Last night at 11:35 pm my newest grandson arrived. Baby boy Schulze weighed in at 6lb 5oz. Mommy and baby are fine, Daddy is exhausted.
I asked for photos but my son told me they were tired after the labour and wanted to go to sleep. I reminded him that my daughter-in-law was in labour, not him!
Good son that I have, he did send a picture a few minutes later but I promised I wouldn't share it. I suspect they want to show him to family and friends before I do. But he's adorable and a very welcome addition to their existing family of three beautiful children.
Lucky me - I now have 10 grandchildren (plus 4 step-grandchildren). Surely at least one of them will inherit the genealogy gene?
Updates about Olive Tree Genealogy website and other FREE genealogy records. Bringing you tutorials, genealogy book and app reviews, genealogy news, genealogy specials and more. Helping you find your family tree and ancestors.
January 4, 2012
January 3, 2012
Case #12: Arthur Cohen Dog Tag Found in France
My daughter was walking on the beach near Nice, France and found a WW II dog tag with the name of Arthur Cohen. The tag is very beat up and about 1/3 of it is broken off and missing. There is a partial service number ending 181206 and blood type A.
From what we can ell, there were two Arthur Cohens from that region who enlisted at about the same time, one was born in 1913 and the other in 1921. They were both single when they enlisted. I have found from NARA records available online that the Arthur Cohen we are looking for was born in 1913. Service #31181206.
So far we have found out that Arthur enlisted in Providence, Rhode Island in 1942. That's all we know. Any idea of where to go from here? If it would be of any sentimental or historical value to his descendants we would be happy to correspond and send it to them.This is Case #12 and I hope my readers will respond with their usual enthusiasm and great sleuthing skills. Let's send another dog tag home to family.
January 2, 2012
Cemetery Walk: St. Andrews Presbyterian Cemetery, Hillsdale Ontario Canada
Our first Cemetery Walk of 2012 is for St. Andrew's Presbyterian Cemetery in Hillsdale, Simcoe County Ontario Canada. It is online in 2 Videos on Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel
Here is Video 1. For Video 2 please see Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel
Here is Video 1. For Video 2 please see Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel
December 31, 2011
Bert's WW1 Letter to Ada, Jan. 1, 1915
Please see the first entry and photo from Ada Harland's Diary which I began transcribing a year ago. Ada's daily entries are repetitious and brief and difficult to follow as she uses abbreviations and letters (almost like a code) probably due to space limitations. Included with the diary and photo was this letter from the man who eventually became Ada's husband.
F. Coy
1st B.C. Regiment
York Hill
Salisbury Plain
Jan. 1, 1915
Another day has passed into the limbo of forgotten things, likewise the record of an eventful year is closed. Today your letter arrived, a letter which means so much and yet is all to [sic] brief. Would you think me rude if I condense this letter somewhat.
Last night was New Year's Eve, and the boys celebrated by getting uproariously drunk, and made it an all night session. Only Rowe and myself refrained from participating in the festivities, and consequently were dubbed "Sissies".
Billie Brierton [see FN 1] early succumbed to the potent libations and by 10:30 I had him into bed where he remained entirely oblivious to the racket until this morning. To sleep was out of the question, so Rowe who is laid up with a poisoned knee, and myself had a long talk, and with the exception of a trifling disturbance the night passed uneventfully.
This morning the effects of the night's debauch were all to [sic] plain to see. E. Coy. [Company] cook staggered into the Cook House and asked me to get breakfast ready for his men as well as my own. All day I have done double duty cooking for 250 men practically without assistance, and to tell the truth I am just about ready for a good night's rest.
Your letter makes me realize what a selfish brute I really am, here I have been writing page after page about my own disappointment at leaving you, yet never have intimated in any way, or even allowed for the possibility that you thought so well of me.
What I have done to deserve such a love as yours I do not know, nor cannot conceive, to know that you love me is enough, and I will do everything I can and so conduct my life as to make myself worthy of this great love of yours.
There is no danger whatever of my assaulting your friend the Orderly Corporal although my fingers itch to get a hold on him. You see it is a serious offence to strike an N.C.O. [Non Commissioned Officer] and means a long term of detention.
Yes, the handkerchief bears your initial and I sahll carry it with me through the days to come, as Knights of old carried the gage of their lady love.
Now dear heart I must write, goodnight and take you in my arms for that long lingering breathless kiss you wish and hold you colse to my heart for the rest of time.
