Author: GenealogyBlog.com

HONESDALE [PENNSYLVANIA] – A museum dedicated to preserving Wayne County’s history and Honesdale’s role as the birthplace of the American railroad will be shuttered over the winter due to a loss in critical state funding.

“The easiest way to make up for that was just to close,” said Ann O’Hara, a spokeswoman for the Wayne County Historical Society, which manages the downtown museum.

“It’s painful. We don’t like doing it,” she said.

The museum, which houses a replica of the Stourbridge Lion, the first locomotive to run on commercial rails in the United States, will be closed today. It is expected to reopen April 15.

Widespread state budget cuts this year affected non-profits throughout the state, with county historical societies taking big hits since their operations generally run on tight budgets supported through community fundraisers and memberships.

The Wayne County Historical Society lost its generally reliable $10,000 state grant, a significant portion of its $90,000 annual operating budget, Ms. O’Hara said.

The museum’s executive director, Sally Talaga, will be laid off until the museum reopens. A part-time employee will now volunteer her services; and one other part-time employee will have her hours scaled back.

Read the full article in the January 1, 2010 edition of The Times Tribune.

The following small databases have been posted at Family Tree Connection in the last several weeks.

CONNECTICUT

Connecticut College for Women 1926-1927 Catalogue – Thirteenth Annual Catalogue of Connecticut College. Announcements for 1927-1928. Published at New London, Connecticut, March 30, 1927. Twelfth Series, Third Number.

Connecticut College for Women 1924-1925 Catalogue – Eleventh Annual Catalogue of Connecticut College. Announcements for 1925-1926. Published at New London, Connecticut, March 30, 1925. Tenth Series, Third Number. Connecticut College for Women, chartered in 1911 by the State of Connecticut, is a liberal college of arts and sciences for the higher education of women, located in New London.

ILLINOIS

The Chicago Club 1923 – Charter, Articles of Association, By-Laws, House Rules, Officers and Members of The Chicago Club (Revised Edition), Chicago, Ill., 1923. Club House: Michigan Avenue and Van Buren Street.

National Woman’s Christian Temperance Union 1910 Leaflet – Annual Leaflet, National Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, Organized 1874. Statement of Principles, W. C. T. U. Catechism, List of Officers, Departments, 1910. Address National W. C. T. U., Evanston, Illinois.

Hopkins Township High School 1928 Commencement – Class of 1928, Hopkins Township High School, Exercises of Graduation, May Twenty-seventh and June first, High School Auditorium. [No location listed. Possibly near Granville, Illinois]

Hopkins Township High School 1927 Commencement – Class of Nineteen Hundred Twenty-seven. Hopkins Township High School, Commencement Exercises, Thursday Evening, May Twenty-sixth, at Eight O’Clock, High School Auditorium. Baccalaureate Service Sunday Evening, May 22 at 8 O’clock. [No location listed. Possibly near Granville, Illinois]

Magnolia Township High School 1935 Commencement – Class of Nineteen Hundred Thirty-five, Magnolia Township High School, Commencement Exercises, Friday evening, May thirty-first, at eight o’clock, Community Church Auditorium, Magnolia, Illinois.

INDIANA

Home Lodge, F. & A. M., 1922 Roster – Home Lodge, No. 342, F. & A. M., Fort Wayne, Indiana, By-Laws and Roster of Membership, March 1st, 1922.

IOWA

North Western Classical Academy 1921 Commencement – The Class of Nineteen Hundred Twenty-one, North Western Classical Academy, Commencement Exercises, Wednesday, June Fifteenth, at seven-thirty o’clock, First Reformed Church, Orange City, Iowa.

KANSAS

Leavenworth Public Schools 1913-1914 Directory – Manual and Directory, Leavenworth Public Schools, Containing General Information Concerning the Board of Education, Officers, A list of Employes, Teacher and Janitors, Locations of Schools, Etc. Leavenworth, Kansas. Compiled by Robert J. Morgan, Clerk, October, 1913.

Oxford Rural High School 1928 Commencement – Oxford Rural High School, Commencement Exercises, Thursday evening, May seventeenth, Nineteen Hundred Twenty-eight, M. E. Church. [No location listed. Possibly Oxford, Kansas]

MICHIGAN

St. Paul High School 1931 Commencement – St. Paul High School, Commencement Exercises, Friday, June twelfth at eight o’clock, St. Paul Church. [No location listed, Possibly Shiawassee county, Michigan]

NEW HAMPSHIRE

New London Literary and Scientific Institution 1873 Catalogue – Twentieth Annual Catalogue of the Officers and Students of the New London Literary and Scientific Institution, New London, N. H., for the Academical Year 1873.

NEW JERSEY

Battles of Trenton 151st Anniversary Program – Celebration of The One Hundred and Fifty-first Anniversary of the Battles of Trenton by The Trenton Historical Society at the Old Barracks, January second, nineteen twenty-eight. Includes a listing of Speakers.

NEW YORK

Harvard Engineering Society 1916-1917 Year Book – Harvard Engineering Society of New York, Organize June 18, 1907, Year Book, 1916-1917.

New York University 1896 Class Day Exercises – New York University, Class Day, June 2nd, 1896. Includes a listing of class officers.

New York University 1897 Class Day Exercises – Class Day Exercises, Class of ‘97, New York University, Gymnasium Hall, University Heights, June Eight, 1897. Includes a listing of class officers.

The Metropolitan, Volume XXVII, No. 7 – Published by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (Incorporated) of New York, Home Office, No. 7 Madison Avenue, New York City. Includes Death Claims and Mortuary Bonuses [Paid in the State of New York], Ed. 37, 1-1-16. The Mortuary Bonus is an additional voluntary amount paid by the Company under certain policies over and above the amount called for by the policy contracts.

NYC University Club 1886 Members – Charter, Constitution, House Rules and List of Officers and Members of the University Club. Clubhouse, Madison Square and Twenty-Sixth Street, East, New York.

OHIO

Akron Firemen’s Relief Association 1904 By-Laws – Revised By-Laws, The Akron Firemen’s Relief Association, 1904.

PENNSYLVANIA

Hazelton City Roster 1908-1909 – City of Hazleton [PA.], Roster, City Officials and Joint Standing Committees of City Councils, 1908-1909. Compiled by Stephen J. Hughes, City Clerk. Incorporated 1892.

Hazelton City Roster 1907-1908 – City of Hazleton [PA.], Roster, City Officials and Joint Standing Committees of City Councils, 1907-1908. Compiled by Stephen J. Hughes, City Clerk. Incorporated 1892.

