Blogging Cousins, what a Treat!

When Wendy Littrell posted Political Road Map, which was her contribution to the 59th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy, I'm sure she never thought she would discover a couple of cousins, albeit very distant ones. In one paragraph she talks about her 9th great-grandfather, Richard Treat, who settled in Wethersfield, in the Connecticut Colony. Richard Treat is my 11th great-grandfather and is also the 11th great-grandfather of Julie Cahill Tarr.

Richard Treat was born in 1584 in Pitminster, County Somerset, England and emigrated prior to 1641, settling in Wethersfield. He became a prominent citizen, involved in the governing of the town and the Connecticut Colony. Depending upon which "history" you read, Richard's first wife was named Joanna who was the mother of his children and Alice Gaylord/Gaylard/Galaud was his second wife who bore no children. However, "The Treat Family" published in 1893 and written by John Harvey Treat states that Richard married Alice Gaylard on April 27, 1615, in Pitminster. Also, "wife Alis Treat" is given lands in the will of Richard Treat. This would seem to indicate that Alice was his first and only wife and the mother of his children. Nothing like a little squabble in the family over who begat whom. . .

In Roadmap to New Cousins! Wendy provides her line of descent from Richard Treat. Julie does the same in Found Cousins. Below is my lineage back to the prolific Mr. Richard Treat. . .

• Richard Treat (1584-1670)
• Honor Treat (1616- ?) and John Deming, Sr. (1615-1705)
• Honor Deming (abt 1643 - aft 1701) and John Beckley (abt 1642 - abt 1696)
• Catharine Beckley (1684-1768) and Daniel Dewey (1680-1717)
• Sarah Dewey (1712-1782) and Benjamin Goodrich (1717-1787)
• John Goodrich (1754-1834) and Abigail Price (1754-1827)
• Bela Goodrich (1777-abt 1864) and Sally Church (abt 1780 - abt 1831)
• Abigail Goodrich (abt 1805 - aft 1882) and James Joslin (abt 1796 - aft 1850)
• Lysander Price Joslin (1825-1899) and Lydia Robison (1825-1899)
• Malissa Joslin (1849-1937) and William Brubaker (1843-1912)
• Charles Romain Brubaker (1871-1945) and Maude Catherine Wise (1877-1953)
• Hazlette Brubaker (1902-1984) and Rolland Victor Phend (1893-1991)
• Virginia Phend and Jack Wiseman
• Me

In his will, dated February 13th 1668, Richard Treat gave his "great bible" to his daughter Honour Demon. I wonder which of her 10 children inherited it? John Deming (husband of Honor Treat) gives his "Great Bible" to his son John.

Disclaimer: No research has been done in original records for this lineage in the Colonial and Revolutionary War eras. Some of the published resources that were used are listed below, some with better source documentation than others. . .

• The Treat Family: A Genealogy of Trott, Tratt and Treat for Fifteen Generations, and Four Hundred and Fifty Years in England and America. John Harvey Treat. Salem, Massachusetts, The Salem Press, 1893.
• A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's Register. James Savage. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1860.
• One Bassett Family in America with All connections in America and many in Great Britain and France : Principally an Outline of What the Ancestors Did to Help Make America : Mainly from original records heretofore unpublished. Buell Burdett Bassette. New Britain, Connecticut, 1926.
• The Warner-Harrington Ancestry : The Ancestry of Samuel, Freda and John Warner. Frederick Chester Warner. Boston, Massachusetts, 1949.
• Hale, House and Related Families. Donald Lines Jacobus and Edgar Francis Waterman. Hartford, Connecticut, 1952.
• Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines : A Memorial Volume Containing the American Ancestry of Rufus R. Dawes. Mary Walton Ferris. Privately Printed, 1943.
• New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Clarence Almon Torrey. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, 1985.
• The history of ancient Wethersfield, Connecticut : comprising the present towns of Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, and Newington : and of Glastonbury prior to its incorporation in 1693, from date of earliest settlement until the present time. Based upon the Manuscript Collections of the Late Sherman W. Adams. Volume II - Genealogies and Biographies. Henry R. Stiles. New York, The Grafton Press, 1904.
• A Digest of the Early Connecticut Probate Records. Charles William Manwaring. Hartford, Conn., 1904.
• The Descendants of Richard Beckley of Wethersfield, Connecticut. Caroleen Beckley Sheppard. The Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, Connecticut, 1948.
• A Record of Marriages, Births and Deaths in Westfield, Mass., Prior to the year 1700. Emerson Davis. The New England Historical & Genealogical Record, Boston, July 1862.
• Life of George Dewey, Rear Admiral, U.S.N., and Dewey Family History. Louis Marinus Dewey. Westfield, Massachusetts, 1898.
• The Bulkeley Genealogy. Donald Lines Jacobus. New Haven, Connecticut, 1933.
• Wethersfield Inscriptions: A complete record of the inscriptions in the five burial places in the ancient town of Wethersfield, including the towns of Rocky Hill, Newington, and Beckley Quarter (in Berlin), also a portion of the inscriptions in the oldest cemetery in Glastonbury. Edward Sweetser Tillotson. Hartford, Connecticut, 1899.
• The Goodrich Family in America. Lafayette Wallace Case. Fergus Printing Company, Chicago, 1889.
• The Jocelyn-Joslin-Joslyn-Josselyn Family. Edith S. Wessler. Charles E. Tuttle Company. Tokyo, Japan 1961.

