We all have those pesky ancestors that refuse to be found, or who have documentation that eludes us. When we try unsuccessfully to uncover them, that’s when we put them in the “brick wall” category.
Recently, Genealogy in Time online magazine offered an article with fifty ideas on how to solve common brick wall problems. The article covers a variety of topics including maiden names, migration, land records, and more.
Check it out at: 50 Best Genealogy Brick Wall Solutions
Friday, August 30, 2013
Some Answers for Your Brick Wall Problems
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Library and Archives Canada Releases Census Records
Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has released the 1842 census of Canada West (modern-day Ontario) and the 1842 census of Canada East (modern-day Quebec).
These censuses, like the US censuses before 1850, contain limited information: name of the head of the household, occupation and number of residents in the household as well as a few other pieces of information.
Here are direct links to the two census databases:
Canada West: http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1842-canada-west/Pages/1842-canada-west.aspx
Canada East: http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1842-canada-east/Pages/1842-canada-east.aspx
LAC has also released the 1870 census of Manitoba, which was taken shortly after Manitoba joined Confederation. It contains the names of 12,200 individuals who lived in the region at that time.
Check it out at: http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1870/Pages/1870.aspx
The first national census of Canada was conducted in 1871, so all of the above predate that event.
All of the databases listed above are free access.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Ancestry.com Releases NY Naturalization Petitions
Ancestry.com recently announced its release of a collection of New York State naturalization petitions. They cover the period 1794 to 1906 and were filed in various federal, state and local courts in New York State. This is a valuable collection given the dispersed nature of naturalization records. It is fortunate state and local courts are included.
The collection contains over one million records which can list the name of the petitioner, age or date of birth, nationality, date and port of arrival and the court where the paperwork was filed.
Ancestry.com is a subscription service, of course. But don't forget you can get to it free from your public library.
Here is a direct link to the Ancestry database search screen: http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=2280
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Florida Genealogical Society Seminar 26 October
This announcement come from the Florida Genealogical Society:
The Florida Genealogical Society - Tampa is proud to present its annual
Fall Seminar "Putting Method to Your Genealogical Madness" featuring
J. Mark Lowe.
The seminar will take place at the University of South Florida (Tampa Campus), Marshall Student Center, Room 2708 (Plaza Room) on 26 October from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 pm.
The price for non-members is $40 and $35 for members.
There will be a boxed lunch available for $7.50 with your choice of sandwich or lunch can be on your own. The first 100 cars will receive FREE Parking
Please visit the website for more information including registration forms: http://fgstampa.org/
The seminar will take place at the University of South Florida (Tampa Campus), Marshall Student Center, Room 2708 (Plaza Room) on 26 October from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 pm.
The price for non-members is $40 and $35 for members.
There will be a boxed lunch available for $7.50 with your choice of sandwich or lunch can be on your own. The first 100 cars will receive FREE Parking
Please visit the website for more information including registration forms: http://fgstampa.org/
Sunday, August 18, 2013
PGS Newsletter Available Online
Did you know you can read the current as well as past PGS Newsletters online? It's easy...just click on the link below and enjoy.
The Newsletter is published monthly except for June, July , and August. It is meant to keep you informed about PGS activities and issues, as well as give you insights to research techniques.
Go to http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~flpgs/pgs-publications.htm and then click on the link for the current issue or the historic issues located in the center of the page.
If you are new to our website, once you get to the page described above, use the main navigation bar at the top of the page to explore it.
The Newsletter is published monthly except for June, July , and August. It is meant to keep you informed about PGS activities and issues, as well as give you insights to research techniques.
Go to http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~flpgs/pgs-publications.htm and then click on the link for the current issue or the historic issues located in the center of the page.
If you are new to our website, once you get to the page described above, use the main navigation bar at the top of the page to explore it.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
PAF User Alert
This was a notice provided a few weeks ago by PGS Education Director, Bob Bryan:
If you are one of the many PAF users who is considering moving to another genealogy database program, this item will be of interest to you.
Familysearch.org is recommending that PAF users change to a new program and they suggest one of the following:
- Legacy
- Ancestral Quest
- RootsMagic
RootsMagic is the only one of these programs with a substantial number of users in PGS and has a user group meeting each month, Sep-May. You can download a free version of the software from http://www.rootsmagic.com/essentials/.
Also, a series of short videos has been posted at http://www.youtube.com/user/RootsMagicTV explaining how to move your PAF data to RootsMagic, how to customize RootsMagic to look and feel like PAF and more. Take a look and see what you think.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
1000 Memories to be shut down
If you have participated in the 1000 Memories website to store photos or to create memorial pages for you ancestors, you need to know that the site is shutting down. You photos will not be accessible after 15 September.
However, you may download your photos to your computer or to Ancestry.com (which recently bought 1000 Memories.
