California Genealogical Society blog

14 July 2010

Wednesday Report: 2010 Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research

Posted by Kathryn Doyle

Jeffrey Vaillant continues his series from the Samford Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR).

The morning began with an excellent presentation by Christine Rose on Correlation and Analysis of Evidence. She began the talk with a discussion of the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS). She literally wrote the book on this subject. Rose spoke about the three classes of evidence which are (1) primary and secondary information, (2) direct and indirect evidence and (3) original and derivative sources. Then she spoke to the importance of evaluating the three classes of evidence. If one becomes stuck, she suggested the following:
List all the documents located

Examine for any local, county, state and/or federal items not examined.

Abstract each document into a Word document, then use the FIND function to review names and locations

Watch for clues on religion

Watch for clues on inherited property

As an aside, Christine Rose will be presenting a one day seminar for the Sonoma County Genealogical Society in Santa Rosa on April 16, 2011. This may have been the best lecture of the week.

Onomatology was the title of Lloyd de Witt Bockstruck’s talk. That is a big title devoted to talking about names and everything and anything that can happen with the surname we are all researching. And since word usage is big with Lloyd, on Monday I suggested “semi-posthumous child” for definition. If I understood Lloyd and wrote it down correctly, that term is used to define a child who is left material goods by a grandfather when the father is dead!

Lloyd distributed an extensive bibliography (five pages single spaced) that included general works, forenames and diminutives, name changes (by state) and language dictionaries. Another term to drop at the next genealogical society meeting is uxornecronyms—the name of the dead wife given to the child.

The afternoon was well spent with John Philip Colletta, Ph.D. who first spoke about Passenger Arrival Records from Colonial Times to Mid-twentieth Century. That is a lot of material which he supported with eight pages of outline and bibliography. I took away from this lecture his ideas on where to look if an ancestor arrives before 1820 – colonial period land patents and land grants, pre-federal naturalization, oaths of allegiance, lists of emigrants leaving, list of immigrants arriving, church records and complied histories.

Next the subject of Naturalization Records from Colonial Time to Early Twentieth Century was presented and supported by six pages of outline and bibliography. My take away was the reminder that naturalization records are kept by the regional NARA depositories not in Washington, DC and to check with a state’s archives. The other piece of information I took was the specific legislation that allowed foreign born to gain citizenship from fighting in the Civil War. That citation is to Chapter XXV, Thirty Seventh Congress, Session II, Chapter 75, 1862 which one can find by looking up the congressional records. This sent me to the Library right after class to do so! If you are not interested, skip this next section.

Act of July 17, 1862: Honorably Discharged Soldiers (Re: Naturalization):
“Section 2166: Any alien, of the age of twenty-one years and upward, who has enlisted, or may enlist, in the armies of the United States, either the regular or the volunteer forces, and has been , or may be hereafter, honorably discharged, shall be admitted to become a citizen of the United States, upon his petition, without any previous declaration of his intention to become such; and he shall not be required to prove more that on year’s residence within the United States previous to his application to become such citizen; and the court admitting such alien shall, in additions to proof of residence and good character, as now provided by law, be satisfied by competent proof of such person’s having been honorably discharged from the service of the United States.”

On Tuesday the question was: What President lost his citizenship and did not regain it? The answer is: John Tyler – who was a strong states rights person and who lived in Virginia at the time of secession. As a person living in Virginia he lost his citizenship AND he died before the end of the Civil War.

Wednesday evening Patricia Walls Stamm presented The Timeline: Linking Historical Events to Our Family History. She urged the use of a person’s life events with readily available timelines. Some genealogy software has this capacity. I know I have found timelines to be a big help in identifying where to look for more information about an ancestor.

– Jeffrey Vaillant

Read the entire series:
Part 1 — Getting to IGHR: A Tale of Two Days
Part 2 — Monday Report
Part 3 — Tuesday Report
Part 4 — Wednesday Report
Part 5 — Thursday Report
Part 6 — Friday Report

13 July 2010

Tuesday Report: 2010 Institute of Genealogy & Historical Research

Posted by Kathryn Doyle

Jeffrey Vaillant continues his series from the Samford Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR).

Tuesday morning was filled with Court Records presented by Christine Rose, CG, CGL, FASG – one of our many local (San Jose) gems. Part I of the presentation was The System and Its Records; Part II was on Estates. Like Lloyd and Claire, Christine prepared in advance very complete documentations supporting the presentation. What I gather is clues for my research. For example, we mainly think about court records being at the local level; however, I learned that is not the case for North Carolina. Those records are in the state archives. (Yes, after each class I have been visiting the library to do research on the items learned.) And courts issue licenses for ordinaries. An ordinary is what we might call a public inn. So did my ggg grandfather Charles Fuller get a license from the court before opening his inn in Jeffersonville, Indiana in the early 1820s? I do not know and will find out if there is a record to be found.

