Featured Foto from Lost Faces: Fisk Civil War era Photo Album

This week's Featured Photo from Lost Faces is from the Fisk Family Civil War era Photo Album. It is part of my private collection of 1800s Photograph Albums Which I rescue and publish online at Lost Faces



This carte de visite is Fisk Family Photo #14 - Mrs. Elihu Smead. It was taken ca 1870s

After some research I discovered that the album was probably owned by a child of David Fiske and Laura Severington of Massachusetts. It was probably passed on to a grandchild of David & Laura, that grandchild being the person who wrote names of individuals in the album.

Who Do You Think You Are with Spike Lee Tomorrow Night

Who Do You Think You Are? is nearly over. This Friday is the last episode!

This Week's Episode featuring Spike Lee will air this Friday April 30.

The website for “Who Do You Think You Are?” can be accessed here http://www.nbc.com/who-do-you-think-you-are/. The website features bios of the celebrities featured in the show, photos, and several video clips as well as articles on how to get started in family history.

Ancestry.com is a partner with NBC on this genealogy show.

I'm going to miss the show when tomorrow's episode is over but good news -- NBC has picked it up for another season!

Weekly Featured Database: Reformed Dutch Church of New Amsterdam (New York) Baptisms 1639 - 1801

The featured genealogy database this week is the Reformed Dutch Church of New Amsterdam (New York) Baptisms 1639 to 1801

Other New York genealogy databases can be viewed at http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/nn/

Spring Cleaning Your Genealogy

Well, it's April and a perfect time for Spring Cleaning. Spring cleaning your genealogy that is! If you are like me, your genealogy files are in a mess.

I have filing cabinets chock full of file folders which are chock full of papers.

I have dozens of clear plastic tubs full of assorted genealogy papers.

I have a desk that defies the laws of gravity with its towers of papers.

In short I have a mess that I have the best intentions every year to clean up.

But this year it's going to be different. Here is my plan. And yes, I've already started on it!

1. Purge my file folders first. Go through each folder and ruthlessly toss papers I truly do not need anymore

2. Reorganize the papers that I have in the now purged file folders. Make sure I have sorted the remaining papers into groups other than "Assorted" or "Miscellaneous". I want each family to have folders for census, vital stats, land records and so on. So I will sort by such titles as PEER FAMILY - CENSUS; PEER FAMILY - LAND RECORDS etc. Everyone has their own organization method. The key is to choose yours and then be consistent.

3. Using my beloved labeller, print off all new file folder labels. Large print, easy to read.

4. Now attack the tubs of loose papers. That's a huge job but it needs to be done. Sort, organize, toss, and file.

5. Next attack my gravity defying stacks of paper on my desk. Same deal - sort, organize, toss and file. Create more file folders if needed.

6. At this point your office should be looking a whole lot neater! Next is a monumental task but extremely important and one I am very very bad at. Go through each file folder and ENTER DATA into your genealogy program! Check every single piece of paper, every document. Have you entered it? If not, do so. Now, this minute.

This is not a one day or even one month job. My spring cleaning of my genealogy is going to take me a few months but I'm determined to do it. No more file folders labelled "Miscellaneous". No more opening a file folder labelled "New York Families" and finding my Ontario Vollick line in there. No more hunting for hours for that one land record I know I have - but can't remember where I put it.

I've already started. Last month I purged. It was so hard to do, I always have the certainty that I will toss out paper that next week I'll find I need. But I did it. I purged and I reorganized my folders and I re-labelled everything.

Saving the worst for last, I now have to go through all my odds 'n ends of paper which cover every square inch of available furniture in my office, and are in tubs stacked 3 high. Maybe I'll have it done by Christmas!

Recap of Who Do You Think You Are: Susan Sarandon Episode

Who Do You Think You Are? aired last night with it's episode featuring Susan Sarandon. I really enjoyed this episode, which focused on Susan's attempts to solve mystery of her grandmother Anita, who disappeared from Susan's mother's life when her mother was just a child.

With the help of genealogists in New York, Susan learns that her grandmother lived a very difficult early life, losing her own mother at the age of 9, married at age 13, and bearing two children (one of them Susan's mother) before she was 15 years old!

Anita disappeared when Susan's mother was about 2 years old, then reappeared briefly when Susan's mother was a teenager. Susan's mother had been told that Anita was dead so her appearance was startling. Then Anita disappeared once more and was never heard from again.

