Whitey Hoehn had learned that his ancestor Lewis Fitcher was originally Alois Pfitscher, but could only trace that family to Winnebago County, Wisconsin. Since we spend July there for the EAA convention, I had a chance to visit the local library's genealogy section in Oshkosh. An "A. Pfitscher" appeared on an 1862 plat map in Black Wolf Township. This was exciting: my Swiss ancestors and their neighbors had passed through, visited relatives and in some cases returned to be married by the Swiss pastor in that section of Winnebago County. Because of that, I knew there was a translation (at the Oshkosh library) from the German of the New Elm Church located there. Sure enough, Alois' children were all baptized in that church. The records gave the wife's maiden name, her place of birth in Switzerland and her burial record after the final child's birth. The last record found was Alois' second marriage.
Brick Wall Lesson: Find someone who is familiar with the local records! Use RAOGK, USGenWeb, or just Google the county, township or village name.
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Friday, August 5, 2016
101 Best Websites
The upcoming issue of Family Tree Magazine includes their annual list of the "101 Best Websites of 2016." According to their Insider column, there are 35 new websites that have not been listed in the past. If you are curious, take a free look at the sites at www.familytreemagazine.com.
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
August Webinars
August 3: Thomas MacEntee will be talking about "Getting Started With Power Point." If you have an interest, you can catch this presentation for the next week or so at www.familytreewebinars.com.
August 10: Beth Foulk will present "The Battle for Bounty Land: War of 1812 and Mexican-American Wars." For intermediate researchers the discussion will focus on military pension and other land purchases following these wars.
August 12: Bernice Bennett will discuss the "Homestead Act of 1862" by presenting a case study of four individuals that served as witnesses and acquired land in Livingston Parish, Louisiana.
August 16: Shellee Morehead will present "Another Kind of Navigation: GPS for Genealogy." In this case GPS stands for the "Genealogical Proof Standard." This lecture describes the 5 steps of the Genealogical Proof Standard to establish proof of identities and relationships. See how reasonably exhaustive research, accurate citations, analysis and correlation of data, the resolution of conflicting data and a reasoned, written conclusion was used to identify the parents of a Civil War soldier who shaved 10 years off his age and complicated the search for this relationship. For intermediate and advanced researchers.
August 17: Amy Johnson Crow will talk about "Successfully Applying to a Lineage Society."
August 24: Brian Donovan is presenting "Using FindMyPast to Unlock Your Irish Ancestry." For beginner and intermediate researchers, Brian will talk about how to use the millions of Irish records now available on FindMyPast.
August 26: Luana Darby will present "Finding French Ancestors." She will cover resources and techniques for French research.
August 10: Beth Foulk will present "The Battle for Bounty Land: War of 1812 and Mexican-American Wars." For intermediate researchers the discussion will focus on military pension and other land purchases following these wars.
August 12: Bernice Bennett will discuss the "Homestead Act of 1862" by presenting a case study of four individuals that served as witnesses and acquired land in Livingston Parish, Louisiana.
August 16: Shellee Morehead will present "Another Kind of Navigation: GPS for Genealogy." In this case GPS stands for the "Genealogical Proof Standard." This lecture describes the 5 steps of the Genealogical Proof Standard to establish proof of identities and relationships. See how reasonably exhaustive research, accurate citations, analysis and correlation of data, the resolution of conflicting data and a reasoned, written conclusion was used to identify the parents of a Civil War soldier who shaved 10 years off his age and complicated the search for this relationship. For intermediate and advanced researchers.
August 17: Amy Johnson Crow will talk about "Successfully Applying to a Lineage Society."
August 24: Brian Donovan is presenting "Using FindMyPast to Unlock Your Irish Ancestry." For beginner and intermediate researchers, Brian will talk about how to use the millions of Irish records now available on FindMyPast.
August 26: Luana Darby will present "Finding French Ancestors." She will cover resources and techniques for French research.