The afternoon was devoted to Military and Pension Records from the Revolutionary War through World War II. A big time span and with the prepared materials we are left with much research to do. I picked up several ideas about looking for NARA records for the War of 1812 which is one of my interests and research challenges. Lloyd knows his records and we sit spellbound as he relates to us his knowledge. A tidbit is what U. S. President lost his citizenship? Answer later in the week.

The Tuesday evening session was Certification: Procedures, Questions and Answers presented by Elissa Powell and Thomas Jones. For me this was one of those recharge the batteries as I continue to have a goal of certification.

Other stuff: The weather continues to be about 100°F with humidity of 90% each day. It rained briefly Monday and today which temporarily reduced the humidity for about 60 minutes.

The University Center Cafeteria does an excellent job feeding what must be 1500 people per meal. Yes, the lines are long and one does learn short cuts.

Samford University has about 2700 undergraduates and about the same number of graduate students. It is an all brick campus set on gentle hills.

– Jeffrey Vaillant

Read the entire series:
Part 1 — Getting to IGHR: A Tale of Two Days
Part 2 — Monday Report
Part 3 — Tuesday Report
Part 4 — Wednesday Report
Part 5 — Thursday Report
Part 6 — Friday Report

Copyright © 2010 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library

12 July 2010

Monday Report: 2010 Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research

Posted by Kathryn Doyle

Jeffrey Vaillant continues his series from the Samford Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR).

Lloyd de Witt Bockstruck began the morning by stating the “simple” Four Steps of Genealogical Research:

What do you want to find or to prove?

What kind of record would contain that information?

Where does that record exist?

How do I gain access to it?

This four step process strikes me as a good guideline for the week. The first presentation was on Tax Records. Lloyd provided a bibliography of tax record sources that have been complied for many (but not all) states. He addressed remembering to know what the law required for taxing. And in the colonial period there were rent rolls rather than tax rolls in places like Virginia (paid to Lord Fairfax), Maryland (paid to Lord Baltimore), Pennsylvania (paid to William Penn) and North Carolina (paid to Lord Granville).

Next Lloyd discussed the Pitfalls of Genealogy with a list of some twenty-eight examples! Some we all know about: surnames and forenames, Sr. versus Jr., as well as abbreviations and titles. Some people get tripped up on the sanctity of the printed word or the failure to become acquainted with local history. Ever hear the term “semi-posthumous child”? I certainly had not. Want to guess what it means? I will answer in a couple of days.

Claire Bettag, CG, CGL, presented the afternoon lecture on Federal Land Records at the National Archives. If you have heard Claire, then you will know it is impossible to nap after lunch when she is presenting. She ripped through her ten pages of prepared materials leaving behind many items for follow up. Upon my return I'll be visiting NARA in San Bruno to follow up on several sources she cited.

Lloyd finished the afternoon with A Genealogical Bibliography divided into subjects of Atlases/Gazetteers, Bibliographies, Biography, Dictionaries, Handbooks, Indexes, Law, Paleography, Passenger Lists, Periodicals, Manuscripts, and Ethnic Guides.

There are optional evening presentations offered. Monday night was excellent. Ruth Ann (Abels) Hager spoke on History through Genealogy—the Best of Both Worlds. She presented what would be called a case study on Dred and Harriet Scott: Their Family History. Yes, this is the Dred Scott of the U.S. Supreme Court decision. One might think that about all has been written and discovered about the family. Well, one would be wrong. Ruth has uncovered new materials and explained how using genealogical methodology led to the discoveries and their information. Her book was published this year and is now in my collection.

11 July 2010

Getting to IGHR: A Tale of Two Days

Posted by Kathryn Doyle

Board member and conference reporter, Jeffrey Vaillant, has been on another voyage of learning. This time he took time out of a busy week in Birmingham, Alabama to report on the Samford Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR). Jeff's first report:

IGHR is the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research held annually at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. There are ten courses offered this year and I selected Intermediate Genealogy and Historical Studies whose course coordinator is Lloyd de Witt Bockstruck.

My trip to “genealogy camp” (as some call it) began innocently enough with a United Airlines flight from the San Francisco Bay Area to Birmingham with a stopover in Chicago – all on the Saturday before the institute to allow me to arrive a bit early. The travel time would allow me to read Virginia Winters’ book Murderous Roots (2009) which I highly recommend for mystery readers with a strong genealogical bent.

