Honor Roll Project: Veterans' Memorial in Middlebury, CT

For Heather Wilkinson Rojo's wonderful Honor Roll Project, I visited Middlebury, Connecticut, where a lovely plaque embedded on a boulder honors veterans from pre-Revolutionary War days up to World War I. 

The boulder bearing the plaque is located at the right of steps leading to  Middlebury's stately Town Hall. 

With pride, the Middlebury historic marker below notes: "During the Revolutionary War, French General Rochambeau and his troops established a camp in the Breakneck Hill section on their march to the final campaign at Yorktown, Virginia."

I've transcribed the names of the men and women honored on this memorial plaque, one war at a time, as shown on the plaque.

If any descendants of these veterans conduct an online search, I hope they find the names and realize their ancestors' service to country has not been forgotten.

For Veteran's Day 2021, I'm doing my part to keep alive the memory of these brave men and women from Middlebury, Connecticut, who served in the military. 

Middlebury Honors Those Who Have Served in the Wars of Their Country

French - Indian War

Abner Munson

Revolutionary War

David Abbott, Benjamin Bemont, Aaron Benedict, Enos Benham, Samuel Benham, Edward Blackman, Michael Bowers, Asahel Bronson, Elijah Bronson, Isaac Bronson, Andrew Clark, Daniel Clark, Benjamin Fenn, Samuel Fenn, Israel Frisbie, Stephen Hawley, Reuben Hickox, Timothy Higgins, Benjamin Hine, Justus Johnson, Simeon Manvil, Augustus Peck, Gideon Platt, James Porter, Ebenezer Richardson, Jonathan Sanford, Ebenezer Smith, John Thompson, Aaron Tuttle, Ezekiel Tuttle

War of 1812

Lewis Booth, Eldad Bradley, Jonathan Bradley, Noyes Bradley, Elijah Bronson, Isaac Bronson, Daniel Clark, Asa Fenn, Loammi Fenn, Philo Hamblin, Levit Hawley, Benjamin Hine, Isaac Hodge, Mark W. Mazugan, Abner Munson, Miles Newton Jr., Isaac Nichols, Samuel Porter, Ranson Saxton, Harry Smith, William H. Smith, Mark Stone, Eli Thompson, John Thompson, Peter Van Bogert, Peter Vandereagast

Mexican War

Ranson L. Gaylord

Civil War

Robert J. Abbott, George Anderson, George W. Baldwin, Philetus M. Barnum, James W. Benham, Eli B. Blackman, Maro P. Blackman, Henry Blakeslee, Charles Bradley, James M. Bradley, Eli Bronson, George H. Crook, Adrian Dehm, Church R. Fox, Michael Genter, Guernsey Johnson, Thomas Kenney, Charles King, George S. Manville, John Meier, George B. Meramble, Michael G. Miller, Charles Moshier, Jacob Prime, Emery J. Roswell, John Smith, Asa W. Stone, Charles E. Stone, Edward L. Welton

Mexican - Border War

Arthur M. Foote

World War (World War I)

Stanley Andrews, Walter Beebe, Allan J. Benson, Bernhardt Benson, Edwin H. Benson, Henry J. Benson, Lester J. Benson, Burton F. Bird, Vincent Botta, William Budieser, Antonio Calabrese, Raymond Caligan, Mary J. Campbell, Robert M. Campbell, Rodger W. Cooke, Edward Cronley, Francis Cronley, Cyril Davis, John Delaney, Thomas Dowling, Joseph Feist, Arthur M. Foote, Asahel Gibson, Arthur C. Hallgren, Gustave E. Hallgren, Edmund Janes, Wilfred Jordan, Harvey S. Judd, John Kawickas, George Muller, Clarence A. Nichols, Earl H. Nodine, Alfred Perro, Ellis F. Phelan, Fred H. Robertson, Edwin J. Robin, Emanuel J. Robin, Morris L. Robin, Melville Skiff, Horatio N. Smith, Lyman E. Smith, Frederick W. Speaker, Raymond Stauffer, Royal J. Steele, Raymond F. Tyler, Ralph Vincent, Willis T. Vincent, Frank Wassabach, George Webster, Leon Williams

Note: The memorial plaque from Middlebury, CT, is also listed in the Historical Marker Project.

--

This post is also part of the November, 2021 Genealogy Blog Party.

Where the Bodies Are Buried, at a Glance

 

A key aspect of planning a future for my family's past is to be sure relatives know where the bodies are buried. Literally.

Ancestors memorialized on Find a Grave

Over the years, I've been creating and/or improving memorials on FindaGrave for ancestors who are gone but not forgotten. The site is free and easy to access.

Also, I began gathering memorial pages into a virtual cemetery for each line (or intermarried families) on my family tree and my hubby's family tree.

It's quick and not complicated to create a virtual cemetery. FindaGrave has instructions here.

Then, with a virtual cemetery, I can (1) post a link to that page within my online trees, (2) include a link to that page with bite-sized bios I write and distribute or post, and (3) send relatives a link to that page so they can see which ancestors are buried where.

Virtual cemetery tour

A virtual cemetery also shows some key info at a glance.

The image at top is part of a virtual cemetery I created for my husband's intermarried Wood and Slatter families (that's the catchy title of this virtual cemetery).

Each memorial page in the virtual cemetery includes the ancestor's name, dates, and cemetery details.*

For convenience, I sort my virtual cemeteries by surname, alphabetically. But the memorials in a virtual cemetery are also sortable by how recently each was added and by cemetery. 

If any photo is on the memorial, a thumbnail of the main photo appears in this virtual cemetery listing.

Look closely and see, in grey, the FindaGrave memorial ID number. If I want to correspond with another user or with FindaGrave about a particular memorial, I can refer to that ID number.

Another handy feature: A small blue dot indicates whether I'm the manager of a particular memorial. In the image at top, I don't manage the memorial for Adelaide Mary Slatter Baker but I do manage the memorial for Jane Ann Wood Black.

*Remember, this is only the info that has been entered into FindaGrave. If it's incorrect or incomplete, you can submit edits or--if you manage that memorial--you can make the changes yourself. Don't forget to link ancestors to their spouses, children, and parents!

Try a virtual cemetery

FindaGrave is available all over the world, both for adding memorials and for improving memorials with bite-sized biographies, Census data, grave and personal photos, family links, and more. 

Do consider creating a virtual cemetery to organize the final resting places of ancestors, so future generations will know where the bodies are buried.

For Context of 1950 US Census, See Documents at HathiTrust

The release of the 1950 US Census is only 151 days away! 

On April 1, 2022, we will be able to browse the population schedule of the US Census that was taken on April 1, 1950. No indexing will be available on day 1, but we can click our way through 7.8 million pages of handwritten Census data about U.S. households, arranged by Enumeration District.

