State by State Research : Colorado

www.google.com/images

Continuing with my review of state history and genealogy research, let's explore Colorado.


Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection  www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org

Wow, over 200 newspapers are searchable at this site.  That is impressive.  Let's see what I can find.

The years range from 1859 to 1966.  Not too shabby.  You can search, browse by title, name or place. There is also a topics page, listings are  alphabetically arranged, which helps a lot when you looking for that certain event that could have dozens of articles written and posted.  The articles are arranged by newspapers and date of publication.  Now that makes things easier.

I looked up "Knife Throwing", and 20 articles suddenly appeared.  Cool.  Of course these are all from Colorado newspapers, but that is the neatest thing.  You can get much closer to a specific geographic area.

There are "Help" and "Forums" to help you with search suggestions.  But let's be honest, isn't it fun to just fumble around and do some hunting without help?  OK, ask for help if you want to.


Colorado State Archives  www.colorado.gov/archives

Looking for birth and death registers?  How about divorce indexes?  Probate, yep.  Other documents of naturalization, teacher licenses, tax lists, Supreme Court case files, etc. This site is for you if you have Colorado research  ambition...

Want Probate information? Go to Menu tab, scroll down to Public Records (or Genealogy....all roads lead to Rome you know), then scroll to Legal Records....scroll down to Probate. There is a list of Counties and the years that are held at the state archives. Only those cases prior to 1985 are listed.  But, not all of these records are at the archives.  You can order document copies.

Did I forget to mention Military records?  How about Penitentiary records? School records?

Folks, there is just so much on this website that I can't possibly write about all of it.  You will just have to visit it yourself.  But I promise you, you won't regret it...ever.  It would be nice if every state have such a  comprehensive collection such as  this.

Job well done, Colorado!

And let me remind you, Family Tree Magazine published an fantastic article about the many state websites available...I still have mine from December of 2011.  Be sure to visit Family Tree Magazine.com.  A great publication!

Research State by State : Arkansas

Continuing with research in the States, I have a source for Arkansas.  The Arkansas History Commission, found at Www.ark-ives.com,  has many sections to search.

The News and Events tab shows a chronological list of general messages regarding special hours for research on various holidays, but also posts of interesting articles regarding Arkansas history.  There is an article dated from 6 January 2016, which reports a story of the desegregation of Little Rock School.  The Black History Commission of Arkansas will partner with the Arkansas History Commission in this presentation to be held on 6 February 2016.

The Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives has a tab that directs you to their page, which features "One Hundred Fifty Years Ago Today in Arkansas".  This is an on- line exhibit regarding Arkansas in the Civil War.  Selected images and articles are showcased to give a glimpse of the extensive collection held by the Commission. This is a searchable database to allow inquisitive persons to explore various subject matter of the Civil War in the South. There is also a feature entitled "Today in Arkansas History".  I found that on today, 30 January , the southern boundary line was completed in 1831, as well as by the act of the state legislature, the Apple Blossom became the state flower in 1901.

Another tab, entitled CARAT, allows the researcher to browse various collections by title.  Some of the topic collections include:

  Manuscripts

  County Records

  Newspapers

  Military Records, just to name a few.

The most interesting and valuable records about land ownership, Confederate Pensions and WWII discharge papers will probably attract anyone who wishes to research their Arkansas kin.

Looks like the data in  CARAT is worth your time to review.

The Black History tab sends the researcher to the page for The Black History Commission of Arkansas.  Although they have a collection , they are continually seeking donations of letters photos, business records, and other documents of the Black History of Arkansas.  The Curtis H. Sykes Memorial Grant Program is available to help fund projects related to Black History of Arkansas.

Lastly, there are databases to help the researcher find more information like these topics:

  African American legislators

  African Americans manuscripts

  African American yearbooks

  African American newspapers,  and several others.

Furthermore, there are resource guides to aid teachers in their classroom plans to study the above listed topics.

