Sometimes, Genealogy Leads to Pain

The link below is yet another example of how discoveries made during genealogical searches sometimes cause pain for members of the family.  This is true even when others in the family are almost gleeful about the newly revealed information.  

Two Women Researched Slavery in Their Family. They Didn’t See the Same Story

Everyone has different "pain points" - try to be considerate and empathetic about how you share and publish sensitive data.

Contribute to the Statewide Index to Mississippi Death Records (1912 - 1943)

Would you like to help us complete our transcription of over 800,000 records in the Statewide Index to Mississippi Death Records (1912 - 1943)?  If you visit the link below, you can fill out a form with information from your certificate(s):

MS Death Certificate Submission Form

After we receive your submission, we'll enter your certificate(s) into the database. Please don't forget to enter an email address so we know who to thank. We very much appreciate your help!

25,000 and Counting!

The Statewide Index to Mississippi Death Records (1912-1943) reached 25,000 names this week! Transcription has not been easy and could take years. If you would like to assist us in our efforts, we'd love to hear from you (email us at webmaster (at) cooganresearchgroup [dot] com)!

Virtual Genealogy Fair

For anyone who is interested in joining in discussions about resources available at the National Archives and Records Administration (in Washington, DC - and online), here is your chance! On September 3 and 4 (2013), NARA will hold a Virtual Genealogy Fair (the first ever). Check out their website at this link for more information.

Happy hunting!

Spoiler Alert: DNA Discoveries

In the past, a family researcher could comb through dusty records in many libraries and never truly know (for certain) whether the data was correct. Family stories could be verified or refuted. However, even official records contain errors. Most of the information in vital records, censuses and other printed history is based on the word of the person who was contacted at the time the record was made. For that reason, historians were always uncertain of the true origins of a family (beyond what could be "proved" in print).

Now, however, the use of DNA in a family history project has dramatically changed the situation. Instead of hoping to connect your ancestors to a place in the "Old World" using their words or unreliable records, you can pinpoint their blood ancestry. A word or warning: sometimes you may not like what you find! Depending on your viewpoint, you might be surprised, shocked or dismayed by the recent discovery that Princess Diana is descended from a domestic with Indian blood.

I have discussed DNA genealogy with several other researchers through the years and their interest in using it ranges from "great idea" to "I don't want to know." Often, there is a fear that someone's dark secret might be revealed (this is especially troublesome if they are still living). Have you ever considered what you would do if the DNA uncovered something that you (or someone in your family) didn't want to know?

Of course, it was always possible to find secrets buried in the family history (e.g., "early births", annulled marriages, black sheep, etc.). One movie I've seen, that actually describes the impact well, is called A Family Thing (starring James Earl Jones and Robert Duvall). Even without DNA information, we all must be ready to deal with the consequences when the truth comes out. Be ready - and happy hunting!

Naming Conventions

Do you know what the names in your family reveal about your ancestry? There is hidden information in the choices that our ancestors made when they named babies. Several cultures even use well-known patterns in the naming of their kids. I read about an interesting study recently that indicates that even our political leanings can be learned from the names we give our children. Yikes!

There are other naming issues that make a genealogist's work difficult. For example, how do you write a name in western text that was originally written with a different alphabet (Cyrillic, anyone?)? What if the place where your family came from had two names - the name on the map and a local name (I've been trying - for years - to figure out the place my great-grandfather was describing when he told us he came from "Beaustagard" in Sweden. I've been told that is the name of a farm...)? Still worse, what if there were two places with the same name in the same country? Challenges like these could torpedo your entire family history project.

Some resources on the web can help you make sense of the names in your own family tree:

CEMSEARCH-UK
Geni.com
Pro Genealogists
Search My Tree

I've got a happy ending to one story about names. My grandmother's name was Virginia. This took on a special meaning when I visited her father's hometown in Italy, with the impressive Monte Vergine on its skyline. I can't confirm that they were thinking of that mountain when their daughter was born, but I get a kick out of thinking that Vincenzo and Rosa wanted to remember a place they knew in the name they gave her.

