September 13, 2015

Nursing Sister WW1 Photo Album: 29V Sister taking a pulse

This Photo Archive consists of a small autograph album (6.5" by 5.25") kept by Constance (Connie) Philips as a memento of her time serving as a nurse during World War One.

The majority of the photos and items are from 1915, when she served as a nurse in France and Britain.

The album and all photographs, postcards, and other ephemera contained in the album belong to Karin Armstrong and may not be copied or republished without her written permission. The images will be published on Olive Tree Genealogy with permission.

Each image has been designated an "R" for Recto or a "V" for Verso plus an album page number. Recto is the right-hand side page of a bound book while Verso is the left-hand side page.

I will be posting the entire album and my additional research on the individuals identified in Connie's album over the coming months so please check back frequently to view these historic photos. The easiest way to see what has been published is to click on the topic "Nursing Sister WW1 Photos"

September 12, 2015

1918 Postcard Williamsville New York

Recently I rescued 28 vintage orphaned postcards from antique shops. They range in date from 1900 to 1918. 27 are from United States and 1 is from Ontario Canada.

I have scanned and added more of these postcards to Lost Faces and will be adding the rest of these wonderful cards over the next month. I hope descendants will see these postcards and recognize an ancestor.

Perhaps you will find an ancestor or two!

Mrs. Ben Hobecken, Williamsville, New York, To "Dear Aunt Ella" from Myra Hobecken in Chautaqua County 1918

September 11, 2015

Patronymics - Are they Confusing or Helpful to Genealogists?

Lois asked a rather convoluted question which I answered in full on my AskOliveTree blog
Below is one small section of Lois' original email, and my response:

Q: After 200 years of historical accounts of the immigrants from the Netherlands, debate is still continuing when the surname Teunise/Teunisen is researched. My ancestor was Teunis Nyssen, who had 7 children based on baptism records, one (Cornelis) from guardianship record after his mother Phoebe Janse died. By 1660, when the 2nd generation started marriage and having children, the names of daughters were Teunis with an “e” added and sons with “en”. Historians and genealogists either made decisions which person had which “Teunis” father, so for the children of Teunis Nyssen, Denyse was added to the name “de Nys, or of Nys, as opposed to child of Teunis Bogaert.

Is my assumption on the addition of the “e” and “en” correct?

A: The simple answer is "NO". The patronymic was formed by adding -se, -sen, or -szen. Daughters would very often have the ending -x or -dr. added. I suggest that what you are finding ("e" vs "en") is simply the way the name/patronymic was recorded by that specific clerk or individual. See Dutch Patronymics of the 1600s for more help.

Researching the Dutch in New Netherland is not an easy task. It requires years of study to understand naming patterns, customs, patronymics etc *and* to find the records to assist in the research. There are records that Dr. Gehring has been working on translating from the Dutch for over 25 years now!

Read more of Lois' Questions and my Responses at http://askolivetree.blogspot.com/#ixzz3lReVOowU

Photo credit: Stuart Miles on FreeDigital.Net

September 10, 2015

Don't Miss this Special on Legacy Tree Research!

Legacy Tree Genealogists provides treasured holiday gifts for clients and

This year, save money with $100 off any research project if ordered by December 23, 2015. Use coupon code HOLIDAY100.

Get started now to complete your project by Christmas.

Don't wait! Order yours today at https://legacytree.com/olivetreegenealogy

Please note that holiday deadlines are as follows:

Sep 18th: RESEARCH finished by Christmas
Oct 30th: RUSH research finished by Christmas (10% additional fee)
Nov 30th: INTRO research finished by Christmas

Dec 18th: gift card MAILED and project finished later
Dec 23rd: gift card EMAILED and project finished later

About Legacy Tree Genealogists: founded in 2004 and based near the world’s largest family history library, Legacy Tree is the world’s highest rated professional genealogy research company. Working with researchers around the globe, Legacy Tree’s team can track down rare international records, analyze DNA test results, push back ancestry, and connect cousins. [Source: Legacy Tree]

September 9, 2015

One Genealogist Can Make A Difference!

This is a fascinating (and inspiring) story of one genealogist (Brooke Schreier Ganz) and her fight to gain access to public records. Please read the full story at Public Records Access: One Genealogist Can Make A Difference!

Ms. Ganz is seeking access to copies of the 1908-1929 index to marriage licenses and affidavits, a series originally kept by the New York City Clerk’s office, now stored at the NYC Municipal Archives.

In her story we see what dedication and perseverance can accomplish. In the end Brooke Schreier Ganz's fight will benefit all genealogists. The Power of One is amazing!

September 8, 2015

Review of Alex's Wake: The Tragic Voyage of the St. Louis....

Alex's Wake: The Tragic Voyage of the St. Louis to Flee Nazi Germany—and a Grandson’s Journey of Love and Remembrance by Martin Goldsmith.

This is the story of Alex and Helmut Goldschmidt two of more than 900 Jewish refugees who fled Nazi Germany aboard the St. Louis in 1939. Decades later, Alex's grandson Martin Goldsmith tells the poignant tale of how the ship was denied entry into Canada, United States and Cuba. The ship returned to Europe where Alex and Helmut were sent to Auschwitz where they died.