Hazelton City Roster 1904-1905 – City of Hazleton [PA.], Roster, City Officials and Joint Standing Committees of City Councils, 1904-1905. Compiled by Stephen J. Hughes, City Clerk. Incorporated 1892.

Swarthmore College 1925 Commencement – Fifty-third Annual Commencement, Swarthmore College, Sixth Month Twelfth to Sixth Month Fifteenth, Class of 1925.

Jefferson Medical College 1898-99 Announcement – 74th Annual Announcement of the Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia and its Hospital. Register of Students for 1897-98. Session of 1898-99.

SOUTH DAKOTA

Bowdle High School 1915 Commencement – Bowdle High School, Commencement Exercises, Opera House, Thursday Evening, May Twenty-Seventh, at Eight O’Clock, Nineteen Hundred Fifteen. [No location listed. Possibly Bowdle, South Dakota]

UNKNOWN LOCATION

Tryon High School 1925 Commencement – Class of Nineteen hundred twenty-five, Tryon High School, Commencement Exercises, Christian Church, Thursday evening, May, twenty-first, 8 o’clock. [No location listed]

Division No. 8, O. R. C. Roster (1899) – Roster, January, 1899. Rochester Division No. 8, O. R. C. (Order of Railway Conductors), Meets Every Sunday at 3 P. M., at No. 100 Reynolds Arcade, Except during July and August.

Benevolent Lodge, F. & A. M. 1909 Program – Benevolent Lodge, No. 28, F. & A. M., Third Annual Entertainment and Reception, Thursday evening, December Second, Nineteen nine, Harlem Casino.

It just came to my attention via a tweet from Postsecretpsc that yesterday’s date – 01022010 was the same forwards and backwards! (A palindrome)

Interesting…

A while back, Wikipedia founder, Jimmy Wales, posted an appeal for donations to keep Wikipedia on the Internet as a free site. According to Wales, the site is the 5th most-read on the Web worldwide. It has a staff of under 35 people, with a 10 million dollar yearly budget. Wales took the site nonprofit in 2003 (having started in 2001), so donations are all tax deductible.

In a Wikipedia, and am very pleased that the website will continue to be financially strong.

Tom Mooney wrote a good column for the Times Leader today. It included suggestions on how to go about locating online data for Northeastern Pennsylvania.

One important bit of information I got from the article is that The Sunday Independent, published in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania from 1906 through 1993, is digitized for the years 1913-1927 and is accessible online at free of charge. The papers may be found and searched at http://www.accesspadr.org/cdm4/browse.php?CISOROOT=/wbsunind. It looks to me like 682 complete papers have been digitized.

I did a search for the surname, Canfield, and got 16 hits. The following illustration shows the first four of those hits. Click on the image to see all 16 – at the site itself.

Clicking on the first example, I got the following obituary (screen shot from within the page).

Go search on the papers for your ancestors.

There was a good article by Kimball Perry posted at cincinnati.com last week that dealt with the many records posted by the Hamilton County Probate Court. It set me to searching records at the site, and I can tell you personally that this site has something for anyone who has Cincinnati/Hamilton County roots.

Using the site isn’t as easy as just typing a surname into the search engine. This isn’t Ancestry.com. I’d compare it more to the experience you would have if you were visiting the Probate Court research room itself and searching through the books. You first check the index, which is often found in the front of the digitized volume – and then go to the appropriate page to view the document itself. There is a good explanation of the volumes available for each record category – and how to go about searching them for your ancestor. It’s not fast – but it is effective, saving the researcher the cost of a trip to Cincinnati, as well as copy costs.

According to Perry’s article, “The project started after Cissell took office in 2003 and decided to preserve 1,600 books, each weighing 30 pounds, and their 1.1 million pages by digitizing them and putting them online. Before this, only documents after 1983 were available online.”

While the documents are being digitized, they are also being placed on microfilm for archival storage. That may seem reversed for those of us who clamor to see microfilmed records digitized. However, the truth is that the most archival method of document storage currently available is still microfilm. The Probate Court has teamed with the University of Pennsylvania to complete the project, as the University became the custodian of a number of the old probate books, following courthouse fires in the county. A private contractor has been hired to digitize the pages at the cost of $95,000. All of the other work is done by Probate Court workers.

The online digitized documents, some 219 years old, include the following:

Estates – 1791-1984

Wills – 1791-1973

Trusts – 1791-1984

Guardianships – 1791-1984

Marriages – 1808-1983

Minister’s Licenses – 1963-1975

Birth Records – 1863-1908

Birth Registrations & Corrections – 1941-1994

Death Records – 1881-1908

Naturalizations – 1856-1906

Probate Court Journal Entries – 1791-1837

Physician Certificates – 1919-1987

The Hamilton County Probate Court is most proud of Spencer Tracy’s 1923 marriage license, found at the site.

The following databases have been added at The Original Record in the last week:

1766-1769 – Board of Stamps Apprenticeship Books: Country Collectors’ Returns
Apprenticeship indentures and clerks’ articles were subject to a 6d or 12d per pound stamp duty: the registers of the payments usually give the master’s trade, address, and occupation, and the apprentice’s name, as well as details of the date and length of the apprenticeship. There are central registers for collections of the stamp duty in London, as well as returns from collectors in the provinces. These collectors generally received duty just from their own county, but sometimes from further afield. The indentures themselves can date from a year or two earlier than this return. There are returns from Abergavenny, Aylesbury, Bedford, Berkshire, Brecon, Bridgwater, Bristol, Buckinghamshire, Cambridge, Chester, Chichester, Colchester, Cornwall, Cowbridge, Denbigh, Derby, Devizes, Devon, Dover, Durham, Edinburgh, Essex, Exeter, Glamorgan, Gloucester, Huntingdon, Leicester, Lewes, Lichfield, Lincoln, Liverpool, Ludlow, Lynn, Monmouth, Norfolk, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, N
ewcastle-upon-Tyne, Oxford, Pembroke, Plymouth, Reading, Salop, Scotland, Shaftesbury, Shropshire, Somerset, Southampton, Sudbury, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex, Tiverton, Westmorland, Winchester, Woodbridge, Worcester, Yarmouth, and York, each of which has been indexed separately. IR 1/56

