Geneapprentice

Genealogy Education Opportunities

2012-01-22T15:18:00.000-05:00

Ancestry.com Learning Center
New from Ancestry, this is a collection of Ancestry's articles. They cover mostly basic genealogy techniques, but there are tips for more experienced researchers as well. There are also tutorials on how to use the collections of Ancestry.com, and about recently released record collections.

More info: http://www.ancestry.com/cs/HelpAndAdviceUS

Federation of Genealogical Societies 2012 Conference

"Indians, Squatters, Settlers and Soldiers in the 'Old Southwest'"

August 29-September 1, 2012

Registration is now open for this year's FGS conference, hosted by the Alabama Genealogical Society. Programs for genealogists at all levels (over 175 sessions offered). In addition to lectures and workshops, the conference features "Librarian's Day" on August 29th, and an Exhibit Hall with vendors and a special "Spotlight on Societies."

Early Registration (through 1 July 2012): Full Conference: $195, Single Day: $79

Registration (after 1 July 2012): Full Conference: $245, Single Day: $99

More info: http://www.fgs.org/2012conference

(Thanks to Adventures in Genealogy Education).

Forensic Genealogy Institute - Council for the Advancement of Forensic Genealogy

October 25 - 27, 2012, Dallas, Texas

Twenty-four hours of hands-on instruction on forensic genealogy, designed for experienced genealogists. Limited to 25 attendees. $400 for CAFG non-members, $350 for members. Registration deadline: March 27, 2012.

More info: http://www.forensicgenealogists.com/forensic-genealogy-institute.html

(Thanks to GeneaPress).

Do You Know Bill Bateman from Chicago?

2011-12-31T10:52:00.001-05:00

At the library where I work part-time, this photo was found in a donated book. No one knows who donated it. It has quite a bit of genealogical detail on the back, so I hope that a descendant of his sees this.

Here's the back of the picture:

The back says:
"William Harrison Bateman (Bill)
military academy, Chicago Ill
mother of Bill - Rosie Bateman
father of Bill a buyer
for Marshall Fields Chicago

Bill's sister - "Dick" Bateman
Gamma Phi Beta (Nat. Sorority
U. of Wisconsin -
married to Luke Goetzloff) spelling?

Bill served with General Patton
So. Africa
2nd World War

visited [?] & Jo Cucknells
in Charlottesvile [?] before leaving USA
for Africa

Following war employed by
Sherwin Williams Paint Co in
Chicago"

Unfortunately, there are no years on the back of the picture, but I hope there is enough detail that a relative will recognize him.

Many PA Birth and Death Certificates Will Become Open Records

2011-12-20T15:00:00.001-05:00

After a long campaign spearheaded by People for Better Pennsylvania Historical Records Access, Vital Records Law Senate Bill 361 was signed into law on December 15, 2011 and will take effect on February 13, 2012. This means that Pennsylvania death certificates over 50 years old and birth certificates over 105 years old will become open records, and will then be transferred to the holdings of the Pennsylvania Archives.

I am elated to hear that Pennsylvania has taken the first step to catch up to other states in terms of vital record access. As the completely redesigned PaHR-Access site points out, the next step is to ensure that these records will become searchable online through the Pennsylvania Archives website. I look forward to helping with this effort in any way that I can.

PaHR-Access has listed several ways that researchers can help with the campaign to get these records online here.

Names, Places and Most Wanted Faces

2011-11-12T22:52:00.000-05:00

I haven't been writing nearly as much as I'd like, so here's a good time to jump back in: Thomas MacEntee has suggested that bloggers revive the Names, Places and Most Wanted Faces blogging meme from Craig Manson of GeneaBlogie. Thomas explains how it works:

"To participate, do the following at your own blog and post a link back here in the comments:

1. List your surnames in alphabetical order as follows:

[SURNAME]: State/Province (county/subdivision), date range

2. At the end, list your Most Wanted Ancestor with details!"

So, here are mine:

1.

ATTANUCCI: Campania, Italy (Pastorano, province of Caserta), 1840-1900

AZZOLINO: Campania, Italy (Pastorano, province of Caserta), 1840-1900

BOEHM: Hessen, Germany, 1786-1840; Pennsylvania (Allegheny County) 1840-present

BOYD: Pennsylvania (Allegheny County), 1800-1900

BRENTON/BRINTON: Pennsylvania (Washington County), 1740-present

BROCK: Ohio, 1820-1850; Pennsylvania (Washington County), 1850-1900; West Virginia (Marion County), 1895-present

DAVIES: Pennsylvania (Beaver County), 1919-present

DURKIN: Pennsylvania (Centralia, Columbia County), 1860-1940

ELLER: Pennsylvania (Beaver, Lawrence and Fayette counties), 1860-present

FERGUSON: Pennsylvania (Fayette and Westmoreland counties), 1880-1930

FRITSCHLE: Baden, Germany, 1785-1852;

FRITZLEY: Pennsylvania (Allegheny and Beaver counties), 1852-present

HAYES: Ireland, 1820-1870; Pennsylvania (Beaver County), 1870-present

KANE: Pennsylvania (Centralia, Columbia County), 1880-1971

MERALILLO: Campania, Italy (Pastorano, province of Caserta), 1830-1920

MUSCIANESE: Campania, Italy (Pastorano, province of Caserta), 1820-1921

OVERAND: Scotland (Lanarkshire), 1836-1863; Pennsylvania (Allegheny and Westmoreland counties), 1863-1940

SWIFT: Pennsylvania (Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties), 1820-1953

TEMPLIN: Pennsylvania (Allegheny County), 1905-present

WAGNER: Bavaria, Germany (Schedendorf), 1860-1923

WRIGHT: Pennsylvania (Washington County), 1840-1910

2. Most Wanted Ancestor:
Charlotte DUBREE/DUEBEL
b. abt. 1885 in Arkansas
m. abt. 1905 to William TEMPLIN
d. probably between 1920 and 1930
Lived in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

Reader Poll - Genealogy Education

2011-10-08T19:02:00.005-04:00

In an upcoming post, I am going to talk about major genealogy education providers. In particular, I'd like to compare and contrast aspects of each of them which may be important to prospective students, such as cost, degree or certificate received, available class topics, etc.

In this vein, I'd like to ask for your help. It would be great to hear many different perspectives on this question:

When choosing a genealogy education program, what factors are most important to you?

I would really appreciate any feedback that will help me make meaningful and helpful comparisons between programs. Please answer in the comments section here, on Facebook or Tweet me.

Good News for Pennsylvania and Virginia Researchers: Legislatures Reconsidering Restrictions on Vital Record Access

2011-10-04T08:45:00.000-04:00

Betty Lou Malesky at Green Valley News reports that the legislatures of both Pennsylvania and Virginia are considering easing their restrictions on vital record access. I've written before about how difficult it is for researchers to obtain vital records in Pennsylvania, and discussed to efforts of People for Better Pennsylvania Historical Records Access (PaHR-Access) to allow researchers to obtain vital records in a reasonable manner, while keeping any privacy concerns in mind.

This is very exciting news for Pennsylvania and Virginia researchers. In Virginia, some would like to restrict access even further - closing birth records for 125 years and marriages and deaths for 75. Currently, they are closed for 100 and 50 years, respectively, and can only be accessed by immediate family members if that time period has not yet passed. The Virginia Genealogical Society has urged the Virginia Legislature to reconsider these restrictions, and according to the above article there are currently 8 proposed options for doing so. Although it is unfortunate to see that longer waiting periods have been proposed, this serious discussion about the needs of genealogical researchers does inspire hope. If you have an interest in Virginia research, you are urged to contact the Virginia Joint Commission on Health Care by October 6th. Please see Ms. Malesky's article above for details.

In Pennsylvania, Vital Records Bill SB-361 has been unanimously passed by the State Senate and will now go to the State House of Representatives for consideration. If this bill passes, death certificates over 50 years old and birth certificates over 105 years old would become open records, and would then be transferred to the Pennsylvania State Archives. Pennsylvania researchers interested in seeing this bill passed should contact the House Health Committee members as soon and as often as possible. Thanks to PaHR-Access for tracking the progress of this legislation, and posting a list of House Health Committee members to contact here.

SNGF - My Matrilineal Line

2011-10-01T20:47:00.001-04:00

I am trying to get back into posting regularly after a long absence, as life has been extra...interesting...lately. I am working on a few things at the moment, aside from client work. I'm currently doing research for an article about the Crawford Expedition, in which I'm fairly sure my ancestor was a prominent participant.

In the meantime, I thought I'd jump back in here with something fun. Randy at Genea-Musings posted this challenge:

"Hey genealogy buffs - it's Saturday Night again -- time for more Genealogy Fun!!
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1) List your matrilineal line - your mother, her mother, etc. back to the first identifiable mother. Note: this line is how your mitochondrial DNA was passed to you!

2) Tell us if you have had your mitochondrial DNA tested, and if so, which Haplogroup you are in.

3) Post your responses on your own blog post, in Comments to this blog post, or in a Status line on Facebook or in your Stream at Google Plus.

4) If you have done this before, please do your father's matrilineal line, or your grandfather's matrilineal line, or your spouse's matrilineal line.

5) Does this list spur you to find distant cousins that might share one of your matrilineal lines?"

Here's my matrilineal line:

a) My mother, Laura, whose maiden name was Fritzley.
b) Helen Ada Brenton (1924 Brownsville, PA - 2008 Pittsburgh, PA), married William Fritzley.
c) Gertrude Ada Swift (1903 Scottsdale, PA - 1953 Brownsville, PA), married Everett Brenton.
d) Delilah Ferguson (1872 Mount Pleasant, PA - 1936 Mount Pleasant), married Robert Swift.
These next two generations are unverified; many online family trees have them, but I haven't found anything to support them yet other than a few census records.
e) Catherine Pletcher (1832 Westmoreland County, PA - 1895 Bullskin, PA), married George W. Ferguson.
f) Phoebe Nichols (1802 Liberty, PA - 1872 Ruffsdale, PA), married David Pletcher.

I intend on having my mitochondrial DNA tested as soon as I can save up for it, and I'm very much looking forward to the results.

This line is one that I don't have much information about past my great-great grandmother, Delilah (Ferguson) Swift. I know there must be many, many distant cousins out there, and I hope to find more of them soon!

