| 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 |
| Join Our List |
 |
|
|
|
WDC FHC News
| | |
Holiday Break
Our Family History Center will be CLOSED beginning Monday, December 22 and will REOPEN on Tuesday, January 6. We wish each of you a Merry Christmas and a joyful holiday season!
|
|
Thursday Night is Education Night!
| | |
Beginning in January, Thursday nights at the WDC FHC will be dedicated to education and individual training. At 7:30 p.m., we will begin with a brief lecture/demonstration of a specific topic, then proceed to the computers for hands-on, one-on-one assistance.
For the first quarter of 2015, our focus will be on learning the features and effectively using the most popular websites:
January - Ancestry.com
February - MyHeritage.com
March - FamilySearch.org (Family Tree, Photos)
April - FindAGrave, BillionGraves, Puzzilla, Fold3
Our Saturday class will feature the four mini-lectures presented in the that month's Thursday evening sessions. This will enable patrons who cannot attend the Thursday night classes to receive the same training.
Further details will be in the January newsletter.
|
|
Discovering the Occupations of Your Ancestors
| | |
by Kimberly Powell
Do you know what your ancestors did for a living? Researching ancestral jobs and occupations can teach you a great deal about the people who make up your family tree, and what life was like for them. An individual's occupation may give insight into their social status or to their place of origin.
Occupations can also be used to distinguish between two individuals of the same name, often an essential requirement in genealogy research. Certain skilled occupations or trades may have been passed down from father to son, providing indirect evidence of a family relationship. It's even possible that your surname derives from the occupation of a distant ancestor.be the only means of discovering when an individual was born.
To read the full article, click here.
Source: Genealogy.about.com, December 9, 2014
|
|
Can Anyone Read This?
| |
 | | Can Anyone Read This? Basic Paleography for Genealogists |
Almost daily someone posts an image snippet in a genealogy group or message board asking for some assistance reading a record. They can't tell what the surname is or what occupation their grandfather was engaged in. They can't read the cause of death or the city their immigrant ancestor came from. Join Crista Cowan for a look at some basic tips and tricks for improving your paleography skills so you can read your genealogy record like a pro.
Published on Nov 20, 2014
|
|
Ireland's Catholic Church Records to Go Online
|
|
Tracing your Irish roots just got a whole lot easier as the National Library of Ireland is to give free online access to its Catholic Church records collection online, from summer 2015. This will enable millions of people around the world to trace their roots in Ireland.
The National Library of Ireland has announced that it will give free online access to its archive ofCatholic Church records, the earliest of which dates back to the 1700s. The records are considered the single most important source of information on Irish family history prior to the 1901 Census. They cover 1,091 parishes throughout Ireland, and consist primarily of baptismal and marriage records.
To read the full article, click here.
Source: Irish Central, December 2, 2014
Thanks to one of our readers, Chris Anglim, for sending in this article.
|
|
Bonding the Bride and Groom
| | |
by Judy G. Russell, The Legal Genealogist
What exactly is a marriage bond? Time and again, whenever a marriage bond is referenced, the question comes up.
...The use of marriage bonds was common, particularly in southern and mid-Atlantic states, well into the 19th century, when most jurisdictions started relying on what the couple said in a written application for a marriage license.
What happens if the two people named in the marriage bond don't get married? Isn't there some kind of court action or record that happens then?
....It seems, doesn't it, as though a marriage bond should be evidence of an intention to marry - a reflection of an official "engagement." A man who had proposed to a woman went to the courthouse with a bondsman, and posted a bond indicating his intention to marry the woman.
Right? Um, not exactly.
To read exactly what a bond is and how it came into use, click here.
Source: The Legal Genealogist Blog, November 17, 2014
|
|
Searching for Your Ancestor's Maiden Name
| |
One of the most common problems in researching genealogy is determining a female ancestor's maiden name. Without this vital piece of information, your research could hit a brick wall, hindering you from discovering an entire branch from your family tree. The list provided here will give you suggestions on places to look for your ancestor's maiden name.
1. Marriage Record
2. Census Records
3. Death Record
4. Wills
5. Tombstone
6. Vital Records of her Children
7. Obituary
8. Pension Record
9. Land Records
10. Local History Books
11. Naming Patterns
To read this article in full, which includes tips on each resource listed, click here.
Source: The Indepth Genealogist, November, 2014
|
Collections of U.S. Historic Photos
| | |
There is a saying: "A photo is a window into the lives of your ancestors." Never were there truer words. Many of us would given anything to have some image of a grandmother, great uncle, etc., but don't give up -- many people have located images of ancestors they never knew existed. Yes, there will be some that were never taken, so of course don't exist ... but you never know until you search.
When actual photos of an ancestor are not available, having images of other family members, the family hometown, or even historical images of events the relative was a part of can also be important. Using this site of 'online U. S. historical photos' of each of the 50 states just could prove invaluable. This site has taken each state and linked up available resources of photos of people and events of that state.
The categories can range from state archives, aerial photos, private collections, historical societies, etc. of family images, especially if the family or individuals held governmental office, ran a business, involved in social or church activities or other contributions to the community. Also look and see if there are sources from yearbooks - there could be an image of an ancestor in such a book you have never seen.
There is not a large search for all the states, you do need to click on each state and review the different collections. It there are some of a specific region or county where you had ancestors, concentrate on that first.
|
|
Genealogy Tip of the Day
| | | by Michael John Neill
Neighboring Stones. When visiting a cemetery, do you note the stones that are adjacent to the one for your "ancestor of interest?" Married daughters and other relatives with different last names may have a permanent resting place next to your actual "ancestor of interest." Transcribe those nearby stones, or at least get good pictures of them and make a diagram showing the relative positions of the neighboring stones. Or better yet, just take plenty of pictures.
From Whom Are They Borrowing? If your landowning ancestor signs a mortgage for their farm to someone that's clearly not a bank or lending institution, determine if they had any relationship to that individual who held the mortgage. It could be they borrowed money from an in-law, step-parent, cousin or other family member. Not all loans that involve individual people (and not banks or lending companies) are between relatives, but it's worth checking out the possibility of a relationship.
Is That Brother Full, Half or Step? If a document refers to two men as brothers is it possible that they are not full brothers? Could they be: half-brothers? step-brothers? brothers-in-law? Sometimes things might not mean exactly what we think they mean.
Do You Know All the Borders? Where the lines are can impact your research? County and township lines can change. Lines for enumeration districts in the census may or may not run contiguous to election districts, ward boundaries, and other political lines. Make certain you know all the borders in which your ancestors lived and when (or if) they ever changed.
Naturalized Via the Parent? When a man naturalized in the United States in the 19th and early 20th century, his minor children automatically became naturalized as well, even if their names are not listed in the naturalization. When foreign born Ekke Behrens applied for a homestead in Nebraska in the 1880s, he included his father's naturalization as proof of his citizenship. If you are unable to locate a naturalization for your foreign born ancestor, consider the possibility that his father's naturalization served as his naturalization as well.
Those First Interactions in a New Area? Look carefully at the names of other individuals who appear on legal documents with your ancestor during the first few years he lives in an area. Who are witnesses and other names mentioned in these documents? People with whom your ancestor is associating when he's not been in an area for too long could be people he knew "back home."
|
|
Research Tips & Resources
| |
Native American Genealogy. Resources and tips for Native American researchers.
US Army and Navy Pension Laws: 1776-1854.
Free Google book about various US military pension, bounty land, and other benefit laws before 1845.
Introduction to Swedish Genealogy.
The Origins of Jewish Surnames.
Article with additional links describing the origins and meanings of Jewish names.
|
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
|
|
|
|
|
