Indholdsfortegnelse for July - August 2020 i Family Tree

Heirloom DIY With summer upon us, I’m reminded of days spent canning—capturing the jewels of the field in hot, clean jars. I treasure the tools of the trade that I inherited from my maternal grandmother: canning lids and rings still in their boxes, melon ballers, cherry pitters, a sieve with wooden pedestal, and (most of all) her pie safe that spent decades in her garage. Learn more about the history of canning at <www.healthycanning.com/kerr-jars>. App Obsession I’m so obsessed with the Google Photos app <www.google.com/photos> that I devoted an entire chapter to it in the newest edition of my book The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox, 3rd edition (self-published). This little powerhouse organizes and stores all your photos, freeing up precious space on your smartphone. Upload old family photos, too, then watch…

Subscription website MyHeritage launched a new tool in February 2020 that quickly went viral. The site calls its MyHeritage In Color tool “the world’s most advanced technology for [automatic] photo colorization.” Within five days of the tool’s launch, users colorized more than a million photos. Use the feature on black-and-white photos, or color photos that have faded. You can colorize photos by uploading them to the site at <www.myheritage.com/incolor>, or by using the MyHeritage mobile app. Note the tool doesn’t overwrite the original file. MyHeritage subscribers can use In Color without restriction; others may colorize up to 10 photos for free.…

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Identify the most recent common ancestor of the two individuals with the unknown relationship. 2. Determine the common ancestor’s relationship to each person (for example, grandparent or great-grandparent). 3. In the topmost row of the chart, find the common ancestor’s relationship to cousin number one. In the far-left column, find the common ancestor’s relationship to cousin number two. 4. Trace the the row and column from step 3. The square where they meet shows the two individuals’ relationship. View an alternate version of this chart (along with DNA estimates for each relationship) at <www.familytreemagazine.com/premium/how-to-calculate-cousinhood>. In each issue, Your Turn offers a form that’ll help you preserve your family’s unique stories and organize your research. Tear out and use the form or make a photocopy.…

TO MANY TOURISTS, Maryland conjures up visions of fine dining on blue crabs from the Chesapeake Bay, which nearly bisects this Mid-Atlantic state. Others think of the Baltimore Orioles or the US Naval Academy at the state capital, Annapolis. But for those whose roots lie in Maryland, it’s simply “home.” If that’s you, it’s time to explore those roots—and our guide will get you going. NETTING ASSISTANCE Those trolling for Maryland ancestors should head right to prime fishing waters: the Maryland State Archives (MSA) website <msa.maryland.gov>. Click Digital Resources to find links to newspapers, photos, land and death records. To see a list of searchable online databases, click Search Online Databases. Next, sail to MSA’s Archives of Maryland Online <aomol.msa.maryland.gov/html/index.html> for more than 471,000 digitized historical documents, including city directories,…

When did professional genealogy credentialing begin? The need for a formal credential was recognized as early as 1942. According to The American Genealogist journal, researcher Milton Rubincam presented a paper at the second annual meeting of the American Society of Genealogists and said “Too many inexperienced persons are calling themselves professional genealogists when they lack proper training in this specialized type of work.” More than 20 years later, two separate bodies created credentials: • ICAPGen: In 1964, the Genealogical Society of Utah awarded the first Accredited Genealogist (AG) credential. In 2000, the Society transferred the sponsorship to the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen). Several hundred genealogists have received the Accredited Genealogist credential from 1964 to present. The ICAPGen directory currently lists more than 160 AG professionals,…

Over the years, professional genealogist Debbie Mieszala of Libertyville, Ill., has worked on a lot of fascinating projects, including adoption cases. Nowadays, however, she almost exclusively focuses on one type of work: repatriating military remains. “It’s a dream job,” she says. “This is now my primary work.” Military repatriation cases involve “doing genealogical research for the military to locate relatives of service members missing in past wars,” she explains. Her task is usually to locate living next-of-kin so Army’s casualty office can establish contact with them. Then, she finds relatives who can contribute DNA samples that will help identify remains. (Learn more about military repatriation at <www.dpaa.mil>.) Mieszala is currently working on several WWII cases: service members who died or went missing in the 1940s. Each service member had emergency…

1 Interment ledgers, or “day books,” are a valuable, often-overlooked cemetery record. Details in these ledgers, such as name, were provided by the funeral home or a family member of the deceased. 2 The age listed here can be a clue to date of birth. The Nativity column (which indicates place of birth) can also be helpful in finding birth and christening records. 3 Cemetery ledgers (more reliable than tombstones) may be the best sources of death information in areas that didn’t yet issue death certificates. Use this date to locate other sources, such as state death indexes, church records, death certificates, obituaries and more. 4 During the Civil War, interment ledgers may have recorded precise wounds or diseases not documented in military service records. Don’t overlook military records for…