1883-1884 – The Law Times
Volume 76 of The Law Times, ‘The Journal of The Law and The Lawyers’, a weekly publication, runs from 3 November 1883 to 26 April 1884. Much of the journal is taken up with law reports, leading articles, &c., and the ‘Solicitors’ Department’ contains several regular features of great interest. The court lists enable us to follow the progress of cases scheduled to be heard in the high courts. Many of these cases never actually came to be heard, litigation ceasing whilst in preparation, or being resolved ‘at the door of the court’. In almost all cases the parties are referred to by surname only. The Court of Appeal heard appeals from the Chancery Division, the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division (Probate and Divorce), and the County Palatine and Stannaries Courts; from the Queen’s Bench and Probate, Divorce, and Admiralty (Admiralty) Divisions; from the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division (Admiralty cases); and from the London Bankruptcy Court. The very extensive lists of cases pending for trial or hearing in the Chancery Division are arranged by the justice appointed, and then sub-divided into categories such as ‘Casuses for Trial with Witnesses’, ‘Further Consideration’, ‘Demurrer’, ‘Non-witness Causes, Adjourned Summonses, and Special Cases.’ Cases in the Queen’s Bench Division are sub-divided into ‘New Trial Paper’, ‘Special Paper’ and ‘Crown Paper’. Cases in the Probate, Divorce, and Admiralty Division are sub-divided into those for probate and matrimonial causes. Lists of bankrupts, liquidations by arrangement, dividends and orders of discharge extracted from the London Gazette were published each week, and these have been indexed both for the principals and their solicitors. Lists entitled ‘Creditors under 22 & 23 Vict. c. 35′ – a piece of legislation introduced to protect executors and administrators from litigation (whether from kin or from creditors) after the assets of the deceased had been distributed, by allowing the publication of notices stipulating a Last Day of Claim, absolving the estate from later demands – are therefore effectively those of the recently deceased whose affairs were in the process of being wound up; ‘Creditors under Estates in Chancery’, announces the last date by which proofs of claim had to be submitted. Indexed for principal parties and solicitors. ‘Heirs at Law and Next of Kin’ summarizes announcements from solicitors or the courts appealing for heirs to undistributed bequests or estates. There is a weekly list of Unclaimed Stock and Dividends in the Bank of England transferred to the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt, and which would be paid to the claimants named within three months, unless some other claimants sooner appeared. The publication includes examination results and lists of new barristers called to the bar of the inns of court. The examination pass lists include the general examinations of students of the Inns of Court, held at Lincoln’s Inn Hall 16 to 19 October 1883, 20, 21, 27, 28, 29 and 31 December, and 1 to 4 April 1884; the intermediate examination 17 January 1884; and the final examination held 15 and 16 January 1884. For student solicitors there are the Incorporated Law Society examinations for honours of candidates for admission on the roll of solicitors of the Supreme Court, in November 1883 and January 1884; preliminary examinations held 24-25 October 1883 and 8 May 1884; and the intermediate examination held 8 November 1883. There are also lists of passes in the Intermediate Examination in Laws, LL. B. and LL. D. of the University of London. Each issue listed details of professional law partnerships recently dissolved, abstracted and summarized from the London Gazette; and promotions and appointments within the profession. There is also a section of Birth, Marriage and Death announcements, and Edward Walford, M. A., provided in each issue a Legal Obituary, giving biographical notices (dwelling
particularly upon the legal careers) of recently deceased members of the profession.

1918 – Barristers
The Law List for 1918 includes this ‘List of Counsel, Special Pleaders, and Conveyancers at the Bar’. Each name is given in full, surname first; then the name of the Inn of Court as an abbreviation (G., Gray’s Inn; I., Inner Temple; L., Lincoln’s Inn; M., Middle Temple; and D. C. for Doctors’ Commons) and date at which called to the bar. Barristers in practice are usually furnished with an address, and there are some abbreviated references to judicial awards and appointments. An asterisk signifies an Equity Draughtsman and Conveyancer.

1934 – Residents of Poole, Longfleet and Parkstone
Kelly’s Directory of Bournemooth, Poole, Parkstone, Etc. includes this list of private residents in Poole, Longfleet and Parkstone (inclusive of Branksome). An asterisk before a name indicates a Parkstone postal address; a dagger, Bournemouth.

1940 – University of Ireland Members of Convocation
The University of Ireland was established by royal charter in 1908, with three constituent colleges – University College, Dublin; University College, Cork; and University College, Galway. The university calendar for 1940 includes this complete list of Members of Convocation. It is similar to the general list of graduates of the university, but not exactly the same, for it includes academic staff of the university not necessarily graduates of the same, and not all graduates registered for membership of convocation. The list gives full names (surname first), degree and year of graduation, and, importantly, full address as in 1940 – information not given in the general list. Where the current full address was not known, the last known address was given, the entry being in italics.

The Original Record now have over 9.1 million entries directly available online., with afree unlimited search. All records are hand-indexed (no OCR). You amy purchase sets of scans, or buy open access to the surname(s) of your choice, including variants. See: www.theoriginalrecord.com

I’ve known the Harrisons for years – mainly for their development of “Family Forest” genealogy products. Now I see that there may be a gaming connection… Interesting.

ROME and KAMUELA, HI–(eMediaWorld – December 30, 2009) – Past Perfect Productions, srl, the Rome-based company representing “Rome Reborn,” and Millisecond Publishing Company, Inc. headquartered in Kamuela, Hawaii, and home of the “Family Forest® Project” today announce joining forces to form an alliance for licensing core elements for the next generation of AAA console-based 3D games.

Today the owners of the licensing rights to two immense, academically precise digitization projects, each requiring over a decade of research and development, have united in a Joint Marketing Alliance. Their goal is to provide the means for a visionary game publisher to take a giant, cost-effective leap forward in creating the next generation of 3D console games. The theme of the games to be developed with the combined digital content is “participatory time travel” with ancient Rome as the ultimate destination with celebrity avatars serving as ancestral tour guides to the past.

“We recognized immediately upon learning of Rome Reborn last year, when its licensing agreement with Google Earth was announced, how ancient Rome in their detailed 2.0 version would provide a wonderful ‘end-game destination’ for a breakthrough, ‘time travel’ 3D game utilizing digitized ancestral pathways mapped out from the Family Forest® Project. It makes a perfect fit because ‘all paths lead to Rome’ — and that includes ancestral pathways,” according to Bruce H. Harrison, co-founder and CEO of Millisecond Publishing Company, Inc.

