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Plus feel good that some of your blog entries have been archived for the public, to be preserved and available into the future!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