GenBlog

Friday Finds – 06/14/13

2013-06-14T16:11:00.001-05:00

Weekly column sharing genealogy-related things I’ve found.

New-to-Me Blogs

The New England House Historian, Marian Pierre-Louis
Geneartistry, Sarah Ashley

Online Articles

Announcing the “Getting Started Stories” Contest, Treelines
Legacy Family Tree 8 Revealed, Legacy News
Mapping With Google Course for Genealogy, The We Tree Genealogy Blog
Tuesday’s Tip: The Ten-Minute Genealogist, Climbing My Family Tree
MA Vital Records Project Website Changes the Historical View of Mass. Towns and Families, AncestryInk

Websites & Resources

Early Vital Records of Massachusetts – Transcriptions of over 1,500,000 records from over 150 Massachusetts towns, from 1600-1850.
Genealogical Records of the War of 1812 – Article written by Stuart L. Butler for the Winter 1991 edition of Prologue Magazine (published by NARA).

Upcoming FREE Webinars

Date / Time	Webinar / Presenter / Host
6/17 7 PM Central	Research at the Atlanta History Center Sue VerHeof Georgia Genealogical Society
6/18 7 PM Central	The Area Research Network Josh Ranger Wisconsin State Genealogical Society
6/19 8 PM Central	Interest in Pinterest: Pinning Your Family History Valerie Elkins Southern California Genealogical Society
6/20 8 PM Central	Finding Your Family Stories Valerie Elkins Utah Genealogical Association
6/26 1 PM Central	How Knowing the Law Makes Us Better Genealogists Judy G. Russell Legacy Family Tree
7/6 12 PM Central	Transform Your Note-Taking and Remember Everything With Evernote Tonia Kendrick Southern California Genealogical Society
7/9 8 PM Central	Common Surnames: Ways to Identify Your Ancestors in a Crowd Juliana Smith Illinois State Genealogical Society
7/9 1 PM Central	DNA and Genetic Genealogy in 2013 Debbie Parker Wayne Friends of the National Archives Southeast Region
7/10 1 PM Central	Canadian Ports of Entry: Ship Passenger Lists, Immigration Records, and Border Crossing Records Kathryn Lake Hogan Legacy Family Tree

Genealogy By the States – Week 23 – Maine

2013-06-13T19:41:00.000-05:00

No connections to Maine for me. I do have some Maine resources bookmarked at Diigo though…maybe they’ll be helpful to someone with Maine roots.

Genealogy By the States is a theme created by Jim Sanders over at the Hidden Genealogy Nuggets blog.

Family History Through the Alphabet – Timelines

2013-06-12T18:13:00.000-05:00

For 26 weeks I will take you on a family history journey through the alphabet, one letter at a time. I have decided that each post will be educational in nature, focusing on topics related to resources, methodology, tools, etc. Although the challenge is complete, there are still some people who are finishing up and Alona, the host, is encouraging others to participate anyway. Additional information on the challenge, can be found at Take the ‘Family History Through the Alphabet’ Challenge.

Timelines are such a wonderful tool in genealogy research. You can learn so much by looking at a visual depiction of your ancestors over time. From research gaps to research analysis, timelines should always to a go-to method for working through tough research problems.

I’ve written about timelines before in the following two posts from 2010, which I encourage you to check out:

Most genealogy software has some sort of timeline feature. In addition, you can create your own using charting software (such as Edraw and Visio), desktop publishing software, or by using the drawing tools in Word (some people even use Excel). Sometimes, I just take pencil and paper and sketch out a timeline.

There are also a few websites out there that let you create and share timelines, including OurTimeLines and TimeRime. I actually used TimeRime to generate a timeline for my second great-grandmother (see my post Fearless Females – Timeline).

Whenever you find yourself stuck on a research problem, try using a timeline. Whatever method you choose, be it software or by hand, it may be just the thing to help you bust down that wall!

Don’t Forget to Register for the FGS 2013 Conference Before July 1st to Save $50!

2013-06-12T16:02:00.001-05:00

June is almost halfway gone and the FGS 2013 Conference is getting that much closer. If you haven’t registered yet, be sure to do so by July 1st in order to save $50 on a full registration. I myself have been procrastinating, but as soon as I post this, I’m heading over to register. See the press release below for more details.

2013 FGS CONFERENCE EARLY-BIRD REGISTRATION ENDS JULY 1
“Journey through Generations” – A Conference for the Nation’s Genealogists

June 10, 2013 – Austin, TX. Discounted early-bird registration for the 2013 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference will continue only until July 1. Early registrants receive a $50 discount for the full four days, or a $20 discount for any single day. Details at http://www.fgsconference.org.

The conference will be held 21-24 August 2013 in Fort Wayne, Indiana at the Grand Wayne Convention Center. This year’s conference theme is “Journey through Generations,” and the local hosts are the Allen County Public Library (ACPL) and the Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana (ACGSI). Platinum sponsors are FamilySearch, FindMyPast.com and Ancestry.com.

The conference offers opportunities for all who are interested in researching their family history, with over 160 educational sessions on records, strategies, and tools for genealogists at all levels. The exhibit hall features over 70 vendors offering a wide range of genealogical products and is open and free to the public.

Luncheons, workshops and special events provide additional opportunities for networking and learning. Make sure the get your tickets to these conference “extras” early to guarantee your spot.

See you in Fort Wayne in August!

Learn More and Stay Connected

Visit or subscribe to the FGS Conference Blog at http://www.fgsconferenceblog.org.
Like the conference on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/FGSconference.
Follow the conference on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/FGSconference and hashtag #FGS2013.
Visit Fort Wayne at http://www.visitfortwayne.com/FGS.

About the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS)

The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) was founded in 1976 and represents the members of hundreds of genealogical societies. FGS links the genealogical community by helping genealogical societies strengthen and grow through resources available online, FGS Forum magazine (filled with articles pertaining to society management and genealogical news), and Society Strategy Series papers, covering topics about effectively operating a genealogical society. FGS also links the genealogical community through its annual conference -- four days of excellent lectures, including one full day devoted to society management topics. To learn more visithttp://www.fgs.org.

Friday Finds – 06/07/13

2013-06-07T16:20:00.001-05:00

Weekly column sharing genealogy-related things I’ve found.

New-to-Me Blogs

Moments in Time, A Genealogy Blog, Diana Quinn
Denise Digs Roots, Denise Hibsch Richmond
Madden Moments, Cath Madden Trindle
Trindle Travels Thru Time, Cath Madden Trindle
Digging Up the Dirt on My Dead People, April

Online Articles

Betty’s Tips for Beginning Genealogists, Betty’s Boneyard Genealogy Blog
Important Changes to Historypin Terms & Conditions, Historypin Blog
Five Reasons to Attend a Genealogical Institute, The Turning of Generations
Simplifying You Online Genealogy Life, The We Tree Genealogy Blog
Tombstone Tuesday, Clues from a Cemetery Plot Card, Nutfield, Genealogy
A Little Bit of Luck Mixed with Lots of Hard Work, No Hoof Left Behind
Pinterest: Pinning Your History, Your Story Coach [This is a really neat idea that I may just have to implement!]
Confession of an Online Genealogist, West In New England

Website & Resources

The United Church of Canada Archives – Description of holdings, research guides, and virtual exhibits. [Thanks, Gena!]

