Monday, July 25, 2011

FamilySearch Adds 12 Million New Records and Images This Week


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England and Mexico Collections See the Lion’s Share of the New Additions
The recent collection updates at FamilySearch.org are too diverse to summarize—seigniorial and notarial records, bishop’s transcripts and parish registers, citizen lists, court case files---well, okay, you get the picture.  The largest collection updates this week are from England and Mexico—eight million records and images between the two countries’ collections. Another 4 million records and images were added for Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Sweden, USA, and Wales. Search the records online now at FamilySearch.org.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

I'M INTERESTED IN GENEALOGY BUT CLUELESS

Family history can be a life-changing experience. Learning about your ancestors can bring perspective and understanding to your own life. It only takes a few minutes to learn how to get started. 

Great video for those of you who are interested in genealogy but don't know where to start.

GETTING STARTED

Friday, July 8, 2011

FAMILY FROM CANADA



Do you have Canadian ancestors? Here are some key steps and sources for beginning research in Canada or its provinces.
  • If all you know is that your ancestor came from Canada, search the Canadian censuses. The indexed censuses are available for the years 1851-1916 on FamilySearch.org in the “Historical Records” section, and on Ancestry.com. Earlier census years will be available in the future.
  • If you believe your ancestor came from another country to Canada, there are two places to search. First, search the Canadian Passenger List, indexed 1865-1935, at Ancestry.com. Second, search the Canadian Naturalization, 1915-1951 (non-British ancestors only, up to 1947) at theLibrary of Canada website.
If all you know is that your ancestor came from a certain province in Canada, here are your first steps:
  • Search the Canadian censuses, as described above.
  • Search www.familysearch.org, Historical Records section (records from seven provinces currently are included in this collection). Recheck this site regularly, because new records are being added to the website all the time.
  • Search GENWEB Canada for your province of interest. In your search engine (Google, Firefox, etc.) search for “genweb Canada” You will see each of the provinces listed on the left column on the web page. Or, you can search for “genweb (name of province)”
  • Search individual provincial source(s).

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Living History Festival set for Big Spring Park



— What was it like to live in Athens during the Civil War? How was life for soldiers inside a Confederate encampment? An event scheduled later this month is designed to help answer those questions.


What is being called a free, family-friendly, educational Living History Festival will be held from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday, July 23, in Athens' Big Spring Memorial Park.


It is presented by the Athens-Limestone County War for Southern Independence Sesquicentennial Committee, Athens-Limestone County Tourism Council and the Sons of Confederate Veterans Hobbs Camp No. 768.


The event features a working Confederate encampment by the SCV; demonstrations of period activities on the home front including blacksmithing, chair caning, and basket weaving; and food from carnival fair to down home "vittles."


There will also be long-rifle demonstrations and fun activities for kids, including sack races.


Limestone County Archivists will be on hand to provide guidance at genealogy stations to help families trace their roots through soldiers and sailors.


Four different signed and numbered prints — "Battle of Sulfur Creek Trestle," "Hobbs' Farewell," "Battle of Athens," and "Fort Henderson" — by artist Lyn Stone will be for sale, featuring historic events in Athens-Limestone County.


Community attractions and historic buildings will be open and available for tours the day of the festival including the Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives, Donnell House, former Alabama Governor George S. Houston home, now the Houston Library and Museum, and Athens State University.