A Salute to the Old Timers!

As Tim Agazio noted a couple of days ago in his post Everyone's Turning 2 This Year, there are indeed a bunch of genea-bloggers and genea-websites that came on the scenes in 2006. Bloggers especially are notorious for starting-up and then, after a few months, no longer posting or even deleting their blogs. Two years is a long time in the blogosphere. A few genea-bloggers have been blogging for three, four or more years! I think they can be considered "Old Timers" in regards to blogging ;-) and as such, I think they deserve some recognition!

These are the blogs I've been following for the past two years...The listing is presented in two THREE sections. The first includes those who blog about their family history while providing some tips and resources along the way. The second group doesn't blog about their own genealogy research, rather they provide us with the latest information about Genealogy Resources, Tips and News. The last section will be updates to the list...

Where I could find it, I've linked to the first post of each blog. If you have the time, please explore their archives, you will no doubt find it rewarding, interesting, and entertaining.

Section I :: These are the people that inspired me to start blogging. And, for better or worse, have inspired me to continue to blog. I've laughed with them, and cried with them, and ran the gamut of feelings in between. They write about their families, relatives, and ancestors. With each post they give us a little of themselves. They have my heartfelt thanks for doing what they do, and doing it so well.

Susan Kitchens :: Family Oral History
April 23, 2004 :: Family Oral History weblog begins!

Lori Thornton :: Smoky Mountain Family Historian
June 8, 2004 :: Welcome to My Family History Page

Craig Manson :: Geneablogie
September 06, 2004 :: Blogging My Genes Off

Denise Olson :: Family Matters and Moultrie Creek
Denise uses Wordpress and doesn't have an archive feature on her blogs so I can't determine how long she has been blogging, but I know it has been awhile; it seems like forever ;-) Well, anyway, I'm pretty sure she was blogging long before I was, so she's included with the old-timers. Update: Denise notified me that she has been blogging since February 2005!

Tim Abbott :: Walking the Berkshires
September 30, 2005 :: Hi Tim. This is your first post

Jasia :: Creative Gene and creator of the Carnival of Genealogy
October 25, 2005 :: Intro to NaNoWriMo

Miriam Robbins Midkiff :: AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors
January 16, 2006 :: Moses Crothers - possible son of John Crothers and Mary "Polly" Wyckoff?

Janice Brown :: Cow Hampshire
March 2006 :: Cow Hampshire: Celebrating My Second Anniversary
Does anybody know anything about where Janice is? She hasn't posted anything since August 26th. Hopefully there is nothing majorly wrong and she is just taking a break from blogging.

T. K. :: Before My Time
April 1, 2006 :: Evelyn

Randy Seaver :: Genea-Musings
April 15, 2006 :: Who? Me? Blog? OK...

Steven Danko :: Steve’s Genealogy Blog
April 18, 2006 :: First Day of My New Website

David Bowles :: Writing the Westward Sagas
June 28th, 2006 :: Welcome!

Chery Kinnick :: Nordic Blue
August 28, 2006 :: Welcome, Family and Friends

Tim Agazio :: Genealogy Reviews Online
October 23, 2006 :: Welcome to my Blog!

Apple :: Apple's Tree
December 4, 2006 :: Older Articles
Apple started blogging in December 2005 at The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree and created Apples' Tree just for her genealogy.

On January 12, 2007 I started blogging. And a few others came along in the first two months of the year, including:

Bill West :: West in New England
January 23, 2007 :: Beginning

footnoteMaven :: footnoteMaven
February 28, 2007 :: Shelter From the Storm, Stories of the Home and Hearth

John Newmark :: Transylvanian Dutch
February 28, 2007 :: 100 Years Ago

Cheryl :: Two Sides of the Ocean
February 2007 / August 27, 2008 :: Immer Etwas
Some kind of big screw up with Blogger caused the disappearance of Cheryl's blog in August. She had been blogging there for the past 18 months. Her older posts are currently not available but she will be recreating them in the future on her new blog site. Right now, Cheryl is on her long-awaited trip to Germany!

=+==+==+==+=

Section II :: This second group of bloggers have also been blogging since sometime in 2006 or before. In most cases, they don't blog about their own genealogy, rather they provide us with the latest information about Genealogy Resources, Tips and News.

Pat Richley, as Dear Myrtle, gave us her first blog post on December 3, 2002. Yes, 2002! But she began posting in the current format in earnest on April 1, 2005 with Oh where, oh where is my ancestor from?

Kimberly Powell :: Kimberly's Genealogy Blog has had a column at about.com since before blogging came along!

Dick Eastman :: Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter
In June 2004, Dick converted his long-running email newsletter to a blog format.

Leland Meitzler :: Everton's Genealogy Blog has been around for a few years too.

Chris Dunham :: The Genealogue and mastermind behind the Genealogy Blog Finder where he has catalogued 1,092 blogs in 29 categories that are related to genealogy in some way.
May 26, 2005 :: The Dark Side of Genealogy

John D. Reid :: Anglo-Celtic Connections
March 14, 2006 :: Library Elf

Michael John Neil :: RootDig
March 17, 2006 :: Civil War Pension Indexes

Joe Beine :: Genealogy Roots Blog (and others)
April 18, 2006 :: Missouri Death Index 1910-1955 Now Online

Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak :: Roots Television Megan's Roots World
Started her blog in April 2006, Roots Television went live in September 2006.