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Free UK Genealogy
Internet Genealogy's latest issue has an article about the three sites now available under the name Free UK Genealogy. Many of us have used Free BMD, the website for civil registration in England and Wales from 1837-1983. This is now under the same umbrella as Free REG which can be used to search baptism, marriage and burial records transcribed from parish registers for the same locations. The third option is called Free CEN, which is a search facility for census records from 1841 to 1891. Not all census records have been transcribed as yet; for example, only the 1871 census is available for Lowestoft.
To access any of the three choices, visit www.freeukgenealogy.org.uk. All of the material has been produced by volunteers and it is an ongoing project.
To access any of the three choices, visit www.freeukgenealogy.org.uk. All of the material has been produced by volunteers and it is an ongoing project.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Upcoming Genealogical Society Events
Internet Genealogy June/July has listed several opportunities for attending conferences, depending on where you happen to be located this summer.
Calgary, Alberta: July 29-31, 2016 -- The Society for German Genealogy in Eastern Europe (SGGEE) is holding its 2016 convention in Calgary. Check their convention link at www.sggee.org.
Huntsville, Texas: August 5-6, 2016 -- Walker County Genealogical Society and Huntsville Public Library are hosting a weekend concentrating on research in Texas. Register online at www.myhuntsvillelibrary.com.
Springfield, Illinois: August 31-September 3, 2016 -- The Illinois State Genealogical Society is hosting the Federation of Genealogical Societies 2016 Conference. More information can be found at www.fgsconference.org/registration.
Ottawa, Canada - September 9-11, 2016. The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa is holding its annual conference in Ottawa. More details at http://bifhsgo.ca.
Kansas City, Missouri - September 16-17, 2016 -- GenealogyKC is in its fourth year and more information can be found at www.GenealogyKC.org.
Kelowna, British Columbia - September 17-25, 2016 -- The Kelowna and District Genealogical Society claims to be one of Western Canada's largest conferences and you can learn more about the speakers and topics at www.kdgs.ca.
Medford, Oregon - September 27, 2016 -- Judy Russell will be speaking at the Rogue Valley Genealogical Society event. Details at www.rvgsociety.org.
Calgary, Alberta: July 29-31, 2016 -- The Society for German Genealogy in Eastern Europe (SGGEE) is holding its 2016 convention in Calgary. Check their convention link at www.sggee.org.
Huntsville, Texas: August 5-6, 2016 -- Walker County Genealogical Society and Huntsville Public Library are hosting a weekend concentrating on research in Texas. Register online at www.myhuntsvillelibrary.com.
Springfield, Illinois: August 31-September 3, 2016 -- The Illinois State Genealogical Society is hosting the Federation of Genealogical Societies 2016 Conference. More information can be found at www.fgsconference.org/registration.
Ottawa, Canada - September 9-11, 2016. The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa is holding its annual conference in Ottawa. More details at http://bifhsgo.ca.
Kansas City, Missouri - September 16-17, 2016 -- GenealogyKC is in its fourth year and more information can be found at www.GenealogyKC.org.
Kelowna, British Columbia - September 17-25, 2016 -- The Kelowna and District Genealogical Society claims to be one of Western Canada's largest conferences and you can learn more about the speakers and topics at www.kdgs.ca.
Medford, Oregon - September 27, 2016 -- Judy Russell will be speaking at the Rogue Valley Genealogical Society event. Details at www.rvgsociety.org.
Interactive Immigration Map
This week a friend sent the following link to Dick. It portrays immigration to the United States throughout the past centuries, showing total numbers and countries with the most immigrants.
http://metrocosm.com/us-immigration-history-map.html
http://metrocosm.com/us-immigration-history-map.html
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
July Webinars from Legacy
Legacy has quite a variety of topics this month. Remember, each webinar can be viewed for about a week following its initial presentation. Legacy also has an archive of webinars that are free to view at any time. Register for any of this month's offerings and learn more at www.familytreewebinars.com.