Landing at O’Hare International Airport brought the sudden news that my connecting flight to Birmingham had been cancelled. The agent at the gate informed me that the chances of getting out of Chicago were slim and to proceed to the customer service desk which he warned me would have a long line. How right he was. After waiting 2.5 hours in line I finally got to talk with a service person. No flights on any airline out of O’Hare Saturday night. What were my options? ALL the flights on Sunday were booked! To his credit the service person put me on a standby list for the 7 a.m. flight and if that did not work out he ticketed me from Chicago to Charleston, SC, to Charlotte, NC and then to Birmingham. Since the flight cancellation was weather related I got a discounted rate at the Doubletree in Rosemont and was assured that my luggage would be on the first flight out the next morning (which was my standby flight).

Up early Sunday morning, shuttle to the airport and Starbucks was my start of the the day. I found that watching the wonderfully informative screens at the gate kept me informed about the flight, including the standby list. I was number eleven and there were ten seats left. “Standbys” were encouraged to stay until the gate closed. I had an alternative so I waited it out. Four seats left and I am number seven on the list. WHAT?? My name was called and I was on the plane.

It was a short flight to Birmingham – one hour, forty five minutes – arriving before 9:00 a.m. Off to retrieve the luggage. The routing is well known. We all stand around staring at the conveyor belt which finally starts. Nope, the luggage did not arrive! Where is the luggage agent? The luggage office was closed so it was off to see a ticket agent. The luggage tag and the computer system worked well: the luggage was still in Chicago! The United Airlines Delayed Baggage Report was filled out and submitted. The assurance was I would hear within 24 hours. Well, that was not going to work since I was staying in the dorms and the luggage contained bedding materials and the like.

Since orientation was in the afternoon and it was hot in Birmingham (99°F.) I elected to stay in the airport and read Labor Day by Joyce Maynard on my Kindle. Afternoon arrived so it was time to taxi from the airport to Samford University ($45). It was amazing to see others standing around in the heat and humidity waiting to register – and the line got quite long before the doors opened. Registration was a snap due to the IGHR staff. I got my dorm room. Bare bones accommodations and the price is right.

Dinner was in the Cafeteria with more than the 300 attending IGHR. The campus is alive with various activities from summer youth sports camps to freshman orientation. The cafeteria staff must have feed 1500 people. The IGHR orientation followed. The orientation was complete and informative. I called United Airlines to find out the status on my luggage. Their call center could not find anyone at the Birmingham Airport---not surprise it being Sunday.

One advantage about conferences and institutes is the people who attend. I was able to hitch a ride to Kmart to get clean clothes and some bathing items as well as rent a room at the nearby Marriott for the night. At 11:30 p.m. my luggage arrived so Monday I could get settled into the dorm.

Ah, what an adventure. I knew I should have flown Southwest Airlines.

10 July 2010

Third Edition: Carnival of Genealogical Societies

Posted by Kathryn Doyle

Welcome to the Third Edition of the Carnival of Genealogical Societies.

First, kudos to the footnoteMaven for creating the carnival badge and description:

The key to all good genealogical research starts with the society of other genealogists and in turn genealogy societies.

Next, I must apologize for my tardiness and the lack of time and attention I have given to the GenSo Carnival. I promise to do a better job of promoting the carnival and gathering submissions starting with the next edition.

The topic for this edition is: Uniquely Us!

How is your society unique?
Tell us about something one-of-a-kind. Is it a program, project, or publication? A record set or archival holding? A certain procedure or way you handle meetings? This is your opportunity to tell why and how your society is special!

This edition has three submissions:

Thomas MacEntee is the new Publicity Chair and the social media agent for the Illinois State Genealogical Society based in Springfield, Illinois. Thomas describes some of the special genealogy programs and services available at the society in Uniquely Illinois posted at Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog.

Charles Hansen shares a special type of city directory resource in Third Carnival Of Genealogical Societies: Uniquely EWGS posted at Eastern Washington Genealogical Society Blog. Charles commented: "I don't know how EWGS got these Postal Forwarding books, but as a resource for genealogists they are amazing."

Kathryn Doyle discusses a valuable CGS database in Uniquely Ours: The California Names Index posted here at the California Genealogical Society and Library blog. "Take a chance and search our index!"

This concludes the third edition.

The topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogical Societies originated with a request from Robert Larson, President and Newsletter Editor of the Larimer County Genealogical Society. The society recently put up a Facebook Page and Bob had some questions that are timely.

Call for Submissions!

The topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogical Societies is: Gen Societies on Facebook.

Does your society have a Facebook Page? What are the benefits? Are you an administrator or a regular contributor? Does it help your members or attract new visitors and members?

The deadline for submissions is September 7, 2010.

Please indicate in your article that you are writing for the Fourth Edition of the Carnival of Genealogical Societies. Submit your blog post using the carnival submission form provided by Blog Carnival. Please use a descriptive phrase in the title of any article you plan to submit and write a brief introduction to your articles in the "remarks" section of the form.

Past posts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

See you at the Carnival!