ROOTSTECH ORGANIZERS POSTPONED THE London conference scheduled to take place in Fall 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns. (The event will now take place in Fall 2021; follow updates at <www.rootstech.org/london>.) The event was meant to follow from the success of RootsTech London 2019, which (according to a company announcement) had nearly 10,000 in-person attendees and another 1,300 online participants. The next RootsTech event in Salt Lake City is still scheduled for February 2021. MyHeritage LIVE 2020 (originally scheduled to take place in October in Tel Aviv, Israel) was also postponed, and the National Genealogical Society (NGS) held its May 2020 conference online instead of in Salt Lake City.…

1 Wear white cotton gloves. When handling any textile, wash your hands and remove any rings or jewelry that might snag fragile fibers. 2 Inspect the garment for damage and deterioration. Cover a flat surface with a clean cotton sheet and carefully spread out the garment. Avoid bright light (ultraviolent light will cause textiles to discolor), smoke, and other environmental risks. Make note of frayed seams, loose stitching or beading that has become unattached. It’s normal for antique white gowns to now be a soft yellowish color, but brown, dry or brittle fabric is damaged and should be handled with care. 3 Make repairs. Sturdy, modern garments may need only a little stitching with a needle and thread by yourself or a local tailor. But antique gowns showing stains that…

OKLAHOMA’S CITIES SPRANG up in rather dramatic fashions. On April 22, 1889, an estimated 50,000 settlers lined up at the edge of the 2-million-acre “Unassigned Lands,” now in central Oklahoma. At noon, a shotgun blast sent them racing to claim land plots. By the end of the day, Oklahoma City and Guthrie each had about 10,000 residents, street plans, and the beginnings of municipal government. Within a month, there were five banks and six newspapers in Oklahoma City. Those who’d jumped the gun and hidden out on choice homesteads earned Oklahoma its Sooner State nickname. You can get a similar head start on your Oklahoma genealogy by following our research advice. TRIGGERING SETTLEMENT Oklahoma, then called Indian Territory, had long been the US government’s chosen location for eastern American Indian…

The AG credential is awarded by ICAPGen, a nonprofit organization. Its website <www.icapgen.org> provides information about the organization, maintains a directory of AG professionals, and details the process of becoming accredited. To begin, you first must choose from more than 25 testing regions in the United States and other countries such as England, Germany or Mexico. (As the “International” in its name implies, ICAPGen has a global focus.) Specializing in a country or region allows you to become an expert in a particular area, learning specific research skills and methodology. ICAPGen has developed a testing program that entails three levels. You must pass each with a 90% rating, but you can retake any portion if you don’t meet that benchmark. Each level has a fee of $100, and you have…

A Start exploring topics using the Categories menu, which is organized alphabetically. Click a letter to see more options that begin with that letter, or scroll down to see the entire category list. B Click on a category to see either individual listings or a list of subcategories and related categories. For example, the African-American category (which includes more than 800 links) is divided into dozens of subcategories, from “Birth, Marriage, Death” to “Wills & Probate." C From the purple navigation boxes, keep up with Cyndi’s List via social media or newsletter. You can also see newly posted links or submit your own. You can also shop the Cyndi’s List store; purchases support this free site. D From the Genealogy News Feeds widget on the home page (not pictured), scroll…

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. The 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, adopted July 9, 1868, extended citizenship to all people born in the United States—including former slaves. The amendment (notably its Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses) has been the basis for several key laws and Supreme Court rulings, including Brown v. Board of Education (which outlawed segregation in public schools) and Obergefell v. Hodges (which legalized samesex marriage). Pictured at left is John Bingham, a congressman from Ohio who was instrumental in the amendment's development. Learn more about your ancestors who were born into slavery <www.familytreemagazine.com/premium/african-american-slave-ancestors>.…

“IF A CHILD KNOWS THEIR FAMILY STORIES, they know better how to recover from mistakes, how to bear through problems, how to be patient, how to plan for the future. A child armed with their history might still get stage fright, but they can see their forefathers and foremothers behind the curtain off stage, cheering them on. ‘We did it! So can you!’” Jonah and Charlotte Barnes discuss the importance of sharing ancestral stories with children in the introduction of their book, Turning Little Hearts (Cedar Fort, Inc.). The Barneses, who have six children themselves, put together more than 90 genealogy-related activities that will help kids connect with their ancestors.…