Ancestral Marketing Partners, under the direction of Tom Nocera, has been tapped to market the digital rights of alliance partners to game publishers and game developers. Nocera stated, “The alliance offers all the unique digital content needed to bring the next generation of video games into the homes of a vast ‘non-traditional’ gamer audience — as well as appeal to traditional game consumers. Content this significant has to be showcased using video, and we were fortunate to find in New York the editor with a talent big enough to tell the story. Matthew Belinkie gets a ‘tip of the hat’ for what he has created for www.r2f2.com the alliance website.”

Professor Bernard D. Frischer of the University of Virginia is credited with having the vision and leadership to guide the digitization of ancient Rome, precisely as it appeared in 320 A.D., the height of the Roman Empire under Constantine the Great. Frischer welcomed news of the alliance, stating, “The combination of our scientifically certified architectural model with the enormous Family Forest® genealogical database provides the basis for a compelling serious game that can entertain and educate people today about ancient Rome and its relevance to the contemporary world.”

Joel Myers, CEO of Past Perfect Productions, stated, “The alliance is a powerful combination of digital assets, a classic example of how the whole adds up to much more than the sum of the parts. All that is missing now is a brilliant game designer to bring Rome and its citizens to life once again for people of all ages and backgrounds around the world.”

From the December 30, 2009 edition of emediaworld.com.

A lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Lynchburg against the Bedford Museum over the sale of cemetery records has drawn in principals from the two largest law firms west of Richmond.

Representatives of the Bedford Genealogical Society, Inc. sued the museum in November. They claim the museum has misrepresented itself as the owner of the records in violation of federal law and that it has infringed on the society’s trademark.

The museum sells the cemetery records on CD for $45 and offers access to them in exchange for a $25 membership. The database encompasses more than 1,500 county cemeteries and more than 37,000 names of those buried there.

Representatives of the newly incorporated society claim ownership of the records dating back to the early 1990s, when society volunteers began gathering the information.

They have asked a judge to stop the museum from selling the records and from doing business as the Bedford Genealogical Society. They also want to museum to turn over any money it has made from the sales and to pay unspecified damages.

In its request to dismiss the lawsuit, museum representatives state the society has always been a part of the museum and that the flap over the cemetery records is nothing more than a power grab.

“(Bedford Genealogical Society, Inc.) is not a legitimate successor in interest to the society,” museum representatives claimed in a court filing. “It is instead a corporate vehicle formed by several disgruntled, rogue (and now former) members of the society in an attempt to hijack and subvert the society and to serve their own purposes.”

Read the full article in the December 30, 2009 edition of NewsAdvance.com.

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History’s Archives and History Section has been posting birth, marriage, and death data, as well as images, at their website for some time. They now have over 5 million records indexed and available for searching – and even viewing of the record books themselves. The records I have viewed are all images of data kept in the vital records books. These are not certificates, as far as I can tell. Keep in mind that many certificates are made “after the fact” from records transcribed from books. The records are from all 55 counties. This is a work is process. The numbers of records available are massive – but by no means complete.

UPDATE – Jan. 1, 2010: – Becky Jamison left a note wherein she stated that she has found “certificates” on the site. She used them at her “Grace and Glory” blog site on December 29, 2009. Take a look.

At search website for births, marriages, and deaths, the researcher will find an alphabetical listing of the counties, with the dates covered by that vital record.

• Birth records start in 1790 and run through 1908.
• Marriage data as early as 1780 is available, with some as late as 1971.
• Death records start as early as 1835 and currently run down to 1970.

Searching on the surname, Cornett, I found the following:

• 10 Cornett births
• Cornett Marriages – 59 Grooms
• Cornett Marriages – 1 Bride
• 100 Cornett Deaths

Search for your ancestors in the West Virginia Vital Records Databases.

Some ethnic groups are questioning the dropping of questions about folk’s ancestry in the 2010 census. Money is involved… Following is an excerpt from an article in the December 31, 2009 edition of Vindy.com. Note that race questions are included. Question 8 asks about Hispanic Origins, while Question 9 also deals with race. However, the questions don’t get down to country-of-ancestry in many cases.

The Polish Arts Club of Youngstown is seeking people of Polish descent to participate in a national survey being conducted by the Piast Institute, an agency devoted to Polish and Polish American affairs.

The institute has launched an online 49-question survey to find out more about the attitudes of Polish Americans regarding key public issues and more.

The survey is a response to the U.S. Census Bureau eliminating questions about people’s ancestry on the 2010 census forms. Ethnic groups are worried they might lose their fair share of federal and private dollars as institutions often rely on census date to allocate funds.

Read the full article.

UPDATES – See the links at the end of this blog…

Melting snow and rain on the roof of the Iowa Genealogical Society building, during the first major blizzard of the winter, has caused a roof collapse. A month ago, the December 2009 eNews had a section dealing with the need for roof repairs, and a campaign for funds called “Raise the Roof.” It seems that the roof is now needed more than ever!

The following teaser from the KCCI.com website gives us an idea of the magnitude of the problem. See the latter portion of the blog for updates…

DES MOINES, Iowa — Officials with the Iowa Genealogical Society Library said Thursday that the roof of the building that houses their library partially collapsed.

The collapse happened during the first major blizzard of winter, officials said. The library at 628 East Grand Avenue in Des Moines suffered extensive damage.

Officials said that in the days before Christmas, melting snow and rain on the flat roof caused the collapse. The ceiling in a storage room, office area and parts of the library itself were damaged.

Officials said volunteers worked to cover books and equipment, including protecting “endangering irreplaceable family history volumes.”

A roofing project had been planned prior to the collapse, but it was delayed by the early winter weather.

Read the full article at the KCCI.com website.

More at RadioIowa.com.

See: Society Roof Woes Worsen in the January 1, 2010 edition of Omaha.com.

