Saturday, July 14, 2007

Volunteer

Genealogy Blog Finder

Family Archive Viewer

What is the Family Archive Viewer?

use version 6.0 for Windows 95/98, and version 4.ob Windows 3.1

Genealogy.com - Family Archive Viewer: "Have Family Tree Maker? Please note...

* If you have Family Tree Maker 4.0 or higher you don't need the Family Archive Viewer.

Need help figuring out which version you have? Just open Family Tree Maker and go to the 'Help' menu. From there, choose 'About Family Tree Maker...'. Your version number will be listed in the box that pops up.

* If you have version 3.4 or lower of Family Tree Maker (that is, you purchased your copy of Family Tree Maker more than four years ago and haven't upgraded), it is important that you install the Family Archive Viewer into a different directory, such as C:\FAV. If you install the Family Archive Viewer in the same directory as your Family Tree Maker, you risk losing information in your Family File.

* Before opening your Family File with the Family Archive Viewer, you should make a backup copy and use that . If you open your Family File in the Family Archive Viewer, your copy of Family Tree Maker won't be able to open the file."

search Witnesses Database

UK Marriage Witnesses Database

The UK Index, started in July 1988, at the time of this indexing had over 30,000 entries. Each entry includes the names of Witnesses, Groom & Bride, together with the date and place of the marriage and the name and address of the genealogist who researched that marriage and submitted the data for the Index. There are separate indexes for NZ and Australian Marriage witness.

more Genealogy Buff - Library - Miscellaneous Data Files

Friday, July 13, 2007

waifs and strays

Hidden Lives Revealed: A Virtual Archive - Children in Care 1881 - 1918

background but no names yet other than the census years

"Hidden Lives Revealed
focuses on the period 1881-1918, and includes unique archive material about poor and disadvantaged children cared for by The Waifs and Strays' Society. The Society cared for children across England and Wales - in both the densest urban conurbations and some of the smallest rural villages.

The Waifs and Strays' Society looked after about 22,500 children between its foundation in 1881 and the end of World War One. The Waifs and Strays' Society became the Church of England Children's Society in 1946 and is now known as The Children's Society.

Our site features a range of archive material, most not previously accessible by the public, as well as articles and learning resources that help interpret these stories for a modern audience. No other Internet archive gives you the opportunity to browse through such unique material - a kind of resource which has the type of information not recorded elsewhere.

This site features the full contents of around 150 case files of children in the care of the The Waifs and Strays' Society from Victorian and Edwardian times. Even though some of these cases are from over 100 years ago, they have been fully anonymised to prevent the children's identification. Each case is summarised, and linked to pages about the actual homes they lived in.

Photographs from The Children's Society archives illustrate some of the grinding poverty of the time, and also show how children's lives were turned round when they entered the Society's care.

Also featured on the site are the full browsable and searchable texts of various Society publications - these include the supporter magazines Our Waifs and Strays and Brothers and Sisters as well as the organisation's Annual Reports."

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Irish Census 1851

OGS Ottawa - Irish Census 1851: "The Irish Research Group of the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society completed a WordPerfect transcript of the surviving 1851 Irish census in 1994. They then used this transcript to publish a listing of the surviving returns in 1999.

The records for County Antrim were subsequently converted into a database by George Bushell in 1995 for use in a paper that looked at the social and economic patterns of that county. A summary of the 1851 occupant returns for County Cork, made in 1853, have also survived for a few parishes and some analyses of these data have been added to a 2007 update of the original 1995 paper.

A very small number of the original returns remain for counties Fermanagh, Kilkenny and Cork, as well.

The returns from County Antrim, located in the extreme north-east of the island, include part or all of 14 civil parishes from various parts of the county (almost 29,000 records).
The 1853 occupant summary of the 1851 census of County Cork, which is located in the south-west part of the island, includes nearly 4,000 records from four adjacent parishes: Kilcrumper, Kilworth, Leitrim and Macroney.

