SLCC Genealogy Course: Post #32 - Final Project

I have come to the end of my 2nd semester at the Salt Lake Community College, Genealogy Course. My final project for Gen 1010: Introduction to Genealogy was a compilation of all the work we did this semester.

Here is what the Final Project needed to contain.

Family Group Record - Print to pdf a final family group record for the family you researched for this project. Include Census search results for every census during the lifetime of each individual . Search vital records or church records to document birth, marriage and death dates of each individual. Add other record searches that you have completed with the record groups you have learned about this semester. In addition, add information collected in interviews with relatives. Include a source for every fact listed in Family Group Record.

Research Log – Include an electronic research log for this family or individuals in this family, that lists all searches whether they have a positive or negative results.

Written Report - Prepare a report of your research. Begin with a goal and starting point. Discuss your research and findings. Complete your report by adding a section called “Future research”. Future research will be a list of films and books from the Family History Library, that you would like to examine. Add details such as film numbers and what you will look for in each film. The written report should not exceed 3 pages.

I had such a dilemma selecting a family to focus on for my final project. I realized "way to late" that I should have looked ahead to what the final project was. Then I would have focused on just one family for all the projects and not jump all around like I did. It would have been an easy submission then. But, that is not what I did so I had to figure out what family I worked on that would be the "easiest" to get all the needed items on for the project.

I would have loved to work on my great-grandfather John Henry Weatherwax, Sr. but I had that whole issue with his father being Andrew or Anthony or one in the same. That would cause a major problem with getting all the census records needed. Plus I didn't have any census records for his wife or children.  I really wanted to work on that project, but I knew I simply wouldn't have enough time to get that done before the final project deadline.

The one family I had almost all the census records for was my grandparents, John Henry Weatherwax, Jr. and Julia Bentley. But, they had 13 children and that is a ton of records to find. At least the 1940 US Census is the latest one available so I did't have to find more. It took me a day to find all the missing ones I needed because some of the children married before 1940.

The big problem I had was all the facts I added for my grandmother Julia Bentley when I wrote her biographical sketch. To finish that project I gathered newspaper articles but didn't transcribe them, source them or add them to the Research Log. I know my bad, but it's the truth. It was on my To-Do List.  Well I just had to finish that before I could go any further on this family. So that took the majority of my time allotted for this project.

I discovered even more about her when I did the actual transcriptions and put things into their proper place. I need to rewrite her biographical sketch now. That's what you get for trying to take short-cuts.

The really nice thing about this project and massively transcribing newspaper articles was I came up with a work flow for entering my data into RootsMagic.  I'm going to try and reproduce it for you.

1. In Evernote I added the information I needed for my Research Log Entry. Everything came from the same website so that made things a little easier.
Date of Search: 9 April 2014
What were you trying to find? Julia Bentley biographical sketch material - locate newspaper articles
What source did you check? Old Fulton NY Post Card
Where did you check (repository and call number) http://fultonhistory.com/Fulton.html
What were the results of your search? - this is the transcript itself.

2. Made a list of all the newspaper articles by their file names. I added some blank lines and inserted a horizontal rule (line) between the file names.

3. Under the file name I added the newspaper title, location, date, page and column of the article and url for the WebTag. Then I added the newspaper article title and a full transcript.

Now I had all the information needed to copy into RootsMagic for both the research log and source citation.

4. For the source template I used "Website (with multiple databases). I know there are source templates specific to newspapers but to make things easy I wanted to source the website and then under item of interest give the details on the newspapers. So I'm a source lumper in this case.

This is what the filled out source template looked like.

Now things got easier because I just copied and pasted from Evernote all the fields I needed to fill in. Under Detail Text I added the full transcript. I attached the WebTag to the article and then added the Media Tag. Everything was complete so I memorized the source citation.

5. Before I went any further I opened up the Research Log and added all the information there. It was a quick copy paste since I had everything all set up.

In fact while I was at it I created 14 additional research log entries to copy and paste into since the top portion would all be the same. It was only the results and webtags that were unique. I sure wished there was a duplicate button on research log entries and I toyed with the idea of making a To-Do Item to send them over but then I would still need to move the contents around. It was just as fast to just open & copy each and put in what was needed as I went along.

