Yippee! There's almost nothing as disappointing as when a cemetery has been sloppy in keeping records or in finding out the old cemetery keeper of the information's family thought it worthless and threw it out. I'm so glad this project to preserve the burial records and information of our nation's heroes is getting the assistance it needs from volunteers! Read on......
Northern Virginia Technology Council Member Organizations to Assess Arlington National Cemetery's Information Technology Requirements
/PRNewswire/ -- The Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) announced today that the Department of the Army has accepted in principle the organization's pro bono offer to provide assistance in the assessment of the information technology requirements to rectify the unacceptable state of the records at Arlington National Cemetery. This effort stems from an Army investigation earlier this year that found the Cemetery's record keeping in shambles, burial records on index cards, improperly marked graves and serious difficulties in accurately locating the graves in the cemetery. All these issues persisted despite spending more than $5 million on a program to digitize burial records that has shown no results.
In response to public reports of this serious problem to record keeping, the following 15 NVTC member companies have volunteered their assistance to constitute an assessment group: ACS, a Xerox Company; Blue Canopy; Booz Allen Hamilton; CACI; CGI; Consumer Electronics Association (CEA); Corporation for National Research Initiatives; CSC; IBM; Lee Technologies; MAXIMUS; Microsoft; MITRE; SoltechOne; and Vistronix.
"The NVTC membership is eager and willing to support the U.S. Army as it responds to this difficult situation. We want to ensure that we honor the women and men who served their country and, in many cases, gave the ultimate sacrifice for this nation. We are united in our willingness to support Senator Warner in his efforts to remedy this crisis," said George C. Newstrom, President and COO of Lee Technologies and former Secretary of Technology for then-Governor Mark Warner.
"NVTC is made up of the country's most well respected and innovative technology companies and this collaborative pro bono effort demonstrates their loyalty, compassion and admiration for those who served in the armed forces, many making the ultimate sacrifice," said Bobbie Kilberg, President and CEO, NVTC. "We applaud Senator Warner for his leadership in trying to resolve this important matter. NVTC looks forward to working under the direction of Army Secretary McHugh and his team to help assess Arlington Cemetery's technology requirements. It is an honor and privilege to be involved."
-----
©2010 AS Eldredge
Ahhh, genealogy. A glimpse of the past shows of what I am made.....
Showing posts with label information. Show all posts
Showing posts with label information. Show all posts
Friday, August 06, 2010
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Tuesday Tip: Remember to Give Credit
I've been chatting with a distant (aren't they all?) cousin over the last few days. It's really gotten me energized to dig more into the family. From time to time, we must all go back and review the data and look around to see if anything new has been posted.
Imagine my surprise this morning when I found my hard long research from several years ago, along with photos that I think I'm the only one to have, copied word for word on Find a Grave.
Think, fellow genealogy researchers, of others' research when posting their information online. Be sure to give them the credit for their words and pictures!
I quickly emailed the contributor of the information taken from my site and asked her to correct the entry. I just want the credit, and of course, the way for other cousins to find me.
The contributor quickly emailed back and profusely apologized. I figured they just didn't think when they copied and pasted the information and pictures.
Use it. Just use it properly by giving credit where the credit is due. Or better yet-- contact the owner of the site to see how the work should be credited, or if you should just use one line with a link to the site of the original information.
Oh - the contributor was kind enough to go back and edit the entries showing the source of the information posted. One chore down for this really cold day!
Imagine my surprise this morning when I found my hard long research from several years ago, along with photos that I think I'm the only one to have, copied word for word on Find a Grave.
Think, fellow genealogy researchers, of others' research when posting their information online. Be sure to give them the credit for their words and pictures!
I quickly emailed the contributor of the information taken from my site and asked her to correct the entry. I just want the credit, and of course, the way for other cousins to find me.
The contributor quickly emailed back and profusely apologized. I figured they just didn't think when they copied and pasted the information and pictures.
Use it. Just use it properly by giving credit where the credit is due. Or better yet-- contact the owner of the site to see how the work should be credited, or if you should just use one line with a link to the site of the original information.
Oh - the contributor was kind enough to go back and edit the entries showing the source of the information posted. One chore down for this really cold day!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Got Kin Buried in Rome, GA?
