Current Edition         More Expert Answers         Other Web Exclusive Items           .         Ethnic Toolkits Web Exclusive Forms Bookstore Soundex Code Generator Resources Writing Workshops Newsletter       Receive weekly research tips and leads on new resources via email.		AncestorNews: Complete Index Nancy Hendrickson, author of Finding Your Roots Online, points to new and helpful ways to do your computer-related genealogy research in this weekly, Web-exclusive column. A Fond and Heartfelt Farewell I started writing this column for Family Tree Magazine four years ago, and in that time, have received hundreds of e-mails from readers about the many topics I've covered. But now, the time has come to close out my AncestorNews column. Finding Homes for Family Photos On a recent trip I found myself in a small antique shop, sorting through a huge box of old family photos. I had no hopes of finding pictures of MY family, but I did want to take home a few pictures I could return to their rightful owners. Where are the Women? As any genealogist knows, finding a female ancestor can be a bear of a challenge. However, once known, it can open an entirely new field of research. Although there are several ways to locate female ancestors, one of my favorites is through death records. Ancestors in Print If you can find a book with stories about the early days of a place where your ancestor lived, it's possible you can find mention of your ancestor in print. To date, I've found three old tomes with references to my family. Ohio Land I wrote in the July 20 AncestorNews about my confusion finding a metes-and-bounds land record in Ohio, a public-land state. Thanks to Ernie Thode of the Washington County Public Library in Marietta, I learned that Ohio's land history is amazingly diverse. Get Thee To A Library I haven't spent much time researching my Brooks family line because I never knew anything more than the name of my fourth-great-grandmother Rachel Brooks. But on a recent trip to a local library, in reading through microfiche about people in Bureau County, Ill., I (finally!) stumbled upon a reference to Rachel's children and her father A Case of Neglect You might think I'm stuck on this cemetery preservation issue. At times, it feels like that to me too. But, a situation was recently brought to my attention that I want to share—and then I'll do my best to move on to other subjects. Exploring Swiss Roots In a past issue of this newsletter, I wrote about finding a book that traced my Shore family from Muttenz, Switzerland, to their new American home. Later, I was able to visit the Moravian colonies of Bethabara and Bethania, NC, the latter being where two of my Shore ancestors are buried. Since that time, I've gotten more curious about Swiss genealogy Your Stories A few weeks ago I wrote about family stories. I wanted to share one reader's response, as well as more thoughts on capturing family and local history stories. Tell Me a Story I'm feeling reflective today, and would like to share some family thoughts with you. I hope they trigger a thought or feeling about your own family. I've spent these last few days in Florida, attending the Bar Mitzvah of my nephew, Eli. Mustering up Civil War Sources Illinois has long led the nation is putting genealogical records online. Most recently, the state archives has added the Civil War Muster and Descriptive Rolls Database to its offerings. Cemetery Feedback Well my friends, the subject of private cemeteries and/or moving reamins from one cemetery to another seems to have opened a Pandora's box among readers! Your Thoughts on Private Burials I received so many notes in response to my Feb. 2 AncestorNews about cemetery access on private land, I wanted to share some of them, and also ask you about another cemetery topic. Private Burials When I was in North Carolina a few months ago, my friend David Cortner and I talked about accessing cemeteries that are on private land. He has a Tennessee ancestor buried on a private farm, and wondered if he could get access. Golden Book I always get a little envious when my genealogy friends talk about the letters and journals handed down in their families. Why couldn't my family have been so prolific with their pens? The desire to read about my ancestors' thoughts and feelings is one reason I was so taken with author Karen Sladek's book, Lucky Stars and Gold Bars: A World War II Odyssey. Blog for Free You've probably heard about blogs in news articles over the past few years. Short for Web logs, blogs are simply online diaries that people keep on every subject imaginable. Last October, I began experimenting with using a blog to track my online genealogy research. Holiday Musing and Organizational Ideas When I wrote in my last column about using Internet resources to track down a cemetery, one of our readers, Megan, reminded me about the Find A Grave Web site, which has information on millions of graves from around the world. Using the Internet to Find a Cemetery On my next trip to Missouri, I want to hunt up the Shore family cemetery, the burial place of my Moravian Shore (Schor) family who emigrated here from Switzerland in 1750. Although I know the cemetery exists (I've found reference to it in a Shore genealogy book) I wasn't sure of the exact location. The Internet to the rescue! On the Road As much as I love using the Internet for genealogy, there's absolutely nothing in the world as satisfying as visiting a family homestead. I can say this with certainty, as I spent all of yesterday at two Moravian villages in North Carolina—both homes for my Shore (also spelled Schor and Shor) family—and both leagues away from my usual San Diego digs. Photo Site-ings I've written many times about the value of joining state or county historical societies in the areas where your ancestors lived. And here I go again. Why? Because most historical societies serve as repositories for unique collections found nowhere else Treasure Map In going through my aunt and uncle's house after they passed away, my cousin and I found several items my aunt had clearly labeled for our (or future generations') benefit. One example is the writing slate pictured (click to enlarge it and read the note) and another is a Bible that had belonged to my aunt's grandfather—the label says it was given to her upon his death. Working Backward (and Sideways!) I'd like to share a recent breakthrough—one that proves that genealogy puzzles are often solved through less-than-direct methods. I found an ancestor, Aaron Hendrickson, on an 1860 Daviess County, Ind., census. The discovery was puzzling, because most of the family was in another Indiana county—not even a neighboring one. But, when I went backwards to the 1850 census in Daviess, I ran out of luck. Happily Ever After As you've probably discovered in your own research, sometimes the only way to scale a brick wall is to use genealogy's version of a back door. For me, this meant tracking down families who married into my family—and then researching the allied families' roots. Diversify and Strategize I'm frustrated. As readers of this column know, I've been on a tear of late, trying to break down my Hendrickson brick wall. A recent trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City yielded a few clues from journal articles as well as mentions of my family in various land records. However, I couldn't trace the family back any further. What to do? Free Books Online Thanks to a grant from the Andrew C. Mellon Foundation, and work by the University of Michigan and Cornell University, important texts documenting American social history from 1815 through 1926 are being scanned and placed online. Cut Computer Clutter A newsletter reader wrote me asking, "I'd love to see an article on ways to organize all the family genealogy folders on my computer. I have e-mails, digital books, photographs, vital records and more. I'm looking for a common system to apply to all families I research. Do you have any suggestions?" Yes, I do. Hoosier Genealogy Want to learn a little about your Indiana county? Check out the Indiana County History Preservation Society, a part-free, part subscription ($10 a year) site that's chock full of historical tidbits. Kentucky Land Records Because I've been hunting down Kentucky Hendricksons for a very long time, I was thrilled to discover a series of free, searchable Kentucky land records online. These records date from Revolutionary War Warrants to later patents. If