get stuck. Our Bookshelf column looks at
six social histories that explore the details of
your ancestors' everyday lives, from Colonial times
to the end of World War II.
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 recommended the following as Sites of the Day during the last week:
• Obituary Daily Times
Index of obits published daily.
• Cameras: the Technology of Photographic Imaging
Learn about the history of photography.
• Australian Genealogy Forum
Message boards, chat room and links for Aussies.
• Questions About Photographic Materials
NARA site that answers concerns about everything
from storing to mounting old photos.
• GenieSpeak
List of organizations and societies for genealogists,
as well as helpful tips and vendor info.
• Maps from Library Spot
Maps galore and lots of other genealogy resources.
• HistoryWorld
Discover more about how your ancestors lived.
Editor's note: In last week's newsletter, we mentioned
Primary Source Media: City Directories Online as a
"Worthwhile Web Site." Unfortunately, the free searches
are no longer available on that site. We apologize
for the inconvenience.
See today's Site of the Day on our home page and keep checking daily for more top picks! You can also suggest a site by clicking here.
Check to see if one of these top family history experts is coming to a town near you:
Find out about more upcoming speaking engagements with family history experts.
Canton, Ohio
Paul Milner
Sept. 28-29, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
- Stark County District Library 18th Annual Genealogy Conference
- 715 Market Ave. North
- Program repeated on both days
Topics:
- Irish Emigrants to North America Before, During and After the Famine
- Tracing Your Ulster-Irish Ancestors
- Finding Your Ancestors in Ireland
- Irish Taxpayers 1820-1864
- Contact: scdlgen@oplin.lib.oh.us
Manchester, Conn.
Marcia Yannizze Melnyk
Sept. 29, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
- Manchester Community College
- Sponsored by Connecticut Society of Genealogists, (860) 569-0002 and www.csginc.org
- Topics: "Getting Organized in Your Genealogical Research" and
"The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in Computer Resources"
- Registration fee required
Bar Harbor, Maine—Sept. 29
Help celebrate the grand opening of the Abbe Museum
in downtown Bar Harbor and enjoy demonstrations,
performances and children's activities. Dedicated
to preserving Maine Native American cultures, history
and archaeology, the museum's new, year-round home
is located in an early 1890s landmark. The building
includes a learning lab, exhibition galleries
and additional programs. See the museum's Web site or
call (207) 288-3519 for more information.
Nebraska City, Neb.—Sept. 30, Oct. 7 and Oct. 14
Learn to churn butter, make brooms and soap, press cider
and paint china at Living History Days. Arbor Lodge will
host this fall turn-of-the-century event Sept. 30, Oct. 7
and Oct. 14. Enjoy demonstrations that illustrate how
Americans lived before the advent of today's modern
conveniences. Take in a lecture on the Civil War, or
participate in a doll-making lesson while becoming
immersed in the past. Call (402) 873-3000 or visit
the Nebraska City Web site.
Find out about more upcoming living history events.
Keeping Track of Research
Before long you may find your house or apartment filling
with stacks of papers, file folders and computer disks.
How can you make sure you will keep track of the
important information and can find it easily? Keep track
of what you gather during your family research.
Using file folders or binders categorized by family
surname and by topic—such as interviews, birth records,
death records, obituaries, census records or probate
records—makes record retrieval much easier.
Use ancestor charts or family group sheets. Ancestor
charts depict the direct ancestry of an individual.
Family group sheets show a picture of all members of
a specific family, parents and children, with births,
marriages and deaths among other details. The lines
you can't fill in point to information you still
need to discover. These forms can be purchased at
genealogical seminars and conferences and at historical
society gift shops, and they are available online at
some of the major commercial sites.
—Paula Stuart Warren and James Warren, authors of
Your Guide to the Family History Library
Also see Organizing Your Family History Search
by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack.
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