For more information, visit the Athens Visitors Center at 100 N. Beaty Street or call 256-232-5411 or 256-867-1438.  Visit their website at www.visitathensal.com.
Source:  Athens News Courier

Sunday, July 3, 2011

LIMESTONE COUNTY ARCHIVE

Closed on July 4

Millions of Historic Southern Records Now on the Web

FamilySearch has published millions of records from Southern states to its rapidly growing, free online collection. The collection includes both digital images and indexes. Millions of death records from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida were the most recent additions. Viewers can search the free collection on the Record Search pilot at FamilySearch.org (click Search Records, and then click Record Search pilot).
In the past 18 months, FamilySearch has been diligently publishing digital images and indexes from Southern states. It is part of a worldwide initiative to provide fast, economical access to genealogical records. Fueled by over 100,000 online volunteers, FamilySearch is digitizing and indexing historical records and publishing them online.
The most recent additions are from the following collections:
  • Alabama Statewide Deaths 1908 to 1974 (Index)
  • Arkansas County Marriages: 1837 to 1957
  • Civil War Pension Index Cards (Digital Images)
  • Florida Deaths 1877 to 1939 (Index)
  • Florida State Censuses: 1855, 1935, 1945 (Digital Images)
  • Freedman Bank Records: 1865 to 1874
  • Freedman’s Bureau Virginia Marriages 1855 to 1866
  • Georgia Deaths 1914 to 1927
  • Louisiana War of 1812 Pension Lists (Images)
  • North Carolina Deaths 1906 to 1930
  • North Carolina, Davidson County Marriages and Deaths, 1867–1984 (Digital Images)
  • South Carolina Deaths 1915 to 1943
  • South Carolina Deaths 1944 to 1955 (Index)
  • Texas Death Index 1964 to 1998 (Index)
  • Texas Deaths 1890 to 1976
  • Virginia Fluvanna County Funeral Home Records 1929 to 1976 (Digital Images)
  • West Virginia Births 1853 to 1930 (Index)
  • West Virginia Marriages 1853 to 1970 (Index)
  • West Virginia Deaths 1853 to 1970 (Index)
FamilySearch has also published free indexes to the 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, and 1920 (partial) U.S Censuses—all important resources for Southern states research.
David E. Rencher, FamilySearch chief genealogical officer said, “This significant set of records fills a real need in Southern states research. To be able to search vital records across the South by name and locality leverages the best search techniques and greatly improves the odds of success for those researching Southern families.”

During both pre and post Civil War eras, there was general migration from the eastern seaboard, down through the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, and on into Texas. “The publication of these records will begin to open up and answer many questions about family members that migrated and were never heard from again,” Rencher added.
With just a few clicks, visitors can now search millions of records online for that elusive ancestor. Or pore through digital images of historic documents that before this time were inconvenient or impossible for many to access because the original documents were located in an archive somewhere in the South.

“There is much more to come,” said Rencher. “FamilySearch has a large collection of records [on film] from the Southern states that still need to be digitized, indexed, and made available for the public online—and we are acquiring new records all the time. It’s a great time to be a family history enthusiast,” concluded Rencher.

FamilySearch is currently working on federal and state censuses and birth, marriage, death, and war records. New indexing projects and searchable collections are added weekly.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

