"It's All Online and It's All True!" --- Abraham Lincoln

Arthur andersen draft card (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The whimsical quote in the title of this blog is something I found somewhere...probably online... and I thought I'd share it with you.  I was hoping it would be a humourous segue into today's subject.

It occurred to me as I was watching WDYTYA, that if anyone took a tally of what was discovered on line, specifically by the show's sponsor, Ancestry.com, and what needed to be researched in libraries, archives, repositories, church records, town halls, private collections, et al, that it would clearly demonstrated that no, as a matter of fact, it's NOT all online!

The amount of data that can be discovered at home by logging in to a variety of websites both free and subscription is quite definitely increasing, seemingly by leaps and bounds.  We see numbers such as so-and-so "...has added 3,500,00 records..." with some more and some less.  Without knowing how many more records there are to index and post, it almost seems as though we're nearly done so who needs the libraries, archives, repositories, church records, town halls, private collections, et al?

I've seen estimates that the internet contains 5% or less of the available data.  Others estimate upwards of 15%.  But the fact remains that even the sponsor of a very popular program dealing with genealogical research which is itself an internet based research resource still employs dozens of professionals to get the job done.  If Ancestry.com needs professionals to put their program together, how can any hobbyists or private family researcher or professional genealogist hope to do better?

I'm just sayin'!

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You've Finally Found that Elusive Relative, but.....

 

Ancestry.com (Photo credit: LollyKnit)

If there's anyone on the planet who is more enthusiastic than me regarding family research, I haven't met them.  I'm especially focused after preparing for and delivering an instructional lecture on just that very subject.  I've been lucky enough to have been able to book 6 different venues for a variety of programs.  Some are "one-night-stands" and others are 3, 4, 5 even 6 individual sessions long.

 So I'd like to start with last night.  The weather was threatening and, frankly, we didn't get all the people who signed up to show up.  So there was a smaller, cozier group.  One attendee is the head archivists at a local repository.  Imagine how I felt trying to teach someone who probably has forgotten more than I know! Another person was a middle aged man who has been researching for many years. We also had a newby, a tyro who was uncommonly enthusiastic....but not more enthusiastic than me!!

This 2-session program is a somewhat condensed version of my usual 4 or 5 session programs.  So we all had a lot of

 

English: Google Logo officially released on May 2010 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

ground to cover.  I decided that since there were more people there who were relatively experienced, I'd dive into tips and strategies to use on Ancestry, FamilySearch, Google and others.



Which (finally) brings me to the subject of tonight's blog.  And it's this:  There are 2 categories of information that can be found at any genealogy research website.  One of the more reliable sets of records are the public records such as census, probate, military, christening, birth, marriage, death and so on.  Whenever I find a "hint", if it includes public records, I'll take the time to check out those records and make a judgement as to the accuracy of the data and its relevance to the subject person.  That's the easy part!  

What's more challenging is to help "students" understand the pitfalls of privately uploaded Public Member Trees with little or

 

Maria Hernandez baptized 1920 (Photo credit: GoCal83)

no supporting documentation.  Ancestry calls these trees "Unsourced".  So many "enthusiastic" researchers are too fast to grab data and put it up on the internet to help build their trees, not realizing the danger.  If its out there, someone will download it and take it for gospel simply because it was on the internet. After all, if it's on the internet, it must be ironclad fact.  Not so fast!



Now in the interest of disclaimers, I've used the data from many of those Public Member Trees without too much worry, but only those trees that have sources already attached.  That doesn't mean that I grab it and run.  I will do the same thing as I do with the public records.  I open that member's tree and take a look at what has been attached to it for sources and go through the same process of judging the accuracy and relevance.  If a Public Member Tree has information on individuals that may have a fit in my family, it's worth the effort to move slowly on trusting someone else's work.

English: Screen capture of FamilySearch.org web site (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Genealogy and Family Research at Chicopee Library

We're starting a new year at the Chicopee Public Library.  In addition to the "Research Clinics" we run every Thursday from 9 AM to 4 PM, I will conduct a variety of classes on the "art" of genealogy and family research.

The upcoming series will be 2 sessions on Monday evenings February 3rd and again on February 10th.

We'll be talking about what to look for, what to expect, what is "free" and what is not, web sites (and there are HUNDREDS!) and how to use them, research strategies, tips and tricks to find what you're looking for and, most importantly "IT'S NOT ALL ON THE INTERNET"!!  Where to find those documents you need that are not available just by clicking through sites such as Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.org.  Even how to use Google to "Google your ancestors"!  And a crash course in DNA.