Don't give up on the chance to learn about your family using naming conventions. Happy hunting!

Accents and Idioms

Even if we don't always realize it, our places of origin can be determined by the way we speak. Obviously, this is true because of the different languages of the world. But there are nuanced ways of speaking that can be found in certain locales. We can wander away from the place but the speaking habits will follow us for the rest of our lives (barring voice coaching). A great example of this fact is this article about the famous moon-landing quote.

Sometimes, the person doesn't even need to speak aloud to be identified as a resident of a specific location. Recent analysis of the writing of King Richard III (of Shakespearean fame) has revealed that he came from a specific place in England.

Read more about regional dialects at the following sites:

Know Your Meme
WordReference.com

As I have written previously, audio recordings are a great way to preserve the stories (and accents) of your family members. You may even be able to use these artifacts as a map! Happy hunting "Y'All"!

Custom Ancestry Tours

For even the casual genealogy researcher, there are times when imagination runs wild. Even if we are simply collecting dates and locations, the times and places will remain unfamiliar unless (or until) we explore the root of the data. I've mentioned in previous posts that day trips to old family haunts can add a great deal of value to a family history - if you are fortunate enough to live close to ancestral homes...

Sometimes, the family has passed down stories about an ancestor's homeland or travels. At that point, you could plan an elaborate trip to retrace steps or find the hidden meaning to anecdotes. But you might be disappointed (unless you are a person who believes that the adventure is in the journey and not the destination). One way to avoid uncertainties is to hire professionals to research and plan for you. A great example of this service was recently described in an article in the Wall Street Journal. Even though I have not taken advantage of this opportunity, I enjoyed reading about the discoveries of the author of the article. It reminded me of the old adage that says you can't really understand someone unless you "walk a mile in their shoes."

Examples of companies that offer ancestry tour services can be found on these sites:

Ancestral Footsteps
Ancestry Made Easy
Cyndi's List
Genealogy Wise
Family Tree Tours

Of course, you don't have to use a professional service. I have made several trips to places where my family lived and each time I have been able to develop a better understanding of the family stories - and even the trials, tribulations and successes of my ancestors. Learning the local history also explained why they moved to a place (or away from it). When traveling on my own, I went to these places without high expectations and just hoped to use my senses to learn about the family history. I hope you are able to do the same... Happy hunting!

Capturing Character in Print

In the area of Massachusetts where I grew up, many of the old tombstones told the entire story of the person beneath the sod. Obituaries have since replaced the chisled bio and have their own history. Some older ones reference the "old country" or lost relatives on the frontier, hoping to pass the sad news (eventually) when other papers pick up the text. These days, there are online tribute sites (e.g., Legacy.com) where people can post their condolences and photos.

I've heard several relatives of mine bemoan the cost of an obituary. But most people write one anyway. I've read versions that range from "Just the Facts" to "TMI." Perhaps the point is to communicate what is easy to say about the departed. If we couldn't talk about them nicely (let alone to their face), we might spare as many words as possible - hoping to send them off quietly. On the other hand, sometimes it is hard to express just how much someone means to those that are left behind.

Last week I found a great example of how families can work together to capture the unique character and special memories of their loved ones who have passed away. The obituary, described as the 'Best Obituary Ever', may not win any Pulitzer Prizes - but it speaks volumes for the descendants of the person it describes. Many of us would love to find such gems in our searches for relatives!

We should strive to find a way to document the lives of those we research, leaving a trail of clues for those who follow us. As you develop your family history, remember to "flesh out" each person as though they just departed. You can find details all over the web and assemble them into the story they only dreamed someone would tell. Happy hunting!

Preservation Projects

On the way to work each morning, I often find interesting genealogy tidbits in the morning paper. This week, I read about a woman who spearheaded development of a Civil War Honor Roll for a local cemetery. Her efforts are a great example of how one person can make a difference for the rest of the genealogists out there - one transcription project at a time.

Shaking the Family Tree - for Money!