Preparing for the Census release means (1) listing ancestors we want to find, (2) locating a residential address for each ancestor, and (3) turning the address into an Enumeration District using the powerful Unified Census ED Finder tool from Steve Morse and Joel Weintraub. I describe the three-step process here.

In addition, so we can put our ancestors into context, it's a good idea to read some of the publications summarizing the background and results of the 1950 Census. 

HathiTrust has carefully curated a collection of nearly 200 documents related to the 1950 US Census. Take a look! 

Wood Family Halloween Postcards

 

Halloween is one of the many holidays when the Wood family sent greeting post cards to young relatives during the early 1900s.

These two colorful cards were sent to my hubby's uncle, Wallis W. Wood, in Cleveland, Ohio. The lad was in grammar school at the time and likely couldn't read the greetings handwritten in cursive.

The senders were his paternal aunt Nellie (Rachel Ellen) Wood Kirby and uncle Art Kirby, who lived in Toledo, Ohio. Nellie was the attentive older sister of Wallis's father, James Edgar Wood. 

The handwritten greetings on these cards were usually brief and affectionate.

Wally received colorful cards throughout the year, not just on Christmas, Easter, and New Year's, not just on Halloween and his birthday, but also for Abraham Lincoln's birthday and George Washington's birthday! And in between.

As Family History Month winds down, I wish you all many genealogical treats and no genealogical tricks this Halloween.

On the Track of the First Train

During Family History Month, I'm trying to track down answers to some questions that have on my "to do" list for some time. 

One question is the origin of the given name "Train," which appears several times in my husband's McClure line. 

Previously, I concluded that Train Caldwell McClure was named for his uncle by marriage, Train Caldwell (1810-1887) who was the husband of Mary McClure (1810-1869). 

Who was the first Train?

However, he wasn't the first in the Caldwell line to bear the Train name. 

• Train Caldwell, husband of Mary, was the son of James Caldwell (1787-1819), an Ohio Fever ancestor.
• This James Caldwell had a brother named Train Caldwell, and a brother named Manlove Caldwell, among other siblings. 
• The father of James, Train, and Manlove was James Caldwell (1748-1830). When this James's will was submitted for probate (see handwritten will at top), he named his sons and daughters individually. Thank goodness! 
• A different will and a few family trees suggest that in the 1700s in this direct line, one of the Caldwell men married Mary Train (or Trane). That appears to be the first appearance of the Train/Trane name in the entire family.

Who was the first Manlove?

Research shows the Caldwell family sometimes used an in-law's surname or a mother's maiden name in a succeeding generation, as a show of respect or affection. Train is only one example. 

In the Caldwell family tree, Mary Caldwell (daughter of Joseph Caldwell) married George Manlove in Preble county, Ohio (the same jurisdiction where James Caldwell's will was probated) in 1811. Mary and George are both named as early settlers in a 1917 History of Fayette County, Indiana, where they moved from Ohio.  

Earlier, this Manlove family lived in Guilford, North Carolina as the Caldwell family did. Some of the Caldwells moved to Ohio, some went on to Indiana, in same area as the Manloves. 

Even earlier, some in the Manlove family lived in Kent, Delaware, where James Caldwell was born (the James who died in 1830, whose will is shown at top).

On the right track?

Looks lilke I'm on the right track, following how intermarriages and multigenerational associations resulted in both Train and Manlove becoming given names in the Caldwell family.

However, Train Caldwell McClure did not continue the naming tradition into the next McClure generation or later. Manlove Caldwell, who was mentioned in his father James's will above, doesn't seem to have named a child after himself, either.

Missing One Baby in My Mahler Family Tree

My paternal great-grandparents, Meyer Elias Mahler (1855?-1910) and Tillie Jacobs Mahler (1852?-1952) had 7 children who survived into adulthood. Henrietta (hi paternal grandma!) and David were the two oldest, born in or near Riga, Latvia. 

Meyer arrived in New York City in 1885, and Tillie followed, with the children, in 1886. Later children were all born in New York City, or so I originally thought. 

Yet there is a significant gap of time between David's birth in 1882 in Latvia and the next child's birth in 1888 in the Big Apple. Maybe my original assumption wasn't correct after all.

Two small sons died in Manhattan

In the past few years, thanks to Family Search, I've learned the names of two Mahler babies who died in New York City. 

Wolf Mahler died in 1894, before his fourth birthday, of Bright's disease. 

Sundel Mahler died in 1901, about a month after his birth.

When I asked my Mahler cousins, no one remembered hearing about these baby boys who died so young. I've added their names to my family tree and will keep their memory alive for future generations. 

I'm still looking for one more child who died young. Here's how I know I'm missing one baby in my Mahler family tree.

Clues in 1900 and 1910 Census 

The 1900 US Census indicates that Tillie had 9 children in all, with only 7 living at the time. 

The 1910 US Census, shown at top, indicates that Tillie had 10 children in all, with 7 living at the time.

My reasoning: Wolf died before 1900, so he accounts for one of the babies no longer living in that Census. Sundel died before 1910, so he and Wolf together account for two of the babies no longer living by the time of that Census.

What of the missing child who died before 1900? 

Do the math

Summing up, the birth years of all Mahler children currently on my tree are: 1881, 1882, 1888, 1889, 1890, 1892, 1894, 1896, 1901. That's a total of 9 children, out of 10 born to great-grandma Tillie.

One possibility is that the missing baby was born in Latvia between 1883 and 1886. Unlikely the child was born before 1883 because David Mahler was born in March of 1882. Meyer left Latvia in early May of 1885, so there is a very slim chance his wife Tillie gave birth in early 1886, the year she left Latvia.

Another possibility is that the missing baby was born in New York City in early 1887. No later, however, because the next child was born in February of 1888. That's a mighty small window of opportunity for the missing baby. 

There are fairly small gaps in the years between the children's births in the 1890s, when the family was in New York. And I've found no other New York City births or deaths of children seemingly connected to Meyer and Tillie Mahler, so far.

My hypothesis now is that the missing baby was born and died in Latvia. He or she would have been no more than 3 years old, if this hypothesis is correct.

During Family History Month, I'll keep doing the research with the goal of memorializing this missing son or daughter on my tree.

Farkas Family: Good Sports About Fishing

Go fish!

After World War II, the Farkas Family Tree (named in honor of my maternal great-grandparents, Moritz Farkas and Leni Kunstler Farkas) tried to charter a boat and fish as a family every year.

Some years the tree couldn't reserve a boat on their chosen weekend, but when they did, at least 30 men, women, and children boarded for a full day of fishing--or, more accurately, food and fun, with a little fishing too. 