With all my love, from
Your own
Bert xxxxx
PS The Princess Pats have been in action and lost heavily. We expect to go within the next two weeks, and go to the firing line direct
LAK Bert x
FN1:
Sadly Billie Brierton (whose name was William) did not survive the war. His death is found in the CEF (Canadian Expeditionary Forces) War Graves. He was killed in action in France on 24 Apr 1915 and his body never recovered.
F. Coy
1st B.C. Regiment
York Hill
Salisbury Plain
Jan. 1, 1915
Another day has passed into the limbo of forgotten things, likewise the record of an eventful year is closed. Today your letter arrived, a letter which means so much and yet is all to [sic] brief. Would you think me rude if I condense this letter somewhat.
Last night was New Year's Eve, and the boys celebrated by getting uproariously drunk, and made it an all night session. Only Rowe and myself refrained from participating in the festivities, and consequently were dubbed "Sissies".
Billie Brierton [see FN 1] early succumbed to the potent libations and by 10:30 I had him into bed where he remained entirely oblivious to the racket until this morning. To sleep was out of the question, so Rowe who is laid up with a poisoned knee, and myself had a long talk, and with the exception of a trifling disturbance the night passed uneventfully.
This morning the effects of the night's debauch were all to [sic] plain to see. E. Coy. [Company] cook staggered into the Cook House and asked me to get breakfast ready for his men as well as my own. All day I have done double duty cooking for 250 men practically without assistance, and to tell the truth I am just about ready for a good night's rest.
Your letter makes me realize what a selfish brute I really am, here I have been writing page after page about my own disappointment at leaving you, yet never have intimated in any way, or even allowed for the possibility that you thought so well of me.
What I have done to deserve such a love as yours I do not know, nor cannot conceive, to know that you love me is enough, and I will do everything I can and so conduct my life as to make myself worthy of this great love of yours.
There is no danger whatever of my assaulting your friend the Orderly Corporal although my fingers itch to get a hold on him. You see it is a serious offence to strike an N.C.O. [Non Commissioned Officer] and means a long term of detention.
Yes, the handkerchief bears your initial and I sahll carry it with me through the days to come, as Knights of old carried the gage of their lady love.
Now dear heart I must write, goodnight and take you in my arms for that long lingering breathless kiss you wish and hold you colse to my heart for the rest of time.
With all my love, from
Your own
Bert xxxxx
PS The Princess Pats have been in action and lost heavily. We expect to go within the next two weeks, and go to the firing line direct
LAK Bert x
FN1:Sadly Billie Brierton (whose name was William) did not survive the war. His death is found in the CEF (Canadian Expeditionary Forces) War Graves. He was killed in action in France on 24 Apr 1915 and his body never recovered.
Billie's Attestation papers are online. He was 25 years old when he enlisted in 1914 and was sent to the same regiment as Bert.
December 30, 2011
I'm a Genealogical Hunter and Gatherer Not a Data Enterer
Continuing on from my New Year's Genealogy Resolution for 2012... I've been doing a great deal of thinking about my genealogy organization and record keeping. Basically it's about using my strengths and ignoring or working around my weaknesses!
Strengths vs Weaknesses
What are my strengths? I'm a very thorough and focused researcher. I'm good at finding information then taking taking that newly-found fact, analyzing it and figuring out what it means in the overall picture, and where to look for the next clue or fact.
What are my weaknesses? I'm not good at data entry. I get bored and distracted easily.
The Laws of Genealogy?
Okay is that the worst sin for a genealogist? Who says I have to enter my data into a genealogy program? Or, if I choose to enter it to keep relationships straight, where is it written that I have to enter it immediately or in excruciating detail?
It has finally occurred to me that it's okay to record my genealogy research in whatever method best suits me. It's important to me that I cite my sources precisely and accurately and that I know where every single piece of information came from. But there's no genealogy law stating I have to type out every word from every birth registration or census record or death certificate.
And so it's okay to print off or photocopy all the records I find, note the source (in detail!) neatly on the paper, then file it using whatever filing system best suits me.
Using Pointers in Genealogy Program Notes Section
I like to record the names of individuals in my genealogy program so in the Notes section for that person, all I need do is type a notation such as "Birth Registration copy in File Folder A" where "A" is the name I've given that file folder (or binder) I can also point to digital copies of the noted record.