HOW TO DATE THOSE OLD PHOTOGRAPHS

What type of photograph?
Portrait photography is 170 years old and seven, even eight, generations of the family may have been portrayed in photographs. Yet many old photographs have been passed down without labels or notes giving helpful information about the date, occasion or people depicted in them.
Different types of photograph, or formats, were produced throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, each having its own recognisable features. Identifying the format of a ‘mystery’ photograph and locating its place in history is the first step to establishing an accurate timeframe.
Daguerreotypes c.1841 – early 1860s (most common c.1845-55)
The first commercial photography studios of the 1840s produced one-off photographs on a silvered copper plate, known as daguerreotypes. The natural successors to miniature paintings, daguerreotypes cost around one guinea each – expensive luxuries beyond the means of ordinary working ancestors, hence they occur rarely in today’s family collections. Being fragile images, daguerreotypes were protected under glass, framed in a gilt surround and fitted into a folding case.
A few early-1840s daguerreotypes survive, but most belong to the period c.1845-1855. After the mid-1850s they were rapidly eclipsed by cheaper photographic formats.
Daguerreotype in leather case, c.1847-8. The earliest studio photographs, daguerreotypes mainly portray prosperous ancestors. This lady is believed to be the wife of a Windsor property developer who served as Mayor, 1846-7 and 1854. (Chris Cobb) Click to enlarge
Daguerreotype in leather case, c.1847-8. The earliest studio photographs, daguerreotypes mainly portray prosperous ancestors. This lady is believed to be the wife of a Windsor property developer who served as Mayor, 1846-7 and 1854. (Chris Cobb). Click to enlarge.
Ambrotypes (collodion positives) c.1852-1890s (most common 1855-early 1860s)
The next photographic format was the collodion positive, usually known as the ambrotype. Another unique picture, the ambrotype was a negative image on a glass plate, backed with black varnish (shellac) or velvet to create a positive photograph. Like daguerreotypes, ambrotypes were mounted into a brass or pinchbeck surround and often protected in a case, or framed for hanging on the wall. The technique, devised in 1852, was widely used from mid-decade but its heyday was brief. Many ambrotypes set in the studio date from within just a few years, c.1855-60, although a few itinerant photographers produced them until c.1890.
Costing around one shilling by 1857, ambrotypes brought photography to more working people and they occur in a number of family collections.
Paired, cased ambrotypes, c.1860 - click to enlarge. Ambrotypes were the most common type of photograph c.1855-60. Affordable for many working people, these paired pictures portray the children of a Calcutta cabinet maker, photographed when visiting London. (Chris Cobb)
Paired, cased ambrotypes, c.1860. Ambrotypes were the most common type of photograph c.1855-60. Affordable for many working people, these paired pictures portray the children of a Calcutta cabinet maker, photographed when visiting London. (Chris Cobb). Click to enlarge.
Cartes de visite c.1858-1919 (most common c.1860-1908)
The small carte de visite, measuring around 10cms x 6.5cms, was the first commercially produced card-mounted photographic print. Arriving from France in 1858, the carte came of age in Britain in 1860 and rapidly achieved widespread popularity from 1861 onwards, inspiring the ‘cartomania’ phenomenon. Convenient cartes (or cdvs) could be mass-produced and, being fairly inexpensive, extended to all social classes by mid-decade.
Copies were collected, given as gifts and exchanged, leading to production of the first purpose-designed photograph albums in the early 1860s. Any collection of early family photographs is likely to include cdvs as they dominated Victorian photography, remaining popular in the Edwardian era.
Carte de visite, c.1863-4. Printed cartes were the first mass-produced photographs and in Britain they became popular throughout society soon after 1861. This example is typical of an early carte. (Jayne Shrimpton). Click to enlarge
Carte de visite, c.1863-4. Printed cartes were the first mass-produced photographs and in Britain they became popular throughout society soon after 1861. This example is typical of an early carte. (Jayne Shrimpton). Click to enlarge.
Cabinet Prints c.1866-1919 (most common late 1870s-c.1910)
In 1866 the cabinet photograph was introduced - another print mounted onto card, but, measuring around 16.5cms x 11.5cms including the mount, over twice the size of the cdv. At first cabinet prints gained little favour, but demand gradually increased during the 1870s and by the 1880s they were a popular choice, their production finally equalling or exceeding the carte by the 1890s.
Cabinet prints, like cdvs, were still available in the early-1900s, even the 1910s, although surviving examples usually pre-date 1910. Together cartes and cabinet prints account for most Victorian and Edwardian studio photographs in early picture collections.
