Grand Old Pedigrees
This week's Republican National Convention in New York City has added family history to the usual agenda of hobnobbing and banner-waving. Today, convention delegates sail to Ellis Island for a lesson in genealogy basics—here's a sneak peek inside
the classroom.
The seminar's open to the public, so average-taxpayer Ellis Island tourists can pick up pointers while rubbing the esteemed elbows of US senators, representatives and other convention guests. Brian Andersson, an avid genealogist and commissioner of New
York City's department of records (http://www.nyc.gov/html/records), created the presentation with John Celardo of the nearby National Archives' Northeast Region (
http://www.archives.gov/facilities/ny/new_york_city.html).
What topnotch genealogical tips and resources would a senator be privy to? We asked Andersson for the advice he'll share—turns out it's classic research strategies, plus a dose of inspiration. Read on:
Family Tree Magazine: What are your key points in the seminar?
Andersson: We will highlight the types of documents that are available at our respective institutions [the New York City Department of Records & Information Services and the National Archives Northeast Region]. Key points will include how to analyze
data found in certain records and to document, save and arrange as much as possible.
Family Tree Magazine: What's the single most important piece of research advice you'll give out?
Andersson: The key point will be for any researcher to be meticulous in their research, especially if they're beginners—stressing the importance of working backward one step at a time from known pieces of information. So many people want to
jump right onto the boat that brought their ancestors to the United States, that they sometimes neglect to do their basic research first.
And also to have fun.
Family Tree Magazine: Why is it important for the delegates to learn about their families' stories?
Andersson: The same reason that it's important for anyone who is a serious student of history—it's their personal history. How we came to be here at this place at this time is something that many of us wonder about: Our uniqueness as
individuals who are standing on the shoulders of the thousands who have gone before us is fascinating.
Going back to the founding of this nation (approximately six generations), we each have 64 great-great-great-great grandparents. Added to the direct-line people descended from them down to us in the present day, that accounts for 127 people. If these specific
people had not met, married, had specific children when they did (and all the other thousands of occurrences in a lifetime) we would not be who we are today.
Free to Research
Cincinnati's brand-new National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (NURFC, http://www.freedomcenter.org) delivers personal history alongside US history: The museum is home to a Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints FamilySearch Center—a type of LDS Family History Center that's not located in an LDS facility.
The volunteer-staffed FamilySearch Center is open to all researchers, whether or not they're seeking African-American ancestors. Visitors have access to:
- Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), the genealogy-database subscription Web site
- HeritageQuest Online (http://www.heritagequestonline.com), a database service available in libraries
- Family History Library (FHL, http://www.familysearch.org) records collections, such as the Pedigree Resource File, Vital Records Index and Freedman's Bank Records
- The FHL's African-American
Resource CD containing its African-American Guidebook and free Personal Ancestral File genealogy software, plus other resources
Beginners can get in-depth help in the form of research guidance, a getting-started kit and staff assistance organizing their family information in Personal Ancestral File. NURFC FamilySearch Center director Jim Ison says he'll also encourage fledgling
family historians to go straight to the source: "Find the people in your family who have the memory—aunts and uncles, great aunts and uncles, grandparents. Visit with those people and talk to them about the people they knew growing up."
You can use the NURFC FamilySearch Center for free, even if you're not also visiting the NURFC, but space is limited. Ison strongly recommends making reservations—call (513) 333-7737 to save a spot. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday,
and 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The NURFC, which opened Aug. 23, focuses on the history of slavery and the Underground Railroad in the United States, as well as other struggles for freedom around the world. It's open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission costs $12 for adults,
$10 for seniors and $8 for children and students. For more information on the NURFC, see the August 2004 Family Tree Magazine (available at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/mags/display.asp?id=1602).
New Look for NewEnglandAncestors.org
The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) just launched a revamped Web site at http://www.newenglandancestors.org.
NEHGS plans to release details in an official announcement tomorrow, but even a quick glance at the site reveals a cleaner look and quicker access to its features. Five main navigation tabs—Home, Research, Libraries, Marketplace and Education Center—replace
the former site's more-intimidating 14 tabs. And the home page clearly highlights what's new on the site and the benefits of NEHGS membership.
A new search engine offers more-accurate ways to search the site's 2,000 databases containing 90 million names. You can perform a basic single-name search from the home page, or click More Search Options for an Advanced Master Search by record category,
region or time frame. You also can use the alphabetical database list to access and search individual databases. To view matching records, you'll need to be a member of NEHGS.
Also new are discussion forums on localities, surnames and general topics, as well as a Reference Room (under the Research tab) with New England town guides and an Ask A Librarian feature. NEHGS plans to add maps, dictionaries and other materials to this
section. Look for a full review of the retooled NewEnglandAncestors.org in the February 2005 Family Tree Magazine.
Genealogists Take Texas
The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS, http://www.fgs.org) will converge on the Austin, Texas, convention center Sept. 8 to 11 for its annual conference. Genealogists can attend lectures on
topics
such as recording oral histories, writing family stories and researching outside the United States (see our Speakers Schedule, below, to find out what Family Tree Magazine experts will be talking about). And you can browse
the latest genealogy products at the 100-plus vendor booths. Registration costs $95 per day or $189 for all four days.
If you'll be there, drop by the conference home of Family Tree Magazine/Family Tree Books in booth #613. Meet Family Tree Magazine editors Allison Stacy and Lauren Eisenstodt after the exhibits open Thursday morning and at various times throughout
the show. Be sure to pick up your free copy of Family Tree Magazine and a free ancestor wall chart, then sign up for prize drawings.