Upcoming FREE Webinars

Date / Time	Webinar / Presenter / Host
6/11 8 PM Central	The Research Calendar: A Resource You Cannot Live Without Luana Darby Illinois State Genealogical Society
6/12 1 PM Central	Get What You Came For: New Search Options Let You Target Obituaries, Photos, Passenger Lists, Births, Marriages, and More Tom Kemp Legacy Family Tree
6/14 1 PM Central	Next Exit: Your New Jersey Ancestors Thomas MacEntee Legacy Family Tree
6/17 7 PM Central	Research at the Atlanta History Center Sue VerHeof Georgia Genealogical Society
6/18 7 PM Central	The Area Research Network Josh Ranger Wisconsin State Genealogical Society
6/19 8 PM Central	Interest in Pinterest: Pinning Your Family History Valerie Elkins Southern California Genealogical Society
6/20 8 PM Central	Finding Your Family Stories Valerie Elkins Utah Genealogical Association
6/26 1 PM Central	How Knowing the Law Makes Us Better Genealogists Judy G. Russell Legacy Family Tree

Perhaps My Ancestors Were There, 1891 Luxembourg Celebration

2013-06-07T15:41:00.001-05:00

Many of you know by now that I have Luxembourg roots. Needless to say, I closely follow the blog Luxembourgensia, written by Fausto Gardini (and own both of his Luxembourg books). Today, he posted about an 1891 celebration of the Aurora Luxembourg Independent Club. While none of my family is named in the article, I’m willing to bet that my family was there representing. They lived in Aurora at the time of the event, and I know that some were members of Luxembourg societies in Aurora. I also know that they were very proud of the Luxembourg heritage.

Although this event was reported in the Luxemberger Wort newspaper, I bet I can find something in the Aurora newspapers, and who knows, maybe a relative will be named. So of course, as I write this, I think, wait, there is one Aurora newspaper online (Google) for that time period, let’s see what I can find there. And thus it begins…

I start searching the four-page Aurora Daily Express beginning on 8 June 1891, as the Luxemberger Wort reported the event took place on 7 June 1891. Nothing. Nothing for the 9th either, but wait, there’s something on the 10th discussing the event will be TAKING PLACE “NEXT SUNDAY.” I’m pretty sure it’s talking about the same event, since there is mention of the “grove north of town” and “new banner” (a.k.a., flag).

The article pictured above is from the 10 June 1891 edition of the Aurora Daily Express.¹ It reads:

Sunday Picnic

The Luxembergers are arranging for a great picnic, next Sunday, at Henke’s Grove, two and one-half miles northeast of the city. Speakers will be present from Dubuque and Chicago. The various Luxemberger societies will parade through the streets Sunday morning, headed by a brass band. The occasion will be the dedication on a new banner.

Moving on, I checked the 15 June 1891 edition (the Monday after the event) and found the following:

This one reads:

There was a large crowd at the Luxemburg picnic northeast of Aurora yesterday. A wheel of fortune man tried to do business on the grounds and was unceremoniously ejected.

Not much of a report, oh well. I checked the rest of the week and found no further mention. But I still have the Aurora Beacon to check, so it’s on my to-do list. I imagine I’ll find a little more on the event in the Beacon since it’s a larger paper.

Based on the two Daily Express articles and the dates of publication, it looks like the celebration actually took place on 14 June 1891, not 7 June 1891 as reported by the Luxemberger Wort newspaper.

Sources

1. "Sunday Picnic," Aurora Daily Express, 10 June 1891, p. 1, col. 4; digital images, Google News (http://news.google.com/newspapers : accessed 7 June 2013), Archive.

2. Aurora Daily Express, 15 June 1891, p. 3, col. 2; digital images, Google News (http://news.google.com/newspapers : accessed 7 June 2013), Archive.

My Legacy Family Tree 8 Wish List

2013-06-07T12:54:00.001-05:00

I’ve been hearing rumors that a new version of Legacy Family Tree will be released later this year. In fact, Geoff Rasmussen will be discussing it at SCGS Jamboree later today in a demo called “What’s New in Legacy Family Tree 8.” (Boy, I wish that session was being streamed live!!). While I have no details, I do look forward to the Legacy 8 release. In the meantime, I thought I share a few of my “wish list” items.

First, Legacy has been due for an upgrade for awhile now. Compared to many of the other popular programs, such as Roots Magic and Family Tree Maker, Legacy’s user interface looks a little dated. Personally, I could care less. As long as it does what I need it to do and it’s laid out in a manner that jives with my workflow, I don’t really care about aesthetics. There are a few things I’d like to remain the same, but there are also some things I’d like to see changed improve functionality. Here’s my wish list:

Keep Some Things the Same!

Although I imagine there will be some cosmetic changes to the UI, I hope that they maintain the integrity of the program. For example, I hope they don’t change anything structurally in the Family view (pictured below).

Out of the other programs I have tried, Legacy’s family view is the best, in my opinion. It’s like having a family group sheet on your screen, and I certainly appreciate that visual. I also like that fact that you can customize what data is displayed for the focus couple, as well as how the children are displayed (I prefer the two-column view). This is also the only program (of those I’ve tried) that displays the family in a top-down manner. The focus couple is in the middle, their parents above, and children below. Other programs seem to be going with the side-view, similar to a pedigree chart, and I have a hard time with that.

Another thing I don’t want to see changed is the data entry screen for an individual (pictured) below. I like that the vital stats are called out at the top, while all other events are displayed below. I also like the fact that you can change the sort order of the events to sort by date or name.

Data Entry of Location

I really want to see the location field split into two fields that I can see. In other words, I’d like to see a field for the “place” and the “location” and see both fields.

For example, I want to be able to have a “place” field in the burial information so I can enter the name of the cemetery, independent of the “location” (i.e., city, county, state). This way, my master locations remain manageable and I have consistency with the name of the cemetery.

I would also like this “place” field to function just as the master locations, where you can add notes to the master “place” such as address, directions, GPS coordinates, and/or notes such as previous or other names of the location, and once it’s set up, it can be reused as a master.

Yes, I realize that there are some options currently available (see image below), but it’s a buried (no pun intended) feature and I cannot tell by looking at the screen in what cemetery this person is buried in unless I make it a master location. I would like the notes to stay, as this is where I enter the plot information.

The same can be said for the other vital events, such as place of birth and death (e.g., name of hospital) and baptism (e.g., name of church). I’d also like to see this option for all event types solely to maintain consistency. Sure, I can enter an event for a funeral, and put the church name in the description field, but because it’s not a master, that church name could be altered each time I enter it whether it be for a funeral, baptism, confirmation, or other church event. And again, any information added to the “place” field, such as address, would be carried along. A change of this type would require a lot of cleanup, but I’m okay with that.

Sources

First and foremost, I want to be able to source each piece of an event. For example, if the source I have only gives me a date of birth, but not the location, I want to attach the source to the date piece only, not the entire birth event.

The other thing I’d like to see with regard to sources is the ability to customize the available templates and create new templates. One of my pet peeves is the way some source templates operate.

For example, the US census templates want you to specify the state and county in the master source. However, when you are dealing with a ton of places over many years, that list will grow astronomically! So, I choose to have one master source for each year, and then put the city, county, and state in the city field of the source detail. It of course renders my source citation a little differently, but at least it’s consistent and I don’t have an insane amount of sources, by place, for each census. If I were able to customize the source template, I could probably fix that problem. I could also create custom templates for sources where no template exists, which I could then reuse to maintain consistency.

