Amy’s Genealogy, etc. Blog

After reading the title of this post, those of you familiar with Ohio history might be thinking, “Amy, you’re 5 years too late.” Yes, I know that Ohio’s Bicentennial was March 1, 2003. However, I just wanted to explain the new picture at the top of the blog.

One of the ways that Ohio celebrated its Bicentennial was to paint at least one barn in each county with the Ohio Bicentennial logo. The one shown at the top is the one in New Albany, Franklin County. It is visible from the west-bound lanes of State Route 161 just east of Kitzmiller Road. I took the photo last summer from the old Dublin-Granville Road.

Like many people, I had the goal of photographing each of the barns in all 88 counties. Unfortunately, it’s not going to happen, as some have already been torn down. (The one in Hocking County, for example, was torn down in 2004.) Many of the remaining barns are fading. They are still neat to find.

The OhioBarns.com website has a section devoted to the Bicentennial Barns, including photos and exact locations of almost all of them.

From the Records Preservation and Access Committee website:

Congressmen Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Chris Cannon (R-UT) have issued a “dear colleagues” letter to the members of the House of Representatives, inviting them to sign on as original sponsors to the “Preserving the American Historical Record” (PAHR) bill.

PAHR proposed to increase federal support for state and local archival records held by government agencies, historical societies, libraries, and related organizations. This initiative would establish a program of formula-based grants to states for re-grants and statewide services to support preservations and use of historical records. The program, to be administered by the National Archives, will provide a total of $50 million per year nationwide. Each state would receive a portion of these funds for redistribution to organizations within its borders. This program would be in addition to the existing national grants program within the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

How can you help?

Contact your Representative in Congress and urge them to sign on as an original sponsor of PAHR. Write a few sentences telling him or her how PAHR would help his or her constituents — you! (Tell them how vital it is to have records preserved and available to the public.) Also, spread the word about this action alert!

Time is critical. Deadline for action is Saturday, May 10.

Faxing your Representative is the preferred method of communication. The Humanities Advocacy Network maintains a website with all of the contact information for legislators: http://www.humanitiesadvocacy.org/action_ctr.html

Further information about PAHR, including the bill, background information, and the amount of funding for each state can be found at:

http://www.archivists.org/pahr/

Yesterday, May 3, 2008, was Newark Earthworks Day. This annual event has been been in existence for several years, and this one was quite special.

The day started at the Reese Center at the Ohio State University - Newark campus with several panel discussions. I was a volunteer at the event, and worked the registration table most of the day. I was fortunate to be able to attend the second session of the day: “Cosmology of the Builders: Solar and Lunar Alignments.” On the panel were John Hancock (discussing the Octagon and Circle Mounds in Newark), Lionel Sims (discussing Stonehenge) and David Carrasco (discussing Teotihuacan.) It was an incredible session. My only regret is that they didn’t have more time. I wish, especially, that Lionel Sims would have had more time, as his proposal for what Stonehenge really marks was fascinating.

Mary Borgia’s 4th grade class from Miller Elementary School had displays featuring pre-historic sites from around the world. You could tell that the children put a lot of effort into their research and displays. Mary should be commended for her work with her classes over the years in helping the youth of Newark realize what an incredible treasure they have right in their backyard.

In the evening, the event moved to the museum at the Great Circle Mound. The museum was re-opened after having closed several years ago due to budget cuts. The Greater Licking County Convention and Visitors Bureau is now sharing the space with the museum. It appears to be a win-win for both the CVB and the Ohio Historical Society (which operates the museum and the Newark Earthworks.)

The end of the day was nothing short of spectacular. The Palabra del Niño Dios Teopi-Itzintecuhitl dancers performed Aztec prayer dances in the Great Circle Mound. There were several hundred people in attendance. (The picture at left gives you just a small idea of how many people were there.)

The dancers led us into the Great Circle, where they then went to the top of the mound in the center of the circle. The crowd formed a semi-circle around flowers that had been placed in front of the mound.

It started raining shortly after the dancers began. Many stayed for awhile, but as the rain came down harder and harder with no end in sight, many in crowd left. Finally, the sun did come back out — rewarding those of us who stayed with an incredible experience that we are not soon to forget.

The dancers braved the rain, never stopping or taking shelter. At one point, during an especially heavy downpour, the woman shown above did remove her headdress and put the feathers under a blanket for protection. She retrieved them after the sun came out.

It was an honor when the dancers invited the audience to join them. Many of us formed a circle around the dancers and tried our best to do the dances. It was incredible, though many of us (myself included) discovered just how out of shape we really are!

