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« Previous EntriesPhotographing Your Ancestor’s Tombstone
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008#3 in my Series on Tombstones and Cemeteries
Now that you know, from reading my first two articles in this series, all the incredible things you can learn from your ancestor’s Tombstones and how to find their Cemeteries, you need to know how to photograph those weathered and eroded tombstones so you can read their inscriptions. That’s what this post will cover.
Hey, you’re thinking, what’s so tough about taking a photo? Just point the camera and press the button. Do that and you might get a photograph like the ones below. If you can read these, let me know what’s on them. And yes, that is my foot in the first one.
Searching for Family Cemeteries
Friday, August 15th, 2008#2 in a Series of 3 About Tombstones and Cemeteries
Cemeteries are wonderful places to research Family History, as I discussed in Tombstones, Our Ancestors’ Monuments to Genealogy Research, my first post in this series where I gave examples of the many things that can be learned from tombstones. Even if you’re lucky enough to know the name of your ancestor’s Cemetery, finding it can be an archaeological task worthy of Indiana Jones, especially with lost family cemeteries or towns that have changed names or disappeared completely. However, as always with Genealogy, the rewards can be well worth the effort, so cue the theme music and our search is on!
Tombstones, Our Ancestors’ Monuments to Genealogy Research
Monday, August 4th, 2008Even before I began researching my Family History, I loved visiting Cemeteries. Aunt Betty and I once found a grave completely capped in copper. I wanted to know why, but there was no one to ask. In Arizona I saw Tombstones of settlers marked with “Killed by Apaches.” I wondered if Apaches marked their graves “Killed by Settlers.” And the graves of my own ancestors caused me to ask if I looked like them, were they pirates and why were they were buried so far from where we lived?
Although Cemeteries have always inspired me to ask questions, Genealogy changed that. Now I go to Cemeteries to look for answers.
Unusual Places to Look for Genealogy
Saturday, July 5th, 2008We all do it. We search and beg and pound the keyboard mercilessly, desperate to find someplace to glean just one little bit of information that will break down that unassailable brick wall that keeps us from the Holy Grail of Genealogy—The Unfindable Ancestor. I’ve destroyed my share of keyboards and still have a brick wall so unscalable that I truly believe my Unfindable Ancestor was beamed up by aliens, which may explain my siblings’ love of science fiction books, my crush on Chewbacca and my obsession with the genealogy program Reunion for Mac, which includes a person status for Alien Abductee. During my many years of Maalox-assisted genealogy research, I’ve accumulated a list of Unusual Places to look for genealogy, which I’ll share with you here.
Protecting Family Documents, a Genealogist’s Most Precious Treasure
Thursday, June 26th, 2008Genealogists spend most of the time looking for old documents, however we should spend a little time preserving not only our historical documents, but also the ones we produce in our daily lives. If a disaster happened in your life today, would your papers and photos be safe or would you be devastated by the [...]
Saving Water Soaked Photos, a Genealogist’s Window to the Past
Thursday, June 19th, 2008Without question, losing a family member is the most devastating thing that can happen in a disaster. The second hardest loss is Family Photos. Going back to what is left of your home and seeing the remnants of your former everyday life is unbelievably painful. And seeing those irreplaceable photos lying in a water-soaked heap will break your heart. What should you do with that heap of wet photos? Many people think they are hopeless and throw them away. Don’t. Here is what you can do to try and save both them and valuable documents.
Military Records – A Regiment of Valuable Information For Genealogists
Friday, June 6th, 2008I don’t know a lot about the Military, other than I’m grateful for every person who ever served our country and that I never had to go through boot camp myself, but I do know that Military Records are proof that the American Government loves Genealogists.
Almost any Military Record can provide good information about your ancestor, and possibly not just military information, either. I’ve found some Revolutionary War records where in the regimental roll call they listed the height, complexion, and hair and eye color of the men. A few men even had their occupations listed. WWI and WWII draft registration cards had these personal statistics, too, along with who their wife was, their current address, and where they worked. If they weren’t married, their parents’ names were listed. What a treasure all this information is!
Genealogy.com Stops Adding New Data to Website
Monday, June 2nd, 2008I was recently contacted by Genealogy.com, at which time their spokesman stated, “We have stopped adding information to Genealogy.com . . . ” Ali, Genealogy.com.
It’s sad to hear this. Genealogy.com has been a great addition to family history websites for many years.
The National Archives to Digitize Part of Its Holdings
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008What a great announcement! A portion of the National Archives’ massive holdings is going to be digitized by Ancestry.com and uploaded to its online subscription database. Oh happy day! Although digitizing the National Archive records will be a five-year task for Ancestry, their reward will be adding a huge dollop of vital statistics, immigration and military service data to their website. The National Archives will also receive a copy of the digitized records for use in what they are calling “archival control.” Without a doubt, that doesn’t mean free, online, public use. Too bad.
Free Civil War Website Available Through June 30, 2008
Wednesday, May 7th, 2008Alexander Street Press has announced that it is once again allowing public access to its entire Civil War series, The American Civil War Online, through June 30, 2008. Included in this series is The American Civil War Research Database, which was open to the public in April of this year. The success of that enterprise convinced them to allow this additional period of open access. Genealogists and researchers everywhere should take this chance to use this wonderful archive.
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