Sorting Out Contradictions in Ancestry.com Member Trees

2011-08-28T13:05:00.002-04:00

There's been a delay in posting the next generation in my Brenton family study, because I've run into some problems. My last post was about Isaac and Jane Brenton. I have Isaac's parents as Joseph Brenton and Louisa Hair. On Ancestry.com, there are at least 10 public member trees that include Joseph and Louisa. All of them contain conflicting information. I'm currently going through all of them and sorting out the conflicts.

I'm having some trouble figuring out how to handle this via the blogosphere. What should I post regarding public member trees on Ancestry?

The bottom line is that I will have to spend some more time writing this report, since there are many conflicts to resolve. I will also be contacting the owners of the trees once I do that, so that we can (hopefully) work together to figure out the facts regarding our common ancestors.

MyHeritage Family Goals and the FamilyConnect App for iPhone and Android

2011-08-05T18:16:00.002-04:00

I recently noticed that MyHeritage has a new app for iPhone and Android called FamilyConnect. It is free to download from the App Store or Android Market. You need a MyHeritage.com log-in to use it, since it connects to your family tree there. The MyHeritage site is also free to use, although to store trees with more than 250 people and/or use more than 250MB of data, someone in the family needs to sponsor a paid subscription. If you set a Family Goal, which I'll talk about it in a bit, your family can share the cost of the site.

After you log-in to the FamilyConnect app with your MyHeritage log-in and select your family site from the list (if you belong to more than one site), it loads the most recent photos uploaded to your family website. From there, there is an option to save a photo you've selected to your phone, or share the photo via email with other family members on the website. I was actually glad to see that you can't share the photo on Facebook or Twitter, since my site is private and membership is by invitation-only. You can also take a photo to share on the family site or share one from your phone. The apps settings include the ability to limit who appears on the apps email contact list by how closely they are related to you.

This seems like a great start for keeping connected with your family through MyHeritage on-the-go. The app is very user-friendly, has a friendly, simple look, and ran quickly on my Motorola Droid running Android 2.2.2.

However, it would be great to see some more options, such as:

Viewing at least a few generations of your family tree on your mobile phone.
Being able to see the latest family newsletter from your phone through the app.
An option to use the MyHeritage message feature.
The ability to share videos as well as photos.
An "invite family members" button.

Generally, it would be nice to see a "light" version of the site on the app, similar to a Facebook or Twitter app. Obviously, that kind of thing requires a great deal of development, so I look forward to seeing updates to the app as they are released.

Another new feature on MyHeritage.com is the Family Goal. The option to set one up is on the left hand site of the home page once you log in. If you are already paying for a subscription on a monthly basis (as I was), you will have to cancel the plan in order to set up a Family Goal. I chose a PremiumPlus subscription at (unlimited data) $119.40 per year as this is the only option that could fit all of the data on my site.

I was glad to see that the invitation to donate to the Family Goal was customizable, as I was already uncomfortable asking for money (however, the cost of the site had become difficult to pay on my own), and I didn't want my family members to receive a generic email.

The Family Goal ran for two weeks, and I'm happy to say that my family met the goal, so our site is paid for until next year. Thanks to everyone who donated, I really appreciate it! I do wish the Family Goal could have run for longer than that, to give me a chance to get in touch with more family members. Overall, I was very happy with it, and having the site up for another year is a big relief.

One-Line Study - Isaac Brenton

2011-07-24T14:16:00.001-04:00

On Saint Patrick's Day, I wrote about my great-great-great grandparents, Isaac and Jane (Johnston) Brenton. That post covered my Irish roots via Jane. Today, I'm going to continue with my one-line study with Isaac Brenton (father of Johnston P. Brenton).

Isaac was born about 1830 in East Pike Run, Washington County, Pennsylvania^1-5. He worked on the family farm there when he was young, along with a few of his siblings^3-4. I am not sure when he married Jane. I do have a general idea - their first child (that I know of) was born in 1859⁶, so they were probably married before that. Jane would have been about 20 in 1859⁷, so most likely only a few years before that at most. Knowing when Jane immigrated to the U.S. from Ireland would help to narrow the date further, but I am having trouble finding those immigration records due to Jane's common name.

So far, I know of nine children that Isaac and Jane had together. The 1910 Federal census indicates that Jane had 9 children, and that 7 of them were still living at that time⁸. As I indicated in the last post, two of their children (J.P. and William) opened a very successful butcher shop together in West Brownsville, Washington, PA⁵. Three of their children (J.P., Henry and Mary Louise) married, settled nearby, and had children. James, William, Emily and Elizabeth never married^9-11. They lived together and helped support each other in West Brownsville area, not far from their brother J.P. and his wife Lena.⁵

Isaac, along with his brothers, were enumerated on a Civil War draft in 1863⁴, but I have not found any service records for any one of them, so I cannot tell whether any of them served. There was a space of a few years (from 1861 to 1865) where Isaac and Jane did not have any children, as far as I know. This may mean that he did serve in the war. I will continue to search for evidence of what he did during those years.

The last census on which I've found Isaac is the 1870 Federal Census¹. According to an undated, unsourced list of deaths in a 1904 directory of West Brownsville, Isaac died 11 Jul 1877¹². I haven't been able to find solid evidence to back this up, however.

I do know that Jane was enumerated on the 1880 Federal Census, living with her unmarried children in East Pike Run (perhaps on the family property there)⁹. She also lived with them in West Brownsville, according to the 1900¹⁰ and 1910⁸ Federal Censuses. In 1910, that household lived a few houses away from Isaac and Jane's daughter Mary Louise and her husband David Watkins⁸. Jane died on 24 Mar 1918 in West Brownsville, and was buried in Bridgeport Cemetery in Brownsville, Fayette County, PA⁷.

I hope to find some other death records soon to verify Isaac's death date, as well as some property or tax records to tell me a little more about Isaac. A search for his will came up empty. The best source I have for the details of Isaac's life is a few sentences from Joseph McFarland's 20th Century History of the City of Washington and Washington County, Pennsylvania and Representative Citizens⁵:

Isaac Brenton, also a native of East Pike Run Township, was born on the farm on which his father, Joseph Brenton, a native of Virginia, settled at an early period. He married Jane Johnston, who was born in Ireland, and came to this country during her girlhood days, with her parents, Thomas Johnston and wife...

This is a good start, but all of the statements need to be further verified. Also, the account is a little suspect (expected for secondary information like this), since part of it is not correct; that is that Joseph Brenton, Isaac's father, was a native of Virginia. I am confident that Joseph Brenton was not from Virginia. His wife was most likely from Virginia, and that is probably where the mix-up occurred. The Brenton family, generations before, did briefly live in Virginia, but they had always lived in the same area. There was a heated border dispute between Pennsylvania and Virginia, so that many people in what is now Western Pennsylvania were not sure exactly whether they lived in Pennsylvania or Virginia at a given time. This has made land record research for that time especially fun (i.e. complicated). I will detail this further with the information I have gathered about Isaac's parents (and grandparents) in the next few posts.

(Sources below the cut).

Endnotes
1. 1870 U.S. census, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, population schedule, East Pike Run, p. 9 (penned), p. 52 (stamped), dwelling 65, family 65, Isaac Brenton; digital images, (http://www.search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7163 : accessed 30 May 2010); NARA micropublication M593, roll 1453.
2. 1850 U.S. census, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, population schedule, East Pike Run, p. 169 (stamped), dwelling 52, family 352, Isaac Brinton; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8054 : accessed 11 September 2010); NARA micropublication M432, roll 833.
3. 1860 U.S. census, Washington county, Pennsylvania, population schedule, East Pike Run, Greenfield post office, p. 10 (penned), p. 264 (stamped), Isaac F Bunton; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7667 : accessed 28 November 2010); NARA micropublication M653, roll 1191.
4. "U.S. Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865," digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 April 2011), entry for Brintons of East Pike Run Township; citing Consolidated Lists of Civil War Draft Registrations, 1863-1865: NARA, Record Group Number: 110; Title: Records of the Provost Marshal General's Bureau (Civil War) ARC Identifies: 4213514; Archive Volume Number: 1 of 3; Pennsylvania, 24th district.
5. McFarland Joseph F., 20th century history of the city of Washington and Washington County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens (Chicago: Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co., 1910), 1297; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 September 2010.
6. Pennsylvania, Department of Health, death certificate 45515 (1931), Johnson Playford Brenton; Division of Vital Records, New Castle.
7. Pennsylvania, Department of Health, death certificate 33223 (1918), Jane J Brenton; Division of Vital Records, New Castle.
8. 1910 U.S. census, Washington county, Pennsylvania, population schedule, West Brownsville, enumeration district (ED) 253, p. 1B, dwelling 25, family 25, Jane K Brenton; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 May 2010); NARA micropublication T624, roll 1427.
9. 1880 U.S. census, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, population schedule, East Pike Run, enumeration district (ED) 246, p. 209 (stamped), dwelling 20, family 20, J K Brinton; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=6742 : accessed 30 May 2010); NARA micropublication T9, roll 1201.
10. 1900 U.S. census, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, population schedule, West Brownsville, enumeration district (ED) 141, p. 1B, dwelling 21, family 21, Jane Brenton; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7602 : accessed 11 September 2010); NARA micropublication T623, roll 1494.
11. "U.S. City Directories," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 2 December 2010), home of Jane and James Brenton, page 580; from Hart's History and Directory of West Brownsville, Pennsylvania, 1904.
12. "U.S. City Directories," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 2 December 2010), "Necrological Record of the Three Towns and Vicinity Since August 20, 1869" (undated) by J.S. Pringle, page 250; from Hart's History and Directory of West Brownsville, Pennsylvania, 1904.

Nearly Wordless Wednesday - Gertrude and Minnie Eller and Joe Davies

2011-07-20T19:57:00.001-04:00

Gertrude "Gert" (Eller) Davies and her sister Mary Ann "Minnie" Eller, walking Gert's son Joe Davies into the ocean (or trying to). Very cute family moment. Gert and Minnie's sister Myrtle ("Mert") did her best to duck out of frame. Oops.

There is nothing about this picture I do not love.

One-Line Study - Johnston Playford Brenton

2011-07-16T22:58:00.002-04:00

Last week's post continued my one-line study of my Brenton ancestors with my great-grandfather, Everett Mansell Brenton. I'm going to write summaries of my progress so far in a "Brenton Study" page on the blog soon.

