| 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
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Upcoming Classes
Saturday, April 26, 9:30-10:30
DAR Library: Research in Person and Online
Presenter: Julia Coldren-Walker
The DAR Library is a treasure trove of genealogical information,and it is in our backyard! This informative session will explain what resources are available at the Library, those which can be accessed online and those available at the library.
Saturday, May 17,9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
Strategies for Discovering Your Enslaved Ancestors
Presenter: Aaron Dorsey
Discover effective research techniques and strategies for identifying the last slave holding family of your ancestor.
All classes are free of charge, but registration is requested. * Join a Focus Group to Enhance Your Research Skills * Beginning Genealogy: weekly on Tuesday mornings at 10:00. Contact Lorraine Minor at ldgene@verizon.net for further information. DNA Group: Bi-weekly on Wednesday evenings at 7:00; next meetings are April 9 & 23, May 7 & 21, June 4 & 18. RootsMagic Users Group: Meetings are monthly, on the 2nd Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Irish Group: bi-weekly meetings on the 1st, 3rd & 5th Tuesday evenings at 7:00.
African-American Group: weekly on Monday mornings, 9:30. |
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DNA Conference to Be Held in Maryland
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The 2014 International Genetic Genealogy Conference will be held August 15-17 in Washington, DC at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center. An outstanding group of genetic genealogists and population geneticists have agreed to speak at this conference. Representatives from all of the major genetic genealogy companies have agreed to give presentations. Dr. Spencer Wells, who heads the National Geographic Genographic Project, will be the keynote speaker. We are grateful to these speakers who are willing to share their knowledge with the genetic genealogy community.
The main portion of the conference will be held on August 16 and 17. Family Tree DNA will hold a workshop in the evening on August 15. Other genetic genealogy companies possibly will also be holding workshops on August 15 during the afternoon. See www.i4gg.org for details about the conference and to register for it. The registration is $85. Meals and lodging will be available at the conference center but must be purchased at least one month in advance. For a preliminary conference schedule see http://i4gg.org/conference-schedule.
(Thanks to Jim Bartlett, WDC FHC DNA Specialist, for sending this information. Jim will be teaching a session on Triangulation at this conference.) |
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Invisible Women Ancestors
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"The individual identities of women who lived prior to the twentieth century are often very tangled in those of their husbands, both by law and by custom. In many places, women were not allowed to own real estate in their name, to sign legal documents, or to participate in government. Men wrote the histories, paid the taxes, participated in the military and left wills. Men were also the ones whose surname was carried into the next generation by the children. As a result, female ancestors are often neglected in family histories and genealogies-listed with only a first name and approximate dates for birth and death. They are our "invisible ancestors."
So how can you, as a genealogist, locate someone who is 'invisible?' Tracing the female side of your family tree can be a bit difficult and frustrating, but is also one of the most rewarding challenges of genealogy research. By following a few basic research methods, with an added measure of patience and creativity, you'll soon be learning about all of the women who passed their genes down to you. Just remember, don't give up! If your female ancestors had given up, you might not be here today."
This article details finding women in: marriage and divorce records, cemetery, census, land and other records (church, wills, military, newspapers). Click here.
Source: About: Genealogy, March 25, 2014
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State Research Guides and Place Pages
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by Ancestry.com
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Why Immigrants Change Their Names
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A common problem in genealogy is tracing people who have changed their name. This occurs most often when someone migrates to another country. The general assumption in genealogy is that immigrants change their name to help them become more assimilated into their new homeland. There are, however, a variety of other reasons why immigrants may change their name.
A study published in the Journal of Labor Economics provides valuable proof to the field of genealogy that money can be a major incentive for immigrants to change their name. The study by Mahmood Arai and Peter Skogman Thoursie of Stockholm University studied recent immigrants to Sweden (Renouncing Personal Names: An Empirical Examination of Surname Change and Earnings). In Sweden, there are only two ways for a person to change their name: by marriage and by legal application to the government. The researchers looked at immigrants who changed their name by legal application, a process that takes from one to two years to complete. The study focused on immigrants who changed their name to make it more Swedish sounding or more ethnically neutral sounding. The researchers looked at the pay of this group of immigrants before and after the name change. What they found was that an immigrant could significantly increase their earnings by adopting a more local-sounding name. Specifically, an immigrant could more than double their earnings potential simply by changing their name. Interestingly enough, the impact of a name change had a larger economic impact for women than men. The authors hypothesize that the local populace assumes the name change is due to marriage to a local husband. According to the authors, this provides further proof "that individuals are treated differently [in their new country] depending on their name".
The United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are all examples of countries founded by immigrants. Most immigrants were motivated by a desire to lead a better life for themselves and their families. A cornerstone of living a good life is to have a good job. For genealogy, this study helps validate the notion that immigrants changed their name to help improve their economic prospects.
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"Reasonably Exhaustive" Research
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by Michael Hait
One of the most difficult concepts to grasp, when we strive to meet the Genealogical Proof Standard, is the "reasonably exhaustive search." This requirement demands that we conduct thorough research, scouring every possible source of relevant information touching upon our research question.
The following steps present one way to think about this requirement, as a process of reduction, beginning with a large pool of possible sources and systematically eliminating those that cannot hold relevant information.
1. Imagine every possible source for information.
2. Eliminate records that could not possibly hold information about the subject.
3. Eliminate records that are unlikely to hold information about the subject.
4. Identify what records remain.
5. Systematically examine every record within this pool of potential sources.
This important article, with detailed explanations of each step, can be read here.