you find your ancestor in one of these databases (lucky you!), you can download an image of the record or print it for your own records. Tricking Myself to Research Pre-1850 Censuses I know I'm not the only genealogist who hates looking at those pre-1850 censuses. These are the records that name only the head of household, with everyone else counted not by name, but by age and/or sex. There's just something about those columns of dits and dashes that makes me go cross-eyed. The Best of AncestorNews: Do You Know the History? Scratch a genealogist and you'll find a historian. It's impossible to research the family tree without learning at least something about the past. Our ancestors lived through migrations, natural disasters, wars and some of the world's greatest political debates. They discussed slavery, state's rights, the California gold rush, the Revolutionary War, the Declaration of Independence, a central government, the British burning of Washington, DC, the battle of Gettysburg, the gift of the Statue of Liberty, Custer's death and the latest fashions. The Best of AncestorNews: Ancestors on the Move Early American settlers traveled on coastal roads or rivers. The first real highway connected the southern and northern colonies, and hop-scotched the coastal cities of Charleston, Wilmington, Norfolk and north to Boston. Photographing Headstones Several months ago, I contacted a volunteer at a headstone photography projects about getting a photo of my third great-grandfather's tombstone, outside Atlanta. Grandpa was a Union soldier who died of disease in the closing months of the Civil War, and was buried far from his Missouri home. I wondered if any of his family had ever gone to visit—and of course I wanted a photo. Best of AncestorNews: Revolutionary War Ancestors I read a recent article in Time magazine about how Americans are cozying up to Revolutionary War-era politicians like never before. Supporting that theory is the popularity of books like David McCullough's John Adams (Simon & Schuster, $18.95) and Joseph Ellis' Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation (Vintage, $14). Best of AncestorNews: Republic of Texas Claims Although my direct line doesn't go through Texas, I have a side-branch that left Tennessee and settled in the area around present-day Groesbeck, as part of the Sterling C. Robertson colony. While searching for more information on my Texas ancestors, I discovered the Web site for Republic of Texas Claims. Best of AncestorNews: American Life Histories If your ancestors lived during the Civil War, you may not think you'd learn much about their lives from a project that began in 1936. You may be wrong. Best of AncestorNews: The Soddie An update of Hendrickson's column on the sod houses that may have sheltered your pioneer ancestors. These dirt dwellings were common on the prairies, where trees were few and far between. Surfing for Surnames Wouldn't it be great to find a Web site containing research on your surname? Maybe you can—here's how to track it down. Cyndi's List alone lists more than 5,000 personal Web sites—almost all of them surname specific—however, you may not find the site in Cyndi's alphabetical listing of Surnames, Family Associations & Family Newsletters. Civil War Sources On Sept. 27, 2004, a special ceremony at Ford's Theatre National Historic Site commemorated the completion of the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database (CWSS). This online, searchable database contains 6.3 million names of Civil War veterans, both Union and Confederate. The Results Are In Just a quick note that the results of my mitochondrial DNA test (mtDNA, for short), which examines the direct maternal line, came back and I got quite a surprise. I assumed that I'd belong to haplogroup H—denoting the most common European heritage. Instead, I'm in haplogroup K—a lineage that originated many thousands of years ago in what's now northern Italy. Leap of Science If you've received the February 2005 issue of Family Tree Magazine, you've probably already read Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak's article, Demystifying DNA. In it, Smolenyak (also co-author of Trace Your Roots With DNA), does a bang-up job of explaining how DNA testing can and can't help with genealogical brick walls—all in terms the non-scientists among us can understand. Finding Your Way Through History If you've read enough of my newsletter articles, you know that I've always loved maps. In fact, one of my prized possessions is an historic Missouri map, printed when Oklahoma was still called Indian Territory. The map hangs in my office, not far from the pile of gazetteers stacked on my desk. Genealogical Serendipity One of my favorite things about Internet genealogy is meeting distant relatives. Although weÕve never sat down over a cup of coffee weÕve exchanged old photos, family stories and GEDCOMs. (A GEDCOM, by the way, is the universal computer file format for sharing family tree data.) In fact, my "Internet cousins" are just as much a part of my family as the ones IÕve met in person. Words Get in the Way As a child of the typewriter/computer generation, I've always had trouble reading cursive writing. Even as a young adult, I'd ask my mom to read my grandmother's letters to me because I couldn't decipher several of her words. Imagine my dismay when genealogy research took me into 19th-century wills, 18th-century property records and the scribblings of your average census taker. Count on County Histories While going through my aunt and uncle's book collection, I rescued a copy of Annals of Platte County, Missouri, published in 1897. The book was a gem of a find: In case you're not familiar with county histories, they're among the most coveted of local printed resources. No Strings Attached I've had a wireless card in my laptop for a few years now, but only used it if I had a meeting at a company or cafe that had free Wi-Fi. Recently, though, I purchased a wireless router for my desktop. It lets me go wireless anywhere in my house, and I'm wondering why I waited so long. Better Letters Although my aunt passed away two years ago, my cousin waited until her father was also gone before beginning the monumental task of sorting through everything in their house. The most poignant treasures were the letters that went back and forth between my aunt and my grandmother (her mother). It was in those that I learned how much they meant to one another, and how life really unfolded for the family from the 1930s and beyond. Jumping Off As many of you probably know, my hometown of St. Joseph, Mo., was a jumping-off place for thousands of pioneers heading west to Oregon, Utah and California. Like those pioneers, new adventurers on the genealogy highway need a jumping-off place, too, to help even the most novice of novices get started in finding their ancestors online. Fortunately, the Internet is populated with lots of them. Present the Past I know a lot has been written in the last year or so about the marriage of genealogy to scrapbooking. As a certified creative klutz, I've steered clear of doing much scrapbooking; however, a package created by my aunt changed that. Aunt Helen, my dad's sister, put together a kind of genealogical "grab bag" —a collection of photos, marriage certificates, calling cards, and her own memories of childhood. Treasure Hunting I was inspired to search the Web for ancestral artifacts after reading the October 2004 Family Tree Magazine article by associate editor Lauren Eisenstodt about how to research and preserve family heirlooms. One of the sites I routinely check in hopes of finding family artifacts (or at least objects related to places my family lived) is Your Past Connections. Missing Links I recently received an e-mail from a frustrated reader who couldn't find a Web site I mentioned in a previous AncestorNews column. As you know, Web site addresses (called URLs) can change at a moment's notice. In some instances, Webmasters simply move their pages to a new host; in others, they may rename a page, or incorporate information into a new page. What's a genealogist to do? DNA Deliberation I'm seriously considering using DNA testing to help break open a couple of extremely difficult family lines. If you haven't been following the news recently, DNA testing (once used just for proving paternity and solving crimes) is becoming a hot topic in genealogy—primarily as a way of breaking through brick walls. Yesterday's