Upcoming Classes 

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. 

July 20 - 9:30-10:30  Research in Cajun Country  

Presenter: Cheryl Singhal

The deep south is an area rich in genealogical resources. This class will focus on research specific to the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and western Florida.

 * Join a Focus Group to Enhance Your Research Skills * 

DNA Group: meetings on June 12 & 26 at 7:00 p.m.

RootsMagic Users Group: monthly meetings on the 2nd Saturday at 9:30 a.m.

  Thank you to all of our presenters who volunteer their time to teach!

by Sunny McClellan Morton

The records created as our ancestors naturalized - or the laws that prevented them from doing so - can give us insight into the often elusive experiences of immigrant generations. Here you'll learn more about who could naturalize and how; what the paperwork contains and where to find it; and how one man's naturalization papers are key to confirming his identity - in both the old world and the new: 

Naturalization Records

Source: Archives.com Blog, June 14, 2013

 Finding a record at a "government agency" can be confusing. Do you search at a local, state or federal level?

According to Diane Haddad, "It generally depends on whether a local, state or federal entity required that the record be kept. But there are exceptions: Sometimes an agency on one level retained a copy of a record kept on another level (for example, many states require counties to forward copies of birth and death certificates). Or a local office might send old records to a state archive.

Of course, a repository at any level might have microfilmed records from another level. For example, state archives may have federal census records and county court records for that state on microfilm.

Though there are always exceptions to the rule, here's a list of major genealogical records you'll usually find on what level of government: 

• County or town level: Vital records (in some places, counties and towns kept their own vital records before the state mandated it), wills and probates, court records, county coroner records, property deeds, voter registrations, pre-1906 naturalizations applied for in county court
• State level: Vital records after state-mandated vital record-keeping began, state censuses, pre-1906 naturalizations applied for in state court, military records of state militia service, state prison records, state hospital records, state orphanage records.
• Federal level: US censuses, ships' passenger lists, military records for the Revolutionary War and later, patents for federal land, naturalizations made in 1906 and later, pre-1906 naturalizations applied for in federal court, alien registrations, passport applications, Social Security Number applications, Bureau of Indian Affairs records, federal court records, federal prison records, vital records for events occurring on a military base overseas."

by Kimberly Powell

With a few exceptions, hereditary surnames, the last names passed down through the males of a family, didn't exist until about 1000 years ago. While it may be hard to believe in today's hustle and bustle, surnames just weren't necessary before that. In a world that was much less crowded than it is today -- a world where most folks never ventured more than a few miles from their place of birth and every man knew his neighbors -- first, or given names, were the only designations necessary. Even kings got by with a single name....

Patronymics, last names derived from a father's name, were widely used in forming surnames, especially in the Scandinavian countries. Occasionally, the name of the mother contributed the surname, referred to as a matronymic surname....

One of the most common ways to differentiate one man from his neighbor was to describe him terms of his geographic surroundings or location (similar to describing a friend as the "one who lives down the street"). Such local names denoted some of the earliest instances of surnames in France, and were quickly introduced into England by the Norman nobility who chose names based on the locations of their ancestral estates....   

This indepth article can be read in its entirety here.

Source:  About.com: Genealogy, June 1, 2013

 by James Tanner

From time to time, in talking about missing ancestors, I hear the comment that "of course, I can't find any records because the courthouse burned down." For the most part, I view this as an excuse to give up, not a real obstacle to finding an ancestor. But the question is a real one: what is the impact of the loss of the courthouse records in any given county? Is my perception that this "problem" is highly overrated, an accurate impression?

Let's get some basic sources for help first, before I go into a deeper analysis. I suggest starting with the FamilySearch Research Wiki article, "Burned Counties Research." You may also want to have a look at the Research Wiki article, "United States, How to Find Genealogy Records." Where there has been a fire or other disaster, whether in a city or a county, is also referred to as a "lost record locality."

The first consideration to compensate for the lost records is to determine the exact time frame involved in the loss. Next, determine, if possible the exact type of records lost and whether any partial records were preserved. Then determine what surviving records can be used to determine the content of the destroyed records. 

Land records, even if destroyed, need to be reconstituted because people still have to buy and sell real property. Look for records in private record repositories such as title insurance companies and abstractors' offices. 

Source: Genealogy's Star, May 21, 2013

Indexes to Virginia

Scottish Research