Meeting Notes from May 22, 2008

Genealogy Focus Group May 22, 2008

Cecilia Wenschhof
Cathy Graupner
Curtis Wright

MaryEllen memichael@fredco-md.net

Cathy brought us up to date with her research and we went to work on a couple of the sticky spots for her. We did not solve any great mysteries but we did come up with some new avenues for her to follow.
We found her G-G grandmother listed in the 1860 census. She arrived in the U.S. at the age of 12 in about 1856 and died in 1923. She married a Birmingham (Burmingham) and Cathy has ordered his pension record where she hopes to find out more information about her G-G grandmother’s place of birth.
Cathy mentioned that she had found what appeared to be duplication in the census for one of her relatives but she is not sure if it is just a coincidence or actually duplicate reporting of the same person. Curt said that this is really not uncommon. When the census is taken in one place, a person may be reported there even if they are not a permanent resident at that location. Then, the same person could be at a different location when another census worker is recording for that location. He found someone reported at least 3 times and another person reported twice in his family research. It is further proof that the census records are very valuable but not infallible. It is always best to have multiple sources for your information to verify the accuracy.
We talked about other documents that are helpful. Cathy found her family link to the Mayflower by looking at a death certificate where she discovered relatives she did not previously know about.
Curt demonstrated his favorite document searches through the Family History Center estate deeds. He said these documents are excellent sources for information from 1776 through 1900 when census data is either non-existent or sketchy. We looked at the LDS site www.familysearch.com -> Library tab -> Family History Library Catalog tab -> Place Search -> Topics -> Vital Records. This will drill down to one or more records where, in the film notes, you can obtain the film number to order from the Family History Center. You can get to the land records and deeds this way.
This search requires a couple of trips to the local LDS Family History Center for microfilm. The Grantor indexes (sellers) and Grantee indexes (buyers) should be viewed first and this will point you directly to the film number and page where the transaction is recorded for the individuals you are researching. First, you must order the film with the Index that fits your requirements. With the Index film, you will be able to identify the microfilms that have the deed records you are looking for. Since the microfilms generally need to be ordered, you will have to come back to look at the deed records after you figure out which microfilms to order. He showed how to search the LDS site for the microfilm, and how to find a local LDS center. He promised to bring some examples of documents he has obtained so we can see the kind of information that you might find.
If your genealogy hunt is for Maryland residents, Cathy told us to check out the Maryland Historical Society. The website is www.mdhs.org and there you will find all the information you need to visit the library and museum as well as search the collection online. The library is located in Baltimore and looks like an interesting place to visit.
Gravestones and burial records is another underused wealth of information. This source is generally difficult to obtain because the information is simply not collected and organized in any fashion. Each cemetery has it’s own records – or not - and there is everything from well-organized, helpful staff to basement chaos depending on the cemetery. We looked at www.cemeteryjunction.com and found it has good search capability. It actually searches several databases and links to the relevant ones depending on your search criteria. This site is a wealth of information on cemeteries and how to use them. There’s an excellent article there right now on copying tombstone information, ‘Chalk One Up for the Ancestors’ by Kathleen Last. Another article talks about writing to a cemetery to obtain ‘lot’ cards and how to get the most from your cemetery contacts.
If you need to find a place in the world, Curt showed us Google Earth and Wikimapia. Both free on the internet. Google Earth needs to be downloaded. Wikipmapia is at www.wikimapia.org.
Finally, I should apologize for mixing up the meeting date again. Apparently, the FCPL published date for the May meeting was May 29th. I will try to remember in the future that our meetings are supposed to be the LAST Thursday each month, not the fourth Thursday. If this caused any confusion for you, please accept my apology. All my emails and the branch calendars did have May 22nd but we will be sure to get our act together for July, the next month with 5 Thursdays.