News Since most genealogy software can now generate timelines, I thought it would be fun to dig a little deeper into the current events of my ancestors' lives. For example, my great-grandmother, Ella Snow, was born on March 19, 1857. During her lifetime, Queen Victoria ruled England, the Homestead Act opened the west, the Russians sold us Alaska, General Custer was killed at the Battle of Little Bighorn and a hurricane killed 8,000 people in Galveston, Texas. Old-Fashioned Fourth The Fourth of July has just passed, and I wonder how you celebrated this most American of holidays. I picture red and white checked tablecloths spread on a picnic table (this must be an image from childhood), a huge bowl of mom's potato salad, barbecued burgers, baked beans, and homemade lemon meringue pie. Later, kids running around with sparklers while the adults ooh and ahh over a fireworks display. Interesting how those images remain for a lifetime, isn't it? Blog Your Family A couple of years ago, an interesting phenomenon hit the Web. Called a WebLog (or blog for short), it gave people who didn't want to build Web pages a way to have a site without the HTML headache. (HTML, as you probably know, stands for Hypertext Markup Language—the code used to write Web pages.) Since then, blogs have been used for every topic on Earth, including genealogy. Remember When? In a recent Time magazine essay, Garrison Keillor wrote about a European trip he took with his two brothers and a sister. Keillor noted that during the trip the siblings talked about events from their childhood in a way they couldn't have, if non-siblings had been present. And, although they had known each other a lifetime, stories came out that Keillor had never heard before. Think of a Theme I have to admit that I'm not one of the world's most craft-savvy people. But, klutzy as I am, I do have an interest in scrapbooking. And like most people who are new to the hobby, I get hung up with "where do I begin?" syndrome. I've recently been thinking about theme albums (I know, this is old hat for you scrappers!)—how best to use them for preserving my family history and for prompting me to learn even more about my family tree. Be a Do-Gooder Genealogy is a hobby (or should I say passion?) filled with kind-hearted people who are willing to help however they can. For Marian Schlicher, it meant digging through records, then digging through debris to find the long-lost gravesite of my my great-great-grandparents. Others may help with a free lookup, copying a page from an out-of-print-book or photographing a tombstone. A Smattering of Statistics Genealogists traditionally use the federal census as a tool for tracking family. However, in a broader sense, the census offers a statistical analysis of the communities where our ancestors lived and how they made their living. It tracks the westward expansion and the massing into the cities. It notes the decline of the small farm and the rise of industry. The census takes a community's pulse, then calculates the health of the population and economy. Utah-Bound During the first week of May, my sister Vicki and I will join two members of the San Diego Genealogical Society in Salt Lake City. There, at the Church of jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Family History Library, I hope to crack one of my toughest research puzzles: the Hendricksons. Search Engine Strategies For those of you who've read my book, Finding Your Roots Online, you'll know that one of my favorite ancestor-finding tools is a run-of-the-mill search engine. Using search engine "math"—Boolean operators such as or, + ( which means and) and - (means not)—genealogists can construct complex searches that eliminate millions of irrelevant sites. States of Mind Have you ever noticed that lots of online transcripts exist for some states, and very few for others? Unfortunately, my research often takes me to the "few" end of the stick. Lately, though, I've moved into two states that have some excellent material online—Pennsylvania and Ohio. Where to Look for Books If you've read my column for any length of time, you know that one of my favorite genealogy pursuits is haunting used bookstores online. That's because I've found some incredible family tales in old books. The one I like best, hands down, is about how an ancestor shot a stove instead of a buffalo. You gotta love it. Digital-Image Dos This year, in yet another attempt to organize my genealogy research, I'm in the process of digitizing as many records as possible, then maintaining a master file containing the name of the digital image as well as a brief description of the record. For this phase of the game plan, I'm just using my word processing program. Magazine Scene The January 2004 issue of the Civil War magazine, North & South, featured a cover story about the 1862 battle of Lone Jack, Missouri—the little town where my ancestors moved in the 1830s. Among the civilian casualties during this "most savage" battle was Lucinda Cave, hostess of the Cave Hotel and wife of my four-times-removed cousin. New Year, New Queries I love January—the time for reorganization and renewal. For getting myself and my records reorganized, I always bow to the wisdom of Sharon Carmack and her must-read book, Organizing Your Family History Search. For renewal, I turn to the Internet and start posting new queries. More on Moravians More than a year ago, I discovered a connection to a Shore (Schor) family—Moravians who emigrated from Switzerland in the 1700s. Apparently, the Moravians were followers of a Czech priest named Jan Hus, who attempted to reform the Catholic Church about 600 years ago. Saving Family Memories From Natural Disasters Most of you probably read about the horrible wildfires that burned through San Diego County last month. Although part of my family was evacuated during the first few days, all of our homes were safe. Hundreds of other people weren't so lucky. Happy Holidays From Your Ancestors If you're like me, the time between Thanksgiving and New Years Day is so busy, your genealogy research is put on the back burner. But this year I decided to incorporate a little genealogy into my holiday festivities. How? By creating an ancestral greeting card. Preserving Your Research I've heard horror stories about avid genealogists passing away and their families tossing their many years of research in the trash. Say it ain't so! Clearly, those of you who are reading this column are the family's appointed genealogists. You're the keeper of the records, but what happens to those records after you're gone? A sobering thought, yes? Label Logic When I was in Kansas last fall, I looked through my grandmother's photo album with my aunt, and I remember wondering about the people whose pictures weren't labeled. Since they were in grandma's family album, it's a good bet they were relatives, but who they were, I'll never know. Recording Oral Histories One of the first things genealogists learn is to collect data at home, including birth certificates, baptismal records, obituaries, school records and funeral cards. In addition, it's critical to talk to older relatives about the family members they knew, and those they remember hearing about. Museums off the Beaten Path When my sister and I were traveling through Nebraska, we stopped at the North Platte Valley Museum in Gering. The museum is a short distance from Scotts Bluff—a major stopping place along the Oregon Trail. The museum itself, although small, was one of the best I've ever seen for displaying local history. Genealogy Travel Who hasn't dreamed of visiting an ancestral village in Europe or Asia? I know I have. Wouldn't it be fun to walk the streets your ancestors walked, or actually stand in a house one of them built? Thanks to a book I found on my Shore family line, I know the location of an ancestral home in Switzerland—and by poking around the Internet, I know the house still stands. What do you think—should I go? Land Records Over the weekend I bought a copy of Patricia Law Hatcher's new book, Locating Your Roots: Discover Your Ancestors Using Land Records. Hatcher does a great job of explaining the importance of land records, how to find them, the genealogical clues they contain, and figuring out exactly how and to whom the land was transferred. This is definitely a two-thumbs-up book. Backdoor Genealogy Sometimes the only way to crack a tough family line is through a backdoor—an indirect route to your direct ancestor