Alternately, another genealogist, Alan Horbal of Adams, MA, will conduct classes as well in a clinic format.

These classes are designed for beginners to intermediary researchers and have been very well received by all who have attended in the past.

If you're nearby and would like to attend, call the Reference Department at (413) 594-1800 ext 108.

See you there!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="350"] English: Image of Chicopee Public Library (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

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Genealogy Courses - Chicopee Public Library

Having just finished a successful 4-week program at the Chicopee Public Library in Chicopee, Massachusetts, we continue to run our "Genealogy Clinics" on Thursdays from 9 AM to 4 PM.  As this is becoming more than just an idle past-time for many, the interest is growing and so is the class time!

I have just booked 3 series totaling 10 weeks of classroom at the Library:

February 3 and 10, 2014

June 2, 9, 16 and 23, 2014

July 21, 28 and August 4, 11, 2014

Subjects we cover include basic pedigree charts and family group sheets, relationship charts (What's a 3rd cousin twice removed?), getting the most out of vital records (birth, marriage and death) as well as census records, military records (enlistments, draft registrations, pension applications), newspapers, immigration and naturalization records, deeds, tax records, probate and even criminal records.

Most are pretty comprehensive and seem to satisfy everyone's curiosity.  We certainly demonstrate that you can't find it all on the internet!  Much of the research is carried out by getting out and visiting various repositories, city and town clerk's offices, libraries...wherever you might be able to turn up a clue.

Now wold be a good time to explain a little about Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org.  There are 2 basic types of information that can be found at either site:  personal family trees and historical records.  The personal trees and the data within them are not necessarily the best resource.  That is unless there is PLENTY of supportive documentation and sources...other than other people's uploaded trees!  I'll give you a quick example: Someone has uploaded my own family tree to FamilySerach.org.  Nothing inherently wrong with that.  However, they have my 3rd great grandfather and his wife having a baby when he was 11 years old and she 9!!  It's not the end of the world, but the problem here is that there's no way of telling how many people will just download that information without checking the details!  If only I had the time.  Those of you who know me have heard me call myself the Cobbler with No Shoes!

Anyway, the point of all this is that if you're any where near Chicopee and would like to attend, please call the Reference Department at 413-594-1800.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="1590"] English: Image of Chicopee Public Library (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

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Massachusetts Lawmakers Weighing Public Records Bill

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240"] Massachusetts Statehouse (Photo credit: Amir Nejad)[/caption]

In an age where some states are considering privatizing even more public records and genealogists are working to keep those traditional public records available, what appears to be good news might be happening in Massachusetts.  The article at this link from Channel 22 in Springfield, Mass isn't very descriptive.  But when they're discussing "public records" I have to believe that the reference includes vital records as well.

Imagine how easy it could be to access those types of records on line without having to visit a town or city clerk's office.  I'm sure there would be a fee involved, but that certainly beats driving from one end of the state to another.  (Keep in mind that the Mass Turnpike tolls have been restored for the western end of the state for the first time since 1996.)

 

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More Massachusetts Vital Records Available at FamilySearch --- Indexing

Documents from the Massachusetts Vital Records from 1916 to 1920 and amendments from 1841 to 1920 are going up at FamilySearch.

The page at the web site states: This collection is being published as images become available.

My guess is that the more people who volunteer to index the records, the faster the project will be completed.   Anyone can volunteer to help.  If you're so inclined, visit FamilySearch, click on the icon labelled "Indexing" and follow the instructions.  You'll have to download a small program, but it's no big deal!  I've done quite a bit of indexing myself.

After you've been indexing for a while, they may ask you if you're interested in arbitrating.  Here' s how it works:  After you've downloaded the software, you log in and are presented with a list of documents that require indexing.  The documents are rated for difficulty from 1 (easy) to 5 (difficult).  For example, it would be easier to index a 1940 US census than a 15th century Portuguese baptismal record.  Unless you speak 15th century Portuguese!!

Each document is indexed by two separate volunteers.  Then that work is made available to arbitrators who make decisions when the indexers don't agree on what's written in the document.  For example, is it "Daniel" or "David".  Is it "Louisa" or "Lovisa".   The arbitrators decide and then the document can be uploaded and made available for searching.

It's been a  while and there might be a few tweaks in how they operate, but I can't imagine it's changed much.  At any rate, the good news is that more records are being made available for on-line research!

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Agawam and Chicopee Classes

Thursday was the first day for the Agawam Library Adult Program in Genealogy and, I forgot, this was also the first day in Chicopee for another genealogy class. Agawam is my own program but the Chicopee class is one where I assist another genealogist named Alan Horbal from North Adams, Mass. His class is about the basics but he ties in extensive training in using web sites.

