Tips – Page 22 – GenealogyAtHeart.com

Heirlooms and Hand Me Downs – Who Cares?!

A FABULOUS FIND of 13 May 2016

Originally published on 11 May 2016.

I read recently an online article about the glazed over look that family members often get when we genealogists start talking about the past. The author mentioned that he was frustrated that his family doesn’t seem to care while the actors featured on tv shows are always so excited about their genealogy finds.

I understand why our family members often don’t get it. Here’s my top 5 reasons for the disconnect and a way to get around it:

1. The past is done and it’s not relevant to me. Geez, I even had that philosophy when I was young. Think about the 1960’s mantra of not trusting anyone over 30! It’s rare that young people can connect the dots of how several times great grandpa’s life could be meaningful today. It’s not just young folks. Some people never out grow this belief so don’t get me wrong and think this view only applies to youth. The solution is simple – tell or write engaging family stories that are applicable to life today. Write the story as a cliffhanger and I bet your relatives will want to learn more about their past.

Concrete tactile learners – there are many learners that have to SEE the picture, TOUCH the artifact, or LISTEN to the voice in order to process the information so show that photo taken at the 1920 family reunion and point out the resemblance to Great Uncle Fred. Caution is needed, though. Don’t overload them with a lot of photos or items as they’ll disconnect from sensory overload. A little goes a long way and what you’re aiming for is to pique interest.

Money, Money, Money! Of course the television actors are excited about their family history finds. Your relatives would be, too, if they were being paid for appearing on tv. This is not a suggestion to pay our family members to listen to us but it does explain why there may be a lack of enthusiasm. D. Joshua Taylor, of Ancestry Roadshow, mentioned at the National Genealogical Society Conference that his grandma updated the family history annually and every one expected to receive a copy gift wrapped under the Christmas tree each year. That tradition, coupled with the $20. bills she hid in the pages, did help family members look forward to the gift. (And he’s interested in the family genealogy so clearly this approach worked. Thank you, Josh’s Grandma!)
Individual Attention. Another reason tv actors are enthusiastic is because they are exclusively meeting one on one with noted researchers who sweetly answer their every question and have the documents all nicely transcribed for them. I tend to talk family genealogy when everyone is together and that may be counter intuitive. Instead, mention some tidbit that can easily blend in with the conversation when you are with only one of your family members. A few weeks ago, while cleaning out a closet, I wondered what happened to a collection of needles I once had – darning, knitting, embroidery, tapestry, etc. that originally belonged to various females in my lines. When I was into arts and crafts, I used them and always thought about the original owners. Daughter said, “Oh, I have those.” She brought them over on Mother’s Day and I pulled out a few and said, “I remember when your great grandma used these to embroider a kitchen towel” and “Grandma Duck used to use these when she repaired the hallway stairs carpet, the one I told you about that I used to slide down on my derriere when I was five.” Will daughter remember and cherish? I don’t know but I gave it my best shot! She is quite artistic so I suspect she will make the connection and remember it.
Road trip needed! When you think of “Who Do You Think You Are?” or “Long Lost Family” you know the participants get to travel. Most family members would just love it if they got to go somewhere, all expenses paid. I always sneak in a side trip whenever we used to vacation and my family still talks about the house on Long Island that several times great grandpa John Hicks Williams had built that just happened to be for sale so we got to see the inside (online – couldn’t find an agent who was available to give us a tour). Walking in your ancestor’s foot steps is a powerful experience and with summer coming, perhaps you can take the most interested of the family on an excursion.

Hope these suggestions help get your family interested in your findings – Happy Hunting!

Life is Short, Do it Now!

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 8 May 2016.

Just back from the National Genealogical Society conference in Ft. Lauderdale and it was awesome. Wonderful to meet face-to-face with folks I have only interacted with online and some I haven’t seen in person in awhile.