Schelly Talalay Dardashti :: Tracing the Tribe: The Jewish Genealogy Blog
August 8, 2006 :: What to expect from Tracing the Tribe

Sally Jacobs :: The Practical Archivist
I don't know when Sally started her blog, but one of the earliest posts I came across was December 14, 2006 :: Life Catching Life Hack

In all probability, I've likely missed a blog or two, so I apologize in advance! If you started blogging genealogy BEFORE January 2007, are still ACTIVELY blogging and not listed, please let me know (leave me a comment or send me an email).

Section III :: Updates to the list (updated October 5, 2008).

As Thomas MacEntee stated in a comment, his very first post at Destination: Austin Family was on December 28, 2006 with The journey "re-begins". So, "technically" he could be considered one of the Old Timers of genea-blogging ;-) However, Thomas didn't commit to posting regularly until September 28, 2007 when he posted The Weather Gets Colder - That Means Only One Thing . .

The Staff of the Sandusky Library and Follett House Museum :: Sandusky History
June 06, 2006 :: Libraries in Sandusky - A Brief History

Lorine Schulze :: Olive Tree Genealogy Blog
February 9, 2003 :: Alms House Admission Records, New York City, NY 1855-1858

Juliana Smith :: Family History Circle
March 31, 2006 :: The First Issue

Arlene Eakle :: Arlene Eakle's Genealogy Blog
June 12, 2006 :: Hello World!

Henk van Kampen :: Trace Your Dutch Roots
August 3, 2006 :: What this blog will be about

Colleen McHugh :: The Oracle of OMcHodoy
October 23, 2005 :: Why bother blogging?

M. Diane Rogers :: CanadaGenealogy, or, 'Jane's Your Aunt'
February 3, 2005 :: 101st Canadian Heroine-2005 Contest

The Ultimate "American History" Reading List

The recent Carnival of Genealogy :: 56th edition focused on the indespensible genealogy books in the libraries of the contributing genea-bloggers. It was a very good exercise and Lori produced a valuable list of essential resources we all can use for future reference.

The following article could be considered "old news" since it was published nearly four years ago, but I thought it appropriate in light of the recent COG.

American Heritage Magazine published the article America Unabridged in December 2004 drawing "on the knowledge and enthusiasm of leading historians, writers, and critics to offer a compendium of the very best books about the American experience."

The list is divided into chronological and subject categories with each section presenting "the writer’s choice of the 10 best books in a particular field, along with lucid, lively explanations of what makes them great."

The chronological periods covered are The Colonial Era to 1776, The Revolution 1776 to 1787, The Young Republic 1787 to 1860, The Civil War 1861 to 1865, The Industrial Age 1865 to 1917, Modern America 1917 to 1941, World War II 1941 to 1945, The Postwar Years 1945 to 1974, and Modern Times from 1974.

Subject categories are Biographies, Historical Novels, African-American History, The West, The Immigrant Experience, Popular Culture, Business, Technology, Indispensable Photographs, Sports, Women’s History, and Historical Movies.

There is something for everyone on this list. I know I'll be adding some of them to my reading list, particularly those covering the Colonial Era, as I prepare to research my New England ancestors!

A tip of the hat to footnoteMaven. Her article this morning on Shades of the Departed included a link to American Heritage. Be forewarned, don't go there if you don't have a lot of time to spare!

The Indispensable Bookshelf

It is truly embarrassing to have to admit this, but I do not have 10 genealogy-specific reference books on my bookshelf! Gasp! It's true though. It was (is) easier, and much cheaper, to go to the library (especially when I was living in the genealogy-Mecca of the Midwest, Fort Wayne). So I'd guess you could say, if it's on my genea-resource bookshelf I consider it indispensable to research!

The Handy Book for Genealogists, Everton Publishers. This book has been essential to my research. It is one of the few books kept on my computer desk. Although the edition I have was published in 1991, it still meets my needs for finding out when a county was organized, the parent county, and the basic information. I no longer rely on the current addresses and contact information for the counties and states, but a quick check on the internet will usually give me that information.

Map Guide to the U. S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920, William Thorndale and William Dollarhide, Genealogical Publishing Company. The edition I have was published in 1995 but is still useful today. It too is kept on my computer desk for quick reference. You can read all about boundary changes for counties, and think you understand, but the maps allow you to see the changes visually. It really brings home why great-great-grandpa was enumerated in three different counties during his lifetime even though he never moved from the original homestead!

Uncovering Your Ancestry through Family Photographs, Maureen Taylor, Betterway Books, 2000. Maureen's tips and sources for helping to identify the time period of a photograph are invaluable.

Organizing Your Family History Search, Sharon DeBartolo Carmack, Betterway Books, 2000. If I would have had this book when I first started my research, maybe I'd be organized by now! Of course, just having the book doesn't get you organized, you have to follow at least some of the suggestions! Not only does Sharon provide you with a multitude of tips for organizing your files at home but provides tips for organizing a research trip. She doesn't tell you the "best way" to organization, because people are different, instead she provides several options.

Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian, Elizabeth Shown Mills, Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997. Sourcing is a big deal in genealogy and family history research, to say the least. I have (almost) always identified in some way where my information came from, just not in the acceptable or "proper" manner. I blame that on the software that I started out with way back when - when sources were entered as notes. I've made a little headway in correcting that but I much prefer to do research! Again, if I'd had this book in my early days it "might" have made a difference.

A few years ago I purchased The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in the 1800s, Marc McCutcheon, Writer's Digest Books, 1993. It hasn't really been used very much in my genealogy research but I have referred to it from time to time to lookup the meaning of an old term or phrase. It is essentially a dictionary of terms and phrases used in the 1800s. It was one of those impulse purchases at some historical site but someday I hope to use it in writing the history of another of my families.

My most recent acquisition was at the 2006 NGS Conference in Chicago with the newly released The Source : A Guidebook to American Genealogy (Third Edition) Edited by Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking. This 900+ page volume is chock full of "good stuff" with articles from a multitude of authors discussing the various topics.

Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language, Second College Edition, The World Publishing Company, 1970. Given to me by a friend while I was in the Navy, this book has been around the World! Well, at least to Iceland and Japan as well as more than a few of these United States. It too is kept on my computer desk. Yes, I know you can go online to find the definition of anything but I enjoy flipping through the pages.

Road Atlas, Rand McNally, 1964. Yes, 1964! In nearly pristine condition, by the way. It was in a box of some of my grandfather's things that was given to me after his death in 1991. It doesn't leave the house but has seen occasional use when looking for some small town that has disappeared off of today's maps.

The World Wide Web and The Internet. It's not a book but it contains billions of words. It doesn't reside on my bookshelf but it is on my computer desk and, as such, almost always at my fingertips! In this day and age, it is truly an indispensable resource!

Contributed to the 56th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy :: 10 essential books in my genealogy library.

Congrats to Jasia, Merriam and Renee!

The Carnival of Genealogy hosted by Jasia at Creative Gene has been spot-lighted by Janice Nickerson in an article in the April/May issue of InternetGenealogy. Janice says, in part, "If you’re new to the “blogosphere” and want a quick way to find genealogy bloggers, and see what their posts are like, this is a great way to find a whole bunch of quality writers and get their takes on the latest theme. If you’re a blogger who writes about genealogy-related topics, this is just the ticket for getting your work noticed, and learning from other like-minded people." Couldn't have said it better myself ;-)

In addition, the 2008 Artistry of Genealogy Award Winners have been announced. What's that? Well, according to the blog: "Serving as a source of inspiration and recognition to showcase outstanding genealogy websites, the 2008 Artistry of Genealogy Awards (AGA) recognizes excellence in preserving family history through genealogy. The categories and winners were selected by consumers across the country who had their photo memories digitally preserved by ScanMyPhotos.com."

The award for the category of "Best Ongoing Family History Story" went to Jasia at Creative Gene: Genealogy and More.

Miriam Midkiff’s Blog, AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors, and Renee Zamora's Renee's Genealogy Blog were selected in the "Best Personal Genealogy Blog" category.

In all, there were 15 genealogy websites and blogs recognized in various categories. Check 'em out! Congratulations to Jasia, Merriam, Renee and all the others that were recognized.

New Whitley County Resource

The "Index to Old Settlers Necrology 1906-2007" has been added on the Kinexxions website.

The compilation, which includes more than 22,600 names, is from Whitley County Newspapers and from files in the Whitley County Historical Museum. The Old Settlers Necrology lists were generally published annually on Old Settlers Day and included those people who had died in the previous year who were considered "Old Settlers" of Whitley County as defined by the Old Settlers Association: "Anyone who was 30 years of age or older who had lived in Whitley County for 30 years or more."

The lists often included those who lived elsewhere at the time of their death. Some lists included everyone who died while living in Whitley County regardless whether they were "old settlers" or not. In other words, there really wasn't any consistency from one year to the next as to who was or was not included. It depended upon who was compiling the list. In about half of the years the full date of death was given, while in others only the month and year. In several years there was simply a listing of those who had died since the previous Old Settlers Day with no date or month listed.

The individuals involved in this project were Beverly Henley, Cindy Keirn, Dorothy Bordner and Becky Wiseman.

Resources for Township Maps

Harold Anderson, a fellow Hoosier blogger, over at Midwestern Microhistory spotlighted a couple of websites for obtaining Outline maps for counties. In that post, he asked "Now, can anyone suggest a site that has a township map for each and every county in the US?"

Maybe. Well, sort of. In a round-a-bout way. Maybe Joe Beine could add another category for locating townships on his Genealogy Roots site for finding record sources on the internet?

The US Census Bureau has State/County Subdivision Outline Maps. You can't search for a township on the site but what you can get is a pdf file for each state that displays the names and boundaries for counties, county subdivisions (i.e. townships), places, and consolidated cities.

Here is their Map file for Indiana, as an example.

Combine the US Census Bureau maps with the USGS GNIS Website and you should be able to pinpoint the location and "see" where it is located on the maps. USGS is the U.S. Geological Survey and GNIS is the Geographic Names Information System.

You could also use Google to search for "township maps +Name of State" (without the quotes) to locate other websites that might be of use. For example using township maps +Indiana I found this Indiana resource:

Indiana Townships

Their map of Northeast Indiana (pdf)

Did you know there are 1008 townships and 92 counties in the state of Indiana?

And, just for the heck of it, take a look at Indiana Historical Maps. The site doesn't have any township information, but it does have some neat old maps.