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
Rome, Georgia Cemetery Burial Data Now Online
Thanks to a new burial data program on the city of Rome’s web site, genealogy researchers and loved ones may have an easier time locating their ancestors buried in Rome’s public cemeteries. The service can assist those looking for the plots of ancestors, family or friends buried in city-owned cemeteries — Eastview, Oakland and Myrtle Hill.
The information only covers burial records, the cemetery lot number and plot location number. The site can also generate clickable maps of the cemeteries that allow the user to navigate and find the exact placement of the plot.
Many of the birth dates for older interments may read 01/01, an indication that the birth date is unknown. As records are updated, or in some cases found, they will update the birth date information, according to city officials.
The site can be found at www.romega.us/cemetery.
Rome, Georgia Cemetery Burial Data Now Online
Thanks to a new burial data program on the city of Rome’s web site, genealogy researchers and loved ones may have an easier time locating their ancestors buried in Rome’s public cemeteries. The service can assist those looking for the plots of ancestors, family or friends buried in city-owned cemeteries — Eastview, Oakland and Myrtle Hill.
The information only covers burial records, the cemetery lot number and plot location number. The site can also generate clickable maps of the cemeteries that allow the user to navigate and find the exact placement of the plot.
Many of the birth dates for older interments may read 01/01, an indication that the birth date is unknown. As records are updated, or in some cases found, they will update the birth date information, according to city officials.
The site can be found at www.romega.us/cemetery.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
There She Lies- Right Under Our Nose
From time to time, I venture into the cemetery office to check on who is buried there. I've been to a particular cemetery in Pittsburgh not once, but close to a half dozen times over the last few years. I've asked for help from the staff. Please allow me to share some of those experiences with you.
1st visit in 1988: My cousins took me to see my grandfather's grave. It was the first time I had been back to the grave since my childhood. We stopped in to get the location and to see who was buried there. The folks guardedly told me he was there and then refused to let me see the book. I did catch a glimpse of an unknown name. The staff whisked the book away.
2nd visit in 2003: I asked the staff for a map of the cemetery so I could find my grandfather's grave. The lady told me how to find it. It was pouring rain. We couldn't find the grave using her instructions. Apparently, she read the map wrong. We finally located the grave in a different area of the cemetery. I noticed my great grandparents were there just behind my grandfather.
3rd visit in 2004: I didn't bother with the staff as I now knew where to look. I took photos of the headstones. I did call the staff later to ask how much it would cost to get a new headstone. They were thrilled to be of assistance.
4th visit in 2005: I asked the staff who was buried in the plot. They gave me three names, while yet again, refusing me access to the book. This time, I had done enough research to know who the third name. He was a cousin of my grandmother's who she buried there as he had no place to go. Funny, how they still haven't told me my great grandparents are in the same plot.
Over the last few years, I have trying in vain to find the location of my great aunt's grave. I found her parents buried with my grandparents. I found her sisters in the same cemetery. Her husband was buried in a single grave in a different cemetery in town. Of course, I didn't know when she died, but I had narrowed down the dates to between 1919-1924.
Hattie was living in Erie, PA, at the time of her sister's death. I found Hattie in 1910 in Erie, but there was no sign of her there in 1920. Hattie's great grandson has also been looking for her in vain. He tried a death search for a 10 year time span with no success. He found her living in a nursing home in Erie, PA, in 1918-1919. Then, poof-- she disappeared.
Fast forward to last week:
Ring. Ring.
"Hello."
My cousin told me to sit down as I wouldn't believe what he had to say.
Hattie's been under our noses all this time. When he called the cemetery and started asking questions, he was told she was there. Not only is she there, but she died in November 1920 and is buried with her son.
Get this. Her son is the cousin who my grandmother buried in 1935!
The nice informative gent at the cemetery went on to say that she died in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. What? How? Why?
I checked the census and found her living in a nursing home in Milwaukee in 1920. We have sent for her death cert. Hopefully, that will provide the name of the person providing the information.
At this time, we have no clue as to who moved her or why she was in Milwaukee in 1920. Her son was in Jacksonville, FL at the time and her daughter moved there as well in 1922. There is no evidence to support the daughter being in Milwaukee.
So, we continue to search to see if we can solve this mystery.
My advice is to keep looking. In this case, it took years of asking the same location the same question before we could get an answer.