The next ancestor in my study is Johnston Playford Brenton, Everett's father and my great-great grandfather.

J.P.'s headstone in Taylor Cemetery, Brownsville, Fayette, PA. Courtesy of Joseph Howard Matthews.

Johnston (J.P.) was born in Pennsylvania on 28 Feb 1859 to Isaac Brenton and Jane K. Johnston (Brenton)1-3. He was their oldest child (as far as I know) and it seems that his parents gave him his mother's maiden name as his given name4 - a bit unusual, as it was more traditional to give a child his/her mother's maiden name as a middle name.

He resided in Washington County for his most of his lifetime. His father owned a farm in East Pike Run township, and he worked as a farmhand there in his youth5. On 1 Oct 1896, he married Lena Wright, also of Washington County (West Brownsville)6. This marriage was the focus of the post "Did J.P. and Lena Elope?" as I (still) don't know why they married in Marion County, West Virginia when they had no known connections there (and they were both over 21 at the time of their marriage). They had 7 children together, as mentioned in the last post: Everett, Bessie, Mary Virginia, Sara, one child still living, and two children who died very young (Emery and Robert).

For a few years in the early 1900s, J.P. and his brothers owned Brenton Brothers Meat Market in West Brownsville7-11, where he and Lena moved after they married. Unfortunately, it seems from "street view" on Google Maps that the market is no longer there.

Around 1919, Lena became ill with tuberculosis, and she and J.P. (along with 3 of their daughters) moved to Los Angeles to seek treatment12-14. While in Los Angeles, J.P. (around 60 years old then) worked as a laborer in a tire plant. Lena succumbed to her illness in 1924, at age 5515.

J.P. himself became ill around 192616, and moved back to Washington County around the same time. He moved in with his daughter Bessie and her husband Addison Wise in North Bethlehem17. On 7 Apr 1931, J.P. died at age 7218 and was buried in the family plot in Taylor Cemetery (pictured above).

Next week, J.P.'s father Isaac...

(Sources below).

Endnotes
1. 1900 U.S. census, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, population schedule, West Brownsville, enumeration district (ED) 141, p. 4B, dwelling 74, family 86, Johnson Brenton; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7602 : accessed 11 September 2010); NARA micropublication T623, roll 1494.
2. 1910 U.S. census, Washington county, Pennsylvania, population schedule, West Brownsville, enumeration district (ED) 253, p. 4A and p. 4B, dwelling 76, family 83, Johnson P Brenton; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 September 2010); NARA micropublication T624, roll 1427.
3. Johnson P Brenton obituary, The Charleroi Mail, Charleroi, Pennsylvania, 8 April 1931, p. 2, col. 4. includes possible mispellings/misprints of a few names, including Johnston and Everett Brenton.
4. 1870 U.S. census, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, population schedule, East Pike Run, p. 9 (penned), p. 52 (stamped), dwelling 65, family 65, Thomas Johnston; digital images, (http://www.search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7163 : accessed 30 May 2010); NARA micropublication M593, roll 1453.
5. 1880 U.S. census, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, population schedule, East Pike Run, enumeration district (ED) 246, p. 209 (stamped), dwelling 20, family 20, J P Brinton; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=6742 : accessed 30 May 2010); NARA micropublication T9, roll 1201.
6. Marion county, West Virginia, Vital Records in West Virginia: Marriages,, 377, Johnson P Brenton and Lena L Wright, 1 October 1896; digital images, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, West Virginia Archives and History (http://www.wvculture.org/history/archivesindex.aspx : accessed 16 February 2011); from County Clerk's Office, microfilmed by GSU.
7. "U.S. City Directories," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 2 December 2010), homes of J.P., William and Henry Brenton, page 581; from Hart's History and Directory of West Brownsville, Pennsylvania, 1904.
8. 1900 U.S. census, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, population schedule, West Brownsville, ED 141, p. 4B, dwelling 74, family 86, Johnson Brenton.
9. The Charleroi Mail, 8 April 1931.
10. 1910 U.S. census, Washington county, Pennsylvania, population schedule, West Brownsville, ED 253, p. 4A and p. 4B, dwelling 76, family 83, Johnson P Brenton.
11.McFarland Joseph F., 20th century history of the city of Washington and Washington County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens (Chicago: Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co., 1910), 1297; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 September 2010.
12. The Charleroi Mail, 8 April 1931.
13. 1920 U.S. census, Los Angeles county, California, population schedule, Los Angeles ward 126, enumeration district (ED) 396, p. 8B, dwelling 196, family 206, J. P. Brenton; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 May 2010); NARA micropublication T625, roll 114.
14. "California Voter Registrations, 1900-1968," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 March 2011), entry for Mrs. Lena Brenton, 1922; Great Register of Voters. Sacramento, California: California State Library.
15. Lena Leoto Brenton, death certificate no. 4300 (1924), California State Board of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics, Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, Norwalk, California.
16. The Charleroi Mail, 8 April 1931.
17. 1930 U.S. census, Washington county, Pennsylvania, population schedule, North Bethlehem, enumeration district (ED) 62-89, p. 13B, dwelling 249, family 249, Johnston Brenton; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 May 2010); NARA micropublication T626, roll 2163.
18. The Charleroi Mail, 8 April 1931.

One-Line Study - Everett Mansell Brenton

2011-07-09T18:44:00.001-04:00

First, a little background: in a previous post, I discussed studying the Brenton line of my family in preparation for my BCG portfolio (a study focusing on my direct ancestry). The beginning of that that study was my grandmother, Helen (Brenton) Fritzley, who was born 28 Mar 1924 to Everett Brenton and Gertrude (Swift) Brenton in Brownsville, Fayette County, Pennsylvania. She was the focus of the post linked above.

This post goes forward in the study with the next ancestor in the Brenton line: Everett Mansell Brenton, my great-grandfather.

Everett's headstone in Taylor Cemetery, Brownsville, Fayette, PA. Courtesy of Joseph Howard Matthews.

Everett Brenton was born 18 Apr 1898 in West Brownsville, Washington County, PA.^1-5 His parents were Johnston Brenton and Lena (Wright) Brenton.^1-5 He went to school with some of his siblings in Bentleyville, a nearby town.⁶ His World War I draft card describes him as being tall with a medium build, brown hair and blue eyes.⁴ For most of his life, he was a brakeman on the railroad, like many men in the West Brownsville area.^4,5,7 In fact, the town of West Brownsville has train tracks running down Main Street.⁸

Everett had four sisters: Bessie Irene^2,3,5, Mary Virginia³, Sarah Jane^3,5, and a sister who is still living. He had two brothers who died very young: Emery and Robert Clayton, who are also buried in Taylor Cemetery.

When Everett was 22, he eloped on 11 Sep 1920 with 17-year-old Gertrude Ada Swift to Cumberland, Maryland⁹, where (it so happens) minors did not need parental consent to marry. Gertrude's parents were well-regarded in the Brownsville community (connected by bridge to West Brownsville). It seems Gertrude was unable to get their consent to marry Everett.⁹

Remember kids, listen to your parents.

Everett and Gertrude's marriage did not end well - I will spare the details, as some of Everett's close family is still living. They separated in 1932, and their divorce was finalized in 1934. They had 5 children, who Gertrude supported after the divorce with the help of her mother, Delilah Swift.⁹

As far as I know, Everett never remarried. He continued to work on the railroad, as a brakeman and later a conductor^9-12. He remained in the Brownsville area until his death in 1965, at the age of 66.¹² He was buried in the same cemetery as his father and siblings.

(Sources below).

Endnotes
1. Everet Brenton, birth certificate as recorded in birth docket vol. 1, pg. 27, item 5 (certificate not numbered) (1898, issued 1961), Register of Wills, Washington, Pennsylvania.
2. 1900 U.S. census, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, population schedule, West Brownsville, enumeration district (ED) 141, p. 4B, dwelling 74, family 86, Everett M Brenton; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7602 : accessed 11 September 2010); NARA micropublication T623, roll 1494.
3. 1910 U.S. census, Washington county, Pennsylvania, population schedule, West Brownsville, enumeration district (ED) 253, p. 4A and p. 4B, dwelling 76, family 83, Everett M Brenton; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 September 2010); NARA micropublication T624, roll 1427.
4. "World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=6482 : accessed 12 September 2010), record for Everett Marcell Brenton; citing World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, NARA micropublication M1509; Card Number A-1636.
5. 1920 U.S. census, Washington county, Pennsylvania, population schedule, West Brownsville, enumeration district (ED) 22, p. 3B, dwelling 72, family 80, Everett Brenton; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 May 2010); NARA micropublication T625, roll 1658.
6. "Bentleyville Schools Now in Good Condition," The Charleroi Mail (Charleroi, Pennsylvania), 31 October 1914, p. 4, col. 2-3, paragraph 8; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 May 2010), Newspapers & Periodicals.
7. 1930 U.S. census, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Brownsville, enumeration district (ED) 26-3, p. 2B, dwelling 36, family 39, Evert Brenton; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 May 2010); NARA micropublication T626, roll 2038.
8. "West Brownsville, Pennsylvania," article, Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Brownsville,_Pennsylvania : accessed 9 July 2011).
9. Fayette County, Pennsylvania, Court of Common Pleas divorce file no. 548 March Term (1934), Gertrude Ada Brenton vs. Everett M. Brenton, Divorce A.V.M., p.2, 11 September 1934; private collection of Joseph Howard Matthews, Pennsylvania.
10. Everett Mansell Brenton, 716-14-7240, 19 April 1937, Social Security Card, Social Security Administration, held in records of Joseph Howard Matthews, Pennsylvania.
11. "Husband in Arrears on Family Support," The Morning Herald (Uniontown, Pennsylvania), 1 April 1944; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 May 2010), Newspapers & Periodicals.
12. Everett M Brenton, death certificate 004659 (1965), Department of Health, Division of Vital Records, New Castle, Pennsylvania.

Wordless Wednesday - PFC William Fritzley - France -1941

2011-07-06T22:35:00.001-04:00

Greetings from Beautiful Hog Island, RI

2011-07-03T10:38:00.001-04:00

The Difficulty of Obtaining Vital Records in Pennsylvania

2011-06-30T18:12:00.006-04:00

For various reasons, obtaining a birth or death certificate from the Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records is a long process. The purpose of this post is not to disparage those who work there or the office itself. All birth and death records from 1906 to the present are only kept here, so they must deal with an extremely large number of requests.