What a liberating moment! I've given myself permission to enter details as and if I wish. Yes I will continue to carefully note sources but I no longer feel compelled to record every word in each record twice - once on paper and once in my genealogy program.
I've made my decision. I'll use my genealogy program to give a one line summary of the record I found, and a pointer to where the copy of that record is in my digital or paper filing system. I may give a brief synopsis of the new fact but if I don't think it's necessary, I won't bother as the paper record is there at my fingertips for reference.
Establishing Daily or Weekly Time Periods
I'm also going to start setting certain days or half-days each week for specific projects. This will work within my habit of jumping from Project to Project. But with the added structure of an established weekly time period I am much more apt to complete each project in turn.
For example I'm working on a book on involving children in genealogy so I'm going to structure one day a week for that.
For my project to create video tutorials on dating old photographs which I'm creating for the Olive Tree Genealogy channel on YouTube I'm setting aside one day a week until the set of videos is completed.
A half-day per week will be allotted for organizing my digital files. That's a job that badly needs doing but I keep putting it off, or I make a half-hearted stab at it but never really stick to it. But I know myself well enough to know that if I make it a bit easier on myself, I can do it.
It's much easier to stick with a task if I say "I am going to spend one hour cleaning the bathrooms today" then if I look at the bathrooms and think "Wow these need cleaning but it's going to take me several hours to do a good job" By the way we have four bathrooms in our house so it can be a pretty big job.
I find that if I tell myself I only need to spend ONE hour at a task, I often go beyond that time once I get into it. This also works great for non-genealogical and boring tasks such as exercising.
2012 - bring it! I'm ready for you.
December 29, 2011
2012 New Year's Genealogy Resolutions
Every year I set my genealogy resolutions. Jan. 2011 Resolutions consisted of one goal - seemingly a simple goal. That goal was to stay focused on one genealogy project at a time.
I didn't meet it. In fact I didn't even come close. I tried. Believe me I tried. But if there's one thing I learned from this "failure" it's that I am an impulsive genealogist.
Getting Side-Tracked
I get side-tracked easily. Repetition bores me, so a project that begins as a fun genealogy project quickly becomes a tedious task for me. I love the challenge of the hunt! I grit my teeth when I reach hour 3 or 4 of entering the information that I found in my research.
I can happily spend 10 hours researching and not notice the passage of time. But show me the results of my 10 hours of research and tell me it's time to enter all that data, and the moaning and groaning and whining begins.
So much tedious time-consuming W O R K when I could be having F U N doing more research, finding out more about these new ancestors!
A Typical Example
Let's look at a few examples - I started a project to look through Poor Law Union correspondence and extract the names of poor people being sent from England to Canada in the mid 1800s. Then I did some research in census records to find more information on these individuals. It was so much fun. What wasn't fun was organizing it and creating the webpages to put it all online! I did finally finish it but only through sheer will power and a lot of stern scolding from myself to myself.
While working on the Poor Law Union records, I began concentrating on putting all my old cemetery photos into videos for Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel. I love doing that. But that's my problem - creating Cemetery Walks became my "break" from the Poor Law Union records.
Poor Law Union boring me today? - no problem, set it aside and work on the Cemetery Walk videos. Oh, that's boring me now because I am trying to find all the photos from 3 years ago? Okay take a break from that boredom and scan my family photos. Oops, two months has gone by and I haven't gotten back to the Poor Law Union records - ack!
You see my conundrum. I jump from task to task. When task A becomes boring to me I'm off to Task B. Then C and D and.... on and on it goes! And so I end up with anywhere from 10 to a dozen genealogy projects on the go all at the same time.
Genealogy Strengths vs Weaknesses
I've fought this all my life. But I've finally learned something very important! I need to work WITH my strengths, not against them! Instead of trying to become what I'm not, I need to focus on what I am. That way I can improve in my strength areas instead of fighting my own nature all the time.
What are my strengths? I'm a very thorough and focused researcher. I'm good at finding information then taking taking that newly-found fact, analyzing it and figuring out what it means in the overall picture, and where to look for the next clue or fact. I also work well with a deadline.
What are my weaknesses? I'm not good at data entry. Repititous tasks bore me. I skip over tasks I find boring, setting them aside for "later". But "later" doesn't always come!