The only downer was that a colleague of mine from my primary job had to cancel at the last minute due to a family emergency. She is working towards a PhD in creative writing and was looking forward to attending the writing workshops that were offered. Additionally, she is interested in family history and is the keeper of her family’s records so the conference was a great fit for her.

As genealogists, we typically place our family’s first so her disappointment in missing the conference was minimized by her right on priorities. This got me thinking of the lost opportunities that we often miss with our own family members. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to just have one hour with that brick wall ancestor (and maybe a translator included!)? Don’t you wish you could ask dearly departed Great Aunt Alice a couple of questions? Recording her answers would be icing on the cake.

Do yourself and the generations to come a favor and ASK TODAY your mom, grandma, and if you’re really lucky, great grandma, what you’re dying to know. Make sure you write it down (and seriously, cite it). It’ll be a Mother’s Day gift that will be appreciated long into the future. Enjoy your day!

The Importance of Recording Your History

A FABULOUS FIND of 22 April 2016.

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 21 Apr 2016

As genealogists, we search high and low for records left from the past. After recently reading an article from National Geographic about what is considered “historical” for the purpose of digging up someone’s grave, I began to think about what historical means to me. I’m with the dictionary on this one – historical is belonging in the past. The past is what happened, it’s done and over. The past can be as recent as a few minutes ago when I began writing this blog or several millennium.

I have a milestone birthday coming up and that probably further influenced these thoughts. Coupled with the recent hurricane forecast from Colorado State University, I usually start thinking at this time of year about the “what ifs” regarding a severe storm coming my way. I’m a tad paranoid having experienced several hurricanes and losing just about everything in one back in the 1980’s.

Another layer regarding my thoughts is that I recently acquired a diary written by a woman in the late 1800’s about her life in a rural community. What I love most about her writing is that it was so succinct yet so telling. I’m making up this example to demonstrate the style:

15 – Fri.- Cloudy and warm. Rose early to set a hen in shed. Tilled garden. John to town to trade eggs. Mary Madden poorly, doc Bailey called. Jim and Liz – a girl.

There are 30+ years of entries and a wealth of genealogical gems in two lines! She always recorded the weather, which was a critical factor in successful farming, the family’s jobs of the day, and bits and pieces about the social life of the community. Sometimes she included major news, such as strikes in a far off city, the country’s election results and train wrecks.

What impressed me the most was how nonjudgmental were the writer’s entries. When a store clerk shot a farmer she recorded the event but not the why or the sides of the story. She was a “just the facts” kind of girl. I like that – let others form their own opinions of the events through their historical lens.

I decided I am going to start a diary on the day of my birthday in this format. Why? Simply because we don’t take the age in which we’re living as someday being considered worth remembering. Since we’re living the events they are commonplace to us and thus, not important. That’s wrong!

We’re also not vain so we tend to think that our lives don’t need recording. Don’t you do a happy dance when you find a tidbit about your great great grandma? I was so excited when I found one of mine had won a county fair award when she was 8 for sewing. If I hadn’t found the newspaper clipping that listed all the blue ribbon winners I would have never known. It told me a lot about her – that she sewed and did that well, her parents encouraged her to compete and be a part of the larger community at a young age, and that she was at the fair event.

Don’t neglect telling your tale! You are important and one day, one of your descendants will appreciate that you recorded your life. You don’t have to do it in the way I’ve selected. You can write a mini-autobiography or use a letter format. If you’re artistic, a collage of events in your life that were important to you can be depicted. You might want to record and videotape yourself if you’re more of an oral story teller. It doesn’t matter how you record your life, what matters is that you do!

Not sure where to start? Interview yourself! Here are some resources to get you started:

You can see that many of the questions are redundant. I really like FamilySearch.org’s approach, 52 questions – one a week. You can do this! Take the challenge!

The Passionate Genealogist – Using Creativity to Climb Your Brickwalls!

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 10 Apr 2016.