Although I have no family connections to Arkansas, Www.ark-ives.com,  I will browse this website just because it holds such interesting information.  Just the thing for a ho-hum rainy day.

Research by State : Arizona

Hello again.

I just reviewed two sites that are incredible.  Who knew that Arizona would have such great research guides?  Need some birth and death information?  Arizona has a searchable database that is fantastic.

Let's start with Arizona Genealogy Birth and Death Certificates found at genealogy.az.gov

Currently on this site, you can search births to 1939 (at least 75 years ago) and deaths to 1964 (at least 50 years ago

Images are in pdf format for both birth and death certificates.  Fantastic? You betcha!

The Arizona Memory Project found at azmemory.lib.az.us

I found this site to be really neat for that information that you never learned in school.  There are collections covering a variety of topics and subjects....Architecture, Education, Maps, Military, Native Americans, Photographs, ....just to name a few.

I love to read about people who have a whole different taste of life....usually for the absurd or purely wacky (not to be critical or anything like that). So, I did some browsing in the Crime and Law section.  There was a topic called Murder and Mayhem.  Just what I like to read. Look what I found...

Murder & Mayhem - The Strange Saga of Winnie Ruth Judd

http://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/cdm/landingpage/collection/ahfmur

Contributed by Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records: State Archives

This is the story of Winnie Ruth of Indiana.  At the age of 19, she married Dr. Judd, a man 22 years her senior.  While living in Los Angeles, her husband became a drug addict.  She was diagnosed with TB and decided to move to Arizona for the drier air.

Winnie got a clerical job at a clinic, and soon made friends with two other women.  They became roomies.  She began dating a new man in her life....and yes, she was still married....and, oh, by the way....he was married too.  She moved out of the girls place and got a place of her own.  However the three women still met up each week to socialize.

Well, one day, Winnie went to visit the ladies.  An argument ensued, someone pulled out a gun, and all three were shot.  Winnie was injured in the hand, but, unfortunately, the two other young women were fatally wounded.

The body of one of the young gals was stuffed into a suitcase.  The other was too large to fit into a case, so her body was dismembered, and she was stuffed into multiple suitcases.

Winnie left Arizona with the suitcases, headed back to Los Angeles.The trunks began to smell and leak body fluids while on the train ride through California.  The train inspectors asked Winnie to open a trunk.  She told them that only her husband had the key, and with that, she ran off.

Train inspectors forced the suitcases open and the bodies were found.  

Winnie's trial began in 1932 in  Phoenix.  The "Trunk Murderess" claimed self defense.  That idea didn't work.  She was found guilty and sentenced to death.  However, not long after, she was found to be insane, as was sent to the state mental hospital for 38 years. She escaped seven times from the hospital, and managed to get as far as northern California where she found employment as a nanny.

Police finally caught up with her, and she was extradited back to Arizona. In 1969, she demanded to be reexamined to determine her sanity. Her parole was denied, but in 1971 the governor signed her pardon.  She returned to California, now going by the name of Marian Lane.

Marian died in California in her sleep, at the age of 93, in 1998.

Now, where else can you find a story like this?  Newspapers!!! My favorite research resource....until I reviewed this Arizona Memory Project site...which is running a close second place.

I hope that you take the  time to browse these Arizona sites to help you with your family research, or just to read about the lives of people who do strange things.

Speaking of that, don't forget to visit my other blog...Friday's Fallen Acorns and Other Nuts found at www.fridaysfallenacorns.blogspot.com

State by State Research : Alaska

Last week I mentioned the Family Tree Magazine  listing of state archive websites for genealogy and historical research.  The state of Alaska is one of their entries, and I'd like to review it for you.

The Alaska Division of Libraries, Archives and Museums, found at www.lam.alaska.gov , is just what one needs when researching historical Alaska.  Databases include newspapers, naturalization and probate records, in addition to a gold rush pioneer index.

