| FHC Info | |
Hours of Operation:
Mon: Closed
Fri: 9:30 am-1:00 pm
Saturday:
9:30 am-4:30 pm
Tues, Wed, Thurs:
9:30am-4:30pm, & 7-9:30 pm
Directors: Linda & Kurt Christensen Washington DC Stake Carol & Gary Petranek, Silver Spring MDStake |
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| WDC FHC News | | |
Annual Conference - May 4, 2013
Seats at our annual Family History Conference are quickly being filled. If you are planning to attend, please register soon as our maximum capacity is 350 people and registration will be closed when that number is reached. This conference will be held on Saturday, May 4 from 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at 10000 Stoneybrook Drive, Kensington, MD (the home of our FHC). This year, we are offering 29 classes, with DearMYRTLE as our keynote speaker and presenter of two classes. Our conference website with information and registration instructions can be accessed here.
Upcoming Classes
March 16 - 9:30-10:30 a.m. Digging Deeper: City Directories, Taxes, and Voter Registration
Presenter: Rebecca Koford
Learn how to go beyond census and vital records to find clues in these often-overlooked resources.
April 20 - 9:30-10:30 a.m. Conducting Research on FamilySearch Using Parents' Names
Presenter: Natonne Kemp
While there are many ways to filter a search at FamilySearch.org, this session will specifically focus on various techniques of using the names of parents to locate your ancestor.
June 15 - 9:30-10:30 a.m. Using Chronologies to Enhance Your Family History Narrative
Presenter: Sue Mortensen
Learn how to use this invaluable tool to chronicle events in the life of your ancestor, identify the gaps in your research, and construct a comprehensive narrative of your ancestor's life.
Thank you to all of our presenters who volunteer their time to teach!
All classes are free of charge, but registration is requested.
Email info@wdcfhc.org, or call 301-587-0042
Heritage Quilt
A beautiful and lovingly created heritage quilt is on display at our FHC. For the past year, members of our African-American Interest group have labored to capture the photos and stories of their ancestors on quilt blocks. We are honored to have this work of art in our Center, and thank members of the group for sharing their talents and love of family history for all to enjoy.
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WDCFHC Interest Groups | | |
We are pleased to announce that two new groups are now meeting at our Family History Center. Patrons are invited to attend on a drop-in basis (no registration needed).
DNA Interest Group
DNA in genealogy research is quickly escalating to a prominent place with researchers. This group is led by Jim Bartlett, who describes the various tests and explains how they may benefit your research.
Group meets the 2nd & 4th Wednesday evenings, 7:00 p.m.
April 10 & 24 and May 8 & 22. Future dates will be determined in May.
Metro DC RootsMagic Users Group
RootsMagic is a popular genealogical software which makes researching, organizing and sharing family history easy. The purpose of the users' group is to explore the many facets of this software and assist each other is maximizing its potential.
Group meets the 2nd Saturday of each month at 9:30 a.m.
African-American Interest Group
Focus on all aspects of African-American research.
Group meets every Monday at 9:30 a.m.
Irish Interest Group
Focus on research in both Ireland and in the U.S.
Group meets the 1st, 3rd & 5th Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m.
First meeting of the RootsMagic Users Group, February 23, 2013
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Digging Yourself out of a Genealogical Black Hole | | |
by James Tanner
Unresolvable genealogical problems become a virtual black hole, sucking time and resources. In my experience these unresolvable problems can be categorized into a few broad categories:
- Actual time periods where there are no longer any records of ordinary people
- Individuals whose parent or parents were not recorded (i.e. foundling or out-of-wedlock)
- Individuals who, for whatever reason, left the family, changed their name and were never heard of again (sometimes you can ultimately resolve these)
- Ancestors who originate in countries that either did not keep records or where, because of war or otherwise, the records are no longer available.
Spending time on any of these does not hold out much promise of resolution. However, there are other situations that appear to be black holes but are usually resolvable through additional much broader research.