Cabinet print, c.1892-4. Cabinet prints, larger than cartes, were introduced in 1866. Popular by the 1880s, they were the most common card-mounted photograph of the 1890s. (Kat Williams). Click to enlarge
Cabinet print, c.1892-4. Cabinet prints, larger than cartes, were introduced in 1866. Popular by the 1880s, they were the most common card-mounted photograph of the 1890s. (Kat Williams). Click to enlarge.
Tintypes (ferrotypes) In Britain 1870s-1940s
The tintype, or ferrotype, is identifiable as a photographic image struck directly onto an iron plate. Like daguerreotypes and ambrotypes, tintypes were unique pictures but they cost just a few pence - their cheap price generally reflected in their inferior quality. Produced in the US from the mid 1850s, tintypes were less fashionable in Britain, scarcely being recognised there until the later 1870s. Never widely popular, demand for these modest photographs nonetheless persisted until the 1940s. Well-suited to itinerant photographers, tintypes often depict outdoor scenes, such as the beach or fairground.
Surviving examples may be framed under glass in a decorative surround or may simply comprise a thin, sharp-edged piece of metal: tiny ‘gem’ tintypes were sometimes inserted into carte de visite or other card mounts.
Tintype (ferrotype), early-mid 1880s. Tintypes, produced in Britain from the late 1870s, are often quite informal photographs, showing family members enjoying a day out. (Pat FitzSimmons). Click to enlarge
Tintype (ferrotype), early-mid 1880s. Tintypes, produced in Britain from the late 1870s, are often quite informal photographs, showing family members enjoying a day out. (Pat FitzSimmons). Click to enlarge.
Portrait postcards c.1902-1940s
Postcards offered a new card format for photographic portraits in the early 20th century. The first picture postcards had appeared in the 1890s, but after 1902, following the introduction of a convenient divided back with separate spaces for the address and a short written message, they began to be used for presenting photographic portraits. Portrait postcards could be posted, like other postcards, but often the photograph was never intended for that purpose, being kept for the image.
Both commercial and amateur photographers used postcard mounts and many examples survive in family collections, dating from c.1902 until the 1940s.
Postcard portrait, c.1910. Many family photographs taken between c.1902 and the 1940s are mounted onto postcards with a divided back. (Kat Williams). Click to enlarge
Postcard portrait, c.1910. Many family photographs taken between c.1902 and the 1940s are mounted onto postcards with a divided back. (Kat Williams). Click to enlarge.
20th century card-mounted studio photographs
Some early 20th century studio photographs are neither cdvs, nor cabinet prints, nor postcards. Large or small prints were sometimes mounted onto a stout card of a pale or muted colour – usually off-white, beige, grey, soft brown or dusty green. Mounts were typically much larger than the picture, the wide border offering scope for subtle detailing – often a series of borders or a decorative surround pressed into the card.
In time, as photographic papers became sturdier, some photographs were presented in a folder. Between the 1920s and 1940s the fold-over card was popular: this had pre-cut slots in its back half for containing the photograph, while the front folded over to protect the image.
20th century mounted studio photograph, c.1900. Some early 20th century studio photographs are mounted onto thick, pale or sombre coloured card. The wide frame often has borders or designs pressed into the card. (Claire Dulanty). Click to enlarge
20th century mounted studio photograph, c.1900. Some early 20th century studio photographs are mounted onto thick, pale or sombre coloured card. The wide frame often has borders or designs pressed into the card. (Claire Dulanty). Click to enlarge.
Amateur ‘snapshots’
Amateur photography has existed for as long as professional photography, but for many years mainly the affluent, leisured classes followed the expensive and time-consuming pursuit. In the 1880s, following technical advances, some middle-class hobbyists began to shoot spontaneous photographs for their own amusement and some of these 19th century ‘snapshots’ do survive. Most families, however, didn’t take up amateur photography until the 20th century. The early-1900s saw a significant rise, with more rapid growth during the 1910s, and most casual snapshots in family collections date from that decade onwards.
Amateur ‘snapshot’, c.1926-30. Casual ‘snapshots’, usually outdoor photographs, are common in family collections. Although early examples can occur, most date from at least the 1910s. (Kat Williams). Click to enlarge
Amateur ‘snapshot’, c.1926-30. Casual ‘snapshots’, usually outdoor photographs, are common in family collections. Although early examples can occur, most date from at least the 1910s.