Thankful Thursday: Genealogy Buffs Fight for Georgia Archives

The recent news about the closing of the Georgia Archives by Secretary of State Brian Kemp is appalling.  Thanks to Mr. Kemp, the great state of Georgia is now the ONLY state in the union not to have public hours for research.

The battle cry for support has gone out, and fellow researchers are starting to respond. 

Ironic in all this is that just yesterday, Governor Nathan Deal signed a proclamation to designate October as Georgia Archives Month. 

Following is a list of action items for those who are interested in keeping genealogy alive in Georgia.  In doing so, not only are the residents of Georgia served, the thousands of visitors from out of state will continue to be served as well.   While there has been an ongoing project to digitize the information, many years of scanning remain.

From the Friends of Georgia Archives and History:

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 ACTION ALERT: SAVE THE GEORGIA ARCHIVES!

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp has announced that the Georgia Archives will be CLOSED to all public access beginning November 1, 2012. He cites as reason the requirement for a 3 % budget reduction for all state agencies. Secretary Kemp has chosen to take the required cut of $750,000 entirely and only from the State Archives. In addition to the elimination of public access, staff reductions concerning the ten remaining staff are planned and will also be announced soon. 

This action further cripples an institution that was among the first state archives established (1918), has won many awards for its programs and state-of-the-art archival facility, and has been a respected leader in archives, government records programs, and research use. Over the past decade, however, the Georgia Archives has been eviscerated by regular budget cuts, reductions in staff and reductions in public hours to 2 days a week. Now Secretary Kemp wants to eliminate even those few hours of access for Georgia’s citizens, making Georgia Archives the only state archives without public access hours. 

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Tell the Governor, the Secretary of State and the Georgia Legislature to reverse this devastating decision. Write, call or visit and ask them to: 

Restore a minimum of $1 million to the Georgia Archives budget to return its operations to 5 days a week of public access hours and eliminate projected staff reductions.

Reverse the Secretary of State’s proposed budget cuts to the Archives by November 1 to ensure uninterrupted service to the public.

When you write/call or visit, focus on a few of the points below. Put this in your own words, and use your own examples, particularly if you are a citizen of Georgia: 

WHAT SHOULD YOU SAY?

Points to make in letters/phone calls or visits: 

1. The Secretary of State was directed to reduce his budget expenditures by 3%. The entire sum needed to accomplish that has been taken from the Archives budget alone and will result in the termination of all public hours. The proposed “access by appointment…limited based on the schedule of the remaining employees” effectively denies access based on “reasonable time and place” for inspection of public records as required by Georgia law.

2. Points to make regarding the importance of access to government records for accountability and legal purposes:

• This deprives citizens of regular and predictable access, as mandated in the Georgia Records Act, Title 50, Chapter 18, Article 4, section 70(b) of the Georgia Annotated Code that all public records “shall be open for a personal inspection by any citizen of this state at a reasonable time and place, and those in charge of such records shall not refuse this privilege to any citizen.”

• It is contrary to the practice of government transparency by depriving citizens of predictable and ready access to the records that are essential to providing evidence of government accountability.

• It deprives citizens, as well as Georgia’s own government, of access to records needed to support due process of law. The Georgia Archives holdings have been used for a range of court cases including land claims, boundary disputes, utility right-of-way, and claims against state agencies.

• Access to records is essential to avoid costly litigation that will result if records cannot be located or accessed.

3. Points to make regarding the importance of access to government records for research

purposes:

• As the Civil War Sesquicentennial begins, researchers need access to the historical record in the Georgia Archives to provide accurate, factual evidence of that experience. Many of Georgia’s governmental records were destroyed during Sherman’s March; closing the Archives similarly deprives Georgians of access to their heritage—but this time the fault does not lie with an invading army, but with Georgia officials themselves.

• The Georgia Archives holds records actively sought by genealogists and family historians; in particular, they provide essential evidence for African-American history and genealogical research not available in many private historical collections.

