Genealogy is like a jigsaw puzzle, but you don't have the box top, so you don't know what the picture is supposed to look like. As you start putting the puzzle together, you realize some pieces are missing, and eventually you figure out that some of the pieces you started with don't actually belong to this puzzle. I'll help you discover the right pieces for your puzzle and assemble them into a picture of your family.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
World War I Diaries, an Irish World War I Soldier, Holocaust Survivors, and More
It seems there are always more projects looking for volunteers, doesn't it? The fact is that genealogy relies heavily on volunteers. These are some projects that I've learned about recently. Maybe there's something here that you can help with.
The National Archives of the United Kingdom have digitized World War I unit war diaries and are now turning to crowdsourcing to help make the information in them searchable. They are looking for volunteers ("citizen historians") to go through the digital files, classify the types of pages in the diaries, and tag important data. The idea is to create a detailed index rather than a full transcription. The home page for Operation War Diary has a prominent link to a tutorial. After completing the tutorial you can get started.
Private James Brown, from an Irish family that migrated to England, enlisted with the 1st Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers when World War I began. He died during the war on a battlefield near Comines-Warneton, Belgium. It is believed that his body is among six sets of remains that were found near the village in 2010. The Ministry of Defence is looking for relatives of Private Brown so they can test for a DNA match and positively identify the body. An article on the Irish Independent Web site has information about the family's background.
Amy Smith, the Ben and Zelda Cohen Fellow at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and a Ph.D. candidate at Yale, is conducting research on the lives of Holocaust survivors, specifically the experiences of survivors who created families after the war, spent time in DP camps, and immigrated to the United States or Canada. If you are a survivor, or the child of a survivor, who fits these criteria, please contact Amy at amy.smith@yale.edu.
Thomas Macentee posted about a grave marker found on some property in Portland, Oregon. The names on the marker are Manin, Smith, and Templeton. Death years of 1974 and 1975 are listed for two of the names. More details are on the Geneabloggers site. The hope is that the marker can be returned to family members.
The current editor of Die Pommerschen Leute ("The Pomeranian People"), published by the Pomeranian Special Interest Group (PSIG) of the Immigrant Genealogical Society, will step down after the publication of the Summer 2014 issue. PSIG is looking for a volunteer to be the new editor beginning with the Fall 2014 issue. The editor solicits and edits articles and stories that deal with the history of the former Baltic duchy of Pomerania and the culture, traditions, and way of life of its people. The editor handles the layout and design of approximately 10 pages of content for each of the four yearly issues. The "Die Vorfahren" section of DPL has its own editor.
All editorial duties can be accomplished over the Internet, so the editor can be based anywhere. MS Publisher has been used in the past. The new editor could begin working immediately with the outgoing editor to get oriented and would have the next eight to ten months to work on the Fall 2014 issue. This is a good opportunity for someone who would like to work on a publication about the history and culture of the Pomeranian people.
If you are interested, contact Toni Perrone, the president of PSIG, at tperrone2@verizon.net. She will discuss the editor's duties and responsibilities.
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Private James Brown, from an Irish family that migrated to England, enlisted with the 1st Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers when World War I began. He died during the war on a battlefield near Comines-Warneton, Belgium. It is believed that his body is among six sets of remains that were found near the village in 2010. The Ministry of Defence is looking for relatives of Private Brown so they can test for a DNA match and positively identify the body. An article on the Irish Independent Web site has information about the family's background.
-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --
Amy Smith, the Ben and Zelda Cohen Fellow at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and a Ph.D. candidate at Yale, is conducting research on the lives of Holocaust survivors, specifically the experiences of survivors who created families after the war, spent time in DP camps, and immigrated to the United States or Canada. If you are a survivor, or the child of a survivor, who fits these criteria, please contact Amy at amy.smith@yale.edu.
-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --
-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --
All editorial duties can be accomplished over the Internet, so the editor can be based anywhere. MS Publisher has been used in the past. The new editor could begin working immediately with the outgoing editor to get oriented and would have the next eight to ten months to work on the Fall 2014 issue. This is a good opportunity for someone who would like to work on a publication about the history and culture of the Pomeranian people.
