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Dear Friends,  

Another busy month has come and gone. Our last meeting was a great success. With a number of our members in Salt Lake, we still had about 40 people at the meeting. Our speakers from Cal State Fullerton did a great job acquainting us with the genealogical services available at the college library.

I need to thank Steve Adamson for his enthusiastic support for genealogy this month. He and Beth Hillger manned or should I say “personed” a booth at the Brea Community Center’s Retirement Expo.  Then on May 3rd the Boy Scout Merit Badge Workshop finally came to an enthusiastic fruition. Thank you, Steve, for your leadership in these activities.

Be sure to keep in mind the Southern California Jamboree coming up on June 27th -29th.  Norma Keating will be organizing a car pool for the Saturday sessions.  It is a great learning opportunity with a number of well-respected speakers and a great exhibit/vendor hall.

Come out and join us for a sure-to-be-interesting talk by Charles and Rosemary Kissell on the Origins of the American Flag at our May meeting.

Happy genealogy sleuthing,
Jamie

GSNOCC MEETING – May 21, 2008
presents

CHARLES and ROSEMARY KISSEL
Origins of the American Flag

Did you know--that since the American flag was adopted in 1777, it has been altered 26 times?  That the last change was July 4, 1960, one year after Hawaii became a state?  That this July 4 will mark the longest time the flag has not been modified?  That we celebrate Flag Day nationwide on June 14, even though it’s not a national holiday?

Charles Kissel, whose collection of federal and colonial flags is approaching 300, became interested--enamored--yes, even obsessed--with American flags about 13 years ago.  Rosemary, his wife, has become a modern-day Betsy Ross, recreating flags not commercially available.  They will discuss the evolution of our flag: the stars, the stripes, the colors, the shape--and display samples from their extensive collection.

Mr. Kissel is a self-employed inventor who earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from UCSB, and his wife, Rosemary, is a UCI graduate who teaches in the Magnolia School District.  The Kissel’s have made more than 100 presentations to community, school, patriotic, church, scouting and youth organizations.  They received the DAR Community Service Award in 2002 and the George Washington Honor Medal from the Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge in 2003.

  CALENDAR ITEMS...

May 10 – Megan Smolenyak
Smolenyak will be featured at the Conejo Valley Genealogical Society’s seminar.  Their website is <rootsweb.com/~cacvgs> or send email to <cvgs2008seminar@aol.com or call 805-379-2067.

June 27-29 – SCGS JAMBOREE !!!  Go
on line to jamboree@scgsgenealogy. May 1st was the Early Bird deadline, but there’s a wealth of info waiting there...do join us!!

August 7 -9 – The British Isles Family History Society-U.S.A. will celebrate its 20th anniversary by hosting a 3-day seminar, aboard the Queen Mary. For details, visit their website
<www.rootsweb.com/~bifhsusa/seminar or call Lydia Jeffery at 626-359-1729.

* * *
GSNOCC members Updates –

Audrey Coming –

Norma Keating has been in touch with Audrey’s roomer, Bruce, and learned late last week that perhaps she’s at home as of Monday! 

Emma Lee Price –

Steve Adamson reports from her daughter that   Emma Lee had fallen some weeks ago but is recovering.  She uses a walker, is her usual gregarious self, and would welcome calls and visits.

* * *

Ralph’s Community Contribution Program -

Some months ago, I mentioned at a meeting that we (GSNOCC) could sign up for the Ralph's Community Contribution program, and for all the expenditures that members make at any Ralph's store, GSNOCC would get some small percentage!

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP YET?????

This message applies to ALL GSNOCC members, family members, friends, etc., etc.  If we shop at Ralph's, (even once in a while...sign up), we can help out the GSNOCC Treasury.  It costs us NOTHING - Ralph's does all the work, and then remits a check for GSNOCC at intervals.

YOU....need to do the following:
1.  Register online at _www.ralphs.com....
(http://www.ralphs.com....) 
2.  Click on Community Contributions...at the    far left side of the page
3.  Click on Participants
4.  Click on the Sign Up button in the    Participant box
5.  Certify that you are a Ralph's cardholder
6.  Fill in the blanks on the Participants
Enrollment Form....
For the NPO number, enter 90493...our own
GSNOCC number

If you do not have a Ralph's Club Card, you can get one at the customer service desk at any Ralph's store.