A good number of my ancestors were land-lubbing apartment-dwellers in New York City. Still, they were good sports about being on the water once a year and baiting a hook or two. Some had fancy fishing rods, but many used a length of string with a basic hook, lowered into the water by hand.

Here's what the tree minutes say about two memorable all-day fishing trips (making me smile 70+ years later).

Excerpt about a fishing trip on Sunday, May 29, 1949:

"Many fish and many kinds of fish were caught and a most tremendous amount of eating and drinking. Fifty of the fish were fried at the host's home that night. Those who didn't realize how tired they were, played gin rummy until midnight. Albert caught the most fish; Ella caught the first fish; Leonard caught the largest fish; Irene caught the first flounder; Harry reported his stomach was in good condition and stayed on board." 

Excerpt about a fishing trip on Sunday, May 27, 1951: 

"Except for a few green faces and rough weather, our fishing trip was a huge success. Huddled under the canvas cover, we all had a great time eating, singing, and eating. Abe was the only anti-social one. He insisted on staying at the back of the boat looking out to sea, but he was bent in a peculiar position, with his head over the edge." 

-- Sports is the week 42 prompt in Amy Johnson Crow's #52Ancestors challenge.

Debuting New Talks at Two Genealogy Conferences

During the last two months of 2021, I'll be debuting new presentations at two virtual genealogy conferences.

Virtual Genealogical Association

In November, I'm honored to be speaking at the Virtual Genealogical Association's 2021 Conference. 

This much-anticipated event will have 6 live talks on November 13th and 15 prerecorded talks, a total of 21 presentations available for viewing for the next six months. Download the detailed syllabus and watch presentations whenever you wish, even in your bunny slippers. 

My topic is: Get ready for the 1950 US Census -- a treasure trove of family history! I'll show, step by step, exactly how to browse the unindexed Census pages to find your ancestors when the Census population schedule is released on April 1, 2022. Plus I'll explain the interesting questions and quirks of the Census questionnaire and enumerator instructions. You'll come away with specific ideas for how to get started and what to look for on the Census pages next April.

THE Genealogy Show

In December, I'm delighted to participate as a virtual speaker at THE Genealogy Show. This affordable event begins on December 3, and all talks will be recorded and available until January 4, 2022. 

My topic is: Genealogy clues and cousin bait on Find a Grave. I'll demonstrate tips and tricks for getting the most out of Find a Grave, including how to analyze every element on a memorial page and how to use the source of a memorial or a flower as possible cousin bait. Enjoy this practical, how-to presentation.

Hope to see you at one of these upcoming genealogy conferences.

Curate by Sharing "Double Prints" Snapshots

Remember the days of putting film in a camera and then bringing the finished roll to the store for developing? 

Local drugstores used to compete by offering "double prints" with every roll developed. 

Double prints, double fun

Back in the day, hubby and I took a lot of snapshots and wound up with a lot of dupes. Many times, we sent dupes to family right away. Still, we ended up with some fun dupes that I couldn't bear to toss, so I saved them. 

Now I'm downsizing my family photo collection, in preparation for assembling archival albums.

Not every dupe is worth saving or sharing at this point. I'm selecting the best and getting more ruthless about saying goodbye to the worst.

Curating and captioning dupes

After curating, I'm captioning the best dupes to pop into the mail for family and friends, as a surprise. 

Because developers often printed the date (or at least month/year) on the back of these prints, all I have to do is add a quick caption. It doesn't have to be elaborate. On photos where the recipient was a baby or toddler at the time the snapshot was taken, I'm adding names and the place/occasion.

On one of the dupes from September, 2014, I added the caption "Remember the ice bucket challenge?" because that's the focus of the photo. One day soon, that young woman will open my envelope and see the photo, showing her standing with the ice bucket.  The family was proud of her involvement in the fundraising challenge. When she gets the dupe, she will relive the memory, and my pile of dupes shrinks.

If you have "double prints" to share, don't wait to get started. Recipients will appreciate seeing the photos and you'll slim down your collection for the sake of future generations.

Try This Cousin Bait Trick on Find a Grave

FindaGrave.com has valuable features that can function as cousin bait. 

The site, owned by Ancestry, has 190 million+ memorial pages spanning the globe. 

To take advantage of the features, just register for free and sign in.

This is Family History Month, a good time to memorialize our ancestors' final resting places and improve their memorial pages...

One trick: Have you ever noticed the flowers or flags left at the bottom of a memorial page? 

Flowers as cousin bait

Above is a flower with a brief message that I left on one ancestor's memorial page,  identifying how I'm related to this man. Free cousin bait for anyone who looks at the bottom of that page! 

If you notice a flower or flag on a memorial page of your ancestor, read the message and click to see who left it. Maybe a relative left that flower. 

Any text shown in blue is clickable--such as the name of the user who is the source of the flower. Clicking to see the source of a flower or flag lets you learn more about that user. Did I mention this is all free for registered users?

Go to the source: user profile

If you click on M Wood as the source of the flower shown at top, you'll see my user profile page on Find a Grave. Similarly, if you click on W. Wood as the source of the flag posted at bottom of a memorial page for my husband's distant cousin, you'll be taken to my user profile page (since I left it in his name). 

On my user profile page, I list some of the surnames/locations that I'm researching. 

More than once, a possible cousin has clicked to see my profile, noticed a family-tree connection, and sent a message.

Similarly, if I find the memorial of an ancestor on Find a Grave, I look to see who's left a flower and click on the source. 

This trick has worked for me, putting me in touch with relatives and other people researching my ancestors. Maybe it will work for you? Try it during Family History Month!

This trick and others are explained in my new presentation, "Genealogical Clues and Cousin Bait on Find a Grave." 

-- My blog post for the October Genealogy Blog Party!

1950 US Census Release: Save the Page, Cite Your Source

Family historians are excited that the 1950 US Census population schedule will be released on April 1, 2022--that's only 169 days from today.

In my earlier posts about preparing for the 1950 Census, I suggested creating a list of ancestors, along with their 1950 addresses (from your research) and their 1950 Enumeration District (search using the terrific tech tool by Steve Morse and Joel Weintraub). 

My list doesn't have a column for what I learn about each ancestor's 1950 Census data--I'm going to enter that into my software and my online tree, jotting notes as I go.

As I was recording my talk, "Get Ready for the 1950 US Census" to air during the Virtual Genealogical Association's Annual Conference, incoming VGA President Jeanette Sheliga asked me a great question: Will I download the Census pages and attach to my tree?

Don't miss these important steps!

I will certainly download each page where an ancestor is listed, label with a descriptive file title, and save in a digital folder so I can return later to vacuum up more clues and absorb their significance.