Here's the room before everyone showed up

[caption id="attachment_980" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Agawam Public Library Community Room[/caption]

There were about 25 people in the Agawam class which started out with some technical meltdowns. Usually, I 'd just connect a cable to a projector mounted in the ceiling. But this morning, their cable caused the power point to display in pink.... Pink! Since I usually have my own projector, I brought that in and plugged it in with the same cable. Still pink... When I switched to my own cable, everything worked out fine. Small panic but we worked it out.

As usual in a group this large, there's a good mix of people with some experience and people who are just getting stated. It seemed that everyone stayed pretty interested right up to the end. The usual 30 minute Q&A lasted about 45 minutes, so that was a good sign that things were working out pretty well.

Next week we get into census records, vital records, soundex, a short lesson in using www.familysearch.org and a brief Pedigree Chart workshop.

Just 5 more weeks in Agawam and then I'll bring a somewhat shortened version of the same program to Palmer, Brimfield, Wilbraham and again in Chicopee.

BU

Between all the drama over the past few weeks, I can look back and say that this was bad timing to start an on-line course in genealogical research. It's not as easy as it sounds...not that I thought it would be a walk in the park! Here are some concepts I can't get my head around: A birth certificate is a source, but is it original or derivative? And what about the information it contains? Is it primary or secondary? Then you have evidence. Evidence can be direct or indirect. What about a photocopy of an original birth certificate? Original or derivative? Is the information it contains primary or secondary? Does it constitute evidence? Is so, is it direct or indirect? Are you with me on this?

If you really need to know all that, let me know! In the meantime, the next assignment isn't due unitl next Wednesday, but I'm also supposed to be an active participant in the "Discussion Groups???

To be honest, my grades have been coming back a bit better than I expected them to be. Especially considering that I just blew through some parts of the assignments. I've been doing this a while, but relatively unsctructured...organized, but unstructured...and they insist on certain terminology which, if I'm working in my own little world, isn't critical. They even have a Glossary! So, BU brings the structure....I just have to adjust to the rigidity of it all

I'll keep you posted....

Introduction to Genealogy---Becoming a Genealogy Detective!

Anyone near Wilbraham, MA tonight is welcome to stop at the Wilbraham Public Library tonight.  It's the 3rd in a 4 part series "Introduction to Genealogy".  Each week there have been more and more participants so feel free to call the library at 413-596-6141 to make sure there'll be room!  Based on the popularity, I can see that there just might be some future programs.  The last in this series will be held February 11th where we'll work on individual pedigree charts and whatever other subjects may come up.

This series is "sponsored" by the Western Massachusetts Genealogy Society (WMGS) in an effort to help people who are interested in family research and encourage them to take part in courses such as these and introduce them to WMGS.  Annual membership is only $20 and includes 10 monthly meetings held locally.

Over the full 4 sessions, we cover the basics of research, web sites (free and low-cost), definitions (soundex, vital records, etc), specific resources, naturalization, immigration, Ellis Island, name changes, spelling variations and "myth busting"!

Hopefully, some of you can make it tonight!  See you there.

Old Bones on YouTube!

Great news...I think!  I've finally figured out how to get my debut performance on Ludlow Community TV uploaded to YouTube.  Click here http://youtu.be/3GqKT2WEov4 to view. This one is about basics. But I just recorded the second session where we talked about interviewing relatives as a part of your family research.  I'll be uploading that one later this week.  Comments are welcome!!  And don't forget to visit www.oldbones.co where I try to keep up with all upcoming programs.

More Local Programs!

Two programs are coming up. I'll be presenting "Introduction to Genealogy and Family Research" in at least 2 locations in the coming months.  First, at Wilbraham Public Library, a basic "Intro" program will take place in four sessions, one per month beginning November 19th.  The second and more comprehensive program will be held at YELLOW HOUSE COMMUNITY CENTER for LEARNING on a weekly basis beginning Thursday, January 17th 2013 and continuing for at least 5 and possibly 6 weeks.  The curriculum for Yellow House has been submitted and is awaiting approval but will include census records, vital records, interviewing relatives, becoming a "genealogical detective", soundex calculations, name variations, interviewing relatives effectively and will include individual assistance with pedigree charts and family group sheets.

Each of these are designed to open up into a more advanced sessions which may involve computer labs with hands on research by individual participants and designed around the needs of those who want to continue into deeper research strategies.

I'll be updating my web site at www.oldbones.co to include these latest additions.  Feel free to comment and let me know if you're interested in joining either of the groups!