REMEMBER....purchases will not count for our group until after our members register their Ralph's Club Cards.

Do you use a phone number at the register???  Call 800-660-9003 to get your Club Card number.

Members must swipe their registered Ralph's Club Card or use the phone number that is related to their registered Ralph's Club Card when shopping for each purchase to count.

Let's see how much GSNOCC can earn from your trips to the grocery store!  This program is not limited to just GSNOCC members, anyone you  know, who shops at Ralph's, can register to earn $$$ for GSNOCC.....they must register and use our NPO number ...90493.    Of course, some of our members may already be
registered thru the Ralph's program to benefit
another charity of their choice.....no problem with that!  But you can only designate ONE recipient to receive your Ralph's benefit $$$.

THANKS.....and Happy Shopping!!!!    We'll
report occasionally on how much you've benefited the GSNOCC Treasury!

Norma Longmire

* * * *

Trip to Jamboree Planned

As reported in last month's newsletter, our next group excursion will be to Jamboree on Saturday, June 28th.
More information about the Jamboree is available at http://www.scgsgenealogy.com

This is one of the biggest genealogy events in California and a chance to learn from experts.

* * *

Using iGoogle for Genealogy
by Jamie Mayhew

What’s all this stuff about Google. I thought it was just a search engine - but Google can be much more. 

Have you ever been out researching and want to get to a website but you can’t remember the address? That’s happened to me. So I started keeping a list of favorite websites but that wasn’t very convenient and frequently wasn’t with me. I struggled along until I discovered iGoogle. With iGoogle you set up your own homepage that you can access anywhere from any computer. You can setup tabs for different interests. I have a general tab, a gardening tab, a genealogy tab and a links tab. On each tab you add gadgets.

So lets get started. First you go to http://www.google.com and get a free email account. Google’s email is  yourusername@gmail.com. Isn’t that a great address for a genealogy email account? Once you have a gmail account you are ready to
create your iGoogle page.

Go back to http://www.google.com and you should be directed to iGoogle. If not click on iGoogle in the upper right hand corner. Choose some things in which you are interested. If none of the topics are of particular interest just select a theme and move on.  This is your basic page. To create a genealogy tab choose Add a tab. Enter the theme Genealogy and Google will create a page of gadgets of blogs and sites it thinks you will find interesting. Click the x in the corner of any gadget to get rid of it. To add a gadget, click on Add stuff.  You’ll see samples of gadgets related to genealogy that you can add. If you create a tab called links then iGoogle will give you several links gadgets that you can use to add your favorite links.

Here are some of the gadgets I have on my iGoogle page.

Live weather (from Snohomish where my daughter lives)
Gmail
Calendar
Clock
Family Search
Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter
Google Bookmarks with my most used bookmarks
The Genealogy Guys Podcast
Search USGen Web

Once you have created the iGoogle page it’s now yours to use anywhere you are. To find your iGoogle page go to http://www.google.com and choose Sign in and there is your site with all your tabs and your links.

* * *

BOY SCOUT PROJECT BEGINS –

16 prospective genealogists received three hours of training Saturday, May 3 as members of GSNOCC conducted our first workshop for the Boy Scout Genealogy Merit Badge at Troop 93's headquarters in Fullerton.

The workshop was organized around the nine
requirements for the Merit Badge,  Following an opening session for all conducted by Norma Keating, small groups of Scouts rotated through three learning stations where they met, in addition to Norma, with Steve Adamson, Carol Dallas, Cynthia Gilbert, Ruth Govorchin, and Beth Hillger.  Extensive help in preparing reference material for the workshop was
given by Martha Leonard, assisted by Carolyn Adamson.

The objective of the workshop was to instruct the Scouts on how to complete their badge requirements using methods and conventions appropriate to 2008.  After completion of the requirements, they will meet with a Merit Badge Counselor, who will review and approve
their work.  Steve Adamson has been accepted by the local Scout organization as a counselor and will begin meeting with the boys within the next few weeks.