2012 Genealogy Resolutions
My 2012 New Year's Resolutions are:
1. Focus on my genealogical strengths (researching and fact-finding) and continue to build and improve on those
2. Improve on my organization of genealogical records, but not worry or stress over not entering it all in minute detail in my genealogy program
3. Set deadlines. Make one day per week the day I work on Project A and a second day of the week the day to work on Project B. No more worrying if I jump from project to project! Allow myself to jump around as much as I want but work towards deadlines for completion of Projects A, B, C etc. I need variety but I also need the deadline to provide structure and a timeline for completion of my multitude of genealogy projects
And so I've not only come up with what I believe are more realistic 2012 Genealogy Resolutions, I've also come up with a new method of organization of my genealogy. I'll write about that next week so please do come back, read my idea and jump in with your own ideas, suggestions and thoughts!
I didn't meet it. In fact I didn't even come close. I tried. Believe me I tried. But if there's one thing I learned from this "failure" it's that I am an impulsive genealogist.
Getting Side-Tracked
I get side-tracked easily. Repetition bores me, so a project that begins as a fun genealogy project quickly becomes a tedious task for me. I love the challenge of the hunt! I grit my teeth when I reach hour 3 or 4 of entering the information that I found in my research.
I can happily spend 10 hours researching and not notice the passage of time. But show me the results of my 10 hours of research and tell me it's time to enter all that data, and the moaning and groaning and whining begins.
So much tedious time-consuming W O R K when I could be having F U N doing more research, finding out more about these new ancestors!
A Typical Example
Let's look at a few examples - I started a project to look through Poor Law Union correspondence and extract the names of poor people being sent from England to Canada in the mid 1800s. Then I did some research in census records to find more information on these individuals. It was so much fun. What wasn't fun was organizing it and creating the webpages to put it all online! I did finally finish it but only through sheer will power and a lot of stern scolding from myself to myself.
While working on the Poor Law Union records, I began concentrating on putting all my old cemetery photos into videos for Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel. I love doing that. But that's my problem - creating Cemetery Walks became my "break" from the Poor Law Union records.
Poor Law Union boring me today? - no problem, set it aside and work on the Cemetery Walk videos. Oh, that's boring me now because I am trying to find all the photos from 3 years ago? Okay take a break from that boredom and scan my family photos. Oops, two months has gone by and I haven't gotten back to the Poor Law Union records - ack!
You see my conundrum. I jump from task to task. When task A becomes boring to me I'm off to Task B. Then C and D and.... on and on it goes! And so I end up with anywhere from 10 to a dozen genealogy projects on the go all at the same time.
Genealogy Strengths vs Weaknesses
I've fought this all my life. But I've finally learned something very important! I need to work WITH my strengths, not against them! Instead of trying to become what I'm not, I need to focus on what I am. That way I can improve in my strength areas instead of fighting my own nature all the time.
What are my strengths? I'm a very thorough and focused researcher. I'm good at finding information then taking taking that newly-found fact, analyzing it and figuring out what it means in the overall picture, and where to look for the next clue or fact. I also work well with a deadline.
What are my weaknesses? I'm not good at data entry. Repititous tasks bore me. I skip over tasks I find boring, setting them aside for "later". But "later" doesn't always come!
2012 Genealogy Resolutions
My 2012 New Year's Resolutions are:
1. Focus on my genealogical strengths (researching and fact-finding) and continue to build and improve on those
2. Improve on my organization of genealogical records, but not worry or stress over not entering it all in minute detail in my genealogy program
3. Set deadlines. Make one day per week the day I work on Project A and a second day of the week the day to work on Project B. No more worrying if I jump from project to project! Allow myself to jump around as much as I want but work towards deadlines for completion of Projects A, B, C etc. I need variety but I also need the deadline to provide structure and a timeline for completion of my multitude of genealogy projects
And so I've not only come up with what I believe are more realistic 2012 Genealogy Resolutions, I've also come up with a new method of organization of my genealogy. I'll write about that next week so please do come back, read my idea and jump in with your own ideas, suggestions and thoughts!
December 28, 2011
Genealogy Idol Competition
This is an intriguing contest offered by Legacy Family Tree ....
Four contestants (2 live at the conference and 2 online) will compete (apply below to be a contestant). In the three rounds of competition, contestants will demonstrate their gen-tech expertise and try to woo you with their favorite gen-tech secrets. Everyone will learn - but only one will leave with the title of "RootsTech Genealogy Idol 2012."