• The Georgia Archives has been an essential resource for environmental research and activities including efforts to reintroduce the American chestnut tree in the state and issues relating to pollution.

• The Georgia Archives has been the site of research for television and films, including the popular NBC series “Who Do You Think You Are” segments with Paula Deen and Spike Lee, as well as Emmy award-winner Ben Loeterman’s documentary “People v. Leo Frank.”

Governor Nathan Deal

206 Washington Street Suite 203, State Capitol Atlanta, GA 30334

Phone: 404-656-1776 

Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle

240 State Capitol Atlanta, GA 30334 TEL: 404-656-5030 FAX: 404-656-6739 

Secretary of State Brian Kemp

214 State Capitol Atlanta, GA 30334 Phone: 404-656-2881 Fax: 404-656-0513 

Individual Georgia legislators: find specific legislators via Society of Georgia Archivists site: http://soga.org/involvement/legislative

If you’ve signed an online petition, that’s helpful, but direct contact is even more effective. For Georgians, a visit to your local legislator will have even more impact. There has been a great deal of attention on radio, newspapers, television and the Internet. In a democracy, however, nothing speaks to the governor or elected officials like direct contact from individuals. Speak up for the Georgia Archives.

Write, call or plan a visit today!

Please send copies of your letter, information on contacts, or any questions to:

Coalition to Preserve the Georgia Archives Co-Chair Kaye L. Minchew: kaye@trouparchives.org

THE COALITION TO PRESERVE THE GEORGIA ARCHIVES

Includes representatives of:

Friends of the Georgia Archives; Association of County Commissioners of Georgia; Georgia Salzburger Society, Greater Atlanta Chapter; Society of Georgia Archivists; Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board; Georgia Genealogical Society; Georgia Professional Genealogists; Association of Professional Genealogists, Georgia Chapter; Cobb County Genealogical Society; Troup County Historical Society; Georgia State Society, Daughters of the American Revolution

For updated information go to: www.FOGAH.org

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Note:  It was announced earlier this week that only three positions will remain--  and they are all management.  How can the state let the knowledge base of the other workers go?

Ahh, genealogy.  I am thankful for any support you can give.  Without the past, we have no future.

©2012 AS Eldredge 

Have a Retired Railroad Worker in Your Line?

These records are fabulous.  Check 'em out.

The following article is from Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. Information about the newsletter is available at http://www.eogn.com. 


Railroad Retirement Board Records Available at the National Archives, Southeast Region/Atlanta

Records from the Railroad Retirement Board are now available at the National Archives, Southeast Region/Atlanta in Morrow.

The board was founded in 1936 and its records include applications that provide a retiree's career history, date and place of birth, parents, spouse and children. These records represent railroad retirees from all over the U.S., not just the Southeast, and were brought to Morrow from the Chicago headquarters of the board.

To have a file pulled for research, you must supply the person's full name, date of birth and, if possible, Social Security number. The records date from the 1930s through the 1960s. Sensitive information on any living person is redacted.

You can read more in an article by Kenneth H. Thomas Jr. in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution web site at http://goo.gl/8OT4A


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Ahh, genealogy.  Keep on movin' down the line to uncover those elusive clues!

©2011 AS Eldredge

Searching for Ancestors with Revolutionary Online Databases

The Daughters of the American Revolution have been collecting genealogy data since its 1890 beginnings. Women who have proven blood descent of American Revolution patriots have been working nonstop to digitize many of their records.

The general public can easily search DAR databases to locate names of known patriots, descendants, and documentation of over 20,000 typescript records, which have been donated by DAR members.

Begun in 1913, the collection of genealogical records consists of Bible, cemetery, county histories, and other types of genealogical records. By entering a name and state, titles of reports are displayed online. The details are available for a small fee.

In addition, volunteers are busily engaged in transcribing all DAR applications. The Analytical Card and Revolutionary War Pension indices have been digitized, thus providing a valuable resource not found elsewhere.

Growing daily with volunteer efforts, these databases can provide patriot names, descendants, land records, or other genealogical documentation useful to researchers.