To write his story Mr. Goldsmith traveled in his grandfather's footsteps to revisit those horrific days. It is a moving and sad story of reconnecting with the past and taking a powerful journey with his grandfather and grandfather's brother.

This wonderful book is available on Amazon at Alex's Wake: The Tragic Voyage of the St. Louis to Flee Nazi Germany— and a Grandson’s Journey of Love and Remembrance

September 7, 2015

Vote for Your Fav Rockstar Genealogist Now!

Rockstar Genealogist Voting is now open! Hurry over and vote for your favourite genealogist from the list of nominees.

Olive Tree Genealogy is on the list under "S" as Lorine McGinnis Schulze in case you wanted to cast a vote my way.

It's okay if you don't vote for me, but you should vote for someone.

Image designed with Pixabay image and using WordSwag

September 6, 2015

Nursing Sister WW1 Photo Album: 29R Mess Tent

September 5, 2015

Searching Siblings of Your Direct Ancestors Pays Off

On my AskOliveTree Blog Pamela asked about naturalization records for her ancestor William Galbraith.

My response can be read at Search all the Children not just your Direct Ancestor!

Feel free to send your challenging genealogy queries to AskOliveTree@gmail.com for me to answer.

Sometimes I do actual research on your behalf, sometimes I just point you in the right direction to find answers on your own!

I post a Q&A every Thursday, more often if possible.

Image by Stuart Miles on FreeDigitalPhotos.net

September 4, 2015

Call For Genealogy Rock Star Nominations

Time for a bit of fun. You can nominate your favourite genealogist for John Reid's Rock Star Genealogist contest. Check out the list of nominees and add your own if he or she is missing.

From the website:

"Rockstar genealogists are those who give "must attend" presentations at family history conferences or as webinars. Who, when you see a new family history article or publication by that person, makes it a must buy. Who you hang on their every word on a blog, podcast or newsgroup, or follow avidly on Facebook or Twitter?"

Image Credit by Stuart Miles on FreeDigitalPhotos.net

September 3, 2015

Video: Showing a Finished Family Tree Book Created on Shutterfly

2:12 p.m. Eastern Time

LIVE on #Periscope:

Showing a finished family tree book using Shutterfly

This video is now on Periscope TV for the next 24 hours. You can also find it on my Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel as Creating a Memory Book in Shutterfly (Tutorial 4)

Review: The 15 Habits of Highly Frugal Genealogists

My good friend and fellow genealogist Thomas MacEntee has published another great book.

The book is entitled The 15 Habits of Highly Frugal Genealogists and is available at Amazon Canada at The 15 Habits of Highly Frugal Genealogists

The full price is $3.95 CAN/$2.99 USD but it will be available for FREE download starting Friday 4 September 2015 through Sunday 6 September 2015

You can also find this book at Amazon.com

Anybody can read Kindle books even without a Kindle device with the FREE Kindle app for smartphones, tablets, and computers.

Reading the book last night I was amazed at how many tips and ideas Thomas has for saving money on genealogy-related items.

I wish I'd known about #24 and #29 last week! That's right, I said 24 and 29 because Thomas didn't stop at 15 tips. There are 33 helpful tips in total.

Mark your calendars for September 4 and make sure you take advantage of this FREE offer!

September 2, 2015

FREE 170 Million Wills & Probate Records on Ancestry!

Wow! Ancestry.com just published over 100 million wills written in the United States in the last 300 years for genealogists to search. More than 170 million pages from the largest collection of wills and probate records in the United States is now available online exclusively on Ancestry.

With searchable records included from all 50 states spread over 337 years (1668-2005), this unprecedented collection launches a new category of records for family history research never before available online at this scale the United States.

Until now, these records have only been available offline. Ancestry spent more than two years bringing this collection online, working with hundreds of different archives from individual state and local courts across the country and making a $10M investment to license and digitize the records. The documents cover well over 100 million people, including the deceased as well as their family, friends and others involved in the probate process. Ancestry expects to continue to grow the collection, with additional records available over the next several years.

To celebrate the launch of the new U.S. Wills and Probates collection on Ancestry,, the collection along with all U.S. birth, marriage and death records, will be available to explore for FREE, September 2 (12pm MT) through September 7 (10pm MT).

Here are the records available as of today:

September 1, 2015

The Problem of Family Not Wanting Your Genealogy Research

Several years ago I came to the realization that no one in my immediate family wants my 40 plus years of research on our genealogy. A few are mildly interested in hearing the more exciting stories of blacksheep ancestors or famous relatives or an intriguing mystery. No one but me does actual research into our ancestors.

That means that my binders and file folders full of documents and charts are not something anyone is going to take and preserve when I'm gone. I'm sure many of you are facing the same problem. So...what to do?

My solution has been to create family books for each surname. I keep them short, no more than 30 pages for each book. Some surnames have multiple volumes and each volume is for one generation including children. These books are what I call "Coffee Table" books, meant to be picked up and thumbed through casually. Not all documents are included because that would turn into a book consisting of hundreds of pages!