The story of Anita seemed to resonate with Susan who found that her grandmother's past as a dancer in a New York night club was bore similarities to Susan's career as an actress. By the end, Susan has found a new understanding of her grandmother and perhaps the reasons she left her family and started a new life.

The website for “Who Do You Think You Are?” can be accessed here http://www.nbc.com/who-do-you-think-you-are/. The website features bios of the celebrities featured in the show, photos, and several video clips as well as articles on how to get started in family history.

Ancestry.com is a partner with NBC on this genealogy show.

Featured Foto from Lost Faces: Santelman Steffanhagen Family Photo Album

This week's featured Photo is from the Santelman Steffanhagen Family Photo Album

This is a 1880s-1890s Wine Coloured Velvet Album with Oval Metal Insert on Cover containing photos of the Santelman Steffanhagen Family. The photos are mainly Cabinet Cards with some earlier tintypes. I rescued this family photo album from an antique store many years ago.

There were 46 identified photo slots in this album but only 33 photos in the album. The photos were identified in the album index in later handwriting



Surnames: Santelman, Steffanhager, Steffanhagen, Koehn,Pigorzs, Landivehr?, Gohrke, Grimm, Algrihm, Koch, Berlin

Locations: Minnesota, Illinois

Weekly Featured Database: Baptisms Reformed Church at Machackemeck (Deerpark), Orange County New York 1716-1827

The featured genealogy database this week is the Records of Baptisms of the Reformed Church at Machackemeck (Deerpark), Orange County New York 1716-1827

Researchers have been led to believe that church records for the Minisink aka Machackemeck (Deerpark) Dutch Reformed Church were lost for the years 1720- 1736. Histories of the Dutch Reform Churches in America reveal the following: The Deerpark Dutch Reformed Church was not established until 1737. Until that time, Dominies from the established Kingston Dutch Reformed Church travelled to the remote areas to perform baptisms which were later entered into the Kingston Dutch Reformed Church records.

The first Dominie at the Deerpark Dutch Reformed Church found notes on baptisms performed in 1716-1719 in Minisink that had never been recorded in Kingston. He appended them to the Deerpark records which actually began in 1737. Thus the appearance of missing records for 1720-1736.

Other New York genealogy databases can be viewed at http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/nn/

Who Do You Think You Are with Susan Sarandon

Who Do You Think You Are? is nearly over. There are only two episodes left!

This Week's Episode will air this Friday April 26. Susan Sarandon sets out to learn more about her grandmother Anita, who led a life shrouded with mystery and who disappeared out of Susan's mother's life when her mother was just a child. In the episode, Susan visits the New York City Public Library and the New City Library in Rockland, New York.

The website for “Who Do You Think You Are?” can be accessed here http://www.nbc.com/who-do-you-think-you-are/. The website features bios of the celebrities featured in the show, photos, and several video clips as well as articles on how to get started in family history.

Ancestry.com is a partner with NBC on this genealogy show.

Next week we'll have a chance to watch Spike Lee discover his roots. Check out the teaser featuring Susan Sarandon, and tune into NBC for the full episode on Friday at 8/7c.

Featured Foto from Lost Faces: Barnum, Pickard, Raymond Family of New York

This Cabinet Card circa 1880-1885 is of a young boy. He looks to be about 5 - 8 years old. The Photographer is from Syracuse New York. On the back is written "D. F. Pickard"

From my own genealogy research on the family I believe this cabinet card is a photograph of Darwin Frank Pickard, born 19 September 1875. He was the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Watertown NY for 29 years

It is part of my private collection of 1800s Photograph Albums Which I rescue and publish online at Lost Faces

This Cabinet Card comes from the Photo Album of the Barnum, Pickard, Raymond Family of New York. It was in a red velvet Photo Album purchased in St Jacobs Ontario, Patented 1882

This late 1800s album was full of 35 photos and funeral cards. I'm so glad I rescued this album

Graveyard Rabbits Carnival: Broken to Shivers

The topic for the May 2010 edition of the Graveyard Rabbits Carnival is: Cause of Death.

This is my entry. Poor Joseph!

Vollick, Joseph, News, appeared in Canadian Champion, 17 Jun 1869, page 2, column 3

FATAL ACCIDENT. - A fatal accident occurred on the 10th inst., at Mr. Hadden's mill, Nelson. A man by the name of Joseph Vollick was killed. It appears that he had been engaged at work on this mill for some time, acting in the capacity of fireman, and yesterday while in the act of throwing off the pump belt he was caught by it, and whirled around the main shaft at the rate of two hundred and forty times per minute. When they got the engine stopped his body was a mutilated mass, the bones of his legs were broken to shivers.