The following databases have been posted at The Original Record website in the last two weeks:

1763-1766 – Board of Stamps Apprenticeship Books: Country Collectors’ Returns
Apprenticeship indentures and clerks’ articles were subject to a 6d or 12d per pound stamp duty: the registers of the payments usually give the master’s trade, address, and occupation, and the apprentice’s name, as well as details of the date and length of the apprenticeship. There are central registers for collections of the stamp duty in London, as well as returns from collectors in the provinces. These collectors generally received duty just from their own county, but sometimes from further afield. The indentures themselves can date from a year or two earlier than this return. There are returns from Abergavenny, Aylesbury, Bedford, Brecon, Bridgwater, Bristol, Buckinghamshire, Cambridge, Chester, Chichester, Colchester, Cornwall, Cowbridge, Denbigh, Derby, Devizes, Devon, Dorset, Dover, Durham, Evesham, Exeter, Glamorgan, Gloucester, Hampshire, Huntingdon, Leicester, Lewes, Lichfield, Lincoln, Liverpool, Ludlow, Lynn, Monmouth, Norfolk, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Ne
wcastle-under-Lyme, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Oxford, Pembroke, Penlline, Plymouth, Reading, Rydal, Salop, Scotland, Shaftesbury, Shropshire, Somerset, Sudbury, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex, Tiverton, Wells, Westmorland, Winchester, Woodbridge, Worcester, Yarmouth, and York, each of which has been indexed separately. IR 1/55

1840 – West Norfolk Electoral Register
The register of electors entitled to vote in any parliamentary election for West Norfolk between 1 November 1840 and 1 November 1841 lists 7,620 freeholders arranged by hundred and within hundred by parish or township &c. In the first column, after number within the register, the elector’s name is given (surname first); the second column gives place of abode; the third column the nature of qualification (such as ‘owner and occupier’); and the fourth column the address of the qualifying property, in some cases with the name of the tenant or occupier. The register covers Anmer, Ashill, Ashwicken, Attleborough, Babingly, Bagthorpe, Bale, Banham, Barmer, Barney, Barton Bendish, Barwick, Bawsey, Beechamwell, Beeston, Beetley, Besthorpe, Bexwell, Bircham Newton, Bircham Tofts, Blakeney, Blo Norton, Bodham, Bodney, Boughton, Brancaster, Brandon, Breckles, Bridgham, Briningham, Brinton, Brisley, Briston, Broomsthorpe, Burnham Deepdale, Burnham Norton, Burnham Overy, Burnham Sutton, Burnham Thorpe, Burnham Westgate, Caldecote, Carbrooke, Castleacre, Castle Rising, Caston, Clay next the Sea, Clenchwarton, Cockley Cley, Cockthorpe, Colkirk, Congham, Cranwich, Cranworth, Crimplesham, Croxton, Denver, Dersingham, Didlington, Docking, Downham Market, Dunton cum Doughton, East Basham, East Bilney, East Bradenham, East Dereham, East Harling, East Lexham, East Rainham, East Rudham, East Tuddenham, East Walton, Eccles, Edgefield, Egmere, Emneth, Fakenham, Feltwell, Field Dalling, Fincham, Flitcham cum Appleton, Fordham, Foulden, Fring, Fulmodestone cum Croxton, Garboldisham, Garvestone, Gately, Gayton, Gaytonthorp, Gaywood, Glandford with Bayfield, Gooderstone, Gressenhall, Grimstone, Griston, Great Bircham, Great Cressingham, Great Dunham, Great Ellingham, Great Fransham, Great Massingham, Great Ryburgh, Great Snoring, Great Walsingham, Gunthorpe, Hardingham, Hargham, Harply, Heacham, Helhoughton, Hempstead, Hempton, Hilborough, Hillington, Hindringham, Hockering, Hockham, Hockwold cum Wilton, Hoe, Holkham, Holme, Holme Hale, Holme by the Sea, Holt, Horningtoft, Houghton, Hunstanton, Hunworth, Igburgh, Illington, Ingoldisthorpe, Kelling, Kempston, Kenninghall, Kettlestone, Kilverstone, Kings Lynn St Margaret’s, Langham, Larling, Letheringsett, Letton, Leziate, Litcham, Longham, Little Cressingham, Little Dunham, Litle Ellingham, Little Fransham, Little Massingham, Little Ryburgh, Little Snoring, Little Walsingham, Marham, Mattishall, Mattishall Burgh, Melton Constable, Merton, Methwold, Middleton, Mileham, Mintlynn, Morston, Mundford, Narborough, Narford, Necton, New Buckenham, New Houghton, Newton, North Lynn St Edmund’s, North Basham, North Creake, North Elmham, North Lopham, North Pickenham, North Runcton, North Tuddenham, Northwold, North Wootton, Old Buckenham, Outwell, Ovington, Oxburgh, Oxwick cum Pattesley, Pentney, Pudding Norton, Quidenham, Reymerstone, Riddlesworth, Ringstead, Rockland All Saints, Rockland St Andrew, Rockland St Peter, Roudham, Rougham, Roxham, Roydon, Rushford, Ryston, Saham Toney, Salthouse, Sandringham, Santon, Saxlingham, Scarning, Scoulton, Sculthorpe, Sedgeford, Setchey, Sharrington, Shereford, Shernborne, Shipdham, Shouldham, Shouldham Thorpe, Shropham, Snetterton, Snettisham, Southacre, South Creake, Southery, South Lopham, South Lynn All Saints, South Pickenham, South Raynham, South Runcton, Sporle with Palgrave, Stanfield, Stanford, Stanhoe, Stibbard, Stiffkey, Stody, Stoke Ferry, Stow Bedon, Stow Bardolph, Stradsett, Swaffham, Swanton Novers, Swanton Morley, Syderstone, Tatterford, Tattersett, Terrington St Clement’s, Terrington St John’s, Testerton, Thetford St Mary, Thetford St Peter, Thompson, Thornage, Thornham, Threxton, Thursford, Thuxton, Tilney All Saints, Tilney cum Islington, Tilney St Lawrence, Titchwell, Tittenhall cum Godwick, Toftrees, Tottenhill, Tottington, Upwell, Wallington with Thorpland, Walpole St Andrew’s, Walpole St Peter’s, Walsoken, Warham, Waterden, Watlington, Watton, Weasenham All Saints, Weasenham St Peter, Weeting with Broomhill, Wellingham, Wells, Welney, Wendling, Wereham, Westacre, West Basham, West Bilney, West Bradenham, West Dereham, Westfield, West Harling, West Lexham, West Newton, West Raynham, West Rudham, West Walton, West Winch, Weybourne, Whinburgh, Whissonsett, Wiggenhall St German’s, Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen, Wiggenhall St Mary the Virgin, Wiggenhall St Peter’s, Wighton, Wilby, Wimbotsham, Wiveton, West Lynn St Peter’s, Wolverton, Woodrising, Wormegay, Worthing, Wretton, and Yaxham. We have indexed each place separately for electors and tenants.

1846-1848 – Sydenham Society Membership List
The Sydenham Society published major works on anatomy, physiology, medicine and surgery, often newly-translated from the French or German, for English-speaking medical men. This list of members covers the two years ending 25 March 1848.