How many glaciers are in Alaska?  I don't know for sure, but there is a section in the Alaska State Library tab that shows the location of each glacier, it's common name and it's elevation .  The Library also mentions the newspapers that are featured in full-text, most of which are pre 1923.

Alaska free clip art is also a feature of this library.  Much too many topics to mention here.

In the Genealogy section of this site is Finding Your Gold Rush Relatives.   Links to repositories, societies, resources, books, cemeteries, etc. are plentiful.  Your could sit all day and still never cover every one of these.

Alaska and Yukon Vital Records are in PDF form, and volumes cover 1898 through 1936.

The digital archives include collections of the State Library and the various campuses of the University of Alaska, in addition to several museums.

Researchers can be employed if you don't have the time to do it yourself.  Just ask.

Although I don't have any family members who lived in Alaska, this is a site that I'd like to revisit simply because the history of Alaska is just so different from  the other 49 states.  I hope that you, too, will take some time to see what this site has to offer.

Ancestral Hometown Cousins : They Share Your Ancestral History

I belong to a group of persons that share my ancestral history....the Termini-Imerese genealogy research group.

Around 2003, I received an email message from a cousin that I had never met before that time.  The message explained that they had seen a post that I placed on a genealogy website, asking if anyone had information about the history of my family.  It invited me to view a website that focused on the ancestry and civil records of my ancestral hometown.

www.termini-imerese.org was started by a distant cousin.  They had begun to transcribe civil records which had been photographed by the Latter Day Saints and placed on microfilm to save for all posterity.  The LDS does this for almost every state, county, town, village and church where they are allowed to photograph records.  Their family history library in Salt Lake City holds filmed and published records of all kinds.  The best part is that these can be viewed for free at www.familysearch.org.

Since that day in 2003, I have been able to take my family history search back to the 1700s.  But, most importantly, I have met so many persons that share my ancestry.  Our families connect back to the town of Termini-Imerese, in the Palermo province on the island of Sicily.  We are all cousins to varying degrees.  We are family.

Every year this growing group of relatives meet in a venue hosted by one of more of the club members.  We share our newly found records, compare our family trees, find family connections to each other and share a few meals.  Most places have an area where Italian immigrants had established themselves.  We visit their businesses and restaurants.  We visit their libraries and museums.  We connect with the community and the people.  It's just four days of meeting and greeting.  And, it's our time of reaffirming our friendships  and family connections.

I want to encourage everyone to learn about your family before you leave this earth.  It is a very humbling task.  You will learn about the people who paved the way for you to live your life.  They worked, suffered, loved, lived and died.  Their stories become a part of you.  Imagine yourself living in the past.  Would you have made the same decisions that they did?  Would you have been able to navigate the uncertainty in their lives?  As you learn about these ancestors, you will formulate their stories.  It's not fiction.  It's real.

Share your stories with your family members.  They will be listening to every word, just as if you were reading them a storybook.  Somehow, it makes a person stand up straighter and have some pride in who they are.  Ancestors have a way of doing that to you.

Using Linkpendium to Reach Your Research Goals

Linkpendium (www.linkpendium.com)  is one of those websites that clusters many links of research sources. It will help to find information to plug those holes of missing information in your family trees.

At first look, the Linkpendium home page appears to be very generic.  You might even be a bit skeptical, as there are no flashy designs or exotic colors in its design.  Don't let that fool you.  Look on...  It boldly states that it covers over 10 million genealogy links.  Is that enough for you? Or, do you need more?

Every state in the United States has it's own link, with sub-links that take you even farther into your research.  There are statewide links, county links and even some city/town links.  Further on, you'll see links to Church records, Cemeteries, Bible records, Newspapers, Directories, Court Records, etc.  The list is quite extensive.  

I will tell you that it does NOT contain every research link that you could ever need. There is a note at the end of most compiled link pages....Please, add your favorite Website(s) to this page!
yes, you can add a link to the list!!! How neat is that?  A collaborative effort!  