US WWII draft cards: Ancestry.com <www.ancestry.com> has finished publishing color images of all 36 million available WWII young men’s draft registration cards. State-by-state collections are also gradually being published on FamilySearch, who partnered with Ancestry.com to digitize and publish the collection. US city directories: MyHeritage <www.myheritage.com> launched an enormous collection of 25,000 directories, ranging from 1860 to 1960. The site has consolidated 1.3 billion records into aggregate listings, making it easier to explore multiyear entries for a family. UK electoral registers: Findmypast <www.findmypast.com> added 116 million names to its collection of English and Welsh electoral registers from 1832 to 1932. This brings the size of that collection (useful for tracing ancestors during that 100-year period) to 220 million names.…

Popular website BillionGraves <www.billiongraves.com> implemented a new feature in March 2020 to improve accuracy of its searchable cemetery headstone transcriptions. A new “2nd pass” transcription option takes “a second look at the records that have already been transcribed—by a second pair of eyes so any errors can be corrected,” according to a company statement. Those who volunteer simply view a previously transcribed headstone image, alongside the names, dates and other details already entered by someone else. The “2nd pass” volunteer checks off accurate fields and corrects those that need fixing. This “double data entry” concept is a commonly used quality-control method; the FamilySearch Indexing program also uses it. (FamilySearch calls it reviewing or arbitration.)…

IF YOU WERE LOOKING FORWARD to watching the Olympics this summer, you’ll have to wait until next year. But “going for the gold” in your genealogy research can help fill the gap left by the postponement. The cheering crowds may be only in your head—and the medal ceremony just a few more branches on your family tree—yet your finds will last as long as the actual Olympic records. To help you in this marathon endeavor, we’ve once again assembled a medal-worthy roster of 101 Best Genealogy Websites. As in past years, we’ve winnowed a world wide web of competitors to the magic number of 101. (Why 101? We’ve been doing this for 21 years now, so we can truthfully answer, “It’s tradition!”) To make room for more genealogy- and history-specific…

If you have McAlpines, Hamiltons or Leslies in your family tree, you may have studied Scottish records and dreamed of finding them and their cozy cottages or stately homes. But in reality, you’ve maybe looked in the wrong place—or, more accurately, in the right place but at the wrong time. A great many of our ancestors who have Scottish surnames actually were part of a community of Scottish emigrants who settled in the north of Ireland generations before their descendants came to America: the Scots-Irish. These were descendants of Protestants from Scotland and England who populated Ulster (the northernmost province of Ireland). More than 1.5 million Ulster Scots left Ireland between 1718 and 1890, and many thousands of them arrived in the American Colonies before the Revolutionary War and loomed…

• Identify your strengths and weaknesses, then set educational goals using genealogy books, conferences, study groups and institutes. • Earn a genealogical research certificate through an online course at Boston University’s Genealogy Studies Program <genealogyonline.bu.edu/certificate>. • Attend conferences with lectures by credentialed genealogists. • Visit the ICAPGen and BCG booths at national conferences to view successful Four-Generation Reports and portfolios, respectively. • Do a research project for a friend, and practice writing a client report. • View ICAPGen videos about the Accreditation Process and Skill Building on the ICAPGen YouTube channel <www.youtube.com>. • Compare your written work to Genealogy Standards and the BCG rubrics to see how it holds up to scrutiny. • Participate in a study group that includes peer review, like ProGen <www.progenstudy.org>. • Join the ICAPGen Level…

Have you ever daydreamed about doing genealogy all day long—and getting paid for it? Some people do make a living as traditional genealogists, whether working for a firm or independently. (We talk about one way to make that happen on page 48.) But I’ve also heard, from time to time, about other occupations that require family history research skills. These sounded like dream jobs; I wondered how real they were. So I tracked some of them down. In this article, you’ll meet a half-dozen professional genealogists who work under a variety of job titles. Many of them do heir-searching at least part-time. Beyond that, they’ve all developed skills that take genealogy in a direction all their own. By and large, these professionals bring many of the same sleuthing skills to…

1 Thousands of free satellite branches of the Family History Library (Salt Lake City, Utah) offer enhanced access to millions of digitized record images on FamilySearch. To find a facility near you, go to <www.familysearch.org/locations>. 2 Enter an address near which you’d like to find a Family History Center (FHC). Click Search. 3 View location options on the map. (You may need to click and drag the map, or zoom in or out.) Dark orange icons indicate Affiliate Libraries—public and other libraries that offer enhanced access to FamilySearch images. Dark blue icons represent FHCs, usually housed in meetinghouses of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. In addition to those extra digitized collections, FHCs also offer volunteer assistance (especially for FamilySearch users and new genealogists) and library-edition access to…