History of Whitley and Noble Counties Online

The 1882 History of Whitley and Noble Counties is available online at the Family History Archives sponsored by the Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University.

For anyone doing research in these two Indiana counties, this book is a gem. It is full-text searchable and is available to download in four pdf files. I couldn't get the fourth part to display but the first 3 parts came up okay. Each page can also be downloaded individually.

Counties of Whitley and Noble, Indiana : Historical and Biographical.
Weston A. Goodspeed, Historical Editor.
Charles Blanchard, Biographical Editor.
F.A. Battey & Co. Publishers,1882
Allen County Public Library Call Number: 977.201 W59G
Family History Archives Reference URL: http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/u?/FH20,12461

The Harold B. Lee Library Digital Collections: http://www.lib.byu.edu/online.html

Archaeology and Genealogy?

According to their website, the Public Archaeology Survey Team, Inc. (PAST) is a private nonprofit organization which specializes in archaeological and historical research and public education in the Northeast. In addition to research projects and public outreach, PAST provides professional cultural resource management consulting services, including archaeological surveys, historic building recordation, museum exhibit design, and preservation planning for archaeological sites, historic buildings and structures, and cultural landscapes.

Among their current projects is the analysis of the voluminous data from four 18th-century house sites. One of those sites is the "Sprague Homestead" of Andover, Connecticut.

"The analysis of this important c. 1705 homestead is progressing, as we inventory the very large artifact assemblage recovered from the site. The house burned down in the 1750s, creating unusually favorable conditions for artifact preservation. Organic items such as food and wood, which would normally be consumed in New England's acidic soil, were preserved by carbonization. Ash filtered through the site, making the soils less acidic and promoting the preservation of bone, antler, fish scales and eggshells. The sheer number of household artifacts is also greater than average because objects burned or broken in the fire were left behind. Well over 100,000 artifacts were found at the Sprague homestead, a wealth of data that are already promising an enhanced understanding of 18th-century foodways and life on the frontier in Connecticut's sparsely settled interior.

"The Sprague site also makes a significant contribution to the interpretation of the 18th-century architectural landscape. Excavation indicates the house took a form that closely resembles post-medieval "long" houses of west England, from which the Sprague family came to Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1623. Measuring 64 by 16 feet, with an off-center large hearth and a second small corner external chimney at one end, the house form matches no standing historic houses in New England. Perhaps the Spragues were a particularly conservative family, or perhaps this old-style house form was more common than previously thought."

The other three house sites being investigated are the Goodsell House in North Branford, home of Samuel and Lydia Goodsell, the Daniels Homestead in Waterford, home of Thomas and Hannah Keeney Daniels, and The Huntington Homestead in Scotland, which is the birthplace of Samuel Huntington, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a distinguished statesman during the Revolutionary War. All four sites are in Connecticut. The first three were excavated in 1999, 2000, and 2001.

Wouldn't it be incredible if one of these sites was where your ancestor had lived? Well, I got lucky, again. The Sprague Homestead was settled in 1705 by Captain Ephraim Sprague of Duxbury, Massachusetts. He and his wife, Deborah, are my 6th great grandparents! Insert genealogy happy dance here!!!

There's more. In 2001 an article on the first three sites was published in "CRM No 4", and PAST has posted scanned images of the article on their site. It took some searching but I finally found out that "CRM" is a (now defunct) magazine on Cultural Resource Management that was published by the National Park Service.

The article, "Foodways in 18th Century Connecticut," was written by Ross K. Harper, Mary G. Harper, and Bruce Clouette. It provides details on some of the items found at the sites as well as some background information. I would find the article interesting even if one of the sites wasn't one of my ancestors. It truly is a look into the past.

"The picture of Sprague, only just emerging as the botanical, faunal, and artifact analysis progress, is one of a man who spanned several worlds. He lived in an oldstyle house, kept domesticated animals but also hunted, and enjoyed a fine tea set but still made his own tools of antler and cut-up brass kettles. He was a representative to Connecticut’s assembly, yet fought alongside Native Americans in a colonial and Indian war. Sprague, with his fine cufflinks and large quantity of trade beads, moved easily between roles. The archeological remains of his burned house will permit detailed reconstruction of the foodways of a frontiersman in southern New England, something which has never been done."

I found the link to the 3-page article yesterday at the bottom of the record of Ephraim Sprague in The Sprague Project database, which is coordinated by Richard E. (Dick) Weber. It contains information on more than 278,000 individuals from worldwide families of Sprague and Sprague-derivative names. If you have anyone with the Sprague surname in your family, it's definitely worth a look. It had been a while, like a couple years, since I'd been to the site and thought I'd just check to see if they had any new information. Am I glad I did? You betcha.

A PDF file of the article is on the National Park Service website.

The National Park Service website has other publications that may also be of interest.

Scanned images of the article can be found on the PAST website.

Current Projects of the Public Archaeology Survey Team, Inc.

Waymarking - A new Research Tool, perhaps?

Periodically I check out the new blogs at Chris Dunham's Genealogy Blog Finder. The person behind a blog called FamilyTrees is a genealogist in central Ohio whose newest hobby/obsession is one called waymarking.