And, importantly, I'm going to note the ED, page number, and other citation information so I can return to the page at any time.

But rather than take the time to download, label, annotate, upload, label, and save each ancestor's Census page to my multiple trees (WikiTree, Ancestry, MyHeritage, and more), my preference is to wait and move on to locating other ancestors in the browse-only 1950 Census.

Once the sites have indexed the 1950 Census, weeks or months after the release, I'll be able to connect pages to ancestors on my online trees with just a few clicks. And by then, any ancestors I haven't located by browsing may be much easier to locate with indexed search.

What's your plan for saving 1950 Census pages and citing your source? Don't forget these vital steps in your research plan!

Family History Month: Needlework by Our Grandmas

My maternal grandma and my hubby's maternal grandma were both needlework enthusiasts. During Family History Month, I'm showing off their creations and telling the story of their love of stitching. The goal is to keep both the needlework and the stories alive for future generations.

Floyda's needlework legacy 

Above, doilies, bureau scarves, potholders, and gloves stitched by my husband's grandmother, Floyda Mabel Steiner McClure (1878-1948). She loved to crochet and work on embroidery. 

Her grandchildren also remember the family's old-fashioned treadle sewing machine, later electrified by granddaddy Brice Larimer McClure (1878-1970). Floyda spent many happy hours at this machine with her granddaughter, stitching up doll clothing with intricate details. Floyda also created quilts, both by hand and by machine. One partially-completed quilt top remains in the family.

As shown above, Floyda's needlework is in great condition, currently wrapped in archival tissue inside an archival storage box. It will be passed to the next generation with the stories of Floyda's love of stitching.

Minnie's needlework legacy

My grandmother, Hermina "Minnie" Farkas Schwartz (1886-1964) also enjoyed  crochet, embroidery, and sewing clothing on her treadle sewing machine.

Before her marriage, Minnie helped support the family by sewing silk ties in a factory owned by a cousin. After Minnie married and had children, each of her younger sisters would move in with her for a time. The sisters gave a helping hand with the babies while Minnie measured and stitched each girl a few outfits.

The embroidered tablecloth shown above is not in as great condition as I'd like, but it does show off Minnie's embroidery and crocheted lacework. This is currently in archival tissue inside an archival storage box, awaiting transfer to the next generation in the years ahead.

Keep Key Family History Details Alive

Over the years, family history can be forgotten unless we tell the stories again and again to honor our ancestors and let future generations know about their lives.

Mayflower connection rediscovered

No one in my hubby's family had ever heard of any Mayflower connection until a cousin I met via genealogy showed us the research paper trail. 

This wonderful cousin linked the Wood family to five people who were on the Mayflower: Mary Norris Allerton, Isaac Allerton, Mary Allerton, Francis Cooke, and Degory Priest. 

Looking ahead: keep the stories alive

We don't want this key detail of the Wood family tree to be lost to those in the future! 

Every Thanksgiving, we send greeting cards to our grandkids, naming these Mayflower ancestors. We add a different focus each year to flesh out these ancestors. One year, we said who did and didn't survive that first winter after coming to the New World. Another year, we wrote about Mary Allerton Cushman being the last of the Mayflower passengers to pass away, in 1699. 

Tell your ancestors' stories

My family's history is different from my husband's side of the family. 

My four immigrant grandparents left Eastern Europe and came to New York City at different times and in different ways. All sought a better life for themselves and for their descendants.

By retelling the stories with a slightly different emphasis each time, we're doing our best to prevent these ancestral connections and motivations from being forgotten in the future.

No matter what your family's history, keep those key details alive for future generations. This is Family History Month!

Is Your Genealogy Blog in the Wayback Machine?

During #AncestryHour on Tuesday, participants discussed how to preserve digital info, including blog posts. Then someone came up with the bright idea to check the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine.

As shown above, my genealogy blog was saved 111 times in the past decade. (I began blogging in 2008 but the Wayback Machine apparently didn't save my posts for the first few years.)

Pick a date and click

I picked one of the dates in the timeline, and a calendar popped up, highlighting the days when my blog was saved as a snapshot in the Wayback Machine. If I click on a specific highlighted date, I can see exactly what my blog's home page looked like then. 

For instance, the image at right shows the top of my blog on November 24, 2011, Thanksgiving Thursday. 

The Wayback Machine also included in its snapshot that day's post and blog posts going back to November 2, 2011, all of which were visible on the home page. 

(This design shows what my blog looked like before I inserted ancestor landing pages and other elements.)

Try it, you'll like it

If you have a blog, do enter the URL in the Wayback Machine's search box and see how many times (and when) your blog was saved by this wonderful digital resource.

Then take a trip back in time by clicking to see what your blog looked like on that date.

Plus feel good that some of your blog entries have been archived for the public, to be preserved and available into the future!

"Preservation" is this week's #52Weeks genealogy challenge prompt from Amy Johnson Crow.

Easier Way to Find Jennie's Marriage Cert

Yesterday, I showed the steps taken to find my great aunt Jennie's marriage cert from 1916. She and great uncle Alex were married in New York City on Christmas Eve of 1916. 

My gen friend Lara Diamond, who knows a thing or three about Big Apple vital records databases, suggested an easier way to find Jennie's marriage cert--a method that would remove more than 700 clicks from the process! **

Lara's method has specific steps to follow but saves time because it allows me to more quickly get to the NYC cert by narrowing the number of images to browse.

Step 1

Go to the ItalianGen.org databases, which include vital records indexes for New York City. Select either the bride's or groom's record of marriage certs. As shown in the image above, many of these have been indexed by the wonderful volunteers at Italian Gen for selected years in all five boroughs. 

Step 2 

Enter the name of the bride (as I did in the image directly above) or use the groom's database, and be sure to specify a year or range of years. You can enter as much info as you know, or leave the search broader. I only used "J" for the bride's name, since I wasn't sure whether the cert would show her as "Jenny" or "Jennie."  

The third search result in the listing was my great aunt Jennie, who married Farkas, Alexander. 

The key piece of info here is the CertNbr which means the actual certificate number. Lara's insight was to use the cert number to jump ahead in the unindexed but browsable images on Family Search. Here, I'll be looking for cert #31504.

Step 3

Since I already knew the correct digitized microfilm number on Family Search, I could go to that digitized file and look at the early cert numbers in the batch. 

Then I estimated how many certs to jump ahead in order to find #31504. This saved me hundreds of clicks. I only had to spot-check the number of a cert many dozens of images away to see how close I was getting to the cert number I wanted

Remember, without the cert number, I needed to click through every cert because the digitized certs are not in chronological order--they're in cert order. If I didn't know the cert number, I couldn't skip ahead.

