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Leah, an intern at Good Morning Chicago, is currently working on a project for the local community
involving genealogy. In her research, she came across an article that seemed like a really good resource and wanted
to share it with us.
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The wait is over! On August 3, Ancestry announced that its indexing of the 1940 census was complete. All 50 states, along
with the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Panama Canal Zone, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands are now searchable
by name, and the collection may be accessed for free at Ancestry.com through 2013. You can also access it in Ancestry Library
Edition with your library card.
While the completion of the Ancestry index is great news, we all know that indexes do have their limitations and don’t
always lead us to our ancestors as quickly as we’d like. It’s often helpful to have an alternate index to use,
and with the 1940 census, we do.
The 1940 Census Community Project, the all-volunteer index used on the sites Archives.com, FindMyPast.com and FamilySearch.org,
has completed its indexing of all states and the District of Columbia. As of September 4, the full census is searchable at
Archives.com and FamilySearch, while FindMyPast.com has 40 states searchable. Between the Ancestry index and the 1940 Census
Community Project index, you may be able to find your ancestors without too much trouble. If you still have trouble
with the name indexes, remember, you may use the 1940 census the “old-fashioned” way, by identifying the enumeration
district in which your ancestor lived and then browsing the pages within it. For instructions, refer to the National Archives
and Records Administration’s census page at http://1940census.archives.gov/
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Pennsylvania has long been considered one of the most difficult states for genealogists trying to access
older vital records, but a bill signed into law in December 2011 has finally helped us catch up with the times - at least a little. As of 14 February 2012
the PA Division of Vital Records has opened death records older than 50 years and birth records older than 105 years for public
access, and put up free online indexes to both record sets to help facilitate access. The free PA birth index only covers the year 1906, as births from 1907 to the present are still covered by privacy
laws, and pre-1906 birth records are held by the counties. The free PA death index covers the years 1906-1961. Unfortunately, the new indices are in digitized, PDF format -
organized by year and first letter of the surname. At least they are available online! The birth index for 1906 appears to
be currently searchable, but be aware that a search does not necessarily pick up all of the names.
And further:
Hear ye, hear ye, and spread the word, the 1940 census will be released on or about April 6th this year. (Looking
should be free at: )
http://www.censusfinder.com/1940-census.htm
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2009 Jacobus Award to Forgotten Patriots
At its meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 10 October 2009, the American Society of Genealogists voted to give their annual
Donald Lines Jacobus Award to Forgotten Patriots, African American and African Indian Patriots in the Revolutionary War:
A Guide to Service, Sources, and Studies, edited by Eric Grundset, Director of the DAR Library in Washington, D.C., and
published by the DAR in 2008.
Researched by Briana L. Diaz, Hollis L. Gentry, and Jean D. Strahan, as well as by the editor, this substantial reference
work has a general introduction, state-by-state introductions, sources, and bibliography, an alphabetical list of names with
source codes, maps, photographs, and a glossary of obscure words found in the original records. Many appendices deal with
topics such as documenting the color of soldiers and using names as clues to finding them. It is not a collection of biographies
but a compilation of source references for individual soldiers that will greatly improve the breadth and accuracy of research.
Since Revolutionary War service is often the starting point for research on families of color, this book opens new doors in
an increasingly compelling field of genealogy.
The Donald Lines Jacobus Award was established in 1972 to encourage sound scholarship in genealogical writing. It is presented
to a model genealogical work published within the previous five years. A list of the books receiving the award in previous
years appears on the American Society of Genealogists website (www.fasg.org). Anyone planning to publish their own research,
especially as a compiled genealogy or family history, would do well to study the format and style of these books.
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Bev Girard discovered this site for
those who have ancesters in the Revolutionary War that were from Germany. http://www.theggg.org
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OSDAR Regents and daughters,
The Ohio Genealogical
Society (OGS), Cemetery Committee has started a project and would like to have your help. This project is to
collect as much information as possible on all DAR, SAR veterans who are buried in Ohio. The purpose is to put all information
on a database that would be located in Mansfield at the OGS Library. All researchers would have a valuable resource
in which to gather history.
The OSDAR Revolutionary Soldiers Rosters, Vol.1, 11, and
111 have been a great help. We need to continue from there and go forward. Gather photos, stories, etc.--- whatever
you discover or is in your possession and share with us. Visit cemeteries and take photos.
Regents, please take this e-mail to your chapter members. Share
with SAR friends. Give me feedback on their thoughts and interest. Questions can addressed to cemeterycommittee@ogs.org .
Credit will be given to contributors in the database.
Beverly Dennis
OGS, Cemetery Committee |
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From time to time, those researching their ancestry run across special information and ideas that may help other DAR
members. We'll include those ideas here. We also suggest you try the genealogy links below.