1919-1920 – Pitman’s Journal
Volume 79 of Pitman’s Journal, the weekly devoted to Pitman’s shorthand, runs from 4 October 1919 to 25 September 1920. The names that occur in the pages are not only of shorthand enthusiasts, competitors (at home and abroad), contributors and advertisers, but also of those awarded Pitman’s Shorthand Teachers Diploma.

1928-1931 – “The Collyerian”
This is the magazine of Collyer’s School, Horsham, in Sussex. Each issue starts with general Notes on News; Valete, listing boys leaving, with date, term and form of entering, house, and conspicuous achievements; Avete, listing new boys by house; and there are reports on school sports, societies, and the old boys’ association. The names that occur are predominantly those of the boys, the staff, and the old boys, although not exclusively so; for instance, the cricket scores give the names of members of rival teams. Volume iii numbers 19 to 27, December 1928 to July 1931.

1932 – Scientific Poultry Breeders Association Register of Members
This was by far the largest poultry society in Great Britain, with 16,109 members for the year 1930-1931. The seventeenth annual register, for the year 1932, lists members alphabetically by surname and initials, with addresses. P. F. stands for Poultry Farm.

1939 – University of Ireland Matriculations and Examinations
The University of Ireland was established by royal charter in 1908, with three constituent colleges – University College, Dublin; University College, Cork; and University College, Galway. The university calendar for 1940 includes pass lists for the examinations held in December 1938 and Spring, Summer and Autumn 1939, matriculation lists for 1939, as well as honours lists for 1932 to 1939.

1940 – Portslade and Southern Cross Directory
Kelly’s Directory of Brighton, Hove, Portslade and Neighbourhood for 1940 includes this list of Private Residents of Portslade and Southern Cross (S. C.).

1940 – Graduates of the University of Ireland
The University of Ireland was established by royal charter in 1908, with three constituent colleges – University College, Dublin; University College, Cork; and University College, Galway. The university calendar for 1940 lists all graduates then living: this list gives full name, surname first (sometimes with an Irish equivalent, and with maiden surname in the case of married women); and then a list of degrees in chronological order, with year of graduation.

1953 – Kenilworth Directory
Kelly’s Directory of Warwick, Leamington Spa, Stratford-upon-Avon, Kenilworth, &c. for 1953 includes this listing of private residents of Kenilworth. Full names are given, surname first, and address.

1957 – Women’s Royal Naval Service and Naval Volunteer Officers
The Navy List for 1957, corrected to 18 January 1957, includes this alphabetical catalogue of ‘Officers of the Women’s Royal Naval Service’. The first column gives surname and initials, with name of ship, N. A. T. O., W. R. N. S. H. Q., &c., in square brackets, and in round brackets if in the Royal Australian Naval (RAN) or Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN). The second column is rank. The third column is date of seniority. There is then a separate list of ‘Officers of the Women’s Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve’. The first column of this list gives surname and initials. The second column is rank. The third column indicates division (C, Clyde; F, Forth; H, Humber; L, London; M, Mersey; S, Sussex; Sn, Severn; Sol, Solent; SW, South Wales; T, Tyne; Tay, Tay; Ul; Ulster). The fourth column is for date of seniority.

1957 – Annual report of the Amateur Fencing Association (including the Ladies’ Amateur Fencing Union)
This includes the names of the officers and committee for 1957; presidents of international juries for 1958; names of champions (ladies’ foil, mens’ foil, epee and sabre) of associated bodies (Inter-Services Championship, Scottish Amateur Fencing Union, British Academy of Fencing), of the fourteen A. F. A. sections and 20 County Unions, and of national and international meetings; names and addresses of secretaries of associated bodies, sections, county unions and affiliated clubs; and a complete list of members; names and addresses of presidents of juries, judges appointed provisional presidents, and the panel of judges; and names of the section and A. F. A. coaches.

1957 – Civil Officers of the Admiralty
The Navy List for 1957, corrected to 18 January 1957, includes this alphabetical catalogue of ‘The Civil Officers Serving under the Admiralty’. The list gives surname and initials, and then an explanatory abbreviation – A. C., Admiralty Constabulary; A. C. O., Area Cash Office; A. C. S. W. S., Admiralty Civilian Shore Wireless Service; A. E. D., Air Equipment and Naval Photography Department; A. M. R. D., Aircraft Maintenance and Repair Department; A. R. O., Admiralty Regional Offices; A. S. D., Armament Supply Department; A. W. D., Naval Air Warfare Division; B. D., Boom Defence Department; B. M. S. D., Boom Defence and Marine Salvage Department; Brit. Coll., Britannia R. N. College, Dartmouth; C. C. D., Civil Catering Department; C. D., Compass Department; C. E. in C., Civil Engineer-in-Chief’s Department; C. of F., Chaplain of the Fleet; C. N. I., Department of the Chief of Naval Information; Coll., Royal Naval College, Greenwich; C. P., Contract and Purchase Department; D. D., Dockyard Department; D. Mov., Movements Department; D. M. S. R., Department of the Director of Merchant Shipbuilding and Repairs; D. of M., Department of the Director of Manning; D. R. E., Department of Radio Equipment; D. Y., Dockyard; D. Y. Tech. Coll., Dockyard Technical College; E. E. D., Electrical Engineering Department; E. in C., Engineer-in-Chief’s Department; G. H. D., Greenwich Hospital Department; H. S., Historical Section; Hyd., Hydrographic Department; I. D., Intelligence Division; M. D., Medical Department; M. D. H. C., Medical, Dental and Hospital Consultants; Med. Sch., Medical School, Alverstoke; M. S. R., Regional Organisation for Merchant Shipbuilding and Repairs; N. A. Off., Nautical Almanac Office; N. A. O. D., Naval Air Organisation and Training Division; N. C. D., Naval Construction Department; N. D., Navigation and Direction Division; N. E. D., Naval Equipment Department; N. H., Naval Hospital; N. M. D., Royal Navy Medical Depot; N. O. D., Naval Ordnance Department; N. S., Naval Store Department; N. S. D., Naval Stote Depots; N. S. S., Naval Scientific Service; N. T. D., Naval Training Department; Obs. Cap., Observatory, Cape of Good Hope; O. Bd., Ordnance Board; O. D., Operations Division; P. D., Plans Division; P. P., Production Pool; R. C. N. C., Royal Corps of Naval Constructors; R. E. D., Radio Equipment Department; R. Gr. Ob., Royal Greenwich Observatory; R. N. A. D., Royal Naval Armament Department; R. N. A. W., Royal Naval Aircraft Workshops; R. N. A. Y., Royal Naval Aircraft Yard; R. N. C. F., Royal Naval Cordite Factory; R. N. E. Coll., R. Naval Engineering College, Manadon, Plymouth; R. N. M. D., Royal Naval Mine Depot; R. N. P. F., Royal Naval Propellant Factory; R. N. T. D., Royal Naval Torpedo Depot; R. N. T. F., Royal Naval Torpedo Factory; S. D., Signal Division; Sec., Secretary’s Department; S. P., Senior Psychologist; S. P. D. C., Spare Parts Distributing Centre; S. T. D., Sea Transport Departme
nt; T. C. S., Technical Costing Section; T. D., Trade Division; T. S. D., Tactical and Staff Duties Division; U. S. W. D., Undersurface Warfare Division; U. W. M. D., Underwater Weapon Materials Department; V. D., Victualling Department; V. Y., Victualling Yard; Wks., Works Districts.