The DAR is a great source to augment your genealogy research and record copies are available for purchase. Go to www.Dar.org. Click on genealogy to begin your search in their records. Who knows? You just may find revolutionary news of your own.

Ahh, genealogy. Did you know that over 2 million women have served in the defense of America since the times of the American Revolution? Do you have one in your line? I do. Perhaps it's time to honor her story.

2011 AS Eldredge

Are Your Roots in Georgia? Great Used Book Sale Online

While my genealogy roots are not in Georgia, I still am interested in the state.  I imagine it's because I have spent some time there in the Peach State.

There are some 20 used books for sale on Georgia that would be of immense value to those researching the state.  Included are some indices for early Georgia grants byb the English crown and some probates, as well as some Civil War letters and histories of some counties.

There are a couple of titles that really caught my eye.  One is on those beautiful old Savannah gardens and old Georgia courthouses.

If Fayette County is of interest to you, then you will most likely be interested in:
Fayette County, Georgia Probate Records 1824-1871 by Jeannette Holland Austin. Abstracts of court house records, 383 pp., hardbound, like new. Price: $15.00.

So go on and take a gander.  You may just find the perfect peach for your collection......
http://genealogy-books.blogspot.com/2010/12/used-georgia-books-for-sale.html

Ahh, genealogy.  Kinda like making the perfect peach pie.  You have to find just the right ones for your taste buds to explode in delight.


©2010 AS Eldredge

Preserving History: How Digital Are Your Records?

If you have ever received a bad file in email or a great big box of outdated floppy discs made by a distant and now dead cousin, you will appreciate the following article.  Actually, you'll enjoy reading the article even if your files have been pristine.

Preserve often--  preserve well..........

The link in the Dick Eastman article will take you to the white paper.  Read it, ponder the super information presented--  and then join me as I search for an achival data reader..........

The following article is from Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. Information about the newsletter is available at http://www.eogn.com.

I have written several times about the advantages and disadvantages of storing records digitally for many years, both your personal records as well as the holdings of major archives and records repositories. Now Gary Wright, an employee of FamilySearch, has written a definitive whitepaper on the subject that explains the issues involved with digital archiving. He describes in detail the pitfalls of digital storage of priceless paperwork and of old family photographs that have been digitized. As he explains, if done right, digital archives will last for decades. If done wrong, they may not last three years.

I had a chance to read this whitepaper a few weeks ago when Gary circulated it amongst a number of people in the industry, asking for our comments. I told Gary at that time that he had to publish it on the web and, when he did, to please let me know the address so that I could inform the readers of this newsletter. After all the comments were in, Gary did exactly that. White Paper: Preserving Your Family History Records Digitally is now available on the FamilySearch.org web site at https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/White_Paper:_Preserving_Your_Family_History_Records_Digitally

I would suggest you read this whitepaper and consider the information within it carefully. Then forward copies to all your genealogy friends, society members, and anyone else with an interest in genealogy. I think every genealogist as well as every person who has heirloom documents and photographs in his or her possession should read White Paper: Preserving Your Family History Records Digitally at https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/White_Paper:_Preserving_Your_Family_History_Records_Digitally




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Ahh genealogy. How do I digitize?  Let me count the ways........









©2010 AS Eldredge

Use Your Imagination to Investigate the Past

We've all heard it. "My family can't be found," or "The census didn't list slaves," or "The courthouse burned."

Well, yes, this can be a real mind blocker. Use your imagination when looking at various resources.  Don't just depend on the census lists.  And, for the sake of all genealogy racing heartbeats, don't grab a name from the census and plop it in your tree just "cause it was the same name."  Like no name has ever been duplicated in history!!!!

Look at everything. 

