-----Weekly Newsletter-----                                           24 June, 2015 - Vol 16, Issue 25
In This Issue
Announcements
Youth and Family History
Questions/Answers
Favorite Websites
Family History Consultants
Bulletin Thought
Remember...
Upcoming Classes
Join Our Mailing List!
Quick Links
 
Please help make this newsletter a success by submitting your Family History questions, tips, favorite websites, surname queries, quotes and stories to share with others.  Submit.

 

Announcements
The Logan FamilySearch Library will be closed on Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4th for the Independance Day celebrations.  We will be open at 9:30 am on Monday, July 6 for normal operation.

Plan now for the Monthly Staff  Training held in the Tabernacle Chapel at 9:00 am,  Wednesday, July 8.  This month will feature a presentation from Randy Hoffman, Product Manager at FamilySearch.  He will be presenting information on cloud technology and search skills.

Our class term will be complete at the end of June and school is out for the summer.  We are developing better methods to register for a class, easy-to-find information about a class, and subjects you have requested.  Our new term will start August 31.  Watch the newsletter for the latest information.

 Whats New in Family Search?

FamilySearch Combines Indexes and Record Images in a Single View 

Those using FamilySearch.org to find historical records can now enjoy a search experience that allows researchers to compare extracted indexes and the image the index came from in a single view, which results in fewer clicks and faster conclusions.  The new hybrid record view makes the information that was indexed from an historical record visible when reviewing the digitized image of the record. This is achieved by creating a split pane, where the index appears below the image.  Follow this link to learn more:

https://familysearch.org/blog/en/familysearch-combines-indexes-record-images-single-view/
 

Help Desk
What place name do we use when its name has changed? 
How should people enter a place name when the name has changed since the event took place? This applies to many situations in the U.S. alone -- cities and counties change their names. Counties are abolished or have boundary changes that put an ancestral residence in a different county. Counties are divided into two or more new counties. British colonies are divided into counties and later become parts of states. Cities within counties become independent cities -- and so on. 
So the question is: do we use the current locality name, which has been the general practice among family researchers, or should we use the name of the locality at the time, if we can determine it? In either case, what is the best or recommended way to list the other name of the locality?
Answer:  I prefer to use the contemporary placename - it hardly seem to make sense, e.g., to say that George Washington was born in United States of America in 1731/32. What was all that 1776 business about then? 
However, it is unfair to assume that there are no issues with using contemporary names - geocoding may fail to find contemporary names, e.g., while it makes comparisons tricky. 
Fortunately, FS FT has the ability to record two place-names - a name for displaying and a standard name. It seems to me that the display name could be used to show the contemporary name and the standardised name to record the current name. 

Favorite Websites

I found two web sites this week that you may find unique and useful.  timeanddate.com is one of the world's most popular websites on everything about time and date.  Keep this site in mind as you calculate dates, world time and much more.

Do you have ancestors who lived in London between October 1940 and June 1941?  Visit bombsight.org and see mapping of the London WW2 bomb census between 7/10/1940 and 06/06/1941. Previously available only by viewing in the Reading Room at The National Archives, Bomb Sight is making the maps available to citizen researchers.  You will be able to explore where the bombs fell and to discover memories and photographs from the period.

 

6 Types of Info Found In Your Ancestor's Will

Do you get ALL the information our of an ancestor's will that you could?  

You've read the will.  You have identified  what your ancestor owned.  You have an idea of what type of wealth he had (or did not have.)  You have identified a few family relationships.

But.....

What pieces of useful information have you possibly overlooked?

Important Information Found in Your Ancestor's Will - call up this link to find out more:

Ask a Family History Consultant, They Can Help You
Did you know that in Latter-Day Saint Congregations (Mormons) and at Family History Centers around the world, family history consultants would be happy to help you get started discovering your family heritage?

Unfortunately, I recently heard a discouraging remark. It went something along the lines that family history has become so easy you don't need a family history consultant to help you. Knowing the world is filled with family history consultants who would LOVE to help others, this cut deep. 
I'll offer the benefit of the doubt to the person who made the remark. They were probably playing the "it's so easy" card to invite people to be engaged in genealogy; however, they shoot themselves and others in the foot by saying such statements.
For many folks, getting started in family history is anything but easy. 
  • Where to start? 
  • How to start? 
  • Where to focus energy? 
  • How to get from what you know to what you don't know? 
  • How to recognize what you don't know? 
  • What resources are available?
All these questions and more are a trained family history consultants' specialty and passion.  Click here to see more.

Using Funeral Home Records for Genealogy
Once you have found the obituary for your ancestor's death, take note of the name of the funeral home that handled the arrangements.  Funeral homes keep detailed records about the individuals that they provide service to  and care for. Funeral home records can be a valuable resource.   Follow this link to learn more:

Family History Research Help
Quick tip - How to find Dutch genealogy records online
The website Digital Resources Netherlands and Belgium offers links to websites that publish archival records, whether in the form of scans, indexes or transcripts. The links are organized per province.   Click here to find more.