Just back from a Learning and the Brain Conference in Orlando on imagination, curiosity and creativity. As genealogists we have passion which is the basis for all three, the drive that’s needed for success. After hearing the wonderful speakers from around the world I began to think that the application for genealogy can knock down our brick walls. Here’s how-

The beginning of imagination is dreaming. Our dream may be to discover who our several times great grandpa married or the reason our family moved to an area. It could be how our grandparents met or why we always have banana birthday cake. These thought provoking questions for people with passion to learn more about their ancestors lead to pursuing and seeking ways to find the answer to the question.

The posed research question you act upon is how you demonstrate your curiosity. One of the sessions had an interesting photo at the beginning – it showed square trees. The research question presented was where could you find square trees. I figured it was a trick question and immediately replied Lowes or Home Depot. Hint: That’s not the answer the presenter was looking for! How I formulated my response was by enlisting my background knowledge. My do-it-yourselfer hubby has had me assist with so many projects involving square wood if I lived in a large city my frame of reference may have been to expect that most trees grew in a square shape because that’s what I would be familiar with in the big box lumber department. I know that the trees in my neighborhood grown in somewhat of a round shape and that what we find in the store is processed lumber. Think how this applies to your research. Do you always rely on your same go to websites – the big names on the web to answer your research question? That’s not bad or wrong to do but there’s so much more that you’re missing. Those that want to REALLY know the answer would have their curiosity take them to some out of the box, unconventional places. I have found the answer to some of my research questions in odd places – on a microfilm in Salt Lake City of a book that exists in no library today, at a research facility in Boston that had a text that isn’t anywhere in the state the record was compiled from, on a CD created by a rural former church historian of the denomination’s newsletters, in a deed moved from the recorder’s office to an archive, in a letter stuck in a book on the shelf in our study. Those are just a few examples that pop into my brain that have happened to me in the last six months. None of those had anything to do with the major genealogical websites. Please do not think that I don’t value the information that’s now available on the web. I DO! I certainly don’t want to go back to those dark ages when information was difficult to obtain. I highly value and appreciate the big box genealogy sites. My point is that we need to remember it’s not the be all and end all. There is more – lots more – and your curiosity will propel you to find the more.

If you’re thinking, easy for her to say! I can’t afford, find the time, etc. etc. to go seek this information you’re wrong and doing your research a disservice. You don’t have to go to Salt Lake or Boston or even clean your house to find the letter in a book. You can use the technology that’s available to minimize the miles and bring the research to you. Use Worldcat if it’s available to have your library cooperative bring the material to you. Same with the microfilm – search Familysearch and order the film to be delivered to a closer site to your home. Yes, there is a fee but it’s minimal compared to cost involved if you don’t live in the Salt Lake City area. Aren’t sure how to find what you need? Call or visit your local library and they will help you. If they don’t, go to another. Don’t give up and don’t let negative people stand in your way.

How interesting is this! I’ve even mentioned big box sites to help you find the information you’re needing. You are bringing the knowledge closer to you. That’s why I believe genealogy is a study in patience. In this info overload world we so often expect the answer to arrive instantly on our phone, tablet or laptop. As the song says, “Waiting is the hardest part” but could also be the most important and relevant piece of your genealogical puzzle. While you’re waiting – go make yourself a nice cup of tea and dream some more, then act on that dream and the cycle continues.

See, when you’ve acted on your curiosity you’ve become creative. It was quite easy! We all have this ability we just have to practice it.

We did a cute little exercise at one of the breakout sessions you can take part in. Go to Answer Garden and answer the question “What is creativity.” Your answer is right because there is no one right answer so don’t be afraid. You don’t have to sign in, give your email address, nada! Once you submit your answer you will get an interesting “art” piece. I printed it and have it on my workspace as a reminder to be creative.

