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August 2009 Blog Posts (155)

Clan Gunn get closer to appointing a chief

William Murray Gunn is making his claim to be recognised as Chief of Clan Gunn, one of Scotland's northernmost clans, with a bloodthirsty reputation that dates back centuries.

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Descended from the Vikings, and with lands that once encompassed Orkney, Caithness and Sutherland, Clan Gunn has survived into the 21st century despite having no chief for more than 200 years.

But now a 41-year-old former lorry driver has stepped forward to claim his right to be the new chieftain… Continue

Added by William Douglas on August 24, 2009 at 4:30am — No Comments

Earliest Ancestor to Australia

I recently filled out the Who are the Genealogists of Australia survey and had to check my database for my earliest ancestor.

Convict Thomas Squires earns that nod in my family arriving in Tasmania in 1830.

Added by Liz Pidgeon on August 24, 2009 at 1:14am — No Comments

Who owns genealogy? Part One

Who owns the U.S. Census records? If I have a copy of the U.S. Census can I charge you to look at it? Who owns the Social Security Death Index? Again, if I have a copy, can I charge you to look at it? Do the individual states own their vital records? Do churches own their membership records? All of these questions have different answers depending on specific circumstances. Some of the answers involve copyright law and some involve practical business interests.…

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Added by James Tanner on August 23, 2009 at 8:44pm — No Comments

In early July the Library of Congress put historic U.S. newspapers online

Library of Congress puts historic U.S. newspapers online to see how media covered history as it was made. I want to repost the link:

Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers

Added by Stefani Twyford on August 23, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Pay It Forward

Today - for the first time since I've been reading and posting messages on various sites - I was able to offer someone some clarifying information. Doing so was just a tiny repayment to all those who've helped me. Actually, I find myself being intimidated by the level of knowledge some researchers possess. "Do they have a household full of LDS" tapes or reference books?" I ask myself. Or have they simply become vast repositories of what they've intellectually digested over the years? Actually,… Continue

Added by Katie Heitert Wilkinson on August 23, 2009 at 4:17pm — 9 Comments

Could We Be Desensitized To Slavery?

This post has spawned a wonderful stream of open dialogue on my Our Georgia Roots blog today {PLEASE read the insightful comments!}. Here's hoping the coversation can continue...

Luckie.

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Recently I realized that over the years, my personal prejudice in regards to the Civil War has prevented me from learning about the war & the significant involvement of enslaved & free,… Continue

Added by Luckie Daniels on August 23, 2009 at 2:30pm — 1 Comment

Culture of sw OH 1796 to 1820s? Why to IN? Pearce, Decker, Bennington, Rogers, Higgins, Laurance, Oliver, Lathers, Shepard, Barker, Montgomery

I research 4 sets of gg grandparents. At least five of the 8 surnames, plus many collateral families, migrated through southwest Ohio, staying there for a time. I have searched the names. I and other researchers have searched the public records (that were not destroyed in early fires). Perhaps by obtaining a visceral feel for the locales, one might better understand why some in families stayed in place and other members may have moved on. Most of mine went into se Indiana as soon as it was open… Continue

Added by Shar Pearce on August 23, 2009 at 11:36am — No Comments

Polish Genealogical Society of Michigan Seminar - October 17, 2009

Registration: 8:30 AM

Seminar: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Polish Genealogical Society of Michigan

www.pgsm.org

Speaker: STEPHEN BARTHEL

Accredited Genealogist since 1981

Formerly with the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah

Annual Polish Genealogical Research Seminar - October 17, 2009

American Polish Cultural Center-Hall #2

2975 E. Maple Rd. (15 Mile Rd)

Troy, Michigan 48083

PRESENTATIONS:

HELP I'M STUCK! -… Continue

Added by Ceil Wendt Jensen on August 23, 2009 at 11:05am — No Comments

A short note on copying items on the Web

Some bloggers, even those with genealogical interests, apparently feel that anything posted on the Web is fair game for copying without even courtesy of attribution. Not only is this practice readily apparent from reading posts, but it is lauded by some as a good practice. I try to make sure that any time I copy something from a Web source that I give credit to the originator by providing a link, putting the material in quotes or indenting it to show that it is a quote. If I fail to do this, I… Continue

Added by James Tanner on August 23, 2009 at 9:51am — No Comments

Interesting slide show/ NYTimes

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/08/23/weekinreview/20090823_FAKE_SS_index.html?hp

This slide show shows photos that have been 'retouched' or faked in some way. Sometimes I feel researching my family is a way of peeling away the fakery and finding the true parts. This is often very difficult as you can't always trust what you see in front of you-

Added by Kate Steere on August 23, 2009 at 7:50am — No Comments

RootsMagic announces multiple upgrades

In the RootsMagic Blog for 21 August 2009, Bruce Buzbee announced the new update to RootsMagic 4, now version 4.0.5.0. Quoting from the announcement the program now has these important new features:
Read More...