Step 3 alternative

What if I didn't know where on Family Search to look for these browsable images? Lara recommends going to SteveMorse.org and using his one-step tools to find the correct batch of certs. See image of search on his site, shown below.

Using Steve Morse's tools, I input the groom's and bride's names, plus place of marriage and year. This search jumped me to the Family Search site, at the beginning of the microfilmed batch I was seeking. (Jump doesn't always work, so also consult the FamilySearch wiki here.)

Then I proceeded to quickly look for the correct cert number, by skipping through the lower numbers until I got to the approximate place for the correct number of my great aunt's cert.

Thank you to Lara for this streamlined method of locating NYC marriage certs!

--

** Lara just added this: "There’s an easier way still. Do the same groom search you did. But click “search IGG.” You get the cert number, but in the far right, there is “click here” which brings you to the right film, close to the cert you want."

PS from me: If all else fails, consider asking for your cert or other info via the Family History Library lookup service. They are nice folks and try hard to fulfill requests!  

Finding Great Aunt Jennie's Marriage Cert

My great aunt Jennie Katz Farkas (1886-1974) was an important linchpin in my Farkas family.

She married my grandma's older brother, Alexander Farkas (1885-1948) on Christmas Eve, 1916. Both were in the clothing business--he as a salesman, later a garment manufacturer, and she as a designer for his clothing lines. 

Jennie and Alex never had children. Both were deeply involved in community activities and family events. By retelling their stories, I aim to honor their memories and let future generations know a bit about them.

Idea for a Family Circle

As the Great Depression took hold, it was Jennie's idea to have a regular get-together of the children and grandchildren of the Farkas patriarch and matriarch (Moritz Farkas and Leni Kunstler Farkas). Moritz and Lena (my great-grandparents) were the original immigrants to leave Hungary for New York City, and they were also Jennie's dad-in-law and mom-in-law.

Thanks to Jennie, the Farkas Family Circle began meeting in March, 1933, later changing its name to the Farkas Family Tree. Ten times a year, the Farkas family gathered for food, conversation, games, and sometimes serious business (such as pooling money to buy burial plots). I have the written minutes of the meetings, a time capsule of family history.

In 1959, the family historian dedicated the tree's annual meeting report to Jennie, saying:

In her own quiet way, she was probably more responsible than any other in the birth of the Farkas Family Tree. Since the inception...she has been just about the most ardent supporter...and just about the most regular attender of meetings.

Three steps to Jennie & Alex's marriage cert

I know a lot about Jennie and her husband Alex, and I even have the fun group photo taken at their wedding in 1916. Jennie could see a fashion in a magazine and replicate it on her own, no pattern needed. In fact, she sewed the dresses for many a Farkas wedding in the 1930s and 1940s.

Although I have the transcription of Jennie and Alex's marriage certificate, I never saw the actual handwritten New York City cert until I took three steps today. 

Step one was to use the new Family Search interface to locate the record of Jennie and Alex's marriage cert. It was linked to a digitized microfilm not yet indexed but visible to me in my bunny slippers at home. Yes!

Step two was clicking through the unindexed images of licenses from that period of 1916. Happily, certs from September to December were together on a single microfilm. However, there were 1200+ certs in that microfilm, not in chronological order. Click, click, click...

Step three took me 769 clicks but I successfully landed on their marriage cert, shown at top. Note that "Jenny" is the way her name is shown on the front, which was not written by the bride or groom. On the back, the signature clearly says "Jennie Katz." I downloaded front and back for my records, and for further investigation.

"Aunt Jennie" is how she was known in the family, and "Jennie" is how she's recorded in my trees, with affection and respect.

--

"Steps" = the theme of Amy Johnson Crow's #52Ancestors challenge for week 39.

1950 US Census: New Grade Codes

The 1950 US Census, to be released in April of 2022, has a mass of little details that will add nuance to my knowledge of family history.

Educational codes in 1950

In 1950, enumerators were trained to record the highest grade level attained by each person in the household using highly specific codes (see top). 

Note that in 1950, kindergarten has a separate code (K). "Junior High" and "Senior High" have distinct codes, as well.

These codes differ from codes used to indicate educational attainment in the 1940 US Census. 

Educational codes in 1940

Enumerators in the 1940 Census didn't distinguish between "junior" and "senior" high school. They recorded 1-8 for grade school and H1, H2, H3, H4 for high school grades. 

In 1940, there was no kindergarten code. College grades were C1-4 for college and C5 for post-graduate attainment, codes that remained the same in the 1950 Census.

I'll be interested to see which of my ancestors progressed beyond high school by the time of the 1950 Census. 

In the 1940 Census snippet shown here, head of household Milton was a high school graduate. Wife Irene had completed 8th grade, meaning no high school. One daughter was a high school graduate (H4) and the other was a freshman in high school (H1). 

The men listed on the last two lines were Irene's bachelor brothers, who supposedly finished 8th grade, according to the 1940 Census. I'm not sure this is entirely accurate. Let's see what the 1950 Census says! 

Exploring New Military Pages on Fold3

 

Researching my husband's ancestors, I've stumbled across a fairly new type of page on Fold3, the Ancestry-owned website featuring military records and more. 

I access Fold3 for free via my state library and use it to look at 1812 War records, US Civil War records, World War I/II records, and military pensions, among other documents. I've also used Fold3 to make memorial pages for ancestors who served. 

Above, a Fold3 page listing key elements on the time-line of Charles H. Stout. This page was created in June, 2021 by the Fold 3 team. 

I like that the page summarizes which conflict (US Civil War), which part of the military (Union Army, Ohio Volunteer Infantry), and links to sources that support these facts.

Charles's birth year of 1843 is supported by 3 Ancestry records, which all turn out to be US Civil War records. In fact, all the records attached to Charles H. Stout are, so far, Civil War records. 

Clicking on Charles's regiment brings up this terrific page, highlighting when the Ohio 51st Volunteer Regiment was mustered into service and when it was mustered out of service--plus key battles fought by the regiment. In the past, when I was writing about my husband's US Civil War ancestors, I had to individually look up much of the info that is linked to page.

On the right side of the page, it's easy to click on the Company and see facts such as the name of the youngest person to enlist (in this case, at age 15) and the oldest man to enlist (at age 46). Other details include a list of officers and a list of soldiers. Symbols show, at a glance, who was a prisoner of war, who was wounded, and who died during the war. All excellent historical and human background for understanding the life of a Civil War ancestor.

If you haven't used Fold3 lately to research your military ancestors, I encourage you to explore the new pages and provide feedback, since these are currently in beta. 

The Story of a Well-Used Heirloom: Dad's Pinochle Cards

Dad (Harold D. Burk, 1909-1978) was born 112 years ago this month in New York City, older son of immigrant parents Isaac Burk (1882-1943) and Henrietta Mahler Burk (1881-1954).