Here is the information from the website:
Dear 1000memories users,
We're writing to let you know what we are shutting down the 1000memories.com website.
During the next month, you can export your photos to Ancestry.com or download them as a ZIP file by visiting 1000memories.com/export (see instructions below). After September 15th, all photos will be deleted permanently.
If you created a memorial page, you don’t have to worry about exporting – an archived version of your loved ones’ memory page will remain up on 1000memories.com (we have emailed you links separately).
We regret that this decision will adversely affect many people, but we are excited to continue serving many of you at Ancestry.com. Since being acquired last fall, we’ve launched a beautiful new way to tell your ancestors’ life stories as well as a new and improved version of our Shoebox mobile app. We will now be working toward a new photo-sharing experience on Ancestry.com.
We can’t thank you enough for your support and input over the last several years. If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at contact@1000memories.com.
Sincerely,
The 1000memories team
However, you may download your photos to your computer or to Ancestry.com (which recently bought 1000 Memories.
Here is the information from the website:
Dear 1000memories users,
We're writing to let you know what we are shutting down the 1000memories.com website.
During the next month, you can export your photos to Ancestry.com or download them as a ZIP file by visiting 1000memories.com/export (see instructions below). After September 15th, all photos will be deleted permanently.
If you created a memorial page, you don’t have to worry about exporting – an archived version of your loved ones’ memory page will remain up on 1000memories.com (we have emailed you links separately).
We regret that this decision will adversely affect many people, but we are excited to continue serving many of you at Ancestry.com. Since being acquired last fall, we’ve launched a beautiful new way to tell your ancestors’ life stories as well as a new and improved version of our Shoebox mobile app. We will now be working toward a new photo-sharing experience on Ancestry.com.
We can’t thank you enough for your support and input over the last several years. If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at contact@1000memories.com.
Sincerely,
The 1000memories team
Monday, August 12, 2013
Top Tips for Canadian Family History Research - YouTube
If you have Canadian ancestors in our research sights, this video by Ancestry’s Crista Cowen will help you get started. It provides some general research techniques as well as pointers specific to using Ancestry.com
Friday, August 9, 2013
Ancestry Paths–A Treasure of Genealogy Information
Check out the Ancestry Paths website for a myriad of helpful hints on research and a pile of links to data on various subjects.
Once on the home page scroll down to see some of the featured categories of information, or click the “Site Index” tab near the top to get an over-view of the site content. Some of the references are very specific in terms of geography, and some, like Internet Archive, are large, general collections.
You can find it at:
Once on the home page scroll down to see some of the featured categories of information, or click the “Site Index” tab near the top to get an over-view of the site content. Some of the references are very specific in terms of geography, and some, like Internet Archive, are large, general collections.
You can find it at:
Ancestry Paths | Helping you find your way to Genealogy information.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
USCIS Website Make-over
If you have not looked that the website for the U.S. citizenship and Immigration Services in a while, click on the link below.
The site has had a make-over and, although the information available remains essentially the same, the presentation is more complete and user-friendly.
Once at the home page, look for “History and Genealogy” under the services tab on in the left hand panel.
There you will find a complete explanation of the different files the USCIS has, an explanation of the process one would follow to decided if and how to use the services offered, and a price structure. If you cannot find arrival lists or naturalization papers for your ancestors…and the timeframe is right, you may find help here.
Check it out at:
Monday, August 5, 2013
PGS Program on Identity Theft Prevention
At its monthly meeting on Saturday, 17 August, the Pinellas Genealogy Society will sponsor a program on identity theft prevention, a constant concern to people who publish information online...like genealogists.
The internet has made it easier for genealogists to find family information , but it has at the same time opened the door for possible identity theft. The presenters (John Bacon and Wendy Swertfeger) will discuss how you can protect your identity in this arena.
Join in at 11 am in the Jenkins Room of the Largo Public Library. The presentation is free and open to the public. Come early (10 am) and enjoy the monthly Computers in Genealogy Q&A session.
The internet has made it easier for genealogists to find family information , but it has at the same time opened the door for possible identity theft. The presenters (John Bacon and Wendy Swertfeger) will discuss how you can protect your identity in this arena.
Join in at 11 am in the Jenkins Room of the Largo Public Library. The presentation is free and open to the public. Come early (10 am) and enjoy the monthly Computers in Genealogy Q&A session.
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Digital Library on American Slavery
If you have slave connections in your ancestry you will want to check out the Digital Library on American Slavery website. Here is an extraction from the site:
”The Digital Library on American Slavery offers data on race and slavery extracted from eighteenth and nineteenth-century documents and processed over a period of eighteen years. The Digital Library contains detailed information on about 150,000 individuals, including slaves, free people of color, and whites.”
Check it out at:
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