I am wondering how long it usually takes those of you in other states to obtain a birth or death record, and about the complexity of the process for doing so.

Here is how it is done in Pennsylvania:

As far as I can see, the only option for obtaining birth or death records from 1906 or later is to submit a mail request to the Division of Vital Records. The website above states that you should receive the record (if present) within 12-14 weeks after they process your payment. In my experience, it usually takes longer. For example, I just received some death certificates in the mail a few days ago. I sent out requests for them in late February, with the payment being processed in early March.

There are options for submitting an online request, but according to their website, this service is not available for certificates needed for genealogical research.

It is also possible to go to the nearest Vital Records office and submit a walk-in request; however, same-day processing is not available for genealogy requests. This is the only exclusion listed. So, I assume that means that you drop off the form there, and it is mailed to you at a later time. The website does not specify how long this typically takes. Also, some offices can only forward the request on to the New Castle office for most records (like the Pittsburgh office, which only holds records for Pittsburgh deaths from 2001 to the present).

Also, in order to make a request a copy of a birth certificate, you must fall under one of the following categories (from the website):
Person named on the birth certificate, who is 18 years of age or older (if under 18, immediate family member must apply)

Legal representative
Husband / wife
Parent / step-parent*
Brother / sister / half-brother / half-sister
Son / daughter / stepson* / stepdaughter*
Grandparent / great grandparent (specify maternal or paternal)
Grandchild / great grandchild
Power of Attorney (for person named on birth certificate or immediate family member listed above)

*A step-parent or step-child is required to submit parents' marriage record supporting their relationship.

Also from the site, to request a death certificate, you must be a(n):

Legal representative of decedent's estate
Immediate family member
Extended family member who indicates a direct relationship to the decedent
Power of Attorney (Please note that a Power of Attorney document is no longer valid upon the death of the individual)

You must know the date of birth or death in order for your request to be processed. This can be difficult, as obtaining that date is often the reason for making the request in the first place. If you don't know the date, you can request a multi-year search within a span of 2-10 years for $34, and pay $25 more for each additional span of 2-10 years (so, if I know my ancestor died between 1910 and 1930, a multi-year search would cost me $59).

A copy of photo identification is required with either request. Notice there are no allowances here for professional researchers, so a researcher cannot request a certificate on behalf of a client.

Please see the link in the first paragraph for additional requirements.

To me, this does not seem like an efficient process, and does not encourage an exchange of genealogical information. I can understand privacy concerns for records of a relatively "young" age, but what concerns could there be for a person who died in 1906?

I assume that the reason that genealogical requests are excluded from online ordering is that they are of a lower priority, understandably, than many others - like requests made in order to settle an estate. However, I'm not sure why this means that online ordering is altogether unavailable. Couldn't your genealogy request just be put further down in the "queue"?

For these reasons, I am again asking that those of you with an interest in Pennsylvania records review this petition from People for Better Pennsylvania Historical Records.

Hopefully, with the recent general increase in interest in genealogy, more people will become interested in reforming this process.

I'm also interested in what researchers in other states have to say about this. Is the process for obtaining state vital records easier, harder or about the same in your state?

Heartwarming Reunion Made Possible by Kids' Research

2011-05-14T15:00:00.001-04:00

This article in the Chicago Sun-Times tells the story of Edith Westerfeld and Gerda Katz, who became friends as little girls as they were fleeing Germany to escape the Nazis (they were 12 and 10, respectively). Then, they never saw each other again. Until now, 70 years later. Edith's daughter came to speak about her mother's experience, to a class of eight-graders at Madison Junior High School in Naperville, IL. From the article:

After Chapman visited the school and talked to them earlier this year, they knew they wanted to help find Katz.
“Different people looked her up in different search engines,” said Mishal Sherwani, 14. “We found a little community newspaper item about her and her husband’s anniversary.”[...]
Finding Katz didn’t prove all that difficult for the social network-savvy teens.
“I love how the kids didn’t believe they couldn’t find her,” said Susan Rice, communications director for District 203. “They just didn’t think that was possible.”

It is wonderful to see kids so excited about research. I hope to see many more stories of kids taking an interest in genealogical research. They have grown up with technology, and if they become interested in genealogy early, then they will be able to use this technology to find their roots (and find lost friends and relatives) in ways that we probably can't imagine yet.

Read the full story by Susan Frick Carlman of the Chicago Sun-Times here.

What was "Of Interest to Women" 100 Years Ago

2011-05-04T22:01:00.021-04:00

It's become obvious to me that I would love to specialize in finding records for female ancestors. And if I ever get to conduct that research out of an actual office, these are the kind of newspaper articles that will be framed on my walls.

I have been using Google News Archive to do some client research, and in that search I found that the Pittsburgh Press (along with many other papers I'm sure) ran a regular column called "Of Interest to Women." Out of curiosity, I decided to see what exactly that meant 100 years ago. Here's what I found.

Source: Betty Vincent, "Of Interest to Women," Pittsburgh Press, 4 May 1911; online images, Google News Archive (http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xA0bAAAAIBAJ&sjid=60gEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2843%2C747259 : accessed 4 May 2011).

1911-speak for "She's just not that into you."

Remember, in this next one, they are engaged:

Now it's "proper" to friend someone on Facebook and tag them in your photos within minutes of meeting them. Apparently, receiving a photograph from someone was a big relationship step in 1911.

That's an interesting perspective to consider. It made me think about all of the extra etiquette rules my female ancestors had to know. It was apparently confusing for them also, given these frequent advice columns.

Now, below the advice column, is some "Health and Beauty Advice" from Mrs. Mae Martyn. The second ingredient here, after sugar, is something called "kardene."

This is supposed to cure "that sluggish, tired, half-sick feeling"? This all seems to be personal advice, designed to answer questions to specific women. This poor lady is only named "Too Fat:"

"Parnotis"? I had to stop and Google that, and "kardene." And behold. Think advertising aimed at women is manipulative now? Look at what appeared in the paper all the time, for our ancestors to read.

Source: Henry M. Whelpley, "Pharmacology," Journal of the American Medical Association 24 (11 Dec 1909): 2019-20; online archives, JAMA (http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/LIII/24/2019.full.pdf+html?sid=bba9a52c-88f3-41bc-a1c1-3c7c5678b89e : accessed 4 May 2011)
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Basically, the AMA determined that this was an advertisement purporting to be an advice column, and that the "miracle drugs" mentioned were mostly common household products that were altered in a small way. "Nostrum," the article calls them - snake oil. Then they made up "medicinal-sounding" names for these drugs, and listed them as cures to what are still commonly preyed-upon insecurities: "tired eyes," blackheads, weight, "sallow complexion," etc.

Reading through this has made me appreciate even more that a woman's sphere of interests (or at least, what the media perceives as our interests) has expanded in the last 100 years beyond beauty tips and discussions of proper etiquette.

March and April 2011 Classes - National Institute for Genealogical Studies

2011-04-20T19:28:00.002-04:00

Last month, I finished up the Analysis and Skills Mentoring Program, Part 1 at the National Institute for Genealogical Studies. This class afforded a chance to get personal instruction from several instructors. The class began with a short series of assignments designed to assess your genealogical analysis and problem solving skills after taking the beginning level classes. You are asked to analyze hypothetical situations and form a simple research plan based on that data.

The class includes two individual and at least one group consultation. Any registered student can attend almost any group chat session at any time - this class requires that you attend at least one.

I felt very reassured by my two individual sessions with instructors. The purpose of both is to gauge your genealogy knowledge and experience to this point, and address any major concerns you have after taking the beginner's level genealogy classes. Both instructors thought that I was doing very well, and made helpful suggestions about certification and research in general. It was good to speak with people who could serve as mentors about my progress, as I do most of my work online and haven't taken many opportunities to interact with other researchers yet.

Speaking of which, the group chat session was also helpful. Unfortunately, it was a little difficult to communicate with each other, as only one person besides the instructor had a working microphone (I had to type questions, as I have not figured out how to get this mic to work right on this computer). There were not many people there, as it is difficult to coordinate many people in different time zones coming to a session at the same time.

I was able to chat quite a bit with fellow blogger Julie Cahill Tarr (http://genblogjulie.blogspot.com). It was great to speak to her also, because we share a lot of the same concerns about certification and training. Good luck, Julie!

I'm also taking:

-Methodology Part 3
-US: Religious Records - Part 2
-US: Vital Records, Understanding & Using The Records

More on those to come. Right now, I have some very important hockey to be watching.

New Ways to Follow

2011-04-18T14:45:00.001-04:00

Just a short update with some new features. I have created a new Twitter and Facebook page for my genealogy updates, and also updated my personal website. All of these are linked at the side of this page and here.

Follow me:
- On Twitter: @geneapprentice
- On Facebook: Geneaprentice Facebook Page
- On my website for current and potential clients: http://www.sarahboehm.vpweb.com

Thanks!

One Lovely Blog Award

2011-04-17T17:28:00.008-04:00

I have received the "One Lovely Blog Award" from Donna at Hanging from the Family Tree. Thanks so much! I am sorry I took so long to respond.

Here are the rules for this award, from Donna's blog:
   "Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who granted the award and their blog link.

   Pass the award on to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered.

   Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for the award."

Here are the blogs I have chosen:

Angela McGhie, Adventures in Genealogy Education
http://genealogyeducation.blogspot.com/
Tracy Collins, The Family History Researcher
http://blog.thefamilyhistoryresearcher.com
Tami Osmer Glatz, Finding Family Stories
http://findingfamilystories.blogspot.com/
Mary Staub, I'm Related to Whom?!

http://mstaub-familyconnections.blogspot.com/
Joleen Aitchison, Genealogy Your Way
http://yourpedigree.blogspot.com/
Ancestral Journeys
http://www.blog.ancestraljourneys.co.uk/
Danielle, Pid Was Her Name
http://pidwashername.blogspot.com/p/behind-title.html
Resting In Pennsylvania
http://restinginwestmoreland.blogspot.com/
Sheryl Lazarus, A Hundred Years Ago
http://ahundredyearsago.com/
Christine, Genealogy Tours of Scotland
http://genealogytoursofscotland.blogspot.com/
Jeri, Lost in the Family Tree
http://lostinthefamilytree.blogspot.com/
Banai, The Ginger Jewish Genealogist
http://idogenealogy.com/blog/
Deanna Martin-Osuagwu, Totally Related
http://www.totallyrelated.blog.com/
Jacqueline, My Journey Back
http://jacqueline-journeyback.blogspot.com/
Suzie Grogan, No More Wriggling Out of Writing Woman...
http://nowrigglingoutofwriting.wordpress.com/

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Sláinte agus táinte this Saint Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T19:54:00.002-04:00

Since it's Saint Patrick's Day, I thought I'd take a side-step from the Brenton line to talk about some of my Irish relatives.