For more details click on the link for Genealogy Idol competition at the start of this blog post.
Attend the first-ever Genealogy Idol competition - from home or in person
The first-ever Genealogy Idol competition will take place during the RootsTech conference on Thursday, February 2, 2012 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Anyone can participate regardless of where they live or whether they attend the conference.Four contestants (2 live at the conference and 2 online) will compete (apply below to be a contestant). In the three rounds of competition, contestants will demonstrate their gen-tech expertise and try to woo you with their favorite gen-tech secrets. Everyone will learn - but only one will leave with the title of "RootsTech Genealogy Idol 2012."
For more details click on the link for Genealogy Idol competition at the start of this blog post.
December 27, 2011
Share The Memories Free Digital Scrapbooking Kit
Readers who are interested can now access these free Digital Kits through Olive Tree Genealogy blog.
Each free kit includes
- 2 Digital Papers
- 4 Page Elements
- 2 Quick Pages
The Free Digital Scrapbooking Kit offered this week can be seen on the left. I will be providing a link to a new Free Digital Kit next week so be sure to come back to grab that!
With these free kits you can start an album for photobooks, printing or on line viewing.
Readers of OliveTreeGenealogy Blog can also use this special code STMMMS31969 to get a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20 value!
December 26, 2011
Cemetery Walk: Locust Valley Church of God, Maryland
Today's Cemetery Walk is Locust Valley Church of God in Frederick County Maryland. It is online on Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel
Thanks to Denise Coughlin for accepting Olive Tree Genealogy's November Challenge to donate 15 minutes of time to take photographs of tombstones in a local cemetery! Won't you join the challenge and submit your Cemetery photos to olivetreegenealogy@gmail.com
Thanks to Denise Coughlin for accepting Olive Tree Genealogy's November Challenge to donate 15 minutes of time to take photographs of tombstones in a local cemetery! Won't you join the challenge and submit your Cemetery photos to olivetreegenealogy@gmail.com
December 25, 2011
Still Hoping for a Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner? Here's a Deal
Did Santa forget to leave you a Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner this Christmas? Don't worry, you can get one at a special "All I Wanted For the Holidays" reduced price!
Just use this Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner link and the coupon code below to get your special price for the Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner.
"All I Wanted For The Holidays" coupon code is: AIW11A. It’s good for $15 off the purchase of a Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner or— $20 off the purchase of a Flip-Pal™ mobile scanner with Creative Suite Craft Edition DVD.
The coupon is good from December 26, 2011 to January 8, 2012, or while supplies last.
Just use this Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner link and the coupon code below to get your special price for the Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner.
"All I Wanted For The Holidays" coupon code is: AIW11A. It’s good for $15 off the purchase of a Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner or— $20 off the purchase of a Flip-Pal™ mobile scanner with Creative Suite Craft Edition DVD.
The coupon is good from December 26, 2011 to January 8, 2012, or while supplies last.
December 24, 2011
1911 Letter to Santa Found in Chimney
Did you write Dear Santa letters as a child? Did your children? Mine did. I still have one that my oldest son wrote when he was five years old.
But recently a letter to Santa written 100 years ago, on Christmas Eve 1911, was found stuffed in a chimney in a house in Ireland.
A brother and sister - Hannah 10 and Fred 7, wrote the letter and stuffed it in the chimney for Santa to find on his way down on Christmas Eve. It lay undisturbed except for a bit of scorching from fires lit in the fireplace, until 1992.
Read the full story at Dear Santa Letter sent 100 years ago found up chimney
But recently a letter to Santa written 100 years ago, on Christmas Eve 1911, was found stuffed in a chimney in a house in Ireland.
A brother and sister - Hannah 10 and Fred 7, wrote the letter and stuffed it in the chimney for Santa to find on his way down on Christmas Eve. It lay undisturbed except for a bit of scorching from fires lit in the fireplace, until 1992.
Read the full story at Dear Santa Letter sent 100 years ago found up chimney
December 23, 2011
Guess What I'm Getting For Christmas?
Can you guess what I'm getting for Christmas? Another descendant!
Baby Schulze will be joining the ranks of lineal descendant of me, Lorine McGinnis Schulze, on January 2, 2012. It's a boy so as of January 2nd I will have 7 grandsons and 3 granddaughters in my line of descent. Surely at least one will be a genealogist?