The instructors were pleased that several boys brought the results of considerable research, done by family members, to the workshop, and expressed strong interest in continuing what their relatives had started.

*  * *

Using Census Records Effectively As a Genealogical Resource
Continued from March 2008
By Norma Storrs Keating

There were major changes in the population census beginning with the 1850 count. The government decided more information was needed about each household and each person who lived in that household. For family historians, this census record now provides a resource that can be used to build a family unit. The new census information also provides clues for further research.

For the first time, the name of every individual was recorded, along with their age, sex, color, occupation and place of birth.  Property owners were asked to give the value of their real estate.  If someone was married or attended school during the year previous to June 1st the census taker was to make a mark in the columns provided.  For adults over age twenty, the census asked if they could read and write. Lastly, the enumerator was to record if a person was deaf and dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, a pauper or a convict.

This census also was different in that it was printed on two sides with space for 40 entries on each side. For the first time more definitive information about the location of a household was recorded using a post office address, along with the county and state names. Each household was given a dwelling and family number.  The date the census enumerator actually took the census was also noted.  The enumeration was to take place between 1 June and 1 November 1850.

The 1860 census was identical with the exception of one additional question regarding the value of personal property. The 1870 census was identical to 1860 with the following exceptions: the marriage month was to be recorded and the reading and writing question was now asked in two separate columns. In addition, the month of birth was to be recorded if a person was born within the year. The census taker also asked if the father or mother was foreign born and if males over 21 years were able to vote.

Understanding what the census taker was supposed to report can be the key to an accurate analysis of the information on the census. The census enumerators were given specific instructions regarding what they were to record for each question on the census.  For example, the instructions for the age column in 1850 were: “Under heading 4 entitled “age”, insert in figures what was the specific age of each person at his or her last birthday previous to the 1st of June, opposite the name of each person. If the exact age in years cannot be ascertained, insert a number which shall be the nearest approximation to it. The age, whether exact or estimated, of everyone, is to be inserted. If the person be a child under one year old, the entry is to be made by the fractional parts of the year, thus: one month, one-twelfth; two months, two-twelfths; three months, three-twelfth, and so on to eleven months, eleven-twelfths.”  Knowing that a person’s age could be just an estimate helps us understand why sometimes there is such a wide fluctuation in a person’s age from one census year to another. To find out more about what the census takers were supposed to record for each question, consult “Measuring America: The Decennial Censuses From 1790 to 2000” by the Bureau of the Census. It can be purchased from the Bureau of the Census or read online at the census website http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/pol03marv-pt1.pdf

Using the new information on the 1850, 1860 and 1870 census records as clues, a family historian can start learning more about a family unit.  For example, names can be assigned to people in a household previously identified only as a male or female age 10-15 years. Migration patterns can be identified using the birthplace information. Clues to family associations can also be used to identify extended family members and additional generations. For example, let’s examine a family found on the 1850 census for Carter County, Tennessee:  John Brown, a blacksmith, age 40 and born in Virginia is enumerated with Mary Brown, age 37 and born in North Carolina. There are three children age 17, 15, and 11 years who were born in North Carolina. There are two children ages 7 and 5 who were born in Tennessee. Also counted with this family is Julie Spencer, age 72 and born in North Carolina. The two daughters in the family are named Mary and Julie.

Using the information in the census as clues, the following family dynamics could be put forward (followed by research to prove this to be true):  John and Mary Brown are likely the parents of five children. They were probably married about 1831-1833 in North Carolina. Gaps in the ages of the children suggest there could be 3 additional children born to this couple who are not in this census.  The older woman in the family could be Mary’s mother and, thus, Mary’s maiden name could be Spencer. Since no older male is in the household, Julie Spencer could be a widow. The family probably moved to Tennessee from North Carolina about 1840-1843. John Brown has the unusual occupation of blacksmith, which will help identify him from other men named John Brown. The daughters were likely named for their mother and grandmother.

Thus, we see that the new information collected in the 1850, 1860 and 1870 censuses certainly is helpful to family historians and can be used in a wide variety of ways to bring together our ancestors family units and tell us their story. 
To be continued next month.