Either of these changes would require a lot of data cleaning. However, most of us are still cleaning up from the old source system to the SourceWriter system, so, hey, why not. Unfortunately, that’s just they way it works with software sometimes.

Events Attached to Multiple People

Wouldn’t it be great if you could just enter an event for one person and then add other people and their “role” to that “master” event? (Yes, there is a program out there that does this very thing.) It would certainly be great for censuses; add the event to the head of household and attach everyone else to the event (instead of copying/pasting the event for each person). Then, if you make a change to the event, say you made a typo or found new information, it would update it for everyone attached.

This would also be great for events such as weddings or funerals, where you can attached those who attended the event. It would also work well for records such as deeds, where you could attached the grantee and grantor, as well as any witnesses (certainly helps with analysis when using the FAN principle).

Last Words

This isn’t too much to wish for, is it? Guess we’ll find out soon. What about you, do you have a Legacy wish list? Leave a comment and let me know what you’re hoping to see in Legacy 8.

Genealogy By the States – Week 22 – Alabama

2013-06-06T18:49:00.000-05:00

Not much connection to Alabama, other than two of my stepsisters and their families currently living there. But I did decide to check out the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) Digital Collections.

They have some pretty neat things including a photograph collection that contains over 15,000 images from the ADAH holdings. You can browse the images by category (e.g., Civil War, Houses, Transportation) or time period. Or you can search on keywords, such as a name or location.

I found the photo above by browsing the Houses category. When you view the photo, there are additional details such as a description, time period, subject listing, and where in the archives collection the photo is located.

There’s some interesting items in the digital collection, so if you have Alabama roots, you should certainly check it out!

Genealogy By the States is a theme created by Jim Sanders over at the Hidden Genealogy Nuggets blog.

Family History Through the Alphabet – Share

2013-06-05T18:30:00.000-05:00

As genealogists and family historians, it is important for us to share our research and family stories. We tend to want to preserve our history and memories for our relatives and future generations, but we also hope to connect with others who share our common roots.

There are so many ways we can share our information, and with advances in technology, more options become available all the time. In this post I’ll briefly discuss my three favorite ways for sharing your genealogy with others.

Blogs

Blogs are one of the hottest genealogy sharing tools. In most cases blogs are free to set up and run, they do not require much technical know-how, and the author can share as much and as often as they please. Some genealogy blogs are strictly news, how-to, or personal stories, or a combination of everything (my blog would be an example of the whole kit and caboodle). GeneaBloggers has some great resources for learning how to start and maintain a blog.

Online Family Trees

There are plenty of websites where you can share your family tree and many of them are free to use. Here are some of the most popular places:

Or you could create and post your own tree online with software such as The Next Generation of Genealogy Sitebuilding.

Story and Memory Sharing Sites

Over the last few years, there has been an emergence of website that are geared toward sharing stories and memories. Some of these websites also have family tree capabilities. A few of these sites allow you to create private family networks, so you’re only sharing information with people you invite. Most of the services are free to use. Here are some that I have found and explored:

Blogs, online family trees, and story and memory sharing sites are just the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty of other ways to share your family history including books, articles, videos, presentations, and scrapbooks. I just wanted to highlight some of my favorites. The most important thing is to figure out what your sharing objective is and how best you can accomplish it by using what’s available at your comfort level.

What are your favorite ways to share your genealogy? Do you use a tool that I didn’t mention? I’d love to hear about it, so please leave a comment!

My Itinerary – FGS 2013 in Fort Wayne, Indiana

2013-06-05T16:39:00.001-05:00

It’s hard to believe the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) 2013 Conference is just a little over two months away! I’m really looking forward to spending a week in Forth Wayne, Indiana, where I can visit with all my genealogy friends (and hopefully meet some new ones!!), explore the exhibit hall, take in some wonderful lectures, and of course, spend some time at the Allen County Public Library.

I’m a planner by nature. I like to know what I’m doing and when…I don’t like surprises. So the minute the conference schedule was announced, I immediately added to my calendar the session I wanted to attend. There are a few in particular that I think will help me with my genealogy research, especially in places and records that I’m unfamiliar with. Here are some of those sessions:

Day/Time	Session	Speaker
Thursday 5pm	Research Reports for Ourselves: More Than a Research Log	Paula Stuart-Warren
Friday 8am	Research in the Hawkeye State: Records and Repositories of Iowa	Jill Crandell
Friday 11am	Discovering the Past Block-by-Block: Using ChicagoAncestors.org	Ginger Frere
Friday 2pm	German Marriage Laws and Customs	Warren Bittner
Friday 3:30pm	He Took Her Name: Understanding German Farm Names	Teresa McMillin
Friday 5pm	Methods For Identifying the German Origins of American Immigrants	Michael Lacopo
Saturday 9:30am	Finding Catholic Church, Cemetery, School and Religious Order Records	Lou Szucs
Saturday 2pm	Organizing Evidence to Overcome Record Shortages	Thomas Jones
Saturday 3:30pm	Overlooked and Undervalued: Local Government Records in New York State	Karen Mauer Green

And of course I have added a few days to the trip so I can spend some time at the Allen County Public Library. I’ve never been to ACPL so I’m really looking forward to my first visit. I’m still working on my plan of attack, but fortunately, I had previously added plenty of to-do items to my Legacy database, so a quick filter on ACPL showed a lot of resources I need to check out. I’ve also been perusing the ACPL card catalog and the Genealogy page for guidance. Not sure if I’ll break down any brick walls, but you never know what you’ll find until you look!

The FGS 2013 Conference is being held August 21-24 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. If you haven’t registered for the conference yet, there is still plenty of time to do so and still get the early-bird rate of $190 (ends July 1, after that, the rate increases to $240). Hope to see you there!!

This post was written for the May/June Ambassador Blogging Prompt as part of the FGS 2013 Conference Ambassador Program.

If you’d like to be an Ambassador, you can sign up here.

Friday Finds – 05/31/13

2013-05-31T16:41:00.001-05:00

Weekly column sharing genealogy-related things I’ve found.

New-to-Me Blogs

Blog Blog Black Sheep ~ Have You Any Clues?, Eowyn
How Did I Get Here? My Amazing Genealogy Journey, Andrea Kelleher

Online Articles

“Early New England Families Study Project” at NEHGS – WOW!!, Genea-Musings
SCGS Genealogy Jamboree to Offer FREE Live Streaming Sessions June 7-9, SCGS Jamboree
Genealogists vs. Family Historian, Ancestor Hunting

Websites & Resources

Tipperary Family History Research – "On this site you will find advice on research within the Archdiocese and Tipperary in general, contact information, useful links to other resources, maps relevant to your research, details of our services and the associated costs and the opportunity to commission research directly by completing a research request form."
Tipperary Libraries Local Studies and Archives – "Tipperary Libraries Local Studies and Archives collection is presently located at The Source, Cathedral Street, Thurles. Tipperary Studies is a reference library and research centre dedicated to the collection of material on all aspects of County Tipperary. Tipperary Studies aims to collect and make freely accessible as comprehensive a collection of material relating to the history of Tipperary as possible, including published books, journals, newspapers, photographs, audio visual material microform, manuscripts and ephemera.