This was something new to me so I checked out www.waymarking.com mentioned in the FamilyTrees post. Waymarking is apparently an offshoot of geocaching, which I had heard about. Both make use of GPS technology. Geocaching is somewhat like a scavenger hunt where items are hidden, usually out in the countryside. The GPS coordinates are recorded, and then other people attempt to find the hidden items. Waymarking, on the other hand, does not involve hiding anything, but you are still searching for something, whether it be an object or a location.

What's neat about waymarking is that an online directory has been created of these places that people have found. So far over 67,000 locations have been waymarked in 617 categories that range from AM/FM Radio Broadcasting Stations all the way through the alphabet (except X) to Zoos.

Interested in Ghost Towns, Hot Air Balloon Festivals, Indiana Historical Markers, Renaissance Fairs, or Outhouses, perhaps? Hmm, guess I'll have to get myself a GPS so I can post the location of the Historic Foust Outhouse!

The database at the Waymarking website can be searched by category, by proximity to an address, by zip code, or by using the site's Google Maps platform. Once you've found a location of interest, one click will bring up more information along with photos and written directions as well as a map and the GPS coordinates.

I can see using this to find sites of interest in an area to be visited: museums, libraries, memorials, theaters, restaurants, cemeteries, etc. And if the places you visit aren't listed, you could take pictures, get the GPS coordinates, and add them to the database. Registration on the website is required to be able to post new locations or add photographs to an existing location, but there is no charge. Additional features are available for a fee of $3 per month or $30 per year. You can use the site to find stuff without registering or paying a membership fee.

Of course, you could just use the site to play some games using your GPS. . . one of the games that interested me was the Ansel Adams Photo Hunt.

NY Times Online to be Free!

NewMexiKen has posted Something worth cheering about . . . "The New York Times will stop charging for access to parts of its Web site, effective at midnight Tuesday night, reflecting a growing view in the industry that subscription fees cannot outweigh the potential ad revenue from increased traffic on a free site."

Not only will the entire site be open to all readers, but this article states that The Times will also make available its archives from 1987 to the present without charge, as well as those from 1851 to 1922, which are in the public domain.

A letter to readers states: "Since we launched TimesSelect in 2005, the online landscape has altered significantly. Readers increasingly find news through search, as well as through social networks, blogs and other online sources. In light of this shift, we believe offering unfettered access to New York Times reporting and analysis best serves the interest of our readers, our brand and the long-term vitality of our journalism. We encourage everyone to read our news and opinion – as well as share it, link to it and comment on it."

I'm guessing that they will require registration, but hey, it's the New York Times, and their archives!

North Webster Cemetery Walk

Last week the Indiana Genealogical Society blog posted about the upcoming Cemetery Walk of North Webster Cemetery in Kosciusko County.

Sponsored by The Local History and Genealogy Center of the North Webster Community Public Library (301 N. Main Street, North Webster IN 46555) the walk is scheduled for Sunday, September 9. Beginning at 1 pm and going every 10-15 minutes until approximately 2:45 pm. In the event of rain, the walk will be rescheduled to Sunday, September 16. After the walk, refreshments will be offered at the library.

Start at the Library to join a guided tour group and receive information on the residents being highlighted this year: Perry E. Mock; Louie and Dorthea Tenney Engle; John S. Hall; Clara Kiser Cripe Rothenberger; Ned & Helen Raver, and Eleanor Joy Warner.

The re-enactors highlighting the life of the selected individuals include Monica Wilson, Don Minear, Deb Minear, Clarissa DuBois, Alan Leinbach, and Helen Leinbach.

This sounds like it might be fun. Mrs. Rothenberger was one of the long-time third grade teachers when I attended school at North Webster, though I had Mrs. Dunkin when I was in third grade. Helen Raver was a local beautician, she did my hair for my senior picture. Mrs. Warner was the art teacher for many years. My Dad's parents, Charles and Elsie Shuder Wiseman, and Elsie's parents, Isaac and Nancy Lavering Shuder, are buried in the North Webster Cemetery along with other relatives and lots of other people I knew in earlier times.

In addition to the cemetery walk, The Local History and Genealogy Center will also be accepting pre-paid orders for their upcoming book "Transcription of the North Webster Cemetery" beginning on September 9th. This sounds like it will be an awesome resource! The book will include information on over 2,000 burials, with photos of all the stones and over 950 obituaries. It will also include a site map and a transcription of the original plat map, along with an index. The book was made possible by a grant from the Esther Pfleiderer Charitable Trust. Softbound copies will be available for $45 (shipping & handling and tax is additional), and hardbound copies will be available for $75 (shipping & handling and tax is additional). To order, or for more information, contact Beth Smith at the North Webster Community Library -- phone (574) 834-7122.

Lucy, the First Human, Is on Tour

From Gadling:

Her bones made a debut on Friday at the Houston Museum of Natural Science in an exhibit called "Lucy's Legacy: The Treasures of Ethiopia." The exhibit, slated to appear in 9 other venues in the United States over the next few years, is not just about Lucy, but about the wealth of human existence that has come from Ethiopia.

In addition to the fossil of Lucy, over 100 artifacts such as ancient manuscripts and royal artifacts from a dynasty Ethiopians believe stretches back to the son of the biblical King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba will be on display.

I found the online exhibit Lucy's Legacy: The Treasures of Ethiopia, to be fascinating. She deserves more than the 15 minutes that I spent there... I didn't see any indication of where the other 9 venues were located.