Four basic types of records were collected in 1851: occupant records, death records, absence records and uninhabited household records. There is an entry for each person living in an occupied dwelling on the date of the census. . . ."

this pdf is of 1121 pages
http://www.ogsottawa.on.ca/irishcensus1851/OttawaBranchOGS1851CensusReturnsListing1994.PDF

this turned up related in ongoing discussions about Irish Censuses in news:soc.genealogy.ireland
via an unsigned post to genire on Rootsweb

Irish censuses Group: soc.genealogy.ireland

"Irish Censuses" - Google Search - "Irish Censuses" - Google Groups search

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Newbies

GENUKI: Newbies Guide by Roy Stockdill: "who posted this guide in several parts to the WEST-RIDING Internet genealogy list in July and August 2000 in the hope that it would not only help newcomers to genealogy and family history to become more experienced in research techniques, but also to answer some of those questions that seem to get constantly asked in online genealogy mailing lists. Though intended principally for researchers with ancestors in the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, he hopes some parts of it, at least, may prove of use to a wider audience."

Getting Started in Genealogy and Family History: "Genealogy is the study of the descents of families and persons from an ancestor or ancestors. This study is undertaken by many people out of interest in their personal and family origins. As a hobby it can become pleasantly addictive, at least to the person concerned. However the study is also undertaken professionally, not just in order to provide a commercial service that can be used by people who are seeking help in researching their origins, but also for very serious legal and financial reasons. Thus there are accepted standards for doing genealogy 'properly' - standards that we recommend you seek to learn and emulate.

The term Family History used to be regarded as synonymous with Genealogy, but now it applies to biographical research into one's ancestors - the aim typically being to produce a well-documented narrative history, of interest to family members and perhaps future generations. Thus the study of family history involves putting flesh on the skeleton that is produced by genealogy - and involves the study of the historical circumstances and geographical situation in which ancestors lived. (The resulting ability to associate historical events with particular generations or individuals of your family can help history come really alive for you.)"

I am always telling people to read those pages but nevr thought of blogging them

Google in Genealogy

Learn to Use Google in Genealogy Searches - Google Genealogy Tips: "First, remember you won't find data from every website using Google, Yahoo, or any internet search engine. Google can't search inside databases such as the Castle Garden, SSDI, LDS Family Search. For those searches you will have to go directly to each website since you cannot search a database using Google."

the above is a highly commercial site but do study the concept of "deep web" - by Google Search - first
and learn about googles own tips:-

Advanced Search
Preferences
Language Tools

Advanced Search Tips | About Google

Google Pack: " Google Toolbar for Internet ExplorerSearch from any web page and autofill forms
and block annoying pop-ups" also Google Toolbar for Firefox

I don't use Safari because there is no gogle tool bar yet

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

eogen - Encyclopedia of Genealogy

eogen - Encyclopedia of Genealogy: "The Encyclopedia of Genealogy serves as a compendium of genealogical tools and techniques. It provides reference information about everything in genealogy except people. Look to the Encyclopedia of Genealogy to provide explanations of how to look up your family tree, explanations of terms found in genealogy research, including obsolete medical and legal terms. It will describe locations where records may be found. It also will describe how to research Italian, German, Polish, French-Canadian, Jewish, Black, Indian and other ancestors. In short, the Encyclopedia of Genealogy will serve as your standard genealogy reference manual.

The Encyclopedia of Genealogy is created by genealogists like yourself. In fact, YOU can help by adding content: your own knowledge and expertise can help others. If you see anything in this encyclopedia that is incorrect, YOU can change it! If you see anything that is incomplete, YOU can add to it! If you note anything that is missing, YOU can add it! This encyclopedia will succeed because people like you contribute nuggets of information. When enough 'nuggets' are added, the Encyclopedia of Genealogy will become a gold mine."

another kind of WIKI and my thanks to Family Matters » » An Open Source Life

Witnesses to Marriages

GENEALOGE 8 February 2005 - which is an old post about MARRIAGE WITNESS INDEXES: "The late Ted Wildy was a member of the New Zealand Genealogical Society and envisioned the creation of indexes to witnesses at marriages, which he believed would help family historians.