Upcoming FREE Webinars

Date / Time	Webinar / Presenter / Host
6/1 12 PM Central	Is There a Baby Catcher in Your Bloodline? Jane Neff Rollins Southern California Genealogical Society
6/4 1 PM Central	Finding Records of the Atomic Energy Commission Shane Bell Friends of the National Archives-Southeast Region
6/5 1 PM Central	The Genealogy of Your House Marian Pierre-Louis Legacy Family Tree
6/11 8 PM Central	The Research Calendar: A Resource You Cannot Live Without Luana Darby Illinois State Genealogical Society
6/12 1 PM Central	Get What You Came For: New Search Options Let You Target Obituaries, Photos, Passenger Lists, Births, Marriages, and More Tom Kemp Legacy Family Tree
6/14 1 PM Central	Next Exit: Your New Jersey Ancestors Thomas MacEntee Legacy Family Tree
6/17 7 PM Central	Research at the Atlanta History Center Sue VerHeof Georgia Genealogical Society
6/18 7 PM Central	The Area Research Network Josh Ranger Wisconsin State Genealogical Society
6/19 8 PM Central	Interest in Pinterest: Pinning Your Family History Valerie Elkins Southern California Genealogical Society
6/20 8 PM Central	Finding Your Family Stories Valerie Elkins Utah Genealogical Association
6/26 1 PM Central	How Knowing the Law Makes Us Better Genealogists Judy G. Russell Legacy Family Tree

Genealogy By the States – Week 21 – Illinois

2013-05-30T09:37:00.000-05:00

Between me and my husband, there are many relatives associated with many places Illinois.

My mind was spiraling out of control with the many things I could write about for this post. Ultimately I decided to share my growing list of online resources.

I’ve shared in the past that I use a bookmarking site called Diigo to manage all of my genealogy bookmarks (you can read more here and you can also check out the guide I developed here). The Illinois Genealogy list is my largest locality-specific list. It contains all sorts of resources that I use all the time in my own research. Maybe some of them will help you too! Be sure to check back often or follow the RSS feed as I am always adding to it.

Genealogy By the States is a theme created by Jim Sanders over at the Hidden Genealogy Nuggets blog.

Friday Finds – 05/24/13

2013-05-24T15:31:00.001-05:00

Weekly column sharing genealogy-related things I’ve found.

New-to-Me Blogs

AncestryInk, Jane Sweetland
adoptionfind, Vicki-lynn Brunskill
Posts About Dead Relatives, Jan Santoscoy
Tracing My Roots: Who Do I Think I Am?, Betsy Lusby

Online Articles

Celebrity Roots Series “Who Do You Think You Are?” Returns, Megan Smolenyak (Huffington Post)
Observations From the Edge: Multi-Generational Needs in Genealogy, Trials and Tribulations of a Self-Taught Family Historian
What I Found in the New Massachusetts Deeds Online, One Rhode Island Family

Websites & Resources

Illinois State University Yearbooks – Digitized versions of Illinois State University (a.k.a. Illinois State Normal University) yearbooks from 1892 to 1994.
Local History Archives of the Grosse Pointe (MI) Public Library – "The Local History Archives is a project of the Grosse Pointe Public Library to collect, digitize, and disseminate historical materials."
McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society - Search Ancestors – Various indexes for McHenry County resources.

Upcoming FREE Webinars

Date / Time	Webinar / Presenter / Host
5/29 1 PM Central	The New Frontier in Genetic Genealogy: Autosomal DNA Testing Ugo Perego Legacy Family Tree
6/1 12 PM Central	Is There a Baby Catcher in Your Bloodline? Jane Neff Rollins Southern California Genealogical Society
6/4 1 PM Central	Finding Records of the Atomic Energy Commission Shane Bell Friends of the National Archives-Southeast Region
6/5 1 PM Central	The Genealogy of Your House Marian Pierre-Louis Legacy Family Tree
6/11 8 PM Central	The Research Calendar: A Resource You Cannot Live Without Luana Darby Illinois State Genealogical Society
6/12 1 PM Central	Get What You Came For: New Search Options Let You Target Obituaries, Photos, Passenger Lists, Births, Marriages, and More Tom Kemp Legacy Family Tree
6/14 1 PM Central	Next Exit: Your New Jersey Ancestors Thomas MacEntee Legacy Family Tree

Genealogy By the States – Week 20 – Mississippi

2013-05-23T09:15:00.000-05:00

Not one person in my database has ties to Mississippi. So off to my Diigo bookmarks to see what resources I had for Mississippi. Only a few, but one seemed pretty interesting. It’s called Mississippi History Now, which is an online publication of the Mississippi Historical Society.

There are a variety of articles covering an array of topics. You can browse or search the articles. They are even broken down into topics, such as Civil War and General History. Want to learn more about Mississippi when it was under British rule? There’s an article for that. What about catfish farming? There’s an article for that too, along with a recipe for fried catfish.

It’s a pretty neat site…I encourage you to explore it at your leisure!

Genealogy By the States is a theme created by Jim Sanders over at the Hidden Genealogy Nuggets blog.

Family History Through the Alphabet – Research Guidance

2013-05-22T09:37:00.000-05:00

A lot of times we learn how to do genealogy research by trial and error. We eventually seek out resources to help us learn more about how to research and how to use certain record types. When we are really stuck, or exploring a locality that is new to us, we may look for resources to help us with research in a particular country or state. Below is a list of references that you may find useful in guiding your genealogy research adventure.

General Genealogy How-To

BCG Genealogical Standards Manual
Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace, Second Edition
Genealogical Proof Standard: Building a Solid Case, 2nd Edition
Mastering Genealogical Proof
Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researcher, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians (Don’t be intimidated by the title. This book is for everyone, not just professionals!)
The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, Third Edition
The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, Third Edition (Also available through the Ancestry.com Wiki.)
Unpuzzling Your Past, Fourth Edition

Record-Specific and Topic-Specific

The Beginner’s Guide to Using Tax Lists
Courthouse Research for Family Historians: Your Guide to Genealogical Treasures
History for Genealogists: Using Chronological Time Lines to Find and Understand Your Ancestors
Land & Property Research in the United States
Reading Early American Handwriting
Walking With Your Ancestors: A Genealogists Guide to Using Maps and Geography
Your Guide to Cemetery Research
Legacy QuickGuides (guides available for a variety of topics) – I currently have two guides available and a third in progress.

Genealogy at a Glance (guides available for a variety of topics)

Locality-Specific (Countries)

Finding Italian Roots: The Complete Guide for Americans, Second Edition
Finding Your Italian Ancestors: A Beginner's Guide
The German Research Companion, Third Edition
Germanic Genealogy: A Guide to Worldwide Sources and Migration Patterns
How to Trace Your Irish Ancestors: An Essential Guide to Researching and Documenting the Family Histories of Ireland's People
In Search of Your Canadian Roots
Polish Roots
Tracing Your Irish Ancestors, Fourth Edition (new edition just release earlier this month!)
Legacy QuickGuides (guides available for a variety of countries)
Genealogy at a Glance (guides available for a variety of countries)

Locality-Specific (States)

Michigan Genealogy: Sources & Resources
Red Book: American State, County & Town Sources, Third Edition (Also available through the Ancestry.com Wiki.)
Virginia Genealogy: Sources & Resources
NGS Research in the States Series
Legacy QuickGuides (guides available for a variety of states)
Genealogy at a Glance (guides available for a variety of states)

This list is by no means all-inclusive. If you are looking for something about a topic I did not mention, you might try to search for books using one of the following websites. They are all good places to start to see if books exist for a particular topic. When you find a particular book title, you can either see if a library near you has it among their collection, ask your local library to borrow it through inter-library loan, or, if still in print, look for places to purchase the book.