Linkpendium Logo

Researching in European records?  No problem if your interests include the United Kingdom and Ireland.  There are over 10 thousand links to resources in England, Ireland, The Isle of Man, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, etc.  Once again there are specific links for each parish and county, and also for directories, vital, church, court and institution records.  

Lastly there are links to Surnames, worldwide.  I took the leap...and looked up the link to my maiden name : Bognar.....very Hungarian.  There I find many links regarding the surname : findagrave, wikitree, Rootsweb message boards, gazetteers, maps and newspapers.  Wow.  I will have to do some clicking on some of these to see what has been posted by others on the boards and trees, and also find out the distribution of the family name.  It appears there are mentions of the name in their lists of Indiana, Illinois and Ohio newspapers, too.  

1918 St. Louis City Directory, Bognar listings
found from the link to www.Fold3.com

As with the other pages, on the bottom you can click and add a link for a surname database.  If you have a website that is dedicated to your family/family name, don't hesitate to add it to the surname list of links.  It just might steer someone to your family site and you could make a connection to a cousin with additional information that you can't get anywhere else.  

Have I convinced you to visit Linkpendium?  Try it out, and pass on the goodies that you might collect.

My Father's Life Story : What Can On-line Research Tell Me That I Didn't Know About Him

I knew my Father, Frank J. Bognar, Jr.,  for almost 46 years before he passed away in the early Spring of 2002.  He was a major influence in my life.  Thinking that I knew everything about him, I decided  to find further information about him on the Internet.

As with most people searching for their heritage, I did a very basic and wide search on Ancestry.com at www.ancestry.com .  The first two results were the 1930 and the 1940 U.S. Census.

No new or surprising information was revealed from these two census listings.  In 1930, the home address was mentioned as 1940 Burd Avenue.  In the 1940 census, the home address was listed at 812 Salisbury Street. Neither home is currently standing.  

Next, I searched on Fold3 at www.fold3.com .  His name appeared in the WWII U. S. Navy Muster Rolls, 1938-1949.  He was aboard the U.S.S. Takanis Bay CVE89.  This page shows the date of his transfer from the escort carrier to the USN Hospital in Seattle, Washington,  This is something that I did not know...just having his date of transfer from ship to hospital is something that I can add to my research, and reference that date when searching for his medical records while in the U.S. Navy. He is listed on line 7, as a Machinist Mate 2nd Class, along with his service number

Fold3 has the muster rolls for the U.S.S. Takanis Bay CVE89 from 1944 through 1946.  Dad's name appears on each muster prior to his transfer to the USN hospital.  

Next, I used Mocavo at www.mocavo.com , a free website for researching genealogy.  They show the Social Security Death Index listing for my Father.  They also mention that there is a memorial listing for him on Find A Grave at www.findagrave.com . No new information for me here.

Family Search at www.familysearch.org  also has the same SSDI and 1940 Census return that the previous websites have in their search results.

My Heritage at www.myheritage,com  repeats the previous results : 1930 and 1940 U. S. Census returns, Find A Grave memorial, and SSDI listing.

GenealogyBank at www.genealogybank.com has the obituary for my Dad from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 2 and 4, 2002 issues.  I do have several copies of this in my family records.

I turned to the Veterans Administration Grave Locator at http://www.cem.va.gov/, and found that Dad was listed correctly with their database, which simply repeats what was in the search results from previous websites.

In addition, the St. Louis Archdiocese http://archstl.org/cemeteries/ has a grave location search engine that helps to find the location of each burial in the cemeteries of the archdiocese, and the ability to reveal what persons share the same burial plot as the deceased.  Here, both of my parents are listed being interred in Section 17A Lot 0129, along with their dates of burial.  

Both People Finders at www.peoplefinders.com and People Smart at www.peoplesmart.com have correctly listed Dad as being deceased, and both mention my Mother as being related, as well as his last location of residence.