There are three databases, co-ordinated by Marianne Philson in New Zealand:

UK Witnesses to Marriages (about 80,000 entries)
Australian Witnesses to Marriages (22,000 entries)
New Zealand Marriage Indexes (24,000 entries)"

from my email :-

"Marianne has had nothing to do with these database for about ten years now. She got shot of them soon after Ted died. I am not sure if she is still alive as her name is no longer in the NZ phone directories. I emailed her niece to enquire earlier today.

NZ MWI = Hugh Winters of New Zealand
AU MWI = Ada Ackerly of Australia
UK MWI = Faye Guthrie of Australia

. If we see the index back on Rootsweb it will be a miracle.

Ted will be spinning in his grave knowing what has happened. His thrust was to make the information freely available to all"


and from another email:-

Faye Guthrie is the current holder of that index.
She has changed her email address from the one shown on her web site.

Good and bad news.

She still has the index and asserts that it is on Rootsweb also. We know that it isn't, or Rootsweb are hiding it.

She will only accept one surname at a time to add to it.

She has hundreds of records to add, but no time to add them.

She asserts ownership as she has changed the format and added to the
original records. One can not claim copyright on facts, just the
format of the presentation.

There are 78,000 records with over a quarter of a million names.

Faye Guthrie - Google Search

finally from Rootsweb help desk:-

"Ted's marriage records are mixed in with all records for British/UK. The
Australian lists are mixed in with Australian-New Zealand records."

Monday, July 09, 2007

blacksheep or not guilty

Oklahoma District Court Records USA

Search District Court Public Records from Participating Oklahoma District Courts

Many Oklahoma county court
clerks on ODCR are continuing to add marriage
data as far back as 1907--despite what the 'FROM'
date indicates. Narrow a search to a specific
county or limit your scope to marriage licenses
(ML) or just divorces (FD) at the drop down menu
next to 'Case Number to Search for.' Read 'Search Hints' for better results.

OCIS Case Search

Sunday, July 08, 2007

FTM 17 beta

Family Tree Maker 2008 Beta: "* The minimum system requirements for running the program are:

Operating System: Windows XP/Vista
Processor: 500 MHz Intel Pentium II or equivalent (1 GHz or faster processor recommended)
Hard Disk: 400 MB for installation. Additional space required for data files.
Memory: 256 MB of RAM (512 MB of RAM recommended)
Monitor: 800x600 resolution (1024x768 resolution recommended)
Internet: All online features require internet access

If you have any questions or encounter any errors in the program please email ftmpublicbeta@tgn.com"

I see that WSE 3.0 cam in the package too

Web Services Enhancements for Microsoft .NET (WSE) is a supported add-on to Microsoft Visual Studio .NET and the Microsoft .NET Framework providing developers the latest advanced Web services capabilities to keep pace with the evolving Web services protocol specifications.

Wholly Genes

The Master Genealogist: " (or 'TMG') v6 is the gold standard in family history software. Used by novices and professional researchers alike, the latest version reinforces TMG's reputation as the most powerful family history project manager on the market while adding many new features to make it easier and fun to use."
FTM 17 includes techology from these suppliers

GenBridge File import

Web integration
The Internet is a great resource for researchers and provides a way for you to easily share your efforts with others. TMG includes a variety of Internet search and publication tools.



SPELL CHECKER and language dictionaries

Free Applications: "The NetSpell project is a spell checking engine written entirely in managed C# .net code. NetSpell's suggestions for a misspelled word are generated using phonetic (sounds like) matching and ranked by a typographical score (looks like). NetSpell supports multiple languages and the dictionaries are based on the OpenOffice Affix compression format. The library can be used in Windows or Web Form projects."