Creativity is the quality of human existence that allows us to modify the environment to our needs to make something new and useful. It’s a mix of intuitive and rational factors. That’s why we use the Genealogical Proof Standard. We use our gut and our brain to analyze the findings and reach a conclusion. We may be right and we may be wrong but until a direct or negative piece of evidence is discovered to make us revisit our findings, our analysis stands.

Creativity is a process and like all processes, has several steps. Preparation is primary! If the problem is worth studying you need to have background information and that’s pulling together what you know. Your answer may be right there in front of you but was overlooked the first time you saw it. Here’s one of my “Oh, Duh!” moments – wanted to know where an adult child had moved and found it listed on a death certificate for the parent. Was there all the time but I failed to “see” it. Don’t reinvent the wheel! Collaborate with others who may have already discovered what you’re looking for. Email the person who posted that family tree and ask where they got their info. Sure they might have just copied someone else but they might not have. If you don’t ask you won’t know. Asking is free!

Now you’ve found some tidbit of a record and you don’t know how it fits. No worries, time for another cup of tea. You just need to reflect on the finding. It will allow your brain to storm! Hmm, maybe I should check this resource or that facility or ask that second cousin. Research shows brainstorming is best done alone; we are social creatures for the most part and even if we don’t want to believe it, social inhibitions often prevail in group think. There is a time for collaboration and a time for going solo. When you’ve got some brainstormed ideas it’s time to put it out there to the genealogical community and step back into collaboration. How can technology help you in preparation?! Use Google Docs to share your findings with the other researchers that are working on your same line. One of the presenters recommended Padlet which I haven’t tried yet but plan to. It looks like a thinking Pinterest and it’s free. I like free! You collaborate with whoever you select to be in your group. Wish I had known about this a few years back when I was working with several distant relatives to beat the clock to find a Revolutionary War participant so an elderly relative could join the DAR before she passed. We made it happen but this would have been so much better. Another awesome idea is to use a Web Whiteboard. A whiteboard has taken the place of blackboards in the classroom – no squeaky chalk and no dust. You don’t even need one in your office, you can draw, write or scribble on a virtual whiteboard to help you sort out the connection between those found documents. Symbaloo may be the answer you need to bookmark your favorite go to web sites. It’s a free social bookmarking cloud based service that allows you to surf your favorite website with an easy click AND download an ap so you can keep being productive when you’re waiting in line at the checkout or for an appointment.

Now that you’ve got many ideas to help you with your preparation you’re ready to move to the next stages of creativity: Incubation and Inspiration. I love incubation – it’s easy but we don’t do it enough. We just need to STOP and let our brain process what we’ve found. Go outside and smell the roses. Take a walk. Swim. Lay on the sofa. Wherever you love to hang, go there! Your brain is still working on solving but it needs to be left to do it without the pressure of hurry. It’ll come. Just wait. Patience again! My brain works in a weird way. My best solutions for my job as an educator comes when I’m stuck in traffic on the interstate after my 2^nd cup of coffee and old hard rock is playing on the radio. I see my destination off in the distance, Oz beckons me and Voila! The answer is there. So if you’re like me, you may have your incubation moment in an odd location but if it works, who cares because you’ve reached inspiration. The unconscious mind (incubation) has brought the solution to be recognized in your conscious mind (inspiration).

If you’re stuck in incubation here’s some ideas that might help you. Vocaroo is an online way to share voice messages over the web. For those of you who are auditory this may really be helpful. Say what you know into Vocaroo and then listen to what you said. That’s it. If you’re a visual learner you may want to Mindmap. Unfortunately, most mindmap sites are not free but you don’t need to purchase it – take a look at images on google and you’ll get the idea. Mindmap on paper or on the virtual whiteboard. Poplet is a free sight designed for schools that can help you with a downloadable ap so you can take it anywhere. Since you’re reading this blog you might be a blogger yourself. Blogging can also help your inspiration. You can keep your blog to yourself, include just a few or make it public. There are lots of blog sites but I like Google’s Blogger. I don’t want you to think you have to spend a lot of time on becoming creative. Use your smart phone clock timer to keep yourself in check. Don’t beat yourself up if the timer goes off and you’re not where you hoped to be. It’s okay, really.