Added by James Tanner on August 22, 2009 at 10:21pm — No Comments

Thomas Brennan

Recieved an email today with info regarding Thomas Brennan and his wife Jane Kelly Brennan. His obits showing his date of death and viewing. Along with the cemetery name with section and plot number....but there is no headstone. For Jane there was a copy of the original death record plus a transrcibled one. The person who sent it was going to go back to the cemetery and see there is a headstone for her.

Added by Bob Mooney-Pa on August 22, 2009 at 7:26pm — No Comments

Fess name from Switzerland

One of my lines comes from Switzerland. Her name is Francis Fess. This woman married a James Kelly. I do know that her year of birth was abt 1813 in Pennsylvania. Her parents came from Switzerland.

The first place I have them married is 1850 on a census from Alleghney County Pa.

Together they had 6 children of which one married my Thomas Brennan.

It's possible her brother could have been a Rudorf Fess. (first name maybe spelled wrong,we all know how census… Continue

Added by Bob Mooney-Pa on August 22, 2009 at 7:20pm — No Comments

Rev. War ancestors

The hunt is on. Looking to connect to a few Mooney guys who lived in Vaand NC who fought in the Rev. war. My dad always said either his mother or grandmother belonged to the DAR but just can't figure out where the connectioon is. Maybe back when she belonged it was easier because so much info wasn't as easy to find.

Added by Bob Mooney-Pa on August 22, 2009 at 7:17pm — No Comments

The latest additions to FamilySearch Record Search Pilot

The past few weeks have seen downtime for the FamilySearch Record Search Pilot, but 22 August 2009 brought new records collections. Record Search acknowledges that some images are missing and being reloaded onto the site, but the new collections add more millions of individuals.

Read… Continue

Added by James Tanner on August 22, 2009 at 4:40pm — No Comments

Mathew Edward Mooney

Mathew was my gr grandfather. Born 1843 in Mercer County Virginia. He had a twin brother named Lewis.

He belonged to the 1st Reg. Virginia State Line (Cavalry) never making past the rank of private. Sometime in 1864 he ended up mustered in the 7th West Virginia Cavalry. From reading his Civil War record he stayed in the 7th till the end of the war.

His twin brother Lewis also belonged to the same Virginia regiment and West Virginia regiment. Lewis died in Gallipolis Ohio in the US… Continue

Added by Bob Mooney-Pa on August 22, 2009 at 12:30pm — No Comments

Calling Mom

I really need to call my mother in St. Louis. No more putting that off. It's just that I'd love to be able to give her some exciting news about progress in tracing our ancestors. Like the time I worked on my hunch that Grandpa Kearney was an orphan train rider and was able to prove that he was. It's as if my feet are stuck in a sort of historical morass: no progress on the Irish end (who knew that in one small townland there would be so many people with the same name and eerily close birth… Continue

Added by Katie Heitert Wilkinson on August 22, 2009 at 9:26am — No Comments

My first foray into personal blogging

I maintain two blogs in my role as a Local and Family history Librarian, one for genealogy and one for local history - although it is surprising how the two can interact so much. I have RSS feeds to these blogs on my page.

I have thought for a while about starting a blog to document my own family history research, as well as talk about new resources and resourcs I like etc. So perhaps this is a good place to start for now.

I recently learned that the… Continue

Added by Liz Pidgeon on August 22, 2009 at 12:15am — No Comments

Becoming a "Social"

Truthfully, I've usually chuckled at my nieces, nephews, and friends who've created pages on MySpace and Facebook; and I'll admit to being mystified at the attraction of such websites. Last Christmas a twenty-something niece regaled us with her account of refusing the "friendship" of another MySpace member. "Why should I accept her as a friend," she emoted, "when she was horrible to me in high school?" I howled, wondering how anyone could take such stuff seriously.

So here I am - I… Continue

Added by Katie Heitert Wilkinson on August 21, 2009 at 7:09pm — 2 Comments

Relatives popping up all over Palmyra, Jefferson County, Wisconsin

I am busy following the trails of the Coon, Congdon, Darling, Bunker, Potter, Dow families of Palmyra, Jefferson County Wisconsin. Specifically, I am looking for Coon collateral lines.

Added by Gwynn Socolich on August 21, 2009 at 7:06pm — No Comments