Only a small step, since my great-great-great grandfather, Isaac Brenton, married Jane K Johnston, an Irish woman. Jane was born around September 1839 in Ireland (according to the 1900 census), probably Northern Ireland. I don't know exactly when she immigrated, nor when she married Isaac, but I do know that she gave birth to her first child (that I know of), my great-great grandfather, Johnston Playford Brenton, on 28 Feb 1859, in East Pike Run, Washington County, Pennsylvania (according to his obituary). Isaac and Jane had seven children besides Johnston. On the 1870 census, a Thomas Johnston lived with Isaac and Jane. He is probably Jane's father, since he was 73 years old on that census, and Jane named her first son Johnston. Isaac does not appear with the family on the 1880 census, so I think that he died between 1870 and 1880. Jane would live in Washington County with her family until sometime between 1910 and 1920. She does not appear on the 1920 census; I am presuming for now that she died sometime in between those censuses.

Unfortunately, though, most of my information on Jane comes from census records. Since she and her father had such a common surname, I will have to use some different strategies to find more information than "the Johnston family from Northern Ireland." Since Jane was born around 1839, and immigrated before 1859, it seems possible that she and her father were affected by the Great Famine; but, I'll still have gather some more details on the two before a search of those records would be effective. I'm tempted to go off and do that now; but one line at a time! Hopefully gathering more information on Isaac and their children will tell more of Jane Johnston's story.

The Beginning of My One-Line Study - Helen Ada (Brenton) Fritzley

2011-02-20T23:51:00.001-05:00

So, as I prepare my portfolio for BCG, I am also using this as an opportunity to apply for membership in the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society's First Families of Western Pennsylvania. In order to be included, you must prove that your ancestors lived in "what is now Western Pennsylvania (the 26 counties west of Centre County) before 31 Dec 1810." Most of my ancestors in the Brenton line lived in Washington and Fayette counties, and it seems from my initial research that they have lived there since well before 1810.

But let's start at the beginning of my study. My name is Sarah Danielle Boehm, and I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. So was my mother, Laura (Fritzley) Boehm. Her parents were William Frederic Joseph (Bill) Fritzley and Helen Ada (Brenton) Fritzley. Helen was a remarkable woman. She had 6 children with Bill, the oldest and the youngest (my mom) 17 years apart. They survived well on a policeman's salary, occasionally supplemented by Helen through several different jobs. Here's my grandmother, my mother, and me at a New Year's Eve party:

Gramma Fritzley, as I called Helen, was the most selfless, understanding and generous person I've ever met. She was truly our matriarch. Her chief concern was always the happiness of her children and grandchildren. No one could host a family gathering like my gramma. She rarely had a bad thing to say about anyone, and I've never met anyone with a negative thing to say about her. She died in 2008, at the age of 83. Our entire family, and her wide circle of friends, were devastated.

What makes her even more remarkable is that she had a very difficult upbringing. Her parents were Gertrude Ada (Swift) Brenton and Everett Mansell Brenton. Besides Helen, they had two daughters and two sons, only one of whom is still living. The family lived in Brownsville, Fayette County, Pennsylvania. They were very poor, even before Everett left the family in 1932, in the depths of the Great Depression, when Helen was 8. Her parents' divorce was granted in 1934. How Gertrude managed to raise 5 children by herself at this time is a mystery to me, but I do know I admire her greatly for it. Gertrude went on to remarry and have two more daughters. Gertrude died, only 50 years old, in 1953.

Helen met Bill when he came home to Pittsburgh after serving in the Army in World War II. He showed up at my grandma's apartment, intending to ask out one of her friends, but Helen informed him that she wasn't there. Bill decided to ask my beautiful grandmother out instead. Here they are on their first date (the couple on the left):

They married in 1946 and settled in Pittsburgh. They were married for 52 years, until Bill passed away in 1998. I miss them both every day.

Next: The story of Everett Mansell Brenton...

Did J.P. and Lena Elope?

2011-02-17T00:02:00.004-05:00

I am preparing a one-line study of my Brenton ancestors, to prepare for my BCG certification. I am confident that my great-grandfather was Everett Brenton, through the personal statements of my grandmother, Helen (Brenton) Fritzley, as well as other secondary evidence, which I will detail as I go further into this study.

Recently, I was searching for marriage records for my great-great-grandparents, Johnston Playford "J.P" Brenton and Lena Leotta Wright. They were Everett's parents. Johnston is (I believe) an interesting example of a child receiving his mother's maiden name as his first name, although he is sometimes referred to in census records, etc. as Johnson. Through FamilySearch, I found that the West Virginia Division of Culture and History had Johnston and Lena's marriage record, in the West Virginia Archives and History's Vital Records database. They were married 1 Oct 1896, in Marion County, West Virginia.

This raises some interesting questions in my research. Both J.P. and Lena were born and raised in Washington County, Pennsylvania. Their parents (as far as I can tell) lived in Pennsylvania for all or most their lives. Why would two people get married in West Virginia when they had no connections there? Did they elope? What other reasons could there be?

Ancestry.com Closes Expert Connect Service

2011-01-24T16:47:00.004-05:00

The Ancestry.com blog announced today that it will be shutting down its Expert Connect Service. As of February 3, 2011, Ancestry.com members will not be able to post new projects, meaning bidding and awards will be discontinued that day as well.

The service will be shut down completely on March 18, 2011 - just two years after Ancestry opened Expert Connect for business. Experts can continue to work on existing projects until March 13th, with final payouts on March 18th.

Experts will need to use the message board before March 13th to speak with clients and arrange to work on their projects, and accept payments, off of Ancestry.com for any projects that will continue beyond that date.

Any questions or comments can be sent to: http://expertconnect.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/expertconnect.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php

There is no explanation of why the service is shutting down, other than: "Though this service has been a positive experience, Ancestry.com has decided to focus on other business priorities."

This seems to be a very abrupt move, and I along with other experts will have to scramble to wrap up some projects and make other arrangements. I have commented on the post and contacted Ancestry to see if they can give any further explanation for the closing of Expert Connect.

EDIT: Paula Stuart-Warren makes an excellent point about the need to make clients (and potential clients) aware of all of the places where they can find professional genealogists, as Expert Connect prepares to close. Read her post here.

New Year's Resolutions

2011-01-01T17:27:00.000-05:00

My top goals for 2011:

1. Post on this blog more often!

2. Complete a well-researched one-line study of my family for my portfolio.

3. Finish the Intermediate and Advanced-level classes for my American Records certificate at NIGS, with a B or better in each.

4. Become well-prepared for my BCG certification.

5. Begin to establish myself as a small genealogy business.

Not lofty at all, huh?

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-24T16:05:00.001-05:00

William Fritzley (1922-1998) and his grandaughter (me).

Tidioute, Pennsylvania, about 1988.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

The Genealogical Proof Standard - Simplified

2010-09-24T19:05:00.000-04:00

I just received a wonderful link in my inbox. It's a sorely needed article on Ancestry, explaining in general the difference between original and derivative sources, as well as primary and secondary information. I have heard too many times something like "I traced my family tree back to the 1500s," while in the fact the person has taken all or most of their information from a family tree on Ancestry, with little or no source information.

I have used public member trees extensively on Ancestry, with great success - but, they are just a clue, to point you towards (possible) evidence of your ancestry. As the article says, "tying into a database doesn't suffice as proof."

A must-read:

Have You Really Proved Your Ancestry? by Mary Harrell.

Ancestry Expert Connect Success, School Stalling

2010-09-16T19:04:00.004-04:00

Well, I haven't had much to write lately, because I've had to limit the number of classes I'm taking due to financial concerns. However, I am currently in the Analysis & Skills Mentoring Program (Part 1) at NIGS. It has been wonderful to get one-on-one feedback from the teachers there. You have at least two private consultations to discuss your overall progress as well as specific assignments related to the ASM class, and you can schedule more for a fee. There are also, as with the other classes, chats with other students and at least one teacher. The assignments are essentially simple case studies, as well as one which asks you to analyze a scholarly genealogy article (which you then discuss in one of the chat sessions). Overall, an excellent checkpoint after you've completed the first two methodology classes.

I have also been very busy with some small projects through Ancestry's Expert Connect. I have had much luck in obtaining interesting projects, and working with great clients. My one complaint is that I spend a great deal of time rejecting projects that are out of my area. I wish there were a way to help clients pick the right professionals to invite to their projects, to save their time and ours. I don't want to ignore these clients and not respond to them, but sometimes it is just too overwhelming to go through all of the invitations, only to find I can't help many of those clients at all.

Which brings me to my (second-to) last point: Any researchers out there in the Philadelphia area interested in trying out Expert Connect? I have to turn away a great deal of people who need records around Philadelphia, or elsewhere in eastern PA. While I have access to a limited number of these records through the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh, these clients need someone who has easier access to more eastern PA records (and many, many people don't realize that it takes about 6 hours to get from one end of PA to the other).

A quick plug for a genealogy program I've been using a lot lately - RootsMagic 4. The interface isn't fancy, but it does have templates to help you cite your sources correctly (very important!!), and the GenSmarts plug-in has helped me kick-start some research with specific suggestions of collections to search. Very cool new toy (and GenSmarts works with some other genealogy programs as well).

Hopefully I can get back into the habit of posting more often.

Map of Available Newspaper Collections for PA on Ancestry.com

2010-07-26T20:05:00.002-04:00

After I finished this, I thought others might find it helpful.

I went through Ancestry's card catalog for PA newspapers and listed the towns in which the newspapers were published. Towns may have more than one newspaper cataloged on Ancestry, and the papers vary by date.
My goal was to have a map I could reference when I know a the location of an event, and need to know what nearby newspapers Ancestry may have available.