WorldCat – This is a massive online catalog showing the collections of participating libraries. The book’s detail page lists what libraries have a particular book.
Google Books – Even though you probably think of digitized out-of-copyright books when you think of Google Books, it’s important to note that they do include other books in their “catalog,” including those published recently.
Genealogical Publishing Company – Publishes tons of genealogy-related books including how-to books. Browse the General Reference and Guides and Manuals categories for how-to books.
Amazon – This is a major online book retailer, but they often include listings of out-of-print books. You may be able to purchase a used copy through individual sellers through their website.

Friday Finds – 05/17/13

2013-05-17T17:12:00.001-05:00

Weekly column sharing genealogy-related things I’ve found.

New-to-Me Blogs

The Organized Genealogist, Susan Petersen
Every Stone Is a Story, Liz Baker Rasmussen
New York Genealogical and Biographical Society Blog
Our Lineage, Wendy Malinowski

Online Articles

A Genealogical Top 10 List, David Letterman Style, Our Lineage [love #1!]
New York Genealogy Statewide Conference Planned, New York History

Print Articles

“Personal Branding for Professionals,” by Melissa A. Johnson, Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly, March 2013.
“The McKillips: One Family’s Journey from Ireland, via Alder Brook, New York, to Chicago 1830-1940,” by Michelle J. McMahon and Margot A. McMahon, Illinois State Genealogical Society Quarterly, Spring 2013.

Upcoming FREE Webinars

Date / Time	Webinar / Presenter / Host
5/20 7 PM Central	Harnessing the Power of Indirect Evidence Susan Sloan Georgia Genealogical Society
5/21 7 PM Central	Crossing the Pond: Successful Strategies for Researching Eastern European Ancestors Lisa Alzo Wisconsin State Genealogical Society
5/22 1 PM Central	Ten Hidden Resources Every Genealogist Should Know Lisa Alzo Legacy Family Tree
5/24 1 PM Central	Google Search Strategies for Common Surnames Lisa Louise Cooke Legacy Family Tree
5/29 1 PM Central	The New Frontier in Genetic Genealogy: Autosomal DNA Testing Ugo Perego Legacy Family Tree
6/1 12 PM Central	Is There a Baby Catcher in Your Bloodline? Jane Neff Rollins Southern California Genealogical Society
6/4 1 PM Central	Finding Records of the Atomic Energy Commission Shane Bell Friends of the National Archives-Southeast Region
6/5 1 PM Central	The Genealogy of Your House Marian Pierre-Louis Legacy Family Tree
6/11 8 PM Central	The Research Calendar: A Resource You Cannot Live Without Luana Darby Illinois State Genealogical Society
6/12 1 PM Central	Get What You Came For: New Search Options Let You Target Obituaries, Photos, Passenger Lists, Births, Marriages, and More Tom Kemp Legacy Family Tree
6/14 1 PM Central	Next Exit: Your New Jersey Ancestors Thomas MacEntee Legacy Family Tree

Genealogy By the States – Week 19 – Indiana

2013-05-16T10:00:00.001-05:00

I actually do have several people in my database associated with Indiana. Most of them are very distant relatives or related to my husband. But one family is that of a great-grandaunt, who left Illinois and lived in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. It’s a very tangled web, one with multiple marriages and questions of paternity. While I think I have most of the story figured out, there is still some work to be done.

I thought I’d share with you some of the online resources that have been helpful in my quest. I know this week is about Indiana, but the family I’m working with was situated in places in Michigan and Ohio that were near Indiana so I’m including those resources as well.

Indiana, Marriages, 1811-1959 (FamilySearch) – The was literally just updated yesterday, and I suspect it was the images that were added. When I used this database a few months ago, there were no images.
Indiana, Marriage Collection, 1800-1941 (Ancestry)
Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994 (FamilySearch)
US City Directories, 182101989 (Ancestry) – Has what I needed for Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Marion, Indiana. Also has Detroit and Chicago for the years I need, but I had previously used Fold3 (see below).
Chicago City Directories (Fold3)
Detroit City Directories (Fold3)
Saint Joseph, Indiana Marriage Database (South Bend Area Genealogical Society)
Cook County Genealogy Online (Cook County Clerk)
WWI Draft Registration Cards (Ancestry)
WWII Draft Registration Cards (Ancestry)
Various censuses on Ancestry
Find A Grave

Genealogy By the States is a theme created by Jim Sanders over at the Hidden Genealogy Nuggets blog.

Family History Through the Alphabet – Queries

2013-05-15T10:15:00.000-05:00

Last month I posted about message boards and mailing lists. Now that we’ve gotten to the letter Q, it’s time to talk about using those tools by developing effective queries.

Since message boards and mailing lists offer the opportunity to post a good amount of information, it’s much easier to craft an effective query in these mediums than in a publication where queries are often limited due to space restrictions. In other words, TAKE ADVANTAGE of this opportunity and offer as much detail as possible in order to ensure your query is read and hopefully you’ll get some helpful responses.

The Query

I hate to say it, but there are some really terrible queries out there. How do you respond to something like the following, posted to the Smith surname board on Ancestry?

Title: John Smith

Looking for John Smith died between 1880 and 1900, probably in Morgan County, Illinois.

*Okay, this is factitious and may be a little extreme, but I have seen queries of this broad and undefined nature before.

Chances are, you might not respond; heck, you may not even read the query since the title gives no indication of place, time period, or anything other than a very common name. The query is not any better than the title. Sure it gives a timeframe and a place, but do you know how many John Smith’s died in Morgan county between 1880 and 1900? (At least four.)

Not only that, but when I see the range 1880-1900, I think, “missing 1890 census” and “20-year gap.” Did John Smith really die, or did the researcher simply lose track of him in that 20-year span and jump to a premature conclusion? Who knows. There just isn’t enough information in the query to work with.

So how do you craft an effective query when you don’t know much about the person your are inquiring about? Good question. In my opinion, provide as much information as you can about the person in question as well as those you DO know about, like a spouse, parent, sibling, or child.

Here’s an example. I don’t know much about my third great- grandmother, Mary Ryan, but I do know a little bit about her children, which may help to identify her among the many Irish Mary Ryans out there. The following is what I would post:

Title: Mary RYAN Millett (County Kilkenny, Ireland; b. abt. 1842, d. 1912)

Trying to learn more about Mary RYAN, born about 1842 and died in County Kilkenny, Ireland in 1912. I’m particularly interested in finding out when and where she was born, as well as who her parents and siblings are. Here’s what I know about Mary so far:

She married John MILLETT on 20 February 1860 in County Kilkenny.

Mary and John were enumerated in the 1901 and 1911 censuses, residing in Stroan, Kilfane Parish, County Kilkenny .

Mary and John had at least seven children as follows:

Margareth (1863-1945; removed to the United States and eventually settled in Aurora, Kane, Illinois; married Thomas CAHILL, also from County Kilkenny)

Michael (1865-??; living in New York in 1945)

Mary (1867-??)

