Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

(+) Where’s the Body Buried? by George G. Morgan

Cemeteries have held my fascination for as long as I can remember. My childhood friends thought I was strange because I always wanted to cut through the cemeteries along the way as we walked home from school. They would have none of it, so afraid of ghosts they were. As I strolled through the several graveyards along the way again and again, the stone markers and the names inscribed on them became familiar. As I grew up, I learned more about the families and the people who were buried there. My curiosity caused me to become interested in their stories. Perhaps that’s why the idea of working with RootsTelevision.com (http://rootstelevision.com) on the series, Down Under Florida, was so attractive to me. I often encounter a marker and somehow feel drawn to learn the story about the person interred there.

(+) How Safe Are Your Old Documents?

A number of us are fortunate enough to own old books, birth certificates, marriage certificates, naturalization certificates, old newspaper clippings, or other family heirloom documents that we want to preserve. What condition will they be in 20 or 50 years from now? For that matter, will the fruits of your genealogy labor be available to your descendants 200 years from now? You should take steps now to make sure the documents remain in the best possible condition. I thought I would discuss the techniques of document preservation a bit more in this newsletter.

(+) How to Host a Huge Conference

I attended a great genealogy/history/heritage/archaeology conference this past weekend with more than 15,000 attendees. I have been to the same conference in the past, as well as to other genealogy conferences that attracted 2,000 to 4,000 attendees. All the larger events were held in England. Returning to the United States, I see conferences ranging from a few hundred to perhaps 1,800 attendees, all held by organizers who would like to attract many more people.

When I compare the U.S. events to those held in England, I am struck by the fact that there is not a lot of difference in the amount of effort required of the organizers. Attracting 1,000 attendees appears to require about as much work as attracting 15,000. The conference organizers in England simply do things a bit differently, and the result attracts larger crowds. Indeed, I believe the events held in the United States could grow in size to compete with the British conferences.

(+) “Coming to Your Census” by George G. Morgan

There’s no doubt that the documents most frequently used by American genealogists are the United States federal population census records. The federal census population schedules are the milestones by which we track our ancestors’ locations between 1790 and 1930. And for the early census years when some states’ and counties’ records are missing or lost, and the 1890 census for which less than 1% of the schedules survived, there are any number of other document types that can be used as partial substitutes.

There are, however, more census records than just the federal population schedules, and these documents can tell you a great deal in addition to the data on the population documents. You need to know just what does exist and where to locate those resources.

(+) “Demystifying the Family Stories” by George G. Morgan

“Pass it down!” You remember that phrase from your early school years. Someone would hand you a note and ask you to pass it to another person so that it finally reached the addressee at the end of the row of students. That was a reasonably reliable communication system unless, of course, the teacher caught on and intercepted the message. If the message was delivered, at least it contained the original words. Another way of communicating with fellow students was by passing a spoken (or whispered) message down the line. This method is fraught with problems because, as everyone who has ever played the game of “Telephone” knows, the message has been altered by multiple repetitions. Sometimes the end product is nothing like the original.

The family stories and traditions that have been passed down to us through the generations are also susceptible to changes through their having been communicated from person to person. Every family has stories that have been embellished and whose details may have been “stretched”. What do you know to be true and what do you doubt? Some research is needed if you are to ferret out the truth, and then it is possible that you may never find the answers you seek. Let me share some of my family’s myths with you.

(+) Storing Data For the Next 1,000 Years

I have written before about the issues that genealogists, historians, and others face when trying to save information for hundreds of years. Floppy disks, CD-ROM disks, hard drives and most other technologies have a life expectancy of twenty-five years or so. USB jump drives probably won't even last that long. The paper most of us use today contains acids and probably will not last 100 years. Even worse, the laser toner and the inkjet inks in common use today will fade long before the passage of 100 years; so, our descendants may inherit blank pieces of paper.

Even microfilm will be unusable within a few years. To be sure, the films will last up to 300 years or so if they are never used (scratched). However, manufacturers of microfilm readers and cameras are now disappearing. You probably will not be able to purchase microfilm equipment 25 years from now.

(+) “More than Just a Will” by George G. Morgan

I’m making a new will. This is, I think, the sixth will I’ve drawn up in my lifetime. As I grow older and my circumstances change, I realize that leaving a valid will accomplishes several things. First and foremost, it expresses my wishes for the legal disposition of the contents of my estate and of my physical remains. Second, it provides guidance for the probate court and for an administrator or executor in performing the duties associated with my stated wishes. Finally, a will provides the beginning of a paper trail that can be researched by other people – including genealogists.

The probate process in most places in the United States is based on the laws we inherited from our English ancestors. Centuries ago, a will and a testament were two separate documents. One addressed the disposition of real property (land and property) while the other focused on matters concerning an individual’s body and his or her personal property. Over time, however, the two documents were combined into the single “last will and testament” used by most people today. Certainly there are other documentary instruments for managing the disposition and distribution of estates. A codicil is a document that alters the directions of an existing will without having to go through a complete rewriting of that document. Another special example is a trust which, when properly drawn up and funded, does not die when the creator dies. A trust allows a trustee to take over management of the trust’s components without the trouble and expense of going to court for the appointment of a conservator if the testator becomes disabled. It also avoids the probate process and facilitates a trustee to immediately take over all management of the trust, payment of bills, and distribution of the assets indefinitely until the trust is dissolved (if ever).

(+) Preserving Old Documents Electronically

Old documents often are fragile. Simply handling them can damage the documents or speed their deterioration; so, one must avoid frequent handling. This can be difficult in the case of family heirlooms since many people may want to see them. Equally challenging is the difficulty of sharing those old documents with people who cannot easily travel to the location where the documents and photographs are stored. Even if you could count on those people returning them, the thought of sending irreplaceable original documents in the mail would give a genealogist the willies!

Luckily, within the past decade technology advances have reduced many of these difficulties. It is now possible to reproduce and even improve the appearance of old documents and photographs. Multiple copies are easy to make, and electronic copies can be put on CD-ROM disks, on Web sites, and even in e-mail messages. Best of all, these tasks can be done at home, using modestly-priced hardware and software. In fact, making electronic improvements and photocopies often can be done for prices that rival or beat older methods.

(+) “Assessing a Bible” by George G. Morgan

The family Bible can be an important source of information to your genealogical research. Among the so-called “home sources” that you seek out, it can be a great compendium of recorded information. There is always the question of whether the information recorded in a Bible is reliable or not. Most professional genealogists will warn you against placing too much weight on the entries you find there. There is no real way to tell precisely when an event was recorded or by whom. Someone may have transcribed information from another Bible or other source documents, or the person may have entered all of the data at one time. As a result, there may be transcription errors or lapses of memory that may cause names to be misspelled, first and middle names to be reversed, and dates to be misremembered and off by days, months, and even years.

(+) How to Install a Second Monitor the Easy Way

Did you know that your computer can have two or more monitors connected simultaneously? You can display different data on each, essentially expanding your available screen space to the combined size of both monitors. For instance, I like to have my favorite genealogy program display my family tree on one monitor while I use the second monitor to search various genealogy sites. I can display each program in a larger window, comparing search results against my existing data at a glance. At other times I’ll keep an eye on my incoming e-mail messages on one monitor while working on a word processing document or genealogy on another.

Indeed, you can have multiple windows open on each monitor to run three, four, or more simultaneous programs with each displaying data on whichever monitor you choose. All this can be done on one computer. Anyone who has ever had the experience of using multiple monitors for a few days will agree that they hate to "go back" to using a single monitor. The extra screen space is a great experience.