There is also some concern about having Lucy's 3.18 million year old skeleton on display.

ACPL Videos Available

Thanks to Dick Eastman's post for this information.

The Allen County Public Library has recently released two videos on YouTube on using the Genealogy Center and some of their resources.

Part One: http://youtube.com/watch?v=tcqDqc0SXgo covers how to use their digital collection and online catalog. It runs for 9 minutes 17 seconds.

Part Two: http://youtube.com/watch?v=mlYhUwu8waQ runs for 7 minutes 30 seconds and covers the local history reading room, the microtext reading room, the family history room, as well as the movable stacks which house the city/county directories and oversize books. Other information helpful for planning a research trip to the center is also included.

Check out both videos, especially if you are planning a visit or even if you are simply curious about their collection.

Research Resources - Maps

Maps are one of the major tools that I've used to help me visualize where my ancestors lived. The one below was created after I'd been doing research for about 15 years. What I wanted was something small enough that I could take to the library and on research trips yet have it include a summary of all the surnames being researched. I also wanted something that would make sense to non-researching family members. It prints nicely on a standard 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper (click on the image to enlarge it).

As a starting point I scanned a portion of a U.S. counties map, probably from a very early edition of The Handybook for Genealogists. I currently have the Eighth Edition, printed in 1991, and it doesn't include anything like this, so maybe that's not where it came from. Anyway, after scanning it I opened the map in an image editing program and commenced to highlight each of the counties where my ancestors had lived.

The counties highlighted in yellow are the maternal lines and the orange are the paternal lines. Those with yellow centers and outlined in orange indicate that families from both my mother and father resided there. The names in blue are maternal lines and the red are paternal lines.

The only states where some of my ancestors lived that are not included on this map are Iowa, Kansas, and Mississippi. Also, I've just barely touched on researching my New England ancestors so not all of the counties where they resided in Massachusetts and Connecticut are highlighted. In addition to this map, I keep a file of copies of maps for each of these counties and have attempted to identify the township or at least the approximate area where they lived.

One of the other resources I've used extensively is "Map Guide to the U. S. Federal Censuses 1790-1920" by William Thorndale and William Dollarhide. The edition I have was published in 1987, which is a bit old but in decent shape and it still serves my purposes. If, like me, you have ancestors that are listed in a different county almost every census year but never physically moved, this book is indispensable. Of course, there are now web sites and software that dynamically show these county boundary changes.

A third resource that I use in my research is "The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy" which was my major purchase at the NGS Conference in Chicago in June 2006. Dick Eastman's review of the book covers it much better than I ever could. If I spent more time reading "The Source" I could probably forgo attending the FGS Conference next week, but there is more to going to a conference than attending lectures!

What general research resources are on your bookshelf?

• The Handybook for Genealogists
• Map Guide to the U. S. Federal Censuses 1790-1920
• Family History 101 has animated maps of the county boundary changes
• AniMap is software that dynamically shows boundary changes and allows you to make notations and save them for future use
  
• Dick Eastman's review of The Source

Recommended Reading - Ethics in Publishing Family Histories

Yesterday Dick Eastman posted Ethics in Publishing Family Histories, which refererenced and linked to Stephen Danko's post by that name. If you haven't done so already be sure to read both posts as well as the comments that have been added to both posts. Good Stuff. Steve's article should be required reading for all researchers!

Using Bloglines

Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings has mentioned Bloglines in several of his posts and yesterday I decided to give it a try. So far, I can say without hesitation, I love it! Thanks for the tip, Randy.

It did take me a couple of hours to go through my Favorites to get the nearly 100 blog urls (and, believe it or not, not all of them are Genealogy Blogs) added to Bloglines, but it is going to be so very handy to have them all in one spot and to easily see what has been updated since last logging in to Bloglines, so definitely worth the time it took. You can set up folders to categorize your blogs and you can also set up a favorites bookmark that allows you to easily add a new blog to your Bloglines account.

And, of course, there is the added benefit of using a web-based bloglist since it will be accessible on any computer anywhere that is connected to the internet. Which means, when I start going on research trips I'll easily be able to keep up to date on what is going on in the genea-blogging world.

Bloglines generally displays the posts without any formatting or ability to add comments but a simple click on the blog title will open a new window to display the blog with all of its formatting. Depending upon the options the blogger has selected for feeds, you may see the complete post or it may be just the first few lines of the post. Again, a click on the blog title opens the full post allowing you to see it as the blogger intended and giving you the ability to add your comments.

Bloglines has a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page if you want to learn more before signing up and using this FREE service.

Recommended Reading - Copyright Dilemmas

Have you ever wondered about who "owns" the rights to a photograph, or anything else that you personally have not created, and what "rights" you might have for their use? I sure have, all the time. Obituaries, Letters, Photographs, books or magazine articles; can you use them without fear of legal litigation? How much is "fair use" and who determines what is fair?

Never fear, help is here. . .

Who Owns the Copyrights to Your Photographs by Steve Danko, who has just completed a bit of training in Copyright issues, writes about the Copyright laws in the USA and provides some links to sites with additional information.

To Post or Not to Post: That is the Question by footnoteMaven, who writes about her dilemma regarding posting a family photograph from the early 1900's. She has analyzed the origin of the photograph step-by-step and her analysis could easily be used as a checklist for determining if it is feasible to post or publish any photograph without fear of legal litigation.