Robert (1872-??; living with parents in County Kilkenny in 1901 and 1911)

Ellen (1874-??; married a ROBERTSON; living in Boston, Massachusetts in 1945)

Anne (1878-??; may have died in 1902; living with parents in County Kilkenny in 1901)

Catherine (1882-??; married John POWERS; living in County Kilkenny in 1945)

For additional details about the Ryan/Millett family, you can refer to my blog post Surname Saturday – Ryan (County Kilkenny) at http://genblogjulie.blogspot.com/2013/05/surname-saturday-ryan-county-kilkenny.html.

Additional info on Mary’s children would also be much appreciated!

Willing to share information about Mary’s daughter Margareth.

See how I used what I knew about both Mary and her children? If I simply stated only what I knew about Mary herself, it wouldn't have been much to go off. The post is still relatively short, but it gives enough relevant information to provide a good picture of the family I am looking for. Additionally, providing the information about her children shows where my gaps are that perhaps someone can fill in.

You’ll also notice that I stated a purpose—what I was hoping to learn about Mary. While everything under the sun would be great, first and foremost, I specifically want to know when/where born and who her parents/siblings are. And, secondarily, if anyone has additional information on Mary’s children, I’d be interested in filling those gaps as well.

Titles / Subject Lines

Titles should be specific to the person you are looking for. A name and some other identifier(s), such as location(s) or date(s) will help people determine if they need to read your query. We are all stretched for time and when we follow message boards or receive emails from mailing lists, we want to be able to go through them quickly and determine if we recognize something that we can help with. In the John Smith example I used earlier, that message would probably be skipped by many. If, however, it said “John Smith, b. 1808 in New London, Connecticut” or “John Smith, son of Josiah, b. 1808 in Connecticut” that might ring a bell with someone and they would proceed to open the message and see what the query is and if they are able to assist. Of course the query itself would have to be crafted well too!

Additional Tips

Following are a few additional ideas to consider when using message boards and mailing lists and crafting your query.

Take a look at various message boards for inspiration. Just by looking at titles/subjects and the queries themselves, you can get an idea of what works and what doesn’t.
Please, please, please, write your query as if you were writing a business letter or email. Use proper grammar, capitalization, and punctuation, etc. It is so frustrating to read a huge run-on sentence with no punctuation, misspelled words, etc. If you want to be taken seriously, please follow this advice!
If you have a tree online, share a link direct to the person you are inquiring about so that others can see any additional information you may have as well as the family structure. Alternatively, if you have a detailed blog post, research article, biographical sketch, or narrative available online about the person and/or other family member(s) mentioned in the query, provide a link to those as well (you’ll notice I did this in my example).
Post to multiple message board and mailing list providers. And don’t forget to post to both the surname (including alternate spellings) and locality boards. For instance, I may choose to post my Mary Ryan query on Ancestry’s message board, under both the Ryan surname and the County Kilkenny boards, as well as the Ryan surname and County Kilkenny mailing lists at RootsWeb, and the Ryan surname board at GenForum. I’d even flip the query to focus on Mary’s husband John, and post to the Millett, Millet, Milott, Mylott, etc. surname boards through the various providers. I wouldn’t have to post again to the County Kilkenny boards because I include both Mary’s maiden and married names in the title of the query.
When you learn more about a person you’ve previously posted a query about, add a “reply” to the original message with the new information.

A Final Thought

Granted, message boards can be used for other things besides looking for a specific individual or family. You may have a question about records in a particular location (e.g., what’s available, where a certain record set it located, what sources do people recommend, etc.). You could have questions about the history of or an event that took place in a specific location. You might hope to find someone willing to do a lookup for you, or even inquire about genealogists for hire in a place that you are unable to travel to. The same “rules” for titles and queries apply. Be specific and provide enough information so that people can actually help you.

Learning & Networking: Why Genealogy Conferences Are Important to Me

2013-05-13T22:05:00.001-05:00

Conferences come in all varieties and cover a wide range of interests. Whether it’s your favorite hobby or a professional interest, there’s probably a conference (and maybe even an app!!) for that. No matter the conference, they are designed to provide its attendees with learning experiences and networking opportunities. So when asked “Why genealogy conferences?” my short answer is learning and networking.

Truth be told, I am still fairly new to the genealogy world. I have only been working on my genealogy for about six years, but a few of those years genealogy was a daily occurrence. I am by no means an expert and I still have things to learn. While I take advantage of books, journals/magazines, webinars, and local programs to continue my genealogy education, I find that conferences offer so much more.

First, they are usually multi-day events, and it gives me an opportunity to immerse myself completely in genealogy for those few days…an escape from real life, and hey, we all need that every once in awhile. I can attend sessions to learn about records and methodology and I can visit with vendors in the exhibit hall to explore various products. Most importantly, I’m surrounded by people with the same interests and passions, which always makes for great conversation and networking.

Of course I can read a book or attend a webinar on a topic, explore a software provider’s website, and even hang out with genealogy buddies on Facebook, but it’s not the same as the face-to-face interaction I experience at a conference. This is why, for me at least, I look forward to attending genealogy conferences. Where else can you talk about great-aunt Frieda for three or four days straight without anyone running away shouting “save me” or falling asleep from boredom?

I am really looking forward to attending the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) 2013 Conference this August (it’s been on my calendar since 2011!!). Honestly, location has a lot to do with why I am attending this particular conference to fulfill my one-conference-a-year quota. It’s being held in Fort Wayne, Indiana, which is within driving distance for me, and I have never been to Fort Wayne, which is home to one of the largest genealogy collections around—Allen County Public Library (ACPL).

Beyond location, I attended the FGS 2011 Conference in Springfield, Illinois, and had a spectacular time (it was also my first national genealogy conference). The speakers were great, the atmosphere was wonderful, and I met a lot of fantastic people. I’ve been to other national conferences since then, and so far, FGS takes the cake!

Of course I’m looking forward to the learning and networking opportunities as well. In fact, the day the session schedule was released, I added all of the sessions I want to attend to my calendar (I know, obsess much?). I am particularly thrilled that Elizabeth Shown Mills will be presenting at FGS 2013, as I have never attended one of her lectures and am looking forward to that experience…maybe she’ll sign my copy of Evidence Explained….

I am also looking forward to meeting “in person” genealogy friends I have come to know over the years through social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. I also can’t wait to see the many friends I have met at genealogy events in the past and play catch-up.

I really am bubbling over with excitement as I write this post, but disappointed that the conference is still three months away! Oh well, I guess that means more time to develop my research plans for the ACPL while I’m in town a few days before the conference!

Will you be at the FGS 2013 Conference? Maybe we could meet up! Drop me a line in the comments or via email if you prefer.

This post was written for the April/May Ambassador Blogging Prompt as part of the FGS 2013 Conference Ambassador Program.

If you’d like to be an Ambassador, you can sign up here.

Surname Saturday – Ryan (County Kilkenny, Ireland)

2013-05-11T10:22:00.000-05:00

Mary RYAN, of County Kilkenny, Ireland, is my third great-grandmother. She married John MILLETT and they had eight known children. At least three of the children left Ireland and settled in the US. My direct line ancestors are in blue.