The next time I added a Research Log Entry it went really fast because I had "templates" to just paste into as I went along.

6. Now I went back to the people in the database and added all the information contained in the newspaper article as facts for them. If I had an obituary I went to every person mentioned and added a residence fact, dated and where they were living. It build quit the timeline on a lot of family members. It was a piece of cake to just paste the memorized source citation for each fact.
  
There were 15 newspaper articles, some long, some gratefully short, but I finally had them transcribed into the source citations, research logs and facts added for each person.

At this point I was running out of time getting this final project done on time. This was one deadline I couldn't miss because the semester would be over. I realized then that if I was working for a client I would always feel that way. There would always be a clock ticking. Now I can see why we need to stay on top of sourcing, logging and transcribing things as we go along.

I had a lot of research items and there was still more that could be searched on this family.  I know the assignment wanted everything but I couldn't do it all. So I made research items of all the things I would still look up if I had time to do it. Ah, that helped me with the final Written Report for the section on "Future Research".

There wasn't much time for me to write up the final report, but I did get at least 2 pages written. It covered what was needed so it was good enough.  The project was due by midnight. I handed in the final project at 11:36 pm. It contained 65 pages so I don't think anyone would have thought I didn't do enough on it. But, I know there is still more to do.

It's so hard for me to summarized all that I learned this semester. I know three things I am going to try and always do.

1. Focus on one family at a time
3. Properly record all the information as I go along.
2. Write reports along the way

I just feel so much more confident in finding and using various records types. The Research Binder and Written Reports have been things I wanted to learn more about for a long time. This course satisfied that desire. I understand how important reports are now. They help you analyse what you have found on a person and what holes are missing. This in turn helps you plan out what steps you need to take next. These are tools I will continue to use from now on. I needed every bit of knowledge given during this class. I never felt anything was a waste of my time. I would highly recommend this class to anyone interested in improving their research skills.  I feel like I'm a better genealogist today then I was at the start of this semester and that is true success.

See ya tomorrow, for tomorrow is always another genealogy day!

FamilySearch New Collections Update 16 May 2014

The following is from FamilySearch.

FamilySearch Adds More Than 5.1 Million Images to Collections from Belgium, England, India, Italy, Sweden, Ukraine, the United States FamilySearch has added more than 5.1 million images to collections from Belgium, England, India, Italy, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United States. Notable collection updates include the 2,571,405 indexed records and images from the new Belgium, East Flanders, Civil Registration, 1541–1910, collection; the 400,841 images from the Ukraine, Donetsk Church Books, 1809–1994, collection; and the 359,550 images from U.S., Georgia, Deaths, 1928–1940, collection . See the table below for the full list of updates. Search these diverse collections and more than 3.5 billion other records for free atFamilySearch.org. Searchable historic records are made available on FamilySearch.org through the help of thousands of volunteers from around the world. These volunteers transcribe (index) information from digital copies of handwritten records to make them easily searchable online. More volunteers are needed (particularly those who can read foreign languages) to keep pace with the large number of digital images being published online at FamilySearch.org. Learn more about volunteering to help provide free access to the worldís historic genealogical records online at FamilySearch.org . FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and its predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources for free at FamilySearch.org or through more than 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Collection Indexed Records Digital Images Comments Belgium, Antwerp, Civil Registration, 1609–1909 0 4,108 Added images to an existing collection. Belgium, Brabant, Civil Registration, 1582–1912 0 767 Added images to an existing collection. Belgium, East Flanders, Civil Registration, 1541–1910 44,453 2,526,952 Added indexed records and images to an existing collection. Belgium, Hainaut, Civil Registration, 1600–1911 0 17 Added indexed records and images to an existing collection. Belgium, Liège, Civil Registration, 1621–1910 23,957 0 Added indexed records to an existing collection. Belgium, Limburg, Civil Registration, 1798–1906 9,343 0 Added indexed records to an existing collection. Belgium, West Flanders, Civil Registration, 1582–1910 24,079 249 Added images to an existing collection. BillionGraves Index 366,158 366,158 Added indexed records and images to an existing collection. England, Dorset, Parish Registers, 1538–1936 2,536 0 Added indexed records to an existing collection. India, Hindu Pilgrimage Records, 1194–2013 0 89,566 Added images to an existing collection. India, Jharkhand, B. Deoghar, Singh Darwaja, Pandit Dharam Rakshni Sabha, Marriage Records, 1958–2013 0 260,593 New browsable image collection. Italy, Napoli, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1809–1865 139,070 0 Added indexed records to an existing collection. Italy, Pesaro e Urbino, Fano, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1808–1815, 1841–1865, 1890–1908 0 9,911 New browsable image collection. Sweden, Jönköping Church Records, 1581–1935; index 1633-1860 38,589 0 Added indexed records to an existing collection. Ukraine, Donetsk Church Books, 1809–1994 0 400,841 New browsable image collection. U.S., Georgia, Deaths, 1928–1940 0 359,550 Added images to an existing collection. U.S., Illinois, Northern District Petitions for Naturalization, 1906-1991 0 46,984 Added images to an existing collection. U.S., Minnesota, County Marriages, 1860–1949 122,410 0 Added indexed records to an existing collection. U.S., New York, Book Indexes to Passenger Lists, 1906–1942 0 87,677 Added images to an existing collection. U.S., South Carolina, Darlington County Records, 1798–1928 0 73,724 Added images to an existing collection. U.S., Wisconsin, Milwaukee Naturalization Index, 1848–1990 4,593 0 Added indexed records to an existing collection. U.S., Wisconsin, Probate Estate Files, 1848–1948 0 108,549 Added images to an existing collection.