Most of us are not researching our family to prove that we are entitled to money - but that is the goal of some professional genealogists. In some estate cases, a decedant has no immediate family. Relationships are then researched to determine who is the closest living relative. A good example of this type of situation is described in this story.

I've successfully used the following resources to identify relatives:

JohnHancock.com
MissingMoney.com
New York State Comptroller

Each site was designed by private (and public) entities that wish to locate people who either owe money or are entitled to refunds.

I should mention that I've never attempted to get any money through this process. However, I suspect that caution should be taken while using these sites - if you contact the entity that is looking to give away money, you may find that you become the person who is asked to resolve someone else's money issue!

Who knows? Maybe YOU are connected to long-lost money... Happy hunting!

The Unknown Soldier

My visits to National Battlefields have always been meaningful, mainly for how they remind us of the sacrifices of our veterans (including many that never returned). One of the most memorable "Unknowns" I've encountered was Amos Humiston. His story provides a small glimpse into the work required for any genealogist who wishes to find out where one of their War Dead may be interred.

This story describes the efforts of one man who wanted to see his fallen comrades return home. The 91-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor has spent the last 20 years cataloging the unidentified dead from the Japanese attack on Hawaii on December 7, 1941. There were once several hundred Unknowns, each buried in a grave in the "Punchbowl" at the National Cemetery of the Pacific (I was fortunate enough to be able to visit that site in 2009 - it was sobering to see the rows of stones, each flat against the ground, that filled the caldera of an extinct volcano). This veteran was not content to leave them there - he prodded the government to provide additional details until stones could be properly marked (with ship names) and additional data provided that connected people to their lost brothers, sons and fathers.

In the post New Year's Resolutions (2012), I discussed one goal of transcribing a source record that could provide assistance to another researcher. Perhaps that is all that most people could ever hope to do for their fellow genealogists. However, you can see here that there are often folks in this world who see such an effort as just a starting point. Following their inspiration, go out there and look for a cemetery with tall grass and start transcribing! Happy hunting...

Preserving Photos

After my extended family departed from our Thanksgiving celebration, a series of group photos began to appear in my email and on social media sites we all share. We have become accustomed to having a large picture (it gets harder as the family grows) each year. One of my jobs (as the family historian) has been to file these pictures and identify them for future reference. For that reason, I have learned several lessons about the task of preserving photographic memories.

The first lesson, probably, is that you can never have enough back-ups for digital photos. My sister just had her laptop stolen - and it had all her pictures stored on it. I can't emphasize how important it is to store these types of photos in several places (CDs, DVDs, portable hard drives - or printed copies!). Remember, electronic media degrade over time. If you are preserving photos, you may also want to take the time to back up your videos and Audio Genealogy Records,

For older photos, it is crucial that they be protected from the elements. You could probably save yourself some frustration if you scan old photos and store them (in another place) electronically - just in case you are the victim of a some kind of water/wind/fire disaster. There are also several important steps you may need to take to protect the originals (e.g., acid-free albums, etc.).

Additional tools and resources can be found at the sites below:

AARP.org
Heritage Photographs
Minnesota Historical Society

Use your photos to augment the information in your (text) family history. As always, happy hunting!

Overcoming Language Barriers

Perhaps the most challenging element of genealogy research is that many records are written in languages other than our own. This can range from as "simple" as a sacramental record (clearly written in Latin) to a nearly indecipherable scribble (written in an unknown language). What are we to do?

For starters, you should keep a small collection of English to "X" dictionaries. Of course, the choices will depend on the ancestry of your family. One important note: even if you have a dictionary, you may not be able to completely understand context or local idioms. I've been fortunate in foreign countries to encounter local researchers who can explain the hidden meaning (even behind the simple translation). You may need to enlist the help of a professional or join a genealogy group that specializes in a particular ethnic group.

General translation resources include:

CyndisList.com
Family Tree Magazine
Genealogy Pro

Specific languate resources are listed below:

CyndisList.com (German)
FamilySearch.org (Latin)
Google Books (Italian)
Rootsweb.com (Polish)

There are many, many more links on the web for translation services.

