Google Your Family Tree

Dan Lynch's book is now out of print, but Google Your Family Tree was a wonderful reference tool when I was digging deeper into online searches for ancestors, ancestral communities, and specific aspects of family history. UPDATED 2022.

Online Searches for Family History Topics

2022 update: The author of Google Your Family Tree was speaking at a local genealogy club in 2009, and I was in the audience. Last time I heard that talk, his Google tips helped me find my first cousin, living only 100 miles away. 

I learned a lot about using search operators. Here's my 2017 post about that topic, explaining the use of:

AND

OR

"" (quotation marks)

- (minus sign)

* (wild card)

AROUND(insert number here).

Dating Old Photos and More

To learn more about photo dating and identification, I've read some of the books by Maureen Taylor and also seen her talks/webinars. She has lots of great ideas for looking at clothing clues and more.

Also I've seen talks by Sherlock Cohn (aka Ava Cohn), who has an eagle eye for dating photos and helping put them into family, military, and historical context.

Both have given me some hints to follow up as I caption old family photos from the past 100-125 years.

At top, a photo by Gustav Beldegreen, showing some of my FARKAS ancestors serving as officers of the Kossuth Ferencz Literary, Sick & Benevolent Society.

UPDATED 2022

Getting Organized for the New Year

Dear Myrtle has tools and videos to help genealogy enthusiasts get organized. She retires in May of 2022, but her great content will remain.

One of my 2009 resolutions is to record my family tree information in a more timely manner instead of filing things away to record later. By the time I get back to these documents and notes, I can't remember what I've recorded or where. UPDATED in 2022: Now using multiple genealogy websites (WikiTree, MyHeritage, Ancestry, FamSearch) for my public family trees.

With any luck, some of my distant cousins will find me in 2009 because of the forums, family sites, and blogs where I've mentioned the surnames and places I'm researching. Happy new year and looking forward to hearing from cousins and members of the FAN club (friends, associates, neighbors). 

Daniel Gluck in the Bronx

My cousin remembers that my great-aunt Mary Schwartz boarded with her 2d cousin Daniel Gluck and family in a Bronx apartment after arriving in NYC from Ungvar, about 1911-1912. Daniel had two daughters: Beatrice (a buyer for a lingerie firm?) and Ruth. The family started a furniture store in or near Paramus NJ in one of America's first shopping centers, perhaps during the mid-1930s. So far no luck tracing them but it's some kind of lead. Updated in 2022: Still no luck but will be checking 1950 US Census when it releases.

Ungvar and Lojos Schwartz

Since September I've been hoping to find out that Violet was related to my Schwartz relatives from Ungvar. Violet's family wrote me yesterday to say that they don't know my Schwartz family. Their Schwartz family in Ungvar was Lojos Schwartz, whose sisters were Flora and Margaret. Although I'm disappointed, it's good to at least know for sure.

Updated in 2022: I found my mother's first cousin Violet via Yad Vashem testimony for her mother, killed during the Holocaust! 

Rookie Genealogy Mistakes

2022 update: Paul Chiddicks, blogger and columnist for Family Tree Magazine, lists the "Top Ten Sins of a Genealogist" and certainly I've had my share! Not noting my research when I began was a big mistake, because I doubled back too often. Another rookie mistake was not considering creative spelling. Paul's post is worth reading!

From 2008: I'm still trying to catch up on recording all the info I've collected about my family and my husband's family. And I haven't asked all the right questions (or asked them in the right way) of family members who might remember. I have to keep reminding myself that this is a long-term journey into the family trees. My journey started after "Roots" aired in the mid-1970s. I reentered the world of genealogy in 1998 and really got serious about 10 years ago, when a Family History Center opened in my community. Wonder where the journey will take me next?

Family Calendar Fun for the Holidays

This is the third year I'm creating a photo-filled calendar for my extended family. For the 2009 calendar, nearly all the photos were taken in 2008. This year I'm including a few photos of "ancestors" as well. 