The Original Record now has over 9 million entries directly available online. It includes a free unlimited search. All records are hand-indexed (no OCR). You may purchase sets of scans, or buy open access to the surname(s) of your choice, including variants.

UPDATE: 12-31-09: 12 pm MST – The NGS website issues have now been resolved. The following was just received:

The NGS website technical issues have been resolved and access to the Members Only Section has now been restored.

The following was just received from NGS:

The NGS website is experiencing technical difficulties due to a network outage at our service provider location. We are working to correct this as soon as possible. Logging on to the NGS website, shopping online, and access to the Members Only section of the website is currently not available. We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience caused in the mean time. We will notify you as soon as access is restored.

We have moved the NGS holiday gift, a special member preview of an NGS video presentation, an interview with Helen Leary to a secure location that does not require logon at this time. Enjoy the interview at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/videos.

Scotland’s People has now released the new years statutory images containing records from the Statutory Register of Births for 1909, the Statutory Register of Marriages for 1934, and the Statutory Register of Deaths for 1959.

UPDATE: 12-30-09: I’m feeling better. I still have the ear infection, but overall things are much better. I’m going to get back at it today – and that will include a bit of blogging as well as removing a tremendous amount of snow from the driveway and walks around our place. The fresh air should do me good…

UPDATE 12-28-09: I’m still very ill. Spent Christmas day with an earache. Haven’t been able to hear out of my left ear at all since then. Went to the clinic and got a prescription for some high-powered and spendy antibiotics to kill the ear infection. Hopefully, I’ll be back to blogging soon.

It’s been a tough week. Unfortunately, I remember most of it. Patty and I had just gotten home from the annual Salt Lake Christmas Tour when I began to feel crummy. The next thing I knew, I felt terrible… and I’ve been down with the flu ever since. Patty got a bad cold during the tour week and is still trying to get rid of that too. So we’ve been quite a pair.

We’re both on the mend now. Feeling much better, thank you. Today we wrap a few presents and get ready for the kids, grandkids, and friends to arrive for Christmas dinner tomorrow. I’m actually feeling well enough that I do think this may be fun.

Merry Christmas to all our many friends out there. Have a terrific holiday.

The following books and/or collections all make excellent Christmas Gifts. Note that the sale prices are good until midnight December 24, 2009. All orders are shipped within 24 hours of receipt:

The Dollarhide 10-Book Collection – only $109.68 & FREE SHIPPING! – a $228.50 Value – 52% Off!

Census Substitutes & State Census Records – Vol. 1&2 – Eastern & Western States – An Annotated Bibliography Of Published Names Lists For All 50 U.S. States And States Censuses For 37 States, by William Dollarhide – $52.72 for the set of two volumes – a $65.90 value – 20% off!

Genealogical Resources of the Civil War Era – Online and Published Military or Civilian Name Lists, 1861-1869 & Post-Civil War Veteran Lists, by William Dollarhide – only $26.36 – a $32.95 value – 20% off!

Map Guide to German Parish Registers – Volumes 11-13, the Rhineland Series (includes the Pfalz), by Kevan Hansen – $73.40 – a $104.85 value – 30% off!

The “Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses 1790-1920” by Dollarhide & Thorndale is back in print! And just in time for Christmas!. Total cost at the FRPC website is $59.35, plus $4.90 p&h (media mail).

Description of “Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses“:
The county has always been used as the basic Federal census unit. Genealogical research in the census, therefore, begins with identifying the correct county jurisdictions. This work (one of the top-five best selling genealogy books) shows all U.S. county boundaries from 1790 to 1920. On each of the nearly 400 maps the old county lines are superimposed over the modern ones to highlight the boundary changes at ten-year intervals. Also included are:

• A history of census growth;
• The technical facts about each census;
• A discussion of census accuracy;
• An essay on available sources for each state’s old county lines; and
• A statement with each map indicating which county census lines exist and which are lost.

The volume includes an index listing all present-day counties, plus nearly all defunct counties or counties later re-named.
With each map there is data on boundary changes, notes about the census, and locality finding keys. There also are inset maps that clarify territorial lines, a state-by-state bibliography of sources, and an appendix outlining pitfalls in mapping county boundaries. The detail in this work is exhaustive and of such impeccable standards that there is little wonder why this award-winning publication is the number one tool in U.S. census research.

Remember – these sale prices are good through midnight, MST, December 24, 2009! So order today! Click on any of the links or pictures to go directly to that item at the FRPC website.

The following news release was received from my friend, Kia Rahmani, at arcalife:

(PRWEB) December 17, 2009 — arcalife and Firebird Media Limited have signed a deal bringing the two companies closer together in the personal and historical archiving space.

arcalife provides personal archiving solutions to its members, giving them the opportunity to store and share their family history, memories, stories, photos, video and audio – to enjoy now and to record for future generations.

Firebird, through its website Memorybank offers its community a ‘peoples archive’, including sources of local historical information on which to base their research, as well as contribute to a wider cultural archive of local history from their own family memorabilia.

arcalife CEO Paul Taylor says, “This is a significant opportunity for both organizations. Many of our operational needs are similar and our services are complimentary, so it makes perfect sense.”. Memorybank users will have access to a wider range of services and products that arcalife users already have: the ability to make multimedia timelines and create time capsules as well as structured archives to store and share any family information from research.

The CEO of Firebird Media Limited is Dr. Nick Barratt, noted historian and consultant / presenter of the hit UK family history show “Who Do You Think You Are”. Barratt commented, “I think our members will be pleased with the additional functionality we’ll be delivering through Memorybank. The arcalife team brings significant technical skill to our group, and in return we’ll support them in their worthy mission to encourage us all to take a more active role in personally archiving our lives.”