* * *

APG TO CONDUCT ROUNDTABLE ON OPEN RECORDS ACCESS

WESTMINSTER, Colo., April 21 - The Association of Professional Genealogists   (APG) will conduct a roundtable on Tuesday, May 13, 2008 during the National Genealogical Society Conference at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City, Missouri.  The topic of the roundtable, which will be
moderated by David Rencher, CG, is Into the Future with the Records Preservation and Access Committee. The roundtable will be held from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm in the Chouteau A&B rooms.

Beverly Rice, CG, Roundtable Coordinator, encourages members to attend saying, "This is an opportunity for all conference attendees to become aware of our genealogy communities' combined efforts to maintain access and
preserve the world's records.  The topic of records preservation and access is of such importance to the genealogical community that APG has opened this roundtable to all interested individuals."

The roundtable is normally open only to APG members; however, because of the importance of the topic all genealogists and interested parties are invited. In addition, the roundtable is an ideal time for APG members to network, share ideas and learn how other professionals market themselves.

The Association of Professional Genealogists (http://www.apgen.org/), founded in 1979, is the sole organization representing genealogy as  a profession.  It supports the preservation and accessibility of records useful to the fields of genealogy, local and social history.  Its members represent all fifty states and several countries. The association promotes
excellence in genealogical research, teaching, and writing.

Thanks to Norma Keating for this article.

[Ed. Note:  The following three articles are from UpFront with NGS, Vol. 8, No. 5, 1 May 2008. Originally published in UpFront with NGS, The Online Newsletter of the National Genealogical Society. http://wws.NGSgenealogy.org/upfront.htm]

50 Most Popular Genealogy Websites from ProGenealogists   Thanks to Norma Keating for sharing.

Editor's note: ProGenealogists issued the following release last month. It seems many genealogists have benefited from the websites they list. If some are not familiar to you, maybe the link in this article to the list of winning sites will pose an opportunity for you to expand the horizons of your web genealogy research.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - 2 April 2008.
ProGenealogists, Inc. released today the results of a study that identifies, for the first time, the 50 most popular genealogy websites.

The popularity of genealogy on the Internet has long been established, but for the first time, it's possible to say which of the thousands of genealogy sites are the most popular in this growing field. The list uses a "places rated" approach to average the website traffic rankings from four major web analytics companies.
The top two websites actually tied for first place and are well-known to web genealogists: Ancestry.com and its sister site, RootsWeb.com. Third place, however, is the somewhat lesser known MyHeritage.com whose popularity is attributed to its many users in Europe and Israel. Next is Genealogy.com,
with FamilySearch.org, provided by the LDS Church, rounding out the top five.

"The importance of this list for genealogists cannot be underestimated," said Natalie Cottrill, ProGenealogists's President and CEO. "If a site is popular, as measured by actual traffic, it must be providing useful information, and genealogists are always seeking more sites to help with their research. Everyone will find sites on this list they have never heard of or visited. We are very pleased to make this information available for free to the entire genealogical community."

The rankings are the result of research conducted over the past three months
by ProGenealogists's Vice-President of Marketing, Kory L. Meyerink, who is
also an adjunct professor of family history at Brigham Young University. "Only full-fledged genealogy websites could be considered for this ranking, due to the way the web analytics companies conduct their research," Meyerink
commented. "Individual pages on a government website cannot be ranked independent of that government site's own traffic. The same is the case for genealogical pages that are part of a larger, non-genealogical website."Sites of only passing interest to genealogists, such as the meaning surnames or promoting coats-of-arms, were also excluded

Bryce Barnett, Operations Manager for ProGenealogists, remarked, "The findings of this study are fascinating. Nine of the 50 sites are subscription sites, illustrating that genealogists understand the value of paying for information. Indeed, half of the sites are primarily data-oriented sites. Another quarter are sites that provide links to genealogical data."

ProGenealogists has posted the list at
http://www.progenealogists.com/top50genealogy2008.htm, notified the 50 websites, and provided an award icon they can display on their website. A detailed article, exploring the methodology and numbers behind this ground-breaking study is planned for a pending issue of Digital Genealogist, the popular Internet magazine, www.digitalgenealogist.com.