World Vital Records at www.worldvitalrecords.com shows a database search result from their public records index.  Showing the last three addresses where my Dad lived, it also includes phone numbers, and naming my Mother as his relative. Of course, there is no new information for me here.

Tribal Pages at www.tribalpages.com doesn't result in any new information on my Dad's life, however, it does show a listing for my grandfather, Frank Bognar, Sr., and his first wife, Anna Springer.  This is a new avenue for my research into that family lineage. But that is for another time.

Conclusion  for now :  The transfer date of my Father from the U.S.S. Takanis Bay to the USN hospital in Seattle, Washington, has been the only new piece of information that I have found during this attempt to update my Dad's story.

Ancestry and it's affiliates are having some server problems this week.  Unfortunately, it has interrupted my on-line searches with additional websites that I wanted to feature here.  There might be a lack of research and browsing this week due to this problem.  With a little luck on their end, this could be resolved shortly.  In the meantime, making good use of other history sources and libraries may prove to be beneficial.  Happy searching to all.

The Life of an Inventor : Lavonious Kenworthy Wynn, OR Don't Believe Every Family Story to be Correct

In some families, there is usually a child that is named for an ancestor; be it a parent, grandparent, great grandparent, or other person that family wished to remember and honor.  My late father-in-law was named Kenworthy Henry Reif.  I knew that his grandfather was Henry Jacob Reif, so there is the repeated "Henry".  But, I did not know where "Kenworthy" had it's origin...was there someone of that name in the family?

After months of working on my husband's family history, I decided to do what I do best....think outside of the box, and work outside of the crate.  This type of research never fails me.  I always come up with something, and indeed, this time I uncovered someone with the name of Kenworthy.

I knew that great grandmother Eliza Hessler Reif had a sister, Emma.  But that was as far as I had gotten into the Hessler family.  Searching  the Illinois State Marriage Index Database, I came across the marriage of Lavonious K. Wynn - Emma Hessler in 1888.  Hmmm.  And the marriage occurred in northern Illinois, in Whiteside County.  Hmmm.  Well, this certainly looks like it could be interesting.  Now I have yet another name to research. But, this wasn't just any person.  It was THE person that I needed to follow through the many records available on-line.

http://www.ilsos.gov/isavital/marriageSearch.do

Sterling Gazette, 1888

Taking this information, I searched on Ancestry.com for Mr. Wynn.  The first result came from the Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947.  

http://search.ancestry.com/

Lavonious Wynn was born in Ohio, and died and was buried in Sterling, Illinois.  He was a widower in 1946 at the time of his death.  His occupation is listed as President of a Laundry Company.  This is little more information than I had before, but what I found on the rest of the page made me jump.  There were a few suggested records that Ancestry.com thought might match this gentleman :

Do you see what I see?  L. KENWORTHY Wynn...... Here is the Kenworthy in this family that I was looking for, listed in the 1910 U.S. Federal Census.  I clicked the link, and BINGO, Lavonious Kenworthy Wynn was married to Emma, living in Sterling, Illinois.

Apparently, my father-in-law was named after his great uncle, brother-in-law of his grandmother, Eliza Hessler Reif.  He must have been an important person in the family to be honored over everyone else in the family when it came to naming my father-in-law.  Now that I found him, I needed to discover what made him so special.  Back to the list of on-line databases that I frequent, I diligently searched for Mr. Wynn.

Lavonious was too young to serve in the military in the Civil War, but he may have served in later years. I searched Fold3.com to uncover more data results.There were no military records, but he was listed in a Cleveland directory of 1880, salesman for F. Bassett Company.  Mr. Wynn did appear in city directories of Des Moines, Iowa from 1892 to 1904.  He resided at The Iliad Hotel, which is no longer standing.