In my opinion, in case anyone cares, a little bit of common sense goes a long way in determining usability in these matters. But keep in mind, the wrong decision at the wrong time could see you in court.

There is a lot of information out there on this topic, so ignorance is not an excuse: a Google search for copyright+"fair use" brings up only 6,500,000 hits, the first one being U.S. Copyright Office - Fair Use

FamilySearch - Record Search and Indexing

This is "old" news but Shirley Richison Fields, the coordinator of the Indiana Marriage Indexing project (being done in conjunction with FamilySearch) spoke at the monthly meeting of the Genealogical Society of Whitley County on June 21st. She went through the process of signing up for the project and did a great job of demonstrating the process of downloading a batch and doing the actual indexing. I signed up in February but have only indexed a little over a hundred images so far but am planning to get back to it in the near future. It only takes 30-45 minutes per batch at most. I see this as an opportunity to "pay back" all those who have helped me in the past and contribute something as well.

There have been a few glitches, such as indexers catching up with the images, and arbitrators not keeping up with the indexers but so far there have been more than 250,000 records indexed!

At the link above there is a "Roll of Honor" listing the volunteers who have either indexed or arbitrated more that 5,000 records. There is also a table of statistics showing how many records have been indexed and arbitrated since the project began in late December 2006.

If you don't want to work on the Indiana Marriages, there is a list of other projects at FamilySearch Indexing. Some of the projects, like the Indiana Marriages, you have to sign up for the specific project, but others are "open" and you can work on any of them if you sign up through FamilySearch.

Speaking of FamilySearch, I signed up with the FamilySearch Labs Record Search pilot program yesterday morning. You can read about this opportunity at Dear Mytrle where I first read about it. Just as I was about to retire for the night last night I checked my email. Lo and behold, there was a message from FamilySearch Labs with instructions on how to sign in and access the Record Search area. Of course I had to check it out and take the challenge they give you. I'm not sure how much we're supposed to talk about this, but I will say this - WOW! Everything is so quick. The images I looked at appeared onscreen fast (compared to some other sites) and it was really easy to navigate through a series of images. This is going to be an AMAZING resource! Three hours later, about 2 a.m. this morning, I finally decided to go to bed. It's a good thing that I don't have to go to work anymore!

Updated at 7:35 p.m. Tuesday 06/26: The "confidentiality" clause included with the initial email from FamilySearch for the Record Search Pilot Program has been "sort of" lifted according to Dear Myrtle. She has a comprehensive posting on how the Record Search site works and what information is available. She nailed it! I had so much fun playing with it Sunday night. I did have an issue with saving the images but reported it immediately and then first thing Monday morning had an email from FamilySearch stating they were looking into the problem. As Myrt said, if they can make it so you can copy/paste the full transcription, that will make it even more awesome. Thanks Myrt!

Partnerships and Collaboration - ain't it great!

Dick Eastman at Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter has posted several very exciting notices of partnerships that have been announced this morning at the NGS Conference in Richmond. These partnerships are going to open up a whole new world of opportunities for researchers!

Quintin Publications Partners With WorldVitalRecords.com To Make Thousands of Genealogical Databases Accessible

Historic Ellis Island Passenger Records Receive Expanded Online Access This is a partnership between The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc., World Vital Records, Inc. and FamilySearch.

More Than 4,500 Family History Centers Worldwide to have Free Access to WorldVitalRecords.com

Other recent announcements, posted by Dick and many other genea-bloggers, regarding partnerships and expanded availability of content include:

ProQuest CSA Teams Up with LexisNexis to Add Selected Serial Set Content to HeritageQuest Online "The addition of the Private Relief Actions and Memorials and Petitions from the LexisNexis Serial Set collection serves the growing genealogy and local history segment of the public library market. " Note that HeritageQuest is available only to libraries, not to individuals.

Footnote.com Teams With FamilySearch to Release Revolutionary War Pension Files "This new partnership brings together two organizations that will utilize their combined resources to digitize and make available many large historical collections. The first project will be the three million U.S. Revolutionary War Pension files, which will be published for the first time online in their entirety."

This past Tuesday, following the Footnote and FamilySearch announcement, Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings gave us his thought on what this means to the future of genealogy and research. You'll have to scroll down past the announcement to find his comments...

But, perhaps the most important recent announcement is that FamilySearch will Provide Access to the World's Genealogical Records. FamilySearch announced "its Records Access program to increase public access to massive genealogy collections worldwide. For the first time ever, FamilySearch will provide free services to archives and other records custodians who wish to digitize, index, publish, and preserve their collections. The program expands FamiliySearch's previously announced decision to digitize and provide online access to over 2 million rolls of copyrighted microfilm preserved in the Granite Mountain Records Vault. A key component of the program allows FamilySearch and archives to team with genealogy websites to provide unprecedented access to microfilm in the vault. The combined results ensure a flood of new record indexes and images online at www.FamilySearch.org and affiliated websites."

Godfrey Memorial Library and FamilySearch Centers Announce Partnership "The Godfrey Library has been digitizing much of their information and is now accelerating that effort. Even better, visitors to LDS FamilySearch Centers around the world will now have free access to the digitized material."

These are indeed exciting times for genealogists as well as researchers in general! I'm sure there will be more announcements in the near future. Don't you just love competition and collaboration, I sure do!