What a lovely gift - thank you to my son and his wife!
(With thanks to my Facebook friend Midge F. for the idea for this blog post. Midge posted on her Facebook status that she's getting a descendant for Christmas. I couldn't let it pass without writing my own announcement here on my blog! Visit Midge's blog Granite in My Blood)
Baby Schulze will be joining the ranks of lineal descendant of me, Lorine McGinnis Schulze, on January 2, 2012. It's a boy so as of January 2nd I will have 7 grandsons and 3 granddaughters in my line of descent. Surely at least one will be a genealogist?
What a lovely gift - thank you to my son and his wife!
(With thanks to my Facebook friend Midge F. for the idea for this blog post. Midge posted on her Facebook status that she's getting a descendant for Christmas. I couldn't let it pass without writing my own announcement here on my blog! Visit Midge's blog Granite in My Blood)
December 22, 2011
December 21, 2011
Hey SEC do you need a genealogist on staff?
Is the Securities and Exchange Commission becoming interested in genealogy?
Because of a new regulation for hedge funds which will take effect March 2012, the SEC has come up with a definition of "family members"
According to the SEC family members include all lineal descendants of a common ancestor (going back 10 generations) and the spouses of such lineal descendants. The descendants can be by blood, adoption, legal guardianship, step-children...
You get the idea. It's pretty much open-ended. For example, one of my ancestors going back 10 generations is my 8th great-grandpa Jacques Cornelise Van Slyke who was born circa 1640 in New Netherland (present day New York). Can you imagine how many descendants there are? So a hedge fund manager would be smart to contact a genealogist like me who has researched the Van Slyke descent from Jacques to the present day. Think of all the potential investors' names I could give them!
The first question that came to my mind was - who on the SEC is going to verify that an investor is indeed a lineal descendant of a common ancestor 10 generations back? Do they have a permanent genealogist on staff?
Also, does a hedge fund manager have to provide primary documents proving the lineal ancestry of each of his/her investors? It sounds similar to submitting an application for DAR membership, or acceptance of a Loyalist or Metis ancestor!
Or can a Hedge fund manager make the claim that each of their investors are indeed family members, and the onus is on the SEC to prove otherwise?
Hey if there's an opening for a genealogist or two or three at the SEC, I'm available! And I know many other genealogists who'd be perfect for the job.
With thanks to Laurie Bennett of Forbes.com who told me about the SEC definition of family members and sent me a link to her article "The Family That Hedges Together...."
Because of a new regulation for hedge funds which will take effect March 2012, the SEC has come up with a definition of "family members"
According to the SEC family members include all lineal descendants of a common ancestor (going back 10 generations) and the spouses of such lineal descendants. The descendants can be by blood, adoption, legal guardianship, step-children...
You get the idea. It's pretty much open-ended. For example, one of my ancestors going back 10 generations is my 8th great-grandpa Jacques Cornelise Van Slyke who was born circa 1640 in New Netherland (present day New York). Can you imagine how many descendants there are? So a hedge fund manager would be smart to contact a genealogist like me who has researched the Van Slyke descent from Jacques to the present day. Think of all the potential investors' names I could give them!
The first question that came to my mind was - who on the SEC is going to verify that an investor is indeed a lineal descendant of a common ancestor 10 generations back? Do they have a permanent genealogist on staff?
Also, does a hedge fund manager have to provide primary documents proving the lineal ancestry of each of his/her investors? It sounds similar to submitting an application for DAR membership, or acceptance of a Loyalist or Metis ancestor!
Or can a Hedge fund manager make the claim that each of their investors are indeed family members, and the onus is on the SEC to prove otherwise?
Hey if there's an opening for a genealogist or two or three at the SEC, I'm available! And I know many other genealogists who'd be perfect for the job.
With thanks to Laurie Bennett of Forbes.com who told me about the SEC definition of family members and sent me a link to her article "The Family That Hedges Together...."
December 20, 2011
Share The Memories Free Digital Scrapbook Layouts
Readers who are interested can now access these free Digital Kits through Olive Tree Genealogy blog.
Each free kit includes
- 2 Digital Papers
- 4 Page Elements
- 2 Quick Pages
The Free Digital Scrapbooking Kit offered this week can be seen on the left. I will be providing a link to a new Free Digital Kit next week so be sure to come back to grab that!