Special Offer from The Bookstore at NEHGS!

The following is from the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

Announcing our newest Portable Genealogist: Seventeenth-Century New England Research  by David C. Dearborn Prior to 1700, the European population of New England was still sufficiently small and compact enough to be manageable from a genealogical standpoint. In many cases, town vital records, church, colony, court, probate, land, military, and tax records not only have survived, but have been abstracted and published. This new Portable Genealogist will direct you to the most relevant and useful resources--including study projects, scholarly resources, and finding aids--for tracing your seventeenth-century New England ancestors. The Portable Genealogist series of quick-reference sheets covers a variety of topics (listed below). Written by the experts at NEHGS, these four-page laminated guides fit easily in your research files and can travel with you. For a limited time, we are happy to offer you 15% AND free USPS 1st class shipping on all of our Portable Genealogists!

Seventeenth-Century New England Research Immigration to the U.S U.S. Naturalization New York State Census Massachusetts State Census Building a Genealogical Sketch Genealogical Numbering Organizing Your Research Problem Solving in Irish Research To get your discount, simply enter the code GU514 into the coupon field of your online order (or mention it when calling 1-888-296-3447). Discount is good through 5/31/14, while supplies last. Cannot be combined with other discounts, including the NEHGS member discount. Questions? Email  thebookstore@nehgs.org AmericanAncestors.org The Bookstore Download our Catalog Today!

Norway Celebrates Its 200th Anniversary

The following is from FamilySearch.

Norway Celebrates Its 200^th Anniversary

Online Data Making It Easier to Trace Your Norwegian Roots

If you have family roots in Norway, you have a celebration coming up. The bicentennial of Norway’s independence is May 17th. There are almost as many descendants of Norwegians in the U.S. (4.5M) as there are in Norway today (5M). Norwegians are the 10^th largest American ancestry group in the US. There are more descendants of Norwegians worldwide than native Norwegians—but more about this country’s fascinating history and independence in a moment.

First, if you want to research your Norwegian roots, here are some tips from Nordic genealogy experts.

Liv H. Anderson was born in Kristiansund, Norway. Liv has been fascinated with Norwegian genealogical research since she was 12 years old. “I love everything about it except the dust on the books," she says. She moved to Salt Lake City in 1968, gaining her degree and certifications in genealogy at BYU. Today she works helping patrons of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City with their Norwegian research.

Anderson suggested, “Find out everything you can about your ancestors in the United States. Find who was the first emigrant to the US from Norway. Then find that person in a census report. That will help determine the place of birth in Norway.”