The last parts of creativity are Verification – Implementation – Production. Test the ideas that inspired you. You’re that much closer to scaling your brick wall. Happy Hunting!

Genealogical Software and Identifying Family Relationships

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 6 Apr 2016.

Last Friday I had the pleasure of attending an all day conference hosted by The Villages, Florida Genealogy Society for the New England Historic and Genealogical Society (NEHGS). I’m a member of NEHGS and I was interested in the topics, especially migration patterns . Although I found all the workshops fairly basic I always take something away from any workshop I attend so I did get some new info to use when I revisit my tree AFTER I submit my portfolio.

I want to mention two points that I think were most interesting. The first was during the workshop titled “Choosing a Genealogical Software Program” by Rhonda McClure. I enjoyed Rhonda’s talk even though I’m not shopping for a new software program. What was interesting to me was the number of attendees that couldn’t understand why someone would want to have their tree information on their own program. Maybe I’m just old and remember the first genealogical software program I used which was on a cassette that was inserted into a TI-84 computer. When we upgraded to Windows 3.0, I downloaded PAF from Familysearch.org and had to re-enter all of my tree info. I didn’t have a lot, about 100 individuals, but it was time consuming and a duplication of efforts.

I moved to Family Tree Maker (FTM) because it was supposed to synch with Ancestry.com but as I’ve written in previous blogs, mine stopped synching and between the two organizations I could never get it working. I then downloaded the Standard (Free) edition of Legacy in which to save my Ancestry.com Gedcom and about once a month, I update Legacy by re-downloading the Gedcom. I know Ancestry.com is in the works with synching with Roots Magic and maybe a resurrection of FTM. I really would like a feature that synchs and I would go with that. I do love the reports Legacy generates as I ended up purchasing the Deluxe version so I’d keep that, too. The problem with not synching is one gets updated and the other doesn’t. I have a lot of pdf’s and photos saved on Ancestry.com that’s not on Legacy so we’re back to time consuming and storage saving issues unless something is available to synch.

But back to why anyone would want to have their own software. I live in Florida where we have many storms, often severe, which means that our power is off and therefore, no internet. Even when there isn’t a storm we sometimes have no internet. Like yesterday, with our wonderful new internet provider, Frontier, who can’t figure out how to provide the service we’re paying for (but that’s another story!) With a backup generator I could still access my desktop, though it would be unlikely in severe weather that I would use a generator to do that. I’d rather save the food in the fridge but I like options and if I would be so inclined, I could get to my information. Although it’s also unlikely that Ancestry.com will cease to exist, one never knows. Companies come and go. I’m not trying to start a rumor – I think that is remote but in case, I want to have a backup. I also like to have my tree available when I research away from home on my Kindle or laptop as in some facilities that I’ve visited, the wireless goes down when you’re in the stacks and it’s a problem.

The next interesting observation from the conference was how the Ancestry.com relationship feature doesn’t work. I was surprised how many people rely on it. Mine comes and goes and sometimes is so convoluted it’s hysterical. I’m not blaming Ancestry for that; it’s my twisted family tree where I relate to my husband back in the day. It can’t figure out the connection and seems to take the long route. I think I figured out why it does that. Simply because of who I set at the home person. If you’re having that problem just go to settings and change the home person to someone else and it may correct the problem. If it doesn’t, then you’re going to have to figure out the relationship the old fashioned way. I’d recommend bringing up the family tree view from the person you are trying to determine the relationship from and look and see where you recognize a common ancestor.

In a pinch you may find these links helpful:

Donations

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 27 March 2016.