The Newark Earthworks is on the “short list” of sites to be added to the United Nations’ list of World Heritage Sites. It is expected to be added within the next seven years. When that happens, I expect not only many more events like the one yesterday, but also a fundamental change in how the Earthworks are managed.

Much more information about the Earthworks can be found at OctagonMoonrise.org. I’ve posted more pictures from Newark Earthworks Day 2008 on Flickr.

I have to admit that I chuckled a bit at the headline on the Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald’s website: “Green reaper’s grave new world.” (I love a good pun!) My amusement faded a bit when I read that a new cemetery is opening in New South Wales where people will be buried “in bio-degradable coffins between gum trees in a protected koala sanctuary.” Visitors to the cemetery will be given a GPS unit to find the graves.

My concern wasn’t about the prospect of composting the dearly departed. After all, if you’ve ever visited a cemetery where there are dips in the ground or soft, spongy spots, you’ve seen that bio-degradable graves aren’t anything new (even though the old graves weren’t really intended to be bio-degradable.) My immediate thought was “What about the tombstones?!?!!” (Leave it to a genealogist to be more concerned about the loss of a source for research than about what would be going on underground.)

I was quite relieved to read further down in the article that tombstones from “natural rock” would be allowed.

For the 43rd Carnival of Genealogy, the topic is Technology. What technology do I rely upon most for my genealogy and family history research (hardware, software, and website/blog)? We aren’t to “dilute” our answers by mentioning others that we like.

What’s a techie like me to do?!

Since I always follow instructions (those of you who know me can stop laughing now), I will do my best to stay within those parameters. (Though I want it noted that I consider this tantamount to “cruel and unusual punishment!”)

Favorite Piece of Hardware Besides My Computer:

This is an easy one — my digital camera. I have a Fujifilm Finepix S5200 which I absolutely love. It’s not a true digital SLR, but it is close. I can adjust the ISO from 64 to 1600 (though 1600 is really grainy.) F-stops from f3.2 to f8.0. 10x optical zoom. Macro setting. Adjustments for white balance (including a custom setting), etc, etc. I’ve had great luck using it to photograph documents and microfilm. And it runs of 4 AA batteries. How cool is that?!

Speaking of batteries, it does a good job in that department. One weekend last fall, I visited several cemeteries and took more than 600 photographs without exhausting the batteries.

Favorite Piece of Software Besides My Internet Browser :

This one is tougher. Since the focus is software used for genealogy research and not software used for any genealogical activity, I’ll go with my favorite genealogy software: RootsMagic.

RootsMagic is a robust genealogy program that is easy to use. I like how intuitive and how flexible it is.

Now if I could just find Matilda Debolt Skinner Crossen Brown McFillen’s death date to enter…

Favorite Website or Blog (besides my own):

I’m going to also eliminate any websites that I work on. (See, I can follow the rules!) While I haven’t used it that much for actual research, I’ve had a wonderful time exploring and experimenting on WeRelate. There is so much potential there. I can’t wait for Dallan to finish the match-and-merge feature!

Ok, there are my three pieces of technology. With any luck the next COG won’t be something like “Name Your Favorite Tombstone.” If that’s ever a category, be warned: I will not follow the rules and limit it to one!

I recently read Jasia’s post on Creative Gene regarding genealogical societies. In it, she makes some excellent points about genealogical societies, specifically that some people don’t feel they get their money’s worth for membership. Reasons include meetings that don’t fill the members’ needs, publications that don’t hold enough information, and websites that don’t offer anything of value to members (and, by extention, to potential members.) She posed the question, “What if everyone includes a letter to the society when they send in their dues?” (or when they don’t renew, tell the society why.)

As a long-time volunteer for several different genealogical societies (local, state and national), I say, “Indeed, what if everyone would give the societies some feedback!”

I’ve overheard it at libraries, courthouses and even at genealogical conferences: “I won’t join my (local, state, national) society. They don’t [fill in the reason here.]” How often I wonder if they’ve ever told the society that.

It’s like I tell people who don’t vote: if you don’t vote, you’ve forfeited your right to complain about those elected. If you don’t tell the society what it is that you don’t like, how can you expect them to change? Folks, nothing will change if nothing is said.

I take the challenge for feedback one step further: offer to be part of the solution.

Societies are run almost exclusively be volunteers. What happens in many societies is that the same few people end up having to do everything — newsletters, websites, books, library, lineage societies, etc, etc. They may very well want to do some of the things you want them to do, but they simply lack the people to do it.