There are many other facts you can look for to help your research. “Find the year your ancestor emigrated and what port they left from. That will open up emigration records,” Anderson says. “Those records can lead you to father and mother, grandfathers and grandmothers. Find the church they went to. That also opens up records of the past.”

There is a galaxy of Norwegian genealogical records. They are by government and church, farm and county. If you can acquire the initial information about the emigrants, people such as Liv Anderson at the Family History Library in Salt Lake can guide you.

Resolving the complexity of Norwegian records is the specialty of Alfhild Aanensen, a native Norwegian and service missionary with FamilySearch.org. For years Aanensen has been diligently coordinating much of the work of the FamilySearch Norway Project—digitizing Norway’s rich farm history books (bygdebøker) dating back to the 1700s and creating a searchable regional database online of the individuals who resided on these farms.

Bygdebøker are also the earliest way of identifying locations and locations of families. Compiled by local historians, they are excellent local histories and reveal who lived on which farms throughout generations, who may have inherited the farms, who may have immigrated to what country, and when they died.

Aanensen is also part of a team that is painstakingly reconstituting all of the families found in these publications into online family trees, one book at a time. It’s part of a pilot project called FamilySearch Community Trees. Aanensen noted that the FamilySearch Norway Project could move much quicker if there were more Norwegian volunteers.

Aanensen has gathered over 1 million names already through this project and is publishing them by clerical district (the area included in the congregation of a church, another reason to trace ancestors back to what church they attended).

Aanensen has been working on this project in Salt Lake City for 5 years. This summer, she must return to Norway for 6 months to satisfy her work visa. She is looking forward to getting back to her desk in Salt Lake as soon as possible to continue her contributions on the FamilySearch Norway Project.

If you are just getting started with your Norwegian family research, Anderson and Aanensen suggest starting with searches on FamilySearch.org and the Digital Archives of Norway. These two sites provide church, census, probate, emigration records, and more. If you need research assistance, try theFamilySearch Wiki. It includes research guidelines and links to a host of additional online Norwegian resources.

If you have the luxury of attending the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, go to the Nordic section and ask for help. You can also seek online assistance from the Family History Library staff on the Facebook, Norway Genealogy Research page. If you know where your Norwegian ancestry originated, you can try the Norwegian American Genealogical Association or many other bygdelags (ethnic organizations) for assistance. These organizations are comprised of descendants of emigrants from each particular area of Norway (see fellesraad.com for more information).

Norway has one of the longest and most interesting histories in the western world. Up to A.D. 872, Norway consisted of small kingdoms. After 800, Viking expansion united much of the country. In A.D. 1000, Christianity was brought by Olav Trygvasson and Alav Haraldsson. From 1523 to 1814, Norway was united with Denmark. In 1814, Norway adopted its own constitution, providing for an elected legislature and a constitutional monarch.

That’s the 1814 we’re celebrating—the bicentennial of Norwegian Constitution Day, May 17 (Syttende Mai in Norwegian). The celebrations are held in many nations. Children are emphasized in the parades. In Salt Lake City, the celebration is in the Peace Gardens at Jordan Park, 1000 South 900 West. If you don’t have Norwegian ancestors, just show up and someone will probably hand a Norwegian flag to you, adopting you for the day.

John Hartvigsen is a vexillologist who takes his grandchildren to the Syttende Mai celebration at the Peace Gardens every year. As a vexillologist, he is an expert in the history, symbolism, and use of flags.

Shown here with the Norwegian flag, John says Norwegians in the US proudly display them as a symbol of their heritage. At the parades celebrating Norway’s Independence Day, all may participate—as long as they carry a Norwegian flag.

Norway added a blue cross inside the white Danish cross with their first efforts to be independent. Denmark ruled Norway from the 14th century until 1814. When Denmark found itself on the losing side of the war with Napoleon, Norway was given over to Sweden. Norway quickly created a constitutional monarchy on May 17th.

Hartvigsen’s ancestors lived on an island in the northern part of Norway. They immigrated to the US long ago as Mormon pioneers.

Most Norwegian emigrants settled in Minnesota or the upper Mississippi Valley. Almost 1 million Minnesotans claim Norwegian ancestors. Utah’s pioneer heritage includes prominent Norwegians. Knud Peterson of Hardangar, Norway, emigrated in 1837 and was one of the early settlers of Lehi. Ellen Sanders Kimball of Telemark County, Norway, wife of Mormon Church president, Heber C. Kimball, was one of the three women in the first company of Mormon pioneers to enter the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.