Here's a suggestion you may wish to use:
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Jeanne Howell notes that there is a special Genealogy Workshop at the Canton LDS Cultural Hall, 735
Easthill Street, SE, North Canton, OH. on Saturday, March 7th, 2009 from 9 am to 12 noon. "Reminders of the Past
- Visions of the Future" This is also a Family History Open House. You may expect to see local area historical displays,
there is information on Internet family research, classes for those who wish to do family searches, scrapbooking and photography
as well as Genealogy for kids. Admission is free. For more information, call the Family History Center (330)
497 - 2441
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Special links for research - of particular interest for those with UK connections.
I'm told this one is "like a trip to library without getting out of your chair." "English Family History and Genealogy" -links
list, some take you to website, others back to Ancestry, etc. but a nice collection. Click here.
Click here for other links:
Jeanne Howell submits the following information:
West Virginia has some of its birth, death, and marriage for researchers to download the images on this site: http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_select.aspx - more Death than anything else, but its something that might interest our members as well.
Also I found this site where one can submit their ancestor's biographies if they want: for the State of Ohio - http://ohiobios.ancestralsites.com/
Some of the states do not have people in charge of them but here's the main site for all the states: http://www.usbiographies.org/
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Also from Jeanne Howell, the following information:
The Search for the Ancestry of Susan Elizabeth (SIMS)
PICKERELL
wife of Andrew Jackson PICKERELL
To study Jeanne's current research into The Search for the Ancestry of Susan Elizabeth (SIMS) PICKERELL wife of Andrew Jackson
PICKERELL click here.
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Rebecca Decoy went to the Canton Library and discovered that they have
Ohio Death Certificates on line, but more important, you can get it on your home computer.
Copies of Ohio Death Certificates are available on line up to 1953. "There's a lot more than that" she continued, "free
and easy". All you have to have is an email.
Go to the web site: familysearchlabs.org - click on Record Search - click on the blue words - Register
to use Record Search - type in your email address - again for confirmation - then type the security code - it's case
sensitive so if the letters are capital - then make sure you capitalize them. It says it might take a few hours to activate,
but it will probably be instant. Just check it by putting your email address in the top line. You can then
scroll down to Ohio Death Certificates and there are other things to click on as well.
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Another resource for online information:
Obituaries Help is a resource for people looking for online and
newspaper obituaries as well as genealogy and family researchers. We
have free genealogy downloads including a family tree chart and many
advice articles covering everything from how to write an obituary to
using obituaries for genealogy research. I've listed our information
below:
Title: Newspaper Obituaries - ObituariesHelp.org
Description: Access newspaper obituaries and discover your genealogy
online. Discover obituary resources like old newspaper obituaries
archives and Download free genealogy forms and printable family tree
charts.
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HEROINES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Some of our DAR members can claim proud descendency from these brave women and their contributions to the cause of liberty.
Martha McGee Bell, who served as a spy for the Revolution - gathered information about Cornwallis. (Info. from Rebecca
DeCoy.) Deborah Sampson who disguised herself as a man, served as a soldier in Washington's army, and tended
to her own wounds to hide her identity. Mary Lindley Murray who charmed a British general and held up his army while
4,000 Patriot soldiers escaped to safety. Sybil Ludington, the female Paul Revere, who rode throughout the night calling
the minutemen to arms and saving her town. Patience Wright, an American sculptress in London, who spied on the British
and sent her secret dispatches to the colonies hidden in her artwork. Molly Pitcher who "manned" a cannon when her
husband was wounded in battle and inspired the Patriot troops to fight on.
Others also played a part. In no particular order and recognizing that these are not all the names (we may never
know them all - or their deeds), I submit the following:
Annis Stockton, Lucy Knox, Margaret Whetten, Mrs. Todd, Blandina Bruyn, Anne Fitzhugh, Katherine Steel, Mrs. Beard,
Barbara McKenny, Nancy Green, Mrs. Motte, Esther Walker, Mrs. Gaston, Mary McClure, Jane Morrow, Isabella Ferguson, Mary Johnson,
Jane Boyd, Mrs. Simpson, Jane Gaston Mrs. Strong, Margaret Elliot, Mrs. Haynes, Sarah McCalla, Mary Adair, Mary Nixon, Mary
Mills, Isabella Wylie, Jane White, Rebecca Pickens, Sarah Buchanan, Nancy Van Alstine, Eleanor Wilson, Margaret Moncrieffe,
Mary Murray, Mrs. Woodhull, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Rapalje, Mary Knight, Mrs. Osborn, Miss Susan Livingston, Lady Stirling, Experience
Bozarth, Elizabeth Ferguson, and Mercy Warren.
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Marianne Marcusson points out that the Genealogy Division of the Stark Co. District Library has the death
certificates on microfilm, 1908-1953, at the Main Branch in downtown Canton. If you go in and have one of the girls
make you a copy (or make it yourself), it costs fifteen cents. Or, you can request a copy by mail from their website,
and they will mail 1 or 2 copies for $1.00. Just another option.
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