I can hear some of you saying, “Yeah, Amy, but my local society doesn’t want volunteers. They’re hostile to newcomers.” This is sadly the case sometimes. Maybe your local society doesn’t want newcomers, but I bet there’s another society that would welcome your talents. Perhaps a society in a county where your ancestors are from or your state society. More and more societies are finding creative ways to involve long-distance volunteers.

Remember, too, that change is scary for some people. Doing something different takes them out of their comfort zone. Going into your first meeting and saying “Hey, everything you guys are doing is out-of-date” probably isn’t the best method for affecting change.  In fact, making suggestions at your first meeting might be put-offish to some people. (Right or wrong, some people don’t want advice from strangers.) Get to know some of the “regulars,” then as time goes on, gently make your case for why having all their meetings at 10:00 Wednesday morning might not be the best idea or why not updating their website in 4 years is actually harming their society.

I don’t intend this post to sound like an apology for genealogical societies. I’ve seen my share of behavior and attitude from volunteers that leaves me shaking my head. But I’ve also seen my share of behavior and attitude from those who are adamant “society non-joiners.” Trust me, there’s enough blame to go around as to why some societies aren’t thriving.

I truly hate to see people with an “us vs. them” attitude, whether it is a society volunteer or a genealogist who has never been part of a society. Everyone has something to contribute to the greater cause of genealogy. There’s enough work to go around for everyone to be involved!

The 41st edition of the Carnival of Genealogy poses an interesting question: If you could have dinner with four of your ancestors who would they be and why?

My first one would be my Grandma Johnson, because I miss her and would love to share a meal, some smiles, and some conversation.

The second would be my maternal grandmother. She died when my mom was only 8. I would love to meet her. I have one picture of her and she looks so loving.

Third would be my ever-elusive 3rd-great-grandmother Matilda Debolt Skinner Crossen Brown McFillen. I’ve managed to account for the demise of only one of her husbands (William Skinner); I don’t know what happened to the other three. Were there more? And what happened to her after she married J.W. McFillen?! She married him in Williams County, Ohio in 1886; after that, she falls off the face of the earth. I’d love to have her tell me about her life, her marriages, the different places she lived, and why in the world she keeps hiding from me!

The fourth one is tough. Do I go with one of my Civil War-era ancestors? Do I go with another elusive ancestor? As tempting as each of those choices is, I’m torn between my 4th-great-grandmother Elizabeth Peden Ramsey and my 5th-great-grandfather John McClelland, who was killed in 1782 in Col. Crawford’s ill-fated campaign in present-day northwest Ohio.

I think I’d go with Elizabeth. For some reason, she strikes me as a very strong woman. She is one of the few women recorded as having purchased land from the federal government in present-day Perry County, Ohio. Why did she, her husband John and son James move from Adams County, Pennsylvania to Perry County, Ohio? What did she think about moving? How did she make ends meet after John died?

So there are the four ancestors I’d like to have dinner with — two from the 20th century, one from the 19th century and one from the late 18th century. I think that would make for a very interesting girls’ night out.

In a recent post on GeneaBlogie, Craig Manson posted his “recently read” list, including Bertha Venation by Larry Ashmead, a book about strange, but true, names that some people have been saddled with. He posted a follow-up with some of the names. I have to read that book…!

A great name that I recently found was in the 1870 census of Mifflin Township, Franklin County, Ohio — 2 year old May Bea Frank.

Perhaps her parents wanted to instill in her a sense of self-assurance so she’d always speak her mind

When I started tracing my family tree (more years ago than I care to admit to), I found myself lucky that I was living so close to where several generations of my ancestors lived. I was happy as a lark going to courthouses, libraries, and the Ohio Historical Society. As I became more involved with genealogy and started talking to people from outside Ohio, I kept hearing what I thought was a strange comment: “Ohio is such a hard state to research.”

I didn’t think so; perhaps it was because that was what I got used to first. But I can see how some people would be frustrated by researching in Ohio. Ohio, being the first state carved out of the Northwest Territory, became the guinea pig for how the Federal government would do land surveys. We have more surveys with different setups than any other public land state. (I’ll devote a post to Ohio’s land surveys later. It really is a topic unto itself.) Ohio didn’t take any state censuses and our Federal census for 1810 is no longer extant. Early marriage records typically don’t record parents’ names.

All that being said, there are some wonderful things about Ohio research. Marriage records go back to the creation of the county. Civil birth and death records date to 1867 (and in some counties, 1857). Land and tax records are remarkably complete.

Let’s take a quick survey of some basic records and where you will find them in Ohio:

Vital Records:
Marriage records date to the creation of the county. (Which is true for all states formed from the Northwest Territory.) They can be found in Probate Court. Many have been microfilmed. The Ohio Genealogical Society has published two volumes of early Ohio marriages: through 1820 and 1821-1830.