If you’re a descendant from one of the many “Sloopers” (a nickname for Norwegian immigrants after the type of ship they first immigrated in) who celebrate Norway’s Independence Day on May 17th, you should check out some of the resources listed above to find your ancestors. Or better yet, add to your FamilySearch.org family tree online, add a photo, or your favorite Norwegian ancestral stories. If you don’t have Norwegian blood, you’re still welcome to most Norway celebrations being held throughout the country this Saturday, May 17, including the one at the Peace Gardens. Just grab a flag when you get there and wave it like an official Norwegian celebrant.

By Glen Greener

About FamilySearch

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,500 family history centers in 70 countries, including the renowned Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The following is from FamilySearch.

FamilySearch Adds More Than 5.4 Million Images to Collections from England, New Zealand, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Spain, and the United States

FamilySearch has added more than 5.4 million images to collections from England, New Zealand, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Spain, and the United States. Notable collection updates include the 2,152,718 indexed records from the new England, London Electoral Registers, 1847–1913, collection; the 132,560 images from the Spain, Province of Barcelona, Municipal Records, 1387–1950, collection ; and the 693,403 images from U.S., Washington, County Records, 1803–2009, collection. See the table below for the full list of updates. Search these diverse collections and more than 3.5 billion other records for free at FamilySearch.org.

Searchable historic records are made available on FamilySearch.org through the help of thousands of volunteers from around the world. These volunteers transcribe (index) information from digital copies of handwritten records to make them easily searchable online. More volunteers are needed (particularly those who can read foreign languages) to keep pace with the large number of digital images being published online at FamilySearch.org. Learn more about volunteering to help provide free access to the worldís historic genealogical records online at FamilySearch.org.

FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and its predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources for free at FamilySearch.org or through more than 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Collection	Indexed Records	Digital Images	Comments
England, Dorset, Parish Registers, 1538–1936	838,697	0	Added images to an existing collection.
England, London Electoral Registers, 1847–1913	2,152,718	0	New indexed record collection.
England, Sussex, Parish Registers, 1538–1910	250,672	0	Added images to an existing collection.
New Zealand, Auckland, Albertland Index, 1862–1962	0	30,652	New browsable image collection.
Peru, La Libertad, Civil Registration, 1903–1998	0	2,434	Added images to an existing collection.
Philippines, La Union, Diocese of San Fernando de La Union, 1801–1983	0	7,873	Added images to an existing collection.
Portugal, Portalegre, Catholic Church Records, 1859–1911	2,571	0	Added images to an existing collection.
Russia Tver Church Books, 1722–1918	163,712	0	Added images to an existing collection.
Spain, Province of Barcelona, Municipal Records, 1387–1950	0	132,560	Added images to an existing collection.
U.S., Georgia, Deaths, 1928–1930	347,408	0	Added images to an existing collection.
U.S., Iowa, County Births, 1880–1935	139,525	0	Added images to an existing collection.
U.S., New York, Book Indexes to Passenger Lists, 1906–1942	0	400,245	New browsable image collection.
U.S., Ohio, Hamilton County Records, 1791–1994	0	318,810	Added images to an existing collection.
U.S., Washington, County Records, 1803–2009	0	696,267	Added images to an existing collection.

SLCC Genealogy Course: Post #31 - Geographic Research Binder

We are nearing the end of this semester's Salt Lake Community College, Genealogy Course, Gen 1010: Introduction to Genealogy. We have gone over all the different record types, learning how to locate, use and record them, then analyze and create various reports from our findings.  For this week's assignment we needed to complete our Geographic Research Binder. After that comes the final project.

The geographical area I selected back in Lesson 3, was the Mid-Atlantic region. It includes: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, plus a General United States section. In reality I have only been researching in the New York area because this is where my family has lived since before the Revolution.

During this course the only time the Research Binder was mentioned was in Lesson 3 . The recommendation was to create the Research Binder in electronic format, using word files, Dropbox, or Google Drive. I decided to create mine using Evernote.  I just figured it would work better there because it would be totally searchable, easily accessible, and contain live links to take me anywhere I wanted to go.

