Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

State Library of Ohio Exploring “Improvement” of Genealogy Services

The State Library of Ohio has announced that it is looking to "improve" its genealogy services. In this case, the "improvement" being considered is to get rid of the State Library's genealogy collection. The proposal is to give the collection to the Columbus Metropolitan Library and let them worry about it.

Here is the announcement:

New Online Birth Index in Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Historical Society is pleased to announce its Pre-1907 Wisconsin Birth Index (www.wisconsinhistory.org/vitalrecords). The index was made by digitizing a 1970's microfiche index and then expanding it with tens of thousands of delayed births, or births that were filed many years after the event, that were previously indexed separately. The result is free public access to more than 1,000,000 Wisconsin births, dating from the 1840s through 1907.

The Truth about Indian Princesses

Last week I wrote about the often-heard story of "three brothers who arrived in America." At the end of the article, I wrote, "Speaking of genealogy myths, in a future newsletter I will write about Cherokee princesses." This is the promised article.

Thousands of Americans have grown up with stories in the family that today's family members are descended from a Cherokee princess. If you heard those stories in your family, there is one fact that you need to know about the story:

National Archives and Google to Offer Historic Films Online

The National Archives and Records Administration of the United States and Google announced that they are launching a pilot program to digitize historic films from the National Archives and make them available online for free.

Update: Encyclopedia of Genealogy

Some time ago, I created a free online service for genealogists, called the Encyclopedia of Genealogy. While I'm the person who created the "shell" of this new service, newsletter readers like you write much of the information within it. If you missed the announcement, you can read it at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2004/12/encyclopedia_of.html.

I must admit that I am quite pleased with the Encyclopedia of Genealogy. Many newsletter readers have offered new content or have corrected existing information within the Encyclopedia of Genealogy. Here is a partial list of some of the articles added or updated by newsletter readers and myself in the past month:

A Good Idea (?) for Conference Syllabuses

Two weeks ago I attended the Genealogy and Family Heritage Jamboree held in St. George, Utah. This jamboree did one thing that is non-traditional for genealogy conferences although common elsewhere: the conference syllabus was available on CD-ROM or (optionally) printed on paper.

Slade Mansion is Worth "Diddly Squat"

On December 22, 2005, I wrote about an offer that seemed too good to be true. Well, you know what they say about things that are "too good to be true..." They often are just that.

Genealogy Seminars by Teleconference

Over the years, I have attended hundreds of genealogy seminars on a wide variety of topics. However, last week I attended one that was a bit different. I never left my home. Instead, I "attended" by telephone and computer. It worked well.

(+) How to Eliminate All Spam Mail - Part #1

Unsolicited Commercial E-mail (UCE), often called spam mail or junk mail, has become the scourge of the Internet. Some published reports claim that 65% of all e-mail on the Internet is unwanted junk mail. For some of us, I suspect the percentage is higher than that.

I have known some people who actually changed their e-mail addresses just because of spam mail problems. They hope to escape the flood of spam mail. That turns out to be an ineffective change, however. The new e-mail address will eventually grow to have the same problem. Instead, there are methods of deleting 100% of the spam mail from your present in-box before you ever see the junk.

Donald Trump Donates to Restore Jefferson Davis Home

Click for larger image

The Jefferson Davis Home and Presidential Library in Biloxi, Mississippi was severely damaged and almost destroyed, by hurricane Katrina. You can read my earlier article about the damage at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2005/08/jefferson_davis.html.

Beauvoir (the name of Davis' home) is one of very few historic landmarks still standing on the Mississippi coast. It has been identified by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as a property that should be preserved. Beauvoir board members have been running an appeal for funds to be used to restore the historic landmark. Now a $25,000 donation has been received from an unexpected source: Donald Trump.

Vandal Trapped By Tombstone

This seems like poetic justice. A teenager in Roodhouse, Illinois, went on a vandalism spree at a local cemetery. About 40 headstones were damaged. A funeral home director estimated the damage at about $10,000.

However, it was rather easy for police to find the culprit. It seems that in the process of toppling a 600-pound gravestone, the stone fell on the mischief maker's leg, pinning him. He was pinned until authorities arrived at the scene. It took four firefighters to lift the stone off his leg.

There Were Three Brothers And…

Genealogy newcomers often trip over the "three brothers" story. It has been repeated thousands of times. I have yet to see one instance in which it is accurate.

The story always starts with something like this:

There were three brothers who immigrated to America. One went north, one went south, and one headed west, never to be heard from again.

Insects Were the Biggest Foe in the Civil War

American genealogists and historians are painfully aware of man's inhumanity to man when we read about the American Civil War. However, one scientist points out that twice as many Civil War soldiers died from insect-related disease than from direct combat.

Online Obituary Index in Pennsylvania

The Butler Area Public Library, Butler, PA is pleased to announce that their Obituary Index of over 75,000 names from Butler County newspapers is now searchable online (at no charge) at www.bcfls.org/butler; click on the tombstones; have fun. Instructions are included for basic and advanced searches, search tips, the value of obituaries, and ordering copies. The inclusive dates are 1824-1960 and 1990-2000.

Related post: Online Obituary Index in Pennsylvania

Bath Chronicle Historic Database Goes Online

The Bath (England) Chronicle newspaper from between 1770 and 1800 is now available online. It has taken 15 volunteers more than three years to complete the cataloguing work, which is still continuing.

The McKirdy Index of Scottish Death Records

The McKirdy Index is described as "an Analytical Genealogical Finding Aid to the Statutory Registers of Death for Scotland 1855-1875." This online database enables genealogy researchers to locate death records of Scottish ancestors. Some of the data listed shows details that date from the mid 1700s, given that death entries for someone who died in 1855 aged 80-100 may show their parents.

In Memoriam: Marjorie Moore, FSG

I just received a sad note from Jeanne Bunting that says, in part:

I have just heard that Marjorie Moore, FSG, a well-known name in Family History circles in the UK, has been killed in an accident while on holiday in South Africa. She was in a safari vehicle that overturned.

Black's Law Dictionary on CD-ROM

One of the most valuable reference books for American genealogists is Black's Law Dictionary. This thick reference manual contains the legal definitions found in many records of genealogical interest: wills, probate court actions, deeds, old court cases, and more. Anyone who reads old documents and encounters unfamiliar legal terminology needs to turn to Black's Law Dictionary for the explanation. This week I had a chance to use a newly-released CD-ROM version of this valuable reference book.

Complete 1841 County Durham, England, Census Available Online

Durham Records Online has announced the completion of the transcription of the 1841 census of County Durham, England.

Information Is Power

Terry Allen has written an article about the current state of affairs when it comes to looking at public records. The U.S. Government's Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 will bar genealogists and many others from looking at birth and death certificates for 70 to 100 years. The proposed regulations are now causing widespread concern among state officials.