through siblings, friends or a spouse's line. A recent example of backdoor (or cluster) genealogy came in an e-mail from my Internet cousin, Judy Richardson. Going to the Courthouse Although I love Internet genealogy, it doesn't compare to on-site research, particularly in old courthouses. The amount of genealogical information sitting in county courthouses is staggering. Depending on the individual county, you can find birth, marriage, death and land records; probate files (gems!); and wills. The probate files, in particular, can contain a will, an inventory of the estate, a list of beneficiaries, records of an auction, a final accounting of the estate, and bills or receipts. July Fourth Traditions While most families celebrate the Fourth of July with picnics, barbecues and fireworks, I spend part of the day inside watching a video of 1776, the musical that tells the story of the Continental Congress in the few days leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I love being reminded of the hard work—and heart-breaking compromises—it took to birth a nation. Many of us had families who lived through that historic year and the years of revolution that followed. I often wonder if Adams, Franklin and Jefferson had any idea that their new nation would last so long and that we would still be celebrating the day America was born. Quaker Roots For years, I'd heard other genealogists talk about Quaker records, but it wasn't until I discovered my own Quaker roots that I appreciated what the fuss was all about. According to some experts, the Quakers kept the most detailed records of any church, save the Church of England. Of particular interest are the records of the monthly meetings, which include notes on births, deaths and marriages, as well as notes about attendance and certificates of removal. Because Quakers were required to marry other Quakers, once you find one Quaker ancestor, you'll probably find many others. How Did They Vote? Have you noticed how often we group our ancestors into tidy little groups such as "my Germans" or "my Texans"? After all, categorizing our ancestors is an easy way to convey which branch of the family we're currently researching. But the people within those groups were individuals with different views—sometimes very different views when it came to politics. How Well Do You Know Your Software? Do you know your genealogy software backward and forward, or do you just input data and call it a day? If you're like me, you may end up missing a cool tool because you didn't read the manual. I realized this when my aunt Helen asked if I remembered April 20 was my grandparents' 90th wedding anniversary. I hadn't, but I should have. Genealogy Web Rings Want a new way to search for your ancestors? Instead of surfing to the big database sites or using search engines, why not explore the fun world of Web rings? A Web ring is a group of related Web sites, all linked to one another. Finding the Details in Old Photos A friend of mine will be traveling to Denmark this fall to do on-site ancestral research. While preparing for her trip, she ran across a postcard-sized photo taken in Denmark that showed several men on board a fishing boat. Free Ancestry Databases Everyone knows that Ancestry.com www.ancestry.com has millions of genealogy databases available to subscribers. But did you know that several of those databases are free to all site visitors? Hometown Postcard Lately, I've been searching for antique hometown postcards—those beautiful old linen cards that depict the towns where my ancestors lived. Using eBay www.ebay.com, I've located and purchased (usually for less than $5) postcards of St. Joseph, Unionville, and Harris, Mo. Bookmark These Sites I don't know about you, but I forever need quick bits of information, such as a statehood date or where to write for Dad's death certificate. To help me get information fast, I got organized and made a separate folder in the Favorites or Bookmark section of my browser. Guarding Your Privacy I love the Internet for the world of information it offers, but dislike it for the invasion of my privacy. On one hand, I can purchase spam-blocking software to keep out unwanted junk mail; on the other, I have little control over my address appearing in online databases. I like the convenience of online ordering, but at the same time, I know my e-mail address can be sold to just about anyone. Talk about a double-edged sword! Genealogical Freebies Free online data is usually available thanks to the kindness and hard work of individual volunteers. One of the best examples of volunteerism at work is USGenWeb www.usgenweb.com, a massive site with individual pages for every U.S. county— all maintained by volunteers. War of 1812 Records For many Americans, the War of 1812 remains an enigma, and for no small reason. Unlike the Revolution before and the Civil War following, it wasn't about independence or freedom. Instead, "Mr. Madison's War" was all about special interests. Death Records One bit of information on a death record can open the doors to even your toughest research problem—at least that was the case for me. Although I'd searched at length for information on my great-great grandparents, I made little progress until I ordered my great grandfather's death records. What was the clue? His mother's maiden name. Once I had that, I quickly located marriage records and broke down another of those blasted brick walls. Daily Life in the Civil War When I saw the movie "Gods and Generals," I started thinking about how hard it is to comprehend the daily life of our Civil War ancestors—both soldiers and civilians. I have a fairly extensive library of pioneer women's diaries, and because they really do give a clear picture of day-to-day life, I decided to look for Civil War diaries and letters on the Internet. Wedding Dress Revisited A few months ago, I wrote about receiving my grandmother's wedding dress and my concerns over its preservation. Several of you wrote and asked for more information. Ask and ye shall receive. Researcher Beware! At a recent meeting of the TechnoTrees, a group of San Diego genealogists who use personal digital assistants (PDAs), the discussion turned to problems with errors in the federal census or mistakes in census indexing. For Sale On my trip to Cass County, Mo., last October, I received copies of the Cass County 1880 and 1900 censuses, both compiled and sold by the local genealogy society. Be My Valentine I recently acquired a Valentine that my grandmother's younger sister sent to her around 1915. Although the card is more than 80 years old, the color is still vivid and the lace paper is in fairly good condition. Picture Finder When I put together my family history book, I tried to add as many photos as possible. Having all the data was great, but photos added that special touch. Buy the Book Dear Friends, I need your help. As many of you know, I've written a book titled Finding Your Roots Online, and it's scheduled for release in April. Readers Respond With Treasures of Their Own Thanks for your responses to my request for family treasure stories. I'd like to share a few of them with you. Preserving Priceless Family Treasures A few days before Christmas, my cousin arrived at my house with a priceless treasure—my grandmother's wedding dress. I'd love to hear about your special family treasure. New Year's Musings I had a great holiday season. I used Legacy Family Tree (which I love as a genealogy program) to create family history books for each family member. Happy Holidays As a new year grows closer, I'd like to thank all of you for the many notes and letters you've written in response to this column. Holiday Traditions Most families have holiday traditions, but do you know how your ancestors might have celebrated the season? Pioneer Certificates Did you know that several genealogy societies offer "pioneer certificates" to direct descendants of people whose family settled in a certain area before a specific date? Some societies even offer more than one type of certificate. Portals to Your Pedigree A genealogy portal is a Web site that acts as a door to hundreds of other sites. The most well-known portal is probably Cyndi's List (www.cyndislist.com), which links to more than 178,000 other genealogy sites. Although you won't find your ancestor on a portal site, you will find links to help in your research. Start with Small Projects True of false: Putting together a family Web site carries