And to think- she's been there the whole time.
1st visit in 1988: My cousins took me to see my grandfather's grave. It was the first time I had been back to the grave since my childhood. We stopped in to get the location and to see who was buried there. The folks guardedly told me he was there and then refused to let me see the book. I did catch a glimpse of an unknown name. The staff whisked the book away.
2nd visit in 2003: I asked the staff for a map of the cemetery so I could find my grandfather's grave. The lady told me how to find it. It was pouring rain. We couldn't find the grave using her instructions. Apparently, she read the map wrong. We finally located the grave in a different area of the cemetery. I noticed my great grandparents were there just behind my grandfather.
3rd visit in 2004: I didn't bother with the staff as I now knew where to look. I took photos of the headstones. I did call the staff later to ask how much it would cost to get a new headstone. They were thrilled to be of assistance.
4th visit in 2005: I asked the staff who was buried in the plot. They gave me three names, while yet again, refusing me access to the book. This time, I had done enough research to know who the third name. He was a cousin of my grandmother's who she buried there as he had no place to go. Funny, how they still haven't told me my great grandparents are in the same plot.
Over the last few years, I have trying in vain to find the location of my great aunt's grave. I found her parents buried with my grandparents. I found her sisters in the same cemetery. Her husband was buried in a single grave in a different cemetery in town. Of course, I didn't know when she died, but I had narrowed down the dates to between 1919-1924.
Hattie was living in Erie, PA, at the time of her sister's death. I found Hattie in 1910 in Erie, but there was no sign of her there in 1920. Hattie's great grandson has also been looking for her in vain. He tried a death search for a 10 year time span with no success. He found her living in a nursing home in Erie, PA, in 1918-1919. Then, poof-- she disappeared.
Fast forward to last week:
Ring. Ring.
"Hello."
My cousin told me to sit down as I wouldn't believe what he had to say.
Hattie's been under our noses all this time. When he called the cemetery and started asking questions, he was told she was there. Not only is she there, but she died in November 1920 and is buried with her son.
Get this. Her son is the cousin who my grandmother buried in 1935!
The nice informative gent at the cemetery went on to say that she died in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. What? How? Why?
I checked the census and found her living in a nursing home in Milwaukee in 1920. We have sent for her death cert. Hopefully, that will provide the name of the person providing the information.
At this time, we have no clue as to who moved her or why she was in Milwaukee in 1920. Her son was in Jacksonville, FL at the time and her daughter moved there as well in 1922. There is no evidence to support the daughter being in Milwaukee.
So, we continue to search to see if we can solve this mystery.
My advice is to keep looking. In this case, it took years of asking the same location the same question before we could get an answer.
And to think- she's been there the whole time.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Now, Where Did Grandma Go?
Graves have disappeared over time. We who look for them frequently are frustrated when the graves have either been moved, vandalized or someone decided that the burial records just "weren't important."
How many times have you checked on your family graves? Graves can be an invaluable source of information for those who yearn to know of their past. If you can, document everywhere your family is buried. Use pictures as well as written explanations.
There are many genealogy based websites where you can also send interment information. My advice is to make use of them. Otherwise, your story could be similar to the one below.
As West Virginia Coal Companies Expand, Graves Vanish
Monday, March 09, 2009
Walter Young can't find his great-grandmother's grave. The coal company that had it moved doesn't know where the remains ended up.
"It always looked like a safe, good place nobody would bother," the 63-year-old retiree said of the cemetery along Pigeon Creek where his relative, Martha Curry, was buried. "It was up on a hill.".....http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,507366,00.html
How many times have you checked on your family graves? Graves can be an invaluable source of information for those who yearn to know of their past. If you can, document everywhere your family is buried. Use pictures as well as written explanations.
There are many genealogy based websites where you can also send interment information. My advice is to make use of them. Otherwise, your story could be similar to the one below.
As West Virginia Coal Companies Expand, Graves Vanish
Monday, March 09, 2009
Walter Young can't find his great-grandmother's grave. The coal company that had it moved doesn't know where the remains ended up.
"It always looked like a safe, good place nobody would bother," the 63-year-old retiree said of the cemetery along Pigeon Creek where his relative, Martha Curry, was buried. "It was up on a hill.".....http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,507366,00.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)