  
More than 16 million Virginia vital records have been digitized and indexed as a result of collaboration between Ancestry and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH).  These records were officially released to the public on June 2, 2015.

Access Canadian WW2 Military Service Files in a Few Easy Steps
Library and Archives Canada holds military service files for those who served after 1918. Their website explanation
 of who can access what files and how to obtain them is a bit confusing, so I'll share  with you what I did. It was simple.  Read more at:

Suggestion for Weekly Bulletin Thought

"We're not alone--at least, we're alone only if we choose to be alone. We're alone only if we choose to go through life relying solely on our own strength rather than learning to draw upon the power of God. " 
 Sheri L. Dew 

Remember...

Military's love... in sickness!
 

The passengers on the bus watched sympathetically as the attractive young woman with the white cane made her way carefully up the steps. She paid the driver and, using her hands to feel the location of the seats, walked down the aisle and found the seat he'd told her was empty. Then she settled in, placed her briefcase on her lap and rested her cane against her leg.It had been a year since Susan, 34, became blind. Due to a medical misdiagnosis she had been rendered sightless, and she was suddenly thrown into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and self-pity. And all she had to cling to was her husband, Mark.

 

Mark was an Air Force officer and he loved Susan with all his heart. When she first lost her sight, he watched her sink into despair and was determined to help his wife gain the strength and confidence she needed to become independent again.

Finally, Susan felt ready to return to her job, but how would she get there? She used to take the bus, but was now too frightened to get around the city by herself. Mark volunteered to drive her to work each day, even though they worked at opposite ends of the city. At first, this comforted Susan, and fulfilled Mark's need to protect his sightless wife who was so insecure about performing the slightest task. Soon, however, Mark realized the arrangement wasn't working. Susan is going to have to start taking the bus again, he admitted to himself. But she was still so fragile, so angry-how would she react?

Just as he predicted, Susan was horrified at the idea of taking the bus again. "I'm blind!," she responded bitterly. "How am I supposed to know where I am going? I feel like you're abandoning me."

Mark's heart broke to hear these words, but he knew what had to be done. He promised Susan that each morning and evening he would ride the bus with her, for as long as it took, until she got the hang of it. And that is exactly what happened. For two solid weeks, Mark, military uniform and all, accompanied Susan to and from work each day. He taught her how to rely on her other senses, specifically her hearing, to determine where she was and how to adapt her new environment. He helped her befriend the bus drivers who could watch out for her, and save her a seat.

Finally, Susan decided that she was ready to try the trip on her own. Monday morning arrived, and before she left, she threw her arms around Mark, her temporary bus-riding companion, her husband, and her best friend. Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude for his loyalty, his patience, and his love. She said good-bye, and for the first time, they went their separate ways. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday... Each day on her own went perfectly, and Susan had never felt better. She was doing it! She was going to work all by herself.

On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual. As she was paying the fare to exit the bus, the driver said, "Boy, I sure do envy you." Susan wasn't sure if the driver was speaking to her or not. After all, who on earth would ever envy a blind woman who had struggled just to find the courage to live for the past year?

Curious, she asked the driver, "Why do you say that you envy me?" The driver responded, "It must feel good to be taken care of and protected like you are."

Susan had no idea what the driver was talking about, and again asked, "What do you mean?"

The driver answered, "You know, every morning for the past week, a fine-looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the corner watching you as you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross the street safely and he watches until you enter your office building. Then he blows you a kiss, gives you a little salute and walks away. You are one lucky lady."

Tears of happiness poured down Susan's cheeks. For although she couldn't physically see him, she had always felt Mark's presence. She was lucky, so lucky, for he had given her a gift more powerful than sight, a gift she didn't need to see to believe-the gift of love that can bring light where there is darkness.

Author Unknown


 

Upcoming Classes

Logan FamilySearch Library Class Schedule

Register online at loganfsl.org or call (435) 755-5594 

 

Wed, Jun 24Making a Family History Page in FacebookDave Winkler1 wk10 am
Wed, Jun 24You Can Find Cousins Using PuzzillaDedee Dalebout1 wk5 pm
Thu, Jun 25Family History Consultants Workshop (No Reg Needed)Wade Nicholas1 wk6-9 pm
Sat, Jun 27How to Merge Records in Family TreeGail Bartholomew1 wk10 am
 

 

Sincerely,

 

Billy K. Jones
Director of Training
Logan Utah FamilySearch Library

Phone: (435) 755-5594

 


Logan Utah FamilySearch Library | 50 North Main (lower level) | PO Box 3397 | Logan | UT | 84321