Growing up, he played stoop ball and stickball outside his Manhattan apartment building. With friends, he also played a remarkably dangerous game of jumping between tenement rooftops. How did he survive? Even he seemed amazed, talking about it to me many decades later.

During my childhood, Dad and his brother and two brothers-in-law would gather around a card table and play pinochle after a holiday meal. The men laughed and chatted as they played a fairly cut-throat version of pinochle, sipping beer and keeping score. 

Maybe they played for pennies or nickels, and all shook hands with a warm sense of bon homie when they settled up. After every game, Dad would carefully tamp the cards in place and store them in their plastic case (shown above).

Remembering Dad and keeping his beloved pinochle set safe for future generations, along with these memories! 

--This is my week #38 entry about "fun and games" for Amy Johnson Crow's #52Ancestor series.

Save Family History with LOCKSS

To keep family history alive, start to share now within the family and, if you choose, outside the family.

The idea is LOCKSS: 

Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe

Genealogy guru Amy Johnson Crow writes about LOCKSS as a way to prevent genealogy from being lost due to disasters, etc.

Multiple copies within the family

Inside the family, I've been sharing bite-sized (and longer) writeups of family history for a few years. At top of this page are just a few pages from the many booklets I've created, focusing on Civil War ancestors and their spouses, special heirlooms created by ancestors, and an ancestor's military career. Even an ancestor coloring book is a simple way to keep key genealogy details from being lost.

Every descendant receives a colorful printed copy because, well, copies keep ancestors alive for the future. Recipients may flip through the booklet only once and put it on the shelf, but they have it. Some day, when they're more interested, they can take a closer look.

Also, I've digitized 500+ pages of minutes taken at family tree meetings from my mother's Farkas family, 1933-1964. Some cousins received a spiral-bound hard copy, at their request. Younger cousins requested a flash drive OR a PDF file to download. Perhaps the digital format will need upgrading in the future, but having multiple copies (digital/print) circulating in the family gives me more confidence that these documents will survive well into the future. 

Also, I've been experimenting with video-based family history. (I offer a few ideas in the new edition of my book.) Relatives do say they watch, and enjoy...but whether they will ever watch again, I truly don't know. The format is MP4 video and perhaps will be upgradable in the future, as needed. Meantime, multiple copies circulating = better chance the stories will survive, the ancestors will be remembered.

Multiple copies outside the family

Friends and cousins have already shared family history booklets with a variety of institutions that invite submissions, including the Family History Library and the Library of Congress, among others. One couple I know wrote family histories and had them professionally printed and bound for donation to history societies and libraries where their ancestors lived and worked. 

Consider whether a genealogy library, museum, archive, or another institution would be interested in having copies of some or all of your collection, and/or whether you can digitize your collection for yourself and possibly for others.

For instance, the Kentucky Genealogical Society offers special grants to help local museums, libraries, and archives digitize genealogical materials, such as old family letters and other documents of interest to Kentucky researchers. If you have Kentucky-related materials, do check this out--the clock is ticking on this year's grants.

DIY digitizing: The Dallas Genealogical Society highlights how family historians can digitize their own materials for free by going to the Heritage Lab at the Dallas Central Public Library. The Heritage Lab has an impressive array of equipment for use by the public. If you're in the area, this would be one way to transfer those old Super 8 home movies to MP4 video, and share widely within your own family.

However you decide to share, LOCKSS can help keep family history safe for the future. 

Family History: Don't Keep It to Yourself!

Don't wait to share what you know about your family's history. 

Maybe you're just beginning your research or, like me, you've invested years in your ancestor search. Either way, share now to get the info to relatives and (if you choose) make it available to other researchers.

Some clues are better than NO clues

Consider this list of Steiner siblings, jotted on the back of a 1930s business card by my hubby's grandfather, Brice Larimer McClure (1878-1970). The list included his wife, Floyda Mabel Steiner McClure (1878-1948), and her eight older siblings, with birth years as remembered. 

How lucky that Brice wrote down this information--not wanting it to be lost--and my sister-in-law shared it with me, clues to be followed up. Not every detail in Brice's handwritten notes was correct, but the clues were much better than beginning with nothing. I'm so grateful he didn't keep it to himself.

Thanks to this listing, I had a head start in locating vital records, burial places, and other facts to flesh out and verify the family tree. Brice left other handwritten clues, too, steering me in the right direction to identify members of older generations. In turn, I've shared this list and similar genealogical clues about deceased people on my public family trees, to allow other researchers to make use of them. 

Share works in progress?

Even if your family tree information is incomplete or hasn't yet been verified, I encourage you to discuss with your relatives with the warning that your research is a "work in progress." 

Hearing what you've learned may help your relatives recall something from the past. I still have relatives casually mention key details previously unknown to me--leading to interesting breakthroughs! When something I write on a pedigree chart or family tree chart has not been confirmed, I include a question mark or "circa" or "about" or some other indicator that this is a "work in progress."

In addition to public family trees on multiple genealogy sites, I have a couple of private family trees on Ancestry. I use these for experimentation and I fully recognize they're not ready for prime time. Still, private trees can be helpful to other researchers. 

Recently, someone asked to see a private tree, listing his ancestors with that surname. Unfortunately, there was no connection. My ancestor had changed to that surname as an adult, and no one else on the tree carried that surname. Although disappointed, the other researcher was able to move on, investigating different possibilities in trying to locate more of his ancestors. 

To be continued . . . with a post about LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe).

For more ideas about keeping family history safe for future generations and researchers, please check out my newly-revised book, Planning a Future for Your Family's Past, 2d edition.

Reorganizing Family History, Part 2

 

I'm beginning to reorganize family history by moving some old photos from archival boxes (which I love) into archival albums (to encourage browsing). My handsome new archival photo album just arrived (made by Pioneer Photo Album). As the photo above shows, each page has room for 5 photos, each up to 4 inches by 6 inches in size, two vertical and three horizontal. 

The pages are bound. They can't be added, removed, or moved. Of course, photos can be moved out of individual sleeves. But once captions are written, they stay where they are. This means I have to be sure of my organization before I write captions.

Still, the new album is good-looking and sturdy...with a total capacity of 500 photos. I think I can make it work without having to redo the flow of photos more than once (or twice).

Still experimenting, open to changes

Clearly, I'm still experimenting as I transition to archival albums for most photos. I'm willing to try a different album or format. My goal is to save these photos and organize them so they make sense to people who never knew these faces or names. If I have to make a change, I'll do it. In fact...

Next time, I'll buy albums with pages that can be moved. As I develop my organizational strategy, it would be more convenient to move an entire page (photos with captions) instead of having to unload photos from a page that isn't in my preferred order and load them onto an entirely different page. 