In addition, the name of  L. K. Wynn in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, in the 1914 September 7 edition, page 13, volume 38, number 113.  A full page is dedicated to the proof of business prosperity in America, with highlighted comments by leading business men in the United States.

http://www.fold3.com/image/257361646/

My Goodness....it appears Mr. Wynn was a business owner in Sterling, Illinois in 1914...Black Silk Stove Polish Works.  More to research.  How did he get from being in Des Moines in 1904 to Sterling in 1914 as a business owner?

Newspapers are my favorite resource for researching into past lives.  I usually find very interesting information that is not noted in vital records.  ChroniclingAmerica.loc.gov, NewspaperArchive.com, Genealogybank.com and Newspapers.com are my favorite websites for newspaper research.  There are so many others, far too many to name.  For ephemera, I search Mocavo.com.  Additional searching may include Archive.com and InternetArchives at archive.org.

According to a 1963 obit of a nephew of L. K. Wynn, Lewis Wynn,  brother of L. K. invented the polish, but L. K. operated the company, as he had much more experience in sales and marketing. Lewis Wynn passed away of cancer at his home in October of 1904.


Many ads for the Black Silk Stove Polish product were found in so many newspapers.  Here are a few from 1910 posted in the Bemidji Daily Pioneer, Bemidji, Minnesota :

The trademark for the Black Silk Stove Polish was first used on October 9, 1909.  On November 23, 1909 a U. S. Federal Trademark registration was filed for the logo pictured here :

 trademark serial number of 71046083,  currently expired

Note the trademark had been renewed in 1950, as Mr. Wynn passed away in 1946.  Mr. Prescott took over the Black Silk Stove Polish Works in Sterling, Illinois. This trademark became expired on November 3, 1992.

In the Annual Report of the Commissioner of Patents for the Year 1903, Mr. Wynn is listed as having applied for a patent on a cabinet : 

 Friday, January 1, 1904  

Publication: Serial Set Vol. No.4607;  

A patent application was noted in Google.com/patents for Mr. Wynn.  It included an image, dated January 25, 1927, patent number 1,615,319,  of the container product sketch which was submitted for the patent : 

An article from  the Rockford Daily Gazette featured L. K. Wynn and his Black Silk Polish :

Date: Saturday, September 23, 1911  

Paper: Daily Register Gazette (Rockford, IL)  

Page: 11

In other articles, Mr. Wynn was listed as a member of the Executive Committee of the Illinois Elks Association in 1916. The Sterling Illinois Industrial Association, organized in 1907, selected L. K. Wynn as chairman of the committee on Home and Foreign Industries. 

My husband had repeated a story to me, to the best of his recollection, years ago.  It was something about a grandfather or great grandfather who had invented a "shoe black", or black shoe polish, and that a patent had been obtained for the product.  I had dabbled a bit into his ancestors' lives, and found that there were a few German shoemakers, German carpenters, German house painters and German farmers. But, I found no record of a patent for black shoe polish with a connection to this family.

I guess the story became skewed, and the black shoe polish was actually Black Silk Stove Polish.  And, it was not invented by Lavonious Kenworthy Wynn, a great uncle....not a great grandfather, but his brother, Lewis Wynn.  Nevertheless, it is an interesting story, to say the least.

What is FamilySearch Wiki and Will it Help My Research Problems?

You may have heard about Wikipedia ( http://www.wikipedia.org/ )....a free on-line encyclopedia where topics can be searched using a wide variety of international languages.  FamilySearch has a similar learning webpage entitled FamilySearch Wiki ( https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Main_Page ).

 FamilySearch Wiki answers the question, What is the Wiki ?

 The Wiki is about finding records that may have been generated about your ancestors and the places in which the records might be found. It is a vast record depository of the paper trail that people leave behind long after they are gone. The Wiki has records from the United States as well as from 244 countries.  Here you will be able to find documents such as census records, marriage records, birth records and death records and much more. Probate documents are often very informative and may help you in your search.  There is an extensive list of United States military records on the wiki .    