While conducting genealogy research on your foreign ancestors, you should remember that many valuable gems are buried in the translation of old records. Don't get discouraged if it is hard to bridge the language barrier - keep at it. Happy hunting!

Patriotic Branches

At this time of year (in the United States), many of us take time to remember the lives of our patriotic ancestors. We proudly recall the genius of the men who developed our founding documents and try to appreciate the sacrifices of our fallen heroes. Try as I might, I can't read about the beginning of the USA (or subsequent, formative periods) without wondering "what was MY family doing at that time?"

Even those of us whose family didn't even live in the country when it was founded take pride in how our ancestors eventually helped to make it greater by their blood, sweat and tears. Wouldn't it be great to find our own "Founding Fathers and Mothers", the ones who came here first and set the family in the blue field of stars on the flag? As you've read in other postings on this Blog, I'm convinced that genealogists are blessed with the capacity to add flesh to the bare bones of the human story of all of us (not just the famous and infamous). Connecting our family history to our nation's history allows us to find out where we fit into the American Experiment.

Before anyone gets worried that I'm wearing my heart on my flag colored sleave, I want to reiterate that I believe the search for ancestors (and collateral relatives) should be rooted in trying to understand them as people. In working so hard to find them, we can also come to understand ourselves (and other people walking in the world around us). Pride in a common purpose or goal (national, religious, etc.), shared across decades/centuries in the hearts of colonist descendants or new immigrant families, makes our country stronger and binds us together. It is one thing to proudly pronounce that we are "hyphenated"- Americans, but most of us are linked by a common thread - the desire of our ancestors to make a new life in an "undiscovered country."

If you hit a brick wall in the last year, consider this: you don't have to get discouraged about one line while excluding work on another. Often, we find new energy to pursue our genealogy projects when we tackle a "less glamorous" branch. Somewhere in the past, your mother's father's mother's family was working in a smothering coal mine in Wales and found that they just couldn't accept such a life. Someone (brave) in the family decided that a drastic change was needed and looked for a place to go where new opportunities were there for the taking. Sometimes it was the USA, but there are plenty of other places on the globe that are populated by the kin of people who simply wanted to seize the brass ring or throw off shackles imposed by landed gentry. When they found the place to do it, they embraced that land as their own.

Here's to Patriots old and young, past and present - may their spirit inspire us to build the best family history we can. Happy hunting!

Genealogy Software

Over the years, I've had several requests for my opinion on the best type of genealogy software. In each case, I've been hesitant to answer - everyone has a different feel for what is user-friendly (and what isn't). In fact, the program I bought back in 1998 (Ultimate Family Tree) is still useful to me today, despite its antiquated capabilities. Most people, however, want something new.

To provide an objective perspective, I recommend you visit a great site I found recently - it provides reviews of (at least) the top ten genealogy software products and has links for purchasing them. If you want to learn more about available programs to file and publish your genealogy research data, visit No1Reviews.com. Happy hunting!

Discovering Your Health History

One side benefit to genealogy research is that you can sometimes learn about your own destiny in the process. If you are able to determine the the types of diseases that your family members are predisposed to (especially those that led to their deaths), you could (potentially) discover a means to avoid the impact of these ailments on your own life.

The US Department of Health and Human Services has developed a very useful tool to collect a family health history, My Family Health Portrait. This is just one way to organize data as you recover it. When you are finished, you can provide the output to your health care practitioner.

In addition to the resource above, here are some additional examples of sites that can guide you in your pursuit of your family's health history:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Genealogy.com
Mayo Clinic

Some people begin researching their family history with the sole goal of finding out about their medical vulnerabilities. They may discover other items of value to a traditional genealogist, but may actually discount the information in the pursuit of purely health-related data. When you encounter someone like that Online, attempt to collect the data that you need while assisting them with if you are able.

On the other hand, you could encounter some resistence if you approach members of your family (or potential members, as you have successes in your research). Medical information is, after all, private. You may have to settle for simply reviewing death certificates of your ancestors. Use whatever data you can find to shape a health history to use during discussions with your doctor. Happy hunting!