Had an interesting genealogical experience last week that I want to caution you about! I’m all over the web – you can find my blog, website, email, public tree on Ancestry, FamilySearch, Find-A-Grave, etc. and I’m visible for several reasons:

I strongly believe my ancestors’ information and stories should be shared with anyone who cares to learn about them.
I LOVE genealogy, history and family stories so I joyfully research and investigate the past.
I’m more interested in preserving what I discover than gaining monetary compensation for my efforts.
Collaboration works for me! I like connecting with others who are interested in the same lines that I am; if I’m not visible how are they going to find me?
I understand if you don’t share these views; I’m not going to try to convince you to change your mind so don’t try to do that to me.

With that said, here’s what happened – I received an email message that someone was trying to contact me via a public posting forum. I went to the site and the individual was requesting contact information for the deceased’s living relatives, though it didn’t say why. I responded publicly to contact me via my email to discuss as I don’t give out living people information, other than my own, in a public manner.

I soon received an email from a small museum who wanted to know who the next of kin was as the deceased had donated an item that the organization no longer could display. The museum needed to know if the family wanted the item returned or if they could sell it and keep the proceeds.

I responded what my relationship was to the deceased but they wanted a blood relative. Using the tools of the genealogy trade, I found a living adult child who didn’t want the item and emailed the organization that they could sell it.

So, now you have the background of the bigger issue here – what happens to items that you or your loved ones’ donate. This experience jarred me because I never really thought about a museum discarding items. I donated a lot of old sheet music to a local museum about 15 years ago because they were trying to grow their collection and we didn’t have the room for it. If they decided to sell it I’d be fine with that. Although ancestors owned the sheet music I wouldn’t consider it an heirloom. When I gave it away I didn’t think about asking for it back if they couldn’t house it any more. In my head, you give it away and you have no rights to it any longer. Apparently, the deceased thought differently!

If you plan on donating items you need to educate yourself before you give. Check out these links: http://www2.archivists.org/publications/brochures/donating-familyrecs

http://web.library.yale.edu/mssa/collections/donating-materials

http://dos.myflorida.com/library-archives/about-us/about-the-state-archives-of-florida/how-do-i-donate-to-the-archives/

and definitely check out the organization you’ve planned to give to BEFORE you make that donation. Ask

Does the organizations short and long term goals mesh with the items being given? If not, they may not want to keep them long term.
Do you understand the documents you’re going to sign? Check with your lawyer and accountant before you make the donation.
Is it clear what will happen to your items in the event the museum no longer wants them?
If there is a provision to return items, how will the organization get in contact with you or your descendants?

Definitely food for thought while your devouring your chocolate bunny today!

Goodbye Picassa

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 24 March 2016.

Previously I’ve blogged about one of my favorite Google products, Picassa, to which I uploaded all of my photos, movies and images of records. I’m sad to say that it’ll be going away soon. Google stopped supporting it on March 15th. It’s being replaced by a product called Google Photo so if you were using Picassa you’ll need to log into Google Photos to save your albums. Supposedly, it’ll be an easy transition. Problem is there won’t be editing software included and it won’t scale uploaded photos. I’m planning on following their directions so I don’t lose what I’ve saved this weekend. I did click on the Photos link provided on the Google blog but the photos displayed weren’t everything I had in my Picassa albums. Possibly it’s because I was signed in with a different email address. I’m not panicking yet because I have hard copies and cds of everything but I certainly don’t want to spend the time reuploading! That’s why I plan on checking it out this weekend and contacting Google before it’s too late if I can’t figure it out. Looks like Google Photos has the facial recognition feature that I absolutely love. New features on Photos begin on May 1st so I’m hoping that those will include fixes to the limitations that I’ve already mentioned.

Google Library for the Genealogist

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 19 March 2016.

I’m taking a course through the National Institute of Genealogical Studies called “Google for the Genealogist.” Half way into it and I’m finding it’s very useful. There are 8 modules in total and the one I just completed on Google Books was the most relevant to me so far.