Throughout the semester I have been adding to the Research Binder anything that I found helpful in doing research in New York State. I figured Lesson 3 couldn't possibly be the only time we would work on our Research Binders.  I was right to suspect we would visit it again.  For this week's assignment we needed to submit a Research Binder which included information on different record types, sample documents, timelines, key websites, handwriting help, etc. for each of the states in our region.

Originally, I just set up notebooks inside of Evernote. I had one for each state in my region, plus a general United States notebook. I stacked them under a main notebook called Mid-Atlantic Research Binder. In all honestly, I did not setup Evernote Tags to assist with organizing my binders, because I didn't understand fully how it all worked. It was working just fine having separate notebooks and just doing a simple search by keywords to find whatever I wanted. I decided now was the time to investigate tagging in greater detail. I am so glad I did.

Before I went any further with my binders I established rules for myself in setting up my tags. I didn't realize you could have different layers of sub-tags under a main tag. Once I discovered this ability my organizing took on a whole new level. In fact now I realize I could have just had one notebook as a Research Binder and used the Tags to manage everything.  The only issue I ran into was that the tags in Evernote have to be unique, so no two tags could have the same name. I overcame this challenge by putting the postal code for the state, before the category (NY-Probate).  Here's a screen shot of one of my states sub-tags.

The beauty of tagging vs. notebooks is a note can have multiple tags, so it's can be "filed" in multiple locations. While a notebook is static. You can begin to see the US General tag underneath it. Here are the rest of tags.

To my delight as I was tagging in bulk I discovered that this new PC version of Evernote can create a Table of Content. In this next screen shot in the very top left is the actual notebooks making up the Research Binder. Below the Tags section you will see the Research Binder highlighted, the note displayed on the right is the main table of content. I have individual table of contents by state too.

One place I gathered materials from was the FamilySearch Wiki. It was so easy to Clip to Evernote my frequently used wiki pages directly to the Research Binder. If I had more time I would have been more specific on the naming of my individual notes so the Table of Content would have been better laid out, but it still works.

I snipped a lot of pages from various websites to make up the notes inside of my Research Binder. Over time I am sure I will fine tune this. Clipping also gave me a quick way to get material into my Research Binder on the four states in my region that I had nothing on. As these websites change in the future it will be so easy to just Clip to Evernote the pages and simply delete the old version.

When I was done gathering all the required items for the assignment I then needed to submit it. That was a challenge. I found out that you can't share a stack of notebooks. I could only share one notebook at a time with my instructor, Kelly Summers.  When I looked back at the shared notebooks I found the whole tagging system didn't appear the way I wanted. You could only see what was tagged on the individual notes. I finally decided to just submit the screen shots you see in this article. Kelly told me it worked just fine for her. I got 100% on the project so that was wonderful news.

This was a great project. Not only do I have a functional Research Binder, I also learned a lot more about Evernote. I already know there are more categories or tags I want to add to this Research Binder and fortunately that will be easy to do. Having my Research Binder inside Evernote means my genealogy life just got a whole lot easier.

See ya tomorrow, for tomorrow is always another genealogy day!

International Day of Spanish Indexing

The following is from the FamilySearch Blog.

International Day of Spanish Indexing

May 7, 2014 By Ornella Lepore

FamilySearch is pleased to announce its support for an international day of indexing dedicated to Spanish records. The event, organized by well-known Spanish genealogy blogger and 2014 RootsTech presenter Sonia Meza (www.redantepasados.com) will take place on:

Saturday, May 17, 2014 (24 hours regardless of time zone).

Wherever you are in the world, if you speak and read Spanish, this is your chance to help make more Spanish-language records searchable online. By indexing Spanish records, you will help many people find their ancestors and reestablish family ties that have been lost or broken.

Learn more and register for this opportunity today! The event will also be broadcast live via YouTube.

Sincere thanks to Sonia Meza for her tireless efforts in organizing this day of indexing and for helping to rally the Spanish-speaking community worldwide around such a noble pursuit.

The following is from FamilySearch.