Source: Genealogy's Star, February 25, 2013 |
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Three Ideas for Tracing Female Ancestors | | |
by Gena Philibert-Ortega
Researching female ancestors can be challenging. While you should start with a similar methodology when researching women as you would men there are some additional strategies to consider. The three steps I describe below will assist you with finding your female ancestors when the usual techniques fail:
- Expand Your Research
- Female Specific Resources
- Women-Centered Activities
Gena's description of these resources and links can be found here.
Source: The In-Depth Genealogist May 5, 2012 |
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Starting a Genealogy Blog | | |
Have you considered creating a blog but don't know where to start? A blog is an excellent way to to disseminate information that you have found, and to provide an avenue for others who are researching your lines to find you.
James Tanner has written a blogpost which explains how to begin, and which also includes a step-by-step video. Access his blog and read his tips here.
 | | Part 1 How to Blog Your Family History - Genealogy Blogging |
Part 2 of this video series can be accessed here.
Source: Genealogy's Star, February 22, 2013 |
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Understanding Terms Found in Historical Newspapers | | |
by Mary Harrell-Sesniak
Relict. Proximo. Ultimo. Com. Are you sometimes confused by the terminology or abbreviations you see when reading old newspapers? This article describes the meanings of general newspaper terms and definitions of many oft-misunderstood terms. Access this article here.
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Finding Wills |
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by Michael J. Leclerc
People who are ready to arrange for the disposition of their property after their death prepare their will and testament. Originally, these were two different documents. The will was used to handle real property (land, buildings, etc). The testament dealt with personal property, sometimes called "moveables" (clothing, furniture, tools, etc.). Over time these merged into a single document. Since so many people were illiterate, they would often employ a scribe to write their wishes down. In addition to people who earned their living as scribes, attorneys and members of the clergy often served in this roll for the last will and testament. Once it was written, it would be signed by the testator in the presence of witnesses.
Once the testator died, it was the responsibility of the executor appointed by the probate court to present the will to the court, and to execute the wishes of the testator. The witnesses would appear in court to testify to the signing. The court clerk would then record the will into ledger books kept as an official record. The original will would be kept in a docket folder along with all of the other original paperwork as the estate continued its way through the probate process. These papers are sometimes referred to as estate files.
When records were microfilmed, quite often it was the books that were filmed instead of the papers. Books were easy to manipulate. The docket folders/estate papers required a lot of manual labor. Each file needed to be opened, and all of the papers inside unfolded and flattened for filming. This was very labor intensive. Books could be placed on the stand and pages easily turned. In some localities, both were filmed; in others, only one. Be aware that if only one was filmed, the other may still exist in the original and be able to substitute illegible or damaged pages.
Another thing to remember is that people might prepare more than one will and testament over time. This is why the one filed with the court is called the "last will and testament." The one prepared last (i.e., closest to the date of death) supersedes all previous ones. But what happens to the earlier wills? Sometimes they survive, in an individual's papers or in the papers of an attorney. These may have made their way into archives and libraries, so look for them in manuscript collections.
In addition to these earlier wills, sometimes multiple copies of a will might be prepared for one reason or another. These duplicates also appear in manuscript collections. In addition, for one reason or another wills sometimes went unrecorded. Some courthouses have collections of these documents and sometimes you can find them in libraries and archives.
Source: Mocavo Blog, Jan 31, 2013 |
| How to Backup Computer Files | | |
This video gives step-by-step instructions on backing up data on a Windows 7 computer. Making regular backups is a must to protect against data loss!
 | | How to Back Up Your Files/Computer in Windows 7 |
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Press Release: Jewish Records Indexing - Poland | | |
It appears that Poland is beginning a multi-year project to digitize the vital records of churches and synagogues in all of their archives and to post the information free on the Internet.
Bethesda, Maryland and Warsaw, Poland, February 15, 2013.
Today the Polish State Archives (PSA) and Jewish Records Indexing - Poland (JRI-Poland) entered into a new multi-year agreement to expand access to Jewish records. PSA General Director, Professor Władysław Stępniak observed: "The signing of this agreement will open a new phase in the cooperation between JRI-Poland and State Archives in Poland. I am convinced that the results of our mutual efforts will be helpful for many people interested in centuries-old Polish-Jewish relations, shared history and family history research."