First Generation

1.	Mary¹ RYAN was born about 1842, probably in County Kilkenny, Ireland, and died on 29 December 1912, probably in County Kilkenny. Mary married John MILLETT on 20 February 1860 in Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Leinster, Ireland. John was born about 1841. Children from this marriage were:

+ 2	i.	Margareth² MILLETT was baptized on 3 February 1863 in Oldgrange, County Kilkenny, Leinster, Ireland, and died on 7 January 1945 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois.
3	ii.	Michael MILLETT was born on 10 April 1865 in Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Leinster, Ireland. In January 1945 he was living in New York.
4	iii.	Mary MILLETT was born on 17 November 1867 in Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Leinster, Ireland.
5	iv.	Robert MILLETT was born on 14 July 1872 in Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Leinster, Ireland.
6	v.	Ellen MILLETT was born on 14 July 1874 in Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Leinster, Ireland. By January 1945 she had married a ROBERTSON and was living in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts.
7	vi.	Anne MILLETT was born about 1878 in County Kilkenny, Leinster, Ireland and may have died in 1902.
8	vii.	Catherine MILLETT was born in 1882 in Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Leinster, Ireland. Catherine married John POWERS.

Second Generation

Margareth² MILLETT (Mary¹ Ryan) was baptized on 3 February 1863 in Oldgrange, County Kilkenny, Leinster, Ireland, and died on 7 January 1945 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois. Margareth married Thomas Robert CAHILL, son of Michael CAHILL and Anne HALE, on 3 July 1887 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois. Thomas was baptized on 8 Mary 1860 in Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Leinster, Ireland, and died on 15 October 1929 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois.

Children from this marriage were:

9	i.	Mary³ Ann "Marie" CAHILL was born on 8 November 1888 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois and died on 5 May 1972 in South Bend, St. Joseph, Indiana. She married first, Leonard ANDERSON; second, Lloyd NOLEN.
10	ii.	Margaret CAHILL was born on 18 January 1891 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois and died on 26 September 1967. She married Roger HILLBROOK.
11	iii.	Thomas Michael CAHILL was born on 1 February 1893 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois and died on 29 March 1972 in Danville, Vermilion, Illinois. He married first, Marie NICHOLS; second, Carrie WALLEY.
+ 12	iv.	John F CAHILL was born on 22 May 1895 in Illinois and died on 16 January 1967 in Sturgis, Saint Joseph, Michigan.
13	v.	Rose Ella CAHILL was born on 23 April 1897 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois and died on 25 August 1898 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois.
14	vi.	Robert Emmett CAHILL was born on 22 January 1900 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois and died on 17 March 1974 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois. He married Edna DAVIS.

Third Generation

John³ F CAHILL (Margareth² Millett, Mary¹ Ryan) was born on 22 May 1895 probably in Aurora, Kane, Illinois and died on 16 January 1967 in Sturgis, Saint Joseph, Michigan. John married Catherine M SCHWARTZ, daughter of Johann "John" SCHWARTZ and Margarethe "Margaret" KREMER, on 25 April 1916 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois. Catherine was born on 16 April 1894 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois and died on 26 January 1925 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois

Children from this marriage were:

15	i.	Raymond⁴ J CAHILL was born on 8 February 1918 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois and died on 21 June 1987 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois. He married Ruth HARVEY and may have been married once prior to that marriage.
16	ii.	Marcella Marion CAHILL was born on 22 February 1920 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois and died on 2 October 2010 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois. She married Leo SCHAG.
17	iii.	John "Jack" Francis CAHILL was born on 12 June 1922 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois and died on 16 September 1984 in Addison, DuPage, Illinois. He married Joan McMAHON, and their only son, Joseph, was my father.

Disclaimer: Information is based on research completed as of 10 May 2013. Some details have been omitted to protect the privacy of living relatives.

Sources: Available upon request.

PDF Available: The content of this post is available as a PDF through Scribd and may updated periodically as new information is found.

Other Blog Posts: To see other posts about the Millett family, click here. To see other Surname Saturday posts, click here.

Contact: If you would like more information about this family, or would like to share what you know, please contact me at genblogjulie@gmail.com .

Friday Finds – 05/10/13

2013-05-10T16:59:00.001-05:00

Weekly column sharing genealogy-related things I’ve found.

New-to-Me Blogs

Jennealogy, Jennifer Dunn

Online Articles

A Murder in the Family, The Heritage Huntress
The Times, They Are-a-Changin’, Digging in the Roots
Genealogy Road Trip Contest!, FGS Voice

Websites & Resources

Fraternal & Benevolent Societies – Article from the January/February 2001 issue of Family Chronicle.
Program of Digital Scholarship | IUPUI University Library – Digital collections of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Includes photos, newspapers, and directories.
Houston Area Digital Archives – Various digital resources including books, city directories, and photos.
Colorado Springs City Directories – The Pikes Peak Genealogical Society has digitized copies of the Colorado Springs city directories from 1879-1922.

Upcoming FREE Webinars

Date / Time	Webinar / Presenter / Host
5/14 8 PM Central	Timelines: Placing Your Heritage in Historical Perspective Laura Prescott Illinois State Genealogical Society
5/14 1 PM Central	Records of the Works Project Administration (WPA) Paula Stuart-Warren Friends of the National Archives Southeast Region
5/15 1 PM Central	Land Records Solve Research Problems Mary Hill Legacy Family Tree
5/15 8 PM Central	Options in Post-Adoption Research Debbie Mieszala Southern California Genealogical Society
5/16 8 PM Central	Using an Apple (MAC) to Make Your Tree Bret Petersen Utah Genealogical Association
5/20 7 PM Central	Harnessing the Power of Indirect Evidence Susan Sloan Georgia Genealogical Society
5/21 7 PM Central	Crossing the Pond: Successful Strategies for Researching Eastern European Ancestors Lisa Alzo Wisconsin State Genealogical Society
5/22 1 PM Central	Ten Hidden Resources Every Genealogist Should Know Lisa Alzo Legacy Family Tree

Genealogy By the States – Week 18 – Louisiana

2013-05-08T13:11:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately I have absolutely no connection to Louisiana (except for some friends who moved there last year, fitting since they’re huge Saints fans!). So this week, I implore you to check out a post that Miriam Robbins put together back in 2010 entitled 52 Weeks of Online American Digital Archives and Databases: Louisiana. There are a lot of great resources to peruse!

Genealogy By the States is a theme created by Jim Sanders over at the Hidden Genealogy Nuggets blog.

Surname Saturday – Hale (Ireland)

2013-05-04T11:42:00.000-05:00

The only thing I know about my third great-grandmother, Anne HALE, is that she married Michael CAHILL on 30 January 1855 in Thomastown, Kilkenny, Ireland. I have no idea when she was born, when she died, or who her parents (or other relatives) are...she's a bit of a mystery. At least two of Anne's children left Ireland and settled in Aurora, Kane, Illinois (one son eventually removed from Aurora and settled in Chicago, Cook, Illinois). My direct line ancestors are in blue.

First Generation

1.	Anne¹ HALE, married Michael CAHILL on 30 January 1855 in Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Leinster, Ireland. Children from this marriage were:

2	i.	John² CAHILL was born on 2 April 1856. (This son has not been proven by me personally.)
+ 3	ii.	Thomas Robert CAHILL was baptized on 8 May 1860 in Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Leinster, Ireland and died on 15 October 1929 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois.
+ 4	iii.	John F CAHILL was baptized on 4 April 1863 in Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Leinster, Ireland and died on 4 November 1937 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.
5	iv.	Margaret CAHILL was baptized on 5 January 1867 in Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Leinster, Ireland.
6	v.	Daniel J CAHILL was born in 1870. (This son has not been proven by me personally.)