If you are interested, contact Toni Perrone, the president of PSIG, at tperrone2@verizon.net. She will discuss the editor's duties and responsibilities.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Friday, January 17, 2014
Poster Contest for 2014 International Jewish Genealogy Month
One of the activities of IJGM is a competition to design the poster/flyer that will be used to announce and publicize the event. The poster should celebrate Jewish genealogy and help promote the hobby.
This year the poster competition started earlier than usual (Wednesday, January 15) and has an earlier deadline, Wednesday, April 30, 2014. The winning entry will be announced and unveiled publicly at this year's IAJGS Conference on Jewish Genealogy, to be held in Salt Lake City from July 27–August 1, 2014. The winning artist will receive free registration to the conference. The winning flyer/poster will be available on the IAJGS Web site to all who wish to use it.
These are the details for the poster competition:
Poster/Flyer Design Requirements
General:
• Size: tabloid (11" x 17")
• Bleeds and no bleeds are acceptable
• Reproducible in JPEG, TIF, and PNG formats
Must include:
• A 3.5" x 3.5" area for the IAJGS logo and the URL "www.iajgs.org"
• A 3" x 5" blank area for local society name and contact information
• The words "International Jewish Genealogy Month: Cheshvan" plus the Hebrew and civil dates for the year
May include:
• The words "Submitted by [name of IAJGS member society]"
• The artist's signature/name
Facebook Design Requirements
The main poster image must be capable of being adapted for use on the IAJGS Jewish Genealogy Facebook page.
Facebook Page Cover Image
The cover image must be at least 851 pixels wide and 315 pixels tall, otherwise it will be stretched to this size. It also must be less than 100 kb.
Facebook Event Cover Image
The Event Cover image graphic must be 714 pixels wide and 264 pixels tall. The image is cropped in thumbnail mode to the top center 176 pixels tall and 264 pixels wide.
Facebook Profile Image
Page profile pictures are square and display at 160 x 160 pixels on our page. The image must be at least 180 x 180 pixels and must be a square image.
Who May Submit an Entry
• Only IAJGS member organizations may submit entries.
• An organization may submit more than one entry.
• The poster creator is not required to be a member of an IAJGS member organization. A creator who is not a member needs to have a member organization sponsor the entry.
• There is no age requirement for the creator.
• Each entry must be accompanied by the form on the IJGM Web page (see below).
• Entries will not be returned.
Judging of Entries
Judging will be done solely by the International Jewish Genealogy Month committee.
Submission Requirements
• The deadline for the 2014 contest is April 30, 2014.
• Each entry must be submitted as a JPG or PDF file via e-mail attachment to Secretary@iajgs.org.
• The required application information or completed application form and release form (available on the IJGM page) must be included with each entry.
• You may include artist comments about the poster (optional).
• If no entries are received by the deadline or no entries are judged to be appropriate, the committee will solicit further entries.
Judging will be done solely by the International Jewish Genealogy Month committee.
Submission Requirements
• The deadline for the 2014 contest is April 30, 2014.
• Each entry must be submitted as a JPG or PDF file via e-mail attachment to Secretary@iajgs.org.
• The required application information or completed application form and release form (available on the IJGM page) must be included with each entry.
• You may include artist comments about the poster (optional).
• If no entries are received by the deadline or no entries are judged to be appropriate, the committee will solicit further entries.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
It's That Blogiversary Time of Year
I realized when I looked down the list of labels I have for my posts that I cover a pretty wide range of subjects. From Africa to Zundapp motorcycles, from Abraham Lincoln to Zooey Deschanel (but nothing starting with an X), and from Chinese Jews to Sikhs, these really are topics that interest me and that I research.
I'm glad I have the opportunity to share my passion for genealogy with others through my blog, and I am honored that people read it and post comments, adding to the conversation. Thanks for the support, and onward to the next year!