JRI-Poland's searchable online database of records from more than 550 towns is the starting point in Jewish family history research in Poland. The database of records going back to the late 18th century belies the misleading notion that Jewish records of Poland were destroyed in World War II. The agreement will enable JRI-Poland to rapidly expand its current online database of indices to five million records, the largest database of Jewish vital records online. Indices to more than one million additional records are expected to become available within a year and will dovetail with the opening in Warsaw of the new Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
Read the full press release here.
Blogs with additional information can be found below.
Stanczyk-Internet Muse
Polish Archives
The first records to be digitized, starting in March, will be listed here:
http://nac.gov.pl/files/D
Thanks to Larry Krupnak, a WDCFHC staff member, who sent this information.
Source: Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter, February 17, 2013 |
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Genealogy "Tips of the Day"
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by Michael John Neill
Empty Those Frames. Is there a second picture hiding in that picture frame? Sometimes photographs will be placed on top of the photo that was already in the frame or pieces of paper will be stuck in the frame as well--underneath the picture. One never knows what clues may be hidden in a picture frame.
Moved in with the Children?
If late in their lives, you can't trace one of your older relatives, consider the possibility that Grandma moved in with one of her children or grandchildren. This could easily have been a distance from where she lived most of her life and where her husband is buried. It is also possible that a "disappearing" grandparent moved near one of their own siblings instead of one of their own children. It's also possible that your "disappearing" older relatives moved away and did not live near any of their children as a pair of mine did in the 1870s.
Did Grandpa Really Sell the Farm? If your land-owning ancestor's name does not appear in the grantor (seller) index to land records, consider that he might not have been the actual seller when the property changed hands. It could have been his widow or his heirs (after his death), the sheriff (if he didn't pay his taxes), or the judge (if there was some type of legal action). In all of these cases, the deed will not be indexed in your ancestor's name since he was not the grantor.
What Kind of Brother Is He?
The document refers to John as Tom's brother? Keep in mind that the actual meaning may be full brothers, half-brothers, step-brothers, or brothers-in-law. One record may not necessarily tell the whole story.
Did The Widow Remarry?
Even if no one mentions it, even if people insist it did not happen, consider the fact that a widow married again after her husband's death. A marriage, and consequential change in last name, could be the reason why you are unable to find her after her husband's death.
Who is My Brother-in-Law? A "brother-in-law" could easily be the husband of your sister, your wife's brother, or your wife's sister's husband. In certain times, a "brother-in-law" could also be what today we would consider a "step-brother." Don't assume the specifics of the relationship until you've got evidence indicating the specifics of the relationship. At its most generic, a "brother-in-law" relationship is a "brother" relationship created by someone's marriage.
Google That Incorrect Spelling. If you are having difficulty reading an old document, consider typing the word the way it looks into Google. You might be surprised to find that the "incorrect" word is actually right and it, even more, that it actually means something relevant to the document or to your research.
Away from the Fire. Researched in "burned" counties can be difficult. Try and think of what sources were not present "at the burning." Federal records, state records, church records, newspapers, private papers, books, etc. all would have hopefully been in a separate location from the facility that had the fire.
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Research Tips & Resources | |
Slavery-Related Court Petitions Online
The Race and Slavery Peitions Project has collected 17,487 slavery-related petitions in the 15 southern states. There is an abstract of each petition. It is estimated that 250,000 petitions were submitted. Read more here.
Your Genetic Genealogist
Genealogy Programs for a Mac
Dick Eastman explores the most popular Mac software programs:
The Scots-Irish
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Thank you for subscribing to Generations. We hope this publication will motivate you to successfully begin or continue your family history research. We would like to hear from you! Please submit your questions, research tips, and favorite websites to us at info@wdcfhc.org
Sincerely,
Carol Petranek, Newsletter Editor
Linda & Kurt Christensen
Gary Petranek
Directors, Washington DC Family History Center
10000 Stoneybrook Drive, PO Box 49
Kensington, MD 20895
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