An inquest was held the same day on the body by Dr. Richardson, coroner, and a verdict of accidental death was given. No blame could be attached to either Mr. Hadden or Mr. Frazer, the foreman, as the mill is the same as any other mill, having a number of belts or straps, which always produce danger in dealing with them while in motion. He leaves a wife and five children to mourn his untimely end.

Weekly Featured Database: New York Military Records

The featured database this week is a list of men in the 8th Regiment Albany Militia 1898 There are over 1200 names

Other New York Military databases can be viewed at http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/nn/mil/

They are

* Palatines in New York 1710
* Volunteers Against Canada 1711
* Lt. Gov. Leisler's Commissions 1689 & 1690
* MERCHANT AND REDCOAT: THE PAPERS OF JOHN GORDON MACOMB, JULY 1757 TO JUNE 1760 (NEW YORK, BRITISH ARMY)
* Captn. Jonas Douw's Company Albany 1715
* Capt. Jacob Hallenback's Company of Militia 1757
* Capt. Marte Hallenback's Company of Militia 1757
* Muster Roll in Livingston Manor, 1715

FamilySearch Indexing Update

FamilSearch sends the following update regarding their indexing projects

The effort to index the 1910 United States Census continues to move forward, with five states completed and three new states added this week. New projects are also now available for Canada, Germany, and France.

New Projects

· Canada, Ontario—Deaths, 1933–1937
· Canada, Ontario—Marriages, 1869–1927 [Part A]
· Deutschland, Baden, Achern—Kirchenbücher, 1810–1869 [Part C]
· France, Paris—Registres Protestants, 1612–1906 [Part D]
· U.S., North Carolina—1910 Federal Census
· U.S., North Dakota—1910 Federal Census
· U.S., Oklahoma—1910 Federal Census

Weekly Featured Database: J & J Cooke Shipping Agents Records 1847 - 1871

This week's featured database is one I'm really excited about having online. It is the J & J Cooke Shipping Agents Records 1847 - 1871.

These lists can be found in D.2892/1/1-14 Passenger Books of J & J Cooke, Shipping Agents. Sailings were from Londonderry to Philadelphia Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Quebec, and St. John New Brunswick between 1847-1871 in the PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE of NORTHERN IRELAND.

Luckily for researchers, Olive Tree Genealogy volunteers kindly began transcribing these lists. Many are now online and searchable at Ships' Lists Online

If you are looking for Irish ancestors, especially those coming to Canada, you may be in luck with the JJ Cooke Shipping Lists, because Canadian Ships Passenger Lists did not have to be archived until 1865. This gives researchers those important pre-1865 years.

Conference on Computerized Genealogy and Family History at Salt Palace

Here's another interesting Press Release from BYU Conferences and Workshops. Wish I were going!

News Release
Contact: John Best, 801-422-2048

Conference on Computerized Genealogy and Family History at Salt Palace

One of the largest gatherings of family history experts in the world will take place in Salt Lake City during the last week of this month. The 13th Annual Conference on Computerized Genealogy and Family History, traditionally held at Brigham Young University in Provo in March, will take place at the Salt Palace on April 26 and 27, immediately followed by the four-day Annual Conference (April 28-May 1) of the National Genealogical Society, also at the Salt Palace. The conferences are designed to be how-to guides for beginning, intermediate and advanced researchers.

This is an exceptional opportunity for those with an interest in family history, an interest that already is booming due to the NBC TV show, “Who Do You Think You Are?” The experts at the Conference on Computerized Family History and Genealogy, sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and BYU, will teach how to get started in family history research as well as how to make research faster, easier and more effective by using new computer technologies. Anyone with an interest in genealogy is invited to attend.

The two-day conference includes more than 50 classes to help participants learn about advances in computer programs, research techniques, managing genealogy databases, using New FamilySearch, publishing family histories, research methodology, digital photography, using social networking sites to do family history research, research in other countries, and using U.S. records to find ancestors. Vendors also will demonstrate how to use their programs.