Search by place or topic by clicking on a map, as seen below:

OR learn how to search your family history, simply by choosing from the many research helps offered, from getting suggestions about organizing your family history, choosing a database to file your family facts or learn about basic research principles to keep you on track.

Using the Wiki Tools, you can view many articles written regarding online library catalogs, international websites, and internet repositories, just to name a few topics.  

Most importantly, there are links to contact research help specialists at FamilySearch.  I have never contacted them....yet.  But, sometime in the future if I am unable to break down a brick wall in my research, I just might take advantage of these specialists.  I suggest that you do, too.

You can also share your information and suggestions regarding research in a particular topic or country.  Adding your own "user page" could help to keep yourself more organized, too,  There are Talk Pages to share your ideas, or communicate with a specific user.  Sign up for a Watch List, and be notified when new content has been added to topics that interest you.  Browse the WikiProjects lists and join one if you'd like, or establish a new one yourself.  Submit an article regarding a particular topic in which you have expertise, or add to the content of articles already featured. 

Ever have trouble with geographic places with the same name?  The category "Ambiguous Place Names"     (https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Category:Ambiguous_place_names) can be a big help for you.  I searched for the location "Georgia".  The result made me pleasantly satisfied :

Georgia may refer to:

• Georgia (country), formerly Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) 1921-1991; and Democratic Republic of Georgia 1918-1921.
• Georgia (state), a state in the southern United States, and formerly one of the British colonies in North America.

Georgia may also refer to other local jurisdictions:

• Georgia, Lawrence, Indiana, United States
• Georgia, Cherry, Nebraska, United States
• Georgia, Franklin, Vermont, United States
• East Georgia, Franklin, Vermont, United States
• New Georgia, Solomon Islands in the South Pacific Ocean near Papua New Guinea and Australia
• South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, in the South Atlantic Ocean near the Falkland Islands near Argentina
• Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada

And, of course there is the wonderful topic : Family History For Beginners

From evaluating the family history that you know, to starting the research for the information that you want to know....this is the ultimate in self-learning, step-by-step instructions to get you started in your quest to find your ancestors and their life stories.  Learn how to properly document and cite the sources of your research results. And, don't forget to review the genealogy and legal terminology categories.  It helps to know what you're talking about, right?  

I can go on, and on, about FamilySearch Wiki.  But, I won't be able to cover everything in this blog.  Try it yourself, and see what you can learn, and maybe contribute, to this FREE resource.  It's just waiting for you to experience the fascinating world of learning.

Family Tree Magazine - An Educational Resource

Do you subscribe to any genealogy periodicals?   Family Tree Magazine  www.familytreemagazine.com may  help you learn how to perform a successful research and understand what you have discovered from your research.  It is one of my favorites, and I think you might like it too.

In the current May/June 2014 issue, the widely varied topics include :

• How to care for heirloom baptismal gowns and wedding gowns
• How to organize your home workspace for effective genealogy research
• Search strategies to use when looking for those elusive ancestors
• Accessing birth records and how to use their information to further your research
• How to find your German ancestor's hometown
• Finding information on ancestors of meager means
• European genealogy websites
• Searching the 1901 and 1911 Irish Censuses........and so much more.

The U.S. news stand price is $6.99 per issue.  However, if you subscribe, the price is much less.

Compared to every other genealogy magazine that I have viewed, Family Tree Magazine is my personal favorite. I learn something new in every issue.  This magazine is for the novice and the highly experienced researcher.  Visit the website, and see for yourself.  There is so much more to this magazine than meets the eye.  Something you might want to try.

April 2014 issue

Corporal Thomas Nelson, the Person I Wish I Had Known

Since I last wrote, in June, so much has happened with my research concerning Corporal Thomas Nelson.