the same challenge as writing a family genealogy. False! A genealogy Web site—much like our genealogy research itself—is a work in progress. So why wait until you've completed your research to begin building your site? Have fun with small projects. Historic Trees During my October trip to Missouri and Kansas, I spent a day doing research in Putnam and Sullivan Counties, Mo. The area's beautiful rolling countryside was home to my Knox and Dearing families. I stopped in Unionville, Mo., at the courthouse, which is surrounded by 10 trees grown from "historic roots." Readers Respond and Published Family Genealogies When Phyllis Smith read my column on quilts, she sent me a note about a history quilt she had helped create. Phyllis and other members of the Kalamazoo chapter of the Embroiderers Guild of America created a quilt about the history of Kalamazoo, Mich. Final Word on Cemeteries, Quilts and Family History Adventures As you know, I finally (after decades) got to see the resting place of my great-great-grandparents, John and Lydia Ann Hendrickson. It was an unforgettable day, thanks in great part to the Cass County Genealogical Society, Inc. My gratitude goes out to Jo Ann, Carolyn, Marian and everyone who helped. As promised, I posted the photos of the cemetery trip online at www.nancyhendrickson.com/cemetery. Check them out and let me know what you think. Yahoo! (And I Don't Mean the Web site) It started with the kindness of strangers. After posting a note in this newsletter about my trip to Cass County, Mo., in search of my great-great-grandparents' burial site, I was contacted by Jo Ann Van Meter of Harrisonville, Mo., who offered to help. Farms, Cemeteries and Quilts Greetings from Kansas and Missouri! I won't be visiting the Cass County cemetery in search of great-great-grandfather John Hendrickson's grave until this newsletter has already gone to press—so be sure to tune in next week for more exciting news. The Excitement Grows Thanks to the many readers who responded with tips about my Missouri trip. I leave in two days and already have exciting news to report. One of our readers, Jo Ann Van Meter, e-mailed me with information that she lived in the town where my elusive cemetery is located. Goin' to Missouri As some of you may recall, a few months ago I mentioned a quandary I found myself in—should I wait for someone in Missouri to photograph a tombstone I'd already waited more than a year to see, or try to track it down myself? Well, after much thought and several phone calls, I'm leaving for Missouri. Your Own Newsletter Since you're getting this newsletter every week, you already know how exciting it can be to get the latest genealogy news delivered directly to you via e-mail. Did you ever think about publishing your own family genealogy newsletter? Once a week or every month, you could send an e-mail to your online family members letting them know about your family research, while keeping them up to date on the latest family news. Back-to-Basics Books I wish I could say I know everything there is to know about genealogy, but it just isn't so. Like many people, I routinely run into genealogical subjects that send me running for a reference book. The good news is that lots of great books are out there. Biographies The odds of finding mention of your ancestor in a printed biography are better than you might imagine. Many small towns printed centennial books or booklets, which often mentioned early settlers in the region. It is also common to find a county history chock-full of biographies. Finding Family on the Internet My Aunt Helen in incredibly adept at finding family on the Internet. Her secret, she tells me, is just to type in what she wants to find, and voila—there it is. I've often used this search strategy on Google.com, particularly if I'm looking for an unusual name or place. Memory Gardens in Readers' Backyards Thanks to everyone who wrote about their memory gardens. I had no idea these "family" gardens were so popular. I hope these notes from readers give you as many ideas for memory gardens as they gave me. Memory Gardens When Frances Miers Muller wrote me a couple of months ago about the milk and wine lily that originally grew at the family's Waco home, I started thinking about creating a "memory garden." This is a garden of plants that have a special family meaning or association with a family member or event. Your Favorite Family Cemeteries I wrote last week about my favorite cemetery and invited you to respond. Thanks to all readers who wrote me with their comments and thoughts about favorite cemeteries. Old Cemeteries I've always liked poking around old cemeteries—even ones that were unrelated to my family. I especially like the artistry on some of the old markers—it seemed to tell a more in-depth story about the people than just an inscription. Readers Respond to Cookbooks and Applesauce Cake Thank you so much for all the e-mails about Mom's applesauce cake and your family cookbooks. I got so many great ideas for family cookbooks that I've decided to revamp my original plan. Hope you enjoy everyone's creative input—and the recipe. Mom's Applesauce Cake Preserving family recipes is becoming a real interest of mine—and one I wish I'd started earlier. With a word processor and digital photography, whipping up a book of family recipes will be a snap. However, I want more than just a cookbook—I want accompanying notes about why the recipe is special. For example, my mom used to make a fancy breakfast roll to have on Christmas morning. I can remember the yeast smell as that bread rose and know that it's stored in the "Christmas memory" part of my brain. The Whole World in Your Hand While on my recent Northern Plains adventure, I took along mapping software and a handheld GPS unit. A GPS is a palm-sized gizmo that uses satellites to tell you exactly where on earth you're located. Hikers can use a GPS to electronically mark their trail, then turn around and get back to where they started. Fishermen can use them to mark (and then relocate) their favorite backwoods fishing hole. Keeping the Stories Alive On Friday, my 86-year-old aunt Lu suffered what the doctors termed a catastrophic stroke. As I write this column, I'm sitting by her bed in the intensive care unit, waiting for her to be transferred to hospice. Odd, isn't it, that at a time like this, my thoughts turn to genealogy—but maybe not so odd, considering Aunt Lu is my oldest living relative and has been the teller of so many family stories. Starting Your Own Family Newsletter I wrote an article for the August 2000 Family Tree Magazine on electronic family newsletters. Since then, I've gotten interested in newsletters that are actually printed and sent via snail mail. I've poked around lots of Web sites and am tempted to get into the family publishing game. I've published two print newsletters in the past and am itching to do another! Not-So-Distant Ancestors I get so caught up in searching for long-ago ancestors that I rarely take time to research anything about my immediate family. However, I recently ran across a Web site that reminded me of the incredible history surrounding the lives of our World War II ancestors. Sunflower State Settlers Since I wrote about Missouri in another column, I'm going to indulge myself and write about another state close to my heart: Kansas. If my Aunt Helen in Hiawatha, Kan., is reading this, send German chocolate cake! Your Hometowns A few weeks ago, I wrote about my hometown, St. Joseph, Mo., and asked you to tell me what your special hometowns were and why. Several of you responded with tales of towns in your family histories. Our Readers Respond: Preserving Family Mementos Thanks to everyone who responded to my column on preserving family mementos. If you're looking for more great preservation ideas, check out these great ideas sent in by our readers. Jumping Off Not long ago, I wondered how many of our ancestors traveled west by way of St. Joseph, Mo. I surfed the Net, but wasn't able to find any solid numbers. Since it was the major jumping-off place for the Oregon Trail, I'm guessing tens of thousands hitched up their teams at St. Joe, and then shoved off for new horizons. That *#(@) Brick Wall! I'm frustrated! No matter where I look, I CANNOT trace my Hendrickson line past a fellow named Separate Hendrickson, whose son, William, was born in Mercer County, Ky., in 1749. However, while researching online, I found a wonderful site called Sources