Keynote presenter for the conference will be David Rencher, director of the Records and Information Division of the Family and Church History Department of the LDS Church. He has served as director of the Family History Library and has been a leader in providing records of value to family research, including acquiring the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) and making it available to genealogists. Other main presenters include Alan Mann of FamilySearch Community Services for the LDS Church, Kory Meyerink, adjunct religion and family history professor for BYU and vice president of ProGenealogists, and Rick Crume, an author and family history presenter. In addition, representatives from the Family and Church History Department of the LDS Church will discuss how to effectively use the Church’s family history programs.

The two-day conference is sponsored by the Family History Department of the LDS Church, FamilySearch, the BYU History Department, the BYU Center for Family History and BYU’s Division of Continuing Education. More information can be found at http://familyshitoryconferences.byu.edu.

For pricing or additional program or registration information, contact:

BYU Conferences and Workshops
115 Harman Continuing Education Building Provo, UT 84602-1516
801-422-4853
E-mail: cw115@byu.edu

DIGITAL ARCHIVE PROVIDES ACCESS TO HISTORIC ATLANTA NEWSPAPERS

This Press Release just in from the Digital Library of Georgia. Sounds interesting!

A new digital database providing online access to 14 newspaper titles published in Atlanta from 1847 to 1922 is now available through the Digital Library of Georgia, housed at The University of Georgia Libraries.

The Atlanta Historic Newspapers Archive (http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/atlnewspapers)
consists of more than 67,000 newspaper pages and provides historical images that are both full-text searchable and can be browsed by date.

“This site will provide users with a record of Atlanta's history from its origins as a railroad terminus, through the devastation of the Civil War, to its eventual growth into one of the nation's largest cities,” said Toby Graham, director of the Digital Library of Georgia and deputy university librarian. “Of great interest to anyone curious about Atlanta history, it promises to be invaluable to researchers on any number of topics.”

The archive includes the following Atlanta newspaper titles: Atlanta Daily Examiner (1857), Atlanta Daily Herald (1873-1876), Atlanta Georgian (1906-1911), Atlanta Intelligencer (1851, 1854-1871), Atlantian (1911-1922), Daily/Georgia Weekly Opinion (1867-1868), Gate-City Guardian (1861), Georgia Literary and Temperance Crusader (1860-1861), New Era (1869-1872), Southern Confederacy (1861-1864), Southern Miscellany, and Upper Georgia Whig (1847), Southern World (1882-1885), Sunny South (1875-1907), Weekly Constitution (1869-1882).

The Atlanta Historic Newspapers Archive is a project of the Digital Library of Georgia as part of the Georgia HomePLACE initiative. The project is supported with federal LSTA funds administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Georgia Public Library Service, a unit of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.

Other newspaper archives available through the Digital Library of Georgia include the Macon Telegraph Archive (1826-1908), the Columbus Enquirer Archive (1828-1890), the Milledgeville Historic Newspaper Archive (1808-1920), the Southern Israelite Archive (1929-1958, 1984-1986), and the Red and Black Archive (1893-2006). These archives can be accessed at: http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/MediaTypes/Newspapers.html

Easter Bunny's Family Tree

This was announced last Easter on my blog but I felt it was worth repeating!

It seems that a little girl named Alice was playing in the garden of an old house in England when she fell down a large rabbit hole. Before climbing out she made a unique discovery. In a small wooden box under a pile of rabbit fur hats Alice spotted a yellowed letter. The letter was addressed to "Dear Easter" and signed "Uncle Wiggily", and it provided details of an interesting family tree!

The complete letter has been transcribed and you can read the text of the letter here

This year a Descendant Family Tree was found! Here it is for your enjoyment and below it is the original letter from Easter Bunny's Uncle Wiggly.

Don't Miss Friday's Who Do You Think You Are!

Update! NBC has altered a few of the Who Do You Think You Are? episode dates. The updated schedule is as follows:

April 2nd - Brooke Shields
April 9th - Sarah Jessica Parker (Repeat)
April 16th - No episode
April 23rd - Susan Sarandon
April 30th - Spike Lee

The website for “Who Do You Think You Are?” can be accessed here http://www.nbc.com/who-do-you-think-you-are/. The website features bios of the celebrities featured in the show, photos, and several video clips as well as articles on how to get started in family history.

Ancestry.com is a partner with NBC on this genealogy show.

This Week's Episode - Brooke Shields Brooke Shields' episode is the most royal of the series, taking viewers to New Jersey, Rome, and Paris. In the episode, Brooke seeks to learn more about her father's aristocratic roots and to learn the origins of the "Torlonia" family name. Watch for Brooke's visit to the New Jersey State Archives in Newark and the New York Historical Society.