Examples include:
Wills
Estate Inventories  - (can be great if the estate had owned slaves)
Land Records
Church Records
Cemetery Records
Bibles
Local County Histories
Orphans Court Records
Local Tax Records
Local Historical Societies
Local Genealogy Societies
Probate Court Records
Lawsuits -  (I found a part of one family after I ordered the records about a trial.)
Asylum Records
Old Church Magazines
Journals of old genealogy societies
Newspapers of the era and place of interest  (1888-1899 newspapers are great finds.)
Family History Library


As you look at every source you can find, have an open mind.  Don't be stuck in the "blame game" of genealogy.  Perhaps someone moved away.  Perhaps someone was listed as "chattel."  Perhaps you've looked in all the wrong places.  Perhaps the trail has gone cold.  Keep looking as it may warm back up one day.

My tip of the day:  Be open as you continually search for documentation to support your theories.  Be open to investigate the not-so-readily-available sources.  Be open to traveling to the area of your interest and digging in the old records or hire someone to do it for you. 

Use your imagination to investigate the past.  And use the facts to document your current family trees.

Ahh, genealogy.  It's only as good as the documented research.  Otherwise, it can make a pretty good bed time story for the kids, not to mention the hair pulling of someone who has documented the facts:)


©2010 AS Eldredge

Sweden Family History Soon to be Part of Ancestry.com

The following press release caught my attention.  Since I spend so much time searching in Sweden, I find this of immense interest.  Perhaps, you will as well.

Ancestry.com to Acquire Sweden's Genline.se

Leading Swedish Family History website

26 million pages of family history records, 16th-20th century


Ancestry.com Inc. (Nasdaq: ACOM), the world’s largest online family history resource, today announced that it has agreed to acquire the leading Swedish family history website Genline.se.
Total consideration for Genline is approximately US $6.7 million, to be paid in cash at closing. The offer has been accepted by Genline’s Board of Directors but remains subject to approval of Genline Holding AB’s public shareholders and other ordinary course closing conditions.

Genline expects to provide proxy materials to shareholders immediately and hold a Special Meeting of Stockholders shortly to vote on the transaction. Genline trades on the Stockholm exchange AktiTorget under the ticker symbol GENL.

Upon completion of the transaction, Genline will join Ancestry.com’s family of nine web properties globally, which together serve more than 1.2 million subscribers and host over five billion historical records and 17 million family trees containing 1.7 billion profiles.

Genline currently has more than 17,000 paying members with access to 26 million pages of digitized Swedish church records spanning more than 400 years from the 16th to the 20th century.

Josh Hanna, SVP and General Manager, International, Ancestry.com Inc., comments: “The Genline.se transaction, our first international acquisition, represents an exciting opportunity for Ancestry.com to access Sweden’s avid family history community and to provide Ancestry.com subscribers of Swedish heritage in the U.S. and other markets with access to important historical content.

"For Genline members, the millions of US and Canadian records with Swedish relevance will provide many new opportunities to discover North American ancestors."

Mikko Ollinen, Genline AB Managing Director, comments: "We are delighted that Ancestry.com sees the potential of Genline. Together we look forward to continuing to grow our business in Sweden and to making new and exciting historical records, both local and international, available to our members."

Ancestry.com expects to acquire all shares of Genline AB for approximately 53 million Swedish kronor with an adjustment for net working capital. Based on a June 11, 2010 exchange rate of SEK7.94 to US$1.00, the net purchase amount approximates US$6.7 million
Genline’s 2009 reported revenue was $2.4 million. Ancestry.com does not expect the acquisition to have a material impact on its financial guidance as issued in connection with its first quarter earnings release on April 29, 2010.

Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or to future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "appears," "may," "designed," "expect," "intend," "focus," "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "should," or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements include statements describing our subscriber base, our activities to enhance subscribers' experience and our business outlook. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are, in some cases, beyond our control and that could materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements.
Factors that could materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements, and our ability to execute on our business strategy include those listed under the caption "Risk Factors" of the Ancestry.com Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009.
We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Update: Old Fayette County Records

This morning, I posted a comment on the news that old records of Fayette County are currently being scanned. Click here to read the post. Now before you get excited, these records of old are in Fayette County, Kentucky.