Birth records date back to 1867. (A handful of counties participated in a pilot program to record births and deaths in 1857 and 1858.) They can be found in Probate Court. After December 1908, births began to be filed in the city or county health department. A copy was also forwarded to the State Vital Statistics office in Columbus. You can find copies in both the county and with the state.

Death records also date to 1867 (again, with a few counties recording them in 1857 and 1858.) Like birth records, the records from 1867-1908 are in the county Probate Court. Deaths after December 1908 can be found in either the city or county health department or with the state. Death certificates from 1908 to 1953 are at the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus. Death certificates after 1953 are at the State Vital Statistics office.

A new developement for researching Ohio death certificates dated 1908-1953 is that they have been digitized and are available for free on the Internet! FamilySearch has also created an index of the name of the deceased and the parents’ names. It is an invaluable tool. Go to http://labs.familysearch.org to register. After they process your request (usually a couple of days), you will be able to go in and research not only the Ohio death certificates, but also the 1900 census and numerous other records.

Wills and Estates:
Found in the probate court. Many have been microfilmed.

Land and Tax Records:
Found in the County Recorder’s office. Again, many have been microfilmed.

Military Records:
Ohio has a long, rich history of military service. Ohio contributed the third most soldiers to the Union during the Civil War (following only New York and Pennsylvania.) Many of the records of the State Adjutant General have been transferred to the Ohio Historical Society. One fantastic resource the the statewide Graves Registration file at OHS. It records the burial place of veterans buried in the state of Ohio through the early 1950s. It is also available on microfilm. Many County Recorders still maintain the files for their counties (meaning that they have not only the early burials, but also the post-1950s as well.)

Major Repositories:
Ohio is fortunate to have an incredible network of archives, libraries, and societies with resources for genealogists. I will devote a future post to this topic, but here are a few:

• The Ohio Genealogical Society, the largest state genealogical society in the nation. Their library in Mansfield has nearly 30,000 volumes and a sizeable microfilm collection. They publish the Ohio Genealogical Society Quarterly, the OGS News, Ohio Records & Pioneer Families and the Ohio Civil War Genealogy Journal. They also sponsor lineage societies such as First Families of Ohio, devoted to honoring those who lived in Ohio by the end of 1820 (a great resource for those with early Ohio ancestors.)
• OGS Chapters. There are Chapters of the Ohio Genealogical Society in almost every county of Ohio. They have published countless volumes of records for their counties. Be certain to contact the society in the counties you’re researching.
• The Ohio Historical Society in Columbus serves as the official state archives. They have a tremendous collection of original and published materials. Be certain to check their website, including their online catalog, before visiting.
• The Columbus Metropolitan Library. In early 2007, they received what had been the genealogy collection at the State Library of Ohio. If you haven’t been to CML for awhile, you really need to check them out.
• Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland. Indispensible resource for northeast Ohio research.
• The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. One of the largest genealogy collections in a public library in the Midwest, if not the nation.

More to come!
Each of these topics will be covered more in-depth in future posts. I hope this has at least whetted your appetite for Ohio research!

In thinking about ways I’d like to improve in 2008, I discovered that most of them revolve around “time.” A good friend of mine long ago claimed the 25th hour of the day should it ever be discovered. (Maybe I can convince him to share it with me if he does find it.) Here are my resolutions for 2008:

1. Have a schedule for each day. This one isn’t so much a resolution as it is a necessity. I’m taking 20 credit hours this quarter, plus my website/database work to do. I don’t think I’ll be able to start the day saying “Ok, today I’m going to work on A and B.” Instead, I need to say, “Ok, from noon until 1:00, I’m working on my Native American History paper and from 1:00 until 2:00, I’m working on converting the Civil War database.” (Obviously that’s a very shortened example!)
2. Organize my office. (If I had a dime for every year I’ve said that… ) During my Christmas break, I became increasingly frustrated by losing things in my office. I shudder to think of how much time I’ve wasted and lost just looking for things. It’s not really in that bad of shape (I’ve seen worse!), but it can definitely be improved. I think the first thing to go will be back issues of periodicals. If I need one, I know of several libraries where I can find them.
3. Devote 15 minutes each day to a “fun” project. This is a mental health necessity! Whether it is spending 15 minutes updating my file on WeRelate, finding info for DeafBiographies, or looking for census records of collateral relatives, I want to devote that time to something fun, productive, and fulfilling.
4. Make backups on a more regular basis. I do make backups, just not as often as I should

That’s probably enough to keep me busy!

Happy New Year!