Source: Planting the Seeds: Genealogy as a Profession, March 24, 2014
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City Directories for Genealogy
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For anyone researching ancestors in a city or larger community, standard genealogical resources often fall short. Newspapers generally mention only the influential, interesting or most newsworthy residents. Land records offer little help when researching renters. Census records don't tell the stories of individuals who moved multiple times between census years.
Cities, however, offer an invaluable historical and genealogical resource not available to those of us researching rural ancestors - namely, city directories.
City directories offer anyone conducting family history research in a city or large town a nearly annual census of city residents, as well as a window into the community in which they lived. Genealogists all know the value of placing an ancestor in a particular time and place, but city directories can also be used to follow an individual's occupation, place of employment, and place of residence, as well as potentially identify life events such as marriages and deaths. Looking beyond the names of your ancestors, city directories also provide invaluable insight into your ancestor's community, often including sections on neighborhood churches, cemeteries, and hospitals, plus organizations, clubs, associations, and societies.
Read more about the information found in city directories and tips for research here.
Source: About: Genealogy, January 21, 2014
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The FAN Principle
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by Elizabeth Shown Mills
Biographical research on people from the past is a gamble. Our person of interest may or may not have been literate. Even the schooled may have left few traces of their existence. Many documents we expect to find for the place and time will have suffered destruction. The answers we seek to specific research questions may not appear in any surviving record created by our person.
All these trials explain why many successful researchers live by the FAN Principle: When those we study left no document to handily supply the information we seek, we often find it in the records created by members of their FAN Club-their Friends, Associates, and Neighbors.
To read the full article and gain insight into the importance of FAN Clubs, click here.
Source: Evidence Explained, December 4, 2013
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Petitions: Do You Make Use of Them?
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People often think of petitions as just "a list of names." They are so much more! They are very interesting lists of names.
- Did your ancestor sign a petition to request a new county be formed? If so, you know where he was living when.
- Did your ancestor protest the building of a mill near him? If so, you know something about where he lived.
- Was your ancestor a Quaker and petitioned that slaves be freed? If so, you know his religious affiliation and something of his beliefs.
- Did your ancestor sign any kind of petition? Then you probably have his original signature!
Petitions tell us so much about our ancestors and what was important to them. They also provide us context on neighbors and neighborhoods. They also provide us with an original signature for our ancestor! When doing 18th and earlier research - it can be very challenging to find anything "original" to do with our ancestors and so such a signature can be quite special.
Source: UpFront with NGS, June 27, 2013
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Digital Libraries and Archives
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Hundreds of libraries and archives exist online, from university-supported sites to accredited online schools to individual efforts. Each one has something to offer to researchers, students, and teachers. This list contains over 250 libraries and archives that focus mainly on localized, regional, and U.S. history, but it also includes larger collections, eText and eBook repositories, and a short list of directories to help you continue your research efforts. The sites listed here are mainly open access, which means that the digital formats are viewable and usable by the general public. To access these websites, which are listed by state, click here. Source: Open Education Database, March 25, 2013 |
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Genealogy "Tips of the Day"
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by Michael John Neill
Heirs and Assigns Forever. "I give this property to John Smith and his heirs and assigns forever." The phrase "heirs and assigns forever" means that John can "assign" (sell by deed or give by will) the property or, if he has not done that by his death, then John's heirs will have title to the property (depending upon state statute and common legal practice at the time). That's a rather simplified version of "heirs and assigns" forever, but "heirs" and "assigns" mean different things. And the genealogist who doesn't concern himself with the definitions runs the risk of drawing conclusions that are not necessarily true.
U.S. Veterans' Pension Cards. FamilySearch's index to United States Veterans' Administration Pension Payment Cards 1907-1933 is still in process as of this writing, but it is an every name index. Which means if the widow's name happens to appear on the card (even as a reference) she is included. If for some reason another name is on the card, that name will be in the index.
Not the Same Last Name. When looking for possible relatives of your ancestor who appears to have simply been dropped off of a UFO into Ohio in 1814, keep yourself open to the possibility that he may have traveled to that location with
his mother's relatives, his wife's brothers, his sister's husband and their family. All of these individuals would have had a logical connection to your ancestor and different last names. The problem is that these last names are often ones that we do not know.
Ignoring Informants? Do you pay close attention to the informants listed on death certificates and other records that include this information? Many times the informant is a relative whose relationship is clearly know. Other times it may be a neighbor, long time friend, or someone else. If your relative died in a place "all alone," take a close look at the name of the informant if you have not already done so. Research that person. They may be someone totally unconnected to your family. Or there could be a connection of which you are not yet aware.
Crossing the Line from Assumption to Fact. On your "brick wall" problem, have you written down things which you have assumed and those things for which you at least have one source? One source doesn't mean something is correct, but when we don't realize that assumptions are assumptions and start to believe them, then we've got the makings for a "brick wall."
Have you Considered the Geography? Two dimensional maps have the limitation of being two dimensional. Would your ancestor have gone to do business in the town that was closest on the map or that other town five miles further away that did not require a trip over the mountain, across the river, etc. You live in a three dimensional world. Your ancestor did, too--in more ways than one.
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Research Tips & Resources
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Irish in the American Civil War
If you've got Irish ancestors who fought in the American Civil War, this website/blog may have some interesting reading for you Click here.
Source: Michael John Neill, Genealogy Search Tip of the Day
FamilySearch New Online Classes
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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
Co-Directors, Washington DC Family History Center
10000 Stoneybrook Drive, PO Box 49
Kensington, MD 20895
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