I also contacted one of my favorite genealogy guru types to tell him the good news as his family did settle in early Mason County. We swapped emails and then decided to see how we could find these records in the areas of the country we reside.

After dashing emails to both the Kentucky Archives and to the Fayette County Clerk, I received a reply from David at the Archives.

David says in his email that "The Fayette County books will be available for viewing on microfilm by the end of January. I do not believe any scanned copies will be available. Unfortunately, we do not interlibrary loan microfilm but a copy can be purchased from our micrographics department if you have access to a reader."

So, if you have a hankering to find your roots in early Kentucky, you may want to contact the Archives at the end of January.

Happy Hunting!

My Old Kentucky Home

May be it is my old Kentucky home. Or maybe not.

The history buffs in Fayette County, Kentucky, are currently in the process of scanning old land, census, and marriage records. It is anticipated the documents will be available through the Kentucky Archives sometime in January. This could be a gold mine for some genealogy buffs if your family was in Mason County early on, as Mason County was part of Fayette County at one time. There is no mention if those of us who are not in Kentucky will be able to search for these nuggets online.

It is reported the books are being indexed by the Archives. Maybe an online master index should be undertaken by a group of volunteers in the area?

The following article is from Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. Information about the newsletter is available at http://www.eogn.com.

Old Kentucky Records Resurface
http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2009/12/old-kentucky-records-resurface.html

Have You Asked Congress to Preserve Our American History Yet?

Time is slipping past quickly. Have you contacted your Congressman to ask if he supports HR2256, the Preserving the American Historical Record Act? The PAHR will help Americans archive our precious records through grants to each state.

With all the recent weather events, it stands to reason we are losing our historical records. Too frightening to mourn them, we should all be asking Congress to move forward with the bill so American History is maintained for future generations.

Have you noticed how libraries and archives have reduced their hours for genealogy buffs? Let's work together and save our history!

Read the bill: http://www.archivists.org/pahr/PAHR_bill_HR2256-05052009.pdf

Check to see if your Congressman has signed on to support the bill: http://www.archivists.org/pahr/#spons

Holocaust Records Online and Free in October

Thought you genealogy buffs would really enjoy having access to these records at no charge during the month of October. Thanks to NARA and Footnote for bringing these glimpses of history to us all. I spent a few minutes on the site, and then I had to weep for awhile.

Take the time to learn more of this time in history when the whole world appeared to go mad. It's a real eye opener. If only those who say the holocaust didn't happen would open their eyes and look at the documentation....

http://go.footnote.com/holocaust/

Here's a story on the collection:

Footnote's New Holocaust Collection Free Through October
Posted by Diane

Historical records subscription site Footnote and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) just released the Interactive Holocaust Collection of a million Holocaust-related records.

The records are online for the first time—and they’re free through October.

The records, which contain millions of names and 26,000 photos, include......Footnote's New Holocaust Collection Free Through October
Posted by Diane

Historical records subscription site Footnote and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) just released the Interactive Holocaust Collection of a million Holocaust-related records.

The records are online for the first time—and they’re free through October.

The records, which contain millions of names and 26,000 photos, include....http://blog.familytreemagazine.com/insider/2009/09/29/FootnotesNewHolocaustCollectionFreeThroughOctober.aspx

Great News for Swedish Researchers!

Anyone who has ever tried to dig deep into their Swedish ancestors knows what a trick that can be. In my genealogy story, my maternal great grandparents were the proverbial just off the ship types, even though they didn't marry until they were in America. Tracing their families back has proven to be difficult, but wildly satisfying. With the help of an American friend, whose ties go back to my "family" cemetery in Pittsburgh, I've found family and learned so much of the early naming customs and history of Sweden. I've also been rewarded with new Swedish cousin penpals through this search and enjoy learning more about my Swedish roots.

I hope some of these new records will be transcribed into English for those of us who don't read Swedish!

Hejda.

The following article is from Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. Information about the newsletter is available at http://www.eogn.com.