Wednesday, July 6 - Navigating Naturalization Records by Lisa Alzo. This is a talk aimed at intermediate researchers that will cover first papers, petitions, certificates and registrations.
Friday, July 8 - Watch Geoff Live: GEDMatch.com will be a presentation by Geoff Rasmussen and Diahan Southard to explain Geoff's DNA results.
Wednesday, July 13 - A Genealogist's Guide to Heraldry by Shannon Combs-Bennett will acquaint you with the basics of heraldry, its historic uses, who can display arms (and why many shouldn't) and how it might help your research. This topic is for beginning and intermediate researchers.
Friday, July 15 - Finding French Ancestors by Luana Darby will show beginners and intermediates how to find resources for French research and techniques on both sides of the Atlantic.
Wednesday, July 20 - Organize Your Online Life by Lisa Louise Cooke will provide tech tips for staying organized, saving time and getting more results.
Wednesday, July 27 - Community Cookbooks and What They Tell Us About Our Ancestors by Gena Philibert-Ortega is meant to be a talk on researching female ancestors. Gena says those cookbooks are a "city directory" of women and can be used for family history.
The following webinars will be presented back-to-back on Saturday, July 30. Be sure to check the time of each presentation.
The Germanic French: Researching Alsatian and Lorrainian Families by John Philip Colletta is a topic for intermediate researchers explaining how German-speakers came to reside in France and exploring the difficulties of research in Alsace-Lorraine. John says, "Research challenges include: records kept in French, German and Latin; shifting national borders; peculiar surnames; and Catholic, Protestant and Jewish residents."
Solutions for Missing and Scarce Records by Tom Jones is intended for intermediate and advanced researchers and will teach strategies for overcoming barriers caused by lost records, poor record-keeping, or simply a lack of records.
Wednesday, July 6 - Navigating Naturalization Records by Lisa Alzo. This is a talk aimed at intermediate researchers that will cover first papers, petitions, certificates and registrations.
Friday, July 8 - Watch Geoff Live: GEDMatch.com will be a presentation by Geoff Rasmussen and Diahan Southard to explain Geoff's DNA results.
Wednesday, July 13 - A Genealogist's Guide to Heraldry by Shannon Combs-Bennett will acquaint you with the basics of heraldry, its historic uses, who can display arms (and why many shouldn't) and how it might help your research. This topic is for beginning and intermediate researchers.
Friday, July 15 - Finding French Ancestors by Luana Darby will show beginners and intermediates how to find resources for French research and techniques on both sides of the Atlantic.
Wednesday, July 20 - Organize Your Online Life by Lisa Louise Cooke will provide tech tips for staying organized, saving time and getting more results.
Wednesday, July 27 - Community Cookbooks and What They Tell Us About Our Ancestors by Gena Philibert-Ortega is meant to be a talk on researching female ancestors. Gena says those cookbooks are a "city directory" of women and can be used for family history.
The following webinars will be presented back-to-back on Saturday, July 30. Be sure to check the time of each presentation.
The Germanic French: Researching Alsatian and Lorrainian Families by John Philip Colletta is a topic for intermediate researchers explaining how German-speakers came to reside in France and exploring the difficulties of research in Alsace-Lorraine. John says, "Research challenges include: records kept in French, German and Latin; shifting national borders; peculiar surnames; and Catholic, Protestant and Jewish residents."
Solutions for Missing and Scarce Records by Tom Jones is intended for intermediate and advanced researchers and will teach strategies for overcoming barriers caused by lost records, poor record-keeping, or simply a lack of records.
Sunday, July 3, 2016
Traveling
We have just returned from a week "up north" where the views of Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands were spectacular but the internet connections were minimal. If you are passing through that area, we recommend the Ashland Baking Company and the Black Cat Coffeehouse across Chapple Street from each other in Ashland, Wisconsin.
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