Six Tips to Find Your Mexican Family History

May 5, 2014

by Glen Greener

Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican celebration recognized more in the U.S. than in Mexico. It originated with Mexican-American communities during the first years of the American Civil War as a way to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy. Today, May 5 is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. In Mexico, it is primarily celebrated in the states of Puebla and Mexico and in Mexico City (Distrito Federal), where the holiday is called El Día de la Batalla de Puebla (the Day of the Battle of Puebla). The most celebrated patriotic event is Mexico’s Independence Day on September 16.

Many people may not know that FamilySearch, an international nonprofit organization headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and online at FamilySearch.org, has amassed over 100 million historical records from Mexico. And FamilySearch continues to add more records each year. Arturo Cuéllar-Gonzalez, a research specialist for Latin America at FamilySearch’s Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, has made it his full-time passion and vocation to help patrons discover their Latin roots. His interest in family history began in 1986, when his grandmother “planted in my heart the deep desire to find my ancestors.”

Cuellar spends his days helping patrons in the Family History Library. He is an accredited genealogist and has researched his personal family history records back 11 generations.

In the last couple of years, Cuellar has observed more young people getting interested in family history. He said, “They often tell me it gives them a nice feeling inside.” Many of them are becoming more aware of their family’s history because of Facebook posts from family and relatives.

For the millions of people with Mexican ancestry who want to celebrate by learning more about their Mexican heritage, he recommends six quick research tips using free resources at FamilySearch.org.

1. The 1930 Mexico Census

Prior to the Mexican Revolution, 95 percent of the land in Mexico was owned by 5 percent of the people. In preparation to form a policy of land distribution, the Mexican government created a census so land ownership could be recorded and conveyed. This was one of the first mandatory accountings of everyone and included name, age, gender, birthplace, address, marital status, nationality, religion, occupation, real estate holdings, literacy, any physical or mental defects, and any Indian language spoken. The 1930 Mexico census can be searched freely online at FamilySearch.org.

2. Mexican Civil Registration Records

Mexico’s civil registration records (births, marriages, and deaths) were the first records kept by local governments. They were started in 1857 under the direction of Benito Juarez, a reformer who separated the church from the government. Before then, the only records kept were in the various churches. The churches resisted releasing their records, but changing the schools from parochial to public schools required family records. You can find many of Mexico’s civil registration records online at FamilySearch.org.

3. Parish Records

Catholic parish records began in 16th century when Spain took over the country. They installed the government and the Catholic Church in every city. Parish records show christening, baptism, and marriage records, including marriage information files. Those marriage information files came from interviews by priests who needed to prove that the bride and groom were not related or from another place and that the groom was not trying to become a priest. Some of those records include several pages of information, a gold mine for family history researchers, showing generations of ancestry to prove that the bride and groom were faithful Catholics.

4. Family Clues

Finding where your ancestors were from using family clues is the fourth research tool. That process is as much an art as science. The types of food your ancestors ate, family recipes, songs, and stories handed down for generations are hints that may give you some guidance. The type of climate or terrain or major storms and destruction you’ve heard shared through family stories can provide other clues. Old pictures in unique settings or with writing on them or the types of dress shown in the photos might help. Once the place is found, parish records may supply the needed information.

5. Notarial Records

Notarial records include records from the sale of property or making a will. These records date back to the 1650s, and not many are filmed, but they can be found in local archives. FamilySearch staff might also be able to assist in writing correspondence to custodians of notarial records in Mexico.

6. The FamilySearch.org Wiki

The FamilySearch.org wiki is a rich resource for family history researchers. It has nearly 3,000 articles written by Mexico research specialists to help you navigate the available resources and give you additional insightful information. For example, Mexican surnames are not always helpful because during a revolution some people changed their names. Or you can enter a location in the search field and see what resources exist for that locality.

While you are gathering with family and friends to celebrate Cinco de Mayo or your Mexican family heritage, do some sleuthing. Pay more attention to those old family recipes, stories, documents, and photos, and look for the telltale clues that give you key insights and appreciation for those who have gone before you. Preserve and explore these resources together at FamilySearch.org so that next year in your celebrations you will have an even deeper appreciation.

About FamilySearch

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and its predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.