You'll also want to peruse such renowned Austin research destinations as the Texas State Library and Archives (http://www.tsl.state.tx.us), Catholic Diocese Archives of Texas (
http://www.onr.com/user/cat), the Texas General Land Office (http://www.glo.state.tx.us) and the University of Texas' Perry-Castañeda Library (http://www.lib.utexas.edu/pcl).
But don't go without Family Tree Magazine's guide to the city's best genealogical destinations (in our August issue; see http://www.familytreemagazine.com/articles/aug04/austin.html).
And look for our FGS reconnaissance report in your next E-Mail Update newsletter.
Treasure Hunting
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 tells you her favorite Web
sites for finding family artifacts.
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.
E-mail Reunion
Kristie Lawry Gravlin sent in the following tip and won a copy of Rhonda R. McClure's Digitizing Your Family History (http://www.familytreemagazine.com/store/display.asp?id=70660):
"Our extended family used to get together often, but we've scattered since Grandma's death. Several of us were concerned that our children didn't know their cousins and we decided to do something about it.
"My genealogy software gives me a list of birthdays. I check daily and, on a family member's day, I e-mail everyone a colorful greeting. To help any who may not recognize my name, I include a simple family tree map. Often I receive short notes with more
information to fill gaps, or family stories related to the birthday person."
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 The Family Tree Guide Book
by the editors of Family Tree Magazine, also available for purchase online at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/store/display.asp?id=70595.
Be first to check out these new articles on our Web site:
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Finding Free African-Americans
Q. I'd like to know how to find where free African-American families came from. I can trace ancestors to Maryland and North Carolina, and found them listed in Free African Americans of North Carolina,
Virginia, and South Carolina from the
Colonial Period to About 1820 by Paul Heinegg (Genealogical Publishing Co., $75). These people were landholders, too.
A. The major challenge facing anyone researching African-American ancestors is finding them during their years in slavery. This applies to those who were free before the Civil War and those freed by the
Civil War. Since many African-Americans free
before the Civil War were former slaves, your research strategy for finding pre-Civil War and post-Civil War free ancestors is basically the same. Different research strategies come into play when you start looking for ancestors in slave records.
Because you have information that indicates your ancestors were free before the Civil War, your search for them as free people would start from the date of the research you have, and move backward through records typically used in genealogical research.
That includes federal, state and local government records such as census, marriage, land, probate, tax and any other private records that may have been recorded in your ancestors' names.
You also may find pre-Civil War documents that apply specifically to free people of color. Included among these are manumission records, free black registers, guardianship records and special tax records. Some county courthouses keep these among probate
or deed records; others file them separately. These may provide clues to where your ancestor came from before acquiring their freedom. When you can no longer trace your ancestors in free records, you'll have to identify their slaveholder in order to search
for them as slaves. For more information, look for A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your African-American Ancestors (see author bio, below). Also check out these African-American research Web sites:
—Franklin Carter Smith
Read more Q&A with the experts at
http://www.familytreemagazine.com/nowwhatonline/previous.html.
Franklin Carter Smith is co-author of A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your African-American Ancestors (Betterway Books, $21.99). It's available for purchase from http://www.familytreemagazine.com/
store/display.asp?id=70546.
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 telling your family's story one picture at a time.
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.
Austin, Texas
Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS)
Sept. 8-11
Visit the FGS Web site at http://www.fgs.org.
Sharon DeBartolo Carmack
Topics:
- From Italy to America: Starting Your Italian Genealogical Research (Sept. 9)
- Give Me Your Tired and Poor, But Not Your Sick: Passing the Medical
Exams at Ellis Island (Sept. 11)
Emily Anne Croom
Topics:
- The Territorial Papers of the United States: the Southern States (Sept. 10)
- You're Known by the Company You Keep: Cluster Genealogy, an Essential Tool in Research (Sept. 11)
Rhonda R. McClure
Topics:
- I Found it Online: Separating Fact From Fiction (Sept. 9)
- Mining the Treasures in Newspapers (Sept. 10)
- Fraternally Yours—Identifying Fraternal Organizations of Ancestors (Sept. 11)
James W. Warren
Topics:
- Writing Your Family History in Small, Manageable Pieces (Sept. 9)
- Salt Lake City! Using the Resources of the Family History Library from
Near or Far (Sept. 11)
Paula Stuart Warren
Topics:
- Increasing Attendance at Your Annual Seminar or Conference (Sept. 8)
- 21st Century Strategies for Handling Society Correspondence (Sept. 8)
- The Business of Speaking (Sept. 9)
- Two Perspectives on Research at US Federal and State Archives (with Constance Potter; Sept. 10)
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RootsMagic Genealogy Software - "An excellent choice for any genealogist" says Family Tree Magazine. Get a free trial copy
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Subscribe to GENEALOGY POINTERS, our weekly newsletter, and learn about special product offers and excellent tips for tracing your roots. http://www.genealogical.com/#4
Did
your paper trail end? Are you up against a brick wall? Let genetic genealogy help you. Family Tree DNA can help you find out if you are related to another family with the same or a different surname. http://www.familytreedna.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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SCANDINAVIAN HERITAGE TOURS
Visit ancestral villages, parish churches, archives, connect with family. Fluent guides and genealogy experts included. www.scandgen.com
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