The result is this map:

View Ancestry PA Newspapers in a larger map

EDIT 8/1/2010: I should mention that I don't work for Ancestry, and Ancestry isn't affiliated with this blog in any way.

U.S. Land Records Course

2010-07-12T16:40:00.000-04:00

I recently completed the U.S. Land Records course at the National Institute of Genealogical Studies. So far in my research, I have overlooked land records; mostly because I did not know how to find them, and how they could be useful. Of particular interest to me in this course were some unexpected pieces of information available in deeds, such as witnesses to the deed (which could lead to neighbors and/or previously unknown relatives), and deeds which required a release of dower, which meant that the landowner's wife would have to identify herself in the document - and we all know how hard female relatives can be to identify and place.

I'd like to find out more about how to locate land records in Pennsylvania in the last 100 years. The course gave some good resources for colonial land records in Pennsylvania , but few for more recent records. You can request a free lookup in an impressive collection of colonial Pennsylvania land records here, but I'm not yet sure of the speed and quality of the results. There are some scanned land records available here at the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Pennsylvania Land Records: A History and Guide for Research, by Donna B. Munger, looks like a promising place to start Pennsylvania land record research. Has anyone used this resource? If you don't mind sharing, what kind of results have you gained from it?

Changing My Speciality and Learning about U.S. Census Records

2010-06-30T14:59:00.001-04:00

One important note: I have decided to change my specialization from German Records to U.S. Records. Why?
-For my personal research, specializing in U.S. records is ideal. While many of my ancestors immigrated here in the late 19th century, I want to start with the latest in my family history and work backwards, learning as much as possible about each generation. This means that I'll be working mostly with U.S. records for some time.
-As a professional genealogist, I will want to know as much as possible about the records available to me in order to serve my clients' needs. The records that are most accessible to me are U.S. records.

That said, I am still very interested in learning about German, as well as Italian, records. I will continue to take classes in these areas (as well as many others) after I obtain my certificate in U.S. Records, for professional development.

On another note, the latest class I've taken at NIGS is U.S. Census Records. While I've worked with census records a great deal before, I feel like I have a much better understanding of them now. This course was particularly helpful in identifying the questions that were asked on each census, and determining what unique and useful information can be obtained from each census year. I also learned about some sources I would not have thought to look for, specifically non-population schedules, such as tax lists and veterans schedules. I think the latter will be especially useful in my research, since I believe that many of my ancestors served in the military or would have been receiving a pension around the time these schedules were taken.

Petition for Better Access to Pennsylvania Vital Records

2010-06-09T18:44:00.000-04:00

I've recently heard about a group which is dedicated to a cause I believe in deeply: better access to vital records in Pennsylvania. This petition, created by a grassroots organization called People for Better Pennsylvania Historical Records Access, calls for the creation of an online index of death records no less than 50 years old. This index would include only the name and death date, and would save both family historians and the Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records valuable time and money when requesting death certificates. It takes into account privacy concerns, while still pointing out the fact that the process for obtaining death certificates in Pennsylvania is not at all friendly to family historians. As they point out on their website, "The information a requester is expected to supply is quite often the very information a requester is looking for and the very reason for wanting a death certificate. "

Fellow researchers with interests in Pennsylvania records: if you feel as strongly about this as I do, please pass this information on. I know that if there were to be such an index, I would certainly volunteer to help create it, and I know that tons of other family historians would as well. So speak up and get involved! :)

Ancestry Expert Connect

2010-06-08T18:06:00.001-04:00

I have just started to participate in a great opportunity for beginning researchers and professional genealogists alike: Ancestry's Expert Connect.
You've probably heard the buzz about this new service, and it is well deserved. As with other freelance-type services, the fees that Ancestry takes from projects are somewhat steep - but, they do provide many, many leads that you would not be able to find elsewhere. Ancestry is continuing to develop this platform, and there are bound to be some problems for them to resolve. I can only speak to my first experience with the service.
Expert Connect only allows qualified professional genealogists to perform more advanced services like Record Lookup and Family Tree Outsourcing. However, I can perform Record Pickups and take local photos. While I also perform these on a volunteer basis, these services are handy for those who need their records quickly. Such was the case with my first client, who needed a death record from a local repository. I went down there, found the record (with some searching, and the help of very knowledgeable librarians, not to mention lots of luck), scanned it and sent it.
This repository also has many collections that I need to search for my own research, so this project afforded a much-needed opportunity to become more familiar with their library of materials. And it was fun! If you like searching through microfilm as much as I do, that is.
When asked to provide feedback to Ancestry on Expert Connect, this is I what said:

"Hello,

I received an email asking me to provide feedback on my first experience as a researcher on Expert Connect. It was a wonderful experience and it was very satisfying to be able to find and provide the record that my client needed.
I've worked with other freelance sites before, and if I had any suggestions as you develop Expert Connect further, they would relate to client/buyer education. Some other freelance platforms have become miserable and hostile places, because buyers do not know what to expect from professionals, especially what professional research entails, and why it costs what it does. This leads to some unprofessional behavior on behalf of client and provider, as clients have unrealistic expectations for cost and time-frame. I would suggest that Ancestry reviews the environment at some general freelance sites to avoid these kinds of pitfalls.
That said, I had an extremely positive experience with my client, and I look forward to working with [this client] more. Thank you for providing this service and the invaluable leads that result."

NIGS -Genealogy Class: Methodology Part 2 - Organization Tips

2010-05-26T14:59:00.004-04:00

I'm taking two genealogy classes right now at NIGS. One is Methodology Part 2: Organization and Skillbuilding. Among many other things, I've learned many ways to make my genealogical life much, much easier. Here are some of my favorite suggestions for organizing your research:

Color-coded binders Keep your important paperwork in binders, in page protectors, and have different colored binders for each family line. I actually just use color-coded labels - it's cheaper than trying to find the right color binders.
Research log Keep one for each person that you research, recording both successful and unsuccessful searches. This prevents you from wasting time in a place that you've already searched. Since I started researching before I knew what I was looking for, I haven't kept tabs on this information as well as I could have.
Organize your correspondence I never realized how many information requests I would send and receive. Keeping a correspondence log of your information requests ensures that you don't ask for the same information twice. You'll also know what requests have not been answered - both incoming and outgoing - so that you can do the necessary follow-up.
Other forms Find or make the forms that will be most useful to you, and be consistent when you fill them out (always use the same name and date formats, abbreviations, etc.). Software programs can keep track of a lot of information for you, but recording your research problems on paper can help you organize your thoughts and have all the information you need handy, no matter where you are researching. I especially like the idea of having a form to sketch out difficult research problems, including all the information you already have, and specifying what you are trying to find out.

Cyndi's List has compiled a great list of free forms and charts designed to help you organize your research here.
I'm really enjoying my classes so far. The second class that I'm taking is Electronic Resources: Using the Internet. I'll be reflecting on them both a great deal in the near future.

Tombstone Tuesday - All Saints Braddock Catholic Cemetery

2010-05-25T23:52:00.004-04:00

After a long absence, I finally reappear :) The good news is that a) I finally made a trip to the cemetery and b) I've been working hard on my NIGS classes. There will be several posts about the latter in the coming days.

I have to make another trip to All Saints soon. I went to a funeral there a few years ago, but I didn't realize that the cemetery was so huge! I went last Friday afternoon, since it was the only day that weekend it was not supposed to rain all day. Turns out, it started raining earlier than I thought, cutting my trip short. Another factor was the fact that the groundskeepers had just cut the grass, and it seems that I've recently developed some allergies. Fun. On the upside, I found out that my new phone's GPS marks the location that a picture was taken, to the point that I know exactly where these graves are now in the cemetery. I am continually amazed by technology.

Logistics aside, I did get a few photos of my ancestor's graves, including this one:

When I made the Surname Saturday post about my branch of the DiBernardos, I wrote at length about Giovanni (John) DiBernardo, my great-grandfather. This is his grave, along with his second wife's (Raffeala's), my great-grandmother.

John has become what I recently learned is called a "pet ancestor." I feel a connection to him especially for some reason. I think it may be because he is the first of that family to immigrate to the United States, and he played a part in establishing an Italian immigrant community in Braddock. It's amazing to me, how hard it must have been to do that. To start over in a new place, to make a strange place seem familiar, all while working hard to support a family.

Edit, 5/26/2010: On top of Raffeala's grave, there's another. My grandmother's first child, Josephine, died the day she was born in 1955. She is buried here, with my grandmother's mother. I wish I could have known her.

Wordless Wednesday - Joseph L. Davies & Linda (?)

2010-05-05T23:17:00.001-04:00

As usual, not so wordless. I have no idea who the little girl in this photo is, other than her first name. I do know that it was taken in Vanport, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, possibly on State Street. "Joe Boy" is Joseph Levern Davies, b. 25 Sep 1944 d. 15 Jan 1998. Hopefully I can find out who Linda is, because I'm sure there's someone out there who would like to see this.

Also, I'll hopefully be getting to cemetery (see previous post) within a few days. I hurt my leg and couldn't go walking around the cemetery yesterday (v. minor issue, but it's a rather large place). I will go down there very soon to get those photos.

Graveyard Trip - All Saints Braddock Catholic Cemetery in Braddock, PA - Need a photo?

2010-04-30T22:53:00.000-04:00

I'll be heading down to this cemetery on Tuesday of next week (5/4), unless it stops raining around here by Monday. Many of my relatives with the DiBernardo surname are buried there. It's in Braddock, although its postal address is Pittsburgh. I noticed that there are many photo requests for graves in this cemetery on FindAGrave.com, so I'll be fulfilling those while I'm down there as well. I thought I'd post here to see if anyone has any other photo requests for that cemetery. You can ask me here, or submit a request through Find A Grave. Tom & Nancy McAdams have compiled an extremely helpful list of transcriptions from the headstones in the cemetery here, as well as a map (thank you thank you thank you to them for that). Hopefully, I'll get a good Wordless Wednesday post from that as well :) In the meantime, I'm working on tomorrow's Surname Saturday post, as well as a post about my progress in my NIGS classes.