ProGenealogists, a privately held Utah corporation, is one of the nation's premier genealogical research firms, with offices in Salt Lake City, and Sandy, Utah. Founded in 1998, it brings together many of the nation's best
genealogists in an environment fostering high quality, scholarly genealogical research. ProGenealogists's own website has been nationally recognized for the design, layout and quality of its content by USAToday,
"Yahoo Internet Life" Magazine, Family Tree Magazine, and "The Internet Scout Report" sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

For more information regarding ProGenealogists, Inc., visit their website at
www.progenealogists.com or call toll-free 800-596-3230.

* * * * * *

Can't Attend? Conference Lectures on CD

Many lectures will be recorded at the NGS Conference in the States "Show Me the Nation's Records." If you will miss this year's NGS Conference in the States, over 120 of the lectures will be recorded and available for purchase as CD-ROMs beginning in June 2008 from JAMB Tapes, Inc. More details will be
provided in the June issue of UpFront.

Many lectures from the Richmond 2007 NGS Conference in the States are available now at http://www.JAMB-Inc.com. You can also access the JAMB-Inc. website via a link on http://ngsgenealogy.org. Individual CD-ROM's cost $12.00; a package of 10 or more may be purchased for $11 each.

 

Vital Records Contain a Wealth of Information by Jan Alpert, NGS President

At the upcoming NGS Conference in the States, I will be lecturing on "The Basics of Vital Records Research." In preparing my lecture I reviewed copies of over 100 vital records in my family research files. Although I had looked
at each record several times before, it was revealing to see how much different information was contained in the birth, marriage, and death records for a family, proving that you need to look at every vital record you can find to build a complete picture of the family.

I also noticed that there were many errors in family information contained on death certificates, depending upon who was the informant and how closely related they were to the family. For example, daughters provided more correct information on a mother's maiden name or parents' state of birth than sons. Husbands and wives of the deceased were not as accurate in providing information on the deceased parents as had been provided by the
individual on their earlier marriage license. Also, second wives seemed to respond "unknown" more often than a first wife. Federal census information available from online databases has enabled me to trace family members who moved to different states and obtain their death certificates as well. Various states provide different information on the death certificate. So, when I gathered death certificates for all the siblings, I was able to
compile a fairly complete picture of family information.

I've often heard family researchers say that it is expensive to write each county and state for birth, marriage, and death records. However, it is expensive to research an incorrect family line or to do research in the incorrect state. I try to write for several vital records each month, making it part of my monthly genealogy budget. The risk of not obtaining vital
records now is they will likely cost more in the future or they may not be as accessible since several states have tried to close access to public records as a privacy issue. The benefit of obtaining vital records is that you have the new information now and can expand your research.
* * *

Tidbits –

DigMyPics.com –I wanted to share with the readers a discovery I recently made that has provided me with an incredible look at my past.  After my parents passed on, I was sorting some of the old pictures they had kept.  I came across more than 600 old negatives – some more than 70 years old – and was curious as to what they contained.

The thought (and cost) of having prints made was daunting until I came across a wonderful company called DigMyPics.com.  I shipped them them the negatives and they returned a CD, a DVD, and a thumbnail album for all 604 pictures.  They even provide a personal website where I can view and manage my collection.  They kept me posted with e-mails all along the way of the process and are the nicest folks you would ever want to deal with.  I now have an amazing story of my family that could not have been obtained elsewhere and many new leads for further research.
Source:  Ancestry.com Weekly Journal, Quick Notes, Jan. 6, 2008.  Idea contributed by Norman B. Buckman.

* * *
IrishGen – If you are researching your Irish Genealogy or want to discover the history of your Irish surname then IrishGen is your online gateway.  Get involved in their forums/message boards and register for their Free newsletters and competitions.  http://www.irishgen.com/
* * *
Understanding Your Ancestors:  Information about daily life, immigration, specific localities, history, and records for ancestors in Western Europe:  http://www.understandingyourancestors.com/
These last two from Net Nuggets, OCCGS newsletter, Feb. 2008.

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