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
2014 Black Family History Day and Other Upcoming Events
This past week I have been very busy with running around, going to meetings, and doing research, but I wanted to let everyone know about some events coming up in the San Francisco area that are of interest to genealogists. Maybe I will see some of you there.
The African American Genealogical Society of Northern California will be holding its 2014 Black Family History Day on Sunday, February 16, 1:00–5:00 p.m., at the Oakland FamilySearch Library, 4766 Lincoln Avenue. While this is a particularly good way for beginners to start researching their families, it is also helpful for those who have already done some research to learn new techniques or get some help to break through a brick wall. The page still has information about the 2013 days but should be updated soon. And even if it doesn't get updated, come anyway! I'll be one of the volunteers helping attendees with their research.
The California Historical Society (CHS) will host a reception on Sunday, January 26, 2:00–4:00 p.m., to celebrate the opening of a bilingual exhibit about Juana Briones (1802–1889), an important early settler and entrepreneur in the San Francisco Bay area. The exhibit will run from January 26 through June 8, 2014. Part of Briones' original 1850's home was saved from destruction, and CHS has a project to help preserve it.
Remember the 1992 movie A League of Their Own, about women playing professional baseball during World War II? According to the baseball scholars who will be speaking at the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL), women's baseball began at Vassar in 1866! SFPL will host a panel discussion on women's baseball titled "Linedrives and Lipstick: The Untold Story of Women's Baseball", also to be held on Sunday, January 26, this from 1:00–4:00 p.m. (decisions, decisions). The panel will include baseball scholars David Block, Jean Ardell, Dorothy Mills, Leslie Heaphy, and Monica Nucciarone. The accompanying exhibit at the library will run from January 25 through March 16, 2014.
Remember the 1992 movie A League of Their Own, about women playing professional baseball during World War II? According to the baseball scholars who will be speaking at the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL), women's baseball began at Vassar in 1866! SFPL will host a panel discussion on women's baseball titled "Linedrives and Lipstick: The Untold Story of Women's Baseball", also to be held on Sunday, January 26, this from 1:00–4:00 p.m. (decisions, decisions). The panel will include baseball scholars David Block, Jean Ardell, Dorothy Mills, Leslie Heaphy, and Monica Nucciarone. The accompanying exhibit at the library will run from January 25 through March 16, 2014.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Monday, January 6, 2014
More Newspapers Listed on the Wikipedia Newspaper Archives Page
• British Columbia: The Herald (under various names over time) for 1900–2013 has been made available through the Terrace Public Library.
• Philippines: The Manila Standard from 1984–2003 is online.
• Scotland: The South Ayrshire Libraries now have an online index of births, marriages, and deaths that appeared in the Ayr Advertiser from 1801–1835.
• Connecticut: The Wilton Public Library has searchable indices for obituaries (1937–2005) and articles (1997–2005) published in the Wilton Bulletin.
• Montana: The Big Timber Pioneer (1893–1949) and Saco Independent (1912–1922) have been added to the Montana Memory Project.
• Ohio: The Warren County Genealogical Society has lists of names of obituaries published in county newspapers, covering 1810–2010. New names are added regularly.
• Ohio: The Williams County Public Library has a searchable obituary index that covers 1862–2013, with gaps in coverage for years and newspapers. The library will also send copies of the obituaries.
• Washington: The Ellensburg Daily Record from 1885–2005 is online.
• Washington: The North Olympic Library System has an obituary index that covers 1916–present. It isn't clear from the site whether the obituaries are only for Port Angeles.
• Multistate: The Bill Lane Center for the American West at Stanford University has a map plotting the growth of newspapers across the U.S., created using data from the Library of Congress Chronicling America database. The map also works as an alternative way to search for newspapers from the Chronicling America collection.
• Multistate: The Library of Congress has a page with links to directories from 1869–1920 listing American newspapers that were being published.
• Worldwide: The Handwritten Newspapers Project is really interesting. It lists items from around the world, with dates ranging from 59 B.C. to A.D. 2011. One handwritten Indian newspaper has been published in Urdu since 1927.
Have you found anything interesting in a historical newspaper recently?
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