All Saints Braddock Catholic Cemetery is here:

View Larger Map

Surname Saturday – The DiBernardo Family of Western Pennsylvania

2010-04-03T10:55:00.002-04:00

This name has been hard to trace. It’s an Italian patronymic name (literally “of Bernard”). My great-grandfather, Giovanni DiBernardo, came to Pennsylvania in 1910 from Caserta, Italy and settled in Rankin in Allegheny Country, PA. He lived most of his life in nearby Braddock, PA. His first wife, Maria died young in childbirth, and so did the infant. Another son died soon after, leaving one son, Guido “Guy” DiBernardo. He married my great-grandmother Raffeala a few years later.
Bisnonno Giovanni helped build the beautiful Madonna del Castello Church in Swissvale, PA. (Bisnonno is Italian for great-grandfather). You can see photos of the church as well as its history here. They have photos of the church from when it was built in 1933, which make me very proud. Grazie, bisnonno!
According to my relatives, though, Giovanni preferred to go by the English translation of his name: John. John was a laborer at Union Switch & Signal, a manufacturer of railway equipment. What's interesting is that I only have record of him working there up to 1917, when US&S became a subsidiary of Westinghouse Air Brake. Maybe he was a victim of some downsizing? I feel you, bisnonno. On the 1930 U.S. Census, he is recorded as a mixer in a glass factory. I could look at old census records all day. Most likely a good sign for my future career, I think :)
Back to the DiBernardo family; my information stops at my great-great-grandfather. All I know about Giovanni's father is that his name was Gaetano DiBernardo and that he lived in Chieti, Abruzzo, Italy when Giovanni came to the United States in 1910. Hoping to find more info on him soon, but as I'm sure many of you know, gaining access to some Italian records is quite a task.

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Finding Financial Aid for Online Courses...

2010-03-23T23:20:00.001-04:00

The reason that I haven't blogged about my classes lately is that I have been searching for some kind of financial aid for my certificate program. I'm on a tight budget – and as I'm probably not the only one, I thought I'd share what I found out on my frustrating search for financial aid.

First, the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit is available for U.S. Students who are taking professional learning courses, including those to improve job skills. If you paid for such courses in 2009, don't forget to file Form 8863 with your tax return to claim this credit. You can learn more about this credit, as well as others, at this page on the IRS website.
If you're a U.S. student taking courses at an accredited institution, you can fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to determine your eligibility for federal grants and loans. Have a copy of your tax return ready and go here to do so. However, the National Institute of Genealogical Studies does not fall under this category. There's only one such institution that I know of that does, Brigham Young University in Utah. This requires you to live on campus – not an option for me.
I've been told to go to FastWeb, but the site could not find me any relevant matching scholarships. This is because my school and major were not listed – there was no close match that I could find in their list. I wish that I could search the site for key terms, but the only option seems to be to let FastWeb match scholarships to your profile.
I found one loan online that would allow me to borrow for a certificate program: The Sallie Mae Smart Option Loan. Although it says that those pursuing a certificate program can apply, NIGS and St. Michael's College weren't on their list of eligible schools, and I'm not sure that selecting the University of Toronto is entirely correct. It didn't matter for me, anyway – I was denied for the loan. This loan does have a relatively high interest rate, and requires interest payments during school.
After investigating all of these options with no success, I was frustrated. I decided to give Louise St Denis, Managing Director of NIGS, a call and ask for her advice. She's very busy, and so somewhat difficult to get ahold of, but she was very helpful and pleasant. She helped me set up a payment plan with NIGS. I had the option to split my payments over a period of months – 3 months to pay for a smaller course package, or 6 months to pay for a larger one. These plans could also include the cost of course materials for all courses in the package, which saves a great deal of money, because course materials do not have to be split up into several small shipments.
What a relief! I can finally afford to pay for my classes. I think I may have found my calling here; it would have been very disappointing to have to defer these classes. I really wish that there more options for financial aid for certificate programs, specifically those attended online.
So, soon I'll be taking Methodology: Part 2 as well as Electronic Resources: Using the Internet. I'll let you know how they go!

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Surname Saturday - Brenton Family of Western Pennsylvania

2010-03-13T18:45:00.003-05:00

I will have to break my promise to make my next post about my genealogy classes. The reason for this, along with my long gap in blogging, are school-related and will be explained in my next post. I'm waiting to hear back from a source at the moment.

On to the surname Brenton:
I do not know from what country my branch of the Brenton family immigrated to the United States. However, Ancestry.com indicates that most people with that name immigrated from England or Ireland. Since my first ancestor that I know of with this name lived in Pennsylvania in the late 18th century, I believe it is more likely that they came from England. Ancestry.com's surname search indicates that the surname Brenton mostly likely originates from a settlement of that name near Exminster in southern Britain.

This is my ancestry as to the Brenton family:

1. My maternal grandmother Helen Ada Brenton, b. 28 Mar 1924 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania d. 9 Feb 2008. She grew up in Brownsville, Pennsylvania and moved to the South Side neighborhood of Pittsburgh after she married William Frederic Joseph Fritzley. They had six children including my mother.
2. Her father was Everett Michael Brenton, b. Apr 1898 in Pennsylvania d. 1965. He married Gertrude Ada Swift 11 Sep 1920, and they went through a contentious divorce in Nov 1934.
3. His father was Johnston Playford Brenton, b. Feb 1861 in Pennsylvania d. 1931 in West Brownsville, Pennsylvania. He married Lena Leotta Wright in 1897.
4. His father was Isaac Brenton, b. 1834 in Pennsylvania d. 11 Jul 1879. He married Jane K. Thomas.
5. His father was Joseph Brenton b. 1792 in Pennsylvania d. unknown. His wife's name was Louisa.

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Surname Saturday - The Fritzley Family of Germany and Pennsylvania

2010-02-20T13:12:00.001-05:00

This Surname Saturday, I'm reaching out for some help with my family line. I've had a great deal of trouble finding information on the origin on the surname Fritzley. This is my maternal grandfather's last name. His father's last name was Fritzler, on the ship manifest from Germany, as well as some census records, but I'm not sure if this was his last name in Germany, or if it was shortened when he immigrated (a common situation among immigrants to the United States at the time). According to Ancestry.com's surname search, Fritzler is “patronymic from a pet form of Fritz,” which in turn is a pet form of the name Friedrich. I have not yet found any other sources to verify that this is the origin of Fritzley. Ancestry.com indicates that Friedrich comes from Germanic words for “peace” and “power” - a very interesting combination indeed. I haven't met a lot of other Fritzleys. My line of the Fritzley family has lived in Pennsylvania since they immigrated from Germany, as far as I can tell. If you have any other information about this surname that you would be willing to share, I would be very appreciative.

Here is my line of the Fritzley family:

1.My mother, Laura Louise Fritzley, b. Pittsburgh, PA. Her father was:
2.William Frederic Joseph Fritzley, b. 27 Jan 1922 in Pittsburgh, PA, d. 15 Feb 1998 in Pittsburgh, PA. He married Helen Ada Brenton. His father was:
3.William Frederic Joseph Fritzley, b. 2 Feb 1888 in PA, d. 1952 in Pittsburgh, PA. He married Anna Kane. His father was:
4.Christian Fritzler or Fritsler, b. abt 1851 in Baden, Germany, d. before 1910 in PA. He immigrated to the US in 1866, with his father and mother. He married Sophia (unsure of surname). His father was:
5.George Fritzler or Fritsler, b. abt 1819 in Baden, Germany, d. unknown in PA. He married Christiana (surname unknown).
That's what I've got, from census records and ship manifests. Currently working on finding some primary sources from Germany. This will be a major focus in my research later, as I earn my Germany Records certificate from NIGS.
Also, this makes 2 personal research posts in a row, so my next entry will be about the class I'm currently taking at NIGS, Methodology Part 2. Promise!

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Surname Saturday - The Boehm Family of Western Pennsylvania

2010-02-13T23:13:00.005-05:00

I hope to keep up with this blogging theme every Saturday, because I have quite a few pieces missing from my family tree, and I'd love to see if anyone out there has any clues. I’ve used Blogger’s awesome new Pages feature to list the most common surnames in my family tree, as well as my boyfriend’s.
Ironically enough, one of the families which I know the least about is the one whose name I carry: Boehm. The history of my own last name is easy enough to trace, because it comes from a geographical area. According to Ancestry.com's surname entry for Boehm, the name originally meant that a person was from Bohemia, a land which is now 2/3 of the Czech Republic. The spelling is close enough that Microsoft Word tries to correct my name to Bohemia every time I type it, lol. Ancestry also indicates that the greatest concentrations of people with that name were located in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Ohio as of the 1920 census. Their surname search provides an interesting profile of your family name.
Here is my line of the Boehm family:

1. My dad, John Timothy Boehm, b. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His father was:
2. Henry Andrew Boehm, b. 1930 and d. 2004 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He married Rose Earle DiBernardo in Pittsburgh in 1955. His father was:
3. Henry John Boehm, b. 1902 d. 1964 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He married Kunikunda Wagner. His father was:
4. John Boehm, b. 1865 in Bayern, Germany d. 1943 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He married Kunigunda Hartmann in 1887 in Pittsburgh. He immigrated to the United States before 1880. His father was:
5. Johann Philipp Boehm, b. 1821 in Hessen, Germany. His wife’s name was Kunekunda. He immigrated to the United States before 1880. His father was:
6. Johann Adam Boehm, b. 1786 in Hessen, Germany d. 1834 in Hessen, Germany. He married Maria Elisabeth Kaffenberger in 1812.