of Genealogical Information. The site contains a list compiled by Joanne (Todd) Rabun of KindredKeepsakes, suggesting different types of records to search when you've hit a dead end. Family Mementos I love scanning and taking digital photos of family mementos, then importing them into my genealogy software program. They make such a great addition to the reports I print and sent along to family members. Some of the items I've imported are a Valentine sent to my dad sometime in the 1920s, one of my grandmother's dance cards, and a factory badge that belonged to my grandfather. One-Track Mind I had lunch recently with Phyllis Quarg and Pam Journey of the San Diego Genealogical Society. Phyllis and Pam are planning a late April trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, and I wanted to hear about it. Since my trip to the Northern Plains is over the same dates, I had to pass on Salt Lake. Hopefully, though, I'll get there later in the year. I asked Phyllis if she went to the library with a specific game plan. She told me it's best to go with one problem to solve, plus another as a back-up. Her advice was "don't go and try to solve every problem in your pedigree chart." Readers with Patriot Roots Respond Thanks to everyone who responded to last week's column about joining Revolutionary War lineage societies. Some of you, like Susan Carleton, are just getting started. In fact, Susan wrote, "What a coincidence, to see your article about the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) ... my own application materials just dropped through the letterbox yesterday, and I'm a bit overwhelmed. My daughter was born on the Fourth of July, so of course I'd love to see her in the organization." Our Revolutionary Ancestors Although I've been aware of having Revolutionary War ancestors, I've never done anything about proving the line in order to join a lineage society such as the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) or Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). In fact, I think I have five separate lines that can be traced to a Revolutionary soldier. Finding People How do you find living people online? The quickest and often the easiest way is to use one of the online "people" search engines like Switchboard.com. You can enter a person's name and the city you think they may live in and the system will do a thorough search. The results will include an address, phone number, and in some cases an e-mail address. Family Reunions Last May, I wrote about the Boozell Family Reunion that Phyllis Quarg (former president of the San Diego Genealogical Society) had planned in York, Pa. I had lunch with Phyllis last week and heard how successful the reunion had been. Do you have the bug to reunite family? If so, it's not too early to start planning: PDAs—Again! As AncestorNews readers know, I'm a great fan of using personal digital assistants (PDAs) as genealogy tools. PDAs (also known as handheld computers) include the variety of machines that run on the Palm operating system or a version of Windows. PalmOS machines include the Palm, Handspring Visor, Sony Clie and HandEra. Popular Pocket PCs are Compaq IPAQ, HP Jornada, NEC MobilePro and the Casio. Letters as Genealogy Gems E-mail is one of the greatest inventions to come down the pike. It's kept me in touch with more people, more frequently, and made communicating genealogy information a breeze. However, as I dash off a quick e-note, I often compare my sparse prose with letters written long before cyberspace. Readers' Advice for Genealogy Trips Last week I wrote about a road trip I'm planning to Kansas and Missouri. Although my main goal is to get photos of where my great-great-grandparents are buried, I also want to poke into a few courthouses along the way. I asked everyone for suggestions for my trip and wow, did I get some great ideas! Taking a Genealogy Trip About a month ago, I wrote a piece for this newsletter called "Patience (Blast It!)," in which I described my difficulty getting a cemetery photograph. I asked readers for their opinion on whether I should wait for a volunteer to get the photo, or drive 2,000 miles and get it myself. Your overwhelming response was "GET IN THE CAR!!!" OK, I get the message! Discovering Your Female Ancestors As any genealogist knows, finding a female ancestor can be a bear of a challenge. However, once known, it can open an entirely new field of research. Although there are several ways to locate female ancestors, one of my favorites is through death records. Hunting Down History As you've probably discovered, if you're going to do family research, you'll need to become an historian. For me, part of the fun is reading about historical events that took place during my ancestors' lives, and reading about their local history. And you might be surprised at the types of books that contain this type of information. Finding Your Ancestors in Print If you can find a book with stories about the early days of a place where your ancestor lived, it's possible you can find mention of your ancestor in print. To date, I've found three: the Texas book, one about Indian raids in Lincoln County, Kan., and the other stories from Fisher's River, NC. Going Digital Digital photography is great for genealogists. There's something magical about snapping a photo (although a digital camera doesn't really "snap") and instantly downloading it to the computer where I can manipulate the image, print it or send it up to my Web site. In addition, digitals make it easy to shoot old family photos; my trips to the photo lab to get duplicates of treasured photos are a thing of the past. I even bought an adapter, which allows me to digitally re-shoot my thousands of 35mm slides. Free Lookups While searching for marriage records, I ran across a great source of free lookups on Ancestral Findings. This site offers free lookups of marriage, birth, death, immigration, land, military and census records in dozens of different resources. Republic of Texas Claims Although my direct line doesn't go through Texas, I have a side branch that left Tennessee and settled in the area around present-day Groesbeck as part of the Sterling C. Robertson colony. While searching for more information on my Texas ancestors, I discovered the Web site for Republic of Texas Claims. Patience (Blast It!) For years, I tried without success to track down my great-great-grandfather, John Hendrickson. When I finally located his marriage records, I was sure that particular brick wall was obliterated. My hopes went even higher as I found information (thanks to my Internet cousin, Gene Bird) about John pioneering in Kansas following the Civil War. I lost track of John for a few years, then finally found him again in a 1900 census, when he was living with his daughter. After that, he once again disappeared. New Year's Resolutions I'll admit it. I'm not much for making (or keeping) resolutions. However, this year I'm feeling the need to muster up some resolve about my genealogy research. So far, I've decided to do these 10 things. Dead Fred While doing research for a book I'm writing, I found a great Web site called Dead Fred: The Original Genealogy Photo Archive. Dead Fred is a searchable genealogy archive site containing thousands of photos. The site was started by a fellow named Joe Bott, and is named for Germany's Frederick III, the ruler at the time Joe's great-great-grandfather was born. Obituaries Revisited What can you find in an obituary? Lots of goodies: Place of birth, names of parents and siblings, names of children and their spouses, cause of death, place of death, place of burial, profession, religious affiliation, name of church. And, if you're lucky, a brief glimpse into personality. Genealogy Co-op One of the things I like about genealogy people is their spirit of cooperation. I recently discovered a Web site that reflects such a spirit. It's part of the Alberta (Canada) Family Histories Society and is called the Canadian Genealogical Projects Registry. The AFHS created the project as a place for genealogical societies and genealogists to post projects they are working on. The AFHS hoped that by creating a central registry, it would help family searchers discover what projects are underway and prevent duplication of one another's work. What's in a (Sur)Name? Surnames haven't been around that long—generally since the Middle Ages. They were derived from a person's occupation, nickname, where they lived, or