I found that the rule of confirming research data is very important.  If you will recall, I had thought that his wife, Eliza, passed away in Wisconsin while living with a daughter.  Since then, I found that not to be true.
Eliza passed away in DuPage County, Illinois  on the 23 of January in 1920.  This is what I found in the Illinois Death Index :

Eliza Nelson
Birth Date:	abt 1851
Birth Place:	Virginia
Death Date:	23 Jan 1920
Death Place:	Hinsdale, DuPage, Illinois
Burial Date:	26 Jan 1920
Cemetery Name:	Bronswood Cemetery
Death Age:	69
Occupation:	None
Race:	Black
Marital Status:	W
Gender:	Female
FHL Film Number:	1562397

This is a document that I wish to order from the State Archives.  It lists her burial place as Bronswood Cemetery.  However, I read the original burial index, which stated that originally Mrs. Nelson purchased a burial place for her deceased husband and herself.  But a notation mentions that she sold  the plot that was meant for herself.  Furthermore, I believe that the records at the cemetery office do not have a record for her burial there.  I will visit the cemetery this week to confirm this and ask if they will allow me to see the plot purchase records for her husband and the adjoining lot.  There should be confirmation as to her selling a plot either to the cemetery or to another person, if indeed she did so.

Next, I browsed the Illinois Marriage Index for DuPage County, Illinois which can be found at this web address : http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/databases/marriage.html  It covers 1763 - 1900.  The index search shows this result :

• Illinois Statewide Marriage Index    ILLINOIS STATE ARCHIVES

Illinois Statewide Marriage Index

Search Criteria: Nelson, Thomas

Nelson, Thomas     Bussell, Eliza    1886 02 05   Vol 1  Page 99  Lic. 1287  DuPage County

The last name of Bussell sounded a little strange to me, so I proceeded to search this a little more. FamilySearch shows that her surname was Russell, which made more sense to me. However, It could also be Boswell.    It also stated the name of the officiate as Dorathy, P. M.  I assume the initials stand for Protestant Minister, but a little more research will make things more believable.

I attended the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in August.  Sitting in the audience of Tim Pinnick, a known African-American researcher, I learned more about the types of evidence and resources that I should be using for this couple.

Since I knew the town of residence, I proceeded to look for city directories for the Nelson family.  I did find one which I photographed with my cell phone.  It appeared that Mrs. Eliza Nelson lived on South Vine Street in Hinsdale, Illinois.  It matched with the census records that I found.

The Civil War Pension Index provided two cards : One which was for Thomas Nelson's application for an invalid pension in 1897, and another for the Widow's Pension application in 1911 where Eliza had applied for support.  Each has an application and certificate number.  I'll use those to request the compiled and full file for the supporting papers of each request.

A nice trip to the library in Hinsdale proved to be very beneficial with my work.  They had microfilm of The Hinsdale Doings, a local newspaper which is published weekly and provides many years of local information.  Looking at the first page of the 21 January 1911 edition, there I found a rather nice obit for Mr. Nelson.
After I research a bit more that is mentioned in the obit, I'll report back and reveal what more I have found on our Civil War Veteran that I Wish I Had Known.  Wish me luck.  This is getting good.

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FamilySearch, one of the leading organizations that provides free vital records and genealogical data online, has begun to digitize the information transcribed from the many microfilms that they have in Salt Lake City at the Family History Library.  They have the films posted on their website initially, without being indexed.  They are available for browsing.  But now volunteers are able to help in the efforts to transcribe the information from the images, and make this information searchable through the FamilySearch index.

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I currently assist in the indexing project with the Italian records that have been microfilmed.  It is a very rewarding experience, and I am so happy to be a part of this great project.  It can't be done over night, but if many more volunteers chip in, just think of the many records that can be made available for you and everyone else around the world.

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Join this exciting community effort to make records searchable online and ensure our ancestors are remembered by visitingindexing.familysearch.org.

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New Projects Added

• Argentina, Mendoza, Ciudad de Mendoza—Registros Parroquiales, 1665–1922
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View the FamilySearch projects page to see the full list of available projects and to learn more about how to participate in various projects.

Won't you please consider joining me?  Please be a volunteer to help make more records searchable.