Volunteers to Bring Historic Sweden Church Records Online

The following announcement was written by FamilySearch:

FALKÖPING, Sweden—FamilySearch and Svensk Arkivinformation (SVAR), a division of the National Archives of Sweden, announced today the launch of the largest online indexing initiative undertaken to-date. The two groups unveiled plans to engage Swedish volunteers throughout the world to help create a highly searchable, free online index to the historic parish registers of Sweden—200 years of recorded Swedish history as documented in the Sweden church records—comprising over 400 million names.

In 1608 the Archbishop of Sweden asked the clergy to begin making records of births, christenings, marriages, and burials of all the residents of Sweden. By 1686, they were conducting regular examinations of the population of each parish. The church records (often called “parish registers” or “church books”) span over two centuries and chronicle the vital life events of an estimated 418 million people who moved in and out of parishes in Sweden.

“The church records are a key source for genealogists seeking Swedish ancestors because nearly everyone who lived in Sweden was recorded in a church record,” said David Rencher, FamilySearch chief genealogical officer. “The challenge now is to make those records, which are written in Swedish, available to researchers worldwide,” concluded Rencher.

“We are very pleased with the excellent cooperation we have enjoyed for many years between FamilySearch and the National Archives to microfilm and scan the Swedish church records. Now we are going to create an index that will revolutionize the genealogy research in Sweden. The simplicity of finding and reading about one’s ancestors on the Web in the millions of scanned records will attract many beginners of all ages,” said Anders Nordström, director of SVAR. “To the academic researcher, this is an entirely new means. It makes it possible to do research within disciplines on a micro level, an extent that was never possible before now,” added Nordström.

The way Swedes passed on a family name throughout the centuries is another reason why the indexing initiative is so important to family historians. “Imagine being in a Swedish community 200 years ago and 10 out of 100 people have the same first and last name as you. That’s how small the naming pool was in Scandinavia,” said Jeff Svare, FamilySearch Scandinavian collection management specialist.

If you were Anders Andersson, your father could have been Anders. Your brother could have also been named Anders, as well as your uncle. To help distinguish which Anders Andersson you were referring to at the time, locals added the name of the farm (residence) of an individual to keep them straight. “Otherwise, when you’re trying to search for Anders Andersson today, your ancestor falls into the proverbial fog of same-named people and you don’t know who they are without the additional context,” added Svare. The FamilySearch index will include the residence or farm name from the individual’s vital record. This information has been extracted to assist patrons in identifying their Swedish ancestor.

The goal is to engage the Swedish community in creating a highly searchable, free online index to the Sweden church records. When complete, the index will be the single largest point of access to information contained in the historic parish registers of Sweden. The free index will link to images of the original records hosted by the National Archives of Sweden (SVAR). In addition to the free public index that will be made available, SVAR might charge a nominal fee for public patrons who want to view or print the images.

FamilySearch is the global leader of online indexing. It launched its online indexing program in 2008, and tens of thousands of volunteers recently helped reach another major milestone by indexing their 250 millionth name. FamilySearch currently has 65 online indexing projects underway.

For this project, FamilySearch will create digital images of the Sweden church records provided by SVAR. Volunteers worldwide will then use FamilySearch’s Web-based indexing tool to view the digital images and extract only the desired information from the image. That data will then be processed and published online in searchable indexes linked to the digital images.

Volunteers need only Internet access and the ability to read Swedish to contribute to this historic effort. A unique quality control process ensures a highly accurate, finished index. Each document is transcribed by two different indexers, wherever they are in the world. Any discrepancies in their two extractions are then forwarded to a third volunteer—an arbitrator—who makes any needed corrections between the two interpretations.

The project will start with records from Örebro, Uppsala, and Södermanland counties. Indexing will begin with the earliest year available for each parish and continue through 1860. A typical downloaded “batch” (group of records) will take a volunteer about 30 to 40 minutes to complete. The indexing utility has built-in tutorials and helps. Anyone interested in volunteering for the Sweden Church Records project can do so at indexing.familysearch.org.