The alliance will start by bringing historical project and archiving software to the UK education market. Dr Barratt has been working for some time to encourage more interest in personal and local history in the UK education sector and has succeeded in having it added to a large number of school curricula. The new software, which will be called PROJECTBOOK, has been designed to support teachers and schools wanting to run and manage local history and personal archiving projects, and will be released during 2010 after intensive testing.

Dr. Barratt says, “I am particularly excited about our plans to develop bespoke education products to encourage a new generation of historians in schools to explore the world around them, and develop the important research and interpretative skills that will stand them in good stead no matter what they eventually decide to do with their lives.”.

Company Profiles:

Firebird Media were established in 2005 to create Memorybank, the people’s archive, and provide educational products for teachers of history and related curriculum areas.

Arcalife.com is one place where you can preserve family history, scrapbook today’s memories and securely share rich family content online.

I finally got the opportunity this week to sit down and find out what everyone was raving about as deals with Dan Lynch’s new book, Google Your Family Tree. Shucks, I’ve been using Google since the “beginning,” and figured I knew all about it. Clearly, that wasn’t the case at all.

I bought several cases of the books to sell in the FRPC bookstore during the Salt Lake Christmas Tour – books I bought because my attendees were demanding them. After selling 45 books within the first few hours, I had to see what this was all about. One of the genealogists in attendance pointed out that in the first five minutes with the book, he had learned three things about Google that he hadn’t known before – things that would help him in his genealogy research. So I set out to learn more myself.

As we all know, Google is by far the most popular Internet search engine available to us today. The Internet is also loaded with genealogical and historical databases, web pages, indexes, photographs, video and stuff we never even thought of before. Finding and accessing these resources is our challenge – and it looks to me like if you know how to harness the overwhelming power of Google, you may – just may – be able to break some of those genealogical brick walls you have before you. If nothing else, you’ll certainly be able to locate data that will fill in holes and add richness to your family story.

First off – and maybe more important than anything else, Dan explains though words, illustrations, and pictures just how to search “smart.” Sure – you can just type in that string of words that you think may be on the Web somewhere, but then again, you might want to type words that will bring you the results you actually want. The first three chapters of the book, as well as Appendix E (see below) really get down into the nitty-gritty of searching.

Chapters 3 through 14 deal with Google applications that enhance the family history research experience. Apps like Language Tools, Google Books, Google News Archive, Blog Search, Images & Video, Google Alerts, Google Maps, Google Earth, Google Notebook, and the Google Toolbar all have direct application to our genealogy search.

Google is truly helping genealogists open up the resources of the Internet – and Dan’s cool book makes using Google easier and more produce than ever before. Every genealogist with a computer can profit from the volume.

The following is directly from the Table of Contents:

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1 – Search Engine Basics
The Foundation of all Google searches, this chapter describes basic functionality, screen layout, use of keywords, basic commands, and syntax

Chapter 2 – Interpreting Web Search Results
The anatomy of Google Web Search results and the powerful commands that can be accessed from links appearing within your search results

Chapter – 3 – Advanced Search Techniques
A detailed description of advanced search techniques, both command-line entries as well as those used in the Advanced Search Form

Chapter 4 – Language Tools
Using the foreign language capabilities of Google, including automatic language translation, International content search, and Google’s offering worldwide

Chapter 5 – Google Books
Tapping the content archives found within Google’s growing online digital library and tips for using these books in your family history search

Chapter 6 – Google News Archive
Stepping beyond the current-day news into the rich historical news archive, learn to use the time line feature to quickly sort through historical results

Chapter 7 – Blog Search
An in-depth look at searching through and using blog postings as an effective means to conduct your family history research

Chapter 8 – Images & Video
Bring you research to life with pictures and video by learning special tips for getting the most value from Google’s image and video archives

Chapter 9 – Google Alerts
Search while you sleep! Discussion and step-by-step instructions for using Alerts to make Google work as hard as you do in finding your ancestors

Chapter 10 – Google Maps
A look at the indispensable tool for researching places and unique integration with Google Local and Street View

Chapter 11 – Google Earth
An in-depth look at one of the most addictive of all Google applications, you’ll be able to “travel” to the home of your ancestors and anywhere else you desire

Chapter 12 – Google Notebook
Google Notebook enables you to keep your research organized and available – even when performed on different computers – and easily shared with others

Chapter 13 – The Google Toolbar
An optional add-on requiring download and installation, the Google Toolbar offers a host of one-click wonders; also includes brief mention of Google Chrome

Chapter 14 – Other Tips and Tricks
More than a dozen additional features of Google that are too good to ignore, even if they don’t have a direct connection to genealogy research

Appendix A – Getting Started in Genealogy
A condensed step-by-step guide for those just starting to trace their family tree

Appendix B – Top Sites for Genealogists
An overview of the leading free and fee-based websites for genealogy, including a top-ten favorites list and dozens of other useful resources from around the world

Appendix C – Other Internet Search Engines
A look at the useful features of more than a dozen other Web search engines

Appendix D – Web Search Engine Defined
The history and evolution of Internet Search Engines, courtesy of Wikipedia

Appendix E – Syntax Summary & Quick Reference
A concise listing of Google commands and syntax with examples of their use for genealogy

Index

You may purchase Google Your Family Tree at the Family Roots Publishing Website. All orders are shipped within 24 hours – and usually much less…

Google Your Family Tree – Unlock the Hidden Power of Google, by Daniel M. Lynch; 2009; 352 pp; Soft Cover; 8.25×10; Indexed; ISBN: 978-0-9820737-1-1; $34.95

Now here’s something I found intriguing – Emily M. Matthias is a doctoral student in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at New Mexico State University. She is currrently conducting a sturdy entitled “Myth, Memory and Multiculturalism: Exploring Cultural Identity through Genealogical Pursuit”

According to Emily, she is also “a family history researcher, working on my own family (hi)story.” The purpose of her “study is to explore ideas surrounding cultural identity formation using family history research (genealogy) as one lens.”

If you go to her website, you can participate in this study if “you are a family history researcher who has engaged in your own personal family history research via the Internet. If you decide to participate, you will be asked to complete the following three survey steps:

1. You will be asked to complete this Internet survey regarding your research experience.
2. You will be asked to email a personal family photograph, with an accompanying story, telling why you chose that particular image and how it has helped or not helped you to find a sense of cultural identity (optional).
3. You will be asked to record an oral story via a telephone answering system (optional).

Check out the study and Emily’s website at: http://www.mygenealogystudy.com