I use Google to search for old books that may contain a mention of my ancestors. Sometimes I just look for the location and then when I open the book, search for the surname. I have found some incredible stories – such as Mathew Baines or Beans who was dying at sea and wrote a letter to a James Harrison, a fellow Quaker, requesting he look after Mathew’s children. Problem was that Mr. Harrison had died so the children appeared in Orphan Court. Two Google Books mention these events. Looking at someone else’s tree on FamilySearch or Ancestry might give you Mathew’s year and place of death but the books bring the experiences he had to life!

With old Ancestry, as in before December 2015, I used to snip the page from the book and snip the title page, save to Word and then upload as a pdf to my tree attaching to the appropriate person. Problem is that it’s no longer easy to find those pdf’s on Ancestry. I’m going to have to go back and re-download and save to my hard drive. I never saved to my hard drive before because I was working on a cheap laptop I didn’t have a lot of faith in and thought it would be better if it were saved in Ancestry’s cloud. Live and learn!

But back to Google Books and the class I’m taking…Did you know that you can save books to your own created bookshelves in your own library in their cloud?! I somehow missed this and it’s super easy to do. All you need is a Google account, which is free, of course. (Not going to get into the whole topic of nothing is free as in they’re monitoring your usage and using your searches but you know what I mean by free – as in there’s no initial monetary cost involved to create a Google account.) Once you have an account (if you have an email through Google you have an account!), next click “More” on the Google ribbon and find the link for “Books.” Click and search for a surname or place you’re interested in finding information about. When you find a book you like, click on it. You then click “Save to My Library.”

On the left hand side of the page you can create your own book shelves. I created two state names and one called Reference. If you scroll down you’ll see recent books you may have looked at. It’s simple to just click on the book and add to the appropriate book shelf. I’m going to be very busy once I’m done with the Kinship Determination Paper uploading all my pdf books and saving it to My Library. That way, I will have all the sources I’ve used in one place. I plan to add who the book refers to in the Description block that comes up for the book shelf.

Who Knew? Two Genealogy Tips I Just Learned

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 13 Mar 2016.

Tip 1: Did you know that Fold3 has lots more than just military records? If you have the premium or you get a free trial offer you need to explore the site by doing the following-

Click BROWSE at the top of the page
Click CATEGORY on the right side
Click ALL TITLES
Take a look at what they have!

I have found the Pennsylvania Archives most helpful. Scroll down to the bottom of the selected volume to check out the index.

I never knew Fold3 had FBI Case Files, slave auctions from the West Indies, orphan records and more. Why in the world don’t they advertise this?! I would have probably bought the premium membership years ago had I known.

Tip 2: Just learned this from the Pinellas County Genealogical Society and I quote, “Family Tree Maker users can now do a direct import including all media files (without GEDCOM) to RootsMagic. This works with FTM versions 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014 and classic (version 16 with file extension.ftw) for Windows. Also works for FTM 3 for Mac. Read the details at http://goo.gl/VkKrUJ. They also offer a special low price for FTM users to buy the RootsMagic program.” Pretty cool if my Family Tree Maker hadn’t stopped synching with my Ancestry.com tree. Hope this helps you out!

Empty Envelopes Provide a Wealth of Genealogical Data

A FABULOUS FIND of 22 March 2016

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 5 March 2016.

A colleague of mine brought in a pile of old envelopes recently and asked me if they were important genealogically. The reason for the question is that the addressed envelopes contained no content. She assumed family had saved them because they were stamp collectors who hadn’t gotten around to removing the stamps.

My answer to her was a resounding YES! Those envelopes tell a story even though they are empty. I suggested she first put them in chronological order based on the postmark date, if any. Next she should try to match the envelopes to letters that she had found and store them together. Any remaining envelopes should be examined closely for information regarding:

Addressee
Sender
Postmark
Possible notations
Envelope condition
Handwriting
Type of writing utensil used
Cost of postage

Examining the addressee and sender aids in identifying relationships, although the type of relationship is still unknown. Definitely don’t assume the relationship was family! I have some old letters addressed to a grandfather that had the contents. He did not know the sender; the writer was inquiring about a device the grandfather was selling.