Such Kind Words That I Must Blush

Even though the temperature is frigid outside, I feel my face heating up. I just received a very nice note from a blood related distant cousin. She just gushed about my family findings and my tenacious attitude about documenting sources.

Sources are what makes genealogy much more than a fairy tale. While I always listen to family lore, I also am willing to discount it when I find the facts. Sometimes, the facts bear out the lore. Sometimes, stretching the truth must have sounded more pleasing to those telling the tales.

I was asked about finding records in states that didn't bother with vitals until the 20th century. The best suggestion I can give is to follow the land. It's advice I was given early in my search and it still bears true.

Other great sources include wills and church records. Of course, it's always wonderful to find old newspapers which have been preserved. Once again, some states are better than others at this.

Be sure to spend some time with LDS. They have such an extensive record holding. I would love to spend time out in Salt Lake and just know they would find the answers to my questions. Ah, one day, one day.

I also lurk around in the county genealogy forums in which I am interested. Sometimes, I'll hear suggestions from others that open my eyes to a new way to research the family. Occasionally, I stumble across another family member.

The best advice I can give is don't give up. Take a break sometimes. When you come back, some information may just literally jump up off the page for you.

Last, be willing to help others. You just never know when the kindness will be returned.

Mystery Land Identified

"Follow the land."

It's a statement one hears often when beginning genealogy. Well, today, I did find documentation which solved another tidbit of a mystery.

I had recently received pages from the book Selected Final Pension Payment Vouchers- Pennsylvania which seemed to point me towards Iowa. Iowa?

In this book was a typed copy of an 1863 will of the third wife of my 4th great grandfather. I spell this out as I am of the blood line with his first wife, who appears to have died by 1790. In the will, the lovely widow gives her 160 acres of land in Cass County, Iowa, to her daughter by her first marriage. Hmmm. Whose land was it? Why only her heir and not those of her dearly departed husband or those children the two had together? Most likely, that is one mystery that will not be solved.

I found the land record today on the Bureau of Land Management- General Land Office Records. Yes, the widow did have land in Iowa that was bounty land given to her for the Revolutionary War Service of her husband. She received the land in 1860, even though her husband had died in 1843 at the ripe old age of 82.

By 1860, she had returned to Washington County, PA, and was living with the daughter from her first marriage. I suspect that is why she gave the land to her. I still find it odd as she had sons from her marriage with grandpa.

While looking around the Land Management Records, I stumbled across other lands of interest.
Take some time and look around for yourself. You might be surprised as you find bounty land in states far away from the areas where your ancestors lived.

Click here to go the Bureau of Land Management.

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www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

USCIS Establishes Genealogy Program

Thought I'd pass this along to you. This is a new service which was just announced August 13.

Customers can now turn to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for help in researching their family’s immigration history through the agency’s new Genealogy Program.

USCIS maintains historical records documenting the arrival and naturalization of millions of immigrants who arrived in the United States since the late 1800s or and naturalized between 1906 and 1956. Until today, the process to request these records was handled through a Freedom of Information Act / Privacy Act (FOIA) request.

“In many cases USCIS is the only government agency that has certain historical records that provide the missing link which genealogists or family historians need,” said Jonathan “Jock” Scharfen, USCIS’ Acting Director.

The agency anticipates interest in genealogy to continue to grow. In the past four years alone, USCIS received more than 40,000 FOIA requests for historical records. The new genealogy program will create a dedicated queue for genealogists, historians and others seeking genealogical and historical records and reference services that generally require no FOIA expertise. As a result, USCIS will provide more timely responses to requests for records of deceased individuals.

Individuals may submit genealogy records requests by using the new forms, G-1041 -Genealogy Index Search Request, and G-1041A - Genealogy Records Request. Both forms are available on the new USCIS Genealogy Program page at: http://www.uscis.gov/genealogy. The fees include:

Genealogy Index Search - $20
Copy of a File on Microfilm - $20
Copy of a Textual File Copy - $35.

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Georgia Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.fayettefrontpage.com