the name of the person's father. For example, in Ireland, "Mac" as part of the name meant "son of." Surnames based on occupations include Miller, Carpenter and Baker. Want to learn more about surnames? These are a few of my favorite sites. Territorial Maps If you're interested in looking at territorial maps, I found a couple of great Web sites that will help you find them. I'm planning on adding these maps to my genealogy software program. Then, when I print out a family history, I can also print out a map of what the world looked like during my ancestor's lifetime. Get Organized I made the unfortunate discovery that I'm not quite as organized as I thought when my sister wanted to create a scrapbook page of our grandparents' wedding day. If you have a system for handling family tree data that comes in the mail, I'd love to hear about it. Until I hear from you, I'm going to delve into these online sites. The Local Advantage If you need to do family research, but live hundreds or thousands of miles away from the family homestead, your best offline bet for finding information is a local historical society. Most historical societies serve as repositories for some of the most eclectic information imaginable. Some have old newspapers, others railroad employment records, and still others own rare and out-of-print local history books. In addition, some societies sell books containing land or cemetery records. Family Secrets Recipes are a part of family heritage. Just like diaries and letters, they provide a glimpse into an almost forgotten past—a past that needs to be preserved. What's the best way to preserve your own recipes, as well as those of your ancestors, for future generations? You can make them a part of your genealogy software, create a family cookbook, add them to a Web page or write them down in a special journal bought just for this purpose. Arizona Pioneers Although none of my ancestors settled in this area, I'm intrigued by the people courageous enough to go west when things were still wild—and who stayed long enough to build a home. Were your ancestors Arizona pioneers? Here are a few great Arizona resources for tracing your Grand Canyon State family tree. Online Marriage Indexes There are an increasing number of online marriage databases, including the Western States Marriage Record index. This index has been extracted from counties in the Western part of the United States, including Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon and California. This is not a complete index, but so far there are 267,000 records in the searchable database. Additional records are being added daily. The Last Word Through obituaries, I have learned about my ancestors' professions, their personal history, their relatives, and a bit about their character. The obituaries have added a depth that would be difficult for me to learn anywhere else, except by first-hand experience. Is there an obituary of your ancestor on the Web? Here are a few places to begin your search. Andersonville and Other Civil War Prison Camps As Civil War researchers know, Andersonville was one of the most notorious Confederate prisons. During the year and a half that Andersonville was in operation, nearly 13,000 Union soldiers died there, mainly of malnutrition and disease. Imprisonment at Andersonville was often synonymous with a death sentence. Check out these sites to learn more about Civil War prison camps. Do You Know the History? Scratch a genealogist and you'll find a historian. It's impossible to research the family tree without learning at least something about the past. Learning about history is easy—thanks to the Web. We've gathered some of our favorite history sites. Maps on the Web Maps can be used to pin down an exact location, trace a county boundary line and make an educated guess about migration routes. Period maps, drawn before Mother Nature and the Corps of Engineers changed the course of rivers, will also give you a real feel for the landscape your ancestor knew well. The Internet has dozens of great map sites. A Vitally Important Source Death, marriage, birth and divorce records are known as vital records. They play a critical role in genealogical research because they are the official documentation of our lives. Vital records contain important names and dates, and are among the most important documents in our research. To learn more about vital records, and where to find them, we've gathered these resources. E-mail Etiquette E-mail correspondence is wonderful—in seconds, messages fly around the globe, and family members can share family trees instantly. However, sometimes we put a little less effort into composing our e-mails than we do our regular letters. If you'd like to hone your e-mail skills, these sites will help you earn an A-plus from the Emily Post of online correspondence! A Different Kind of Search Doing a simple search on a non-genealogy search engine is not the best technique for all researchers, particularly if you are hunting for your Smith or Jones family. Plug in an unusual name, however, and the search engine can find some of the most oddball (and useful) Web references to your ancestor. Telling Tales Oral history involves the interviewing of a person about an event they witnessed (or were told about) and relies on their memory of the event. Of course, memories are subjective—but they oftentimes contain nuggets of family lore that will never be found in print. If you want to do oral history, here are a few of our favorite Web sites to get you started. Peek into Past Lives Was your ancestor on the Oregon Trail, a California gold rush miner or an Army wife on the frontier? If so, you may be one of the lucky ones whose family kept historic diaries or journals. However, your family, like mine, may own only a few photos and little else. If that's the case, you may have to rely on published journals for a peek into their great adventures. Learn Genealogy—For Free! Because expanding our research capabilities is so important, I recommend that everyone continue their genealogical education. Many local societies, libraries and Family History Centers offer free or almost-free classes. If you can't find any near you, look online. You may be surprised at the number of free classes available on the Internet. History on the Net To flesh out our ancestors' lives—to understand the why's—we need to be familiar with their world. By knowing something about social customs, politics, language, food, work conditions and wages, we'll be that much closer to walking a mile in their shoes. We'll never join in their conversation over dinner, but we can know what they ate and the current topics they may have discussed. Thanks to the Internet, we can explore our ancestors' history more easily than at any time in the past. To begin your historical journey, visit these sites. Civil War Prisons More than 13,000 Union prisoners of war died at Andersonville prison during the Civil War. Andersonville was not the only Civil War prison, and its deplorable conditions were more the norm than the exception. If your Civil War ancestor spent time in a prison, you'll find more information about conditions and daily life on these Web sites. Bragging Rights If you haven't visited the Family Tree Magazine Web site at www.familytreemagazine.com lately, you're missing out on a tremendous resource. I was recently on the site, looking back at articles I've written for this newsletter. While there, I spent considerable time checking out all the goodies the magazine has made available not just to subscribers, but to the entire genealogy community. I'd like to share a few of the things I found. American Life Histories If your ancestors lived during the Civil War, you may not think you'd learn much about their life from a project that began in 1936. You may be wrong. From 1936 to 1940, members of the Federal Writers' Project interviewed Americans for a Work Projects Administration project, now available at the Library of Congress. The collection includes 2,900 documents, ranging in length from 2,000 to 15,000 words. During the interviewed, subjects discussed topics like political views, experience, life observations and education. Some interviewees were old enough to have lived through important events of the 19th century; others relate stories handed down through their family. The Soddie During a trip to Nebraska, I stopped at a small museum near Scott's Bluff. The majority of travelers on the Oregon