Carefully analyze who the envelope was addressed to. Was it to a Miss or Mrs.? Was a nickname used, such as Nelia for Cornelia? How was the last name spelled? That is extremely important if your family changed spelling. How I wish I had envelopes for my Koss family from the mid 1920’s. The name changed from Kos (in 1920) to Koss (in 1930) but when the change occurred I don’t know. An envelope could assist in narrowing down the date.

Look at the addressee’s residence – was it a rural route? a city? a county? If the postmark is illegible or missing that information could help identify the time period. Although the Rural Free Delivery (RFD) began in the late 1800’s it was not widespread. Prior to that, letters may have been addressed, for example, as Columbia County, New York. That’s a clue the resident lived outside of a town or city. If the envelope was dated, check the census to see if that address was also used for the individual. The 1940 census may show the person’s home address but the envelope could provide a clue as to where the individual was staying temporarily if they don’t match. My colleague recognized an address as belonging to her grandmother but the envelope was addressed to an unknown person at that address 20 years before her grandmother’s birth. Perhaps the home belonged to a family member that she was not aware of or perhaps the envelope was found after the grandmother moved in. I doubt the second explanation as that would not be a reason to keep an envelope with family records but who knows?! She was the stamp collector so maybe she saved it for the stamp. I recommended that a title search on the property be done to gain more information about the occupants.

I love postmarks because they often tell an interesting story. If the sender’s address was Connecticut and the addressee’s was New York but the postmark was California either the U.S. Post Office really messed up (which unfortunately happens frequently) or the sender was in California for business or pleasure when the letter was mailed. This could open up a whole new area to check for records!

My mom, a product of the Great Depression, always reused envelopes as scratch paper. Grocery lists, things to do, phone messages – check the envelope for any notations. Although you won’t for certain know who wrote the notes unless they’re signed or had such a unique handwriting that you can identify without a signature, you can gain insight on the day to day lives of the family that received the letter. One envelope my colleague had this notation printed in caps “BURN THIS AFTER READING.” Guess the receiver followed directions but we were dying to know what the contents had been.

Now look at the envelope itself. Is it stained? Is it brittle? Has the color aged? This lets you know the conditions that affected it since it was written. Perhaps the stain was from water – was it delivered in a rainstorm? Did it survive a sea voyage? Maybe a cup of tea was spilled on it as the contents were being read! You might never discover what really happened but it sure is fun to try.

I love handwriting, mainly because mine was always criticized while growing up. The style can give you much more information about the time period and the sender. Was it printed, cursive, Palmer, D’Nealian, or calligraphy? Is it legible or not? Perhaps the writer was in a hurry to mail the contents! Handwriting can also help you match the envelope to an individual if the sender did not include his/her name in the return address.

Writing utensils can also help you identify a time period. A ballpoint pen came into use in the late 1800’s. Prior to that fountain pens and dip pens were used. The color of the ink can give you even more clues – the dye or pigment used could be a regional product.

The postage price can help you determine the time period. Although we’re not talking about post cards I always think of them as “penny postcards” even though they now cost 35 cents to send. I don’t think they could be sent for a penny when I was a kid but that’s what my family called them and that’s how I still think of them. The art on the stamp also “may” disclose information about what was important to the sender – or not! A few years ago I became known as the “stamp girl” in my office as I would make several trips to the post office a week to mail packages my husband had sold on ebay because I was closer to the post office then he was. I would purchase stamps for coworkers on those trips. Some coworkers would request a certain type of stamp and others could care less. Although you might not find out for sure if the stamp conveyed a message from the sender it might. Remember the 1973 LOVE stamp? If the sender was breaking up with addressee I doubt that stamp would have been used.

Let me know if your envelope analysis unveils a genealogical gem!