In all, each year's calendar has at least 90 photos; this year's total will reach 100. What a wonderful way to remember special family celebrations all year long and laugh again at funny photos of kids (of today and yesterday) in Halloween costumes, etc. Best of all, the calendar lists everybody's birthday and other special occasions, helping me remember when to send a card or call. 

Many commercial websites offer personalized photo calendars for sale. My best advice: Gather photos all year long so you can upload, arrange, and print in time for gifting to family. Updated 2022. 2023: Also note the discounts and sales available for various photo products. You're saving family history for the future!

Ellis Island Photos

The Library of Congress has images of Ellis Island and immigrant ships and more for people like me, who are climbing their family tree and had ancestors pass through Ellis Island.

About 10 years ago my sister and I went with several cousins to Ellis Island and looked for the names of our ancestors who had come to America through its gates. What a moving visit! And what a great opportunity to tell family stories. Afterward, Cousin Ron guided us to his favorite Chinatown restaurant. It was a day to remember, even as the research continues.

Taking care of the Wood family Bible

One of the Wood second cousins visited last week, with his wife, during a genealogical/vacation swing through New England. I was moved when he brought out the giant and beautiful family Bible, which he protects with a special archival envelope and a custom-made wooden case. Now I wish I had taken a photo but when he had it on the table, I was too spellbound to think of grabbing the camera. He told us the book's history and how he came to have it--and that another beautiful Bible (complete with births/marriages/deaths) once existed in another part of the family but can't be found these days. Auggghhhhh!

Farewell to House That Ruth Built

Watching last night's emotional farewell to Yankee Stadium brought back many childhood memories of going there with my father and sisters. We never saw a World Series game in person, but we did see many Yankee greats play--Maris and Mantle and other legends of this once mighty baseball team.

Mounting the stairs to the subway station as the final inning drew to a close, we'd peer over and see the last out(s) from the platform and then slip into a subway car and be gone before the crowds surged out of the stadium. Babe Ruth would (should) be angry that the house he built is being torn down.

Farewell to an era. I doubt the new stadium will inspire the strong feelings that this grand old stadium has inspired over its 85 years. (photo update 2022)

Great-grandpa Came from Kaunas (formerly Kovno)

Kovno was part of Russia when Great-grandpa was born (around 1861 or so). Today it's Kaunas, part of Lithuania. Lots of history to learn about there. Would Great-grandpa be pleased that I want to trace his roots, see where he was born and where he was married? For a virtual tour, see here. (2022 update)

Finding Kovno ancestors

My g-grandfather's death cert shows his birthplace as Kovno and his father's birthplace as Riga. It also gave his mother's maiden name as Luria, a name with a long heritage in Lithuania and surrounding areas. Tracing ancestors in these areas during the mid-1800s is no picnic. My cousin Amy is doing some of the historical research (thanks, Amy!) and has found a Davidic connection through the Lurias. Another source of ideas for researching in this area is Schelly Talalay Dardashti's Tracing the Tribe blog, which has NOW migrated to Facebook. (updated 2022)

Thank you, Shelly!

Never Underestimate the Power of Google for Genealogy

Last fall, a speaker at the local genealogy club suggested searching for ancestors and relatives via Google Web AND Google News. He advised searching on "Marian Wood" and "Wood, Marian."

Following his advice, I found a relative who I think is the daughter of a great-aunt I never knew (but whose image I have on a postcard sent to my maternal grandfather).

Today I Googled her again and found she had written brief memoirs that were published in a book now searchable through Google. This turned out not to be my relative but since then, I've found many ancestors and even cousins via Google tricks. See my more recent post here. Updated 2022.

Finding Distant Woods

My husband's cousin Larry has done a remarkable job researching the Wood family. One of the distant relatives he researched is Fernando Wood, a former mayor of NYC who was apparently corrupt and whose brother Benjamin owned the NY Daily News for a time. 

Fernando and Benjamin were outspoken opponents of the Civil War (Fernando suggested that NYC secede). 

Benjamin Wood's widow Ida had quite the story of her own--The Recluse of Herald Square, a woman of modest origins who reinvented herself to join high society and finally died with millions stuffed under the mattress. You never know who you'll find as you climb your family tree. To be continued.