After publishing them on Shutterfly I give them as gifts at Christmas. That is one way the family stories and research might be preserved for future generations. If you are unfamiliar with Shutterfly I have a tutorial on using it on my Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel.

Creating a Memory Book in Shutterfly (Tutorial 1)

Creating a Memory Book in Shutterfly (Tutorial 2)

Creating a Memory Book in Shutterfly (Tutorial 3)

Another solution I use is to create books for sale to other descendants. Since I tend to research all siblings in a family I can often provide details, facts and documents on a large number of family members for each generation. I use Createspace for those books which then are made available on Amazon. See my list of books I have published here. Money I make from these sales helps offset my expenses in subscribing to online companies for their databases.

I also donate a copy of any books I create to local archives or libraries where the family settled. This helps ensure that even more descendants will have access to my research in the future.

How have you overcome the problem of your family not wanting your genealogy records?

August 31, 2015

Are You on Social Media Channels?

My Twitter Page

Are You on Social Media Channels? If not, you might want to have a peek at some. You could be quite surprised at how many genealogists can be found on various sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+ and Periscope (and LinkedIn but it's more business oriented)

I am all of the above. They are great for making connections with other genealogists and if you are trying to generate any kind of income from your genealogy pursuits, they are a must.

My Instagram Page Today

Each Social Media channel has its own flavor and rules. Facebook for example is more casual where Twitter is a bit more formal (and you are constrained by a limit of how many characters can be each of your tweets or updates). Periscope is streaming video which you create yourself to show your followers or you are the watcher, and there are some intriguing "scopes" out there! Instagram relies on photos to capture other people's attention.

If you want to check out these Social Media Channels, here's where I can be found:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Olive-Tree-Genealogy/16127378259
Twitter https://twitter.com/LorineMS
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/lorinems/
Instagram https://instagram.com/olivetreegenealogy/
Perisocope Get the app on your iPhone or iPad and look for me under Olive Tree Genealogy @LorineMS
Google + https://plus.google.com/+LorineMcGinnisSchulze/posts
LinkedIn https://ca.linkedin.com/in/lorineschulze

My Facebook Page

So come on over to one of my channels (or all of them if you want!), check them out and join me. Say hello once you get there, I'd love to see you. I am most often found on Twitter and Facebook but I am on Pinterest, Instagram and Periscope daily.

August 30, 2015

Nursing Sister WW1 Photo Album: 28V Sisters in Mess Tent check flowers

Tonight's Episode of Who Do You Think You Are? with Tom Bergeron

This Sunday, August 30 at 9/8c TLC will air TV host’s Tom Bergeron’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are?

In the episode, Tom Bergeron sets out to unravel the murky history of his paternal roots. Tracing back over 400 years, he uncovers the dramatic story of his 10x great-grandparents, who endured brutal warfare and starvation in France. Then Tom follows their daughter, who was orphaned as a teenager and bravely set off across the Atlantic, playing a significant role in establishing the New World.

Brought to us by TLC with Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online family history resource, teaming up again as a sponsor, Who Do You Think You Are? takes celebrities on a journey to discover their roots.

Image credit: TLC

August 29, 2015

Book Giveaway! The History of Grenfell Saskatchewan

Good morning everyone! I have been de-cluttering my home for a few days now and came across two books I no longer want. This book is called

Grit Growth: The Story of Grenfell

author:A.I. Yule

Published by Grenfell Historical Committee 1980

There is a handwritten family tree inside for REEVE, Elliin/Ellim? Farms, Grenfell Saskatchewan starts with Charles Reeve born 1880 Birmingham England

This book is 347 pages with an index and is in very good condition.

There is a handwritten inscription "To Cousin Millicent with love from Olive Gay and all cousins at Grenfell Saskatchewan. March 1981" (Millicent was Millicent Lynn, mother of the Mayor of Midland Ontario)

Here's the deal - I'm giving this book away FREE. Yep that's right. The first person to contact me at olivetreegenealogyATgmailDOTcom will be the lucky recipient.
All I ask is that you agree to pay for shipping but a caveat is that sending mail from Canada is expensive. Using Canada Post online I estimate this book will cost about $17.00 to ship. I will need your postal or zip code to calculate a more accurate cost.

August 28, 2015

Periscope Video of Antique Photos: My Collection of Ambrotypes & Daguerreotypes

LIVE on Periscope: Antique photos: my collection of Ambrotypes & Daguereotypes. Watch the saved broadcast for 24 hours on Periscope TV at http://bit.ly/1PXcC3B

Search Alternates to Ships Passenger Lists to Canada Before 1865

Barbara asked about finding a ships passenger list for her great-grandmother Elizabeth Hayes, born 1841 in Newcastle, England.

Read my answer at Search Alternates to Ships Passenger Lists to Canada Before 1865

Legacy Family Tree recently tweeted about my latest blog post Find Your Ancestor on Ships Passenger Lists to Canada after 1865 at http://bit.ly/1LydBpm