Many old family photos/postcards fit 4x6

As shown above, I tested sleeve size by inserting two photos of my hubby's uncle, one at the wheel of a toy car and one in the saddle of a pony. They are the typical size/shape of US postcard photos produced a century ago, and they fit perfectly in the album's archival sleeves. 

Unlike the postcard photos, many photos left by my late dad-in-law are quite small (2 inches by 3.5 inches). I'll try putting two side-by-side in a single sleeve.

Photos larger than 4 inches by 6 inches will have to go in a separate album. That's a project for later in the year.

Inside the album

This particular archival album has room for writing captions in between the photo sleeves. My usual preference is to type instead of writing by hand, but this format will encourage me to be especially neat and careful in captioning.

Looking ahead, I'll clearly hand print captions, guessing future generations may not be able to read cursive.

The sleeves aren't see-through on both sides, so backs of photos won't be visible. So I'll either transcribe captions or indicate that a caption is on back if viewers are really interested.

Also, the album is quite tall and wide. Most likely I'll stack albums on a bookshelf, rather than having them upright on the shelf with the spine out. Or I'll try a different album format for my next purchase. 

Organize chronologically or ... ?

Because many of the old photos have no dates, but are interleaved with photos that have dates, I may begin by sorting according to decade (1900-1910, 1911-1920, etc.). This is only one possibility, but it seems most logical to try chronological order first.

After sorting chronologically and scanning, I would slip photos into the album and judge how things look. Wherever possible, I'll keep photos grouped together if they are clearly from the same day or occasion. 

In some cases, I may choose to group photos according to (1) ancestor (baby/child/adult photos of a paternal grandfather on consecutive pages) or (2) occasion (wedding or vacation) or (3) place (Cleveland, Toledo, etc.). If I use one of these groupings, I'll guesstimate a decade or date to put these pages in an approximate order.

My plan is to wait to write captions until the photos are in sleeves and my husband and I like the flow from first page to last. 

More adventures in reorganization await. 

Reorganizing Family History, Part 1

 

The longer I'm involved in family history, the more I appreciate practical organization.

Not just for myself...but for those who come after me.

Genealogical materials for my husband's family tree are in one set of archival boxes, while my family tree items are in a different set of archival boxes. All are clearly marked by name or surname. 

These boxes are being passed down to different heirs, one on each side of the family.

Too many archival boxes?

Lately, I've been the happy recipient of genealogy materials from relatives and FAN club members. Not just photos and negatives from my late father-in-law, but  photos and documents from other ancestors. All need to be stored safely, which is why I just received a fresh shipment of archival boxes, above. And I'm keeping my label maker handy!

My bookshelves now hold 36 boxes in all. They are neat, they are safe, they stack well, they keep contents intact. They are my favorite way to safeguard genealogical materials like photos, original documents, etc. This organizational method has worked well for the past decade. And boxes are easy for my heirs to move and store.

Yet just yesterday, I began to wonder if I have too many boxes. This led me to Part 1 of my reorganization experiment.

Album experiment

Now and in the future, family members might actually prefer to view old photos in a more traditional album format. This could encourage them to open the album once in a while, instead of leaving boxes unopened on a shelf. 

Hoping my hubby will be part of my experiment, I asked whether he would prefer to put corners on photos or slide photos into the sleeves of an album. He was squarely in favor of an album with sleeves. So I browsed good quality archival photo albums and purchased one that holds 500 photos, up to 4" x 6" size, with space for captions alongside the sleeves. 

How to arrange the photos was another big concern. A number of friendly folks at #AncestryHour on Twitter suggested arranging photos chronologically. This approach will guide descendants through the Wood family's history, visually and with brief captions. 

When the album arrives and I begin this reorganization, I'll post about the process and lessons learned. 

Reorganization issues

I have to consider safe storage for the negatives that accompany many of my late father-in-law's century-old photos. Because negatives can't be safely stored in the same sleeve as the photos, I'm thinking about separate storage and a numbering system that indicates which negative corresponds with which photo in the album...which adds another layer of complexity to the reorganization process.

Another issue: How to accommodate photos with notes on the back. An  #AncestryHour friend lets the notes show by not putting two photos back to back in the album. It's something to try if my new album (currently in transit) has clear sleeves that work in this way. 

Reorganizing family history will be a long-term process, best accomplished little by little. But then again, genealogy is a long-term process. If I tackle the photos in one archival box and get them situated (in order) in the album, I can return to caption them at a later date. It's a learning process...

One photo at a time, one box at a time, one album at a time, I'm learning more about how to reorganize family history and plan a future for my family's past.

-- This is my entry for the Sept 2021 Genealogy Blog Party.

Finding a Farmer in the 1950 US Census

None of my immigrant ancestors lived on a farm after arriving in the United States. Several in-laws were born on farms, but by 1950, they lived in cities. 

Still, I wanted to experiment with the super-useful "Unified Census ED Finder" on Steve Morse's One-Step page to locate someone living on a farm in 1950. 

Remember, we need the Enumeration District Finder before the 1950 US Census is indexed. Not being able to "search" by name, we're going to be browsing the Census by address, one page of one ED at a time, in search of ancestors. 

With cities and suburbs, that's not so difficult because we can narrow things down by including cross streets and back streets (see my earlier post here). Then we only have to browse pages of one ED (or perhaps two).

What about farm addresses? In the past, farms might get their mail via RFD, not listing a street address. Without an address or at least a specific street, the ED Finder can't help us narrow down the number of enumeration districts we'll have to browse. Time to experiment!

First step: Try to find the 1950 address

For my experiment, I chose Lyman Orchards in Middlefield, CT, which has been in the Lyman family since 1741. (I've visited the orchard in the past and enjoyed the sunflower maze, by the way.)

My reasoning: If the family's name is on the farm, I can more easily find the owner in a Census or other document. Luckily, the website has a timeline and indicates names of owners through the years. 

Checking for a 1940 US Census or WWII draft registration or a local phone or farm directory with the farm owner's name will help me guesstimate a 1950 address.

Very quickly, I found WWII draft registration cards for one of the owners, John Lyman, and his son. But no street address, only the town and county names.

In the 1940 US Census, the Lyman family was living on Center Street, no house number. John Lyman told the enumerator he had his own business, managing Lyman Farm. Also, the Census asked whether the address is a farm and the enumerator has written "yes." So now I'll try Center Street as a starting point for the ED Finder.

Next: Use ED Finder to narrow down browsing possibilities

In the Unified Census ED Finder (be sure it's set for 1950), I entered Connecticut as the state and Middlesex as the county. Middlefield wasn't listed as a town, so I chose "Other" and typed in Middlefield.