Trail knew Scott's Bluff well. Among the museum's displays was a sod house, or "soddie," which had been moved onto the museum's property from a nearby farm. I found the soddie fascinating, in part because some of my ancestors probably lived in one. Do you know what kind of home your ancestors lived in, and why? Wouldn't that be an interesting research project for your family history? Preserving Family Treasures Every family has precious keepsakes, but that special book, lock of hair or lace hanky can only belong to one person. It's unfortunate, because seeing Great-grandpa's pocket watch is a far more personal way of experiencing him than just hearing about it. However, thanks to scanners, digital cameras, and color copiers, making treasures available to everyone in the family is now a snap. Do It Now! My aunt Helen, 80, is one of my oldest living relatives and the one I turn to for questions about family members only she can remember. Whenever I get off the phone with her, I turn on my computer and make notes in my genealogy software about the stories she told. Are you taking advantage of the wonderful stories your relatives tell? And if so, are you keeping good enough notes so the stories won't be forgotten? A Helping Hand Most of us have a little bit of history on our own doorsteps. You may live close to historic buildings, or places where historic events took place. What better way to help other family tree climbers than to offer to take photos of the sights their ancestors knew well? What history happened in your backyard? Tracking Down Old Books Out-of-print books, particularly those that examine the history of a town or county, can be of exceptional help in your research. They won't contain marriage licenses or wills, but they will help flesh out the everyday details of your ancestor's lives. Here are my favorite sources to search for out-of-print or used books. Virginia Roots The first footsteps of many American ancestors were taken on the shores of Virginia. In my own family, Virginia roots run deep through the Snow, Gregory and Ballard families; researching them has been a lesson in American history. Eight presidents were born in Virginia. Many of the conflicts of the Civil War were fought on Virginia soil, with some of America's finest sons joining the Confederacy because they could not turn their back on their home state. Cemetery Scouts Over the past several months, I've had the opportunity to take tombstone photos for family researchers. Oftentimes, we live hundreds or thousands of miles away from where our ancestors lived, and traveling to get photos of the old homestead or cemetery can be difficult. Thankfully, there are hundreds of volunteers on the Internet who have offered to take cemetery photos in their hometown. I'm one of them. Getting Organized I hate to admit it, but my computer-phobic aunt is so organized she puts me to shame. We share a love of genealogy and family history, and often send one another photos, church records, marriage licenses, or excerpts from history books. Whenever I call her to check on something, she knows exactly where it is. When she calls me with a similar request, I have to call her back because I'm not quite sure where in my files to find that one piece of paper. Our Mixed Roots My great-niece, Dominique, has a mixed heritage comprised of African-American, Native-American and Anglo ancestors. I've often wondered how she felt about the strange conglomeration that makes up her own past. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that we all come from such a mix. Although we like to think of our family tree as a stalwart oak, the truth is, it is really a hybrid, created from grafting the shoots of many species. PAF in Palm As most regular readers of the newsletter know, I bought a palm-sized machine last year and began exploring genealogy software. In a recent issue I wrote about GedVisor, one of the newest software programs for handhelds such as Palms, Visors and the new Sony CLIE. Recently, a new—and free—program was introduced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Family Reunions Not long ago I had lunch with Phyllis and Bill Quarg, members of the San Diego Genealogical Society. Over lunch, Phyllis told me of the family reunion she was planning for the Boozell family in York, Pa. As former president of the society, Phyllis frequently used her organizational skills to plan the society's annual trips to Salt Lake City. Now, however, she was using those skills to ensure a meaningful family get-together. As I listened, I was amazed at all that was involved. Obituary Research Although some obituaries contain only the bare facts, others—particularly those written early in the 20th century—are oftentimes filled with poignant glimpses into a life-time. They can contain church affiliations, employment, illnesses, and more importantly, glimpses into personality. Obituary research should be a commonplace tool in your research arsenal. Use these sites to begin your search. Restoring Old Photos My sister recently found a photo of our great-grandmother as a young woman. The photograph was cracked and torn, and the background faded. I scanned the photo and took the file to a friend who enjoyed tinkering with digital images. As I watched, cracks and tear lines disappeared and detail emerged. The transformation was amazing. Trailing Behind In 1843, only 1,000 settlers followed the Oregon Trail west. A decade later, 70,000 were on the move. If your ancestors were among those who walked the trail, they probably left their eastern homes in time to reach jumping off spots by March. You will enjoy the diaries, maps and other resources on these sites. Ancestors on the Move Early American settlers traveled on coastal roads or rivers. There were a few routes west, but not many settlers took them. The first real highway connected the southern and northern colonies, and hop-scotched the coastal cities of Charleston, Wilmington, Norfolk and north to Boston. California or Bust! Was your ancestor a '49er? In the two years following the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill, 90,000 gold seekers poured into California. San Francisco, a tiny town of 900 in 1849, mushroomed to more than 5,000 by the following summer and 25,000 in the fall of 1850. Here are some of our favorite Web sites to find out more. Just Another Day in the Colonies Genealogy has made me an avid historian. I want to know what my ancestors ate, the names and types of plants they used, how they built their houses and what kind of clothes they wore. If you want to learn more about your colonial ancestors, check your local bookstores or libraries for these books and others, or check out my favorite Web sites. GedVisor for Your Palmtop GedVisor 1.2 is the latest entry in the handheld genealogy game—and by far one of my favorites. Genealogy software for handheld devices (Palms and Visors) is designed to display the names in your family database, along with pertinent dates, events and notes. Self-Taught Genealogy If you're like me, you learned how to "do" genealogy by the seat of your pants. Thanks to the Internet, and a lot of helpful pros, newcomers can now freely access lessons and classes which will help them avoid the most common mistakes. These links also include lessons on intermediate and advanced topics, so be sure to check them out, regardless of your level of experience. Wills on the Web I've read many wills and found several sites on the Internet to help with deciphering old handwriting, and knowing what to expect in wills written during specific periods of time. If you'd like to know more about the genealogical clues in wills, here are a few favorites. Stateside Sources Online state resources are often an underutilized source for genealogy research. Even if a state-related source doesn't mention your ancestor by name, there's a high probability you can find information about his town's history, politics, economics and geography. Jewish Genealogy on the Web Although my family has no Jewish heritage that I'm aware of, my sister recently found a sampler embroidered in Yiddish and Hebrew, tucked behind a family picture. Dated 1891, the sampler presented us with a research challenge: what did the words mean, and how did it get behind our picture? Hendrickson is a family historian, freelance writer and the author of two astronomy books. Her Web site is at www.ancestornews.com.
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