With these free kits you can start an album for photobooks, printing or on line viewing.
Readers of OliveTreeGenealogy Blog can also use this special code STMMMS31969 to get a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20 value!
December 19, 2011
Cemetery Walk Fraserville Cemetery, Cavan Twp, Peterborough Co. Ontario
Fraserville Cemetery is now online at Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel.
Join me for a Cemetery Walk of some of the tombstones in this Cemetery.
Join me for a Cemetery Walk of some of the tombstones in this Cemetery.
December 17, 2011
Three Genealogy Powerhouses Join Forces to Publish 1940 US Census
News Release
For Immediate Release
16 December 2011
Three Genealogy Powerhouses Join Forces to Publish 1940 US Census
SALT LAKE CITY—Three leading genealogy organizations, Archives.com, FamilySearch International, and findmypast.com, announced today they are joining forces to launch the 1940 US Census Community Project. The ambitious project aims to engage online volunteers to quickly publish a searchable, high quality name index to the 1940 US Census after it is released in April 2012 by the National Archives and Record Administration of the United States (NARA). The highly anticipated 1940 US Census is expected to be the most popular US record collection released to date. Its completion will allow anyone to search the record collection by name for free online. Learn more about this exciting initiative or how to volunteer at www.the1940census.com.
The 1940 US Census Community Project is also receiving additional support from leading societal organizations like the Federation of Genealogical Societies, National Genealogical Society, and Ohio Genealogical Society.
The population of the US in 1940 was approximately 130 million. NARA’s census images will not have a searchable index. The goal of the 1940 US Census Community Project is to create a high quality index online linked to the complete set of census images as soon as possible. The index will allow the public to easily search every person found in the census and view digital images of the original census pages. The collection will be available online for free to the general public at Archives.com, FamilySearch.org, and findmypast.com, the sponsors of the community project. This new collection will open access to family history research like never before for this period in the US.
“The 1940 Census is attractive to both new and experienced researchers because most people in the US can remember a relative that was living in 1940. It will do more to connect living memory with historical records and families than any other collection previously made available,” said David Rencher, Chief Genealogical Officer for FamilySearch.
The collaborative project will also pool the collective resources, know-how, and marketing reach of Archives.com, FamilySearch, and findmypast.com to engage and coordinate the volunteer workforce needed to deliver the ambitious project. Additionally, Archives.com and findmypast.com will make substantial financial contributions to make the 1940 US Census online name index possible and work with nonprofit FamilySearch to bring additional new records collections online—making even more highly valued family history resources available to the entire genealogical community.
December 16, 2011
MyHeritage App Available so I Check it Out
Yesterday Olive Tree Genealogy received an email from MyHeritage announcing their new app:
I'm not a member of MyHeritage but I downloaded the app to my iPhone to have a look. I can't use the first two features (Family Tree and Share Photos) without signing up on MyHeritage.
But I did have a lot of fun with the third choice -MyCeleb.
When you choose MyCeleb you have a choice to choose an existing photo or take a new one. I chose to take one. After I took it, a popup explained that the photo would be uploaded to MyHeritage for processing but then deleted.
I okayed the upload and waited. It took only a few seconds and my matches showed. I had a good chuckle as my best match was with Elton John! But I can kind of see why - my photo looks like your typical driver's licence mug shot and I have no makeup on!
My other matches were Toni Morrison, Anna Sophia Robb and Gary Oldman - go figure...
I did have fun though, trying different photos and angles to see who I'd be matched with. I liked it when MyCeleb matched me with Jessica Lange - I must remember to always pose that way.
Then I tried hubs and he got some very flattering matches - Patrick Stewart and Mel Gibson were his top two.
Anyway it really was fun and I think the more serious part of this app will almost certainly be helpful to genealogists.
The new MyHeritage app for iPhone, iPad & Android was finally released today, after months of hard work by our really wonderful team, to help get MyHeritage users the best family tree app in the industry.
Version 1.0 includes an HTML5 version of the family tree with profile pages designed especially for mobile, photo-sharing feature that syncs with your family site and a cool celebrity look-alike feature (aka MyCeleb). You can read more about the current version on www.myheritage.com/mobile. Next versions will add more and more great features, starting with editing of the tree straight from your mobile device and followed by everything you love about MyHeritage.
But I did have a lot of fun with the third choice -MyCeleb.