The result is shown at top. No streets available, but three possible EDs to browse.

But wait. See the words "More details" on a link to the right of the three ED numbers?

When I clicked, I saw this table of street boundaries. Helpful hints!

Looking for a better street address

Before I can narrow down the EDs, I still need to know where Center Street is in Middlefield. Consulting maps, I found it's no longer a street in that town, even though it may have been a street in 1950. 

NOTE: You may find this situation if your ancestors lived in rural areas. Some towns made an effort to provide both street names and house numbers so emergency services could find anyone if necessary. Having a street address also meant the tax collector could locate a particular property. Not all areas have street addresses, to this day. Also, street names do change from time to time, especially as areas become more developed.

I conducted an online search for "list of streets in Middlefield, CT" and came across this contemporary listing: 

https://geographic.org/streetview/usa/ct/middlesex/middlefield.html

No Center Street listed. But there is a Lyman Road! Hmm.

I reread the history of Lyman Orchards and learned that the huge farmhouse was converted to a wedding venue 20+ years ago. The address today is: 5 Lyman Road. 

Evaluating ED details to narrow the focus

With that in mind, I'm evaluating the details of the three possible EDs for farmer John Lyman. Two seem to be focused on Middletown, which is adjacent to Middlefield. I pulled up a listing of contemporary streets in Middletown for comparison purposes.

Looking at the ED 4-41 details, Westfield and Camp are in the listing of streets I found in Middletown. So I'm not making 4-41 a priority. Butternut, Wadsworth, and Cross are also in the listing of streets in Middletown, this time for ED 4-42. Not making 4-42 a priority. Both of these EDs appear to be more focused on Middletown than Middlefield.

Therefore, my educated guess is that I'll find John Lyman and family in ED 4-31. That's the main ED for Middlefield town. Let's see what happens in April of 2022!

-- "On the farm" is Amy Johnson Crow's #52Ancestors challenge for week 37.

In Rome on September 11th

On September 11, 2001, hubby and I were vacationing in Rome. After learning of the deadly attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, we rushed to an Internet cafe to check on the safety of New York City family and friends--all OK, but in shock and mourning.

During the next few days, as we walked through the streets of Rome, we were approached by locals and tourists alike, who asked if were American and then offered condolences and comfort. 

We were visiting the Vatican Museum on Friday, September 15, when a solemn, multinational three-minute silence was observed. Everything and everyone paused throughout the Vatican and all of Rome and beyond, heads bowed as we held in our hearts the many lives lost and the many lives changed forever. Still remembered in our hearts, two decades later.

1950 US Census: Which Ancestors Were Working?

One of the key questions I hope will be answered by the release of 1950 US Census in April of 2022 is which of my ancestors were working, and their occupations.

Overall trends in 1950 employment

Shown in the above table from a US Census special report issued in 1953 is a comparison of how many men and women in each age group (14 and older) were working in 1950, compared with 1940. These aggregate statistics provide context for understanding the situations of my ancestors who were enumerated in 1950.

Notice that in the lower bar chart, significantly more women were working in 1950 (solid black bar) compared with the number working in 1940. The big exception is women aged 20-30ish. 

Given the unprecedented Baby Boom that took place from 1946 on, I suspect these women were taking care of children and homes, not working outside the home in 1950. That was the general pattern in my family tree, although some women were in the work force in addition to being wives and mothers. In most cases, my female ancestors were working as teachers, I understand from family documents and stories.

Occupations and "not working"

I'll be interested to see not just who's working, but what occupations they were pursuing. For the teachers, enumerators were supposed to note the subject being taught--a bonus detail for me as the family historian.

The Census also noted when people over age 14 were not working, and why. Enumerators the reason why someone was not in the labor force, classified as (1) keeping house, (2) unable to work, (3) in an institution, or (4) "other" - meaning students, retired, seasonal workers, etc. 

I expect a number of my ancestors to be in the "other" category of reasons for not working, due to retirement or being full-time students. 

Can't wait to find out when the 1950 Census is released next year.

-- "Work" is Amy Johnson Crow's theme for this week in the #52Ancestors challenge.

Looking for Free, Downloadable Genealogy Forms?

I really appreciate free, blank genealogy forms I can download and use in analyzing research sources and recording my family tree. 

Forms help me stay organized and record data in a standardized format. 

They're also great for sharing information with relatives and researchers.

Here are just four of the many sites that offer downloadable genealogy forms for free:

• FamilySearch. A great source of downloads for everything from blank Census forms (Canada, UK, US) to blank forms for pedigree charts and research logs. Scroll down for links to lots of other excellent sources of free downloadable sources (via Cyndi's List, and more).
• Misbach. Not all forms are free on this site, but there are good selections that cost nothing. I especially like the free pedigree charts and free 6-generation fan chart.
• National Genealogical Society. A bit of color adds to the readability and appeal of these free, downloadable charts. Just type in your info and these are ready to share. 
• Kentucky Genealogical Society. Whether or not you have Kentucky ancestors, these free downloadable charts are pretty and add a touch of color to your family tree details.

Although it's easy to electronically share these forms after I've entered data, I also like to print and put into my files (and send to relatives), as backup! Check whether your local genealogical society has forms for free download, or use one of these sources. Write it down so you and later generations will have the information you need.

Try Indexing Your Family History Materials

Have you tried indexing diaries, letters, and other family history materials inherited from your ancestors? There are four great reasons to index:

1. You can trace the movements and activities of ancestors through a period of time and notice gaps or changes that may reveal turning points in their lives.
2. You can compare details in these family documents with official government records and other formal records, to identify discrepancies or confirm info.
3. You and your relatives (and future researchers) can use the index to look up specific ancestors and turn to the proper place in any set of documents, instead of paging through to search.
4. You may discover new clues as you index, or by comparing the index with what you already know about your ancestors. Thanks to indexing my father-in-law's diaries, I was able to identify his first cousins in an old family photo! 

In the new edition of my best-selling genealogy book, Planning a Future for Your Family's Past, I include the sample index form shown at top, along with instructions for how to create an index. 

If created digitally, the index can be sorted and searched electronically. Entering the year first in the "date" column allows me to sort by year, handy when I'm comparing and contrasting multiple documents or events in family history. Similarly, entering names with surnames first allows sorting in that manner.

Remember to note who created the index and when. Also note where the original materials are located, especially important if you are designating an heir for your genealogy.

Please feel free to adapt my sample form to your own indexing projects. Who knows what you'll find as you read through family history again!

--

Planning a Future for Your Family's Past, 2d edition is now available in paperback from Amazon.com (US, UK, Canada, and other nations). Or preorder the ebook edition for delivery to your digital device on September 15th. Thank you!