Second Generation

Thomas² Robert CAHILL (Anne¹ Hale) was baptized on 8 May 1860 in Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Leinster, Ireland and died on 15 October 1929 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois. Thomas married Margareth MILLETT, daughter of John MILLETT and Mary RYAN, on 3 July 1887 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois. Margareth was baptized on 3 February 1863 in Oldgrange, County Kilkenny, Leinster, Ireland and died on 7 January 1945 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois.

Children from this marriage were:

7	i.	Mary³ Ann "Marie" CAHILL was born on 8 November 1888 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois and died on 5 May 1972 in South Bend, St. Joseph, Indiana. She married first, Leonard ANDERSON; second, Lloyd NOLEN.
8	ii.	Margaret CAHILL was born on 18 January 1891 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois and died on 26 September 1967. She married Roger HILLBROOK.
9	iii.	Thomas Michael CAHILL was born on 1 February 1893 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois and died on 29 March 1972 in Danville, Vermilion, Illinois. He married first, Marie NICHOLS; second, Carrie WALLEY.
+ 10	iv.	John F CAHILL was born on 22 May 1895 in Illinois and died on 16 January 1967 in Sturgis, Saint Joseph, Michigan.
11	v.	Rose Ella CAHILL was born on 23 April 1897 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois and died on 25 August 1898 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois.
12	vi.	Robert Emmett CAHILL was born on 22 January 1900 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois and died on 17 March 1974 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois. He married Edna DAVIS.

John² F CAHILL (Anne¹ Hale) was born baptized on 4 April 1863 in Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Leinster, Ireland and died on 4 November 1937 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. John married Anna "Annie" M GLYNN, daughter of Lawrence GLYNN and Mary CONNLEY, on 27 September 1892 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois. Anna was born on 27 October 1866 in County Kings, Leinster, Ireland and died on 7 March 1937 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

Children from this marriage were:

13	i.	James³ CAHILL, born and died between 1892 and 1900.
14	ii.	Theresa "Tessie" CAHILL was born on 8 August 1895 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois and died on 17 May 1986 in Youngstown, Mahoning, Ohio. She married Winslow KARAS.
15	iii.	Clarence M CAHILL was born on 31 May 1900 in Illinois and died on 7 December 1964 in Cook County, Illinois. He married Della ROCHE.
16	iv.	June CAHILL was born cal. 7 June 1902 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois and died on 21 July 1905 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois.
17	v.	John F CAHILL was born on 10 July 1905 in Illinois and died circa 7 November 1976 in Cook County, Illinois. He married Helen SMITH.
18	vi.	Esther CAHILL was born about 1908 in Illinois and died on 3 May 1994 in , Lee, Florida. She married first, Robert BULLER; second, Ivor PARKER.

Third Generation

10.

John³F CAHILL (Thomas Robert², Anne¹ Hale) was born on 22 May 1895 probably in Aurora, Kane, Illinois and died on 16 January 1967 in Sturgis, Saint Joseph, Michigan. John married Catherine M SCHWARTZ, daughter of Johann "John" SCHWARTZ and Margarethe "Margaret" KREMER, on 25 April 1916 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois. Catherine was born on 16 April 1894 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois and died on 26 January 1925 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois.

Children from this marriage were:

19	i.	Raymond⁴ J CAHILL was born on 8 February 1918 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois and died on 21 June 1987 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois. He married Ruth HARVEY and may have been married once prior to that marriage.
20	ii.	Marcella Marion CAHILL was born on 22 February 1920 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois and died on 2 October 2010 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois. She married Leo SCHAG.
21	iii.	John "Jack" Francis CAHILL was born on 12 June 1922 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois and died on 16 September 1984 in Addison, DuPage, Illinois. He married Joan McMAHON, and their only son, Joseph, was my father.

Disclaimer: Information is based on research completed as of 3 May2013. Some details have been omitted to protect the privacy of living relatives.

Sources: Available upon request.

PDF Available: The content of this post is available as a PDF through Scribd and may updated periodically as new information is found.

Other Blog Posts: To see other posts about the Hale family, click here. To see other Surname Saturday posts, click here.

Contact: If you would like more information about this family, or would like to share what you know, please contact me at genblogjulie@gmail.com .

Friday Finds – 05/03/13

2013-05-03T17:09:00.001-05:00

Weekly column sharing genealogy-related things I’ve found.

New-to-Me Blogs

Ahnentafel: Genealogically speaking…
Searching for Ancestors and Stories!, Pam Stephens

Online Articles

Evidence Gleaned From One Obituary, Becky Higgins
New Born Child Kidnapped in 1964 and “Returned” to Parents a Year Later is Not Their Son, DNA Test Reveals, Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter
Gen Proof Study Groups – How to Get In, Adventures in Genealogy Education
Digging Up Dad, Exhumation and Forensic Testing Alternatives, DNA eXplained
Lincoln’s Phantom Train, A Grave Interest
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words, Journey to the Past
Publish or Perish?, Digging in the Roots
Why I Will Not Seek Certification, Always Anxiously Engaged

Upcoming FREE Webinars

Date / Time	Webinar / Presenter / Host
5/4 12 PM Central	Homespun and Calico – Researching our Foremothers Peggy Clemens Laurtizen Southern California Genealogical Society
5/14 8 PM Central	Timelines: Placing Your Heritage in Historical Perspective Laura Prescott Illinois State Genealogical Society
5/14 1 PM Central	Records of the Works Project Administration (WPA) Paula Stuart-Warren Friends of the National Archives Southeast Region
5/15 1 PM Central	Land Records Solve Research Problems Mary Hill Legacy Family Tree
5/15 8 PM Central	Options in Post-Adoption Research Debbie Mieszala Southern California Genealogical Society
5/16 8 PM Central	Using an Apple (MAC) to Make Your Tree Bret Petersen Utah Genealogical Association
5/20 7 PM Central	Harnessing the Power of Indirect Evidence Susan Sloan Georgia Genealogical Society
5/21 7 PM Central	Crossing the Pond: Successful Strategies for Researching Eastern European Ancestors Lisa Alzo Wisconsin State Genealogical Society
5/22 1 PM Central	Ten Hidden Resources Every Genealogist Should Know Lisa Alzo Legacy Family Tree

Genealogy By the States – Week 17 – Ohio

2013-05-02T10:57:00.000-05:00

I do have a few ties to Ohio, and thanks to the various record collections available through FamilySearch, I was able to make this discovery.

If you have family in Ohio, I highly recommend using the record collections at FamilySearch. There are so many wonderful records for Ohio including death records, birth records, and marriage records. I even came across Interment Registers for Cleveland, which helped me with a pre-1908 death. They’re even adding probate records, although not all counties are available yet.

In addition to the FamilySearch records, there are many other resources available online. You can take a look at what I’ve found over the years at my Ohio Genealogy collection on Diigo.

Genealogy By the States is a theme created by Jim Sanders over at the Hidden Genealogy Nuggets blog.