What (or Who) Makes News?

We now live in a well documented society. For every story, both good and bad, there is a very good possibility that someone will capture the event as it happens. Some stories are pieced together from circumstantial evidence, but many times the clincher comes from DNA found at the scene (especially in criminal investigations). It is hard to imagine a time when we couldn't pull up a news story on demand. But, actually, it wasn't that long ago that people lived in relative anonymity, their lives a "closed book" to all-but the most tragic or scandalous events.

A short remove from the digital capabilities of our age, there were still intrepid news reporters who traveled to the site of disasters (sometimes a few days after the event) and attempted to record the event for readers around the country. Nothing proved more attractive than a tragedy (small or large) - readers didn't have Soap Operas or the Internet to distract them...

Even though many of the stories that resulted from media attention in an earlier age have not survived anywhere in modern parlance, some still exist in the archival records of libraries and online digital collections. Hidden amidst the vital statistics sections and major international news headlines, you can find gems of family history you might never have considered. During the past few years, I have located several relatives - some appearing as witnesses to crimes, some described by their neighbors (since they were too embarassed or humble) after the tragic death of a family member. If you are interested in pursuing potential stories of your family, here is a great example of a research methodology you can use.

Always remember: without intersections of our relatives' lives with documented history, family trees would be dull and only a mere skeleton of what they could be. Interviews, obituaries (and relevant news articles found in a similar way) or the lucky discovery of a biography of a relative, you might never know your ancestors. Peristence is the key to discovering additional ancedotes - happy hunting!

Mississippi Death Certificate Index Reaches 20,000 Names

The Statewide Index to Mississippi Death Records (1912-1943) achieved an important milestone today: 20,000 entries! These are indexed by year and by county - check out the site!

The process is difficult, but we make progress each month. If you would like to assist us in our efforts, we'd love to hear from you (email us at webmaster (at) cooganresearchgroup [dot] com)!

Correcting Genealogy Errors

The Internet provides us with many new opportunities. Perhaps the most exciting capability it allows is that people can share information they discover and even update details as soon as they are available (e.g., Wikipedia. We are now able to read about almost everything and learn the small details even insignificant issues and events. The flip side of this benefit is that errors can often quickly become "facts" when they reach the web.

If you think about it, it doesn't take the Internet for made-up stories to morph into the truth. Even before the 'Net provided a viral opportunity to spread inaccurate information as fact, there were paper records that propogated errors - often with as much finality. A great example of this recently came to light, when an amateur historian determined that Union soldiers were inadvertantly buried in a Confederate Cemetery. The story shows how errors became "fact" - and were chiseled in stone for good measure.

The news story portrays a situation that hasn't been completely resolved. While the correct flags can now be placed near the cemetery stones on Memorial Day, it will take additional effort to solve the problem made when those brave men were buried. The metaphor of stone-carved mistakes works almost the same way with the Web - it may be difficult and time consuming to correct the error. Unfortunately, except for one "stone," there are thousands of virtual replicas in the "Ether" that can't simply be erased or re-chiseled.

A great article about the different types of errors that affect genealogists (recordation, transcription and misinformation) can be found at Archives.com. The first one is usually beyond the control of people conducting research in the Twenty First Century (like the story above). The last two - incorrect digital transcribing and spreading false family stories as "fact" - are definitely within the control of our generation. We need to always be vigilant that we do not contribute mistakes to the pool of genealogy data.

So, what it if you discover mistakes that have made their way into the category of "the truth"? For starters, it will take a lot of work to fix them. Don't let that deter you, though! Locating the errors online may be the easy part, but you need to look at righting wrongs as a worthwhile pursuit - one step at a time. One useful guide to making corrections in Internet genealogy databases can be found at Genealogy.com.

You should be committed to the pursuit of genealogy "truth" (as best as we can know it) - for your own family and the records that are located in the area where you live. Always assure your notes indicate uncertainties and unknowns - and add them to other works whenever possible. Happy hunting!