When you choose MyCeleb you have a choice to choose an existing photo or take a new one. I chose to take one. After I took it, a popup explained that the photo would be uploaded to MyHeritage for processing but then deleted.
I okayed the upload and waited. It took only a few seconds and my matches showed. I had a good chuckle as my best match was with Elton John! But I can kind of see why - my photo looks like your typical driver's licence mug shot and I have no makeup on!
My other matches were Toni Morrison, Anna Sophia Robb and Gary Oldman - go figure...
I did have fun though, trying different photos and angles to see who I'd be matched with. I liked it when MyCeleb matched me with Jessica Lange - I must remember to always pose that way.
Then I tried hubs and he got some very flattering matches - Patrick Stewart and Mel Gibson were his top two.
Anyway it really was fun and I think the more serious part of this app will almost certainly be helpful to genealogists.
December 15, 2011
The SSDI is Disappearing From Sight
Genealogists who use the free online SSDI (Social Security Death Index) to find ancestors may have a tougher hunt ahead.
In the past, genealogists could access the SSDI through numerous websites - Ancestry.com
, Rootsweb.com, GenealogyBank 
and others.
But concerns arose that the Social Security Numbers given with the SSDI were being used in Identity Theft scams and U.S. Senators blitzed these websites to request that they stop displaying this information. In the face of mounting pressure, many of the genealogy websites caved.
This week, many of the sites withdrew access entirely (Rootsweb for example withdrew the SSDI completely) or blocked access so only paying members could view the details. Ancestry blocked access by putting the database behind its subscrption membership wall and will no longer provide the Social Security numbers for anyone who died in the previous 10 years. Genealogy Bank still has free access to the SSDI but you must register with a name and email to view the data.
It seems quite a leap to me to make the assumption that thieves were using the SSDI to gather Social Security Numbers. I'm quite sure they found much faster and easier ways to get these numbers. And so the genealogy community is forced to watch as the SSDI slowly disappears, either behind closed membership walls or removed completely. Is this yet another example of a few bad apples spoiling it for the rest of us (genealogists)?
For more articles on this topic see Website stops displaying Social Security numbers for recently dead and Stealing from the dead.
Caveat: the two articles above from ABC News are in favour of the SSDI being removed. I expect to see other bloggers discussing this topic from a different point of view than ABC so keep your eyes open for other articles
In the past, genealogists could access the SSDI through numerous websites - Ancestry.com
But concerns arose that the Social Security Numbers given with the SSDI were being used in Identity Theft scams and U.S. Senators blitzed these websites to request that they stop displaying this information. In the face of mounting pressure, many of the genealogy websites caved.
This week, many of the sites withdrew access entirely (Rootsweb for example withdrew the SSDI completely) or blocked access so only paying members could view the details. Ancestry blocked access by putting the database behind its subscrption membership wall and will no longer provide the Social Security numbers for anyone who died in the previous 10 years. Genealogy Bank still has free access to the SSDI but you must register with a name and email to view the data.
It seems quite a leap to me to make the assumption that thieves were using the SSDI to gather Social Security Numbers. I'm quite sure they found much faster and easier ways to get these numbers. And so the genealogy community is forced to watch as the SSDI slowly disappears, either behind closed membership walls or removed completely. Is this yet another example of a few bad apples spoiling it for the rest of us (genealogists)?
For more articles on this topic see Website stops displaying Social Security numbers for recently dead and Stealing from the dead.
Caveat: the two articles above from ABC News are in favour of the SSDI being removed. I expect to see other bloggers discussing this topic from a different point of view than ABC so keep your eyes open for other articles
December 14, 2011
Featured Database: Historical Records Survey NY City Church Records
Jim M. recently wrote to me about his website. If you haven't found it yet, and you have New York ancestors, you're in for a treat. Jim has been uploading the Historical
Records Survey of New York City church records published in part by the
W.P.A. (Works Projects Administration).
So far he has completed 3 volumes in the series including those for the Roman Catholic Church, the Reformed Church of America (DRC), and the Protestant Episcopal Church.
This looks like a great website to bookmark! For other New York church records see New Netherland Church Records on Olive Tree Genealogy website
So far he has completed 3 volumes in the series including those for the Roman Catholic Church, the Reformed Church of America (DRC), and the Protestant Episcopal Church.
This looks like a great website to bookmark! For other New York church records see New Netherland Church Records on Olive Tree Genealogy website
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