That’s most of what I have. Let me know if you have any connections! :)

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Course Review - Methodology Part 1

2010-02-12T23:15:00.000-05:00

I have finally finished my review of the first course I took at the National Institute for Genealogical Studies (NIGS). In this post, I share my experience with using the NIGS website as a learning platform, as well as my personal reflection on what I learned from the class.
When I first registered at the National Institute for Genealogical Studies, I received a few emails with some basic explanation of how the online courses worked. In particular, they described how to find the classes for which I registered in the My Briefcase section of the site, how to find and submit assignments, and how to view your grades on completed courses. These emails saved me some time when I started my course. However, on my email client (Gmail) the sender of these emails is only given as “admin”; so, I almost dismissed them as spam at first. I'm not sure how the sender (NIGS) appears on other email clients, but be on the lookout for emails from NIGS if you register for a course. I did not find any increase in spam after I registered – unlikely from educational outlets, but it's always smart to be safe. If you do sign up for a course from NIGS, be sure to add “admin@genealogicalstudies.com” to your list of “safe” email addresses, as they send announcements of live chat sessions with instructors.
Speaking of which, I must admit that none of the live chat sessions have worked into my schedule so far, as I've already WAY over-scheduled myself. I do plan to attend one, and if/when I do, I'll be sure to provide an update.
For my first class, Methodology Part 1: Getting Started, I did not purchase the printed course material available, as I thought that it would be more efficient and economical to print out the material myself. However, I've now started my second class, and it has been much easier (and cheaper) for me to use course material purchased from the NIGS store. I printed almost 100 pages for the first course, and refilling my ink cartridges is not a task I look forward to. So it was worth it for me, simply for the convenience, to buy the printed material. With the shipping, it was about 16 USD, and I received the material in about 1 week.
Each course is slated to last 6 weeks, but you can work at your own pace. You only need to complete the final exam before the course end date. The readings and assignments for this first course were not overwhelming, but it is a good opportunity to evaluate your own schedule, and to get used to scheduling enough time to go over readings thoroughly – take notes, read sections over that you don't completely understand, etc. This is really the area that has given me the most trouble – time management. I have to get back into “the swing of things” academically, and I've only been out of college for three years. I would recommend planning out your class schedule beforehand – set realistic timetables for assignments and readings, and stick to that schedule. If you take one class every two months, every four months, every six months, so what? No one is going to tell you that you're not speeding through the courses quickly enough. Certainly not Ms. “Absolutely, I can fit that into my schedule for you” over here
Here’s a general list of topics that were covered in Methodology: Part 1:
-Reasons for tracing your genealogy and general “dos and don’ts”
-Beginning your research (including taking notes and research planning)
-Conducting interviews
-How to use pedigree charts, family group sheets, and other forms
-Some common confusing situations
-An introduction to using outside sources
-Basic transcription
-A genealogical case study.
The assignments for this course were not particularly difficult – they correlate directly to the readings. I was glad to see that many of the assignments are designed to help you apply what you’ve learned in each reading.
One area that I would like to see NIGS develop further is that of personal feedback on assignments. I realize that, most likely, it is not practical for teachers to respond to every assignment from every student. However, there were times when I would have liked to know if I was correct, or on the right track. Again, this might be resolved by attending one of the live chat sessions, so I will try that in the future.
Overall, this class has left me eager to learn more. I am excited that I will have the chance to find out more about my own history, and be able to introduce people to their personal histories. A career in genealogy may give me the chance to pursue a career that it continually interesting and exciting to me, and which gives me the chance to make a difference in the world. I think I might be on to something here, career-wise, which would be a long awaited relief ;)

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Facial Recognition Software - A Helpful Genealogy Tool

2010-01-20T18:40:00.004-05:00

Before I get to the second half of my course review from Sunday, I wanted to point out a couple of very helpful tools I've found in MyHeritage.com and Picasa 3. I recently started scanning in photos - some of people who I recognized; some, I didn't. Using facial recognition tools, I was able to identify quite a few people - to the delight of those related to people in the pictures :)

Here's how:

I use MyHeritage.com to post and share my family tree, and Google's Picasa 3 for simple photo editing (the "I'm Feeling Lucky" feature on Picasa 3 has saved me a great deal of editing time). Both are free - although MyHeritage does have a fee structure to host large amounts of content. Lately, I've gotten interested in a nifty new feature of both - facial scanning and tagging.

Picasa can recognize faces, so that you can name everyone in your photos - great for organizing and sharing photos. I haven't fully explored this feature, as it is new and the photo scanning process seems to be a long one (it's still going on my computer - maybe I'll edit this post when it's finished).

MyHeritage's new "tag people" feature is very impressive. It scans all of the photos you've uploaded, and picks out the faces in each. The site idoes not recognize faces that are blurry, very small or those which are in heavy shadow. Tagging people is very quick and simple. MyHeritage recognizes faces that may be from the same person, and I've found that it is correct most of the time. It then allows you to associate that face with a person from any family tree you have uploaded to MyHeritage, and it automatically assigns that picture to display in your family tree next to the person's name. This makes your family tree much more interesting to look at - a plus if you are trying to "pull" your family in to view it (like I am).

Once you've identified a few faces, the "Tag People" feature will try to match any faces it finds in your photos to someone you have identified in your tree, and will display the quality of each match as a percentage. This has been very helpful in my research, because it has allowed me to compare hundreds of photos and tag people in them very quickly and easily.

MyHeritage also has a couple of fun facial-recognition features to play around with. You can see which celebrities you and your family members most resemble, and make animate morphs and collages from these matches. Regular users of the site may have noticed that when viewing a picture, there is a "Match to Celebrities" button above it. There's also a feature that compares a baby or child's face to those of his/her parents, and calculates which parent the child most resembles. I look more like my Mom, by 18%!

Many of you fellow researchers probably know about these already, but I thought I'd share just in case.

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Wordless Wednesday - Well, Not Exactly

2010-01-20T17:06:00.005-05:00

Some context: These are my boyfriend's grandparents, Joseph & Gertrude (Eller) Davies, taken around 1944. Joseph was a pilot for the USAAF. On June 4, 1944 (two days before D-Day), Joseph and a few other soldiers were killed when their plane malfunctioned and crashed. At the time she received news of her husband's death, Gertrude was 5 months pregnant with my boyfriend's father.

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Before You Enroll in the National Institute of Genealogical Studies (Some Practical Information for Prospective Students)

2010-01-18T14:45:00.007-05:00

I have already completed one course at the National Institute of Genealogical Studies. In summarizing the helpful information I have learned, both about NIGS in general and about genealogy, I found that it would be best to split this information into two posts. In the future, I will be able to spread my posts out over the course of completing a class.

In this first post, I will describe some information that will be helpful to prospective students of the Institute, including some of the practical considerations that need to be addressed before a student can start his or her studies.

First, a few notes about taking courses via the NIGS website: the Institute's website is relatively simple to navigate. The designers seem to have chosen a simple, no-frills design for the website in order to cater to students who may be less Internet-savvy, as there are some students who had previously taken only correspondence courses with the Institute. Instructions for submitting assignments and communicating with professors are clearly provided with course material. I would strongly suggest visiting the Help section of the website in order to become familiar with their registration process, class schedule and procedures.

After you are comfortable with how NIGS works, it is important for you, as a potential student, to know your goals in taking genealogy classes. Are you looking to perfect a specific skill? Are you just seeking some general knowledge about genealogy, for your personal research? Or do you want to obtain a certificate in Genealogical Studies in order to begin or enhance a career in genealogy? The programs at NIGS can cater to any of these goals, but you need define what you want out of studying at NIGS before you can know what classes to take.

If you are looking to perfect a specific skill, the Institute offers many classes that can serve as “stand-alones” for this purpose. Some helpful classes to take for any researcher are “Electronic Resources: Using The Internet,” “Research at Family History Centers,” and the beginning Methodology courses, which contain very helpful information about the basics of research planning, organization, and general good practices. For more experienced researchers, courses are available in genetics, copyright, and paleography as they relate to genealogy. There are also several basic research courses in the country-specific electives; if you just need to brush up on your German, or you need to learn more about where to obtain vital records in Ireland, this is the course list you want.

If you'd like to take a few basic courses about genealogy in order to begin or organize your own research, the package of five basic courses is the way to go (under Courses- Packages- "All Countries - Basic Level-5 Courses"). This includes two methodology courses. These teach vital skills for planning, executing, and organizing your research; skills which will save you a great deal of time and frustration down the road. It also includes the electronic resources and Family History Center courses, as well as an analysis and mentoring program. The “All Countries” (general skills courses) are also available in intermediate and advanced packages if you wish to continue to enhance these skills.

If you want to obtain a genealogy certificate, you'll need to take at least all of the classes listed above (the “All Countries” courses, basic, intermediate and advanced) in order to receive a General Methodology certificate. This is a total of 14 six-week courses. You may take as many courses as you wish at one time. To obtain a country-specific certificate, you must complete 40 courses, including the 14 from the General Methodology certificate. Many of these courses (usually around 11) are electives of your choice. The country-specific certificates available are American, Canadian, English, German, Irish and Scottish Records.

For those in library professions who are responsible for genealogical collections, a Librarianship certificate is available. There are 10 courses in Librarianship to complete for this certificate, as well as 2 elective course. These courses do not include the courses in the General Methodology and country-specific certificates.

Now for what may be many students' most important consideration in this difficult time – how much does it cost? Currently, each course offered through NIGS costs $89 (US). Required course material can also be purchased, but it is available online for students to print out after the start date of a course. Course materials that are optional can be purchased through the Institute's online store. While it is completely up to you whether to purchase these materials, they are often very helpful, and if the last books you had to buy for school were as a college student (like me), you'll probably be surprised at how little most of those materials cost.

Please note that you do not have to purchase these courses individually. You can save some money by purchasing several classes in a package. You do not have to take all the courses in the package at one time; you may register for classes you have paid for at your own pace. There are many packages available; most relate to required courses for certificates, but there are also some “pick your own” packages available.

In my own studies, I will be obtaining a General Methodology certificate first, then a certificate in German records. Hopefully, when I am finished with the General Methodology certificate, I can become certified by BCG and start my career. Therefore, I think that I can provide some helpful information about the courses at NIGS, no matter what your ultimate goal is as a student.

I apologize for the length of this post – I just kept thinking of things that would have been helpful for me to know before I started at NIGS. I hope that this provides useful info for those of you thinking about studying at NIGS – please let me know if there is any other general info I can provide.

In my next post, I will describe my personal experiences and growth as a student during my first class at NIGS: Methodology Part 1: Getting Started.

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Newbie Musings

2010-01-14T23:16:00.004-05:00

I'm a relative newbie, both to blogging and to genealogy. I thought it would be interesting to share my research so far with others, as well as my experiences as a genealogy student. I am studying at the National Institute for Genealogical Studies, towards both a general certificate and a certificate in German Records. Most of my ancestors came to the United States from Germany, some from Italy, and many from various other parts of Europe.

I plan on trying to post about twice per week - one post about my own research progress, and one on a topic helpful to genealogy students - classes to take, websites to use, etc.

Hopefully, this will generate some discussion among my fellow students. It's difficult to underestimate the value of having other students around to support you, and this is sometimes difficult to find in an online class (although NIGS is very collaborative in many ways).

So, any other students out there, from NIGS or otherwise?

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